from the TV Barn archives
Click here to return to the home page.

Read more about the new features

Pick to click

If you've seen any of the films written or directed by Harmony Korine — "Kids," "Gummo" or "julien donkey-boy" — chances are you didn't forget the experience. The 20-something Korine is one of those cinematic auteurs who's considered "important," even by people who aren't sure what to make of his work (or even hate it).

He'd seem to be the perfect subject for one of Richard Pena's "Conversations in World Cinema" (6:30 p.m., Sundance Channel, repeating 8:30 p.m.). Pena, who directs New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center, introduces Korine as "the Andy Kaufman of independent film," a very apt description for someone whose improvisational, low-tech approach to filmmaking has earned him the respect of directors worldwide.

Unfortunately, the pretaped overview of Korine's career is far more illuminating than the talk that follows. Korine spends his few minutes on camera squirming like a turtle eager to crawl back inside his shell. In two sentences, Korine dismisses plot ("it's just a really old idea") and screenplay ("pretty much useless").

Also, Encore is featuring Martin Scorsese films all month. The movie channel's portrait series, "The Directors," spotlights Scorsese at 8 p.m.

Latinos on TV: If cable won't do it, who will?

Slowly but surely, the big broadcast networks are starting to let minority talent and crew onto their prime-time schedules. For the most part, however, the recent and much-written-about diversity pushes at the big four have targeted African-Americans. Nothing wrong with that — but when NAACP president Kweise Mfume threatened to boycott the four networks one year ago this week, he joined hands with other minority groups that had also been underrepresented on TV: Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans.

So far, cable TV has the upper hand. Although not a target of the NAACP's action, cable channels came out this summer with new shows that highlight not only African-Americans but Latinos as well. There's more work to do, but the results so far — especially the Showtime series "Resurrection Blvd." — are encouraging.

Read my story in Thursday's Kansas City Star

On this date...

in 1971, "Hee Haw" heads for the hills and success in syndication, after tonight's last airing on CBS. Like "Green Acres," "The Jim Nabors Show" and "The Beverly Hillbillies" have all been canceled as CBS looks for younger (and "less rural") viewers. That's all! -- Tom Heald

Previously at TV Barn:

 

More news you can use

Copyright © 1999-2001 Aaron Barnhart | Back to TV Barn home