Retro A Go-Go: Golden Vision

This review might seem to come from left field for me as I am not a sports fan nor claim to be much of a football fan. Yes, I did get sucked into the hype of the recent Olympics but by no means do I follow any sport at all. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am not referring to the American version of the game but the sport that is so popular outside the microcosm know as the US. To rid you of any doubt, I am talking about soccer, herein, referred to as footie.

As part of this year's celebration of Liverpool being named the European Capital of Culture, many of the mainstream channels in the UK are playing Scouse oriented specials. Living with a Liverpudlian myself and no, he is not football mad either and just for the record he was a Liverpool supporter, I get to see a lot of shows that would never be available over here otherwise.

You see back in the 60's in the UK, there was a new breed of show referred to as the kitchen sink drama. These were basically weekly dramatic made-for-TV movies that focused on normal working class families while at the same time investigating controversial topics of the day such as homelessness, poverty and mental illness. They are considered an institution in British television history and launched the careers of many great directors such as Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, who directed this episode. This show was part of the Wednesday Play collection shown on BBC1 which ran from 1964-1970. Later in the 70's, plays of this type were shown on different days, thus the title of the series was changed to Play for Today. Even now, they are revered as some of the best and most socially aware shows to have ever aired in Britain.

The Golden Vision, aptly named after the nickname given to its star player of the time, Alex Young, is set in the northern working class city of Liverpool and is a documentary of sorts that follows the relationship of a group of Everton supporters and their much beloved team. As well as being a city that has two cathedrals, Liverpool also is home to two football teams, Liverpool FC and Everton. This is a very big deal there. Back in 1968 when this was aired, Everton were at the top of their league. One of the great things about this play is that the actual players of the time play themselves. Imagine in this day and age the likes of Wayne Rooney or David Beckham just hanging out with their fans sans bodyguards, posse or paparazzi.

The true nature of how football fandom is drilled into the minds of the British youth is evident when a grandfather is seen grilling his grandson on team facts and figures and recounts how Everton's victories helped lift the spirits of the city even in times of war. You then see the fans out for a stag night at a strip club, which for those days on a national television show was quite controversial (hell, they even showed the girls topless.... here in the US as we saw with the famous "wardrobe malfunction" of 2004, it is still in 2008 a complete no-no to show a nipple on tv.) Yet even though they are in a strip club, the men only have footie on the brain as they shout about it across the crowded club.

It's not one of Loach's finest pieces (check out his classics Kes or Cathy Come Home which was also a part of the Wednesday Play series) but it does give the viewer a glimpse of true life back in what some would call the golden age of football in England.

WTF - How is this a top news story!!!!

Well once again, the Los Angeles local news stuns and amazes me. This just popped into my inbox. I guess today there are no wars being fought, no droughts or famines anywhere in the world, cures have been found for every terminal illness on the planet because here in Hell-A, as I like to call it, the top news story at the moment is that a baby girl is crawling on a sidewalk.

I wonder if we will ever get a status update when this kid learns to walk.

A Brit of This and That: Skins: Tony

Now that the Olympics are well and truly over, life over here at TVholics Anonymous can get back to normal. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the critically acclaimed BAFTA nominated show, Skins is playing on BBC America. I have just learned that they are indeed going to show both seasons back to back which is FANTASTIC as more often than not on BBCA, a great show's first season or in some cases seasons are often aired and then disappear into obscurity such as Shameless and MI5 (aka Spooks in the UK.)

Even though the pilot episode is entitled, Tony, it serves as an introduction to the title character and his motley crew. The genius writers for this show who are all themselves between the ages of 18 and 22 have done something quite ingenious with the intros. Instead of just presenting each character, they have woven a great plot line based on a series of phone calls and texts from Tony. This allows us to get an idea of what each character is about albeit quickly but most effectively. As a side note, each episode examines one of the main characters and it's as though we are getting to see life from their point of view. So let's look and see who these kids are, shall we.

Tony is the cool ringleader who is cocky, self-assured and ready to take on whatever life throws him. He's also the boy all the girls and boys want to shag and doesn't he know it. His friends seem to be a bit intimidated of him as well.



Sid is the often downtrodden best mate of Tony who is head over heels in love with Tony's girlfriend, Michelle almost to the point of being labeled a stalker. He also serves as the butt of most of Tony's jokes and abuse. His quest in life is to get laid once and for all.



Michelle, who Tony has nicknamed "Nips" on account of her having a wonky nipple, is Tony's girlfriend. Although she knows that Sid is in love with her, she's besotted by Tony and would do anything for him.



Jal is the no nonsense uber talented clarinet player and best friend to Michelle. Of all the gang, she seems to have her shit the most together but I think we will just have to wait to learn more about her in future episodes.





Anwar, is the devout Muslim who can talk the religious talk but certainly doesn't walk it to the tee and, like most teenage boys, he's obsessed with sex as well as getting drunk and stoned.




Maxxie, the enormously talented openly gay entertainer (he taps like Gene Kelly, as well as sings and is an artist) is Anwar's best mate and is always up for an adventure.




Chris is the resident party boy who does far too many drugs. He also seems to have a bit of a crush on their psychology teacher, Angie.





Cassie is every man's perfect girl apart from the fact that she's a bit mentally unstable (but most men that I know wouldn't see that as much of an issue.) She's also just been released from rehab for her anorexia. She's ok now but still shouldn't be allowed near knives or so advises her mate, Michelle.


And lastly, there is Effy, Tony's little sister. She was only briefly seen in this episode but you can see that her and Tony have each other's backs as she sneaks in from a rough night in the opening of the episode.



The beauty of this show is that it looks at the real world of teens in modern day Britain (add a pinch of salt, of course, as this is a fiction series.) Unlike most US teen dramas, these kids talk openly about and have sex (both gay, straight and in-between and just in case you are wondering the age of consent is 16 over there), openly drink and do drugs and they generally get up to no flipping good.

The central plot of this episode is Tony throwing a birthday party for Sid as well as finding him a girl to shag. But after teasing Sid, that Michelle will be the lucky girl to deflower him, he orders Sid to go and score some spliff on tick from a nutter called the Mad Twatter, who tells Sid that he will consider his bollocks collateral until he is paid. Turns out the majority of the group isn't that keen on going to the party, which is being thrown at Abigail's house. You see she's a trustafarian who goes to the all girl college across the way from Roundview and has a crush on Tony. This is when we get to see how the other half live what with Abigail worrying every two minutes about the imported silk wallpaper that just arrived from Rome. Wouldn't want mumsy freaking out if anything should happen to her precious belongings, now would we?
Plans change and Anwar, Chris and Maxxie forgo Maxxie's Big Gay Night Out and head over to Abigail's for the party. It only takes them 5 hours, 4 buses and 2 bottles of vodka to get there but hey, anything for a good time, right??? Once they arrive, the party is in full swing and things go downhill from here. You see the tardy threesome weren't informed about the no shoes policy at the house (wouldn't want those new carpets soiled) and after their trek, they are covered in mud. Chris ends up getting into a fight and before you know it household objects are flying all over the place.

While all this is going on, Sid is tending to Cassie, who was elected by Michelle to devirginize him. Well, that plan didn't go ahead but they are outside on a trampoline enjoying the sunrise while talking. Turns out Cassie, after reorganizing all of the food in the pantries (the food just wasn't displayed properly for her tastes) has just announced to Sid that they should have sex now and quickly since she's taken a handful of pills. She promptly passes out and Sid gathers the troops and thanks to this Polish girl at the party, who is ready to jump Chris' bones, they steal a Mercedes to get her to hospital. Just as they pull up, Cassie wakes up from what she says is a beautiful dream. They decide that they need to get rid of the car and stop off to plot their next move as well as Anwar has to pee badly. Tony decides now is the best time to roll another spliff and while looking for the skins, Sid accidentally releases the brake and as you might have predicted the car rolls into the river. They all get out safely but unfortunately the bag of pot doesn't fare so well.

Sure the ending is a bit silly but this show is meant to be entertaining. It's really the little nuances of the show that make it even more compelling viewing than just the main plot. Case in point when Tony bumps into his acquaintance, Kenny, who is flogging The Big Issue. This is when having a bit of British knowledge is a plus. You see The Big Issue is a magazine that is sold by the homeless to earn some much needed cash. So when Tony asks Kenny how is holiday was, who can't help but crack up when Kenny tells them that four star hotels these days aren't what they used to be or at least in Greece. ABSOLUTE GENIUS!!!!

And how utterly fantastic is to see comedic legend, Harry Enfield, portraying Tony's easily irritated father. If you're not familiar with the works of Mr. Enfield run over to Netflix and check out some of his sketch comedy. He made angst ridden teens the butt of many of his routines.

So in case you haven't already set your DVR to record the series, what the hell are you waiting for????

Off the Wagon Mike: Big Brother 10 Week 5

Hey, Off the Wagon Mike here with another blog about my favorite show I love to hate: Big Brother. I'm so happy that that bitch April is out of the house, I was worried for a few days there that she may be able to save herself, but it looks like the house hated the dirty slut just as much as the rest of America does. Of course, she thinks everyone loves her, and why wouldn't they? I mean, according to her she "hasn't done anything to anybody, haven't lost my word. Nothing. Zero. Nothing except do dishes and make cakes and give people stuff." What a saint. And she showed how much of a saint she was by rolling over onto her back and accepting that she was going home. Kind of like how she played the whole game on her back while Ollie...yeah, I don't want to think about that again either.

Wasn't it amazing how much cuter April's twin sister is compared to her? Even though they are identical. It was like, just by knowing April and her personality, it made her less attractive. Speaking of less attractive, I think Jerry is the most annoying houseguest ever, and a total pariah in the house. Sometimes I think he must have leprosy the way the other houseguests run when he comes near. Yet somehow he won the phone call from home, and now thinks America loves him. Thanks America, Jerry really deserved that. And now I'll get to hear how he's America's favorite and he'll feel justified attacking poor Dan And Keesha.

I'm really hoping at this point for a Dan and Keesha final two. These two have played great games and they deserve to face off against each other. Renny's played a great game too, as has Memphis for that matter. He has completely redeemed himself from the beginning of the show when I didn't like him. He still wears that shirt that says Memphis though. That's stupid.

The head of household competition this week was one of my favorites ever. How can you not love a comp where the houseguests get thrown into a wall repeatedly? There's nothing I like to see more than stupid people in pain. And this competition looked like it was even more painful than you could imagine. Each of the houseguests laid on the ground for a while after coming off the swings, and Memphis looked like he was on the verge of death after he came off and went to take a shower.

I'm hoping Jerry gets sent packing this week and the foursome of Memphis, Keesha, Dan and Renny take out Ollie and Michelle next and leave those four at the end. With the double eviction on Thursday night, we'll hopefully be two people closer to that final four. And maybe one of the four can win HOH after the double eviction and seal the deal. That's it for this week. I'm getting excited for the fall season with all the commercials for Survivor being shown during Big Brother. Until next time, this is Off the Wagon Mike signing off.

WTF - The Olympics Part Trois

How perfect! For a country with a major obesity problem, how is it that the Olympics were proudly sponsored by two of the most anti-health companies in the world - McDonald's and Coca Cola. Honestly, do any of the athletes eat this crap!!! And did you hear Michael Phelps will be the proud face of not Wheaties or Kellogg's Special K but FROSTED FLAKES!!! Don't get me wrong this is my absolute favorite cereal but honestly how the hell does that promote an athletic nutrition!!!!!

WTF - The Olympics Part Deux

I have to admit I am beyond help in my addiction with this year's Olympics. It's gotten out of total control. I am watching up to 20 hours of it a day (thank god for DVR's). But last night really made me wish I could watch them in a different country. Is it just me or is all of the commentary and what we get to see uber skewed!!!!! If the US isn't up for a medal than they just don't cover it or if they do in fact get a medal, it should always be a gold and if it's not then let's have the commentators either talk over the other countries' performances about how the US was robbed or just point out every mistake which when an American athlete makes those same mistakes it's glossed over.

Case in point the women's individual uneven bars last night where it resulted in a tie between He Kexin of China and Nastia Liukin of the US. Both did the same routine. Both scored the same but when it was down to a tie breaker it was revealed that He Kexin was the gold medalist by a tenth of a point. Well you should have heard the commentary. despite the fact that Ukraine's Anastasia Koval was doing her routine albeit badly, the so called on-air experts just kept going on and on about Nastia's "wrongful" score (hey, Nastia didn't stick the landing and frankly she doesn't have the grace and lightness that He has.) And did you happen to catch that obnoxious grin that Valeri Luikin made when Anastasia messed up her routine. What happened to sportsmanship???

And I think that Valeri should work on Nastia's sour grapes. She's out of control. If she gets a score that she feels unfair she looks like a rabid pit bull as she sits there pouting with her pursed lips and heavy breathing. Have some dignity!!!! You didn't see the same reaction on France's Thomas Bouhail's face when he was awarded the silver in a tie with Poland's Leszek Blanik. Funny that, huh????
And did the commentators need to show Nastia's crazed-looked mother in the stands???? She looked like she was on something. Of course the newscasters commented that she normally can't take the stress of watching her daughter compete and was walking the streets of Beijing until that moment (they quickly corrected that statement and said that she was more than likely shopping that day.) It's not like we hadn't already had to see Nastia and her dad enjoy their boat and zip around Parker, Texas in their Porsche during the pre-match footage. I think we get it that these are the upper class of the American gymnastic world.

One more thing, can we stop accusing the Chinese of cheating by sending gymnasts that are supposedly under 16. Honestly, once again last night they kept trying to stir the pot that He Kexin should be disqualified as it's speculated that she is only 14. They kept saying that she looks too young to be 16. This from a country where Ali Lohan and Miley Cyrus look like 40 year old women and are only 15. So I bring to you, spot the one that looks her age!!!! Does it really matter how old she is???? If she truly is underage, then she's a more amazing athlete than we thought.

Before I dismount off my pulpit, I don't think it was totally called for that during the medal ceremony that once again the commentators had to keep going on about how Nastia being robbed and even uttered "He Kexin really think she won the gold." Well, let's see, she's standing there on the podium with a gold medal around her neck while they are playing the Chinese national anthem. Generally, this is seen as winning the gold. Get over it America, the best girl won.... Kiss this Nastia!!!!

A New Classic: Skins

If you missed the two hour premiere of Skins on BBC America last night, then you need to step away from your computer and find out when it's going to be repeated. Skins has to be one of the BEST teen dramas ever made. I managed to watch both seasons of it a few months back thanks to UK Soaps, and yes I watched them over the course of two days and will be rewatching them again. One side note, though, I am wondering what compelled BBCAmerica to add subtitles to some of the conversations???? Sure there are some very thick British accents out there but honestly you can totally figure out what they are saying.
This show is everything that things like The Hills, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Gossip Girl and all the rest aspire to be. Gritty and more realistic than any of the aforementioned shows, this epic follows the trials and tribulations of a group of college kids in Britain mix that with a whole of lot of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and voila you have Skins. Now, in case you aren't familiar with the British education system, college is usually the time from when you are 16-18 to work on your exams so you can place at a university. Another helpful tidbit for all of you non-Anglophiles out there, is that the drinking age in the UK is 18 but once you turn 15 you can go legally into the pub and drink certain alcohols like shandys.
Each episode delves into one character of the gang so you will never be bored. The main characters are Tony and Sid and of course Sid's quest to get laid by the love of his life Michelle, who also happens to be Tony's girlfriend. But all gets skewed when Cassie, freshly released from a mental hospital, enters and turns Sid's heart upside down.
Trust me people, this is THE show to be watching right now and let's just hope that producers in the US don't try to make a commercial Christianized version of this modern day classic. Also they are currently casting for the third season in the UK. They are planning to recruit all new kids to follow and are trying to get non-actors to fill these roles. I can't wait!!!!

I Want Those Hours of My Life Back: The Mole

Not sure how many of you got caught up in the lackluster phenomenon called The Mole on ABC but sadly I will admit I was one of them. I had watched this show years ago when it was hosted by Anderson Cooper from CNN. If you are not familiar with the show, the basic premise is kind of a Survivor meets Amazing Race meets James Bond. Basically a group of people are left in a foreign country (Argentina this time) and are then made to perform various tasks to earn money for the pot but the twist is that one person is really a mole and is out to sabotage the rest of the team from getting money put in the pot. At the end of each episode, the contestants are quizzed about the mole and the person with the greatest number of wrong answers or the slowest time is "executed." It does sound more exciting on paper than in reality.

There were a couple of moron players who were just so over the top that if they had really been the Mole I would have definitely drafted a Dear Sir letter to ABC. Those would have been Nicole and Paul.

Nicole was just an uber nightmare from her thinking that she was better than anyone else to even threatening Paul with death. I still think that she was just a paid actor and if so, she shouldn't quit her day job as a gynecologist (and I don't think I would want to be one of her patients either for that matter.)

Now Paul was just your typical loudmouth obnoxious New Yorker from Yonkers. He was rude, opinionated and not the smartest tool in the shed despite it being revealed on the finale that he was the only one on to the identity of the Mole from the first hour that they all met. But his and Nicole's fights were entertainment worthy that's for damn sure.

As to the winner and the revelation of the Mole, Mark ended up taking home the $420,000
jackpot (unfortunately he chose to read the Mole's dossier which meant not adding another $75,000 to the kitty but at the finale he said that he was more than happy with the amount.) Turns out Craig was the Mole. I didn't catch on to that fact until the second to the last episode when out of nowhere Craig ran through the streets of Buenos Aires like a madman. This was the same man who couldn't compete in quite a few of the beginning challenges as the altitude was making him very ill. I also noticed that for most of the shows when it got to revealing who was to be executed that Craig's name was never brought up. He did play a great game though.

Will I be watching this again if it's on next year, I'm not entirely sure. I might check out a few episodes but we all know what happens when I do that, I will end up watching the entire season and then complaining about how I lost hours of my life to it. Oh well....

Peace Out: Isaac Hayes

Sadly, Isaac Hayes has passed away today. How is that TV-related? Well, he was the voice of Chef on South Park not to mention a fabulous asset to the music world. Peace out, Shaft, you will be sorely missed.

WTF: The Olympics 2008

Yes that's right The Olympics are already getting a WTF from me but with a twist (well kind of).

First, it's getting a WTF as in how the hell did they create that Opening Ceremony!!! It was freaking AMAZING!!!! Just stunning. I still prefered the Athens Opening Ceremony over this one but just slightly. Everything from the 15,000 dancers to the fireworks to that utterly insane LED screen that rolled out on the field. Absolutely amazing....

Now for my complaints. Did we really need to have 2-3 minutes of commercials in between every 4 minute set change. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded seeing the dancers take their places.

And then tonight, I sat down to watch a bit of the men's team gymnastics and what do I see???? No, not what the guy was doing on the rings but half of the screen taken up with a promo telling me to watch The Olympics on NBC. Um, if I am already watching it on NBC then why do I need reminding......

I guess I will be dvring the rest of the events that I want to watch like fencing, judo, handball, archery and shooting. Yup, give me the less popular sports. Mind you, I am sure these are also the ones being shown on the less popular NBC channels such as MSNBC and CNBC. God forbid we should be exposed to these less proftiable activities or could it be that the US isn't favored in these so why should precious broadcasting time be devoted to them.

And another thing, can someone pease explain to me why people such as Kobe Bryant are playing in the games. I thought these were meant for amateurs and not players who are already making millions in their fields.

Peace Out: Bernie Mac

He was one of The Original Kings of Comedy. Sadly Bernie Mac succumbed to pneumonia earlier today. I'm sure they will all be kept laughing by him up in heaven.

Just Because.....

How could I not, right??? I present to you Bert and Ernie do Gangsta rap!!!

Off the Wagon Mike: Big Brother 10

Hey, Off the Wagon Mike is back here again with an update on Big Brother 10. Now, I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last update and my adoring fans have been wondering where I've been. And by adoring fans, I mean no one, so let's just move on and talk about what's happened since my last post.

So basically Steven and Angie got voted out. It's too bad about Steven getting voted out. He was a lot of fun and his final speech was awesome and pissed everyone off, which is really the best way to treat all these idiots. Now Angie getting voted off was fine with me because she could possibly be the most boring houseguest in the history of the show. Somehow though, people on multiple Big Brother websites love her and she was the favorite houseguest in the official CBS poll. I don't get it, maybe people like watching paint dry.

Now the only reason I would have liked to see Angie stay would be because then Jessie would be out of the house and I wouldn't have to deal with watching him anymore. He really bugs the hell out of me. He could be the dumbest person in the history of the world. Plus he's incredibly narcissistic and amazingly self-centered. How this douche has survived for 22 years is beyond me. I love when you can tell that the producers hate a houseguest with the edit they give them, and you can tell the producers hate Jessie. He is getting a nasty edit and will be in for a big shock when he gets voted out of the house this Thursday. Oh and Jessie, if you read this, if you have to constantly tell people that you're not stupid, it means that people think you're stupid, and if everyone thinks you're stupid it's because you are. I mean, really, was he even trying to make sense with his goodbye video to Angie last week? I swear he made up words that sounded intelligent and mashed a bunch of them together, then finished it up by saying, you know what I mean. I don't think she did.

On to other houseguests. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Libra is growing on me. I still dislike her, but only mildly now. Maybe it's because she is leading the charge to get Jessie voted out, or maybe because she can throw down in a fight. The girl has had quite a few shouting matches so far this season. And was that not the best birthday party you've ever seen for Keesha's birthday? How awkward was them singing happy birthday to her? Awesome. Gotta love any birthday party that includes fights, shouting and tears. Reminds me of my childhood...

Right now I'm hoping for a Keesha, Dan, Renny final three. Those three are playing a great game and I think they can go far in the game together. The shit will definitely hit the fan Thursday when Keesha, Libra, Renny and Dan go against April's wishes and vote out Jessie. I'm waiting for the Barbie battle to turn into a full fledged war and my girl Keesha will come out victorious. As long as Jessie goes this week, Memphis and Michelle are in a good position to go far as the group of 7 tear each other apart the next few weeks. These 7 people really seem to dislike one another and the potential for serious drama is going to be at an all time high the next few weeks. It's so exciting.

You gotta feel bad for Michelle after losing the Hawaii vacation and getting stuck with the unitard. Sucks to be her. But at least she can still win the game, which is more than I can say for Jessie. And in his honor, I'm going to leave you with proof of him being a complete idiot. When he was trying to make Michelle feel better tonight, he told her that she can still win the $500,000, and then said "500,000, you can fucking buy Hawaii." Yes, that's a direct quote from tonight's ep. Loved the look Memphis gave him when he said that.

WTF - Shark Week on the Discovery Channel

OK I get the idea of Shark Week, the annual festival of all things shark related on the Discovery Channel. I will admit years ago I watched it, didn't think it was all that but please some explain to me how the f--k can someone make an hour long documentary entitled "How Not to Become Shark Bait." I just happened to see the title while surfing the guide and had to stop and ask why???? How can it take 60 minutes (well 42 minutes if you subtract the commercials, which of course tout more insane shark related shows such as "Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa" (apparently they "hurtle" their bodies out of the water. Of course I picture these "air sharks" wearing Superman-like capes or even JabberJaw himself) or the patriotic: "American Shark" (Well, it IS an election year after all) but I digress. OK, back to my initial question, how the hell does it take about 40 minutes to simply tell people, "Don't go in the water!" Really, it's that f--king simple, isn't it????? Not rocket science or quantum physics in the slightest way. Stunning really..... It would have cut production costs by loads....

Now to even make matters worse I had to go online (I couldn't bring myself to actually put the show on, I would have gotten sucked in with the rest of the lemmings) But alas now I am fascinated by the hysteria once I see all the special features on the site for this festive occasion. Did you know that you can actually "sharkify" yourself! Yes, if you have ever laid awake late at night pondering what in fact you would look like with shark features, worry no more! Or better yet play a game where you are a Sharkrunner and you are tracking sharks in real time!!!)

So I look up this How Not to Become Shark Bait and what do I find, you might ask. Well, let me show you.
As you can see, it's not a picture of a boat loaded with horn-rimmed scientists or even a picture of a shark (or even an Air Shark) No you get a freaking red-nosed rainbow haired CLOWN!!!!

I'm so glad I didn't change the channel......

WTF: So You Think You Can Dance - Fire the Cameramen!

Yes, it's happened again. No not Cat's hair or even a wardrobe choice, this time I am calling for the immediate dismissal of all cameramen, editors and producers on So You Think You Can Dance. I have had enough of them!!!! Is it just me or don't most people watching this show actually want to see dancing and not just close-ups of the contestants faces or dizzying camera angles that don't focus on the dance!!!! Seriously, you don't need 5 jib-arms to film this show. Two semi-stationary cameras pointed to the stage should be more than sufficient.

This is not the only show to have horrible camera angles. One of the BIG reasons I don't watch America's Got Talent is because of the fact that the cameramen tend to focus a lot more on the audience's over-exaggerated reactions and guffaws than on the performers. I mean this show would be right up my alley - a modern Gong Show featuring The Hoff (he fascinates me!!!!) and Sharon Osbourne (LOVE her!) but I just couldn't take seeing more of the hideous audience than the actual contenders.

So readers, let's take to the streets and start a protest against horrible camera angles and dizzying jib arms from ruining our favorite variety shows. It truly is a formidable cause, don't you think????