Today is Amelie Gillette day. (Hi Amelie!) She’s previously
published two equally funny reviews about strange TV shows and channels.
In "Freaks and Geeks" Amelie posits that the Discovery Channel is
trying to refurbish the image of science, moving away from nerdy nebbish and towards
the macho man.
“It’s not that the Discovery Channel is trying to make
science fun and entertaining; it's trying, desperately, to make science seem
manly. That's why the channel will often follow a program about the science of
making plastic bottles and jars (How It's Made), with, say, Motorcycle
Mania 2 (not to be confused with the original crazy-about-bikes show, Motorcycle
Mania). It's as if they're overcompensating for being nerds.”
“No Accounting for Taste” is part homage to TV
cooking shows, part screed against Rachel Ray and her ubiquity on the Food Network.
“To me, the TV chefs are the main draw of cooking shows, not
because I feel anything aching about them, either, but because there's
something intimate about watching someone cook. Hands are dirtied, tongues are
relaxed, and, pretty soon personal lives and secrets are revealed. It's like
watching a very slow-paced soap opera, complete with lessons on how to chop.”
Amelie also has a blog on the Onion AV club called The Hater.
