The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 29, 2011 2 coverstory Back in the water Discovery dives back into Shark Week By Kyla Brewer TV Media s the heat of summer settles in, millions flock to sandy beaches in the hopes of cooling off in the wa- ter. But beach babes beware: something could be lurking just beneath the surface. Great white sharks are get- ting closer and closer to shore in recent years, and filmmak- ers aim to find out why in “Great White Invasion,” pre- miering Sunday, July 31, on Discovery. The documentary kicks off the cable channel’s annual Shark Week, a highly anticipated programming event featuring the most feared creatures of the deep. Hollywood immortalized the great white as a blood- thirsty, vengeful monster in the classic 1975 blockbuster “Jaws,” directed by a then fresh-faced Steven Spielberg. The film caused a frenzy among moviegoers, who were enthralled by the tale of a rogue shark with a taste for human flesh. Shark Week first cruised onto the airwaves in July 1986, and has since become a summer programming staple. Discovery presents several shark-themed specials throughout the week in the hopes of educating and en- tertaining viewers. Shark Week was reportedly devel- oped with the idea of helping A Dave Canterbury and Cody Lundin in “How Sharks Hunt” the average person under- stand and respect the often- misunderstood creatures. Now celebrating its 24th year, Shark Week has provided an incredible amount of detail about sharks. It is U.S. cable television’s longest-running programming event, and it doesn’t seem to be losing any steam. Last year’s tribute to the fearsome fish set records, hauling in more than 30 mil- lion viewers in the U.S. alone. This year’s Shark Week has the potential to hook even more viewers with several premiere programs. “Great White Invasion” re- veals that there have been relatively few reports of shark attacks, considering that great whites appear to be swimming among unwitting humans more and more these days. Scientists explore why they have been showing up closer to shore, from Ameri- ca’s west coast to South Afri- ca and Australia. Comedian Andy Samberg, Discovery’s very own chief shark officer for this year’s “Shark Week,” takes the ulti- mate plunge in “Shark City.” The performer brings a bit of humor to Shark Week as he prepares to jump into shark- infested waters in the Baha- mas. He’ll introduce viewers to a fascinating group of sharks with very distinct per- sonalities as he discovers their quirks, feeding patterns and fears. Yes, fears. Four great whites take a trip to Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod in “Jaws Comes Home.” Researchers follow them on their recently discov- ered 1,200-mile pilgrimage thanks to state-of-the-art technology. “Summer of the Shark” looks at what happened when sharks sparked a na- tionwide wave of fear across Australia in 2009. Shark ex- perts and fishery managers scrambled to figure out what was going on after a spate of reported shark attacks left swimmers and surfers badly wounded. Filmmakers present the facts of some of the most no- torious shark attacks in histo- ry in “Rogue Shark.” The pre- miere documentary explores the daunting prospect of a shark that intentionally tar- gets humans, the very prem- ise of the movie “Jaws.” A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 Another premiere special, “Killer Great White Christ- mas,” travels back in time to 1957 South Africa. At the height of the Christmas tourist season, an idyllic resort town became the scene of unspeak- able killings, terrorizing the merry vacationers. The author- ities suspected a shark with a hunger for human blood. Dave Canterbury and Cody Lundin, co-hosts of Discovery’s “Dual Survival,” take a look at what makes sharks such per- fect predators in the premiere of “How Sharks Hunt.” They use groundbreaking tests and innovative cameras to exam- ine the specialized killing methods of different species. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Shark Week brings the terrible beauty of sharks into homes across North America with several more specials throughout the week, including some Shark Week classics. By revealing so much about the lives of the ocean’s apex predators, Shark Week has called attention to their plight around the world. According to Andy Dehart, Discovery’s shark advisor and director of fishes and aquatic invertebrates at the National Aquarium, as many as 100,000 sharks could be killed during an average one-hour Shark Week episode. Many of them are killed for their fins, which can fetch a hefty price as a popular soup ingredient. Sadly, the fins are often taken and the body of the shark discarded. Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What can you tell me about the series “Here Come the Brides”? I remember watching it growing up. Was it on for only one season? A: The Western sitcom “Here Come the Brides” actually ran for two seasons on ABC, from 1968 to 1970, though many affiliates dropped it after the first when the network moved it to the Friday night time-slot, which was then, and remains today, a TV-show graveyard. Which is too bad, because the first season was consid- ered a hit -- a version of its theme song performed by Perry Como even cracked the Billboard Top 40. The series told of three brothers who run a logging com- pany in mid-1800s Washington State. In the pilot, they face a revolt by their loggers, who are threatening to leave the little town (population 152) because there are no women. The brothers hatch a scheme to import 100 eligible young ladies from back east and somehow convince them to stick around once they arrive. Despite a plot that would send a modern feminist into a storm of righteous rage, the show is actually credited as one of the first to be aimed specifically at a young female audi- ence, and the numbers said it worked (for that first season, anyway). A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. P not be provided. ersonal replies will