TV notes

Some assorted notes: Rufus was on TV Sunday night! Trio showed excerpts from his San Francisco concert earlier this year at the Fillmore. (Me and the peeps saw him there back in ’02; has it really been that long ago?) The concert footage is sprinkled with location segments that followed Rufus around town (Chinatown, Coit Tower, etc.). It was pretty sweet. I assume a lot of the concert ended up on the cutting room floor; he usually rambles between songs (in that charming way of his), but not much of the banter shows up in this special. I don’t see a rerun listed on the Trio schedule, so if you missed it, you’re out of luck for now. However, word on the Rufus message board is that it may be part of a forthcoming DVD. Let’s hope.

Tonight’s episode of Queer Eye is a new one. With two straight guys: twins! Need I say more? [Update (2 June): During Queer Eye we saw commercials for a new series called Blow Out, “an unscripted series that follows renowned hairstylist Jonathan Antin on his quest to establish a new salon in chic Beverly Hills,” from the creators of, not surprisingly, The Restaurant. Well, at least they’re calling it an “unscripted series” and not a “reality show,” ’cause you know that like other shows of this genre, it’ll be short on reality and long on hysterics. By the way, if you’re looking for The Restaurant minus the melodrama, check out Opening Soon on Fine Living.]

The Sundance Channel goes gay for June: its festival of gay and lesbian programming, Out Loud, starts today. Trio will add a permanent block of queer programming, called OutZone, on Saturdays beginning Sept. 18. Speaking of Trio, yesterday they ran a marathon of Kath & Kim, an Australian sitcom about a mother and her grown daughter trying to live under the same roof… without killing each other. It’s taped in a kind of dry, dare I say “reality-show” style (roving camera, no laugh track), and described as “suburban nightmares living the suburban dream.” I TiVo-ed the first season (eight episodes), and what I’ve seen so far is pretty funny, although I admit half my amusement comes from the accents. Heh.

Sunday’s Times ran an article on the women of Six Feet Under (“Death Becomes Her, and Her, and Her“). I love them all, especially Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher. Someone give that woman an Emmy already! And generally I love the whole show. When it all comes together–the chemistry among the actors, the strong, deliberate writing, etc.–it’s electric. The new season starts June 13. Yay!