2011年ESL之餐饮娱乐 12 Talking About Television Shows

12 Talking About Television Shows

GLOSSARY 1

TV season – the period of time each year when most entertainment televisionshows are shown on TV, usually from September until May

* There aren’t very many interesting shows this TV season, so I guess I’ll haveplenty of time for reading.

rerun – a television show that is shown on TV repeatedly, after it has alreadybeen shown on TV at least once

* When Jane is stressed out, she relaxes by watching reruns of the TV showsshe enjoyed as a child.

premier 2 – the first time something is shown or seen; the first episode of a TVseries, or the first episode of a show in a particular TV season

* New shows have to start with a fantastic premier, or else nobody will tune 3 in tothe see the other episodes that season.

to cancel – to decide not to continue doing something that had been scheduledto continue; to stop something before it has finished

* When Dmitry broke his ankle, he had to cancel his gym membership.

hiatus – a break; a pause or gap in a series of things

* The researchers were getting very frustrated 4 with their work, so they decided 5 totake a one-week hiatus.

contract negotiations 6 – the discussions between two or more people or partiesto determine how much one should be paid for a certain type of work

* Fred says the contract negotiations went really well. They ended up offeringhim an annual salary of $115,000, a corporate 7 car, and great benefits.

to renew – to extend something for an additional period of time when the firstperiod of time ends

* How often do the people in this state have to renew their driver’s license 8?

season finale – the last episode of a particular show in a particular TV season

* Scriptwriters have to make the season finale interesting enough so that viewersare willing to wait three months to find out what happens next.

cliffhanger – a story, especially in a movie or television show, that leaves theviewer or reader waiting to find out what happens next

* Each chapter in this book is such a cliffhanger that I can’t stop reading becauseI’m too anxious to find out what happens next!

episode – one of many shows in a TV series, usually lasting 9 a half hour or anhour

* Did you see the episode where the main character found out she hadunknowingly married her uncle?

to air – to be shown on television

* The news story about our school winning the championship should air at 6:10this evening.

mid-season replacement 10 – a show that takes the place of another showpartway through a TV season, usually because the first show was not successfuland did not have enough viewers

* Everyone else seems to like the mid-season replacement, but I really miss theoriginal show.

preempted 12 – replaced by something else, especially by something that is moreimportant or urgent

* Our fancy anniversary dinner was preempted by a trip to the emergency roomwhen our son swallowed a coin.

televised – shown on television

* I’d hate to be a celebrity 13 and have so many things from my personal life betelevised for everyone to see.

to conspire 14 against (someone) – for many people to work together to hurt orharm another person in some way, especially to confuse that person or make lifedifficult for him or her

* The king became paranoid that the soldiers were conspiring 15 against him.

to give up – to stop having or doing something that one normally likes or enjoys

* This year, Albert decided to give up sweet foods to improve his health.

that I’ve got to see – a phrase used to express disbelief, meaning that one mustsee something happen before one will believe it

* When Lolita said she was going to donate all her money to the poor, I said,“That I’ve got to see!”

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What type of episode starts a new TV season?

a) A premier.

b) A season finale.

c) A cliffhanger.

2. What happened to Madwomen last season?

a) It was temporarily suspended.

b) It received really good reviews.

c) It faced severe budget cuts.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

premier

The word “premier,” in this podcast, means the first time something is shown orseen, or the first episode of a show in a particular TV season: “As soon I saw thepremier, I knew it would become my favorite TV show.” It can also be used as averb with the same meaning: “Do you know when that musical premiered onBroadway?” A “premier” can also be the head, leader, or prime minister of acountry or province: “Stalin was the premier of the USSR for many years.” As anadjective, “premier” describes things that are the best or most important: “It mustbe fun to stay in premier hotels, but we save money by staying in cheap hostels 16.”

to give up

In this podcast, the phrase “to give up” means to stop having or doing somethingthat one normally likes or enjoys: “If we really want to save money to pay forcollege, we need to give up eating at restaurants and going on expensivevacations.” The phrase “to give up” also means to stop trying to do something,usually because it is too difficult or frustrating 17: “I’ll never be able to learn how tofix my own car! I give up!” Finally, the phrase “to give (somebody) up for dead”

means to stop looking for a person who is lost, because one believes he or she isno longer alive: “Everyone had given her up for dead, but then the police foundnew evidence that she might be alive.”

CULTURE NOTE

Broadcast Syndication“Syndication” usually involves arranging for photographs or articles to be sold toindividual magazines or newspapers. When the same thing is done for televisionprograms, the “practice” (something that is commonly done in a particular way) isknown as “broadcast syndication.”

“First-run syndication” happens when a new show is sold to many individual TVstations and it has never been seen before. “Off-network syndication” is used forolder shows that have already been aired on network television, but can now beaired as “reruns” (repeat showings) on other television stations that aren’tnecessarily part of the original network.

When a television show is sold to a network, it normally airs at the same time andon the same day each week. When a show is syndicated, its “show times” (whensomething is shown) are not as “predictable” (easy to anticipate and know whatwill happen in the future). But if a syndicated show is popular among viewers,the station will begin to air it more frequently and more “regularly” (at the sametime each day or week).

Networks “tend to be” (usually are) “conservative” (following traditions and rules)when selecting new programs. Therefore, television producers who want to“break the rules” (do something differently than how it has been done in the past)are more likely to try to syndicate their shows to individual stations instead oflarge networks.

Some syndicated shows are very well known. These include the popular “gameshows” (shows where people compete to win something) Jeopardy 18!, Wheel ofFortune, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, among others.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT 19

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 722: Talking AboutTelevision Shows.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 722. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Download a Learning Guide for this episode tohelp you improve your English even faster.

This episode is a dialogue between Cleo and Victor; they’re talking abouttelevision shows and some common vocabulary we might use when we talkabout TV shows. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Cleo: The new TV season is starting this week and I can’t wait. I’ve beenwatching reruns all summer and I’m ready for the premiers 20 of my favorite shows.

Victor: You watch Madwomen, right?

Cleo: Yes, it’s my favorite show.

Victor: Then I’ve got some bad news for you. It’s been cancelled.

Cleo: How is that possible? The show was on hiatus last season because ofcontract negotiations, but I heard that it had been renewed for another season.

The season finale was a cliffhanger!

Victor: I know, but something must have gone wrong. They filmed two episodes,which they’ll air, but then there’ll be a mid-season replacement.

Cleo: This is outrageous 21! I’ve been waiting nearly two years for its return. Ohwell, at least I can watch my other favorite show tonight, Reviver.

Victor: Sorry, but it’s been preempted. The president is giving a televisedspeech tonight.

Cleo: Are you kidding me?!

Victor: Nope, sorry.

Cleo: The world is conspiring against me. I’ve had enough. I’m giving up TVwatching!

Victor: You? That I’ve got to see!

[end of dialogue]

Cleo begins by saying to Victor, “The new TV season is starting this week and Ican’t wait.” The TV season traditionally has been the time of year where most ofthe new entertainment television shows are shown. This, in the U.S., is usuallybetween September until May, so the TV season typically starts in September.

Everyone is back from vacation, the children are at school, and people arewatching more television. That’s the idea; they start the new shows inSeptember, so the TV season would be that period of time. A “season” is aperiod of time; it could be weeks, it could be months. There are four seasons inthe year: we talk about summer, winter, fall, and spring. But we can also have aseason for some other event or some other activity, baseball season or footballseason for example.

Cleo says, “I’ve been watching reruns all summer and I’m ready for the premiersof my favorite shows.” A “rerun” (rerun) is a television show that is shown morethan once; the same episodes are shown again, sometimes on the sametelevision station or channel. A rerun could be something from a show that is stillproducing new shows. During summertime, the big television stations usuallyshow episodes of television programs from the previous year; they have beenshown once, but now they’re showing them again. Sometimes, reruns can gomany years after the show is no longer on the air – that is, are no longerproducing new shows. There are many examples of this: Friends, M.A.S.H.,Seinfeld. Those are three television shows that have, we would say, “been insyndication.” They have been showing the reruns on different televisionchannels for many years.

Cleo is tired of watching reruns; she’s ready for the premiers of her favoriteshows. A “premier” (premier) is the first time that something is shown or seen.

In this case, it would be the first episode of a television show beginning the newTV season.

Victor says, “You watch Madwomen, right?” Madwomen is not a real televisionshow; there is a real television show called Mad Men, but this is a different show.

Cleo says, “Yes, it’s my favorite show.” Victor says, “Then I’ve got some bad news for you (I have something bad or unfortunate to tell you). It’s beencancelled.” “To cancel” (cancel) means to decide not to continue doingsomething that was supposed to continue to be done. For example, a televisionshow may be cancelled after its first season; maybe it wasn’t very popular.

Sometimes television shows are canceled after only two or three episodes; if noone is watching them the television station – the television, we would call it,“network,” the national company – will cancel a show.

Cleo says, “How is that possible? The show was on hiatus last season becauseof contract negotiations, but I heard that it had been renewed for anotherseason.” “Hiatus” (hiatus) is a break or a pause in something or in a series ofthings. When we say a television show is “on hiatus,” we mean that they are notactually working on it right now. That’s a word you’ll hear in Los Angeles whenyou talk to people who work in the movie or television industry; here we simplycall it “the Industry.” A television show will be in hiatus; it will not be filming, theywill not be actually making the new episodes during a certain period of time.

Cleo says that this show was on hiatus the entire last season – last year –because of contract negotiations. “Contract negotiations” are discussionsbetween two or more people to determine how much you should be paid. If anactor has contract negotiations, he’s trying to get more money from the televisioncompany – the production company.

Cleo says, “I heard that (her favorite show) had been renewed for anotherseason.” If a television show is popular, they will continue it for another set ofshows – another season, and that’s called “renewing” the show (renewing). Shesays – Cleo – that she thought the show had been renewed. “The season finalewas a cliffhanger!” A “season finale” of a television show is the final episode ofthat year. We talked about the “premier” being the first episode; the “finale” is thefinal episode. If the television show is being cancelled, sometimes they’ll have a“series finale,” the last episode they will ever make. The season finale, accordingto Cleo, last year was a cliffhanger. A “cliffhanger” (one word) is a story in atelevision show or perhaps a movie that has a very exciting ending but it doesn’tend completely; it doesn’t tell you what happens next, and it makes you want tofind out what happens next. We call that a cliffhanger.

Victor says, “I know, but something must have gone wrong (there must havebeen a problem). They filmed two episodes (they made – they produced twoepisodes), which they’ll air, but then there’ll be a mid-season replacement.” An“episode” is one of many shows in a series of shows. We have different podcastepisodes each week, three every week. Well, television shows have episodes.

“They filmed two episodes,” Victor says, “which they will air.” “To air” (air) as averb means to show on television; “to broadcast” on television, we used to say.

After they show or air those two episodes, Victor says, “there will be a midseasonreplacement.” A “replacement” is something that takes the place ofanother thing. “Mid-season” would be sometime between September and May,before the complete season ends. A television season for a TV show might have25, maybe 30 episodes, usually a little less. A mid-season replacement mighthappen in November, December, or January, when a show isn’t very popular andso they put on a new show.

Cleo says, “This is outrageous (this is terrible)! I’ve been waiting two years forMadwomen’s return. Oh well, at least I can watch my other favorite show tonight,Reviver.” Again, not a real show, though it sounds like Survivor 22, which is a realshow. Victor says, “Sorry, but Reviver been preempted.” “To preempt 11”

(preempt) means to replace something with something else, especiallysomething more important. On television, for example, if the president is going tobe giving an important speech, sometimes they will preempt shows; they will notshow them and replace them with, for example, the president’s speech, andthat’s what is happening in our dialogue. “The president is giving a televisedspeech tonight.” “Televised” means shown on TV.

Cleo says, “Are you kidding me?!” meaning are you joking with me. Victor says,“Nope,” which is an informal way of saying “no” – “nope” (nope). If you want tosay “yes” the informal phrase would be “yup” (yup), but “nope” I think is a littlemore common. Anyway, Victor says, “Nope, sorry.” Cleo says, “The world isconspiring against me.” “To conspire against (someone)” is when you havemany people working, trying to harm another person in some way, or trying tomake life difficult for you. Of course, no one is actually conspiring against Cleo.

It’s an expression we sometimes use as a joke to say that everything is goingwrong, as if someone were trying to hurt you or harm you.

Cleo says, “I’ve had enough. I’m giving up TV watching!” “To give up” is a twowordphrasal verb meaning to stop doing something that you normally like to do.

“I’m going to give up smoking.” I’m going to stop smoking cigarettes. Actually Idon’t smoke, it’s just an example. “I’m going to give up Earl Grey tea lattes atStarbucks.” No, I’m just kidding. I’m not going to give up my Earl Grey tea lattes!

Victor says, “You?” meaning you’re going to give up TV, “That I’ve got to see!”

The expression “that I’ve got to see” means that you don’t believe the person.

You think that what they said or just promised to do won’t happen, you don’tbelieve them.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Cleo: The new TV season is starting this week and I can’t wait. I’ve beenwatching reruns all summer and I’m ready for the premiers of my favorite shows.

Victor: You watch Madwomen, right?

Cleo: Yes, it’s my favorite show.

Victor: Then I’ve got some bad news for you. It’s been cancelled.

Cleo: How is that possible? The show was on hiatus last season because ofcontract negotiations, but I heard that it had been renewed for another season.

The season finale was a cliffhanger!

Victor: I know, but something must have gone wrong. They filmed two episodes,which they’ll air, but then there’ll be a mid-season replacement.

Cleo: This is outrageous! I’ve been waiting nearly two years for its return. Ohwell, at least I can watch my other favorite show tonight, Reviver.

Victor: Sorry, but it’s been preempted. The president is giving a televisedspeech tonight.

Cleo: Are you kidding me?!

Victor: Nope, sorry.

Cleo: The world is conspiring against me. I’ve had enough. I’m giving up TVwatching!

Victor: You? That I’ve got to see!

[end of dialogue]

Our scriptwriter is fortunately not on hiatus; it’s the wonderful Dr. Lucy Tse whobrings you today’s script. Thank you, Lucy.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2011 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.