Today's Special video clips are online

I'm sitting here with a show about British Columbia on Discovery HD on my plasma television. Everything looks great, but I'm not watching it. I'm watching some grainy video clips on Today's Special I found online (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today%27s_Special#Video_Clips).

I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden Jeff popped into my head along with the theme song (as someone mentioned in another post). For some the show seemed like a dream (possibly because of the age at which you watched it). Early childhood memories tend to feel surreal...however, broadcasting techniques also contribute to this feeling. Let me explain.

Today's special was a bit low brow (and budget). Now, don't be offended by that because I loved the show more than Sesame Street and Electric Company and Pinwheel combined. The low brow/budget aspects of the show are what made it so magical to me. Jeff would sing and dance in an empty department store. It was almost dream-like. As a kid, the mall/store always seemed crowded with people. And that was part of the show's premise: magic. It wasn't a in your face show...no hype to dazzle the mind nor fast colors to dazzle the eye. It was quite bland visually. Now, the show also had an erie feeling, but I guess liking such a show is similar to the same reason why people like horror films. Anyway, you mix all of those things together with excellent writing and it yields a great production tha kids all over the developed world watched intently. Why? I dunno, maybe a shrink can help us figure that out.

I just watched one of the short clips online (What Do you Hear? - I remember loving that one!!!) and I was mesmerized! All of the emotions came back. It was a good feeling. I feel like a bit of a goof, though, because society tells me that I should be watching the Wedding Crashers (which is nowhere near as entertaining or decent). However, I don't care. I like what I like.

Now, if I recall correctly it used to come on Nickelodeon. I vaguely remember seeing a promo for it just before one of the seasons. I just remember the promo was addictive!!! It was like crack! It actually wasn't special, but I remember being glued to the TV until it debuted. I even remember telling my cousing about this new show that was coming on Nick (I was trying to "help" her because she'd just installed cable TV). We were both about 10 years old. She never believed me...because I was always trying to trick her into something and the name "Today's Special" was (and still is) atypical for name of a kids show. After it debuted, I was hooked and so was she. However, one of my secrets was that I was attracted to Jodie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerene_Virgin);

Now as quickly as it came it left. We grew up. We were 10 at the time, so of course we weren't going to tune in for much longer. In just a few years, puberty was to become the number one show. Here's what's funny, I almost completely forgot about the show until just now (I don't know why).

People who produce shows like this are blessings from God. For the past 30 years studios have been cranking out crap and touting it as art. It's hard enough being an adult and filtering the content they put out, but as a kid it's daunting. Our parents didn't always monitor what we watched. The values that shows like this taught us stuck with some of us (to some degree). Having said that, I've been contemplating going to Canada for a long while now. Life just seems...hmm...right. The herd of American productions over the years has never really held a flame to those of the Canucks...Don't agree? After I grew up and stopped watching Today's Special I became hooked on Degrassi Junior High...another program that just showed up on the American teenager's radar one day -- no huge fanfare, no huge marketing -- and I still can't get the theme song outta my head. Now I'm an adult and I can't keep myself from tuning into Davinci's Inquest.

Nuff said. Thanx for reading this old man's rant.