QUIRKY TALES FRAMED WITH GLASS.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic 'This American Life" finds meaning in the oddest places: A Texas rancher who wants to believe that the clone of his beloved deceased bull is his lost bull, despite violent proof suggesting otherwise; a Utah photographer who hires bearded reprobates as models for his paintings of the life of Jesus. The new Showtime series, based on the National Public Radio program, focuses on people yearning for meaningful connections. But it's not above recalling childhood treachery -- how a girl was ostracized after urinating in a school bus after a protracted pro·tract tr.v. pro·tract·ed, pro·tract·ing, pro·tracts 1. To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations. 2. field trip, or, in an animated sequence from acclaimed graphic novelist Chris Ware, how fake TV cameras crafted from cardboard inured in·ure also en·ure tr.v. in·ured, in·ur·ing, in·ures To habituate to something undesirable, especially by prolonged subjection; accustom: his classmates to playground brutality. Host Ira Glass, who created the NPR NPR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Nepal Rupee. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. show in 1995, boasts quirks that are decidedly low-key in this hyperbolic hy·per·bol·ic also hy·per·bol·i·cal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or employing hyperbole. 2. Mathematics a. Of, relating to, or having the form of a hyperbola. b. , histrionic histrionic /his·tri·on·ic/ (his?tre-on´ik) excessively dramatic or emotional, as in histrionic personality disorder; see under personality. age. Nattily nat·ty adj. nat·ti·er, nat·ti·est Neat, trim, and smart; dapper. [Perhaps variant of obsolete netty, from net, elegant, from Middle English, from Old French; see clad and sporting outsize out·size n. 1. An unusual size, especially a very large size. 2. A garment of unusual size. adj. also out·sized Unusually large, weighty, or extensive. eyeglasses eyeglasses or spectacles, instrument or device for aiding and correcting defective sight. Eyeglasses usually consist of a pair of lenses mounted in a frame to hold them in position before the eyes. , he opens episodes reporting from a desk placed randomly somewhere in the great outdoors. Glass allows his stories to unfurl leisurely, with quixotic rhythms, until they seem to stumble upon a certain profundity. Like that rancher, who stood by his bull even after it had gored him twice -- so in love was he with his original pet that he had an almost visceral need to believe that this was its reincarnation. Or, in a future episode, an amazingly disturbing yet moving story about a filmmaker who discovers insights into the dysfunctional relationship between his mother and slob of a stepfather, a failed pop musician who enjoyed the briefest of tastes of stardom. Other future stories include that of Improv Everywhere, a New York variation of the former West Coast pranksters the Cacophony Society, who infiltrated a little-known band's gig playing to wildly dedicated fans, only to irritate the band once they got wind of the plot, and of a group of seniors who set out to make a short film they hope to get into the Sundance Film Festival. These are hardly important stories, and no one's lives will be emptier for missing them. But those who see them as reported in "This American Life This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio. It is distributed by Public Radio International and is also available as a free weekly podcast. " may just find their lives a tad richer for the experience. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com THIS AMERICAN LIFE - Three and one half stars What: TV incarnation of Ira Glass' NPR radio show exploring quirky Americana. Where: Showtime. When: 10:30 and midnight tonight; also 8 and 8:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. and midnight Sunday, 10:05 p.m. Tuesday, 7:30 and 11:35 p.m. Wednesday. In a nutshell: Whimsical stories seeking an odd profundity. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Ira Glass brings his popular radio program, "This American Life," to Showtime. |
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