tv previews
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday March 7, 2011
Dog Whisperer Escape from Scorpion Island Real Sex: Stock Down, Sex Up Re-enchantmentDog Whispererwith Cesar MillanABC1, 6.30pmApparently drug-addled celebrities are not the only Americans in need of rehab. Cesar Millan "rehabilitates" troubled canines. Be they aggressive, timid, lazy or compulsive (yes, really), Millan claims he can fix the problem with little more than a few taps on the nose and an admonishing "Psht!"This is bubble-gum television but Millan does have a remarkable way with dogs.In a few minutes, he solves problems that have flummoxed owners for years.Escape fromScorpion IslandABC3, 6.25pmPart Survivor, part Lord of the Flies, this reality series for children features hyperactive motormouths marooned on an island. And that's just the hosts. The contestants, aged 11 to 13, are far more civilised. They tackle the challenges with gusto and, unlike adult contestants on so many reality shows, are pleasant, considerate and encouraging to each other.Unfortunately, hosts Myleene Klass and Johnny Pitts provide noisy, hyperbolic and unnecessary narration in every scene. "Legend is about to be rewritten," booms Klass before the episode's challenge. Really? Which particular legend does she have in mind? I don't remember the one about the ankle-biters in hard hats crossing a rope bridge above a stream.Despite the feverish commentary, the pace is sluggish. The episode is halfway through before the only challenge begins. The show spends so much time with the girls' team as they wobble above the river that the boys' turn must wait until next week. It tested my patience and, I imagine, would seem even slower to a 12 year old.Real Sex: StockDown, Sex UpSBS One, 10.05pmIt starts promisingly, with cheeky animated opening credits, but this late-night documentary never really reaches a climax. Its premise - the financial crisis made horny beasts of us all - is intriguing but tenuous. For about five minutes it looks as though there might be something to it. Two young women, sacked from corporate jobs, seek work as pole dancers to pay the rent. Before long, though, images of huffing porn stars replace any sense of coherent argument.The real low point is the interview with Madison Young, "pornographic actress". Her grunting and shrieking is about as sexy as a colonoscopy but at least when she's performing she's not talking. Her work, she tells us, is all about empowering women. She never explains how but apparently it has something to do with anal sex and choking.Aside from a few token attempts to link the interviews to the financial crisis, the documentary is a mishmash of disconnected footage. Barely titillating and certainly not illuminating.Re-enchantmentABC1, 10.55pmThere is only so much information you can squeeze into a three-minute documentary so the episodes in this 10-part series can seem slightly superficial. That is because the televised element is just an appetiser for a much broader online exploration of the history and significance of fairytales.Tonight's episode about the symbolic value of wicked stepmothers combines film clips and animation with commentary from writers and academics. Some of their observations (the wicked witch stereotype demonises older women and demonstrates cultural anxiety about female power) feel a little obvious but there is enough here to prompt a visit to the website, abc.net.au/tv/re-enchantment. The site is beautifully designed and full of surprising insights about old favourites, including Cinderella, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel.
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald