regarding recording television

Upcoming Recordings 11/3-11/6

Is it safe to say that excessive consumption of bourbon wrecked my Saturday? Not in a bad way. Just in a “I’m not 22 anymore and getting up early after a night of heavy drinking is tough” kind of way. After spending three weeks planning to dress as a blog for Halloween, I abandoned that thought Thursday night when I realized that no human actually looks good sandwiched between giant white foam board, no matter how many cool bloggers they have fake linked to on their fake weblog. Then it hit me on Friday afternoon – I’ve got this beard that I haven’t managed to shave or trim or do anything with. Why don’t I don a long coat and shave the beard like Kevin Smith’s and go as “Silent Bob” for Halloween? The added bonus of the costume? It allowed me to wear shorts and sneakers.

But what does this have to do with bourbon? And what in the world does this have to do with television? As “Silent Bob” I felt comfortable at the party and may have had too much bourbon. Or maybe the right amount. I did manage to party late into the night. But I was frustrated at one moment when I tried to have a conversation about Kentucky with someone. Turns out I don’t know enough about the state or the manufacture of bourbon. Hopefully, that will change after I watch Simply Wine With Andrea Immer (Monday @ 3pm on FineLiving, airs throughout the week). I’m not sure how a wine show came to do an episode about bourbon, but I’m looking forward to learning more about Maker’s Mark and bourbon making.

Sometime before or after halfway watching a show about bourbon (let’s face it, I watch one show per week about distilled spirits), I’ll cue up Bollywood Bound (Monday @ 8pm on Sundance Channel, airs throughout the month). Shot in 2001, this documentary follows four Indian-Canadians as they set out for Bombay in the hope of making it big in the massive film community there. Perhaps the Sundance Channel is setting the stage for Deepa Mehta’s upcoming film Bollywood/Hollywood?

Of course’s Monday’s most talked about program will be Average Joe (Monday @ 10pm on NBC). Kathy Griffin hosts this new reality dating show where a woman has to choose a guy among a group of “average joe’s.” By the way, how did “Joe” become the hot name in reality television show programming? And when is it going to stop? Are the rights locked up to a show called “G.I. JOE” about the exploits of young American soldiers in combat zones? What about a dating show called “Cup of JOE?” which features a different single woman each week selecting a man based on who can brew the finest pot of coffee? Yeah, the naming situation is out of control.

Late Tuesday night I’m planning to record The Knack and How to Get It (Wednesday @ 4:35am on Sundance Channel, airs twice more during the month). This Richard Lester film from 1965 was made between “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help.” A few years ago I read “Getting Away With It” by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. The book fluctuates between interviews with Lester and journal entries from the 12 months Soderbergh spent making “Schizopolis” and “Gray’s Anatomy.” It’s a funny and insightful book and I should be embarrassed that I didn’t immediately rush out and rent any films by Richard Lester. Let’s hope I can make up for that this month.

One possibly interesting show on Wednesday is More Highway Hangouts: Fun along the Road (2pm on The History Channel. It’s part of the Time Machine series, I think.). Interesting signs. Odd stops along the American roadside. That kind of thing. (I imagine Meredith & Sarah of popcrazy.com touched on a lot of these places when they traveled cross country during summer 2002.)

Before the week concludes, I’ve made a point to have the DVR record Weekend Entertaining (Thursday @ 11:30pm on DIY Network). This episode features a backyard grilling competition between couples. They’ve got an hour and need to prepare delicious and unique meats. Well, the guide on the television told me the couples would be preparing unique meats. I think they’ll just be preparing chicken or beef in unique ways. No zebra on the DIY Network. I will go on record saying that I’m all for grilled meats. What I don’t understand is how many food shows air across the cable/satellite spectrum each week. How do people keep track of all these shows? The real reason I don’t watch most of these shows is because I’m afraid to cook, isn’t it?