tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post4576465147113493509..comments2024-03-27T22:27:16.556-04:00Comments on It's About TV: This week in TV Guide: May 2, 1981Mitchell Hadleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695771505209080030noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-14655992122627010912019-05-09T05:28:17.863-04:002019-05-09T05:28:17.863-04:00Mandrell admitted that while her show was a hit, s...Mandrell admitted that while her show was a hit, she had to end it because of the stress it took to tape and tour (see "Hitting the Wall" in "Get to the Heart," her biography written by George Vescey).<br /><br />One hour for one race, while this year's coverage was over 5 hours and 15 minutes for five races, which includes the one-turn dirt mile race that at one time was part of the previous week's coverage of Derby prep races, and two races that hadn't existed then because Churchill Downs did not have a turf course until 1987, when the Breeders' Cup forced the creation of a turf course and new paddock area. In the early days of the Turf Classic, for example, the race was only fed to OTB outlets, then aired on ESPN in pre-race coverage, before moving to NBC as part of the five-hour Derby coverage.<br /><br />In a way, today's coverage pays homage to what actually happens when you walk into the track itself since no ticketgoer would pay to watch two minutes but would rather watch most of the 13 r aces on the card. Five NBC-televised races means move coverage towards the Breeders' Cup horses that will likely be looking at the Turf itself.<br /><br />As for the controversy, one needed only to note in May 1981, the Indianapolis 500 at the end of the month would be controversial in its own way. Bobby Unser passing during the safety car period was called only during post-production, and ABC was found to have hyped it up during post-production since the commentary was recorded in an Indianapolis television studio, which was different than CBS' Daytona 500 coverage at the time, when Squier and Hobbs (actually, Hobbs admitted, the job was to have been Graham Hill's, but when Hill died in a late 1975 plane crash, Hobbs was hired for the 1976 USGP West; that later led to Daytona in 1979) called the action, it was live from the Daytona tower. The race went to a jury.Bobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02366544608847776006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-53781114918460365372019-05-06T14:34:11.743-04:002019-05-06T14:34:11.743-04:00I think about that "definitive" line-up ...I think about that "definitive" line-up thing a lot. Unfortunately, with NBC's 90's Thursdays there was always one dud somewhere in there. The Single Guy, or Hope & Gloria or what have you. The closest was 1994 when it was Mad About You, Friends, Seinfeld, Madman of the People & ER.<br /><br />FOX's best is my personal favorite, 2000's Futurama/King of the Hill/The Simpsons/Malcom in the Middle/X-Files. Zachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12141459894667032781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-9140584294204828762019-05-05T12:38:43.878-04:002019-05-05T12:38:43.878-04:00Barbara Mandrell retired from performing several y...Barbara Mandrell retired from performing several years ago, but she's in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I consider one of my life's greatest achievements is getting to meet and chat with all 3 Mandrell sisters (took me 30 years to get to Irlene but it finally happened a few months ago). <br />David Hofstedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288510542472710879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-81035945825980308982019-05-05T03:32:39.564-04:002019-05-05T03:32:39.564-04:00CBS aired a new (not rerun) episode of MASH this w...CBS aired a new (not rerun) episode of MASH this week, "The Life You Save", which had Dr. Winchester becoming very disturbed & introspective about life when a bullet went through his cap, narrowly missing his head. This was the latest in a tv season when CBS ever aired M*A*S*H, as it had been postponed from its original air date of Mar. 30, 1981, due to the assassination attempt on President Reagan on that earlier date.<br /><br />I remember seeing Nashville's version of "Action Auction" around this time as well. The network affiliates not only lent their personalities to the local PBS station, they also each preempted an hour of their networks' programming (Each affiliate took a different night and had its personalities on that night.) to carry the auction as well.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00483417885845331990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042603612494762084.post-15886833120892675872019-05-04T14:20:04.014-04:002019-05-04T14:20:04.014-04:00Eunice was a made-for-TV movie that aired in 1982,...<i>Eunice</i> was a made-for-TV movie that aired in 1982, and preceded the <i>Mama's Family</i> series. Berry plays a completely different character in the former. top_cat_jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06365510398800837335noreply@blogger.com