HBO's 'ETHEL': Lessons Learned

This past summer I was invited to attend a preview screening of HBO's Ethel (Tonight, 1/18 at 9pm on HBO), a feature-length documentary about Ethel Kennedy that was produced and directed by her daughter, Rory Kennedy. I'm already a fan of Rory's (her Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib was so outstanding) so I knew I would enjoy Ethel - but who knew I'd get such an education at the same time?

(Also, I was thrilled to be able to meet Rory Kennedy in person at the post-screening reception. I tried not to go too fangirl on her, but I knew it was the closest I'll ever come to a Kennedy.)

The film covers Ethel's Kennedy's life, touching on her childhood, her early years with Robert F. Kennedy, raising their eleven children (!), RFK's campaigns and Ethel's world after his assassination. Ethel's life was often eclipsed by her more visible and glamorous sister-in-law Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, but it's been a remarkable story nonetheless.

But it's not just a story about Mrs. Kennedy - it's a much more personal, insightful glimpse into historical events that we all know about, but whose intricacies I'd never fully understood. The Cuban Missile Crisis, the standoff with then-governor George Wallace at the University of Alabama, RFK's friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr., his clashing with J. Edgar Hoover – Rory Kennedy does a great job of showing a timeline and insight into these events through interviews with Ethel, her other children and with family friends and associates.

Definitely recommend watching this, and if you have older kids – have them watch it with you. Such an important glimpse into our country's history told so lovingly by the Kennedy family.

Ethel premieres tonight, October 18 at 9pm on HBO.

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Teenage Scream: Hulu Plus Is Coming to Nintendo 3DS and Wii

Hear that? It's the sound of my teenagers jumping up and down and screaming. Oh look – now they're hugging the Wii and gazing at their Nintendo 3DS and saying, "OMIGOD can you BE any more awesome?"

What's the reason for this love fest? Nintendo has announced that you'll soon be able to access Hulu Plus through the Wii and Nintendo 3DS consoles. So not only will my girls be able to watch (and re-watch) their beloved Glee through the Wii on our TV (instead of the computer) anytime they want, they can watch Modern Family on their 3DS while sitting in Starbucks. Can their lives get any more perfect?

Here's the skinny from Nintendo:

With Hulu Plus, you’ll be able to instantly stream thousands of TV episodes – including the entire current seasons of popular shows like Modern Family, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser, House and Grey’s Anatomy – from premium content partners like ABC, Comedy Central, FOX, NBC, MTV and many more. Hulu Plus also offers access to classic TV favorites like Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Hills and hundreds of popular and award-winning movies. Hulu Plus is available through a separate subscription fee of $7.99 per month with limited advertising. 

I've said it before and it's true – there are few things from my girls' childhood that they haven't lost interest in, and their Nintendo devices are among them. I have to admit that the Wii gets much more action than their 3DS and DSi these days, but I think that's about to change – knowing that Darren Criss' Glee performances will soon be at their beck and call has renewed sudden interest in their handheld devices. And I know more than a few parents that have held off on buying the Nintendo 3DS who will certainly be snapping one up now, if only for themselves – the thought that they'll be able to watch House and Lost while waiting in line at the bank? Priceless.

Hulu Plus will be available on Wii and Nintendo 3DS by the end of 2011. Or as my teens put it, "Not soon enough."

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'The Good Wife': Finally Something to Fill My 'ER' Void

When ER went off the air after its final season this year it left a huge gaping hole in my weekly viewing. Seeing as I only have time to watch a couple of hours of TV every week and usually only after 10pm, that one hour of 'me' time was now gone. What was I supposed to do - clean the kitchen? Interact with my kids? It was enough to make a girl go out and buy the entire season of Sex and The City on DVD (which I haven't done yet, in case you're stumped as what to get me for Christmas.)

But then a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get invited to a preview showing of the new CBS drama, The Good Wife, starring Julianna Margulies. It already fit my criteria before I even saw it - 10pm to 11pm time slot, not science fiction or period drama, and better yet it starred ex-ER actress Margulies AND Sex And The City's Chris Noth - how perfect was this? And then I saw the first episode and I immediately put the kids to work cleaning my kitchen - mommy had found a new show.

In a nutshell, here's what the show is about (I copied it from the CBS website, in case you were about to be impressed by my synopsis-writing skills):

THE GOOD WIFE is a drama starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband's (Noth) sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Pushing aside the betrayal and public humiliation caused by her husband, Peter, Alicia Florrick starts over by pursuing her original career as a defense attorney...Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician's scorned wife to resilient career woman, especially for the sake of providing a stable home for her children. For the first time in years, Alicia trades in her identity as the "good wife" and takes charge of her own destiny.

The Good Wife premieres tonight, Tuesday, at 10/9c on CBS.

Don't miss it.

And, here's a clip:



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tags: the good wife | julianna marguiles | chris noth | cbs

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