Soundstage with Michael McDonald

Los Angeles (Thurs., June 30--As soon as Soundstage with Michael McDonald began tonight, I was reunited with two friends of mine. I loved watching Soundstage on WTTW-TV when I lived in Chicago before moving to Califonia in 1986. In 1990, I lived in Santa Barbara and became acquainted with Michael McDonald and his wife. I'm so glad Soundstage is back and that Michael kicked off its return!


This program was produced by WTTW-TV. It marks a return of Soundstage after a 20-year absence. This show spotlighted Michael McDonald's second Motown-tribute album and featured Toni Braxton, India Arie, Take 6 and Billy Preston. Dynamite!

Here is Soundstage's schedule for the rest of this summer:

Soundstage - Season 3 on PBS

July 7--John Mayer with special guest Buddy Guy - Part 1
July 14--John Mayer with special guest Buddy Guy - Part 2
July 21--The Wallflowers
July 28--Heart
August 4--America
August 11--No show during pledge week
August 18--Ringo Starr and the Roundheads with special guest Colin Hay
August 25--Antigone Rising and Fountains of Wayne
September 1--Chris Isaak, Greatest Hits
September 8--Lindsey Buckingham with special guest Stevie Nicks

Check your local listings for broadcast times on the PBS station(s) in your area.

Tonight's Soundstage was PBS at its best. The absence of those annoying pledge breaks made it all the more enjoyable.

Order Michael McDonald CDs

Join the Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington

Global warming is the number one environmental problem of our time. Unless we reduce global warming pollution now, average temperatures could rise another three to nine degrees in the United States by the end of the century, causing more heat waves, air pollution, droughts, wildfires, rising sea levels and flooding. In addition to its far-reaching impacts on people, global warming may prove disastrous to the wildlife of Greater Yellowstone, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other vulnerable ecosystems that are already suffering the effects of a changing climate.

That's why the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) has signed on as a partner organization to the "Stop Global Warming Virtual March on Washington." This unprecedented online effort is led by NRDC president John Adams, NRDC senior attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Senator John McCain and other environmental leaders. Together, we will demand that Congress and the Bush administration take the necessary and long-overdue steps to reverse potentially catastrophic changes in the Earth's climate.

The Virtual March on Washington will "move" across the United States from one town to the next, educating people about how global warming is already affecting our environment, and highlighting personal stories along the way. Through an interactive map, you can track the progress of the march in real time as more and more people join.

What You Can Do

We encourage you to march with us--and enlist others as well--so that our growing numbers will help light a fire under Congress and the White House.

Join us now in the virtual march to stop global warming.

Public Television? Give Us A Break! Give Us Commercials!

Los Angeles--Saturday Night (June 18, 2005)--Tonight I watched portions of "Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop" on KOCE-TV, Orange County's PBS affiliate. I saw this show when it aired some months ago on KCET-TV, Los Angeles' PBS affiliate. The show's promotional tag read: "Stroll down memory lane as Mary Lou Metzger, Phyllis McGuire, Pat Boone, Debbie Reynolds and Patti Page offer a cavalcade of 1950s pop music. The program also includes archival footage of the fads, fashions, news and pop events of the decade."

The show delivered. And it annoyed the hell out of me, just as PBS musical programs have driven me up the wall for decades.

Why? Because we're allowed to watch a couple of numbers, and then we're socked with seemlingly endless pitches for donations. What a drag! I would much rather see commercials than these annoying appeals that last 10-15 minutes and run a few times each hour.

I think the time has come to allow PBS stations to compete in the real world. Let PBS stations survive on commercial revenue in the marketplace, just as other stations do. Stop the government subsidies and tax-deductible charitable contributions. Wouldn't you really rather see Paris Hilton slithering on a Bentley in a Carl's, Jr. commercial or the satisfied wife in the Levitra ad than hear these painfully boring appeals for donations?

By the way, ever notice that PBS stations only air big band programs during pledge weeks? They know very well that the senior citizens who enjoy these big band shows have deep pockets. And now that a new generation has hit 65, they're also showing programs such as "Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop" and "The Sixties." Sadly, they shelve these shows during the rest of the year.

Other thoughts: PBS could partner with HBO, Showtime and Cinemax, offering its musical productions minus PBS-promos on these channels. Viewers also could watch them anytime using the new "On Demand" feature offered by Comcast and other cable TV providers. Or, PBS could launch its own subscription cable channel, drawing on its vast library of programming. What a tremendous resource that would be!

If you are as fed up as I am with PBS appeals for donations, here are a couple of email addresses you can use to contact the two main PBS stations in Southern California: KCET-TV and KOCE-TV. You'll have to look up the email address for the PBS station(s) in your area.

I would have included an email address for PBS. Unfortunately, their web site doesn't offer a PBS email address, although it does provide email addresses for many of its programs.

If you prefer to watch PBS stations as they are, then don't do anything. But next time you get annoyed by their appeals for donations, let them know that you are fed up and won't put up with this nonsense any longer.

Blogs Rule!

As we approach the middle of the year, blogs continue to soar in popularity. When this year began, major magazines were writing about the blogging phenomenon. Some media observers even suggested news magazines were being challenged by blogs. And, in fact, a few blogs broke news stories before newspapers and magazines.

Personal blogs are still the rage, and that's where blogs are making their biggest and greatest contribution to society. It's sometimes therapeutic to write your deepest thoughts online for others to see--even if you don't like the comments they post.

Blogs that help families stay in touch are among my favorites. They make it possible for families scattered here and there to share news, photos, memories, and so on. Look out, Ma Bell!

Blogs make it very easy for people to express themselves, even for computer novices. If you can use email, you can blog. It's that easy!

Blogger.com makes blogging painless. Anyone can do it! If I can, you can!