So the great TV Turnoff week of 2008 is over. It actually wasn’t all that hard — although my hectic work schedule probably had a little to do with that.
My week wasn’t completely slip-up free, though, and I did learn a few things.
First, this experiment taught me that TV is everywhere. Even if you want to, you can’t completely avoid it unless, say, you live in a van down by the river. Heck, even the place where I got my car inspected has a TV in its little waiting area!
Two of the times that I slipped up and watched TV, I didn’t even realize it.
The first was at the doctor’s office and the second was when I visited my parents. And now that I think about it, I probably inadvertently watched some at work, too.
I didn’t realize that I had cheated at the doctor’s office until that night when I went to call my sister. As I dialed, it dawned on me: where had I heard what I was going to talk to her about? On TV.
The same thing happened at my parents’ house. Dad had the TV on, and it wasn’t until I left that I realized I had been standing there watching part of the news and later on, a little bit of baseball.
I also realized how much multitasking I do when I watch TV, so even though I watch a lot of TV, that’s not all I do.
Many of the chores that I do around the house — pay bills, balance my checkbook, clean the living room, fold laundry — I do with the TV on. Sure, I can do these things with the TV off, too, but as I discovered last week, this makes them a lot more tedious than they already are.
The goal of TV Turnoff week is to realize just how much time we spend in front of the TV or playing on computers and to encourage us to seek out alternative activities.
During my weekdays, I did do other things, including walking my dog and mowing the lawn — both of which I tend to do on the weekends.
But do you know what? TV even helped me there.
Without the Weather Channel, I wouldn’t have had the up-to-the-minute information about when the best time to cut my grass was or whether I could squeeze a quick walk in before the rain came.
Though “Dirt” finished its second season last month, Webster County’s Josh Stewart is a busy guy.
He appeared on CBS’ “Criminal Minds” Wednesday, and he’ll be on “ER” tonight (10 p.m., NBC), playing a criminal who holds the E.R. docs hostage so they’ll take care of his injured girlfriend.
Tuesday’s “SVU” with Robin Williams was a good episode, but don’t give the show’s writers credit for the Grand Central Station stunt pulled by Williams’ character and his “sheep” (led by political satirist/comedian Mo Rocca).
It’s directly cribbed from a group called Improv Everywhere, which stages “scenes of chaos and joy in public places.” For more of their work, go to improveverywhere.com.
Wow! I totally missed it that on April 8, Stanley Kamel, who played Dr. Kroger on “Monk,” died of a heart attack.
Though he was never a series regular, Kamel was in plenty of episodes, and though they were never the focus of the show, Kroger’s sessions with Monk were always entertaining. Kamel did a great job of conveying Kroger’s exasperation at Monk’s excessive neuroses while also supporting and guiding him as a good therapist should.
Hector Elizando will be introduced as Monk’s new shrink sometime in the upcoming season. He is a good actor, but Kamel’s absence will definitely be felt.
Guest stars: “Project Runway’s” Nina Garcia and season 4 winner Christian Siriano pop up on “Ugly Betty” (8 p.m. tonight, ABC); James Marsters reappears as Brainiac on “Smallville’s” 150th episode (8 p.m. tonight, CW); “CSI’s” George Eads crosses over to “Two and a Half Men” (9 p.m. Monday, CBS).
Of note: “Family Guy” wraps up its season at 9 p.m. Sunday (Fox); “Speed Racer: The Next Generation” — featuring Speed Jr. and his uncle Spritle — premieres on Nicktoons (channel 109, 7 p.m. Friday) just in time for the live-action “Speed Racer” movie; “Jeopardy’s” two-week college tournament begins Monday and will feature 19-year-old Cal Tech student Brandon Hensley from Huntington.
On PBS, “Carrier” concludes at 9 p.m. tonight, and “Cranford,” the three-part Masterpiece Theater feature based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s writings, debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday.
To contact Amy Robinson, e-mail flipside@wvgazette.com.