DAD, PROMISE ME SOMETHING. WHEN MY FRIENDS COME OVER ... DON'T DO THAT: Since we often talk about "tv that's good for kids," I wanted to alert you to a show that our seven-year-old has grown deeply found of lately. It's called "The Cosby Show," and reruns from season one are airing daily on the Centric channel.
Do I have to sell this one? The show holds up remarkably well -- its morals are timeless, and Bill Cosby is an inexhaustible comic resource. I think as a grownup I appreciate the mugging and the physical comedy more than I did as a kid, but there's nothing about the show I'm not enjoying right now.
So glad to know it's still on - one of my favorite memories is hearing my dad belly laugh while watching The Cosby Show. My four siblings (including a baby sister with Rudy-like tendencies) were dying for my parents to do what Claire and Cliff did when Theo wanted to be treated like an adult...
ReplyDeleteGreat as the show was, that was the all time best episode. My wife and I are already planning to swipe it for our kids.
ReplyDeleteGreat show! Although I never understood why in that episode Theo didn't just call all of his friends and ask them to bring him their Monopoly money.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest Cosby show moment for me was the Ray Charles number (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvGdfOfLFw)*. I know a lot of people cringed at that, but it reminded me of Sunday mornings at my house growing up when my dad would make breakfast and blast the stereo and it'd be either Ray Charles, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, George Thorogood, or Beethoven. I was serenaded with a spatula-microphone more times than I care to count.
ReplyDelete*And, as an aside, this is more what I wish the Glee "spontaneous" numbers felt like - almost there choreography and everybody having a bit more fun, being a bit more loose. I don't care if the competition/official performance numbers look polished and well-rehearsed, they should. And dream sequences? Sure, all bets are off. But when the kids are goofing around in the class and trying out a song for the first (or only) time this is what I wish it looked like.
Tangentially, I had a moment of "Whoa, time passes" because I can't believe you have a seven year old now, Adam. I remember when your wife announced the pregnancy because I was a reader of her blog then (but not this one yet). Can't believe that was seven years ago.
Watts I had that exact same thought! (re 7-yr-old). . .(actually also re glee numbers, but there I just 2nd your thought)
ReplyDeleteBill Cosby's comedy albums hold up, too. I remember listening to my dad's records - chocolate cake for breakfast!!!
ReplyDeleteI have most of Cosby's old comedy albums - I love listening to comedy albums on road trips - and I still laugh at them, even after having heard them dozens of times now. Some of my faves:
ReplyDelete- Chicken Heart (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhwF2d8QyvU)
- Driving in San Francisco - can't find this readily online
- Same Thing Happens Every Night (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsEXBO8URrI - with bonus Spanish subtitles) - I can't tell you how many times I was told as a child, "You've fooled around LONG ENOUGH"
- Go Carts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix8xOD0kiWw)
- T.V. Football (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWt6qZ0IGOk) or its expansion "Hofstra"
- Lumps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVWchoMP8-A) - I just referenced this in a conversation about picking eating
One thing you notice rewatching the show is how many of these bits he managed to work in. More power to him, I say, getting a whole new audience for some funny, funny stuff.
We just moved from Stamford, CT to Helsinki, Finland. I get two episodes a night of The Cosby Show and Cheers. In English! I feel like I am reliving my Thursday nights as a kid! I love it. Even better, I watched the original episodes long enough ago to not always feel like I'm watching reruns. The amount of US tv available here amazes me. From very, very early Dallas to current Grey's, Glee and I think current soap opera, it almost feels like I never left the U.S.
ReplyDeleteHelsinki? Whoa. Why? And how is it?
ReplyDeleteAll I know about Finland is (a) that its language is weird and (b) they use cell phone technology better than anyone.
We just moved from Stamford, CT to Helsinki, Finland. I get two episodes a night of The Cosby Show and Cheers. In English! I feel like I am reliving my Thursday nights as a kid! I love it. Even better, I watched the original episodes long enough ago to not always feel like I'm watching reruns. The amount of US tv available here amazes me. From very, very early Dallas to current Grey's, Glee and I think current soap opera, it almost feels like I never left the U.S.
ReplyDeleteApologies for the double post, not sure how that happened, but related to my cell phone (which is not an answer to question b), above!)
ReplyDeleteMy husband works for Nokia, which does relate to b) above, and he got a great opportunity for a job here, so we packed our bags, and the rest of our stuff, and have come on assignment for a few years. So far, so good. It's not too cold, yet, and not too dark, yet, either, but that is rapidly changing. We have been here a little over a month and are settling in quite nicely. We're living in the city, which is a happy change from spending most of our lives in the 'burbs, or in my case, the sticks. I work for IBM and started at IBM Finland last week. I am actually pregnant, so will be working until just before the baby comes and then taking a year off. Finland has great social benefits for moms and families (which helped them become number one in Newsweek's recent ranking).
As far as a) goes. The language is very difficult. From what I have heard, second only to Mandarin in difficulty to learn. As I don't know Mandarin, and probably won't learn much Finnish beyond pleasantries, I am probably not the best to answer. It sounds pretty 'ugly American' to say I won't learn much, but most Finns, and especially those in the Helsinki area, speak excellent English. I have literally encountered one person since I have been here that did not speak English and she was a taxi driver. Once we had been in the car for about 10 minutes, she asked if we were British, so she had some English, just not much. If it tells you anything about the demand for the language outside of Finland, Rosetta Stone does not offer the language software at its mall kiosks.
And for b), these people live by their mobile phones. So much so that at both Nokia and IBM, you don't get a desk phone at your office, you get a mobile. A lot of people carry 2, one for personal and one for business. They always want the newest and latest. My iPhone is in the significant minority, trust me. The pride they have as a country in Nokia is absolutely amazing. Nokia named a new CEO a few weeks ago. A Canadian, which has caused much buzz here in the media and just in general social conversation. My husband, though a Finance guy, always carries a phone that is still in test and not available to the public. People often comment to him or we can tel they are talking about it. I find it very interesting that they are so familiar with the product lines and what's coming next that they instantly recognize something that is new and not yet available.
Sorry for the really long reply. Probably way more than you wanted to know. If you'd like to read more about it though, I have started blogging about life here. I think it's going to be a great place to live and a real experience for us. I'm excited for what the next few years hold for our growing family!
http://www.finnishfollies.blogspot.com/
Watts, we had thosse albums too! Go Carts was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteMy entire family can recite all of "Bill Cosby: Himself." Parts of "The Same Thing Happens Every Night" are regularly used in my house. "Go upstairs. Take off your clothes. Get in the shower. TURN ON THE WATER. (You have to tell them this, or they'll just go in there and wander aroun for a while...) Please use SOAP. Turn off the water, dry yourself off, put on pajamas and go to bed. If the children would just DO THIS, then there would BE NO BEATINGS!"
Ooh - I forgot the tonsils bit - I love that one! "ICE cream! We're gonna get ICE cream. And we'll eat it every day!"
ReplyDeleteBut Marsha, they can't sleep unless they've had their beatings.
ReplyDeleteAnd I say that bit about the ice cream in my head any and every time someone offers me ice cream.
I love watching his stand up. What an amazing guy! Brings back memories. I was only 15 in 1983.
ReplyDeleteConsider yourself lucky... I still look back and shudder at the obession my son had with "Diff'rent Strokes" reruns when he was 5 or 6. Then he moved on (down?) to "Full House." Arrgh.
ReplyDeleteOur cable system just added the "HUB" channel and tonite will be showing pilot episodes of "Family Ties," "Doogie Howser, MD" and "Wonder Years," all of which I am excited to see again.
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