Remembering Chernobyl
Wednesday April 26, 2006
Today is the 20th anniversary of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Paul Fusco’s interactive essay, “Chernobyl Legacy,” is worth watching. Be warned: It will break your heart and put your problems in better perspective.
On the road again
Tomorrow I travel to North Carolina to catch a day of MerleFest in Wilkesboro on Friday and two days of the NC Festival of the Book in Durham on Saturday and Sunday.
Friday highlights will include performances by Thad Cockrell and Caitlin Cary, Gillian Welch and The Duhks.
On Saturday, Tony Early and Alice Randall will debate whether college football or NASCAR is the ultimate Southern sport, Tom Perrotta and Jeff MacGregor will talk about American subcultures, teacher Allan Gurganus and former student Ann Patchett will discuss what you can and can’t teach young writers and Tom Wolfe will explain what he regards as “Southern” in the 21st century.
Of interest Sunday will be Pat Conroy and Doug Marlette discussing their friendship, Kaye Gibbons and Mary Chapin Carpenter talking about the creative process and Reynolds Price and Bill Smith chewing the fat about Southern food.
The Olympics-ization of the BCS?
So Fox has announced a number of innovations for coverage of college football’s Bowl Championship Series. Among them: more people stories.
I’m all about human-interest features — if they’re done at the proper time. If you want to dedicate a full hour before the Sugar Bowl to stories about the traditions of a school, the back story on what got a player to where he is today or something else along those lines, go for it. My only request is to keep the cheese to a minimum. As a guide, producers, ask yourself: Would this segment make even Ty Pennington reach for a barf bag?
But if you follow the path of NBC, a la “Olympic Moment,” and crowd out and continually interrupt the actual game with shots of Bubba’s mama rubbing her lucky keychain, interviews with Bubba’s mama and reflections on Bubba by his high school coach, fear the wrath of the college football fan.
4 Responses to "Remembering Chernobyl"
Apr 27, 08:23 PM
I didn’t know you were back; you should have told me. Time to update my blog roll. Oh, and to hell with human interest stories. I’m not in it for the soap opera. I want to see 11 on 11 slobber-knockin’, smashmouth football.
May 2, 12:21 PM
Well said. I will gladly back you up with a wrath of my own.
May 2, 01:15 PM
Good heavens, you mentioned a few of my favorite things.. Pat Conroy, Nascar(but don’t tell the girls at the Junior League!!), college football… Ditto to what Jake said, I want to see football, not the drama that goes with it! Love the Atticus reference..
May 9, 09:24 AM
Beachgirl, you’re the one whose voice would make a difference. Networks package games with personal-interest stories because they think it gets women 18-34 to maybe watch the game with their boyfriends/husbands.