Hi kitchenbruce,
Based on your description, it sounds like you may have inadvertently activated an Accessibility feature known as Voice Over. You should be able to turn it off in Settings> General> Accessibility> VoiceOver> Off. For more information about this feature, you may find the following article helpful:
Apple TV (2nd generation): How to enable VoiceOver
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4466
Regards,
- Brenden