Ah, I've enjoyed Monk also, JenEllen. This weekend we really enjoyed two movies on IFC. A 1960's Japanse movie of ghost stories called Kwaidan and a lighweight best friends/romantic comedy directed by and starring Anglica Huston called Agnes Browne.

I gave away a brand new tv when my kids were little, then the next one I had, I watered a plant too much, which was hanging above it, and the plantpee shorted out the tv! We didn't have another until Rog moved from radio engineering to tv transmitters, then we had to have one so he could check the on-air status.

We always watched tv with our kids, making critical comments about the ridiculous advert messages, etc. We did't watch that much and they learned to watch it with a critical eye. Two of them do not own tvs; the other has one and does let her 4 yr old twins watch specific children's shows, but otherwise is pretty strict about it. The only complaint I have about that is I think they watch too much video, i.e. Shrek too often, even though I LOVE that movie!

Concerning BBC and American tv: lately BBC America has been running nothing but overused re-runs EXCEPT for Monarch of the Glen and a few Changing Rooms and Ground Force, otherwise I've seen nothing any better than most. When they first went on in the US, they had fantastic movies and dramas, now it is all the same as thye've already shown. THEN, we see their best stuff on PBS or A&E. It's as though they are selling all of their good stuff to those other channels and offering us the leftovers.

Ah, well...have fun!

kat