American Gladiators fails to deliver... again!

I mentioned in another post a little while back that I thought it was sad that NBC was resorting to reviving American Gladiators now that we are still in the midst of the WGA writers' strike. In the weeks since, I was starting to warm up a little to the idea when it was announced that Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali would be hosts. I thought that perhaps this would being viewers in and maybe even make it more interesting. Well, now that I've actually sat through the season premiere, I am requesting those two hours of my life back. It was the same tired idea that failed to deliver a couple decades ago. It was a novelty back then, but even the star host couldn't make this any better than it what it is, a replacement show. And while many of the competitors talked about coming back "next season," I've got some news... unless that's next week, I really doubt this show will see a run of over a couple months and that's being generous. Sorry Hulkster!

The writers go on strike so the tennis balls will fly!

It's not secret that I'm a fan of the 80's. I loved the clothes and the music. Hell, I even loved much of the TV, but some shows were either cancelled or sent off to obscurity for a reason - a reason that NBC has apparently overlooked.
Although it's pretty hard for any network to try to line up original programing when they all of a sudden don't have new episodes of their current line up, but I would think that contingency plans would be key...
...So am I the only one that think NBC bringing back American Gladiator is pretty silly? Sure, I loved it when I was a kid. The heroes, who were almost portrayed as villains against the underdogs with tennis balls being shot at them - sort of like the mix of game show and reality show, but did we need to bring it back? I guess I'll be fair and wait to see what the other networks bring out for the beginning of 2008, but I'd be surprised if there are some quality shows that haven't gotten a chance, just waiting for the call.

My addiction to Survivor

Perhaps I shouldn’t admit this, but for one reason or another, I’ve become somewhat addicted to Survivor. Now in it’s like 10th season, this is only the second one I’ve watched and quite frankly, when I’d heard about it previously, I couldn’t understand for the life of me why this show would still be on the air. The about a year ago, there was an office game that played along with the show’s then current season. I drew a name from a hat and got a guy who ended up winning.
While I didn’t even know this season had begun until about a month ago, I quickly tuned in to see if I still like it and I found myself captivated by it. I realize that it is like the same stuff over and over, but for some reason, perhaps anthropological or societal, people are drawn to the characters and like in the show, we choose favorites and sides.
I haven’t decided if this makes me a loser or not, but who cares? It’s fun and it’s fluff TV, which I think is a good way to wind down after a long day. Last night I chose to watch while I conquered my own challenge on the elliptical machine and found that the hour workout went by really fast. My favorites on the show for this season would be Eric and Amanda. Eric ‘cause I just think he’s got a realistic style. Amanda ‘cause, well, do I really need to say? I mean she’s good at playing the game!

When it was a game...

The title reminds me of a two-part HBO special from the 80's or 90's about the days of baseball's past. Mostly shot in black and white with real interviews and candid moments with some of the games greats, the special showed something that is seemingly gone from professional sports - the love and passion for playing the game.
Yes, I'm well-aware that there are plenty of professional athletes out there with all the drive in the world, but they are totally overshadowed by the self-absorbed and larger-than-life characters that we as a society have created. These people get paid millions of dollars to play and we treat them as gods. Curious. Perhaps that's why they are self-absorbed.
In the 1980s athletes began to get very large contracts and once it started, it just got worse and worse and team owners and sponsors competed with each other. In the past few years, some professional sports leagues have put salary caps on teams, but players still make absurd amounts of money while rarely showing the class that the ballplayers from days gone by, showed.
I'm not going to call any of these athletes out by name. We all know who thought he was bigger than the World Series. We all know current players who think they are bigger than basketball. Hell, we even know golfers that make so much money from sponsorship - due to demand from fans who watch and create ratings - that you'd think he'd appreciate his fans, but the reality is that sports in our country have been declining for decades and it's a sad commentary.
I could make more of an argument, or rant, if you will and delve into the world of "college athletics," but I don't think there is enough room on the page; however, on the note of "amateur" sports, it isn't too long ago that we watched the Olympics and saw a unique spectacle that only allowed amateur athletes. While that is mostly not the case by-in-large, there are still many events in the Olympics (winter and summer) where money is NOT an issue whatsoever and it is great to see the twinkle in the eyes of these athletes as they enter the stadium for the opening ceremonies. Their payday isn't a bid check, but rather a small flag embroidered on their uniform, a camera full of priceless pictures, and memories to last a lifetime. Some of the events may be obscure, but perhaps it is those sports where we find those athletes who truly embrace and remember, when it was a game!

Do you have some old favorite TV shows you'd like to see again?

I sure do, but despite the seemingly far reach of Netflix, Blockbuster, and Amazon.com., there are just some shows that will never make it to DVD. If you're lucky, you may find a pirated version on eBay, but you'll pay dearly for it. Take for example the show High Mountain Rangers from 1987. High Mountain Who? You ask! Okay, so Robert Conrad may not have made a ton of hits outside the western genre, but at least he got his whole family involved. I paid about $10 for 3 episodes, which is a lot, but you can't get it anywhere and it was a favorite from my younger days.
The point is that there are a ton of shows that for one reason or another, we loved. Some of them live happily in syndication. Others are easily found on eBay or by renting online. Sadly, others will lie dormant. In such spirit, I have decided to do a review of sorts (of course in my opinion) of cancelled or old shows. Some may have been cult favorites and others were shows that never made it past the initial few episodes. Remember, not every show draws multi-millions in ratings and ends to big parties and contests. By-in-large, a majority of shows fail by network standards. I should think that our standards are far-different. So if you have a show you would like have reviewed or featured, send me a note or leave a comment, and pass the word!