Jon & Kate Plus 8 Is A Great Handful

If you have multiple children, or just love good reality television shows with interesting angles, “Jon & Kate Plus 8” is a good candidate for your viewing time. This highly rated TLC channel reality show is produced here in the United States, and chronicles Jon and Kate Gosselin’s efforts to successfully raise both a set of fraternal twin girls and a set of sextuplets consisting of three fraternal boys and three paternal girls. Talk about a handful!

Although it originally aired on Discovery Health, “Jon & Kate Plus 8” has found its new home on DirecTV’s TLC network (channel 280, or 1280 for the ever so handy Video On Demand Version).

Kate and Jon Gosselin both come from fairly decent sized families, but not anywhere near the size that they have now. Shortly after their married in June of 1999, Jon and Katie discovered that due to Katie’s diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome, a fertility specialist would be required if they ever hoped to reproduce. Finally after a successful attempt with intrauterine insemination, Kate became pregnant with twins, and gave birth to Cara Nicole and Madelyn. After a few years they decided that they wanted another child so they went the fertility treatment route again, only this time, sextuplets were discovered. Both Kate and Jon were against any form of selective reduction, so in May of 2004, Kate gave birth to Alexis Faith, Hannah Joy, Aaden Jonathan, Collin Thomas, Leah Hope, and Joel Kevin.

With all the media attention this large family has received, “Jon & Kate Plus 8” has only grown more popular, boosting the TLC network’s rating and turning out to be one of the most hectic but entertaining reality shows on the DirecTV lineup, and with Season five starting before June, viewers and fans will have plenty to look forward to.

Palladia – A Music Channel For Music Fans

If you are a lover of music and you haven’t had a chance to check out the Palladia channel on DirecTV channel 332, you’ve definitely been missing out. This music specialty channel, owned by MTV Networks, brings the best music programming, specials, and videos from MTV, CMT, and VH1, all on one great, high definition satellite channel.

The Palladia network made its debut in January of 2006 under the original name MHD (Music: High Definition), with the slogan “MHD: The Best Music You’ve Ever Heard”.

And now, as of October of 2007, DirecTV brought this network channel to their already large and impressive satellite television channel lineup.

If you happen to be a fan of the VH1 series “VH1 Storytellers”, or if you might have missed this experience, the Palladia channel can help you with that. For those that don’t know, a “VH1 Storytellers” episode features a performance of one big name musical guest, as well as allow said guest to explain the lyrics, stories or circumstances behind the songs showcased. Some notable guest performers have been Jay-Z, the Smashing Pumpkins, Kanye West, Tori Amos, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige and Pearl Jam, to name a few.

Another great music show that is along the same vein as “VH1 Storytellers”, but without the between song talks is “Soulstage”, originally airing on the VH1 Soul network. Featured artists of past have been Erkykah Badu, Raphael Saadiq, The Roots, and India.Arie.

Between these great shows and others such as CMT network’s “Crossroads”, and MTV’s “Life & Rhymes”, the Palladia channel hosts special HD simulcasts of the major music award shows such as the CMT Music Awards, VH1 Hip Hop Honors, and of course, the notorious MTV Video Music Awards. These are just a few reasons that why in a sea of music channels to choose from on satellite television, Palladia will satisfy music lovers of all ages and genres.

Have You Met The History Channel’s Foreign Sister?

Great channels run in the family for the History channel’s sister channel, History International. History International specializes in international historical documentaries. If you happened to catch an hour of Wednesday night programming on History International on DirecTV, you might find yourself watching one of the channel’s most popular shows: “The Naked Archaeologist”. The show is produced, directed, and hosted by Simcha Jacobovici, a recipient of two Emmy Awards. The footage is shot on location in Egypt, Israel, and Greece in order to show viewers some of the most amazing archaeological sites and finds the Middle East has to offer. Jacobovici keeps Biblical archeology lively with his upbeat and eccentric personality and his penchant for song and dance.

Through the examination of actual sites and artifacts, and by conversing with the best and brightest archaeologists, historians and scientists, Jacobovici finds the answers to questions such as, “Why is it so bad to be called a Philistine?”, “Was Jezebel really that sexy?”, “What do you do when you find a 2,000-year-old palace under your house?” and even, “Where do you stop for a good falafel when you’re on your way to find the real Mount Sinai?”

Another show you might want to check out that is currently airing on History International is “The Templar Code”. It centers around the medieval world’s most powerful secret society, the Knights Templar. Find out what historians now know about these Crusaders that were supposedly the keepers of an unimaginable Biblical treasure that could change the face of religion as we know it. Discover also the secrets behind their mysterious rituals, rites, training, and sudden downfall.  Another great channel in the DirecTV lineup.