Bones

Today's TV show: Bones

I first learned of this show when I saw a rave review in USA Today of an upcoming episode. It was so effusive in its praise that I had to tune in.

Turns out it is a wonderful show, based on the real-life experiences of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. It is very oriented towards the science, and the Bones character has no less than four scientists working for her to solve each mystery. As a scientist, the Bones character is presented as very objective and a bit lacking in social skills. Her partner, a male FBI agent, is the emotional one, and the interplay between the two is a major part of the show's appeal.

In a radio interview (which you can listen to at http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail1159.html), Dr. Reichs comments on how she is heavily involved in the production of the TV series. She reviews each script and works with the writers to get the science right. This in itself is noteworthy, as we hear all too frequently about authors who are so disgusted with the film versions of their work that they wash their hands of it. Joseph Wambaugh and the series "Police Story" come to mind in this regard.

Dr. Reichs has written nine books featuring her forensic anthropologist character Temperance Brennan, and there has been considerable discussion of the differences between the TV Brennan and the book Brennan. In one discussion, found at http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/03/26/bones-vs-the-kathy-reichs-books/, the consensus seems to be that there *are* significant differences between the TV Bones and the book
Bones, but that people don't seem to mind this as they enjoy both characters.

Which Bones character is closest to Kathy Reichs herself is something I haven't figured out yet.

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Today's quote is from Garrison Keillor: "I propose that we change Columbus Day to Bush Day, a cautionary holiday, like Halloween, a day to meditate on the hazards of ambition. We could observe it by going through the basement and garage and throwing out stuff we don't want or need. Also by not mortgaging the house to pay for a vacation, and not yelling at the neighbors, and not assuming that the law is for other people."

This is from an article entitled "The all-time worst President" that Keillor wrote for salon.com. The article can be found at http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/10/11/keillor/