Whenever you watch those "very special" Thanksgiving episodes on television everyone spends time talking of hat they’re thankful for.  In real life my family has never done anything so hokey, but I thought I would take a moment to talk about a few things I’m thankful for:

1. My family.  Of course, they are the most important thing.  As a group they can really piss me off, but when push comes to shove I know they will always be there for me; and me for them.
2. Election 2006.  Yeah, it may seem like something very silly and stupid to be thankful for, but on November 7, 2006, American stood up for itself.  America said "Enough is enough!" and voted the Republicans out of office nationally by giving the Democrats decisive control of the House and a small amount of control in the Senate.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the Dems won’t squander this vote of confidence from the American people.
3. Great television.  The Fall 2006 television season has been one of great surprise.  From Heroes to Ugly Betty to Jericho the networks have taken chances on show that historically have been failures.  Who knew a little show based on a tacky telenovella featuring an Hispanic family and an awkward unattractive girl would be one of the breakout hits of the 2006/2007 season?  Even better, science fiction and genre television seems to be making a much-needed comeback!
4. My health.  After two years of fight diabetes, high blood pressure and being overweight I’m finally getting everything under control and becoming very health conscious.
5. The troops.  I know it may seem disingenuous, but I’m thankful for the men and women who serve our country.  I may not agree with the war they’re fighting, and many of them would agree with me, but they make the greatest sacrifice to keep our country safe and free.  Something we should always be thankful for and never forget.

With little else on television last night I decided to watch Madonna on NBC in a peformance from her Confessions Tour.  When I was younger, I was quite the Madonna fan.  Starting with Like a Virgin and all the way through Erotica I never missed a Madonna CD.  From that point forward I was hit and miss with the former Material Girl.  I never really liked her foray into electronica.  With a few exceptions like "Music," "Ray of Light," and "What It Feels Like for a Girl" I rarely found a Madonna song I could like.  In fact, until recently Ray of Light was the last Madonna CD I purchased.  That changed last year when Madonna released Confessions on a Dance Floor.  Not a perfect CD, but good enough that I broke down and downloaded the entire CD fro iTunes.  Confessions was, in many way, a return to classic Madonna; a fun, non-stop dance CD. 

Recently, Madonna’s been garnering a lot of attention for for Confessions Tour, and I’m surprised NBC took a chance on not only airing it, but airing it in the family hour.  The performance was full of the usual overt sexuality you can expect from a Madonna performance, but it also showcased Madonna’s maturity.  The last time I saw Madonna perform live it was during the Like a Virgin tour 20-odd years ago and her singing ability outside the studio was not that great.  Maybe it’s maturity, or maybe it’s the work she went through to improve her vocal abilities for Evita; for whatever reason, Madonna’s vocal ability has vastly improved.  While I could have done without all the "messages" in last night’s performance, overall it was quite enjoyable.  I especially liked some of the updated versions of her "classic" songs.  Madonna has often said she doesn’t like performing "Like a Virgin," but last night she updated it with less pop keyboards and more guitar, and when she hops on that saddle…wow!  For a mother of two in her 40s she looks damn good!  "Ray of Light," one of my favorite recent Madonna tunes, sounds better live and one of her lesser songs, "Live to Tell," from the Sean Penn years and the movie At Close Range works perfectly as an anthem to discuss children in Africa orphaned by AIDS.

Overall, this was a really great performance, which you would expect from Madonna. As I said, I’m a little surprised NBC aired the concert since it was filled with sexual innuendo and bad language.  Several times she gave the bird to the audience, which was pixelated by NBC, but still obvious to the viewer.  At one point, during a performance of "I Love New York," she says, "…if you don’t love New York you can go back to Texas and suck George Bush’s dick."  It could have been cock, but I know it ended with a "ck."  Of course, NBC totally bleeped that out, but you could obviously tell what she was saying, but during another point in the song they allowed "pussy" to come through quite clearly.  They will be sure to get some FCC complaints about that.