Category: TV/Media

After a long day at work, I like to unwind by plopping down on the old leather couch and flipping on The Golf Channel. There’s no better calming effect than watching some high quality golf programming, preferably featuring Kelly Tilghman.

However, in the midst of this relaxation, there is a thirty second bit of garbage that seems to run at every stinkin’ commercial break. Peter Kessler and his Perfect Club. These grating spots generally consist of seemingly ordinary hackers, knocking a 210-yard shot stiff. Very believable… hrm. In his smarmy tone, Kessler tells us we can’t live without this wonder equipment.

After seeing the commercial for the 5^th time in the past hour, I think I might order one and smash my TV with it.

I finally got around to watching this week’s Big Break II. Thank {insert your own deity here} for PVRs. The first challenge (skills) was interesting, having each player hit four balls (two draws and two fades) around a huge obstacle to a green 180 yards away. The player with the lowest cumulative distance between their best draw and best fade was exempt from the next two challenges.

Then I thought they stepped it up a notch for the next challenge in which each player was represented by a small pane of glass mounted in a frame and the players took turns attempting to break other player’s panes thereby elminating that player from the challenge. It required a pretty low trajectory punch shot to hit the glass.

Continue reading “Big Break II Challenges”

The viewer’s choice for this seasons’s Big Break can’t hit a green in three tries from 180, 135, and 110 yards. Jay McNair went home without earning a single point in the elimination challenge. Several others earned only one or two points.

Who can’t hit a fairly big green once? The wind wasn’t that brutal, and if it was the camera sure as heck didn’t show it. The flagstick was barely leaning to one side, for example, and the green was “50 yards wide” as one other contestant said.

I like that there are three challenges each week, and that a player can be granted “immunity” by winning the first. Read more at The Golf Channel.

Rodney Dangerfield, 82, passed away today.

Dangerfield fell into a coma after undergoing heart surgery and died at 1:20pm today. Dangerfield had a heart valve replaced on August 25 at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center. He’d suffered a small stroke and some infections after the surgery, and had emerged from the coma just recently. Dangerfield is survived by his wife and two children from a previous marriage.

Rodney was known for his role in Caddyshack and many other movies, standup acts, and sketches. Mr. Dangerfield, you had our respect.

I’ve always found Tiger Woods‘ array of sponsors a bit peculiar. One the one hand, you have sexy companies like Nike and Tag Heuer shelling out mega cash to lock up the superstar for a few years. These seem a natural fit to me. Then you have American Express, Target, and everyone’s favorite carmaker Buick. BUICK?! Yes Buick. To me, this seems like such an odd pairing. Before they introduced the Rainier, does anyone really think Tiger would be caught dead carting Elin around Isleworth in a Buick Century?

Now, don’t get me wrong, Buicks are very nice American vehicles, but it just seems like a forced fit. Do I believe Tiger would use these products if Buick weren’t paying him a cool $40 million? Uhh, No. When I think of Tiger, I think Benz or Bimmer, not LeSabre for God’s sakes! Buick executives have recently announced that they want to “jazz up” the ads featuring Tiger. I’m sure that the fifty year-olds everywhere are doing cartwheels.

The Golf Channel’s original production The Big Break II begins its season tonight at 9pm on – duh – The Golf Channel.

The stakes for a chance to play big-time professional golf just got higher. The Golf Channel’s hit reality show – The Big Break – is back and heading for the bright lights and hot golf of Las Vegas for a new 11-week season.

The Big Break II pits 10 players against each other in challenges that test their golf skills and mental toughness. The last man standing wins an invitation to play four Nationwide Tour events in 2005, a 2005 Ford Five Hundred luxury sedan, and $10,000 from Nationwide.

My only real thought is this: couldn’t they just give the guy a Nationwide Tour card? Seriously. Four events? What would it really hurt? Anyway, the Big Break II is on in… about an hour. Don’t miss it. 🙂

The Masters, which became the first commercial-free major sporting event, is returning to the “old way” of doing things: four minutes of commercials per hour from ExxonMobil, IBM, and SBC Communications. Augusta National Golf Club chairman William “Hootie” Johnson has added 90 minutes of TV coverage to offset the commercials.

Many are disappointed with this move. Me? I’m just happy to have some bathroom and refrigerator breaks built in again. 🙂