Random Bits

It would appear that spring will never get here. To all my Bloggies Down Under, I savor your springy posts! 

Here's what it will look like when it arrives in Michigan. Someday.

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Magazines multiply like bunnies. Only they never seem to hop away. Sorting, ripping, piling, tossing. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

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I made 84 mini-carrot cupcakes today Thursday. Why? Because I can. And because my art friend Kate is being surprised by a retirement/birthday party.

Or was, because this won't post till after the gig!   
The gig is up and she was really surprised! And the cupcakes were deicious!

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I am beginning to see Easter out in the stores. And while I generally don't go in for a holiday display too far in advance (really, does anyone think they should put Christmas out before Halloween?), seeing all the shiny eggs and pastel M&Ms and chocolate bunnies seemed to cheer me. 

Of course, it's short cheer -- snow and slush appears as soon as you walk out of the door! Of course, I could start dying eggs any old time!Yes, I could.

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I really want to change my template and I'm a little terrified that if I do I will lose my blog. Maybe I need to wait till I retire for that one.

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I will never understand why I still get geeked up about Oscar night even though I usually don't see the movies till much later. Loved the musical numbers on this one.

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Looking forward to three upcoming PBS series -- "Call the Midwife" (Season 2), "Mr. Selfridge" (about the founder of Selfridge's department store) and "The Bletchley Circle," which follows four women codebreakers after WWII who reunite to catch a serial murderer.

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March 2 and all the Christmas is officially down from the house. I think. Never know when you will find something you missed!
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Lizzie Cosette seems to find her inner alley cat every time I go to bed and she pounces on legs, feet and toes with the slightest movement. 

This isn't too bad in winter with layers of quilts and blankets, but I'm getting a little worried about spring and summer.

 

And yes, I still love her.

(The photos of Lizzie are by my friend and fellow blogger Judy Winter (c. Judy Winter Photography). All part of a great photo shoot; I'll share some others sometime soon! Photos from Midwife and Bletchley are from PBS Pressroom.

Jammin' at Hippie Jack's

There are three things I always enjoy about attending conferences...meeting colleagues I rarely see and those I've never met; learning tons about things relevant to my work and the wonderful hospitality of the conference and the stations who host receptions, hospitality suites and exhibits.

For example, I got to see Joan Lence and Kathie Stull who represent nearly a dozen how-to shows that air on public television (including "Cloth, Paper, Scissors" publisher Pokey Bolton's "Quilting Arts"). I've known Joan for years; Kathie is from the Cleveland area, where their programs are taped. To do list: Call Kathie when I head to visit family and see if they are taping or we can have a tour! (Coming this fall -- remember Matt and Shari from HGTV? They have a new show coming to PBS stations through NETA beginning in October!)

Kathleen Unwin (left) and Dru Sefton (right) are from Current, one of our industry papers. Dru had brownies by her table -- to die for!

I was told I won a painting by this fellow -- Roger Bansemer, who with his wife Sarah will have a new travel/painting show. However, I wasn't "present to win." Alas... (but I had a good reason -- that's another post!)

It's being with colleagues -- Tim Zeko produces our series BackStage Pass, which is now in national distribution by NETA. If it is in your area or you come across it in your TV Guide, let me know -- we're trying to make a station list. Next to Tim is Susi Elkins, our content and engagement manager. Susi was one of the many who had flight/connection problems due to the storm that slammed the east. We were glad to finally see her!

And then there are the parties. WCTE, a station in Cookville, TN invited us to taping of their music series, "Jammin' at Hippie Jacks." (That's Becky Magura, Cookville's GM, with Hippie Jack as they welcomed us to the Tennessee State Museum.)

I'll show you some photos from this little gem of wonder in a different post. Here's a preview from their quilt collection.

Then the show began. Hippie Jack welcomed us from the stage at the museum.

He was followed by a performance from Todd Snider. He was fun, funny, insightful. It was a good show.

It was a very relaxed taping experience with folks enjoying food and beverages during the recording, able to get up and move if needed. Made for one of the more enjoyable concert experiences I've ever had.

Back to bed to look forward to the final conference day -- and meeting a friend I've known a long while!

Las Vegas, NETA and a New Year!

Happy New Year!

That was the message in the glitzy Vegas hotels, as they prepared for the Year of the Tiger. After all the meetings were over, my friend Maryanne and I headed out to do a little shopping, eat a great dinner and catch some beauty.

But first, a wrap of the NETA meeting.

I went to a number of sessions on social media and heard some of the PBS folk talk about things like the next new big thing -- mobile, live-streaming, hand-held television signals (as if we don't get enough of it in our daily lives!)

And I was able to hear the inspiring Paula Kerger, president of PBS, speak.

Fresh from the PBS press tour in LA a few days before, she shared news that Bill Moyers and NOW were leaving the schedule but being replaced by a new show called "Need to Know," which she described as falling between the timely nighly news of "PBS NewsHour" and the more in-depth reporting on "Frontline."

And, she said Patrick Stewart wowed them at the press tour as he spoke about the two Shakespearean plays he'll be in for "Great Performances" next season -- the title role of "Macbeth" and Claudius in "Hamlet." I feel very proud that PBS can bring this caliber of performance to students in high school who may never get to see a Shakespearean play live (or, a good one, at least) into the home and classroom.

She also talked budget in the system (not good, but is it anywhere) and about the power of the education programming for children. Her speech was indeed worth hearing.

But, back to the bright lights and big city. Our hotel was WAY out there, so we took the shuttle in and walked about past some of the hotels. Here are a few of the sights along the way.

At Treasure Island, this sea sprite (catch the octopus in her hair) on one of the pirate ships...

Another of the pirate ships...

Overlooking the canal at the Venetian...

... and a peek at the Venetian tower...

We didn't have a lot of time, so we decided to spend it in the Venetian, with its Canal Shops and great restaurants. And, it's simply beautiful. This trio was playing in the "square."

The square itself is framed by shops, and the ceiling painted to look like the sky, and beautifully lit.

The canal runs through the building, and tourists can take gondola rides. I snapped a photo of these three gondoliers standing about and looking rather bored -- when I went to get another, they noticed me and came to life.

As you would expect, the window displays were pretty elaborate.

And what do you think that shoe is constructed from? Look closely!

It's made from hangers! And this one, celebrating Happy New Decade, made great use of pecans!

We ate at a marvelous restaurant called Woo, one of -- if not the only -- family owned and operated restaurants on the strip. We shared appetizers, salad, plum sake to die for and this unbelievable frangipane cake with pressed almonds, served with raspberry sorbet. The restaurant was lovely -- spare and elegant. (This phot was near the restroom; we were at a tall table.)

Then back into that lobby again. The thing about Vegas anywhere is that it is pure excess. Some is over the top. Some it totally gorgeous.

This fell into the gorgeous category.

And the tiger was magnificent.

I was rather fond of this beast, and couldn't resist overshooting!

Can we get a little closer?

I couldn't help but be in awe of these wonderful lanterns.

And the coin motif was great!

It almost made coming home with a 103 temperature worth it! Happy New Year -- again!

Burned Out: Creativity and Style, Part One

(This is part one of a three-part series of essays on creativity and style. I hope you'll take a look and add your feedback in the comments. Parts two and three will appear on "Chopsticks and String." (In a few days) Yes, it's a little long (just like a Ken Burns documentary series), but I hope you'll follow it. In part two, we'll look at when style gets in the way of creativity and in part three, I'll look at some bloggers who seem to manage to keep their creativity going and master many styles.

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A little over a week ago, I was in the grocery store when a stranger came up to me and said, "When are you going to show my real shows again?"

(I didn't know this woman, but when you do a lot of pledge breaks and "go into their home to ask them for money on TV," they feel like they can ask.)

What she was referring to was the six-day pre-emption of public television programming for Ken Burns' current series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

The 12-hour series took up 24 hours in the PBS prime time schedule because someone at PBS felt they should repeat the two-hour episodes immediately after they concluded on the same night. I hate it when they do that.)

And at WKAR, since we have other digital channels where the program was scheduled, it took even more time from our lives and offered viewers even fewer choices.

I knew what this frustrated woman meant. It's not that I don't appreciate Ken Burns' work, but I am "burned out" -- and "burned up" that so much air time was spent this way.

I can hear some of you now. "I loved that show!" "It was beautiful!" "It was fascinating." "How can you even SAY anything negative about it?"

And I agree.

But it was long. And frankly, after seeing every film Ken Burns has ever made, it was stylistically redundant.

That's really what this series of posts is about. Style. Not a Burns-bashing. In fact, I respect this man immensely; he's on my "imaginary dinner party" list. I've heard him speak numerous times, with passion and eloquence and will hear him again when he comes to MSU in December. I've had the privilege of meeting him. He can make a still photo speak volumes.

But editing for length isn't his strong suit.

I understand this. The hardest part of my job is editing Tweets for the station because I, too, appreciate the "long form." Like this post.

But it isn't just that.

For those not familiar with Burns, a quick look back shows a brilliant career that began in the 1980s with short, evocative historical documentaries on topics like the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Shakers.

Then Burns, a passionate historian, sunk his teeth into "The Civil War" and took the nation along with him. It was then (and may still be) public television's greatest ratings success (yes, we do care about ratings -- don't let anyone tell you we don't!)

After that he moved onto lots of topics -- The West, jazz, baseball, and most recently, World War II. (Below, with "The West" writer, Steven Ives.)

Now, to be fair, I don't think any of these should have been one-hour shows! And while I quibble on length, the thing that bothers me most about "The National Parks" (and it took awhile to have this sink in) is that Ken Burns has not had a change of creative style in 25 years.

Now, if "Parks" was your first Ken Burns experience, this commentary will make no sense. But for those of you who have followed his career, look at every film the man has ever made.

It's structured in precisely the same way. Witnesses comment on the subject matter, all photographed beautifully with extremely effective use of still photography. Historical stories bring a human perspective to whatever subject matter is at hand. Diary entries are read by well-known voices and a compelling narrator recites almost poetic text. (Well, let's just say I thought narrator Peter Coyote whined his way through the "Parks," but usually the narrator is outstanding.)

Burns knows how to surround himself with outstanding colleagues. He uses them well. The script for "Parks" by Dayton Duncan is a poetic gem. And his longtime cinematographer Buddy Squires deserves an Emmy for what a friend of mine called "nature porn." It was lush, sensual, beautiful. No arguments there. (By the way, if you want to see this program and missed any, check it out at PBS.org under the Watch Video tab!

A film producer's job is that of both visionary and technician. Having the idea, finding a unique concept or presenting it in a unique way, and then combining the skills of all his colleagues into a unified whole. Think of it as putting together a jigsaw puzzle with tens of thousands of pieces, then add dimension, and sound.

Burns does the technician part better than anyone. And he is a visionary in topic. If he gets a little too in love with the project and can't edit it to a more agreeable length -- well, it's understandable. Producing a film is like giving birth. You want all the "toes and fingers" to be there.

But every single series Ken Burns produces is structured the identical way, in chapters, with sections fading to black and a "chapter name" popping up to begin a new segment. It's the same thing. Every single series for thirty-some-odd years.

I don't think the man could make a music video if he tried. Not that he'd want to, but could he?

Now, this whole internal debate with myself is making me crazy -- and the fact that it does make me crazy almost makes me more crazy. Because part of me says, "What's the problem? Isn't this this really sort of a "norm" for well-known artists?"

Yes. They call it Style.

Think Jackson Pollock.

Norman Rockwell.

Mary Engelbreit. Laurel Burch.

Jerry Bruckheimer. Claude Monet. Agatha Christie. The list goes on and on.

So, am I holding Ken Burns to a double standard? I suppose I am, and I don't like that in myself.

Is it because I'm not a "parkie"? I've had a fine enough time visiting the parks I have.

(Incidentally, the photos in this post are mine from National Park visits and PBS meetings, because I didn't feel comfortable trashing -- sort of -- the show and using their photos. The rest are from google images.)

But after gasping for a few minutes at the astounding beauty and size (and depth) of the Grand Canyon and feeling rather small or admiring the waterfalls of Yosemite, well -- let's put it this way...

When I think of Yosemite, I think first of the Ahwanee Hotel and a fabulous dinner with my friend Cathy.

A glass of wine on the porch on a day so flawless and fine, with a sky so blue, it hardly seemed real. A small red squirrel circled our area, waiting for peanuts, oblivious of the "do not feed the squirrels" signs. (So were we.)

The waiter inside poured his water more elegantly than anyone I've ever seen. The arts and crafts-styled interior was at once both massive and warm. The dessert was chocolate and divine. It was hard to drag me from the Ansel Adams gift shop.

I don't remember the name of the falls, though they were pretty, and I did rather like a rock wall that appeared to have a carving of a Native American. My notes tell me that's "Half Dome." I don't remember.

I did some great photography. Who couldn't? And I loved the woods with its brooks and very mini-falls.

But my sense memory is Cathy's CD of Native American music as we drove from venue to venue; the warmth of the sun as we sat in Adirondack chairs on the lawn of the Wawona Hotel after lunch.

I think of climbing rocks where sunbathers and climbers were relishing in the cool mist from waters falling from yet another waterfall. (I do love waterfalls...)

And then there was the Grand Canyon, which is very grand indeed.

My cousin Walt, Rick and I visited the Grand Canyon on a crisp December morning, winding through the roads of the park to a perfect lookout site. I don't think there was a cloud in the sky.

As we stood at the canyon rim and looked over I felt very small indeed. It was beautiful, the morning light playing on the rocks. (It was this trip and this trip alone that motivated me to get a decent digital camera; my pictures are awful. Not that any camera could really capture it, although Ansel Adams did a pretty good job. Still, most cameras capture it better!)

But after looking down and feeling a bit more vertigo at the drop than I'd like to admit, I moved away to enjoy it from a distance. I most remember buying Christmas tree ornaments and taking photos of the gorgeous tree in a gift shop at the Grand Canyon.

I remember buying earrings there, getting a quick bite at a snack bar. I loved Walt's stories about people who died in the canyon. I remembered briefly how terrified I was 30 years before when my cousin Nancy and I walked down into the canyon and how I thought I would never get out, as I walked up the steep and narrow ledge back to the top, frozen when people would pass that we would bump one another and I'd fall.

And I remember thinking "This is so beautiful. Thank God I don't have to camp there."

No, it's not the Parks topic that turns me off from this series. They are beautiful. The series is beautiful. And his history storytelling is unparallelled.

It's a style thing.

And Ken Burns' style has finally gone out of style with me.

But should it? Clearly the others I mentioned above had unique and not terribly varied styles. Isn't that just what artists often do, strive for? A consistent, unified thematic or visual style in their work?

In the next post, I'll look a bit more at style. And maybe I'll have better photos!