Odds and Sods

Following up on some stuff I've written about lately:

*I now own the Popeye Volume 1 set from Warner Brothers, so now I have some credibility when I tell you to go buy Volume 2. And Volume 1 if you don't have it, as well as the forthcoming Volume 3, for that matter.

*WGN America has announced plans for its next retro week, this one honoring the eighties. This lineup is far weaker, though, including a played-out overrated movie ("E.T."), a sitcom which is already on its regular lineup ("The Cosby Show"), two nights of "Alf," and a night of "Family Ties" episodes (which actually fits in nicely and is a nice enough treat). Pavan at Sitcoms Online reports that WGN tried to get "Mork and Mindy" but failed, and he indicates there may have been other attempts to fill out that lineup with something besides two nights of "Alf." Still, I wonder: Is this retro week so much lamer than the 1970s week last month because of poor programming choices or because the 1980s just offered much less decent material?

*Good news is BBC America, about which I ranted here, is running promos for a new show, "Dragon's Den" or something like that. I stopped fast-forwarding through the commericals during a recent "Robin Hood" to see what this new show would be. Bad news: It's some kind of reality show in which people share their dreams and inventions, only to be humiliated by a panel of judges. Yawn. But I suppose at least it's better than "Britain's Worst Teeth."

*I finished reading "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile, and I successfully blocked out the horrible cover and enjoyed the heck out of the book. I have a big backlog of literary posts to get together, but I hope to write more about this one next week.