American Life

It's easy to miss the little two-story, boarded-up house behind the Historical Society of Baltimore County in Cockeysville. Known as "the Pest House," it was once a haven for patients suffering from contagious diseases, such as smallpox. Built in 1872, it's been empty for decades. But efforts to convert it into a research center for county African-American history would take the old stone building beyond its dreary past into a brighter future, provided fundraisers can obtain more than $300,000 for the renovation job. Lead organizer Louis S. Diggs, for whom the center would be named, has written a dozen books on early African-American life in the county, exploring the history of Piney Grove, Turners Station, Catonsville, and Belltown in Owings Mills.

When James Holliday, an African-American who was born a slave but died an Annapolis homeowner, gathered for meals with his family in their brick home just off State Circle in the late 19th century, they dined on fine dishware — each plate with its own ornate pattern or crisp white finish. With what was then considered a prestigious job as a messenger for the superintendent at the U.S. Naval Academy, Holliday could afford to buy his family fancy plates in accordance with Victorian etiquette as relayed in books and newspapers.

Maybe all anyone needs to know about BET's 10-part "documentary series" on Michael Vick is that the NFL quarterback's production company, MV7, is one of the producing partners. So don't expect Frederick Wiseman, the Maysles brothers or anything approaching the hard-eyed truth-telling of those legendary documentary filmmakers here - even though BET is trying to suggest such credibility by calling "The Michael Vick Project" a "documentary series." This is more like reality TV, and it is all stacked in favor of making the man who went to prison for running a brutal dogfighting operation on his Virginia farm look like a mythic figure on a heroic quest - a protagonist on an epic journey, who has suffered tremendously and is now on the comeback trail to redemption, fighting righteously against great odds.

When comedian Jim Gaffigan needs inspiration for his stand-up routine, he looks to the low end of American life. Gaffigan loves to romanticize about lying on the sofa, eating unhealthy food like Hot Pockets and piles of bacon, or making a late-night Waffle House run. He plays the stereotypical American - whiny and ultra-lazy - like few other comedians. That could be why so many Americans relate to Gaffigan, who will perform two shows at the Lyric Opera House on Friday night. "I'm an observational guy," Gaffigan said.

She'd been making acclaimed art for years, and many of her works depicted little-known events from history. So when Joan Gaither encountered a professor a few years back, his words came as a shock. "Those stories on your quilt, the ones about the Underground Railroad, aren't documented," he said. "So they aren't historically true. They're just hearsay." Even now, Gaither, a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art and a widely known maker of documentary quilts, bristles at that exclusionary notion of history.

S he'd been making acclaimed art for years, and many of her works depicted little-known events from history. So when Joan Gaither encountered a professor a few years back, his words came as a shock. "Those stories on your quilt, the ones about the Underground Railroad, aren't documented," he said. "So they aren't historically true. They're just hearsay." Even now, Gaither, a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art and a widely known maker of documentary quilts, bristles at that exclusionary notion of history.

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On radio, This American Life is a treasure - a brilliantly conceived form of quirky, true-life storytelling that has spawned a host of imitators and stands with the finest work the medium has delivered. But on TV last year, not so brilliant. While the first season on Showtime was promising, mistakes were made - even host and executive producer Ira Glass says so. Information This American Life begins its second season at 10 p.m. Sunday on Showtime. Tonight's live event starts at 8. For ticket information, contact Bel Air Cinema Stadium 14 at 410-569-8276 or Snowden Square Stadium 14 at 410-872-0670, or go to fathomevents.

She's 70 now, but Pauline Watkins' crystalline blue eyes still light up when she thinks of her move to Galesville at the age of 7. She and her family - 23 children strong - followed their father out from Annapolis when he took a job shucking oysters and cutting fish for Woodfield Fish & Oyster Co. Many of her siblings followed in their father's footsteps, working grueling, labor-intensive shifts, then returning to their small home to rest. On a peninsula rich in history, if poor in other ways, the Watkins were part of a thriving black community.

The gathering after the funeral took place in a catering hall instead of a relative's home - because there was no longer a relative's home nearby - so, when the two hours were up and all the food had been served, three waitresses started quickly clearing tables and moving chairs. That was a signal for the rest of us to head for the doors and get on with our lives. There were quick farewells and hugs and kisses, then into the parking lot and into cars, and back to the errands and chores of a busy Saturday.