TLC stinks

[drumpriest]

They have gotten rid of "in a fix", and now they have removed "while you were out" from the primetime line up. I believe this to be a precursor to its cancellation.

I dunno about the rest of you, but I found both of these shows to be funny and sometimes informative. Definately enjoyable viewing, especially when compared to the Martha Stewart stuff they are showing now. Why we as a country feel the need to goggle over a convict, I have NO IDEA.

Anyway, I just think it stinks.

[crokett]

I never really got those shows. I'm upset what TLC did to Trading Spaces. That was a great show until they started messing with the format.

[vaking]

Drumpriest,
I don't watch TV and cannot comment on the destiny of shows, sorry.
But I think I can give you a hint on why we goggle over a convict. Let's look at how and why Martha became a convict:
a).Government launches an investigation into possible Securities Fraud by Martha Stewart. Existing rules say that government investigation is supposed to be conducted in secret until indictment but somehow the news that Martha is under investigation gets into press instantly. Somebody in the investigative force broke some rules here.
b).Because Martha is a public figure the news that she is under investigation hurts her bottom line. Martha is forced to defend herself and agrees to testify. Note that she would not have had to testify at all had investigation been conducted properly from the start.
c).Investigation of Securities Fraud concludes with nothing against Martha. Government never brings even a single charge against Martha for Securities Fraud and instead puts Martha to jail for succesfully defending herself against government actions. She went to jail for giving false information during investigation of a crime that she was never formally accused of.

To me this looks like a witchhunt and government went all out to get Martha for whatever it could get her just to prove some point. The government fabricated the initial case, used illegal tactics to force Martha to cooperate with investigation, botched it badly and at the end public sympathy is with Martha.

Don't get me wrong - I don't watch Martha's shows and I personally don't like her. She is ruthless and mean woman but this is not illegal. She lived an american dream and made it to the top of finacial elite all on her own. The only way to get there is by being ruthless, mean, strong and intelligent and Martha is all that. We admire those same qualities when we see them in many other succesfull business people, like Bill Gates. I have respect for Martha. At the same time I am familiar with concepts of Securities Fraud fairly well (semi-professionally). Existing laws are so complex that almost anybody connected to this world can be investigated for something. This whole case was nothing but abuse of governmental powers and Martha was chosen to be an example. Believe me, if government wants to put you to jail, it will find the way to do it. If government had chosen somebody else instead of Martha Stewart, say Sam Walton, - he would have been in jail too.

[drumpriest]

hmm....so you are saying that she lied under oath, which is indeed a criminal act. Though this thread is NOT supposed to be about Martha Stewart, I am not sure that I see why the government would "after her", seems somewhat of a conspiracy theory. For instance, one could make a case that the government is after Micheal Jackson, but he hasn't been convicted of anything, such as purjery or obstructing justice.

Also, it's presumptuous to assume that I would admire Bill Gates for his business tactics, when in fact, it's probably the worst thing to have ever happened to computing. Some people have argued that you should use windows because it is a "standard", where as Microsoft has consistently ignored, or even attempted to squash standards in computing. A couple of examples of this have been OpenGL and Java. They then attempt to make new standards that can only operate under the Windows operating systems, which by definition make them not standards.

Again, my point of this post was.........I enjoyed "In a fix" and I enjoy "while you were out". They are/were good shows, and TLC has replaced them with what I would call crap.

[billwmeyer]

I never got into "While You Were Out", but I did like "In a Fix" very much. They put humor and personality into the show along with a lot of personality. Then there was Jennie.

I agree about Trading Spaces. It was no good after Page left.
The new format didn't rate as good as the old shows.
Bill

[Pappy]

Worse is that HGTV and DIY Network are getting about the same. Very little of substance to woodworkers.

[LarryG]

quote:Originally posted by Pappy

Worse is that HGTV and DIY Network are getting about the same. Very little of substance to woodworkers.

Yeah, and what is left is being dumbed down to the point of being next to useless (perhaps that's part of what you're saying). Even the granddaddy of them all, This Old House, has become an exercise in mindless, let's-see-who-can-outspend-who trophy-house excess.

Not exactly on point but one reason I get frustrated with a lot of these shows is because so many of them blow waaaaay too much time recapping what's already been done, after every commercial break. Even WoodWorks does it ("So far ...") but at least they do it quickly enough that it's not TOO obtrusive. I realize the commercial blocks are getting longer and longer but geez, I think I'm capable of remembering what they were doing only three minutes ago.

[atgcpaul]

It is a shame. "In a Fix" had some pretty good remodels,
but I never really cared for "While You Were Out".

I was looking forward to Martha's new show (he said in a
very manly way) because I liked the format of the original
Martha Stewart Living Show. It was informative and I think
more importantly--scripted. I tried to watch her new show
but it's pretty bad. Live studio audiences aren't her cup
of tea and I don't care for the new talk show format. Oh
well, I should be in the shop and not watching that stuff
anyway.

[Rounder]

Wood Works is gone. Now your telling me they are cancelling my two favorite shows on TLC. What are woodworkers supposed to watch?

[LarryG]

quote:Originally posted by Rounder

Wood Works is gone.

Uh ... what?

The 700 Series shows aired for the first time a couple months ago. Last I heard, they'd not yet committed to tape any more new episodes, but the possibility was still on the table. Meanwhile the existing episodes are still airing every morning, twice on Thursday nights, and four times on Saturday.

Have you heard/read something definite about the show's future?

[ejs1097]

Don's right, all the channels are doing that. There seems to be no DYI, Home Improvement shows anymore. It's all re-decorating now and aimed directly for women.

heck I haven't seen Pat Simpson or Dean Johnson on in ages. At least A&E picked up TOH.

My .02 Martha was found guilty for lying about a crime she didn't commit....witchhunt, that's exactly what it was following Enron and Jackson is the same way. Let's not forget Byrant. Except for Martha the rest are small town law enforcement getting out the KY to see themselves on national news.

[Rounder]

When I took David Mark's class in June, they had not renewed his contract. They have an option on him thru the end of this year. I have seen nothing on his website that said they are doing any shooting.