Wanted to make a comment about 4th of July TV coverage, since my wife & I didn't have time to make it out to one in person.
We watched Washington DC's coverage, which ran from 8PM to 9:30 on PBS. It was broadcast in high-def, but Adelphia doesn't have PBS in HD, so, oh well. Anyway, let's sum it up. Before it got dark, we had the washed-up Beach Boys singing out of tune & off key. Guess it's harder to hit those high notes when you're older. The Ojays were on, and they kinda sucked as well. Then there's that Irish tenor who's becoming a citizen of the US next year, and what did he sing? Selections from "Man of La Mancha". WTF? Oh I don't remember who the host was, but talk about cheesy. Later, Jimmy Smits showed up, and introduced the National Symphony and a US Army trumpet corps, who played.... "Battle of the Heroes" from Revenge of the Sith. Nice music, but, um, ok... Finally Gloria Estefan took the stage. I always like her, but the fireworks had started by then, and they showed more of her than the fireworks. And the fireworks show was taking place beyond the Washington monument -- yet the concert and all the cameras were in front of the Capitol, over a mile away. To top it off, they ended coverage BEFORE THE FIREWORKS were done.
So we flipped over to NBC, which showed New York's spectacle in HD. That was FANTASTIC. Just a band playing stuff like Gershwin, Cohen, Sousa, and fireworks set up in around 6 locations along the river, all synchronized to each other and to the music. It was AWESOME. No inane commentary, no long lingering shots at a performer (though they showed the same people in the crowd over & over). Makes me wish I'd been there, and in fact, if they do it like that every year, I wouldn't mind making the trip up next year.
Anyway, DC has a few things to learn about putting on a 4th show -- perhaps they should take a page from NYC.
(I ALWAYS eat more hotdogs than any other food on the 4th).
