Sunday, February 17, 2008
Completely Unrelated
Some things to think about.
I watched 2 minutes of NASCAR and marveled at the unimaginable skill of the athletes. No, not the men (and woman) driving in endless circles, turning left time and time again -- the announcers. These gentlemen must watch and narrate for hours while the same series of events repeats itself several hundreds of times (the exact number depending on the length of the course
). They have nothing to talk about and nothing to watch. I was astounded by their ability to yak their way through the short time that I watched, but I did not have the stomach to see if they could yada yada yada for the entirety of the race. The fun and mess of one 30-second bump-n-spin just pales in comparison to the infinite boredom of the rest of the event.
The reinvention of American Gladiators is a masterstroke by NBC. With the writers on strike until last week, a reality tv show (no writers) that did not completely tank was precisely what any station wanted, and what your average viewer had wanted. I am not sure why Gladiators was taken off the air in the first place, but you can catch episodes on ESPN Classic - hosted by Larry Csonka. Modern Gladiators is hosted by Laila Ali and Hulk Hogan. Mr. Hogan has an unfortunate habit of inserting the the word BIG anytime he says points, a habit that seems to be wearing off on Ms. Ali and even the announcer. Prominent Gladiators include Hellga, the massive lady-linebacker and Wolf, the bearded and mustachioed trash-talker. The only complaint I can make is the producers' annoying propensity to cut to commercial right as an event is beginning. As if there is anything else to watch on a Monday night.
I started my taxes this week. I have decided never to do them again.
I watched 2 minutes of NASCAR and marveled at the unimaginable skill of the athletes. No, not the men (and woman) driving in endless circles, turning left time and time again -- the announcers. These gentlemen must watch and narrate for hours while the same series of events repeats itself several hundreds of times (the exact number depending on the length of the course
). They have nothing to talk about and nothing to watch. I was astounded by their ability to yak their way through the short time that I watched, but I did not have the stomach to see if they could yada yada yada for the entirety of the race. The fun and mess of one 30-second bump-n-spin just pales in comparison to the infinite boredom of the rest of the event.
The reinvention of American Gladiators is a masterstroke by NBC. With the writers on strike until last week, a reality tv show (no writers) that did not completely tank was precisely what any station wanted, and what your average viewer had wanted. I am not sure why Gladiators was taken off the air in the first place, but you can catch episodes on ESPN Classic - hosted by Larry Csonka. Modern Gladiators is hosted by Laila Ali and Hulk Hogan. Mr. Hogan has an unfortunate habit of inserting the the word BIG anytime he says points, a habit that seems to be wearing off on Ms. Ali and even the announcer. Prominent Gladiators include Hellga, the massive lady-linebacker and Wolf, the bearded and mustachioed trash-talker. The only complaint I can make is the producers' annoying propensity to cut to commercial right as an event is beginning. As if there is anything else to watch on a Monday night.
I started my taxes this week. I have decided never to do them again.
