2010年ESL之餐饮娱乐 08 Watching Daytime Talk Shows

 

08 Watching Daytime Talk Shows

GLOSSARY

day off – a day when one has permission to not work, although it would normallybe one’s workday

* Could you help me fix my car on your day off?

daytime talk show – a television show that has a host who speaks with manydifferent guests on a particular topic usually related to family, romanticrelationships, lifestyle choices, alcoholism, eating disorders, or related topics

* Oprah is one of the most popular daytime talk shows ever.

you’ve got to be kidding – a phrase used when what one hears from anotherperson seems ridiculous, very surprising, and unbelievable

* You’re going to major in music performance? You’ve got to be kidding! You’rea horrible singer.

to book (someone) – to schedule a date and time when someone will perform orparticipate in a show at a particular place

* Which band are you going to book for your wedding?

loser – a person who has had little or no success in life and has no hope for asuccessful future; someone who is not respected for his or her accomplishments

* Brock isn’t a loser! He has failed a few times in what he’s tried to do, but that isbecause of bad luck.

exhibitionist – a person who does very strange or unusual things because he orshe likes to be noticed by other people

* Melissa is an exhibitionist who wears wild clothing and has a wild hairdo. Shelikes it a lot when other people stare at her.

attention – when someone concentrates on another person or thing by listening,watching, considering, and thinking about him, her, or it

* Students, please pay attention. This is important.

human drama – relationships between two or more people with a lot ofexcitement and extreme emotions, often more than seems necessary or good

* Whenever our family gets together for the holidays, there’s always too muchhuman drama and people end up crying before the day is over.

tragedy – something that is very sad, often because of a death

* Romeo and Juliet is her favorite Shakespearian tragedy.

to relate to (something) – to connect with something on an intellectual and/oremotional level; to understand something because it is similar to something inone’s own life

* Even though he’s 20 years older than she is, they’re able to relate to each otherreally well because they have had so many similar experiences.

fame – being well-known by many people

* The singer has a lot of local fame, but she’s unknown elsewhere in the country.

at any cost – no matter how difficult something is or what negativeconsequences it may bring; no matter what else happens as a result

* Ahmed wants to be a powerful attorney at any cost, even if it means working 14hours a day for many years.

to exploit – to use someone; to treat someone unfairly, making them dosomething for oneself; to use another person’s weaknesses or ignorance forone’s own benefit

* Makiko feels exploited by her boss whenever he asks her to make coffee, washhis car, or pick up his dry-cleaning.

ratings – the popularity of one television show compared to other shows

* Shows with higher ratings can charge advertisers more for their commercialbreaks.

salacious – with too much interest in sex; with an inappropriate level of interestin sexual relationships

* Have you heard the salacious rumors about Joanne and her new boyfriend?

to get off (one’s) high horse – to stop acting as if one were superior to otherpeople; to stop pretending to be better than others

* I know you think you’re too good to vacuum and wash bathtubs, but please getoff your high horse and help us for a just a few hours!

to get rid of – to no longer have or be around someone or something; to dosomething so that one doesn’t need to interact with someone or something

* Why does your little brother always follow us around? Isn’t there any way wecan get rid of him?

to get away with (something) – to not be punished for something bad thatsomeone has done; to avoid the negative consequences of one’s actions

* The criminal thought he could get away with the crime, but he was wrong andthe police arrested him.

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why doesn’t Sally like daytime talk shows?

a) Because they are about people who do strange things.

b) Because they are too expensive.

c) Because they have low ratings.

2. Why does Jerry ask Sally to get off her high horse?

a) Because Sally should sit down for a while.

b) Because Sally should learn how to listen to others.

c) Because Sally should stop pretending to be better than him.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

at any cost

The phrase “at any cost,” in this podcast, means no matter how difficultsomething is or what negative consequences it may bring, or no matter what elsehappens as a result: “The doctor intends to save his life at any cost.” The phrase“at cost” refers to the price paid to buy something that one plans to sell foradditional money: “As a dealership, we can’t sell the car to you at cost, becausewe have to make at least a few hundred dollars in profit.” The phrase “to coverthe cost of (something)” means to have enough money to pay for something:

“Will the income from your new job be enough to cover the cost of childcare?”

Finally, the phrase “to bear the cost of (something)” means to be responsible forpaying for something: “Our children will bear the costs of the environmentalpollution created by our generation.”

to get away with (something)

In this podcast, the phrase “to get away with (something)” means to not bepunished for something bad that someone has done, or to avoid the negativeconsequences of one’s actions: “Kai’s parents are strict, but his grandparents lethim get away with anything and everything!” The phrase “to get away from it all”

means to go somewhere for a relaxing vacation: “Let’s go to the coast thisweekend to get away from it all.” The phrase “to get over (something)” means to feel better after one has been very sad, disturbed, or upset: “It took many yearsfor them to get over the death of their son.” Finally, the phrase “to get over(something) can mean to feel better after an illness: “Naomi has almost gottenover her cold, but she’s still coughing a little bit.”

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CULTURE NOTE

The Daytime Emmy “Awards” (honors; prizes; recognition of being the best)recognize excellence in daytime television programming. The first DaytimeEmmy Awards were “presented” (given to winners) at a ceremony in 1974. Now,they are awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inNew York and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles eachMay or June.

There are almost 70 “categories” (types) of Daytime Emmy Awards. Some arefor the shows themselves, such as “Outstanding” (very good) Drama Series,Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show, and Outstanding Talk Show.

Other Daytime Emmy Awards are given to the best “Lead” (main; most important)Actor/Actress or “Supporting” (secondary; working with the lead) Actor/Actress.

Still others are given to the writers and directors of the shows.

Winners of the Daytime Emmy Awards receive a small, golden “statue” (a metalsculpture, usually in the shape of a person or animal) of a woman with wings whois reaching upward and holding a large ball made of many “interlocking”

(touching each other and inside each other) “rings” (circles).

Because daytime television has a relatively small number of actors involved inshows, many actors have been “nominated” (named; suggested as winners)many times for the Daytime Emmy Awards. Many actors also win multipleDaytime Emmy Awards throughout their acting “careers” (all the jobs one hasduring one’s lifetime).

Industry experts often compare the Daytime Emmy Awards to the AcademyAwards for movies, the Grammy Awards for music, and the Tony Awards for “livetheater” (drama on stage; plays and musicals).

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 615: WatchingDaytime Talk Shows.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 615. I’m your host, Dr.

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

Our website – well, you know – it’s eslpod.com. You also know that you candownload a Learning Guide from our website. If you’re not a member pleaseconsider supporting the podcast by becoming one. You’ll feel good aboutyourself, and your English will improve!

This episode is a dialogue between Sally and Jerry. It’s about daytime talkshows. These are shows where people are interviewed often about ratherstrange and unusual topics. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Sally: Why are wasting your time on your day off watching these daytime talkshows?

Jerry: I think they’re entertaining.

Sally: You’ve got to be kidding. The only people who are booked as guests onthose shows are losers or exhibitionists who want attention.

Jerry: No, they’re not. These shows are all about human drama and tragedy,something we can all relate to.

Sally: Give me a break! The people who appear on these shows want fame atany cost and the producers of the shows exploit them for ratings. They’re full ofsalacious details that nobody should talk about in public, and that I certainly don’twant to hear.

Jerry: I completely disagree. If you get off your high horse for a minute, you maylearn something.

Sally: Like what?

Jerry: Like how to get rid of an annoying wife and get away with it!

[end of dialogue]

Sally begins by saying, “Why are wasting your time on your day off watchingthese daytime talk shows?” That’s a question for Jerry. Your “day off” (twowords) is a day when you do not have to go to work, although normally youwould work that day. So if you, for example, had a vacation day, you decided totake Friday off, we would say that is a day off.

Well, Jerry has the day off, he’s not working, and he’s spending his time watchingdaytime talk shows. Daytime talk shows are very popular in the U.S. They’reusually on television sometime between 9 o’clock in the morning and five o’clockin the evening. A “talk show” is where you have typically one person, we call thatperson the “host,” who speaks to different guests who come and visit him or her.

Sometimes they’re famous people, sometimes they’re average, unknown peoplewho are coming to talk about some problem. In the last 20 years or so, daytimetalk shows have become more and more controversial. They try to get people topay attention to them by having all sorts of usual topics. Often there will actuallybe people who are fighting on the talk shows, although some of this I think isprobably fake, that is, they bring people on who pretend to fight. In any case,daytime talk shows, and you can tell I don’t watch many of them, are popular withpeople watching TV in the daytime. Now, they’re not all bad, but they’re not to beconfused with a serious news interview; that is certainly not what you will find onmost daytime talk shows.

Jerry answers Sally’s question by saying, “I think they’re entertaining (I have funwatching them).” Sally says, “You’ve got to be kidding.” The expression “you’vegot to be kidding” or “you have to be kidding” is used to show that you think theperson you’re talking to is saying something very surprising, unbelievable,perhaps even a little ridiculous. Somebody says, “I am going to read myhoroscope and I will plan my day according to that.” Your “horoscope” is the ideathat events in your life are controlled by the planets and the stars. Anotherperson may say, “You’ve got to be kidding. Why do you waste your time onreading horoscopes?” Well here, Sally is wondering why Jerry is wasting histime watching daytime talk shows. She continues, “The only people who arebooked as guests on those shows are losers or exhibitionists who wantattention.” “To book (someone)” as a verb means to schedule a date and timetypically when someone will perform in a show or participate in a show. If youhave a music band, a group that plays music, you might have a restaurant or aparty that wants to book you. They want to have you come and perform on a certain day and time. This verb “to book” is also used when the police arrestsomeone and decide to accuse them or charge them with a crime. I don’t knowwhy we use he same verb, but we do. Maybe some performances are so badthat people think the performer should booked for taking their money, I’m notsure! When we use it in relation to the police, it’s usually with the preposition“for”: “He was booked for murder.” “He was booked for robbery.”

Anyway, we’re talking about daytime talk shows and Sally is saying that the onlypeople who come on as guests – who are booked as guests are losers orexhibitionists. A “loser” is a person who has had little or no success in life, whodoesn’t seem to be very successful and is not respected by other people. It’s aninsulting term, to be sure. An “exhibitionist” is someone who likes to do strangeor unusual things because he or she wants other people to notice them; he orshe wants attention, when other people are looking at you and listening to you.

So people who, for example – I don’t know, take off their clothes in the middle ofa shopping center, that could be an exhibitionist, somebody who wants to haveother people pay attention to them. If you do that, you’ll probably be booked forsome crime! Sally is saying that the people on this kind of program are losers orexhibitionists, and there’s some truth to that. If you watch some of these showsyou can see that there are some people on there who just want other people topay attention. They want to be famous, I guess.

Jerry disagrees, he says, “No, they’re not. These shows are all about humandrama.” “Human drama” refers to relationships between two or more people thatare somehow exciting, often more than seems necessary or good. Jerry saysthe shows are also about tragedy. “Tragedy” is something that is very bad,something that is very sad that has happened, often related to someone dying.

Jerry thinks these shows are something we can all relate to. “To relate to(something)” is to connect with something on an intellectual or emotional level, tounderstand something because it is similar to something that has happened inyour life.

Sally says, “Give me a break!” which is an expression – an informal expressionwe use when we are telling the person that we don’t believe them. “The peoplewho appear on these shows want fame at any cost.” “Fame” is to be well known– famous. “At any cost” means no matter how difficult something is. Thesepeople want to be famous, and it doesn’t matter what they do to be famous – toget fame. She says, “the producers of the shows (the people who organize theseshows) exploit them for ratings.” “To exploit (exploit) (someone)” means to usesomeone, to make someone do something for you, often hurting or treating theother person unfairly. So, to exploit something would be to take someone who is innocent and, we would use the expression, take advantage of them. That is, dosomething because perhaps they are too weak or they are not very smart, andyou do something that benefits you and usually hurts them. Well, the producersare exploiting these exhibitionists and losers for ratings. “Ratings” here refers tohow popular a television show is compared to other television shows. If you say,“The television show has good ratings,” you mean that it’s very popular, there area lot people who watch it. Sally continues, she says these shows are full ofsalacious details that nobody should talk about in public. “Salacious” (salacious)means too much interest in sex or sexually related topics, things that are perhapsinappropriate, things that you shouldn’t be talking about in public with otherpeople. And that’s certainly true that these shows often have a lot of salaciousdetails that are discussed and talked about.

Jerry says, “I completely disagree. If you get off your high horse for a minute,you may learn something.” The expression “to get off your high horse,” like theanimal, means to stop acting as if you were superior to other people, stoppretending that you are better than others. It’s a negative, insulting thing to sayto someone: “get off your high horse.” You’re saying to them “You think you arebetter than everyone else.”

Jerry thinks Sally could learn something from these shows. Sally asks, “Likewhat?” Jerry responds, “Like how to get rid of an annoying wife and get awaywith it!” “To get rid (rid) of (something)” is a phrasal verb meaning to no longerhave someone or something in your presence or around, to do something so thatyou don’t need to have any contact with this person. Sometimes it means simplyto throw out, to put in the garbage: “I’m going to get rid of this trash that is on mydesk.” It can also be used informally to mean to kill someone, and that’s themeaning that Jerry is using here, he’s joking of course – I hope! He says he canlearn how to get rid of an annoying wife. Someone who is “annoying” issomeone who is bothersome, someone who is always causing problems.

Not only does Jerry want to get rid of his annoying wife, he also wants to getaway with it. The expression “to get away with (something)” means not to bepunished for something bad that you have done. You do something bad but youare not punished; you are not discovered perhaps, no one finds out, or forwhatever reason you are not punished for doing something wrong. That’s to getaway with it. We talk about people getting away with murder. The most famouscase of that here in Los Angeles took place in the 1990s with a former footballplayer by the name of O.J. Simpson. He, according to most people who lookedat the evidence, killed his wife and another man, but he was not found guilty.

Unfortunately later he committed a robbery and is in prison now, not for the murder but for another crime he committed. You can get away with things thatare less serious, of course. Children may get away with misbehaving in classbecause the teacher is too busy or too tired to punish them. That used tohappen to me all time!

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

[start of dialogue]

Sally: Why are wasting your time on your day off watching these daytime talkshows?

Jerry: I think they’re entertaining.

Sally: You’ve got to be kidding. The only people who are booked as guests onthose shows are losers or exhibitionists who want attention.

Jerry: No, they’re not. These shows are all about human drama and tragedy,something we can all relate to.

Sally: Give me a break! The people who appear on these shows want fame atany cost and the producers of the shows exploit them for ratings. They’re full ofsalacious details that nobody should talk about in public, and that I certainly don’twant to hear.

Jerry: I completely disagree. If you get off your high horse for a minute, you maylearn something.

Sally: Like what?

Jerry: Like how to get rid of an annoying wife and get away with it!

[end of dialogue]

Fortunately, Dr. Lucy Tse did not take a day off, and instead wrote this wonderfulscript. Thank you, Lucy.

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

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.