An Upcoming Lifestyle Change/Experiment

Far too often I find myself sitting on the easy chair and the television is on acting mostly as “background” noise.  I’m either too bored to watch anything or there is nothing good on.  I probably have other things to do, but I just sit there with the television on.

I would rather us (the family) watch less television in general.

I have an unlimited amount of small home improvement projects to do.

I have several genealogy projects and history research and writing to do.

Books to read, old time radio shows to listen to……………………………

Same for the wife and daughter.

So, my DirecTV contract expires in September and I am thinking about NOT renewing it and NOT subscribing to either cable or any other satellite service.

I’ve been in my house for 20 years and we started out with cable.  I never had any complaints about the service, but it just became too expensive for the value I was getting for it.

I had Dish Network for two years, again I did not have any complaints about the service, but when the contract ran out, I switched to DirecTV because I could get a better rate for a year before the price going to normal for the second year.

I currently pay $70 dollars a month for a “basic plus” package.

I doubt that the family couldn’t go cold turkey on eliminating television so I am considering either subscribing to Netflixor Hulu Plus.  Each of those are less than $10 a month.  I’d be ecstatic to save $60 a month !!(beer and steak money)

I may have to spend $100-$150 for some type of “receiver” for either service I would choose.

I need to investigate both online services and learn about what technology that I need to do this.

Any ideas????

FOX Network Orders Two New Episodes of “In Living Color”

http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/fox-to-reboot-in-living-color-with-keenan-ivory-wayans/

“Fox is bringing back its groundbreaking 1990s sketch comedy series In Living Color with the series’ creator and star, Keenen Ivory Wayans, on board as host and executive producer. Fox has ordered two In Living Color half-hour specials to air as part of the network’s 25th anniversary celebration in midseason with a series option behind them, meaning that in success, the reboot will join Fox’s schedule as a regular series next season. I hear it was Wayans’ idea to revive the popular sketch comedy series with a new cast. The new In Living Color will be produced by his production company Ivory Way Prods. in association with 20th Century Fox TV’s Fox 21.”

 

“The show helped launch the careers of a slew of comedy actors — its cast included Wayans; his siblings Damon, Shawn, Kim and later Marlon; as well as Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and David Alan Grier — and of course Jennifer Lopez as one of the Fly Girls. It spawned such iconic characters as “Men on Film,” starring flamboyant film critics Blaine Edwards (Damon Wayans) and Antoine Merriweather (Grier); Homey D. Clown (Damon Wayans), a dour urban kiddie entertainer whose catchphrase was “Homey don’t play that!”; streetwise scam artists “The Home Boys” (Keenen Ivory and Damon Wayans); and Fire Marshall Bill (Jim Carrey), a disfigured safety expert. “

 

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this idea.

I have plenty of fond memories of the Fox Sunday night line up way back when !!

The Simpsons

Married With Children

In Living Color

and

Parker Lewis

I remember the first season of all of those shows and recall how cutting edge and “dangerous” they were !! (except for Parker Lewis)

As mentioned above, Homey D. Clown and  Men on Film were some of the best sketches done !!! (I never really cared for most of the Jim Carrey characters except for Vera D’milo”)

I don’t think that there will be anyway that Keenen will be able to capture the the raw energy and be able to “get away” with what they did in the first run.

I will probably watch at least the first show if they do make these.