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Summer TV and Red Nose Day

         Summer TV is here. That means I'll watch more old movies or do more reading. It looks pretty bleak for regular viewing. During the school year, good shows are sporadic. They aren't on every week. They start and end on different weeks:there's no predictable season. Some get a really big winter break. You lose interest in their absence.

         I don't like messing with the schedule either. I don't know what channel a show is on or what night, I just don't see it. There are about 3 comedies and one drama/horror show I like and have stuck with. Then there are the 50 year old reruns and old movies. They've played a lot of Eastwood films lately.

         But tonight, I saw some of Red Nose Day. It's had a big campaign, so I thought it might be important. Well, the charity part is good. The TV show was a big bore for the most part. The comedy routines were lousy.

         The good things: Matt Laur came in cleaned up after his big bike ride from Boston to New York. He raised money for charities for children in poverty. He let us know his bottom and his legs are sore. Nick Cannon danced in exhausted with his Red Nose Team after dancing for 24 hours. They were headed home to sleep. There was some singing, okay, not unusual.

         The best part were like news reports. Michelle Rodriguez went to Peru to watch child labor. Children as young as six work after school to dry and turn bricks so the family can have more money. Even a two year old tried to help. This is outdoors in the sun. Blake Shelton went to L.A. to visit with children who are homeless or hungry. They showed a grandmother who had to care for her grandchildren because her daughter had cancer and was too sick to work.

         The most gripping was Jeff Black, normally a funny guy, in Uganda with homeless children. I have heard of these children for over a decade now. It's not getting any better. These young kids have no family and no means of support. After being shown around, Jeff met up with a 12 year old and spent the day with him and at least part of the night. The boy sleeps in a heavily populated area at night, exposed to the elements, to strangers, to animals. He gets his food from the garbage. He wants to go to school. Seeing the despair on his young face was heart breaking. No 12 year old should be that scared, that hungry, that hopeless. Yet he was gentle, intelligent, and eager to work and learn.

         I hope they raised a lot of money. It might have helped if they had indicated a high percentage of every dollar given went straight to help. When it's not mentioned, I have a feeling that maybe only 50% actually goes where you think it's going. The rest goes to overhead and fund-raising. My hope is that all the spoiled young people who tuned in for the music or their favorite star who just said and did stupid things, also sat through the reports and see for themselves how tough it is for so many of the world's children. Maybe more of our culture could stop feeling sorry for themselves and realize how well off they are and develop compassion for someone besides themselves.