I hate sports, but I’m loving American Gladiators 2.0. Talk about quality TV! With updated sliver spandex outfits (minus the feathered mullets and cool headbands), the new gladiators look pretty intimidating.
All of us kids who stayed up late to watch this back in the early 90’s will get goosebumps when they see the Power Ball event. I actually found myself screaming at the TV and stopped to look around and see if anyone saw me.
This is reality TV at it’ best. My only complaint is the cheesy interviews that set up the contenders. They seem overly produced and fake. The women contenders are much more entertaining than the men so far.
The last post left me feeling nostalgic for my childhood days and I just remembered another great TV movie we loved by Jim Henson – The Christmas Toy which aired in 1986. Sadly, this is not available on DVD for US markets. You can find it on VHS but who watches VHS anymore?
There are some uncanny similarities to Pixar’s computer-animated feature film Toy Story. For example, when no people are around, the toys still play in the playroom. But since a toy will be frozen forever if a person catches it out of position, they have to be very careful. Meteora, like Buzz Lightyear, does not understand that she is, in fact, a toy and not “Queen of the Asteroids”. Rugby must teach her that being a toy is not inferior to her assumed role, as Woody must convince Buzz.
I found the whole version of The Christmas Toy on YouTube in 5 parts. Oh Joy!
Part 1
It’s Christmas Eve, and Rugby the Tiger remembers how he was the Christmas Toy last year, and thinks he’s going to be unwrapped again.
Today, a co-worker was talking about naming a pet ferret Widdle which was also the name of an Ewok. I happen to have a special place in my heart for Ewoks.
Back in 1984 a wonderful little TV movie aired called The Ewok Adventure and was written by George Lucas with special effects by Industrial Light and Magic. It was followed by Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985. My brother and I were enchanted with these movies.
I received an urgent email from A.F.T.R.A late last night and caught my attention.
NO CONTRACT, NO WORK
Order in Effect for ‘TMZ’
Effective September 20, 2007, members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are advised that TMZ Productions Inc., Harvey Levin Productions Inc., and paraMedia inc.—producers of the syndicated TV series “TMZ”—are not signed to an AFTRA contract covering this program. AFTRA members may NOT accept employment, including recording in-show and/or promotional announcements, on “TMZ” until and unless a fair contract between AFTRA and the producers is achieved…
Makes me wonder if Hollywood is trying to blacklist TMZ for all of the celebrity slamming.
Some time ago there was rumors that NBC was planning to do the girl version of Average Joe and were going to call it Average Jane. The concept would have been a bunch of “average girls” competing with “sexy kittens” to gain the attention of a rather handsome fella. Well, casting began for Average Jane but it never made it to production.
I believe this concept was spun into the “Age of Love” where a group of 40 something women compete with a group of 20 year olds to capture the heart of a handsome 30 year old man. In this case a semi-famous tennis player. Who did he choose? Well, I guessed right! I never had a doubt. Mark chose a 20 year old (and the person who was right for him).
I came across an interview with Amanda Salinas, the girl chosen by 30-year-old professional tennis player Mark Philippoussis on NBC’s Age of Love. It’s interesting to hear Amanda state this:
Q: So I take it you don’t feel that you were accurately portrayed on the show? A: Oh no, things were definitely exaggerated, and some things were made up completely.
Q: What’s an example of something that was made up completely? A: The camping trip. They had me looking pretty insecure, and chasing him down in the woods and looking for him, but I was actually approached. I was handed the lantern by people from the show, and told to go look for him. They told me to go find him, and I said OK. I did what they asked me to do.
When he came back to the tent and I was there, I was there with Megan. She and I were both waiting in the tent to talk with him, but they only showed me, and then he asked me to stay.
- I can relate. Reality TV isn’t all it seems… Often, they are “guided” by the producers. As of this post, it seems they are still together but going at it long-distance.
