TVSquad

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...

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.

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.

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.

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!]

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 ]

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.

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).