The Virtual Woman: A Woman's
Weekly Guide To Cyberspace
From One Screen to Another: TV Sites Online
I used to have the television in the living room. Just like any normal human being in the United States. But my business has had this pesky habit of growing. And with employees coming in each day, Home has become Headquarters. Out with the television and in with desks, chairs and office lamps. Out with my gorgeous black and white photo of Picasso and in with a white board the size of the moon. I used to watch television from afar (maybe 8 feet away)-me against one wall, the tube against another. I now watch television in the remaining small corner of my own space: the bedroom. My distant relationship with the T.V. is not so distant anymore. My Sony and I are so close that occasionally we touch in the middle of the night. Recently my toe hit the "On" button at 3AM and I found myself catching part of Key Largo with Bogart and Bacall (great flick). So anyway, this week, to honor a burgeoning relationship with my T.V. I'll be answering your emails on television online. Keep'em coming!!
Dear Virtual Woman:
Whatever happened to
H.R.Pufnstuf? Or Josie and the Pussycats? And where's
Mork & Mindy, the series set in my beloved hometown? I was raised on those
TV shows, and I miss them! Now that the Internet is bringing us information
about pretty much everything under the sun, surely there's a site where I
can read up on (and watch clips from) some classic '70s TV shows?
- Nancy M., Boulder, CO
Dear Nancy:
Bless you for touching on one of my personal favs of TV history. Who can resist a spandex-clad Robin Williams, crawling out of an egg? Or the astounding bulk of Pam Dawber's bangs? Wig, I tell you! Wig! Okay, no. Not really. But if you want the scoop on that and nearly every other moderately famous show known to television, you've got to get yourself over to TV Party, at http://www.tvparty.com where the fun, as far as I can tell, never stops. Lauded as "an ingenious tribute that elevates the TV past to artlike proportions" by Entertainment Weekly, TV Party is a kitchsy, campy, funky, scoopy site that contains, among its myriad offerings, the following: Unseen Scenes, Requested Forgotten TV Shows, Video Vault (hundreds of clips from shows from the 40s to the 70s), Game Shows, Saturday Mornings, etc. You've got your Josie, your Fonzie, your Little Ricky. It's more magazine than encyclopedia, at least in terms of organization, but that makes it perfect for the casual fan (The serious researcher, on the other hand, might set her sights elsewhere). If this Web site were a book, you'd want it on your coffee table.
Dear Virtual Woman:
I just want to know
what's on TV in my area. Is that so wrong?
- Show Me the Listings, Nashville, TN
Dear Show Me:
If it's listings you want, it's listings you'll get! Go to http://www.ultimatetv.com and click on MyTV Listings. Once you type in your zip code, you'll get a full grid of TV listings for your area as well as the option to search. You'll also be provided with some short cuts to the hot stuff, including tonight's features, who's talking, and who's playing some sort of sport. This isn't the only site with television listings, but I'm recommending it for its other features: Even if Nashville may want only the listings, the rest of you might enjoy the updated TV news, the chat rooms, or the email feature--Ask Mr. TV. (Ah, another cyberadvice columnist-just what the world needs, eh?)
Dear Virtual Woman:
I want to share
old television theme music with my daughter. Do you know of
a place that I could go to on the Web?
- Adrienne Casey, Boise, ID
Dear Adrienne:
Head over to http://www.classic-tv.com/themesongs/download.html and marvel at the long list of options, categorized by decade. Just promise me you won't spread these little jingles around the office. They refuse to die.
Happy Surfing!
Find these links and more at WWWomen.Com (http://www.wwwomen.com) the web's largest search directory of topics for women online. Email the Virtual Woman with your Internet questions or send snailmail to: WWWomen.Com, Attn: Virtual Woman, 3701 Geary Blvd., #325, S.F., CA 94118. Copyright, 1998. WWWomen, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contributing Editor: Melissa Levine
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