AnimalPlanet-related stories
Posted Jul 18th 2009 9:02AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd

If you ask the average zoologist what makes mysterious creatures like Bigfoot or El Chupacabra so impossible today when once scientifically-dismissed species like the Mountain Gorilla or Giant Squid are now common enough concepts, they'll probably say, "The difference is the gorilla and the squid are real, and Bigfoot isn't."
The scientific dismissal isn't keeping Animal Planet from releasing a new DVD featuring stories of cryptozoological oddities.
Announced this week and set for release this fall (October 6),
Lost Tapes operates under the thesis that, while thousands of new species are discovered and classified each year, there are some creatures that science still refuses to recognize.
Continue reading Mysterious creatures haunt Animal Planet's Lost Tapes DVD
Posted Mar 17th 2009 2:02PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, OpEd, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Celebrities, Big Brother (US), Dancing With The Stars, Host, TV Squad Lists, Casting

Since the reality television boom isn't going to end anytime soon, this could be a lucrative career path for the up-and-coming toddler who likes to ham it up with a microphone. After all, in this time of economic woes, what could be a better goal than glam, glitz, red carpets, and Emmy awards?
The reality show genre encompasses the gamut from talent contests to living in the jungle to living in a house with insufferable drones and drama queens and beyond. As a result, the hosts for these shows are going to be a varied lot, as well. Who are these people? How did they get where they are? And, more importantly ... what do I think of them? Read on.
Continue reading Six reality show hosts, six different realities
Posted Jan 11th 2009 9:56AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free

Animal Planet has
once again slated the Puppy Bowl (this one is number 5) to take place on February 1st, the same day as the Super Bowl. The National Anthem will be sung by a parrot and there will be a half-time show involving kitties. Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up.
I was informed that there was some excitement last year when one of the puppies knocked down a dalmatian who was carrying the ball and was penalized as a result and taken out of the game. I don't know exactly how that works, but it sounds exciting.
It's a cute gimmick that the Animal Planet has developed. You can't get much cheaper and cuter than filming puppies playing in a faux football stadium and people that watch puppies are definitely a different niche than those that watch football.
Still, there is some room for improvement. Why not throw a few bunnies and hamsters in there to liven things up? How would you improve the Puppy Bowl?
Posted Jul 11th 2008 8:39AM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Reality Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, OpEd, Documentary, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free

I attended the TCA Cable Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton yesterday where I learned about the following shows:
Whale Wars on Animal Planet
Secrets of the Dinosaur Mummy on Discovery
Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust on TLC
Ricky Gervais Comedy Special on HBO
Little Britain, USA on HBO
Generation Kill on HBO
And there's more. Believe me, there's more.
Okay, you've got whale pirates, mummies, bikinis, Ricky Gervais, vampires, and Marines. Unfortunately, none of those shows combine all six of those things / people. After the jump, find out about these new shows and the people who make them...
Continue reading Animal Planet, Discovery, TLC, and HBO - TCA Report
Posted Feb 6th 2008 10:00AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Children, Documentary, TV Squad Lists

Growing up as a child of the television generation, I was always mesmerized by any shows having to do with nature or animals. I'd glue myself to the set as Marlin Perkins and Jacques Cousteau took me on fantastic adventures far removed from my own life of domesticated animals.
But I always loved the domestic animals as well. Dogs and cats have always been a part of my life and I'm enriched by their presence in our world. What I didn't have when I was growing up was an Animal Planet exploring the world of animals from pets to deadly predators. From sentimental to educational to outright odd and scary, Animal Planet explores both the worlds of the wilds and the inner cities -- as long as there are animals involved. And, it's not just for kids.
Continue reading Seven reasons I watch Animal Planet
Posted Dec 2nd 2007 6:40PM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: OpEd, Documentary, Software

Would you play a
Meerkat Manor video game? I sure would--I would love to play as Flower leading her massive group of offspring around. I'm sure the fight scenes would be good too. Those meerkats have some pretty sweet moves.
Well, if you love
Meerkat Manor and you love video games, you're in luck because Activision (the same people who brought you the immensely-popular
Guitar Hero 3) has teamed up with Discovery Communications. The two companies are in talks to produce a series of video games based on cable network's shows.
They decided on
Meerkat Manor for the first game (it is Animal Planet's highest-rated show) and more titles will be released in early 2008. I wonder what other shows they will turn into video games? Discovery Communications has several cable networks so they have a wide array of shows to serve as the basis for a multi-media project (i.e. Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel). I have a few suggestions:
Man vs. Wild (or
Survivorman if you like him better),
Orangutan Island and
Deadliest Catch.
Posted Oct 3rd 2007 1:06PM by Liz Finn-Arnold
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Early Looks

Breathtaking vistas? Wild animals? Vibrant culture?
Life Is Wild, the new fish-out-of-water drama on the CW promises all these things, and yet, doesn't quite deliver. It's more of a "Life Is Mild" -- a generic family drama set in a lush South African locale -- that strips all the color out of the scenery by weighing down its story with bland characters played by nondescript actors stuck in unoriginal situations.
For real excitement and back-stabbing familial drama in the South African wild, check out the spectacular
Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. My family may be late to the game (
Meerkat Manor is now in its third season), but those meerkats have us absolutely riveted. And maybe that's why I had a hard time getting excited by
Life Is Wild. There's no real sense of danger. Unfortunately, this fictionalized African drama just can't compete with the real life-and-death struggles of those photogenic meerkats.
Continue reading Life Is Wild -- An early look
Posted Mar 24th 2007 7:40AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Cable, News, Video, Celebrities

Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin was tossed by an elephant while filming a segment with CNN's Anderson Cooper. Corwin is a regular correspondent for Cooper's show,
Anderson Cooper 360, for a segment called "Planet in Peril". The duo was in Cambodia at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center when one elephant put Corwin's arm in his mouth and shook him.
On his blog, Cooper describes what happened to Corwin as being "tossed like a ragdoll". Corwin also
posted on the blog, and describes the incident in very little detail and a non-alarmist way. It's apparent from his post that he's more concerned with the plight of the Cambodian elephants than with what happened.
The
video is on Cooper's blog (and
on YouTube) right now, and once you watch it, you'll be amazed to know that Corwin was generally okay. His arm wasn't even broken, just badly twisted and bruised. After the incident, Corwin continued filming with Cooper and then went to get checked out by a doctor, who put him in a sling. He may have some ligament damage, but will have to wait to know for sure when he returns to the U.S. I was actually very impressed with Cooper's reporting because he didn't let the incident overshadow the real reason for being with the elephants.
Video after the jump (the attack happens at 2:40 into the video):
[Thanks, Tim UF!]
Continue reading Jeff Corwin attacked by elephant - VIDEO
Posted Nov 24th 2006 11:02AM by Brett Love
Filed under: Cable, Documentary

If you, like me, are a sucker for interesting Animal Planet, Discovery, or National Geographic specials, you'll want to keep an eye out for this one. Using a combination of 4-D ultrasound, CGI, and tiny cameras, a team has been taking pictures of various animals as they develop in the womb. The results are pretty amazing, and will be the focus of a two hour documentary on the National Geographic channel called
In The Womb: Animals. Adam, wrote about the special a couple weeks ago, and linked to the
videos. Now, The Daily Mail has more on the special, including
a gallery that shows some new pictures with an elephant, dolphin, and dog. The special is scheduled to air Dec. 10. on National Geographic, and sometime in 2007 on Channel 4 in the UK.
[ via
boingboing ]
Posted Sep 6th 2006 8:04AM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, TV Royalty, Programming, Discovery
The partnership between Animal Planet (owned by Discovery Communications Inc.) and the late Steve Irwin can be traced to the network's inception in 1996. Back then, Irwin's series The Crocodile Hunter was one of the initial offerings of the fledgling network. The pairing of the two resulted in Irwin becoming an international star and Animal Planet reaching 160 countries across the globe. That's why it's no surprise that Animal Planet channels around the globe will honor Irwin on Sunday, September 10th with an all-day marathon of Best of the Croc Hunter programming.
Continue reading Animal Planet plans tribute to Steve Irwin
Posted Jan 5th 2006 11:51AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Cable, Talent, Programming

Later this month, Animal Planet is debuting a two-hour program about famous rock stars and their horses. Not pets,
just horses. It's called
Trail Mix. One of the biggest names on the show is Sheryl Crow, who will talk about
her relationship with her four horses, and how they inspire her songwriting. Other singers on the program include
Aerosmith's Joe Perry, LeeAnn Rhimes, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Irish tenor Ronan Tyan. The show also features former
Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas and his horse(s), which is sort-of surprising to me, because he just doesn't strike me
as the horseback-riding type. I'm not really sure what the horseback-riding type is, but the other singers featured on
the show seem like, yeah, they'd own horses. Two hours is an awful long time to talk about someone else's horses, but
if you're a fan of horses (or of those singers), I guess it could be interesting.
Trail Mix
premieres on Animal Planet on January 29th from 8-10 pm (ET).