Who Da Dang Dunnit Take 2!

Could it be the young, rich indulgent speedster, Anthony Marston.  This cool millionaire trust fund baby is ably played by Gideon Goree, a first time community theater actor.  He is doing a marvelous job, very impressive.  Infinitely better than I did in my first community theater role, as I played a very serious character, and in my entrance, to a packed house of high schoolers, I tripped going up some steps and had them all howling in laughter for a minute or more.

Could it be General John MacKenzie, still missing his young wife two decades after her death?  Could he be seeking revenge against a brutal world?  I play this role, my 60th some production, and the second time I've been in this play.  I am grateful that so many of these talented young people are willing to put up with this old fogey.

Could it be Judge Lawrence Wargrave, the stern adjudicator?  This part is played by the brilliantly talented Rem Farr, who is not only one of this areas best thespians, but is also an prize-winning playwright and author!

What about the cold. calculating servant team of Mr. & Mrs. Rogers?  Is serving cold tongue just the beginning of a murderous chill?  Isaiah Ricks is an outstanding young actor who stepped into his role only two weeks before opening night.  Melissa Kresal plays Mrs. Rogers, and I must say, both actors are really kicking it with their characterizations!

And one mustn't forget Dr. Edna Armstrong, a woman in a male dominated profession.  What resentments does she harbor?  She is played by one of my very favorites, Brittany Peacock.  I have seen her knock it out of the park in several productions, and this one is no exception!

Could it be the spinster Miss Emily Brent, with her moral outrage and I am holier than thou outlook?  Emily is played by Karla Smith.  She is a newcomer to WACT, but not to the stage.  After years off to raise a family and other responsibilities, she is back onstage, and WACT is all that much richer for it.  I look forward to more plays with her, and her talented children.

And don't dismiss the boatman who brings them to the island.  Does he really leave the island, or is he secretly murdering them all?  Fred Narracott is played by Michael Lee, the only one in the cast who has been acting with WACT longer than I have!  He has been a great friend, and I have been in many plays with him and his mother, Melodye.  My finest moment onstage came when I did one of the acts of Plaza Suite with basically just Melodye and me.  It is amazing when you get one on one with an actress/actor of infinite talents.  It was truly a thing of beauty, and stands out in the crowd of sixty plus plays I have done. 

What about the mysterious, beautiful secretary to the unseen couple who have gathered them all there?  What from her past is she hiding that could lead her to eliminating everyone, one by one?  Vera Claythorne is played by Sarah Elizabeth Watson, someone with stellar acting, who I have watched in amazement in several productions and have never had the good fortune to act with until now.  It was worth the wait.  Michael Lee said that a short scene I have with Sarah rivals the one I did with his mother, Melodye.  A high compliment, indeed.

And we mustn't forget those twin towers of testoronic drive, mercenary and playboy Phillip Lombard who is callous towards those not of his "tribe" and treats women like he was in the cast of Mad Men, and also Davis (OR IS HE?), the South African adventurer with a an investigatory bent.

Lombard is played by Nicolas Horne, a Senior in high school but one who moves across the stage like a veteran (not one quite as creaky and old as myself, however).  He has shown incredible range in just the two parts I have seen in him, this and Jethro in The Beverly Hillbillies, and I am sure there is much more to come!

Joseph (Jody Rollins) plays the part I played back in the year (mumblely-mumbely).  One of the things I have taken most pride in over my years in theater is the tremendous range of the type of roles and characters I have gotten to play.  Of all the young actors I have seen, Jody can rival and surpass me in that regards.  I have watched him blend into an incredible variety of roles in the last few years, and I am honored to pass my torch of diverse casting on to him.  Bravo!

COME SEE THIS SHOW!!!

Fighting for Your Right to Vote

The election is almost upon us.  Soon, early voting will begin.  Georgia is not a major media market for the campaign, although there was some fleeting talk coming off the Democratic convention that Georgia might be competitive.  That has died down somewhat, and for us in South Georgia, we'll see most of our ads from the Florida TV stations.

I don't early vote, unless I feel there is a significant reason I can't make it to the polls.  Although who I vote for is not a big mystery, I still like to keep it open until the last minute, just in case some horrible fact or scandal emerges. Of course, the difficulty becomes sorting out truth and fiction when those things come up.  Sometimes you have to be very skeptical about the last minute noise.

I am proud that my son is participating in a group called Student Ambassadors.  They are working hard to increase the interest and registration of our young voters.  They are encouraging them to participate, to both inform themselves and vote.  It is not for or against any particular party.  It is a pro-democracy group, understanding that the most important function of our public schools is to create an informed and involved citizenry.

The Student Ambassadors encourage other acts of community involvement, including assisting the local Humane Society and helped at the opening of the Satilla Water Trail. They have volunteered at the local election office, spoken at a Historical Society meeting, and participated in registrations at their school.  They have conducted polling on national, state and local issues.

They recorded a promotional video on Facebook that won the statewide video competition.  Check it out if you get a chance - it's under the name Fight For Your Right (please ignore the Beastie Boys results).  It is one of the best student produced videos I've ever seen.

The Student Ambassador groups earn points for their various activities. Currently, the Pierce County Student Ambassadors are very near the top of the state rankings of Student Ambassador organizations. I am so proud of what Benjamin and his fellow Student Ambassadors are doing I could burst.

It's true.  Our state, like many other states dominated by one party rule, are making it more and more difficult to vote.  Constant road blocks and conditions are set up, and more are being contemplated.  Making registration simpler would be a blessing, as would Election Day being a holiday where people could easily get off work.

It's also true that many of our candidates we find unpleasant and down right difficult to choose from.  The current Presidential candidates from our two main parties carry the highest unfavorable ratings in the history of our Presidential politics.  And in many areas, because of one party dominance, you will look at a lot of the offices and find only one candidate running, leaving your input meaningless.

But rather than giving up and surrendering to these obstacles, the Student Ambassadors stand up to it, and help people work through the maze to defy the odds and become good, participating citizens.  If our democracy is going to be saved (and make no mistake - it is under severe siege and threat right now), it will be because of fine, upstanding young people like the Student Ambassadors.

When I salute the flag of the United States of America I don't do so because I deny all our flaws and imperfections.  Those do exist.  I salute it because I believe in the dream, I believe in the democratic republic for which it stands, for it's vision of equality and justice for all.   And that only happens when we all register to vote, inform ourselves and participate.

Bravo, Student Ambassadors!  Bravo!

Five Star Wednesday Wanderings

Have to include this....keep the publicity going!  This is gonna be a great show!

This will be a genuine five-star Wednesday Wandering.  My mind is fractured from work and being in the middle of Hell Week (eight day stretch of rehearsals and performances).

We also rehearsed last week quite a bit, much more than is usual, and as tiring as it is, I must admit that it has paid off.  The actors are melding together perfectly, and I think we're going to have a great show!

------------------------------------

Speaking of great shows, my son Benjamin was in a great play at his high school last night.  It was a murder mystery that was written by two of his high school friends, and he played a lead role.  He was loud, charismatic, emotional and enunciated clearly.  I could not go to last night's performance, but I did attend their last dress rehearsal Monday afternoon.  

Benjamin is also participating in the One Act competition.  He does not have a part, but is assisting with stage work.  I'm proud of his behind the scene efforts, and proud that he will be part of a great team.  Pierce County usually does quite well in the One Act Competitions.

----------------------------------------------

Football has been reduced to the Wolverines, a little bit of the Falcons, and then a huge cloud of dust.  The Falcons had a great victory, beating their rival Saints in New Orleans.  And the Wolverines continue to dominate, but their first real test will come against Wisconsin this Saturday.

------------------------------------------

The world brightened considerably when Hillary Clinton demolished Donald Drumpf in Monday night's debate.  Well, really, Drumpf did most of the damage to himself.  He stood out as the thin-skinned, undisciplined, unprepared, sniffling braggadocio coward that he is.

-------------------------------------

I am stunned by my friends who still support him.  Or who irrationally indicate that Hillary is as bad or worse.  No. No, she's not.  She's no where near my first choice to be the Democratic nominee, or more importantly, the Progressive standard-bearer, but to call her as bad as Trump is a complete disservice to reality.

--------------------------------------

And to those continuing to believe the health stories about Clinton (bizarre eye movements!  seizures!  Parkinson's!  brain damage!), for God's sake, check Snopes before you open your mouth again!  And check out the debate and tell me...who is the one (sniff! sniff!) who appears not to be in good health?

When you select a Presidential candidate, you're not electing an immortal God.  They are subject to human frailty like all the rest of us.  That's why we vote for a Presidential TICKET, that includes a Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate.  That's why the Vice-Presidency is important.

---------------------------------------------

Sadly, my writing and promotional efforts are currently disintegrating.  Hopefully, I can restore them soon.  Hell week will finish, and I can restore a better balance.

---------------------------------------

Lastly, I want to confess to a huge flaw in character, my weakness, my Achilles heel.  If you leave it to me to call somebody and ask them something, I will tell you I'm going to do it, and then 90% of the time, I won't do it.  It's not my intent to lie when I tell you that I will.  I have good intentions.  I just have no follow through.  I hate contacting people, and I keep putting it off until it becomes uncomfortably late and I just become more embarrassed and guilt ridden.

Just thought I'd let you all know.

WHODUNNIT????

Murder!

Murder most foul!

Murder has come to Soldier Island!

WACT Presents

Agatha Christie's

And Then There Were None!

Who could the killer be?

Could it be Davis, the mysterious adventurer from South Africa?  OR IS HE?  Is Davis something different than who he seems to be?  Anything is possible here on Soldier Island. 

Could it be the stern spinster, Miss Emily Brent? She is ruthless in her convictions, spraying bible quotes like weapons, and has no remorse for any past misdeeds.

How about Dr. Edna Armstrong?  Once a highly successful surgeon, an accomplished female in a distinctly male profession (this is the late 1930s), she now specializes in soothing patient's jangled nerves.  BUT who eases her nervousness, OR IS SHE JUST LOOKING FOR REVENGE?

Or what of Fred Narracott, the local whose boat brings them to the island and the supplies that they need.  Once delivered, he leaves the island.  OR DOES HE?  Does he instead stay on the island, lurking in the shadows, murdering the guests, ONE BY ONE?

And what of recently retired judge, Lawrence Wargrave?  He leads the investigation of the terrible murders with intelligence and drive, even as his frail body betrays him.  Could he secretly be the monster behind the killing madness?

Or what of the charming playboy, Anthony Marston?  Why not?The dashing auto speedster has a complete lack of guilt for the two children he ran down.  What's a few more corpses accumulated on the way?

And what of the debonair, incredibly handsome (sometimes it's good to be the blog writer) General John MacKenzie.  Could this older gentleman be harboring dark secrets from his military past?  And why does he keep thinking his wife, Lesley, is on the island  EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS BEEN DEAD FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS???

Could it be the self-centered playboy mercenary, Phillip Lombard?  The only one on the island WHO HAS A GUN???

Could it be the cook, Mrs.  Ethel Rogers?  Maybe she knows about delicious dishes, LACED WITH POISON!!!

Could it be Mr. Thomas Rogers, the butler and spouse of Ethel?  Who knows what goes on in Mister Roger's NEIGHBORHOOD?????

Last but certainly not least, there is the beautiful ingenue, Vera Claythorne, the secretary of the mysterious couple that supposedly arranged for all to come to the island?  What would stop this seemingly sweet woman, who may have murdered an innocent child in order to benefit her lover, from KILLING AGAIN?  AND AGAIN?  AND AGAIN?

Don't be left in the dark!  Come see this puzzling whodunnit, playing this weekend and next, at the Ritz in downtown Waycross!!!

2016 Gridless Friday Fall TV

What up, Tom?  Didn't you say this was about Fall TV?  Why are you showing us a picture of a show that doesn't come back until 2017?

Because Season 6 of Grimm is the only Friday show I'm interested in watching.  And i want to use some kind of a picture.  I'd rather it be of a show I liked.


THE GRID IS GONE!

So sorry, but no grid this year.  They're hard to find, and with the explosion of television choices, they are difficult to impossible to pull off.  I will go hour by hour, telling you the scripted shows that are available.


8 PM!

CBS has the new show MacGyver (Sep 23) Did I say this was new?  It sounds so familiar.  He can do anything with the most mundane of supplies...and very clever writers.  I think I'm going to skip this one.

ABC's Last Man Standing Anatomy (Sep 23) begins Season  6.  You see, it's amusing because he has all these females in his house, and he's just a bumbling male idiot who has a tool program.  Ok, that may only be partly right.

CW has Season 8  of The Vampire Diaries starting October 21st.  I can only conclude from the title that it features vampires who like to write a lot.

8:30 PM!

ABC has Season 2 of Dr. Ken (Sep 23)   The series star, Ken Jeong, promises twists!  Does that mean there'll be a DANCE-A-THON???!!!


9 PM!

CBS has Season 7 of Hawaii Five-O (Sep 23). So will this remake last longer than the original?  I don't know, but it has a ways to go yet!  The original ran 12 seasons!!!

Fox premiers The Exorcist (Sep 23).  So why am I, Tom Strait. not interested in this?  I don't know.  Maybe because I feel this kind of show is better done on basic cable or premium channels? I may sample it.  I might not.  This is one where critical review could make a difference to me.

CW has Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Oct 21), IT'S STARTING SEASON 2!  It's the lowest rated show to get a renewal.  Critics love it!  I was neglectful and forgot to Alison about it, otherwise she would probably be watching it.  Oh, well.  Maybe someday streaming?


10 PM!

CBS has Season 7 of Blue Blood (Sep 23).  It stars Tom Selleck  minus the Tiger cap,  He's like chief of police or something.  Does he live on a boat?

HBO has the premiere of High Maintenance (Sep 16).  It's about a marijuana delivery service.  Even though I get HBO , I'm skipping it.  I get that marijuana is not as dangerous as other drugs or even alcohol, I just don't care for drug humor. This was originally a web series.

Cinemax premieres Quarry (Sep 9), a crime story set in 1970s Memphis.  I might watch this if I had Cinemax, but I don't.

Syfy has the premiere of Van Helsing (Sep 23).  You wake up and find vampires have conquered the world!  You cry out, "CORAL!"  Sorry.  Wrong show.  It's got good pedigree so I will sample.


THE ONE AND ONLY SATURDAY SHOW....

is BBC America's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. spun off from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Oh, yez.  There will be sampling.


IN SUMMARY

l'll wait until 2017 for Grimm.

I'll MAYBE sample The Exorcist and  Van Helsing and both Benjamin and I will sample Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

And please don't tell Alison about Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

2016 Gridless Thursday Fall TV

The best Thursday Fall scripted show is on ABC at 10 PM.  It's Season 3 of How to Get Away With Murder (Sep 22)!  The plotting of this show is wild, and you really have to suspend your desire for realism, but it is a great ride.  They pack more into their short seasons than most shows do, and it is a great example why shorter seasons may be the coming thing even on broadcast TV.

This looks like the most promising Thursday newcomer.  It's Pitch on Fox at 9 PM.  The first female major leaguer! It's a great idea!  One that was on my projected novels-to-write list about thirty years ago.  Well, they be fast and I be slow.  The downside to me trying it?  I forgot to DVR  it, I do believe.  Just too darn busy with practicing for an upcoming theater production, And Then There Were None (see it at the Ritz starting Thursday Sep 29!). I hope it's on Hulu.


THE GRID IS GONE!

So sorry, but no grid this year.  They're hard to find, and with the explosion of television choices, they are difficult to impossible to pull off.  I will go hour by hour, telling you the scripted shows that are available.


8 PM!

CBS has Season 10 of The Big Bang Theory (Oct 27).  This is confusing.  See Monday night, where it's also listed.  Something to do with Thursday Might Football. I don't know.  Just go with it.

Fox has Season 2 of Rosewood (Sep 22), starring Morris Chestnut.  A medical crime drama.  Not sure.  I've not seen it.

NBC has Season 2 of  Superstore (Sep 22), starring America Ferrera. I think this is our biggest miss in deciding what shows to watch.  It shows the work world as many Americans now have to face it - low paid and treated like crap.  We'll probably have to stream it when things slow down (hah!).

ABC's Grey's Anatomy (Sep 22) begins Season 13.  This show represents the beginning of the age of Shondaland (super TV creator Shonda Rhimes).  Medical drama. McDreamy still on there?  Some of my Rippers are big fans..

CW has Season 2 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow starting October 13th.  Not a great show, but a fun one,  It will be introducing some more villains into it, including Damian Darhk and Reverse Flash, and will also introduce the JSA's  (Justice Society of America - a favorite group of mine) Vixen.

8:30 PM!

NBC premieres The Good Place (Sep 19, then Sep 22).  Alison is very excited about this program.  She is a huge Kristen Bell fan.  It's about the afterlife, and a strange little corner of it managed by Ted Danson's character.  I already screwed up recording the first two episodes, so once again, praying for Hulu help.

CBS has new comedy The Great Indoors (Oct 27).  It feature's Community's Joel Mchale as an outdoors sports writer who now has to come to the big city and manage the staff.  I picture pup tents in the bullpen.


9 PM!

CBS has Season 4 of Mom (Oct 27). I don't watch, but I really like Jamie Pressley.  Does it still have Jamie Pressley?  Let me know. .

Fox premiers Pitch (Sep 22).  Yeah, it's already been on and I forgot to record.  I know.  I'm late putting out these previews.  What can I say?  These are the most time consuming of all the blog entries I put out, and have I told you?  I'm busy practicing for a play, And Then There Were None, that starts at the Ritz this Thursday Sep 29 (I wonder how many times I can 'pitch' that).

NBC has Season 2 of Chicago Med (Sep 22). Sorry.  I'm completely out of anything else to say about Chicago, except....HOW BOUT THEM CUBS!

ABC has new program of Notorious (Sep 22).  Please note:  It's NOT a Shondaland program.  It's something inspired by a producer of Larry King and her lawyer.  I kid you not.  Enter at your own risk.

CW has Supernatural (Oct 13), IT'S STARTING SEASON 12!  This is unprecedented for a show of its type, and on American broadcast TV.  I salute you!  I'm way too far behind to ever watch you, but I salute you!  Many Rippers LOVE this program!


9:30 PM!


CBS has Season 2 of Life In Pieces (Oct 27)  It's a big comedy with an all-star cast.  Sorry.  That's all I got.


10 PM!

CBS has the premiere of Pure Genius (Oct 27).  It's a hospital show, with a techie in charge of improving the hospital.  Given the name, there must be one or more really smart people.

NBC has Season 4 of The Blacklist (Sep 22).  James Spader still makes the best anti-hero on television. Thank God I remembered to DVR this one.

ABC has Season 3 of How to Get Away With Murder (Sep 22)  See above.  When I started college, I wanted to be a lawyer.  Didn't happen.  Wanted to get out of school earlier to help my girlfriend,  whose father had passed, finish her own schooling.  That didn't happen either.  She finished school, all right, but broke up with me soon after my academic course was rearranged.  That's right.  I'm down to personal anecdotes now.

FX has new Comedy Better Things (Sep 8).  I think it's about an actress and her family.  Sorry, I may have better things to watch.  Indeed, Stranger Things.

USA has new drama Falling Water (Oct 13)  It's about dreams, and how they affect your real life.  The previews look awesome, so we'll be checking it out.  What the hell happened at USA?  They used to present pablum and crap (Psych excepted), and now they're doing edgy stuff like Mr. Robot.  SO MANY CHOICES!!!.


IN SUMMARY

Benjamin and I will watch DC's Legends of Tomorrow..

Alison and I will watch The Good Place, How to Get Away With Murder, and The Blacklist.  We intend to sample Falling Water.

I alone will sample and most likely watch Pitch.  If I can find the first episode.

2016 Gridless Wednesday Fall TV

Yes, my favorite show on Wednesday night is a comedy.  black-ish starts Season 3 Sep. 21.  For me, it's pulled ahead slightly of Modern Family, because the comedy is more brash and consistent, and it does deal (in a humorous way) with social issues.  Like those great comedies of yesteryear, All in the Family and Maude and the like, it makes you laugh AND think.  Sometimes it feels like a cross between Modern Family and The Simpsons in that the characters reset sometimes.  One week a character will be real religious but then the next week - eh, not so much.  All in all, though, a great show.

Designated Survivor on ABC at 10 PM is my most anticipated new show, and one I've already seen, having premiered Wednesday.  I'm not getting to watch much with the play I'm practicing (come see And Then There Were None starting this Thursday Sep 29 at the Ritz in Waycross!)   I admit to being originally skeptical about this show. For someone who likes politics as much as me, you would think these kinds of shows would be a lock. But I know too much about the subject, and my B.S. meter goes and interferes with my enjoyment of the program. That said, the start of this was very promising. The incident that starts it is horrific, but the whole thing had a very realistic feel to it. I am cautiously optimistic and am hoping it doesn't descend into something like Dave, Being There or Forrest Gump. So far, Keifer Sutherland is playing his part as the new sudden President with warmth and intelligence.

THE GRID IS GONE!

So sorry, but no grid this year.  They're hard to find, and with the explosion of television choices, they are difficult to impossible to pull off.  I will go hour by hour, telling you the scripted shows that are available.


8 PM!


Fox has movie based Lethal Weapon (Sep 21) starring Damon Wayans (the practical cop closer to retirement) and Clayne Crawford (the bat-crap crazy one).  I don't plan on sampling this one, so for those of you who do, let me know how it goes.

ABC's The Goldbergs (Sep 21) begins Season 4.  I've not seen it, but it does look like it could be fun.  It's about the 80s.  If it stays on the air long enough, I guess it could be about the 90s. Unless it becomes about The Decade the Earth Stood Still.

NBC has Season 2 of Blindspot starting September 14 (was at 10 - moves to 8 Sep 21) I've not seen it, but I have some Rippers who like it.  Amnesiactic woman has lots of tattoos that mean something.  I'd probably be pretty pissed if I woke up covered in tattoos, but maybe that's just me.

CW features Season 5 of Arrow.  I watch this show.  I like it.  I do think having 22 plus episodes a year hurts this show.  It requires the stretching out of too many stories that would be better served by a 13 to 16 episode season.

8:30 PM!


A new comedy starts on ABC, Speechless (Sep 21).  It's about a mother and her son with cerebral palsy. I will not watch this, but I do believe the premise of this is a cut above the other new comedies that are premiering.  It stars Minnie Driver and Micah Fowler.

9 PM!

CBS has Season 12 of Criminal Minds (Sep 28). They've lost two cast members, one to quitting and the other to misbehavior,  Cast changes are not unusual in a show this old.  I don't watch but for those who do - please let me know how it goes.

Fox has Season 3 of Empire (Sep 21).  Wow!  Does this show get MONSTER ratings!  I mean, through the roof.  Personally, I have no interest in it.  It's something to do with the record industry, I think.

NBC premieres  Season 18 (!) of Law & Order:SVU (Sep 21). It's the grand-baby survivor of the Law & Order franchise.  I think I've seen a few episodes before.  It's hard for me to tell.  All that Law & Order stuff kinda melded together in my mind.

ABC has Season 8 of Modern Family (Sep 21).  I still love this show but it's getting a little long-toothed.  I smell weddings and more babies.  Babies who will come back next season as Kindergartners.

CW has new show Frequency (Oct 5), based on the movie where the lead character get to talk to her dead father over ham radio.  Premise seems thin to me, but you never know.  I may sample.  I may not.  Time will tell. 


9:30 PM!

ABC has Season 3 of black-ish. (Sep 21).  See above for details!  I'll mention that my son Benjamin is A LOT like the teenage boy on that show! 

10 PM!

CBS has Season 2 of Code Black (Sep 28) It's a hospital show, I think set primarily in the ER. Maybe they should have called it ER or Emergency. Wait.  No, I guess not - those names had already been taken.

NBC has another Chicago show, Season 4 of Chicago PD (Sep 21).  What can I say?  There's been so many shows set in New York City and Los Angeles, Chicago was due.

ABC premiered Designated Survivor (Sep 21).  See above for review. Already I like Thomas Kirkman better than Jack Bauer.

OWN has new drama Queen Sugar (Sep 6).  Set on a sugar cane farm, it is inspired from a book by Natalie Baszile, and is written/produced/directed by the brilliant director of Selma.  We got four episodes of this on the DVR.  Alison is particularly fired up about this show.

Comedy Central has Season 20 of South Park (Sep 14).  I got nothing.  Have at it, fans.

Speaking of not having much to say, Season 3 of Younger is on TV Land.  It's some kind of relationship show?  Maybe comedy?  Drama?  Even reading the description of it, I still can't tell.

FX has American Horror Story Season 6: A Roanoke Nightmare (Sep 7).  Yeah, I watch it.  This year, so far, seems less confusing,as it pretends to be one of those real life docudrama things.  It's a very secretive show and I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say about it (like I have secret inside information - hah!).

Finally, SundanceTV has Season 4 of Rectify, which is announced as its final season.  Guy released from jail who may or may not be a murderer.  Wasn't this already done as a docudrama (Making of a Murderer)?  Anyways, it gets high critical praise.






IN SUMMARY

Alison and I watch Modern Family and black-ish, and frequently Benjamin as well.

Alison is looking forward to watching Queen Sugar. I might - it's iffy.

I will watch Arrow, American Horror Story, and continue to sample Designated Survivor (I'm already 70% on board).

2016 Gridless Tuesday Fall TV

Tuesday's most anticipated new show is This Is Us on NBC at 9 PM.  Well, most anticipated by Alison, anyways.  I am withholding judgment, but I'm willing to try it.  It's something about following eight different people whose only commonality is sharing the same birthday (same day and year, I think).  There's supposed to be some sort of surprising twist to it, which is why I'm going to give it a try.  The promotions are that the characters and situations will seem very real to you.  If it works, you'll laugh and cry.  Maybe at the same time. It premiered Sep. 20.

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD begins Season 4 this year on ABC at 10 PM.  This is my favorite full season (22 or more episodes) broadcast network television show.  I love the world they have created for themselves and I love the character interactions.  That flaming skull in the picture is Ghost Rider.  Not one of my favorite Marvel heroes. but he may be the most mainstream/popular character they've had on the show, gradually bringing the show closer to the Marvel movie universe.



THE GRID IS GONE!

So sorry, but no grid this year.  They're hard to find, and with the explosion of television choices, they are difficult to impossible to pull off.  I will go hour by hour, telling you the scripted shows that are available.


8 PM!

CBS has Season 14 of NCIS (Sep 20).  I've never seen it, but my understanding is that is Illya Kuryakin is in it.  Well, David McCallum, who played Illya in the Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Fox has Season 4 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Sep 20), starring Andy Samberg (SNL) and Andre Braugher.  I haven't seen it, but it sounds like a Barney Miller for the 2010's.

ABC's The Middle (Oct 11) begins Season 8.  I think I saw one episode from Season 1.  It didn't catch with me.  But maybe I should have given it a second look.  Alison's Mom swears by this show, and keeps urging us to watch it.  It's a family comedy featuring a a normal family, but with special little quirks.

CW has Season 3 of The Flash starting October 4th.  Benjamin and I watch this show and enjoy it a great deal.  It balances with the spirit of the comic book Flash very well, and balances great characters with scientific plotting.  I loved the introduction of the Flash of Earth 2, Jay Garrick,

8:30 PM!

Fox has Season 6 of New Girl (Sep 20).  Alison and I watch this show.  It can be funny and we enjoy the characters,  It is getting harder to imagine why these characters are still in circumstances where they have to room together. I know renting is expensive out there, but you would think individually they would be able to rent on their own.  and now two of the core cast members are married.  Yeah.  I'm probably over thinking it..

A new comedy starts on ABC, American Housewife ((Oct 11).  It's about a stay-at-home Mom, played by Katy Mixon, trying to raise her kids in Connecticut.  I guess Hollywood is now considering this kind of comedy revolutionary.  You never know.  Much of comedy depends on writing and characters, so we'll just have to see.

9 PM!

CBS has new drama Bull (Sep 20). It's inspired by the time Dr. Phil's life when he was a trial consultant.  Please try if you want to.  Honestly, I'm giving this one a hard pass.  I can tell you that CBS is promoting the holy living heck out of this one.  You can't hardly watch CBS without seeing Bull somewhere.

Fox has Season 2 of Scream Queens (Sep 20).  I watched the first episode and decided it wasn't for me.  But enough decided otherwise that it was renewed.  The sorority girls will now become med students, giving you a whole season of hospital horror fun time.

NBC premieres This Is Us (Sep 20), and is described above.  Either Alison will watch it, or she and I will watch it together.  I got it on the DVR, which is rapidly filling up while I'm involved with the play And Then There was None (come see it starting Sep 29!)

ABC has Season 3 of Fresh off the Boat (Oct 11).  So how many seasons can you still be considered fresh off the boat?  Maybe awhile.  I know that after 34 years in the South, I'm still considered a Yankee.

CW has No Tomorrow (Oct 17), a fun end-of-days rom-com, centered on the premise that the world will end when hit by an asteroid in eight months and 12 days.  Where's Bruce Willis when you need him?

MTV has Season 6 of Teen Wolf.  I don't know much about it, but I don't think it stars Michael J Fox.

TNT has new drama Good Behavior, featuring Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery as a con artist who likes to steal.  Alison wants to try it, so I may watch the first episode, but I don't know.  Right now, given the current political situation, I'm not really big on con artists.

9:30 PM!

ABC has Season 2 of The Real O'Neals (Oct 11), a family comedy where one son is gay and coming out, and the parents are separated but living in the same house.  Alison and I watched Season 1.  We're not watching Season 2.  Make of that what you will. 

10 PM!

CBS has Season 3 of NCIS: New Orleans (Oct 3) Season 3,  Again, my annual comment - who knew there was so much crime in the navy - so much to sustain THREE (count em - THREE) TV shows?  I haven't watched any of them.  I'm holding out for NCIS: Wichita.

NBC answers the Navy with Chicago, and their big multiple show franchise, starting with Season 5 of Chicago Fire (Oct 11).  I've not seen any of the Chicago shows either.  There I'm holding out for Chicago Wind.

ABC has Season 4 of my very favorite full season broadcast show, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Sep 20).  It's watched and loved by the whole family.

FX has new Comedy Atlanta (Sep 6).  I don't expect to watch this show, led by Donald Glover, but it is great to see there is a show that features a city I used to live near, and worked in for five years. I love that Georgia's film industry is growing.  Maybe I can take advantage of it as I cut further back in accounting. Maybe they'll be a sitcom that needs a Grandpa or an old zombie.

Syfy has new drama Aftermath (Sep 27), about a family trying to cope with events that end civilization as we know it,  This is my cup of tea and I will definitely try it.


IN SUMMARY

The whole family will watch Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Benjamin and I will watch The Flash..

Alison and I will watch New Girl.  We intend to sample This Is Us and Good Behavior, although I am skeptical about both shows.

I alone will sample and most likely watch Aftermath..

2016 Gridless Monday Fall TV

Timeless on NBC at 10 PM is my vote for most intriguing new Broadcast network Fall TV Show.  It's time travel premise sounds better than most, with a history professor chasing a determined villain desirous of changing history in provocative ways, I'm fired up and ready!

My favorite show on Monday is Supergirl, now on CW, with Season 2 premiering at 8 PM on October 10.  This is the very best of the single super-hero shows on network TV.  Her humanity and dedication to others shines through, and the ensemble cast is great.


THE GRID IS GONE!

So sorry, but no grid this year.  They're hard to find, and with the explosion of television choices, they are difficult to impossible to pull off.  I will go hour by hour, telling you the scripted shows that are available.


8 PM!

CBS has Season 10 of The Big Bang Theory (Sep 19) and then the new series Kevin Can Wait (Oct 24).  The Big Bang Theory has more nerd laughs per minute than any other show in television history.  Kevin Can Wait is a star vehicle for Kevin James, and is a subtle variation on his hit sitcom, King of Queens (different character/similar behavior).

Fox has Season 3 of Gotham (Sep 19), a show I watch, but am disappointed in its overly dark mood and high body count.  The most interesting part is watching the growing maturation of the young characters who will become Batman and Catwoman.

CW has Supergirl starting October 10th.  As mentioned above, my favorite show of the  night, and is watched by the whole family.

8:30 PM!

CBS has the new comedy show Man With A Plan (Oct 24th) starring Matt LeBlanc.  It's a bout a father who has to take on more responsibility for raising his three kids.  Sorry.  That's all I got on it.

9 PM!

CBS has Season 6 of Two Broke Girls (Oct 10).  Six seasons and I've never seen a single episode.  The showrunner says they want the girls to have some success this year.  Hard to maintain a working class comedy, I guess.

Fox has Season 2 of Lucifer (Sep 19).  This is one of the few comic book series on television that I don't watch.  It's from DC's Vertigo line and I am not really sure why it's never caught my attention.

CW has Season 3 of Jane the Virgin (Oct 17).  I've never seen it, but it sounds like soapy novella style fun.

9:30 PM!

CBS has a new The Odd Couple (Oct 17) on the air! Wow!  This must have just started....no, wait.  It's Season 3!  Wh-h-hat???  How did that slip by me?  It stars Friend's Matthew Perry as Oscar and Thomas Lennon as Felix.

10 PM!

CBS has Scorpion (Oct 3) Season 3,  Something about high IQ nerds as an espionage team?  Anyways it stars Katherine McPhee, who is a good singer.

NBC has Timeless (Oct 3).  As I've stated above, this is my most anticipated new Fall show.

ABC has another new show, Conviction (Oct 3), starring Agent Carter....uhhh, I mean Hayley Atwell.  She stars as a lawyer who is also a former First Daughter, and specializes in investigating wrongful incarcerations.  Too bad Netflix didn't pick up Agent Carter.

MTV has a new comedy called Mary+Jane (Sep 5).  Can't imagine what that would be about.  Clue 2:  Snoop Dogg is an Executive Producer. Clue 2: It's about a marijuana delivery business,  OK, so that's not much of a riddle.


IN SUMMARY

The whole family will watch Supergirl.

I will watch Timeless.  Whether I will be joined by others is any one's guess.

And I alone will stagger through Gotham, hoping somehow it will turn into a better show.

I may watch one episode of The Odd Couple just to see what they've done, but honestly?  Probably not.

Happening #97 and other Monday Musings

Benjamin marches into chapel Sunday at the conclusion of Happening #97, the Great Christian spiritual weekend at Honey Creek near St. Mary's.  It is a wonderful bonding experience for our young teenage Christians, an important part of participating in the Episcopalian Christian tradition. The number #97 means this is the 97th of these events,  It is similar to the Cursillo that adults experience.

In fact, Benjamin may be one of the rare few who has been to both events, at least in going to Cursillo first and Happening second.  When Alison and I went to Cursillo, Alison was pregnant with Benjamin.  Some sixteen years later, there he is at Happening!

This poorly taken picture is of Benjamin at the front of the chapel, singing and sawing with his fellow Happenators.  He had a great time, and became close to many.

For those who think that being an Episcopalian is not a "true" Christian denomination because we don't worship exactly the way your own church does, or because we a re tolerant of the LGBT community and do not consider what they do a sin, have never been to or heard of our Cursillo/Happening events, nor are they familiar with all that we do and the strength of our love for Jesus, and being his hands and feet in this world,

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My dog Ellie is still recovering from her back problems.  Her progress has been good, but not as complete as I had hoped.  We still have to watch her carefully, and if she over does things, she can set herself back.

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Football was pretty good, except for the Lions.  Penalties took them out of their game with the Tennessee Titans.  As for the Michigan Wolverines, it was almost like they were playing golf, and decided to handicap their opponent by allowing them a first quarter fourteen point lead before finally turning on and taking control of the game.  The Georgia Bulldogs won another close one, kicking the can down the road as to whether or not they are really any good.  The Atlanta Falcons won on the road, and you can never complain about that.

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The Emmy awards made some surprisingly good decisions, none better than Tatiana Maslany winning the Best Actress award in the Drama category for her work in Orphan Black.  Rarely have I been more surprised and pleased at such a well-deserved outcome.

The Emmy for Best Drama, for the second year in a row, was Game of Thrones.  Yes, the show is definitely  in a class by itself. Well, except for maybe Fargo (which didn't win its Limited Series category).

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And Then There Were None practises are getting more serious as we are ten days away from opening night.  This will be an interesting test of my 61 year old stamina.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait