Watching Showtime

The idea that everyone has a story and that every story is valid is a basic belief of This American Life. Hosted by Ira Glass, the show has been broadcast on Chicago Public Radio for years, and is now put out in podcast form as well. And next Sunday marks the second season of shows on Showtime.

This year’s stories are filled with as much humor and humanity as last season, and will once again prove you don’t have to be famous or do something incredibly dramatic for your story to be validated. Or do you? At least when it comes to the dramatic, This American Life proves that everyone has a story that could be turned into a movie, even if that movie is only 30 minutes long.

Among the people we meet this season, we hear stories of children and parents seeking independence from one another despite very real connections that are hard to sever, life-threatening illness that does not stop one young man from living his life, an Iraqi struggling to make sense of American views on his country, and a Bolshevik fighting his own personal war on grass. That’s right, his lawn.

And as these people talk, and as we watch them live, we realize every one of us has a penchant for the dramatic, and every one of us has a story that deserves to be told. That needs to be told.

Tune in on Sunday May 4 at 10pm ET for these stories and more.

I have a very serious love for This American Life. Particularly Ira Glass, the man. Apparntly I have a thing for Jewish men, because I also love Josh Bernstein. And with This American Life set to return in June for it’s second season on Showtime, I’ve got all the more reason to be excited.

Tickets have just gone on sale for “This American Life — Live!” which will be broadcast in high-definition to cinemas nationwide the evening of May 1. Originating from New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, it will include previews of the TV series, as well as Glass to talk about it.

This is one way Ira and his show are breaking through television and radio boundaries, and for those that get tickets for the show, there’s one more surprise waiting for them. A segment that won’t ever make it to the television show!

“We found some eighth and ninth graders who decide they’re going to be comedians, so they do standup for a summer,” Glass explained. “It doesn’t sound like much of a premise, but, truthfully, hearing them talk about it is amazing, and watching the standup routines is pretty interesting. It’s very funny and very moving.”

How jealous am I that I might not get to see this “lost” episode? Pretty freakin’ jealous. But maybe there’ll be a showing in Omaha (doubtful, but you never know), and if not, maybe the episode will be offered up on Showtime at some point.

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After an impressive six-episode run turned into a second season for long-running radio program turned tv show This American Life, fans can finally see the episodes again. And this time, you can watch them on DVD.

January 29th, the popular show will be released, but it will be available exclusively through Borders. I don’t know exactly what prompted that, if you’ll be able to rent/Netflix the episodes, or if this is super exclusive, but at least we know when they’ll be available. I know I for one will be waiting for the store to open that Tuesday, as I have some sort of strange attraction to Ira Glass. It might be the nasaly voice, I’m not sure. Or the Jewishness. I have a thing for Jewish boys (see: Josh Bernstein and Jason and Randy Sklar).

I digress. The second season will be back sometime this spring (no dates have been announced, but with the Tudors back at the end of March, I’m assuming it’ll be right around the same time), and if you don’t want to go all the way to Borders to pick up your copy, you can download all six episodes from ITunes.

This American Life, Borders, Ira Glass

Emmy nominations were made today, and Showtime didn’t fare as well as I’d hoped, although several shows did very well, along with a few suprises. Below, find the list of nominations, organized by show and then the awards they could receive.

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In the season finale of This American Life, the crew tackles a few stories of unexpected results. In the end, not only are the people they’re interviewing changed, but some of the crew is as well.

The “prelude” of sorts delves into a group of scientists who discover a way to erase memory in rats. After isolating a drug that can erase what they believe to be every single memory of an animal, they publish their findings. Popular interest soon piques, and the scientists begin to receive mail … although not hate mail as one might expect. Instead, it’s mail from people suffering, whether it be from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) or horrific childhoods. These people want to know when human trials of the drug will begin, and are volunteering their brains. Shocking to the scientists, they don’t quite know how to react and are at times moved to tears by the stories.

The crew then moves on to a pig farm in Iowa to discuss genetically engineered pork products. With our food becoming more and more genetically engineered each year, the show wanted to find out what it was like for these farmers. Instead, their story ended up being about how genetically altering animals actually has removed some of the elements these same scientists are now looking to add to the very same. One crew member is so disturbed by what he sees he becomes a vegetarian. Don’t be misled, however, as this is not a PETA-style attack on the industry. Rather, it takes a unique look at how genetically engineering our animals has affected the farmers.

Finally, the group travels to Chicago, to visit a hot dog stand where the customers and workers engage in a nightly verbal battle bordering on abuse. With Chicago being one of the more racially charged cities in America (and one of the more racially-segregated) there is a lot to be said for a hot dog stand in the “white side of town” with an almost all-black crew. The crew exchanges insults with the patrons that range from simple humorous banter to a much more graphic and attacking side of the coin after the bars begin to close. Racial slurs are tossed around, and I’m betting fights break out on occasion. The crew gets some amazing footage, and at the end of the day learns the people working there wouldn’t trade their jobs … the money (mostly tips) can put a kid through Northwestern!

Sad to see this season come to a close, I’m excited that the series has been picked up for a second season. Hopefully with more episodes! For now, I’ll resign myself to listening to Ira Glass and his radio version of the show on NPR.

Showtime, This American Life, Ira Glass

Last night’s episode of This American Life was devoted to a young man making a documentary about his parents. Budding filmmaker and cartoonist Chris Ware set out to document the downward spiral of a one-time pop star (and his step-father). In the end, he captured on film the idiosyncracies of a family slowly falling apart at the seams.

As I watched his parents interact, I was amazed, horrified, and sympathetic all at once. Ware talks at some length of the distance a camera gives the filmmaker, so that even filming family becomes a disconnected experience, and recommends it for anyone and everyone.

If you didn’t catch the episode last night, be sure to catch it throughout the weekend in replays! It’s a good one!

this american life, ira glass, “the camera man”, chris ware

the plague that has been criss-crossing the nation has settled into my body, which would explain the lack of posting these past few days. although i’m a tad bit better, i have nothing of merit to report. so i’ll just say this instead …

don’t forget to watch new episodes of “Penn and Teller” and “This American Life” tonite, beginning at 10e/9c.

Last night’s episode of “This American Life” was even better than the first. Ira Glass interviewed several people who were living life according to their rules, regardless of what those around them felt.

The show started with an elderly man who spent several hours a day at his wife’s gravesite. They had been married for almost 50 years, and although he currently has a new girlfriend, he still makes sure his wife holds an important place in his everyday life.

Ira then went on to interview a young man (only 14) who had decided that love was not for him. He claims to not even love his parents, although he’ll admit he likes them for who they are. With everyone around him telling him he’ll change his mind, my only though is that at some point he may allow for a non-sexual love in his world. It is a rare teenager who can recognize the futility in most early romatic attempts, and can say they will not take part.

Finally, the show profiles a photographer who has recently made a change. This man now takes photos of families, celebrities, and the like. Happy photos. He was once known for his portraits of suffering, working globally to document the poorest of the poor and war-torn areas. His photographs of a drowning woman, however, along with the attention and criticism they brought, were what changed his work plan.

If you missed the episode, definitely check out Showtime’s website, as they are showing the episode in full.

Ira Glass, Showtime, This American Life

tonite on Showtime, catch the latest episode of This American Life. This week, Ira Glass talks to a politician who actually doesn’t lie, a 14-year old boy who is anti-love and a photographer whose work takes a sudden turn when faced with emergency situations.

a must-watch episode.

With this first episode of “this american life”, showtime establishes an entirely new version of the reality show. real people, in their real lives, non-scripted. actual reality. no contests, no gimicks, no prizes at the end. just real people revealing who they truly are. amazing.

in this landmark episode, Ira Glass narrates the stories of three people/groups. the first, used as the introduction, walks us through a little girl’s seeming insignificant decision on the school bus one day. he proceeds to introduce us to the Fischer family, who had a pet bull they can’t seem to let go of. finally, we meet a man named Charlie Todd and his group “improv everywhere”, and their one-night meeting with the band “ghost of pasha”. i still can’t decide if i like their improv evening with this band but i’ve seen other improv events they’ve put on and loved them.

in all, this show is amazing, and i’m super excited to see this week’s episode!