Tag Archives: television

NCAA officially nixes high school programming on the Longhorn Network

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. The NCAA made official Thursday what most suspected would happen: It won’t allow programming involving high school athletics on university- or conference-affiliated television networks. That means the new Longhorn Network’s plans to carry about 18 high … Continue reading →

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No high school games on the Longhorn Network

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. The Big 12’s athletic directors unanimously agreed to a moratorium on high school content delivered on institutional or conference media platforms for a minimum of one year, the league announced in a release Monday. League athletic directors … Continue reading →

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Film incentives

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Stuff like this always fascinates me. In a legislative session marked by a slew of high-profile budget cuts, Texas lawmakers opted to continue offering [film and TV production] incentives, but they reduced the amount available by 50 percent. They approved … Continue reading →

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RIP, Bubba Smith

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Football great and actor Bubba Smith has passed away. Bubba Smith, an outsize presence in the National Football League who went on to a prolific career in television and the movies, was found dead on Wednesday at his home in … Continue reading →

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It’s “The Longhorn Network” for a reason

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Branding, y’all. It’s called branding. And I don’t mean what they do to cattle. Though I suppose that is sort of what’s happening here, now that I think about it. Opponents’ views of Texas’ new cable network venture with ESPN … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: We the people

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a little Schoolhouse Rock to get you in the Fourth of July mood: If you’re a true child of the 1970’s, you are incapable of merely saying the Preamble. It simply must be sung. Hope you’re having an excellent … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: It’s OK to be Takei

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, George Takei: I suppose now is as good a time as any to show you this: That was taken at the Houston premier of a slightly bizarre, very cheesy, and mostly fun sci-fi western called Oblivion, at … Continue reading →

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Here are the vetoes

Posted on June 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sunday was the deadline for Rick Perry to sign, veto, or leave unsigned all of the remaining bills from the regular legislative session. He had 1170 pieces of legislation awaiting a decision while he was busy gallivanting around the country. … Continue reading →

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TV recycling redux

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Back in 2009, the Lege passed a bill that would have required television manufacturers that sell TVs in Texas to set up a recycling program for old sets. This was modeled after similar legislation passed in 2007 for computers and … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: When an evil boy meets an evil girl

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the age-old story. May your Valentine’s Day be filled with maniacal laughter, robot armies, and anything else your heart desires.

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When the Love Boat goes condo

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That was my reaction when I read this. Minnesota-based River Cities is proposing a floating condo community that would be based in Houston. The developer, which is targeting retirees, is showing a model condo at the Marina Del Sol in … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Let’s have a little talk about tweetle beetles

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I give you Dr. Seuss’ “Fox in Socks”, read by someone who can read it a lot faster than I can: She goes so fast I can’t really swear that she’s actually reading what’s on the pages in question. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

You can’t say that about cheeseburgers!

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Local TV stations are not lovin’ an anti-McDonald’s ad. The advertisement from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, titled “Consequences,” displays a doctor and a weeping woman standing over a corpse clutching a cheeseburger in its right hand. The 30-second spot … Continue reading →

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“CSI:San Antonio” would be far preferable

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS is planning a neo-Western crime drama from executive producer Anthony Zuiker called “Desperado.” It focuses on a group of lawmen who enact cowboy-style justice in modern times on criminals in San … Continue reading →

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RIP, Leslie Nielsen

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As Mel Brooks said when his friend Harvey Korman passed away, the world is a more serious place today. Leslie Nielsen, the actor best known for starring in such comedies as Airplane! and the Naked Gun film franchise, died Sunday … Continue reading →

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UIL on UT TV

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

When the UT TV network was created, I wondered just how the heck one school could fill out its programming schedule. Turns out there’s a lot of potential content available thanks to UT’s historic ties to high school athletics. “We’re … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Won’t I get a reputation for being soft on turkeys?

Posted on November 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

President Bartlett, doing his Constitutional duty: There’s also the classic Butterball hotline sequence if you want more. Happy Saturday!

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Cutting the cord on cable

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have no plans to change the way I watch TV any time soon, but a lot of other people are at least thinking about it. The Convergence Consulting Group of Toronto predicts that about 1.6 million U.S. households will … Continue reading →

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Get ready for UT TV

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Longhorn television network, coming soon to a cable or satellite provider near you. University of Texas regents on Wednesday gave their blessing to the school’s pursuit of a so-called Longhorn network of cable TV sports programming. Regents met behind … Continue reading →

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“Houston Have Your Say: Energy, Economy & Environment”

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Time again for another edition of Houston Have Your Say on KUHT: Worried about air quality? Concerned about environmental regulation costing jobs in the Houston region? Join Patricia Gras for Houston Have Your Say: Energy, Economy & Environment: Making It … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Happy anniversary

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Tomorrow is my twelfth wedding anniversary. What else could I post but this? No ties or pianos will be given, and no singing police officers will be involved in our celebration, but I feel confident that it will be happy … Continue reading →

Posted in See, I do have a life! | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Saturday video break: Fireworks

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

At times like this, we turn to Schoolhouse Rock for answers: Happy Third of July, everybody.

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Saturday video break: Life’s great mysteries

Posted on June 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For those of you of a certain age, the following needs no introduction: I don’t know about you, but I didn’t even know there was an extended version of this commercial. Truly, the Internet is a marvelous thing. In case … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Birthday time

Posted on February 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

One of the things you learn when you reach a certain age is the extent to which children’s television has completely taken over your brain. It’s the times when you’re by yourself and you find yourself humming or even singing … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: “Lost”, as explained by people who could have been my neighbors

Posted on January 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Every once in awhile, I am reminded why the Internet exists. It’s for stuff like this: You can’t stop awesomeness like that. You can only hope to contain it. Via the nearly as awesome Therese Odell.

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Turkey of the Year 2009

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Among other things, the Thanksgiving season signals the arrival of year end lists – Top Ten this and that, Best Of, Worst Of, you name it. The local highlight is the Houston Press’ annual Turkey of the Year award, which … Continue reading →

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Special Friday video break: As God is my witness…

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I give you the 1970s precursor to “The Office”, the wonderful and underrated “WKRP In Cincinnati” and their all-time classic Thanksgiving episode. Seriously, if you’ve never seen this, you really need to watch it all the way through. If you … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: But that trick never works!

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Fifty years ago this week, “Rocky and His Friends” debuted on TV. Thanks to the magic of the internets, we can watch that first ever episode You can see a bunch more here at Hulu. For more on Rocky and … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Mah na mah na

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Surely this needs no introduction: What can I say? It was the 70s. You had to be there. And if there’s one group that can give a proper modern treatment to this song, it’s the Asylum Street Spankers: Happy Saturday!

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Friday random ten: F that

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

When I started this “ten songs that start with the same word” theme, I figured I’d only have trouble with some of the higher-scoring letters in the Scrabble game. Turns out one of those troublemakers is the letter F for … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Bourdain on kids’ TV

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Anthony Bourdain gives a rundown of what’s on kids’ TV these days, mostly stuff on Noggin and Nick Jr. We are quite familiar with most of what he and his daughter watch – Olivia in particular loves “Lazytown”, somewhat to … Continue reading →

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Once more with the vetoes

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry explains why he vetoed legislation to improve ethics in Harris County. “I was never for that bill. Now, there may have been some people on my staff who were of a different mind,” Perry said, responding to a … Continue reading →

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RIP, Andy Hallett

Posted on April 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Andy Hallett, who played Lorne the singing demon on Angel, has passed away at the far too young age of 33. The actor passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after a five-year battle with heart disease, with his … Continue reading →

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The “Dollhouse” dilemma

Posted on March 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Tiffany and I have been enjoying the new show Dollhouse lately. Its premise is a bit complicated, and I’m not sure if it can be sustained long-term, but so far it’s been worth our time to watch. Recently, I came … Continue reading →

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