TV is pretty far from real life. You cannot cut granite dry. You must use a wetsaw of some variety. I have seen topmount sink cutouts finished on site with a portable concrete wetsaw, but the major cutting was done in the shop and only a few small areas remained to be completely cut through. Polishing is a whole other set of skills as well. There is NO way you'll be able to polish granite dry. None. It's darn hard for the experts to do it wet with the right equipment. A lot of time there is a difference in sheen that is readily apparent between the top and the edge, and that's due to poor polishing. Seams are done with two part color matched epoxy and some proprietary suction clamps. If you can find someone willing to deal with your parts and pieces, the average fabrication costs for granite are in the $40 a square foot range. That's just the labor, not the materials. Dealing with parts and pieces is actually harder than dealing with a whole slab. If you want to fabricate your own counters, stick with laminate, butcher block, corian or copper. Those are materials suited to a DIYer. Stone is best left to the professionals unless you are doing stone tile.

If granite really caused cancer, you'd hear it all over and not just from some guy at work! The many other options are lovely and you should consider everything before you decide what feels right. Luckily, you can see good examples of almost every kind of counter in the finished kitchens blog. You can also find out info about any surface by reading here and asking. Try the search function to see other threads like this. I am sure you will be busy reading for a while, lol...

Just a BIG word of warning here. Many of the chemicals mentioned are pretty toxic and dangerous to deal with. The methods discussed should only be utilized by a VERY DIY savvy homeowner who owns the proper personal protection to use such chemicals. MEK especially is pretty nasty and should be used only as a last resort by a pro. Many times the best option would be to relax, and enjoy the developing patina!

Google some poultices please. It's trial and error. Good luck.