Seeing Charlie Rose back on his show has been interesting. Monday night was a nice return, with Bill Moyers as a sort-of guest host (but more like a co-conversationalist at the Rose table) and Charlie Rose talking about how it was that his heart condition caused some problems while he was in Syria and how his heart surgery in Paris had complications. But, he seems more vigorous. Going to miss all those guest hosts, but Charlie’s looking well.
With the US Open (Golf) going on, there’s been profiles on the latest doings of Tiger Woods. Coinciding with Father’s Day and the recent passing of his father, Tiger’s dad is something to talk about. But I also thought this article on Tiger’s mom, who instills his Asian-ness, so to speak, very interesting.
And speaking of Father’s Day, I thought this Best Dads on TV was a good one. I liked the analysis on Keith Mars of “Veronica Mars” – protective detective dad dealing with detective daughter. And, Jack Bristow of “Alias”:
But one of the things the show always had going for it was the spectacular Jack Bristow (Victor Garber), who always seemed destined to give his life for his daughter Sydney in one way or another — and who eventually did. Jack made a few mistakes along the way in trying to watch over Sydney without smothering her, but he backed her up in traditional and nontraditional senses. Besides, what’s better than being able to say your dad is a spy?
Captain Stubing of “Love Boat” is an interesting choice; Cliff Huxtable of “Cosby” show – well, kind of predictable. Martin Crane of “Frasier” – well, he deserves an award for putting up with Frasier and Niles’ shenanigans (particularly the Frasier episodes where I think Frasier forgot that years at Cheers and the torturous marriage with Lilith was supposed to have mellowed him out, which would have made him a far more easier son for Martin; but Frasier kept getting back to that snobby irritant side of himself).
An interesting article in the New York Magazine profiling NY Times puzzle editor Will Shortz – covering what the new documentary about him and the crossword puzzle apparently doesn’t cover: Shortz is a crossword man, but his Sudoku books are making him rich. Quite a thought.
The comic strips “Judge Parker” has got a new artist, since the previous one retired. The lines are a bit more modern and crisp and the characters looks more animated, whereas before, they seemed like really, really stiff versions of Roy Lichtenstein comic style artwork. Randy Parker, the judge’s son and probably a witless junior lawyer, lost his CIA love interest and his ex-fiancee since both dumped him (although, really, he dumped his ex-fiancee already, but she made him feel worst by reaming him for moving on really fast, when he wasn’t even going into a real relationship with the CIA girl). But, the current storyline can get total focus now that Randy’s love life (or current lack thereof) is resolved: Sam Driver, Esq., and his wife Abby finds out that their adopted daughter Sophie has outsourced her homework to a kid in India, by paying him and e-mailing him the research assignments. She (who’s either a middle school kid or a high school lower classman) gives Indian kid an open invitation to visit the US and her home in particular. Indian kid does visit. Oops. Abby at least finds Indian kid charming. But, it gets worse: Sophie told Indian kid that she’s in college. Sam and Abby are taken aback. Sophie’s really in trouble. Using the Internet for the wrong reasons plus outsourcing in one comic strip? Crazy! (but, oddly, far more believable than Randy’s idiotic love problems).