Urban Thought Collective

I love the New Year! The holiday crush is over. I don’t have to spend money on gifts, food, plane tickets, train tickets or parking tickets. Family members have all gone their separate ways. The ones you’ll miss and the ones you couldn’t wait to see down the road. Although I could do without the regular traffic (Holiday traffic in LA is ultra light), I love the return to business with a fresh sprit and a renewed sense of possibilities. January is also prime TV viewing.

My greatest expectations are for the NFL Playoffs and the countdown to the Super Bowl! (All of you who are not sports fans, you may want to skip ahead) I don’t miss a week of the NFL regular season. Every Sunday, for seventeen weeks, I’m either at home or in a sports bar with 20 screens watching the NFL. The playoffs are the games all football fans have been waiting for. Then in roughly three weeks, the game everyone waits for, The Super Bowl! I’ve been to seven Super Bowls, and if I don’t go to the game I go to a Super Bowl party or host one myself. It never disappoints. Even if the game is a snoozer like in 1989, Super Bowl XXIV, when Joe Montana and the 49’ers CRUSHED John Elway and the Broncos, my Grandfather, Kadeem, Matt, Ty, Cleo and “The Terminator” (the name we gave to one of the State Trooper who escorted us on the trip) all had a great time in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The same is true watching on TV. I’ve never been to a Super Bowl party that wasn’t a great time.

Before the NFL takes center stage, college football has its National Championship, Thursday January 8th. This year’s game is particularly intriguing because more than any previous year, the BCS system is being exposed for the total scam that it is and no matter who wins, there will be no satisfaction. But before I digress too far on a BCS rant, back to more New Years delights.

Two weeks after the Super Bowl on February 15th, it’s the NBA All-Star game in Phoenix Az. LeBron, Kobe, KG , Paul, D.Wade, Shaq and all the games best will put on a show in the desert. Even though The Dunk contest has lost some of its luster and now the Three Point contest is the highlight, All-Star Saturday is appointment TV.

I also look to Hawaii, and the island of Maui for the first event of the 2009 PGA Tour. Even with Tiger Woods (the greatest active athlete on the planet) still on the sidelines recovering from knee surgery, now I watch the PGA Tour for one of its youngest stars, Anthony Kim. In addition to his talent, I knew Tony Kim and his Dad when he was a kid. I played with him a few times, but mostly, between working on my game, I watched this kid practice for hours. His Dad would sit behind him and he was often the last one to leave the range. Now he’s not just on tour, he’s a multiple winner, a Ryder Cup stud and considered to be one of the legitimate challengers for Tiger. I love to watch a local kid succeed in a big way!

January is also the time our favorite shows stop airing repeats and give us new episodes. Most of the junk from the fall has been cancelled and some of my favorites like “24”, “American Idol”, “Damages”, “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”, “Nip/Tuck” and “Monk” all premiere this month. There’s also the premiere of “Lost” and I have no idea what to expect from this season. I was such a fan of “Lost” then it just lost me and I find myself watching hoping it will find the groove from the first season. Every season the show has had good moments, but they are often far and few in between. I think I have to blame “Lost” in part for my short fuse with “Heroes.” My Tivo only has room for one great show that got lost!

I saved the best and biggest television event of the year for last. The Inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit I will not be watching on TV in a traditional way. I will be in Washington DC attending and depending on where my seat is, I’ll probably be looking at a big screen TV’s that will be set up on the mall. But without question, this will be the television event of the year. I will not be surprised if the ratings are higher than the Super Bowl. The bottom line, once again TV will allow the world to share history! I can’t wait!

Let me get my remote!

Darryl Bell is an actor and Chicago native, best known for his role in classic TV series “A Different World” and Spike Lee’s “School Daze.” His unique television commentary is exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.