Lights and Fireworks on the Circle!

Friday night, I was hanging out on Monument Circle with my family, friends and thousands of other Hoosiers braving the big crowds and cool weather. 

We were all there for the Circle of Lights presented by the Contractors of Quality Connection and the Electrical Workers of IBEW Local 481.

I had the good pleasure of watching it up close and behind the scenes. Dozens of RTV 6 staffers worked most of Friday and Friday night to bring the LIVE digital widescreen presentation to tens of thousands of homes across Central Indiana.

This year’s crowd downtown on the Circle seemed a little bigger (warmer weather helps…if you call upper 30s warmer.)

But really, it was a perfect night for the festivities.

I asked Tom O’Donnell from IBEW Local 481 to share his thoughts on one of downtown’s biggest nights. 

If it wasn’t for the electricians, the Circle wouldn’t shine each holiday season.

Here’s what Tom had to say:

It’s officially the holiday season in Central Indiana!

Close to 100,000 spectators were Downtown on Monument Circle Friday night to ring in the holiday season at the 46th annual Circle of Lights® presented by the Contractors of Quality Connection and Electrical Workers of IBEW 481 celebration.

As the presenting sponsors, Quality Connection and IBEW 481 have an enormous amount of pride in this annual tradition.

 Our electricians have been involved from the start, volunteering their time for 46 years now to install and maintain the lights. And each year we’re always thrilled to see the joy this free event brings to so many residents and visitors.

Our IBEW 481 electricians and Quality Connection contractors have helped build the Indianapolis skyline for years - from Circle Centre to Lucas Oil Stadium to the new Indianapolis International Airport. These permanent city fixtures have a special place in our hearts; knowing we were involved in monumental milestones.

With that said, being a part of the Circle of Lights® presented by the Contractors of Quality Connection and Electrical Workers of IBEW 481 is equally gratifying. This is our way of giving back to the community.

We enjoy the opportunity to be a part of your amazing holiday traditions.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Tom O’Donnell
Business Manager IBEW Local 481

Thanks Tom!

And if you didn’t make it downtown to see the Circle of Lights, it will be repeated on RTV 6 on Christmas Day. (Perfect programming to open your presents!)

Happy Holidays!

We’re kicking off the 8th annual RTV 6 Toy Drive this week. And a new tradition we started last year is back…anchors singing!

This year Trisha Shepherd is joined by Good Morning, Indiana’s Grace Trahan and the rest of the 6 NEWS anchor team for a rendition of “I Saw Three Ships.”

RTV 6 Producer/Director Ken Scheidler and his wife Karen did the arrangement. And the anchors did the rest!

Check it out in the YouTube clip.

The video goes fast. In addition to Trisha and Grace, you’ll see and hear Kevin Gregory, Dave Furst, Todd Wallace, Dan Spehler, Tom Davis, Paul Poteet, Stacia Matthews, Crystal Wicker, Erica Flye, Brad Brown and Rafael Sanchez.

Okay, full disclosure. Rafael actually doesn’t sing…he just directs.

Enjoy the video!

You can see the much higher quality version airing on RTV 6 and 6 NEWS 24/7 beginning November 26 through the holiday season.

And of course, make a donation to the RTV 6 Toy Drive. You can drop off toys at The Circle of Lights on Friday night, next Wednesday at Ashley Furniture Home Store in Greenwood, or any AAA Service Center or FedEx location (previously Kinkos.)

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

This year, watch it in WIDESCREEN!

I love this time of year.

A short work week. The anticipation of Thanksgiving. And the annual tradition of tens of thousands of families getting together to turn on thousands of lights on Monument Circle.

The 46th annual Circle of Lights presented by the Contractors of Quality Connection and the Electrical Workers of IBEW Local 481 is Friday night!

And as part of the tradition, RTV 6 is kicking off the holidays carrying the lighting festivities LIVE beginning at 7PM. But this year, the TV telecast is going to look a little different. And it’s all good. 

This year’s Circle of Lights will be bigger and better because this year, for the first time ever, the Circle of Lights will be presented in digital widescreen!

That means if you are watching on an HDTV, you’re going to see a lot more lights (and many more faces in the throngs of people downtown!)

Kurt Swadener, RTV 6’s Operations Manager, says the widescreen format will add a lot to the telecast. “I’m very excited that we are able to present the Circle of Lights in digital widescreen for the very first time,” Swadener says. ”The widescreen format enhances the experience of the audience by giving a more panoramic view of the event. It has always been a challenge to convey the size of the event to our television viewers. Digital widescreen gives us that opportunity and will take the beloved televised event to a whole new level.”

Of course, one thing that won’t be changing is the fantastic talent that will be performing at this year’s ceremony.

Auditions for this year’s show were held in September and October. Hundreds tried out for the chance to perform. And the talent is terrific.

Julia Watson from Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. confirms it’s going to be a good show:

“We have such a great group of performers this year! The thrill of national talent like “The Lion King” joining with talented people right here in Central Indiana is a great combination. We have everything from a high energy band to a very talented 9 year old! This is going to be a great show!”

Kevin Gregory, Todd Wallace and Trisha Shepherd will host LIVE from Downtown this Friday night starting at 7PM on RTV 6. And if you are going to be out of town, you can still watch the ceremony in a LIVE stream right here on TheIndyChannel.com.

Happy Holidays!

*****

Okay, confession time.

Gotta go with Brooke Burke!

In case you didn’t know, I’m a double blogger.

In addition to doing an entertainment blog, I also free-lance producing a “Dancing with the Stars” blog (available on the special Dancing with the Stars page here at TheIndyChannel.com.)  And this week, this season winds down to the finale. 

At the beginning of this season I had picked Misty May-Treanor to win. But she left the competition several weeks ago with a ruptured achilles tendon (it still hurts just writing that.)

So now it is down to model/host Brooke Burke, football great Warren Sapp and N’Sync’s Lance Bass.

Gotta go with Brooke and her partner Derek Hough. They’ve dominated all season and truly are the best couple in this competition though Warren and Lance are going to be good competition. Besides, Hough and his little sis Julianne are the most popular dancers on the show. (FYI - Julianne announced last week she’s leaving to concentrate on her singing career. I’m bummed she’s leaving…she’s certainly my favorite dancer.) 

Finally, Brooke, an amazing mother of FOUR has every mom in America rooting for her. So go with Brooke.

Rebuttal from Sandwich:

I think Paul is a bit confused about my opinion of Pixar movies…..in the beginning, I was blown away by Toy Story and to its better counterpart, Toy Story 2. TS2 is my definition of a classic or, a solid 9 or 9.5 on the “Sandwich Scale”. Great stuff.

That’s my benchmark for a Pixar movie….if you’re going to create great product, I will hold you in a different league.

“The Incredibles” and “Wall-E” are NOT classics….they are GOOD flicks but not “9″’s….”The Incredibles” deserves a “7″ or as high as an “8″ (one could argue) but frankly, “Wall-E” is a 6…..good animation (Pixar has that down) but a slow, sloggy, story. I didn’t feel the “love connection” in the storyline….it felt a bit contrived.

MY RANT:

If you’re going to make an average movie, give it to me in 90 minutes or less. There is nothing worse than going to a movie and having to sit thru 120 minutes….FOR NO GOOD REASON. Very rarely do I say, “I wish that movie were longer”. Rare occasions do pop up…..”Titanic” was long but worth it (a “9.5″ on the Sandwich Scale”).

MY RAVE:

The “Lio” cartoon that Paul alluded to is quirky, bizarre and worth the time. I FULLY AGREE with Paul on this one.

You see, I can get along.

-sandwich-

Imagine that...the IMA on the cover!

Okay, you ever have those days when you just want to get things off your chest? 

It’s time for some RANTS AND RAVES!

See if you agree…

A RANT…

The Indianapolis Star.

Why am I still paying to get this paper? It’s literally shrinking every week. Some entire sections are only two pages…that’s it. One piece of paper!

There are fewer and fewer local articles and bylines. 

And is it just me, or does there seem to be an article, feature or something about the Indianapolis Museum of Art every week!? Seriously, it seems the IMA is in the Sunday feature supplement on a regular basis. The IMA is impressive, but give me a break.

To top it off, I get a letter this week telling me the rate is going up…wonderful. Less for a whole lot more.

A RAVE…

Lio...an inspired new comic strip

But this same paper also has introduced me to a new comic strip called “Lio” that is so halfway bizzare and yet inspired. It almost makes the paper worth it.

Almost.

I got to fly into the brand new Indianapolis International Airport last week after spending a week in New York. Only problem is, I spent two and a half hours on the tarmac in Newark, New Jersey.

So my first flight into the new Indy jewel…happened in the middle of the night, arriving after midnight! Welcome home to a closed down and very quiet facility.

A RAVE…

But it still looked pretty impressive.

A RANT…

Word is that ABC is probably going to pull the plug on “Pushing Daisies,” one of the more innovative and original series in recent years. Darn…I really liked this one. Too bad not enough other people did.

Kicking the holidays off far right

A RAVE…

This Sunday night at 10pm Comedy Central will kick off the holidays right…(or is that far right?) with a Christmas special from Stephen Colbert! 

It’s called, naturally, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All.”

Colbert started playing the Stephen Colbert character of a right wing blow-hard (take that Bill O’Reilly) for laughs beginning on “The Daily Show” and eventually taking on his own daily show following that Daily Show.

Jon Stewart, Toby Keith, John Legend and Elvis Costello are guests.

I’ll be watching.

ANOTHER RAVE…

The DVD of Disney/Pixar’s “Wall-E” is outstanding.

A Best Picture contender?

I think this ecological animated story of a little robot should get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, it’s that good. (It WILL win best Animated Feature.) Cool feature in many of the new DVD releases…a digital copy you can download into a computer or I-Phone or other digital player so you can take the movie with you, in whatever format you want.

 PIXAR has yet to make a movie me and my kids didn’t enjoy.

PIXAR is the best.

A RANT…

One of my buddies, Sandwich, the guy that created the Sandwich scale for rating movies, way way way underappreciates the PIXAR movies. What is wrong with this guy that he can’t appreciate great art? I hope he reads this and gives me a good answer. (And if he doesn’t read this, that’s a whole other rant!)

Later

I’m a geek.

I’m really looking forward to the re-boot of STAR TREK from J.J. Abrams, the guy behind ALIAS, LOST and the new FRINGE.

I posted the new STAR TREK pictures of the cast a few weeks ago. Now below you can see the new version of the USS Enterprise. It looks alot like the TV and movie versions we’ve come to know.

This weekend, Paramount released the trailer featuring a fast paced series of scenes from the new movie with the blockbuster James Bond release “Quantum of Solace.”

I originally embedded a bootleg version. Now you can see a cleaner version that was posted on YouTube. It looks pretty awesome!

The trailer features Chris Pine, the new Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock. (Though on the bootleg, I didn’t see any sign of Leonard Nimoy as the older Spock.

I’ve read on some forums where TREK fans have been bemoaning the new cast, complaining that they look like they have stepped out of an episode of ”Gossip Girl.” That’s funny. 

But who cares? As long as the movie offers great characters and a great story, I’m so there!

Abrams knows his stuff. Trekkies will always have the TV series and the original movies. Me, I’m ready for a re-boot. I can’t wait.

BTW, ABC is now starting to promote the new season of LOST. It will kick off with a TWO HOUR premiere in January on Wednesday nights at 9PM!

I’m there for that, too.

The new Enterprise coming to theatres...

The author in Times Square

I’m in New York this week for work.

I love to visit New York. There is something about walking around Times Square at night with all the lights, signs, billboards and video screens. Its a sensory overload. 

Some observations made on this trip.

I met up with a friend that works at ABC and we went out for dinner. He’s an experienced New Yorker.

He noted that I “walk like a New Yorker.” That means I tend to walk fast. I do. Not just in New York, but everywhere. (It’s good when you are in the city…not so good when you are walking down the hallway behind someone!)

Times Square is a tourist mecca…and I think that is good.

It’s good because I can remember visiting the city when I was a kid and Times Square was adult houses and sleazy shops.

Today it’s restored theatres and a vibrant, colorful mix of  shops and hotels catering to out of towners.

An M&Ms Store?

Case in point: Like Chicago, NYC has it’s own two story Hershey’s store, a shop that sells nothing but chocolate bars and Hershey’s candies.

But not to be outdone, M&Ms now have their very own major store in the heart of the city. That’s right, a shop that sells anything M&Ms…all colors, all kinds. And these places were PACKED! But the bizzare store front I saw…(and I am NOT making this up) …a CHARMIN Store will be opening soon in Times Square. That’s right…a toilet paper store. Again, I am NOT making this up…Chocolate I get. But will tourists really go to a toilet paper store? Guess I will see next time I am in town.

Finally, I made the pilgrimage to the morning shows this week.

The impressive GMA Studios

I popped by the TODAY show one morning to see how Matt and Meridith do their thing over by Rockefeller Center. TODAY has the better site set up for fans to get on TV. But not much else to see.

But the folks at GOOD MORNING AMERICA have the much cooler location and studio space.

The ticker at GMA is a major attraction to see in NYC. Did you know it was designed by the famed Disney Imagineers? It really is a great site to see.

Watching TV on my PC at the Airport!

Have you heard about the DTV transition coming to your TV set?

A couple of weeks ago, RTV 6’s Call 6 for Help reporter Rafael Sanchez did a TV Test that allowed viewers a chance to see if their TVs were ready for the DTV transition. In a nutshell, on February 17, 2009, Channel 6 along with all television stations across the country will, by law, cease broadcasting on analog TV signals and broadcast exclusively on digital television signals.

So, what does that mean to you?

For most of you, it will mean very little. Surveys show about 50 to 55% of Hoosiers watch TV through a cable service. A little over 30% of you watch with a satellite dish or other pay service, like AT&T’s new U-Verse. The rest, about 15% of Hoosiers watch TV for free with the over the air signal broadcast by local TV stations.

The TV TEST featured a message sent on Channel 6’s analog signal (the signal that is going away in February) that gave viewers a “heads-up” that their local TV service could be interrupted come 2/17/09.

It should be noted that many of the cable, satellite and other systems currently capture the local TV stations’ analog signals and then re-transmit it to their customers (that’s you and me.) 

As part of the test, Call 6 for Help had a phone bank set up to answer viewer questions. I was lucky enough to talk to some of the over 500 phone calls we received in the couple of hours the phone bank was open.

Since we are about 100 days from the analog switch-off, the cable, satellite and other services have not yet switched over to capturing the digital signal instead. But they will. So if you have one of those pay services, you will still get local stations. For over the air viewers, they will need a simple converter box and digital antenna to pick up the digital signals.

I want to make something very clear so I’m going to type in all UPPER CASE to make the point…(I’m not yelling at you, just wanting to make sure you see this.) 

If you have a pay service (cable, satellite or other service) YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING…YOUR CURRENT TV WILL STILL WORK and operate just the same…YOU DO NOT NEED A CONVERTER BOX OR OTHER DEVICE IF YOU HAVE CABLE, SATELLITE OR OTHER PAY SERVICE.

Okay, done with the upper case stuff.

The converter boxes you may have heard about are ONLY for TVs getting the over the air signal. So you do not need to rush out to buy all new TVs. (Unless you want to help the economy.) Now if you want to watch true High Definition, well then you would need a new digital HD TV.

All this stuff is pretty confusing. We’ve set up a terrific site with info about the transition on theIndyChannel.com. The link is on the front page, lower right hand side.

Also, I would be happy to answer any DTV questions I can (or find someone who can.) Just send an email to DTVAnswers@6news.com

*****

You can watch HDTV on your laptop!

Now the reason I wanted to write this post…a cool new toy!

One of the viewers I talked to asked about listening to Channel 6 at work. The audio portion of the Channel 6 signal airs on 87.7 on the FM band. Unfortunately, that will be going away. But I did find a cool alternative way you can listen…even WATCH RTV 6 at work (or wherever you are) if you have a computer or laptop.

You can buy HDTV tuners you can plug into your USB port on your computer (along with a little antenna) and watch full HDTV local channels on your laptop!

It costs about $100. I picked up the stuff at Fry’s but I’m sure you can find them at Best Buy, Radio Shack or other big box stores.

I’m heading out to New York this week on business. My flight out of the old Indianapolis International was delayed by about an hour so I plugged in and watched the NASCAR race airing on RTV 6, in HD no less, on the PC.

Pretty cool.

I tried to get the Channel 8 HD signal but couldn’t get it. I’ve had a lot of southside viewers complaining that WISH’s HD signal doesn’t get to them…I could not get it at the airport. But what I saw of the Colts game, probably just as well. (Thankfully they ended up looking better than the WISH signal!)

I’ll have more updates from NYC later this week (thinking about trying to crash Good Morning America one morning this week.) If I do, I’ll take pictures and share. And of course, you can expect an upcoming blog comparing leaving Indy from the old airport and returning to the new terminal. (I’ve had a sneak peek…it’s impressive.)

Have a good week!

Charles Gibson

ABC kept it simple with a touch screen map. (Cool part…the way they could break down how states voted, county by county.) ABC also had the biggest audience watching them announce the results.

I thought the crowds outside the NBC and ABC studios added a nice level of interest to the coverage.

*****  

Courteney Cox is coming back to network TV with a new comedy, her first since a little show called “Friends.” It’s called ”Cougar Town” for ABC. “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence is producing and it could be on the air by the spring.

****

MTV announced it is developing a Beatles version of its hit video game Rock Band. The company issued a media advisory last week that pitched an “exclusive agreement to develop an unprecedented global music project.” 

While heavy metal is okay, I’m happy to see the video game band systems expanding their music lists.

*****

The Bachelor is baccckkkkkk.

ABC set Jan. 5 as opening night for two reality series: “The Bachelor” and a new show called ”True Beauty,”  “True Beauty” is a new show from Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks, while “Bachelor” is entering its 13th round.

A press release about “True Beauty” says it will re-define the concept of beauty. Hosted and judged by Vanessa Minnillo, along with judges Cheryl Tiegs and Nolé Marin, the series will determine the “True Beauty” of six stunning females and four handsome males who will live together in a spectacular LA mansion (aren’t they all?) as they undergo a series of challenges to determine who is truly the most beautiful.

Okayyyyy…

****

Back in scrubs...

A ghost in the ER?

Alumni from the show are returning for the long-running show’s final season. 

After being away for six years, Anthony Edwards is returning to “ER” for a cameo appearance next week. In an interview, he says “It was really like going back to high school, in the best way. It was like going back to your favorite class and having your favorite teacher. … It took about a half an hour - and after about a half an hour, I really felt like I’d never left.” Edwards, whose character died at the end of the 2002 season, appears in flashback scenes. Another “ER” alum, Eriq La Salle will serve as a guest director for an upcoming episode.

On a sad note, Michael Crichton, the prolific writer of many popular novels including the best seller “Jurassic Park,”"Congo,” and “The Andromeda Strain” and the creator of ER passed away from cancer earlier this week.

*****

“King of the Hill” was cancelled by FOX. But it may not be dead yet. ABC is interested in picking up the show. Mike Judge, the man behind King of the Hill is also behind the network’s upcoming animated show “The Goode Family.”

A bi-partisian laugh

Finally.

On Sunday afternoon my wife and I along with our two sons decided to vote early. We live in Hamilton County. So we traveled to Noblesville to vote. We, along with several thousand others, stood in line OVER THREE HOURS to vote.

It was a long time to wait but the kids enjoyed learning about the process.

Like waiting in line, I’ve found this overall political season particularly trying due to the high level of emotional debate going on. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is incredibly healthy to see folks so passionate about their respective candidates. But I have found some people taking their passion too far.

If someone wants to disagree with your point of view, it’s okay…that is why we love America.

We can be on opposite sides of the political spectrum and hopefully agree to respect other folk’s opinions. I have seen this year’s political battles even putting old friendships to the test.

The title of the picture: Next season’s Celebrities on “Dancing with the Stars.”

***** 

My job here at RTV 6 is in the marketing area. So as a marketeer, I couldn’t help but give a shout out to The Indiana Pacers for the outstanding efforts to kick off this season to re-make/re-boot/re-launch Indy’s NBA squad.

The team has gotten rid of several problem players; they’ve gotten involved in the community with fun events like pumping heavily discounted gas for fans at a local gas station; and they put together a really fun and creative marketing campaign of “painting the town” to launch their home opener against the Champion Boston Celtics. (Cool part…signage on sidewalks downtown that simulate spilled paint!)

But the best part, and really the only thing that will make the overhaul a success…the Pacers WON their home opener. And they won convincingly!

A work ethic to admire!

And to bring the point home, Danny Granger, their new $65 million dollar star, broke his front teeth in a battle for the ball. Bloodied and hurt, the millionaire player re-entered the game and finished with 20 points!

I don’t know how you top that (I hope Granger doesn’t do that every game) but it establishes a get tough work ethic that everyone can admire.

We all admire a star that will play hurt. That is a quality that separates the best players from the superstars.

Look no further than Peyton Manning.

I hope this team has BIG success on and off the court this season.

*****

Finally, another media star retired this weekend. There it was, in full color on the front page of the comics section. Opus the Penguin retired for the third time.

Opus, has been a cult-like cartoon character in three different comics in newspapers over the years. Created by Berkley Breathed, the penguin was introduced in the excellent ”Bloom County” in the 1980s, as a replacement for “Doonesbury” when Garry Trudeau took a leave of absence. (I have very fond memories of reading “Bloom County” in college.)

Citing burnout, Breathed decided to reture in the late 80s. Then a couple years later brought Opus and Bill the Cat, the anti-Garfield, back to the funny pages with a Sunday only comic called “Outland.” This sometimes bizzare comic went away to ultimately be replaced by Opus.

And now for the third time, Opus is calling it quits.

Breathed’s comics were provacative, sometimes hilarious…and sometimes just strange. If you were not a faithful reader, it would be hard to enjoy his often different take on the Sunday funnies.

And in a final slap to all the struggling the newspapers that ultimately spawned the Opus the penguin character, Breathed didn’t put the final frames of “Opus” in the paper but instead directed readers to a Humane Society website that carried the final, sweet destination of the lovable penguin character.

It was entirely appropriate and a perfect ending. Goodnight moon…goodnight Opus.

I’ll miss the penguin.     

The Opus finale...on-line only.