Inesday, January I 1 ), 20(X)
AGGIELIFE
THE BATTALION
Page 3
Year In Television
1999 recycles old material while bringing new ideas to the slate
mi i n in i imm
BY JULIA RECINDUS
The Battalion
A lthough viewers are presented with
hundreds of channels to choose from,
few TV shows of 1999 strayed from
tried-and-true formulas.
This may have been because innovative
show s lavished w ith critical praise, such as
Fox's “Action”, did not draw viewers.
Hit shows focus on teen
woes
What millions of viewers did tune in to see
last year were the clique of teen dramas. These
popular, addictive shows, including “Party of
Five” and “Dawson’s Creek," were joined by
"Popular" and spin-offs such as “Time of Your
Life,” which captivated their viewers by suck
ing them into the throes of white, middle-class
teenager’s woes.
Networks seem to have caught on to the
fact that creating programs aimed at teens is
smart because not only do teens have money
to burn, which makes these shows attractive to
advertisers, but these programs seem to have
long-lasting shelf lives, as shown by the stay
ing power of “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
Old ideas, new twist
One genre that has made a startling come
back is the quiz show. Led by ABC’s “Who
Wants to be a Millionaire?," hosted by Regis
Philben, a slew of copycat shows have fol
lowed including CBS’s “Winning Lines” and
Fox’s “Greed.”
Boys will be boys
The producers of “Candid Camera”
probably never imagined what Tom
Green, host of “The Tom Green Show,”
would do w ith the simple premise of tap
ing people’s reactions to outlandish situa
tions.
Green, along w ith his co-host, Glen, re
sorts to juvenile tactics to get a laugh, such
as interviewing people with a microphone
topped with animal excrement, invading
strangers' homes in the wee hours of the
morning for a member of his crew to take
a shower and having his parents wake up
to find an obscene statue on their front
lawn.
Comedy Central’s “The Man Show”
took the idea behind ABC’s “Politically
Incorrect” one step further by allowing
hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla
to not only share their politically incorrect
thoughts, but also bring these thought to
life as they watch girls jumping on tram
polines.
Kimmel explained that the duo also
found inspiration in daytime feminist pro
grams, such as “Oprah.”
“It’s almost like the women have come to
gether to yammer as a community on televi
sion,” Kimmel said in an inten iew with The
Battalion.
“There’s so many shows that are just
women yammering all day. Like “The View”
— my wife had it on this morning — and all
these "Oprah” and talk shows that are all tar
geted to women. And they’re all very insidi
ous because they are anti-man; they just pre
tend that they're not. We are a show for men,
and we make no bones about it.”
Shows of a different nature
Though Jacques Cousteau’s name is syn
onymous with nature shows, “The Crocodile
Hunter” is nothing like Cousteau’s sedate pro
gram — for “The Crocodile Hunter,” danger
is the name of the game.
Steve Erwin and his wife, Terry, take view
ers into the wilderness as he wrestles croco
diles, handles snakes and chases li/ards.
With a child-like enthusiasm and a heavy
Australian accent, Steve enlightens viewers
about the “beauties" he encounters. In the wild
kingdom of nature shows, this one brings the
audience as close to the action as one can get.
Viewers accompany Steve on his zany ad
ventures and feel the excitement of being a
part of his expeditions as he cheats death at
every turn.
Much like "Crocodile Hunter" took
Jacques Cousteau’s concept to a new level,
“The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening has
given the premise of the ’60s cartoon “The Jet-
sons” a new twist with his view of the future
in “Futurama,” providing a witty, darker coun
terpart for "The Simpsons.”
As for the year ahead. Fox is once again on
a mad dash to prevent its newest critical dar
ling, "Malcolm in the Middle,” from becom
ing the next “Action” by running the show
twice a week and creating commercials that
quote several prominent newspapers and mag
azines harping about the show.
But ultimately, it will be up to viewers to
decide if any innovations will take place in the
medium that deserves a bad reputation.
EMILY HARREU/1 in Battalion
THE
BONFIRE
BENEFIT
CONCERT
Lyle Lovett 79 & Robert Earl Keen 78
Sunday, February 6th
6:00 pm
Reed Arena
ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE BONFIRE RELIEF FUND
Tickets on sale Jan. 22 at 10am at Reed Arena, the MSC
Box Office, and all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at
268-0414
presented
by
The Association
OF FORMER STUDENTS
Persons with disabilities requiring special assistance are requested to call 845-1515 to communicate special needs. We
request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist individuals to the best of our ability.
Bonfire Memorial Issue of
The Texas Aggie
The Association of Former Students has printed
an additional supply of the Bonfire Memorial Issue of
The Texas Aggie Magazine for current students.
Copies will be available at the Clayton Williams
Alumni Center during normal business hours.
(one per student, please)
The Association
OF FORMER STUDENTS
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