history channel-related stories
Posted Nov 20th 2009 1:04PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Sports, OpEd, Celebrities, Documentary
Lately, Detroit Tiger all-star outfielder Curtis Granderson has been in the news because he might be joining the New York Yankees. However, if
Major League Baseball free agency doesn't make him a household name, television might. Granderson has an idea for a reality series that's being shopped around now and it's not like anything else other athletes have pitched.
Granderson's series is called Stadium Secrets and it will be like History Channel's
Cities of the Underworld. In fact, it might be suited to the History Channel. Granderson would host the show and lead viewers into the inner recesses and hidden passages of famous stadia around the world -- although it'll probably start with American locations.
Continue reading Granderson has Stadium Secrets to share
Posted Jul 30th 2009 2:01AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Celebrities, Documentary, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free
You never know when the most innocuous-sounding panel is going to bring out the A-listers here at the TCAs. But when a big name is behind a project and he or she is passionate about it, that person will brave the room of critics to promote it.
To say Matt Damon is "dedicated" to the new History documentary
The People Speak would be an understatement. The family of the Oscar winner lived next door to Professor Howard Zinn, on whose book,
A People's History of the United States, is based. He and his
Project Greenlight partner Chris Moore have been trying to bring the book to TV for a decade. "I have one of first copies (of Zinn's book) in hardback. It had a huge impact on my life so that's why I stayed with it. The moment we had iany influecne in this town we tried to get thids project off the ground."
Continue reading Matt Damon and Marisa Tomei promote History's The People Speak - TCA Report
Posted Jun 25th 2009 12:03PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Documentary
It's doubtful the tough guys (and gal) driving north to Alaska on the current season of
Ice Road Truckers are big video game players. They're too busy staying alive while driving tons of cargo over roads would keep sane people home from school.
But, that's not stopping The (former) History Channel from launching its first paid
iPhone and iPod Touch game with an application that allows users to command 18-wheelers across Arctic roads.
Fans of the show -- and of snowy truck driving in general -- can download a free, "lite" test version of the game now through Apple iTunes.
Continue reading Ice Road Truckers iPhone app lets fans hit the frozen road
Posted May 31st 2009 3:13PM by Michael Pascua
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Early Looks, Episode Reviews
Mark Burnett strikes again with
Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone, premiering tonight at 10 PM ET on History. The show channels a travel documentary with Burnett-style storyline. Four modern day explorers (Pasquale Scaturro, Mireya Mayor, Benedict Allen, and Kevin Sites) try to recreate the path that Henry Morton Stanley took to find Dr. David Livingstone. They forgo most of modern day technology (with the exception of water purifiers, sun block and medical kits) and depend on a map, a compass, porters, and two Maasai warriors.
Continue reading Expedition Africa -- An early look
Posted May 20th 2009 5:12PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Documentary
The History Channel has updated its website and schedule for the the return of one of its toughest and most popular reality series,
Ice Road Truckers.
Set to return Sunday nights on May 31, new episodes of
Ice Road Truckers take the show's cameras from the diamond mines and frozen highways of Canada's Northwest Territories north to the oil fields of Alaska.
Previous seasons featured rugged truck drivers (like Hugh "The Polar Bear" Rowland, right) braving subzero temperatures to drive rigs weighing thousands of tons over ice pathways smoothed out over frozen lakes.
Continue reading Ice Road Truckers heads north to Alaska for third season
Posted May 14th 2009 8:10PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Programming, Documentary, Upfronts, Reality-Free
The History Channel is one of those destinations I never seek out, but when I'm bored and flipping through they can grab me by whatever they're programming might be. I love the straight-up historical documentaries on major figures or events. It's also one of those channels that sucks you in and suddenly you realize that the sun's gone down, you haven't eaten all day, the cats are lying in their empty water bowls and you've been strapped into a hospital bed and hooked up to a ton of machines because your wife thinks you're in a coma.
Which means I'm more than excited about The History Channel tackling a new look at American history from the pilgrims to the current President.
America: The Story of Us is a twelve-part mini that will be thematically and chronologically presented, whatever that means. Which one takes precedence? Unfortunately, it won't be airing until Spring 2010 when it will have to compete against the last season of
Lost,
24 and
American Idol for attention.
Continue reading History brings twelve-part America mini and WWII in HD
Posted May 12th 2009 9:01AM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Programming, The Daily Show, Reality-Free
The History Channel has gained the nickname "The Hitler Channel" among some I know for its constant airing of World War II specials (many of featuring, well, Hitler). Perhaps they were thinking of that reputation when they put together their new slate of specials, which, according to
Broadcasting & Cable, includes
specials hosted by Jon Stewart and Lewis Black of
The Daily Show.
Stewart will be given two hours with which to target the immigration issue in a special called
The Naturalized. Considering the current economic implications of immigration and its role in last year's presidential campaign, there should be plenty for Stewart to work with to keep the special current. Stewart has already begun work on it, according to
B&C. The special will follow eight people on the track to becoming U.S. citizens. the special will air in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Continue reading The History Channel taps Jon Stewart and Lewis Black for specials
Posted Jul 8th 2008 7:23PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Documentary, Reality-Free
The cable network History -- formerly known as the
History Channel (it'll always be the History Channel to me) -- has
a couple of projects in the works, one of which will likely fuel both sides of the political debate as election time nears.
"102 Minutes That Changed the World" is a piece on 9/11, culling footage from pros and amateurs, including two terrified New York University seniors in a high-rise dorm just blocks from the
World Trade Center. They started shooting the smoking North Tower after it was hit by the first plane, then captured the second plane hitting the South Tower.
The 102-minute piece will premiere without commercials at 9 p.m. on Sept. 11. Done in "real time" format, it'll feature footage from more than 100 sources, pieced together in chronological order, without narration, to provide what History is calling a "seamless historical record of that day."
Continue reading History stacks deck with 9/11, WWII stories
Posted Jan 30th 2008 4:24PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Ratings
Here are the weekly cable ratings, by number of viewers.
I think I speak for most readers here when I ask...what the hell is Minutemen? Did Disney make some historical movie? Actually, checking online I see that it's a "adventure-comedy-sci-fi" movie. It got the number one slot this week, as well as the number ten slot. Zoey 101 got the second and third slots, probably because people were tuning in to see "hey, is she pregnant yet??"
1. Minutemen (Disney)
Continue reading Nielsen cable ratings for the week ending January 27
Posted Aug 7th 2007 3:02PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Web
One of my favorite series this summer has been Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel. If you haven't seen it, a quick synopsis: truck drivers in northern Canada haul critical supplies hundreds of miles across frozen lakes to diamond mines owned by DeBeers and other corporations.
Ice Road Truckers is the kind of reality show I can dig, because it features real people with an extraordinary occupation. There's some drama, but it's never contrived or played up for the cameras. I stopped watching Dog the Bounty Hunter because I got sick of egregious musical cues dictating when I was supposed to feel something, and Ice Road Truckers is mercifully void of such manipulation. The fact that these men are driving heavy rigs with only a few inches of ice between themselves and the water is dramatic enough.
Continue reading History Channel keeps on Ice Road Truckin'
Posted Jul 14th 2007 4:42PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities
I mentioned Human Weapon briefly back in March. The new series for the History Channel follows Professional fighter and martial expert Jason Chambers and former football player and wrestler Bill Duff as they travel the world to find martial arts experts and fight them. I assume it's a planned fight, I don't think Chambers and Duff will suddenly stop in mid-interview and start punching people, though that would be fun to watch.
Continue reading Human Weapon kicks off July 20
Posted May 14th 2007 6:20PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Documentary
Big thanks to my pal Wild Bill for smacking me upside the ol' noggin' about this documentary.
Star Wars was the first movie I remember seeing in the theater, even though I was only seven months old when it was released (I saw it in 1980 when it was re-released to coincide with the release of The Empire Strikes Back).
I'm sure Star Wars fans have know about the History Channel's upcoming Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed for some time now, but if not, here's your heads up: the special airs May 28 at 9:00 p.m., then repeats at one in the morning.
What the hell does Star Wars have to do with history. you ask? Well, that's what this documentary is all about. It will delve into some of the subtle and not-so-subtle mythological and historical parallels that run throughout the original trilogy, including Napoleon, Hitler, King Arthur and Greek legends.
Posted Apr 30th 2007 11:59AM by Brett Love
Filed under: Family Guy, Episode Reviews
(S05E15) After better than a month off, finally a new episode of
Family Guy. I'm not sure I understand the thinking behind the scheduling of the show this year, but the list of behaviors from the networks that I don't understand is a long one. So, we'll take what we can get. Whatever the reasoning, it was nice to have the Griffins back with a fresh adventure.
I think I probably came into this one with my expectations set a little high. Those previews that revealed the family packing up and taking a trip put the thought in the back of my mind that this could be one of those classic episodes. It called to mind the season three episode "To Love and Die in Dixie." Unfortunately, now having seen it, it wasn't a classic.
Continue reading Family Guy: Boys Do Cry
Posted Mar 30th 2007 4:40PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Cable, News, Documentary
The History Channel has five new weekly series currently in development and set to premiere in 2007 and 2008.
The first series, Ice Road Truckers, is a documentary series focusing on long haul truck drivers in northern North America who drive their rigs across frozen lakes and risk falling through the ice, therefore having to keep one hand on the door at all times in case they need to bail out. The series will focus both on the truckers and on the miners who rely on them. If you're into shows like Deadliest Catch on the Discovery, this show may also be right up your alley.
Continue reading Truckers, dinosaurs and the universe on the History Channel in '07 and '08
Posted Feb 2nd 2007 10:03AM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Cable, Celebrities, Documentary
On February 19 at 9:00 p.m., Leonard Nimoy will host Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier on the History Channel. The documentary will look back on the franchise's forty-year history and feature interviews with several actors from various Star Trek series including Avery Brooks (Deep Space Nine), Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek Voyager) and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
The special will also feature footage from Christie's auction of Star Trek memorabilia, costumes, props and set pieces from last October that took in over seven million dollars.
Unfortunately, our resident Star Trek insider Wil Wheaton won't be part of the documentary. No matter, at least here you can read his Star Trek: The Next Generation reviews, which are probably funnier than anything you'll see in this new special. What's equally as upsetting as Wil getting the shaft is that I also wasn't asked to participate in the documentary, despite being Nichelle Nichols' stunt double* on the original Star Trek.
*I was never Nichelle Nichols' stunt double.
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