Cheap Seats Getting Cancelled? Not If I.F. Can Help It!

I admit it. I'm the black widow of TV viewers. It seems that whatever TV show interests me the most at the beginning of the fall season is usually history by January. Freaks and Geeks, Firefly -- gone, all gone. In a previous post back in September I gave my picks for my two favorite shows of the year: Drew Carey's Green Screen Show and Cheap Seats. Well, it's December and Drew is long gone and it looks like the Sklar Brothers might be the next casualty. I got this letter the other day from Jason Z. Weber, one of the producers of Cheap Seats:

"We just read your blog, now that Drew's show is gone we here at Cheap Seats are awaiting word on the canceling of our show.  Thanks for cursing us.  Actually ESPN Classic has been threatening to tinker with the format which would mean less commentary on old games and more studio stuff (possibly with an audience).  Like you, we enjoy the show in its current format.  Finding glowing posts about Cheap Seats on blogs like yours will help give us ammo to blow away the suits and keep the show the way it is."

I'm simply amazed that a show this funny hasn't the backing of its network, because Cheap Seats is one of the most original and funniest programs on television today. I came across the program by accident a few months ago and have hardly missed an episode since. Everyone at Experiment House watches, too. Lamont and I grew up in the generation where the Wide World of Sports was mandatory viewing, so it's hilarious to hear the Sklar's commentary over the video footage of those long ago Sunday afternoons. (I personally dream of the day they get ahold of the video of Evel Knievel's Snake River Canyon fiasco.)

It's somewhat remarkable that my favorite program of the year airs on ESPN Classic, because in twenty years of having cable television I have never watched any programming on any ESPN network before, even for five minutes. That's not an exaggeration. In fact, the first time I watched Cheap Seats I had to consult my cable guide to see what channel 69 was! And I suspect that there are a lot of other viewers like me.

If you're a fan of the show you'd better drop the suits at ESPN a line before it's too late. If you've never seen Cheap Seats, check out their website, tune into ESPN Classic and then let the network know what you think!

Here's hoping that Cheap Seats will have a long life on cable TV and that it may even be released on DVD someday!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

The other day my daughter and I sat down as she had to rewrite a new version of "Twas the night before Christmas".
After about 30 minutes of our collaborating - we came up with what follows. So much of my time I hope that my children understand the importance of giving to others... and I think that my daughter really gets it after working on this poem together. Merry Christmas to all and peace on Earth! -- LAMONT

The Night Before Christmas
by
Heather and Mom

Twas’ the night before Christmas, no movement inside.
The bells had stopped ringing, the kettles filled high.
The vans were parked and covered with snow,
empty of toys, from tip-top to low.
The workers had ceased from their scatter and scurry,
to spend time with their families and eat lots of turkey.
The pastors so weary, delirious and drained,
fell asleep on their sofas dreaming about all that was arranged.
Gathering wealth to give to the poor,
spending morning to night at the 24/7 Corps.
From hanging the greens and putting up trees,
preparing Christmas dinner and singing on Christmas Eve.
So many people came through the doors, receiving what they need – but giving much more.
Everyone is welcome, no matter his or her place,
to become part of a family held together by grace.
The work, for now, has been completed,
until the next time our help is needed.
Heart to God and hand to man,
if anyone can help make Christmas, the Salvation Army can.

One month in puzzles

It will be our fourth Sunday at the new Church tomorrow. This month has been an enigma to me. Yes, I actually used the word enigma. How about puzzle, or something of the like. I don't know if you like puzzles, but maybe you can relate to the feelings associated with cleaning off the cluttered kitchen table, bringing the 1000 piece puzzle out of the closet ( or the blue wal-mart bag you just carried into the house.), opening the cardboard box with a butter knife, prying the box open hoping not to mess up the picture lid, and dumping the pieces out - flipping them over -trying to find all the edge pieces.

Yup. This is the enigma of my new life: Excitement, fear, idealism, skepticism, confidence, being unsure, chasing ghosts of the past, imagining the possibility of the future. This is my enigmatic, puzzle life.

This month I have:

Said good-bye to the people that were the closest to me.
Said hello to some of the old and to many of the new people in my life.
Watched my family grieve over many losses,
but laugh together in many happy gains.
Been hurt by my expectations of a few.
Been encouraged by the love and faith others have in me.
Forgotten some the the short-cuts on my old pick-up routes.
Learned the new pick up route and when to drive past the schools ( and when not to.)
Felt totally out-of-place in my old home town.
Felt totally at-home in my old home town.
Prayed for all of my old friends and coworkers.
Prayed with some of the youth and members of the new church and learned how I can begin to pray for my coworkers.
Grieved over the loss of a ministry, the anniversary of my Grandpap and Annie (my old band-mate) deaths.
Rejoiced with others in the new ministry at a community Thanksgiving Dinner, laughed with my son on his 8th birthday and been blessed by the time I now have to spend with my husband, daughter and son.

It's been a busy month.

Open my eyes to the beauty around me, loosen my joy and allow it to come out in my voice so that it can make every jig-sawed corner fit in the way and time it is intended. This puzzle doesn't need to be completed today - I need to allow
God to help me look for the hope in all circumstances, and not allow the scars of the past to keep me from enjoying each piece of the puzzle.

Concentration Cramp

So Mr. X and I are going to have a piece published in a magazine with national circulation. It's weird to think in a couple of months that people will check their mailboxes or walk out of their neighborhood Borders or Barnes and Noble and read our article in The Door Magazine. If that isn't enough, we'll also get a check from the publisher.

Thousands of people reading our work.

An editor liking what we wrote so much that he's going to pay us cash money for it.

You gotta admit -- those are two pretty damn good incentives to write.

So how come I've sat at the keyboard all afternoon and haven't been able to come up with one simple blog post?

We got in THE DOOR!!!

Never let it be said that blogging is an idle waste of time. It's a great way to keep in the habit of writing and to hone your skills. Mr. X and I recently put our creativity to good use and came up with "Enneagram Personality Types For Churches", a satire piece that has been accepted for publication in The Door Magazine! We get paid and everything! The Door has been around since 1971 and bills itself as "the world's pretty much only religious satire magazine." I've been a fan since 1986, when it's no-holds-barred humor about the church blew my eighteen year-old mind!

I wonder if Gilbert and Sullivan started this way?

Welcome to Town

I set up the office for my after school program this week. It's really been a big help to actually be on site in the village -- I'm getting to know a lot of people and find out a lot of helpful things I need to know to make the program successful. The downside of moving in this week was that it didn't leave me enough time to complete a presentation I need to make this Monday morning. So I found myself working today -- Saturday -- to get it done. My daughter, H--, came along with me because she wanted to scope out the village and see my office. I got the presentation done in plenty of time and ended the day narrating the Christmas musical for the village choir. Well, if I had to work a Saturday, at least it was a productive and pleasant one!

And You Thought Scary Movies Only Came Out At Halloween...

Everyone's talking about Saw, which is suppossed to be really scary. But I think I just caught a few minutes of the most horrifying thing ever on the Family Channel of all places: a computer generated sequel to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!

MEMO TO HOLLYWOOD: HANDS OFF MY CHILDHOOD!