The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 68

E4 THE VANCOUVER SUN, SATURDAY, JUNK 10, 2000 Live at 6 CONFESSIONS of a TV news buff street from the victim or perpetrator. The teenager, mandatory backwards baseball cap in place, will proffer variations of the following: "Me and my friend were, like, just passing by and we see this guy and he was, like, running into the bushes." Interviewer: "Does it make you nervous, having someone deranged loose in the neighbourhood?" Teenager: "Yeah well, like, me and my friend didn't think this could happen here; I mean, like, this isn't downtown Vancouver, this is SurreyPort MoodyLadner." Eventually, all avenues exhausted, we get to For more years than she cares to remembei; Patricia Gold was addicted to supper time newscasts. Then something else came along. the fun part of the program: the anchor's ex spending more time in the kitchen, door closed, as the nightime ritual runs its course. My husband resolutely stays the course.

Sad. Lately (and perhaps providentially), I've become aware of a feature of the change with the sports presenter, who is unfailingly witty, provoking merriment among the assembled presenters, which leaves the viewer puzzled but game, after which we get pictures of the latest punch- The current flap over the CBC supper-time newscasts leaves me feeling smug. As Rhett Butler so eloquently put it, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." And no I'm not just switching to another channel. I'm giving up on all supper-time newscasts. I just have to set the date, at which time it's cold turkey, no sneaking a peek.

For many more years than I want to admit, our nightly ritual has been: 5:59, seats taken in front of the TV, tuned to one of the local stations. It's true that the kitchen radio dispenses the same news, briefly and succinctly, but then I don't know what the anchor is wearing or what heshe looks like. Besides, something is missing on radio news. It's so clinical. No sobbing victim to scrutinize, no teddy bears and flowers to gaze upon, no pictures of grief counsellors descending on the schoolworkplacehome, nobody closing with "We want to know what you think." CBC Newsworld is an option, but it's so serious! Where's the witty repartee with a co-host, and who cares what Peter Mansbridge or Ian Hanomansing is wearing? Besidei, they drone on about Africa and places like that.

Depressing. This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. It's been uppermost in my mind since mid-January when we spent four weeks in Mexico (in a supposedly civilized town) without access to CNN, even. Indeed, without any television. The first week was tough.

I paced the floor, restless, irritable, as was my husband, both of us experiencing a profound sense of loss. Conversation over our pre-dinner drink was foreign to us, awk- i 7 evening TV news that had pre up in the world of hockey. The presenter will look shocked. The merriment returns viously eluded me. Whether it's Pamela, when the weatherman appears, another laugh-a-minute guy.

However, levity is quickly replaced by a solemn in- ward, stilted. There's only so much one can say about weather, which never changed anyway. The breakthrough came about the 10th day. Having exhausted the weather, my husband turned to me and quite out of the blue said "I read in the Mexico News that the population is growing at a rapid rate." That opened the floodgates. Among other things I learned that he had once voted Conservative, that he disliked my sister, that my nephew wore women's underwear and that my gardening neighbours snorted cocaine.

I was even more forthcoming. Yes, there was a life after television. Back home, we vowed to stay clean, and we did for a few days. But then I caught him, when he thought I was out shopping. He had turned on the 5 o'clock newscast.

And I sat there and watched it too. It was no use saying "Just this once." We both knew where it would lead. But I will lick it, even if I have to go it alone. The past month or so has found me purposely depth recounting of the day's weather, which we all knew any Gloria, Deborra or Jennifer, the format is the same. First, a report on the latest sensational murderraperobbery.

Depending on the severity of the crime, way, but which for some reason must be discussed and explained at length before we are allowed this coverage can take up a major part of the 1 to learn what we may expect the following day. The health report solemn again will inform us that smoking is bad, exercise is good, newscast, during which details of the crime are outlined (at which Peter Mansbridae: Who cares fatigue is debilitating and a cure for hypochondria is being tested on rats. point the anchor looks what wearing? grave and usually THE VANCOUVER 1 1 ir 1 1 a inn ii i World events are tossed into the mix just to spoil things. Well, knowlege is power and now that I've figured it all out, I can surely shake it. I'll do it, cut down each day.

Next week it's cold turkey. Oh sure, I'll lose complete track of what the anchors are wearing. But there'll be a lot more time to spend with my gardening neighbours. frowns). Then come interviews with the closest family member who can be talked into it.

The reporter will unfailingly ask "How did you feel when your motherniecebrothergirlfriend was strangledkidnappeddecapitatedraped?" The interviewer will then confront someone else close by who appears suitably distressed, preferably another relative of the victim. This will be followed by interviews with someone on the periphery, such as the teenager who lives down the 2: Patricia Gold is a writer who has no desire to work in TV news. 'HUE St 19 Eminem for society's woes. Sowho, then? Sun readers did not have to look far for the answer. The very next letter, written by M.R.

Heinrichs of Abbotsford, returned the debate to its salad days. "We have been led to believe Heinrichs wrote, "that the Elvis era never hurt us. The offspring of Elvis have created this culture where kids are killing themselves and others." Go ahead, give Granddad a call. Let him say, "Told you so!" You'll make his day. Queue columnist Steve Burgess worked as a DJfor almost two decades.

BURGESS from E3 leader Angus Young seriously, dressed in his little schoolboy outfit. Likewise, Eminem gets considerable slack on account of his amusingly high-pitched voice and sometimes hilarious lyrics (no, "BLEED! BITCH BLEED!" is not one of his better knee-slappers). But influential or harmless, songs like Kim make you hope young Marshall Mathers is saving some of his rapidly expanding fortune for thera-py and industrial-sized barrels of Prozac. The kid's got problems. Reanna Balmer's letter urged us not to blame 1 rtjfoflflrpi th Anniversary 75 Emily Carr Institute Of ART DESIGN ''1 if" i 3 -i 1 i -3)4 75 distinguished alumni to be honoured for outstanding career achievements! The Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design Board of Governors is pleased to announce that on Saturday, June 17, 2000, in the presence of the Honourable Garde B.

Gardom, Q.C., Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, 75 distinguished -alumni will be presented with an Emily Award in recognition of outstanding career achievements. EMILY AWARD RECIPIENTS Era 1925-1939 Unity Bainbridge Paul Goranson Edward John Hughes Ada Currie Robertson EraB: 1940-1959 Peter Aspell Molly Lamb Bobak Keith Branscombe Reinhard Derreth Donald Jarvis Rudy Kovach Glenn Lewis David Mayrs George Norris Geoff Rees Gordon A. Smith Years Ahead of Its Time Opening June 17 at 8:30 pm Concourse Gallery Emily Carr Institute of Art Design 1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9 Canada June 18 to September 30, 2000 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily YearsAhead of Its Time looks back into the 75-year history of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. This comprehensive exhibition, drawn from the Institute's archives, presents a pictorial and textual history of the Institute. The show will reflect four overall eras or themes: 1925-39 Decor and the Land Finding a Place 1940-59 Art in Living 1960-79 Tune In, Turn On 1980-99 Content in Context For more information please call 844.

3075 EraC: 1960-1979 Era 1980-2000 Marian Penner Bancroft Roy Arden Michael Banwell Daina Augaitis (' Jon Baturin Judson Beaumont Greg Bellerby David Burgess Persimmon Blackbridge David Coates Simon Chang Douglas Coupland I Robert Davidson Stan Douglas Bruce Dowad Sylvie Fefer Monique Fouquet Amanda Forbis Carol Henriquez Graham Gillmore Lynn Hughes Angela Grossmann I Lynn B. Johnston Ami Haraldsson Ann Kipling Sadashi Inuzuka Liz Magor Celia King Jeannie Mah Mary Longman Raymond Mah Attila Richard Lukacs Vicky Marshall Greg Murdock I Al McWilliams David Ostrem i Michael Morris Laurie Papou 7 Dieter Mueller Eric Robertson Wayne Ngan Paul Roelofs Terre Nash Roderick Roodenburg n. George Rammell Derek Root Marianna Schmidt Wendy Tilby Judith Schwarz Mina Totino Martha Sturdy (an Verchere Rene Van Halm Kelly Wood The Emily Carr Institute wishes to thank and Neil Wedman Jin-Me Yoon acknowledge Martha Sturdy, acclaimed artist Laura Wee Lay Liq Lawrence Yuxweluptun and alumna (1978) for creating and donating Irene F. Whittome the "Emily." Robert Young Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design is a learning community devoted to excellence and innovation in Visual Arts, Media Arts and Design. 75th Annivrjry Sponsofs: i 5 VANCOUVE The Vancouver Sun FOUNDATION BCTV 2000 0 (III ROYAL BANK FINANCIAL GROUP' civ Grnvflfc ''J PiCTFT T.R.

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