Tiger comes to cable television show

Never let it be said that a television network lets a good scandal go without profiting from it. Spike TV sure hasn't.

Spike TV is the network created to cater to men, often at the lowest denominator. While there have been efforts like the short lived Blade series, predominantly the fare is mostly old action films, and stupid shows featuring large-breasted women in tight clothes. Obviously the target market for Spike requires little more.

But there is nothing better than mixing a scandal, a world famous athlete, and women with large-breasts in tight clothes. Thus the inspiration for Back Nine came to be.

Back Nine is a show based on a former pro-golfer trying to make a comeback. The problem is he is a drunk (or as the channel descibes, hard-drinker). Plus he has the special joy of his caddy - named oddly enough Tiger - who is a sex crazed sex-addict.

How interesting. Almost sounds familiar yes? Golf fans might think this is a mix of the old John Daly and current Tiger Woods. But that would be a leap. Wouldn't it? To give Spike some credit, the show was being discussed long before the November crash that brought Tiger into the current noteriety.

John Schneider will be playing the lead of this role, with Miguel Nunez in negotiations for the more-than likely popular role of Tiger. Let's see if this winds up to be more than a timely one-trick pony.

Samuel L. Jackson - producer again

Of the many thing that I think Samuel L Jackson has done right, I'm not sure his next 2 upcoming projects will fall into that category.

Jackson has just signed a deal with CBS to try out 2 new shows. This will confirm the executive producing credits that Jackson gained from the Afro Samurai program that was wildly successful on Spike TV. But unlike the Afro Samurai, I think Jackson has passed his limit.

One of the unnamed shows is about what happens after a U.S. Congressman dies while in office, and his wife inherits his seat. It may not sound like it but this is proposed to be a comedy. When I first heard of this I thought of a West Wing like program. But considering that the main writer is the same from 3rd Rock From The Sun, this will not be serious.

Will it be a serious laughfest? Somehow I doubt it. There are few comedies about politics that I can recall, and of the ones I do recall - like Benson in its later years - they failed. Americans don't laugh about politics often, so this will be a huge hurdle. Especially once you consider that most viewers of CBS are older and take their politics far more seriously.

The other show, is a medical drama (yes, yet another) focusing on an emergency room doctor (but it's not ER) who uses unconventional methods to treat his patients (ever heard of House?).

Obviously I find that one to be an overused idea. Then again the writer of that program is responsible for Cold Case - a show that rips off Law & Order, CSI, and several other old cop-format television shows. Still in Hollywood there is no greater sign of success than copying. No greater way to get paid either.

I like Samuel Jackson. I think he's a great guy to have a beer with, and from what I can tell, he seems to have tastes that are similar to myself and a lot of other guys I know. Somehow, I don't see these shows, as described, as being in that vein. He's just out for the money. Which I don't fault him for, I just won't watch them a second time if I am right.

If I could advise Jackson, I would remind him why Afro Samurai worked. It's a subject he has a passion for, and a medium he understands. If he sticks to those principles, he will likely make more money and find greater success.

Now watch these both become great shows and I have to eat my words. We will see.

Guy's Choice Awards on Spike TV

I was watching the Guy’s Choice Awards on Spike TV on Sunday, when they had a presenter come on the show that just caught me off guard. It wasn’t the ladies, nor Mel Gibson on a horse. It wasn’t even watching Bruno take a vicious verbal jab at Jamie Foxx.

What threw me was the 13 year old boy. He was young to be at such an event. An event where sexual inferences were rampant. Where crude jokes, sometimes horribly in bad taste were in abundance.

Then I listened to the prepared speech he read off. In essence it covered nothing but boobs. Yes, just a conversation about breasts. In a crude and non-boyish manner. It was obvious that grown men thought it would be funny for this young boy to ramble on about the virtues of a woman’s breasts. And for a bonus, sure to drive home the laughs, they had him cursing every 4th word or so.

I for one saw no humor in this. I took no pleasure from the conversation, nor the vulgarity, that this child was spewing. And from the background silence, I believe the audience didn’t appreciate it either. In fact, not once while he was speaking did the camera pan to an audience member so much as chuckling. Likely because the room was aghast.

But I can’t blame Spike TV too much. They paid for this performance. They had a complete program that they knew would often test the boundaries of good taste. There was no question in their mind that they would fail the litmus test of decency at parts. Which this portion did with alarming assurance.

Still I have no belief that a television executive cares or can notice a boundary. Their only concern is drawing viewers, and thus gathering advertisement income. Controversy works just as well as quality programming; and in an industry searching for the lowest common denominator quality costs too much.

But what about the parents of this child (whose name escapes me)? Who in their right mind would allow such a young child to go on national television and parade with such vulgar words, matched only by the curses sprinkled generously around. It was a disgrace to watch.

I wonder who knew that this was going to happen. Considering how renown Gibson is about religion and his kids, I hope he did not. As I mentioned before the audience seemed to have no clue beforehand. So it may be just the writer’s and the executives.

Well I say to both of them, standards may have dropped over the years and the liberal sensibilities may reign in politics but I for one do not abide such an insult. There is no humor in disgracing a child. There is no joy in the display they presented.

And if they do it again, I will never watch their programs again. What about you?

Is William Wallace really deadlier than Tshaka Zulu?

For those that have the time, on Tuesdays there is a show on Spike TV that’s quite interesting. The show is called Deadliest Warrior. At its roots it is a rip-off of Mythbusters with a twist. But the twist is what makes the show interesting.

There have been several episodes already this season. Each episode breaks down to the following formula:

2 separate warrior tribes/armies are selected from very different eras (normally) and vastly different regions of the world.

Each fighter is given a breakdown of their historic battles, main arsenal of weapons, and tactics

Then the 2 fighters, with a small selection of key weapons, are compared to each other in the areas of long range, mid-range, short, and special weapons. Each category introduces the weapon, highlights its use, has a demonstration enacted on ballistics gel or a dead pig/cow – then the same for the opponent.

There is an E.R. doctor, and 2 techies that evaluate the damage done, and a winner of that scenario is determined.

Finally, based on all data selected, a program is run simulating an encounter with both fighters each using the tested weapons. The simulation is run 1000 times. The final outcome is then enacted by actors, with the tally of the effectiveness of each weapon shown to the audience.

It’s simple, a tad bit repetitive, and interesting. Shaolin Monk beat Maori, Samurai beat Viking, Pirate beats Knight, and so on.

This week’s episode may be the most debatable and hotly contested. For the first time the show took on individual warriors instead of random groups. They picked Tshaka Zulu vs. William Wallace.

(I like the song choice by the way. My video just has the audio from the show)

Now I understand the concept that steel beats wood. And I will give the fact that a claymore sword can inflict horrific damage. But I still don’t think Wallace wins.

Shaka Zulu is a lifetime trained warrior, with far more experience than Wallace. Shaka is faster, with lighter more flexible weapons. One miss with a claymore and Wallace is exposed for way too much time. That is the nature of his sword. The short spear of Shaka should leave Wallace dead in my opinion.

But before this gets racial (because someone out there will make it so) this is not about the race of the fighters. Not for the show, nor me. Just based on my knowledge of the weapons both men used, the number of battles they fought, and the likely conditioning of each, I put Chaka Zulu above Wallace.

But do you agree with me, or the Deadliest Warrior team? And why?

Discussing the Spike TV show Kill Point - 7.29.2007.1

I’m not sure how many people were able to see the new cable television show on Spike TV. I like the programs that Spike has made so far, they have good plots, quality production and a diversity that most any other show on television today seems to ignore. Actually the same can be said of FX as well. But this new show really caught my attention.

The show is called The Kill Point. A drama with a lot of tension. Essentially we get to see both sides of a hostage situation. One point of view is held by Mr. John Leguizamo, leader of the would-be bank robbers and hostage takers. The key negotiator for the police is Mr. Donnie Wahlberg. Much of the tension is the manner in which both of these men are making plans to outwit the other and confront each other. Luckily for the hostages, neither man wants harm them. Yet they are the currency that both are using to get the goals before them.

In the introduction to the program things happen quickly. The bank robbery that starts everything is near perfect in execution. Were it not for the efforts of a zealous FBI agent, there would be no story. But her interruption as the robbers leave the bank quickly brings about a gun battle the equal to that of many war movies or scenes from Baghdad. With little delay we find that the robbers include a medic, are accustomed to working scenarios on the fly, and are determined.

We meet our police officers shortly afterwards and the game of chess begins. The robbers need to keep hostages, especially a computer savvy boy and a daughter of a wealthy businessman, while devising a unique plan that will allow them to escape. The police are battling poor decisions from higher ups, little information and the preservation of as many lives as possible.

In between we get to have a bit of current day politics thrown in. You cannot miss the point, and in one scene it thrown down our throats. Of course this is done by Mr. Wolf to gain sympathy from the public, and not an altruistic end. Not that if he were to have that portion of his demands met, along with freedom for him and his men, he wouldn’t be happy.

While this is not a unique storyline, there are elements that separate this program from the others. The would-be bank robbers are all Marines, from the same unit that saw serious fighting in Iraq. Most have seen multiple tours. All are completely loyal to Mr. Wolf, the man responsible for saving their lives, scarred from multiple battles and dishonorably discharged for not taking his men into a battle that would have killed them all. The men are all played as efficient, capable soldiers, who are morally against hurting the hostages, or the police. Yet each has sworn to die rather than go to jail.

For the police we have a lead negotiator that is obsessed with proper grammar in speech and writing. The man is sharp and his obsession (which borders on OCD) plays well for a job title where the nuances of language are critical. It also adds a nice counter point to the tension while not breaking from the storyline.

There are a few wildcards in the program as well. Several members that were in Iraq as well are banding together to help out their besieged comrades. This is something neither the police nor the trapped robbers are aware of. The introduction of the FBI, and politics in the form of the Mayor’s office are other flags in the wind. Not to mention a possible deal with the business tycoon.

As I mentioned earlier, the show is diversified. Unlike the usual solitary non-white character found in broadcast programming, this show has a wide range of ethnicities. It reflects the variations in the military and our cities. It’s a nice touch and adds to the realism of the program. From the hostages, to the police, to the bank robbers there is a mix that makes sense and goes beyond the typical Latino gangmember, poor Black drug addict, and other such demeaning stereotypes.

The acting is better than average and I think this is one of Mr. Leguizamo’s better performances. I feel he has been underrated for some time. Perhaps this show will be the thing he needs to get the upper tier of opportunities. Equally on point is Mr. Wahlberg.

I’m not sure how many episodes there will be, I can’t see this going on to a second season due to the nature of the premise. Given that, I suggest watching this and taking it all in while you can. Good intelligent and entertaining television is hard to find these days.