Critic's view - Saturday, June 27
The Age
Thursday June 25, 2009
Talk to the AnimalsChannel Nine, 4.30pmDR HARRY COOPER she ain't. With her coiffured crop, comely decolletage and designer jeans, Nicky Buckley is more yummy mummy than trusty vet and looks entirely capable of slipping back into Sale co-hosting duties should Nine ever resurrect it. As the face of the latest incarnation of Talk to the Animals, Buckley is an amalgam of favourite Nine fillies Livinia Nixon and Suzie Wilks; apple-pie wholesome with a hint of Sexy Spice. Much less hands-on than her predecessor Harry, Buckley's contact with the animals in this episode is limited to patting dogs and holding a towel-clad possum for its owner, Wendy. Each day, Wendy takes five baby possums to the school she works in, where they clamber over the receptionist like little monkeys, much to the delight of student visitors. Back at her home, a pet ferret named Gem is testament to Wendy's lunacy ... sorry, dedication to her furry friends. Another segment focuses on a dog show populated by neon-blue poodles and equally alarming custodians. Dog trainer Basil Theofanides manages to berate a set of pooch owners rather than the pups themselves. Entertaining viewing.rageABC1, 6amVideo HitsChannel Ten, 10amMORE than 22 years after rage and Video Hits first screened, a diverse demographic of young and old is still tuning in to see music videos on a Saturday morning. Once the edgier of the two, rage is far more commercial than I remember it in the early 1990s. Viewers of a certain vintage might be surprised to see clips from the Pussycat Dolls and Australian Idol's Wes Carr on Aunty - clearly the target audience is younger and less discerning than the Triple J radio demographic. Meanwhile, Ten has updated the Top-40 format to screen a wider variety of clips, with a pleasing quotient of classic Australian rock and plenty of newer music, both alternative and mainstream. Co-hosts Fuzzy and Hayden Guppy are engaging and articulate and never make the mistake of trying to outshine their star guests. Light-hearted interviews and interaction with current cultural goings-on provide neat segues into the musical numbers, making the advertisements-cum-competitions throughout slightly more tolerable. rage, of course, is mercifully ad-free, the only interruption to the tunes being a few carefully chosen words from guest programmers as they introduce songs of their choice. At 10am today, Glaswegian rockers Franz Ferdinand present a preview hour of their full program, screening from 11.45 tonight.Navy Divers: Hell WeekABC1, 4.30pmA WELCOME reprise for this excellent four-part documentary that follows navy recruits training to become clearance divers. In this opening episode, a group of 27 hopefuls is reduced to 14 after a week of gruelling marathon runs and midnight swims across Sydney Harbour. Interestingly, the trainers are not seeking overachieving extroverts. Rather, they are looking for the "grey man": quiet, compliant individuals who remain under the radar. This is a study in tight, concise documentary-making. You'll feel exhausted just watching it.The SquizSBS One, 8.30pmJUST how hard can it be to make a panel quiz show? Grab a sparky host and a bunch of celebrities, come up with a theme and presto! It certainly works on Ten's Talkin' 'bout your Generation, where the panelists demonstrate effortless rapport and the whole thing kicks along at a cracking pace. Judging by this sports quiz show, it's not that easy. Six episodes in, The Squiz is more polished but still has the feel of community television. Some of the segments aren't bad but it fails to fire. Perhaps the subject matter is too limited. Or maybe the problem lies with the panelists. Sportspeople tend not to be born communicators and as a result the comedians try too hard to fill the vacuum. It's a fine line between earning your keep and being overbearing. Tonight, host Ahn Do and team captains Amelia Jane Hunter and Jordan Raskopoulos are joined by former ironman Trevor Hendy, rugby player Matt Dunning, cyclist Anna Meares and two comics, George Kapiniaris and Britain's Jeff Green. It's hit and miss but if you like seeing sports stars out of their comfort zone it might just do the trick. -- with GREG HASSALL
© 2009 The Age
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