Dear Blog

Monday June 30, 2008

Dear Blog

This past week on Tuesday evening, ABC Television took advantage of the recent popular Spike TV show, Most Extreme Elimination Challenge by airing two new rip-off shows.

You’ll remember that MXC was the ultimate in reality sports, where two teams of contestants were both physically and mentally challenged and eliminated through crazy and challenging games. To add to the fun, there was the hilarious commentary of Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano, along with field reporter Guy LeDouche (and his many family members) and Field Marshall / Referee Captain Tenneal.

This program originally came from a Japanese reality series called Takeshi's Castle that has been dubbed into English with comedic results that has nothing to do with the original format of the original program.

The smart assed, snide overdubbed remarks were some of the best comedy since the same type of humor from Mystery Science Theatre 3000
from the 1988 – 1999 cable TV show.

But I digress, .. at 8 PM, the show Wipeout was about "Human cannonballs! Human pinballs! Crashes, smashes and mud splashes!" explained by the entirely unhyperbolic press release from ABC. But this really does pretty much sum it up. Twenty-four people without any sense of shame go through various obstacle courses en route to a $50,000 prize. You have contests like the "Dizzy Dummy" or "Dirty Balls." Of the latter, host John Henson explains to his co-host, John Anderson, "Mama never told me there'd be balls like this." Large, meaty people tumble over these giant balloons, looking very foolish, and - best I can tell - incapable of making it over the last ball.

The 9 PM serving of I Survived A Japanese Game Show may have a bit of Survivor / Big Brother injected as there is a group vote off of one person, periodically. In this venture, 10 Americans shot this in Japan in early spring (contestants were told they were only going to compete in a reality show, but not that this would be their fate). Various competitions are, in fact, culled from actual Japanese game shows. As part of their endurance test - the winner gets $250,000 - they must try to eat food on top of the head of another contestant while he/she is on a fast-moving treadmill. Then, umm, let's see. Oh, yes, there's also the game called "Chicken Butt Scramble." I'll let you watch to discover what this is about. Ah, heck – I’ll tell you .. "The contestants create their own version of Japanese scrambled eggs as they attempt to smash goo-filled oversized eggs with only their butts ... while wearing chicken suits."

I think these shows will be the talk of Summer TV .. along with America’s Got Talent and Last Comic Standing.

A pregnant Rocket Dog regains the respect and leadership of the Whiskers’ tribe on Friday’s episode of Animal Planet’s Meerkat Manor. Her first task was to banish her pregnant sister, Sophie, from the group .. who had taken up with a ‘rover’ Meerkat.

Orangu-Can premiered Friday, June 27 on Animal Planet.
Azy, a 30-year-old male orangutan, used more than 70 symbols to communicate his thoughts and desires and has demonstrated incredible recognition skills and long-term memory. I’d keep an eye on this Friday night series.

George Carlin hosted a Repeat performance of the very first Saturday Night Live, ever, this week. It aired, originally, on October 11, 1975.
Carlin performed three individual monologues on the program that also introduced audiences to the now legendary "Not Ready For Prime-Time Players" Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Larraine Newman and Gilda Radner.
The 1975 episode also featured musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston as well as a landmark performance from comedian Andy Kaufman.

Over this past week, the Washington baseball team won 3 of 6 games after beating their arch rival Baltimore Orioles, 3-2 in 12 innings on Sunday. Ronnie Belliard hit a 2-run Home Run in the bottom of the 12th inning. The Nats took 2 of 3 from the Orioles at Nationals Park after losing 2 of 3 earlier, this year, in Baltimore.

Washington travels to South Florida for 3 games, this week, against the Marlins .. followed by a 4 game series in Cincinnati with the Red Stockings.

The Nationals have an unprecedented 12 players on the Diabled List.

Singer, Guitarist - Adrienne Zolondick played a spirited solo gig Saturday night at Parrotdise, on Ramrod Key, Florida.

Tom Brokow hosted this week’s edition of Meet The Press and will do so for most of the future Sunday morning NBC programs.
He interviewed Arnold Schwarznagger who will, most likely,
‘be baacck’ !

Kurt Busch won NASCAR’s rain shortened Lenox Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire on Sunday.
Michael Waltrip finished 2nd and J.J. Yeley finished 3rd.
Tony Stewart led for more than 163 laps but ‘pitted’ just before the rains came and finished a disappointing 13th. Denny Hamlin finished 13th and Kyle Busch finished 23rd.
Next Saturday finds NASCAR at Daytona International Speedway in the July Sprint Cup Series 400 on July 5th in Daytona, Florida.

DC United beat the Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham, 4-1 in a Major League Soccer match at RFK Stadium.

For those of you not in the know, Hugh Rowland is currently a main 'character' on the History Channel’s newest show Ice Road Truckers which follows his life hauling vital supplies to Diamond Mines over frozen Lakes and Oceans near the Arctic Circle that for only 2 months of the year become roads. This virtually unknown occupation of Ice Road Trucking is considered to be the world's most dangerous job and has been responsible for the deaths of dozens of men.
Ax Men must be the 2nd most dangerous form of employment !

Today in Key West, the high air temperature is predicted to be 88 degrees with a Relative Humidity of only 69 %. Clear and sunny all day.
Today’s LoCo weather forecast calls for air temperatures of 85 degrees but with a Relative Humidity of 84 %. Late afternoon thunderstorms are anticipated.


Okay, thanks for dropping by this Blog, today.
I hope to see you, tomorrow, for amateur Lyricist day at this URL.


My time is, now, up .. I thank you for yours.

LARRY CURTIS SPURLOCK