BuzzSugar

TV Tonight: PBS Will Make 'Em Laugh

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:45:20 -0800

Tonight PBS will begin airing the first episode of a six-part documentary called Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, which explores all things comedic in America. The show features Amy Sedaris as narrator, and is hosted by comedy veteran Billy Crystal.

Comedian interviews to look out for in the series include Judd Apatow, Roseanne Barr, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar, George Carlin, Larry David, Will Ferrell, Steve Martin, and Chris Rock. Pretty awesome lineup, right?

Tonight's episode is titled "Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?: Nerds, Jerks, & Oddballs" and takes a look at how American outsiders have spun their exclusion from mainstream society into comedic gold. So, it's the Judd Apatow episode. You can check out the entire schedule here.

PBS also created an entire episode about humor on the World Wide Web titled, "Teh Internets" (yes, "Teh") that includes hilarious little sketches from Amy Sedaris. You can watch it right now (though it is long) if you read more.

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Can You Imagine a World Without Mister Rogers' Neighborhood?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:15:33 -0700

Of course, the actual Mister (Fred) Rogers passed away in 2003, and it has been a comfort to know that we could at least hear his soothing, friendly voice and watch him change his shoes and cardigans every weekday on PBS. But it looks like episodes of the show will dwindle from TV, living on mostly in our memories (and, of course, on YouTube). PBS has plans to change the airing of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from daily episodes to "a single episode per weekend to member stations."

Unless, that is, Brian Linder's Save Mister Rogers' Neighborhood campaign is successful. A staunch defender of Mister Rogers, Linder writes that the "unfortunate decision" on the part of PBS "essentially silences the special nurturing voice of Mister Rogers in the daily lives of today’s children." He asks Rogers' fans to contact PBS and express displeasure about this move, and to spread the word to friends and family (which could include joining the group on Facebook).

The Save Mister Rogers' Neighborhood campaign even comes with an easy, built-in tag line: Won't you be our neighbor? I mean. . . won't you?

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Is Public Television Still Relevant?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:30:00 -0800

Over the weekend, a story in the arts section of the New York Times put forth the argument that public television is less necessary today than ever before. PBS programming - Antiques Roadshow, Nova - feels musty, the story argues, and it's far less important in the scheme of things than it was when there were just three broadcast networks directing the course of TV. Now, on the other hand:

"Cable has changed all that. There are not only countless more channels to chose from now, but many offer the kind of stuff that in the past you could see only on public TV, and in at least some instances they do it better."

Are any of you die-hard PBS viewers? What shows do you watch? And do you think the programming still has its place in the 100+ channel, digital cable world?