R.I.P. Captain Peacock

Frank Thornton, Captain Peacock of “Are You Being Served,” passed away in his sleep on Saturday. This time, when he entered the lift, he took it all the way to the top.

pbstv:

Yesterday we kicked off the 2013 PBS Online Film Festival!

You can watch all the films on PBS.org or on our YouTube channel. 

Making healthier soul food traditions

New Jersey filmmaker Byron Hurt raises questions about the merits of traditional, black, Southern fare in the documentary “Soul Food Junkies.”

Here, “rustic, soul food chef” Tia McDonald shows a healthier approach to some of the fried, gravy-slathered classics.

More photos and a recipe.

If Downton Abbey were a video game…

Can’t. Wait.

nprfreshair:

David Bianculli on Shirley MacLaine’s new role in Season Three of Downton Abbey:

Out of desperation, Cora, his American wife, sends for her wealthy mother to visit, in hopes that the Crawley women can persuade her to finance their lavish lifestyle. The mother, Martha, is played by new cast member Shirley MacLaine, who’s excellent. She doesn’t steal the show — she can’t, not with Maggie Smith already dominating every scene she’s in as Cora’s mother-in-law, the acerbic, sarcastic Dowager Countess — but MacLaine fits in perfectly.

The Bird stays in the picture

It was the pink slip heard ‘round the world.

“I’m sorry, Jim. I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS,” said Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney when asked how he would help reduce government spending during the first Presidential debate. 

The backlash was immediate. Now thanks to social media and the coverage of cable news channels, the level of support seen for them at this time is unrivaled.

Romney is to be admired for his willingness to stop the financial bleeding, but eliminating funding for public television to stabilize government spending is like the Ritz-Carlton getting rid of its tiny bottles of shampoo to reduce the cost of its hotel rooms. Of the $3.4 trillion federal budget in 2010, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS, was appropriated a little over $500 million, or .00014%. Romney remained firm on his commitment to maintain the $931 billion defense budget.

pbs-food:

Watch Forage, presented by PBS Food and ITVS.

More information at Lexicon of Sustainability.

Boy, the Internet sure loves some Downton Abbey. Here’s the cast as if they were played by dogs and cats. (I don’t know why.)

All artistic manipulations by Audrey Fukuman.