That's Entertainment
I had a cold last week. While that in itself isn't very entertaining, it did have the side effect of increasing the amount of television I watched over the weekend. So, I emerge from my posting torpor to share some thoughts as well as say that I am feeling much better today.
The first bit wasn't actually a show, but a promotion for a new cable station. Apparently the reality genre has finally reached a critical mass large enough to sustain its own channel. I remember having a conversation in college with my friends about this inevitable outcome. It is with mixed feelings that my foresight is realized. Considering its popularity, I am somewhat surprised that it took this long to happen.
The current series of Doctor Who continues to live up to its tradition. Eccleston left some very big shoes to fill when he stepped out of the role, but I have found that Tennant has now grown on me to the point where I do not see either one as better, just different. I look forward to seeing where they take the series for the foreseeable future.
To continue in the sci-fi vein, the series premier for Flash Gordon started up Friday as well. While I liked the underlying premise they set up to tell the story, much of the actual fleshed out bits felt rather disjointed. I am hoping to chalk it up to pilot error and that the writing actually tightens up as they start get into plot development.
Another show not heavy in plot development is Human Weapon. Actually, it is a bit like a martial arts travelogue. These two guys, one a former mixed-martial arts fighter and a former footballer/wrestler, go abroad to learn different martial arts styles. They do so under the premise that they will some sort of champion of the style at the end. It is hard to take the show too seriously because they do not spend more than a couple of weeks learning the style. While I can respect the work that the hosts may put into their training, it is still a tourist approach to forms steeped in tradition. What does make the show interesting is the historical background they relate as well as some of mechanical explanations of the different forms.
A second travelogue I have been watching is the second season of Feasting on Asphalt. Alton Brown is my kind of chef. Most often when I venture into unknown culinary territory I will start my research from Good Eats recipes and conventions. When he started motoring around the nation encountering the lost gems of American road food, I knew that I would be hooked. This second season is no exception since he seems to be traveling up the Mississippi, which means that he'll end up on my neck of the woods. It is a shame though... because since it is on air means that he has already blown through town. Had I the warning, I would have pointed him to Matt's... and Ted Cook's... and Izzy's... etc.
Lastly, it seems that in my cold-addled condition, I got myself mildy hooked to Ninja Warrior. It is a Japanese import of the gameshow genre where contestants try to complete four obstacle courses that test balance, speed and strength. I started watching it this weekend while they were having a bit of a marathon, showing three iterations of the women's competition. While terminally campy in the way Japanese gameshows are, I found the energy of the spectacle infectious... so much so that I actually cheered on some of the competitors.
The first bit wasn't actually a show, but a promotion for a new cable station. Apparently the reality genre has finally reached a critical mass large enough to sustain its own channel. I remember having a conversation in college with my friends about this inevitable outcome. It is with mixed feelings that my foresight is realized. Considering its popularity, I am somewhat surprised that it took this long to happen.
The current series of Doctor Who continues to live up to its tradition. Eccleston left some very big shoes to fill when he stepped out of the role, but I have found that Tennant has now grown on me to the point where I do not see either one as better, just different. I look forward to seeing where they take the series for the foreseeable future.
To continue in the sci-fi vein, the series premier for Flash Gordon started up Friday as well. While I liked the underlying premise they set up to tell the story, much of the actual fleshed out bits felt rather disjointed. I am hoping to chalk it up to pilot error and that the writing actually tightens up as they start get into plot development.
Another show not heavy in plot development is Human Weapon. Actually, it is a bit like a martial arts travelogue. These two guys, one a former mixed-martial arts fighter and a former footballer/wrestler, go abroad to learn different martial arts styles. They do so under the premise that they will some sort of champion of the style at the end. It is hard to take the show too seriously because they do not spend more than a couple of weeks learning the style. While I can respect the work that the hosts may put into their training, it is still a tourist approach to forms steeped in tradition. What does make the show interesting is the historical background they relate as well as some of mechanical explanations of the different forms.
A second travelogue I have been watching is the second season of Feasting on Asphalt. Alton Brown is my kind of chef. Most often when I venture into unknown culinary territory I will start my research from Good Eats recipes and conventions. When he started motoring around the nation encountering the lost gems of American road food, I knew that I would be hooked. This second season is no exception since he seems to be traveling up the Mississippi, which means that he'll end up on my neck of the woods. It is a shame though... because since it is on air means that he has already blown through town. Had I the warning, I would have pointed him to Matt's... and Ted Cook's... and Izzy's... etc.
Lastly, it seems that in my cold-addled condition, I got myself mildy hooked to Ninja Warrior. It is a Japanese import of the gameshow genre where contestants try to complete four obstacle courses that test balance, speed and strength. I started watching it this weekend while they were having a bit of a marathon, showing three iterations of the women's competition. While terminally campy in the way Japanese gameshows are, I found the energy of the spectacle infectious... so much so that I actually cheered on some of the competitors.