SteveIrwin-related stories
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 Jul 23rd 2007 2:03PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Celebrities
Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, who died last year when a stingray's barb struck him the chest, is having a wildlife reserve in Outback Australia named after him.
Some of the animals on the reserve include quolls, a nocturnal, carnivorous marsupial; and speartooth sharks, river sharks that resemble the oceanic bull sharks (the Wenlock and Ducie rivers border the reserve). There's also a "gallery of dry vine forests," but vines don't chomp into the heads of rats and possums like quolls do, so they're not nearly as cool. Then again, maybe vines in Australia are man-eaters like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. That alone could convince me to fly to Australia and check it out.
Irwin's family will manage the 333,585 acre reserve. His wife Terri and daughter Bindi have continued his conservation efforts in the wake of his tragic death. Bindi can currently be seen on Bindi: The Jungle Girl on Discovery Kids.
Posted Jan 5th 2007 9:31AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: TV Royalty
Australian police are doing everything possible to ensure that the video tape of Steve Irwin's death never becomes public. The officers who investigated the
Crocodile Hunter's death have destroyed all copies of the video tape that shows him being stabbed in the chest by a stingray barb and dying. The original copy of the video has been handed over to Terri Irwin, Steve's widow. According to the Australian press, Terri plans to destroy the original copy because no one should ever have to see it.
I hope that this truly is the end of the videotape and I hope that the Australian police really did keep the tape tightly secure during their entire investigation. When I first heard that Irwin's death
was filmed, I pictured it showing up on YouTube (like the Saddam hanging). Terri Irwin is right: that's not something that the public needs to see.
Posted Jan 1st 2007 3:08PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Celebrities
I could have sworn someone had already made a Steve Irwin action figure, but I guess I was wrong. A quick search on Amazon resulted in Crocodile Hunter trading cards and a Crocodile Hunter boardgame, but no figures of action. The new action figure is based on the late Steve Irwin who died last September after being stung in the heart by a stingray. The twenty-two dollar toy is decked out in Irwin's signature khaki garb and says various phrases, including "Crikey!" a phrase I still attribute more to Danger Mouse than Irwin, but what can you do? The toy will make its debut next month at the International Toy Fair in New York. Now, through the magic of imagination he'll be able to do what he could never do while alive: fight Skeletor and make out with Barbie. Or vice versa.
Posted Jan 1st 2007 1:29PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Festivus, Celebrities, Obituaries
(Part 1 of 5) It's the time of year when we talk about what happened over the past year, and that unfortunately includes the deaths of many notable personalities. After the jump is a list of the celebrities and other TV-related people we lost in 2006, in no particular order. (Note: it's not easy to compile a list like this and I'm sure I forgot someone. Let me know in the comments and I'll try to add them.)
Continue reading Top TV Stories of 2006: People we've lost
Posted Dec 2nd 2006 4:45PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Programming, Celebrities, Discovery, Documentary
Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel are planning on simultaneously airing a two-hour tribute to Steve Irwin on Sunday, January 21. The first hour-and-a-half will be the world premiere of Irwin's final documentary, called
Ocean's Deadliest. This is the special that he was filming with adventurer Philippe Cousteau when Irwin was
struck in the heart by a stingray barb and died. Thankfully, the video of his death
will not air. Instead, the special is about Irwin and Cousteau's expedition to find the deadliest sea creature off the Australian coast.
Ocean's Deadliest will take them on different adventures that include wrangling a giant crocodile, watching great white sharks feast, and capturing deadly sea snakes. Cousteau narrates. As with all of Irwin's work, the documentary is meant to raise awareness about the roles of these dangerous creatures in our ecosystem.
The last half-hour of the special will be a tribute to Steve Irwin's life and legacy, featuring interviews with his wife and daughter, and others who knew him. It will also include some of his most exhilirating moments on film and some never-before-seen footage.
The tribute to Steve Irwin airs January 21 at 8 pm on both Animal Planet and Discovery.
Posted Oct 27th 2006 9:50PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Animation, South Park, Comedy Central
I suppose it was inevitable. The most recent episode of South Park, "Hell on Earth 2006," featured a Halloween bash thrown by Satan. When Satan finds out one of the guest has come dressed as the late Steve Irwin, who was killed last month when a stingray stung him through the heart. Satan approached the guest to tell him his costume, complete with a stingray hanging from the chest, was inappropriate and it was "too soon," but it turns out the guest is actually the Crocodile Hunter himself. Satan then kicks him out for not having a costume.
Mediawatch, a UK TV watchdog, called it "grossly insensitive." Comedy Central defended the episode, saying that fans have come to expect such things from the series, and that this is neither the first nor the last time people will be offended by the show.
Posted Sep 27th 2006 9:17AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: ABC, News, Programming
Terri Irwin sure is an admirable person. She recently gave an interview to Barbara Walters, saying that the footage of her husband's death will never make air. She hasn't seen the video herself, which shows Steve Irwin being stabbed in the heart by the barb of a stingray while filming a television special along Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Irwin tells Walters that no one should have to see it and I couldn't agree more.
In the interview, which airs tonight on ABC, Irwin also talks about how she and her family are handling their grief and what she was doing when she learned of her husband's death. It airs at 10 pm on
20/20.
Posted Sep 7th 2006 4:50PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming
At 7, USA has more coverage of the U.S. Open. - At 8, FOX has the premiere of 'Til Death, followed by the premiere of Happy Hour and a new Celebrity Duets.
- CBS has a new Big Brother: All Stars at 8.
- NBC has the first football of the season at 8, Dolphins vs. Steelers.
- Court TV has the movie A Few Good Men at 8.
- Also at 8: HBO runs the entire When The Levees Broke miniseries.
- At 9, TV Guide Channel has the special A Salute to the Crocodile Hunter.
- Larry King has an interview with Andre Agassi on CNN at 9.
- TCM has the original The Producers at 9.
- At 10, Food Network has a new Throwdown With Bobby Flay, followed by a new Ace of Cakes.
- The History Channel has a new American Eats at 10, about beer, followed by a new Modern Marvels.
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 Sep 5th 2006 9:34AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Cable, Celebrities
When I heard that Steve Irwin
died from a stingray barb he got while filming a show on the Great Barrier Reef, I was wondering if the producers of the special actually caught the accident on tape. According to Irwin's manager, John Stainton, that's
exactly what happened, and the experience of watching it was obviously not pleasant.
"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone," he told reporters in Carins, where Irwin was being autopsied. The ray may have been trapped between Irwin and the cameraman, say environmental experts, and that it shot out its tail in self-defense; there is no evidence that the Crocodile Hunter provoked the ray into attacking him. I would imagine that the footage will never make it to the air, but you never know these days. Hopefully, the producers will lock up the footage for good.
(UPDATE: This article says that, per Irwin's previously-stated wishes, the family will allow the video to be shown on TV. You know, I think I'll skip that one...)Posted Sep 4th 2006 1:00AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Celebrities, Obituaries
Steve Irwin, also known as
The Crocodile Hunter, has been killed.
Aussie media and CNN are reporting that he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest. He was snorkeling at north Queensland's Batt Reef at the time, where he was filming an underwater documentary. A friend of his told CNN that Irwin accidentally swam up on top of a stingray in the sand and it attacked, out of self defense.
Steve Irwin became a reptile enthusiast at a young age. He was only eight years old when his father moved the family to Queensland and opened up a small reptile park. Irwin took over the family business in 1991 and turned it into the Australia Zoo. According to Wikipedia,
The Crocodile Hunter television show was created in 1992 from footage of crocodile trapping/antics on his honeymoon with his American wife, Terri. His outrageous personality made him an instant hit in the United States.
Irwin was 44 years old. He leaves behind a wife, Terri, and two young children, Bob and Bindi.
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