TVSquad

You see some amazing stuff on the National Geographic Channel, and one of the most watched videos on SlashControl right now is "The Girl With Eight Limbs."

It tells the story of Lakshmi Tatma, a girl born with four arms and four legs, who also carries a rare parasitic conjoined twin that could kill her. The episode delves into the fact that the people in Lakshmi's village actually revere her, because they see her as the Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Fortune in human form.

Fox is looking to turn National Geographic's Cesar Millan, aka the Dog Whisperer, into a funny idea for a sitcom. And no, that's not the part they hope is funny.

The network is looking to cast That 70's Show's Wilmer Valderrama in the potential sitcom's title role, assuming it's called "The Dog Whisperer." Hung's co-executive producer Emily Kapnek will write the show's pilot.

If this gets to the air and becomes a wild success, just imagine the bar this could set for other reality show stars to get their own half-hour sitcom. Then again, try not to or your skull will cave in.

It becomes extraordinarily tough to do reports during the cable sessions, mainly because the various networks give you one session after another without much time to breathe. You're also shuttling back and forth between two ballrooms. Finally, if you happen to be lucky enough to get some one-on-one time with a few people (as I did with Joan Rivers and the guys behind the new BBC America show The InBetweeners)... well, it leads to posts that don't go live until nighttime on the East Coast.

Heck, I haven't even written about last night's AMC cocktail party and the comic stylings of Jon Hamm yet. That'll come when I get a chance. The latest info and quips will always be on our Twitter feed if you're curious.

For now, though, some highlights of the day:

The next time I have a panic attack, I want Cesar Millan to talk me off the ledge. He might be known as the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel, but I have a feeling he's great with humans, too. I'm sure I'd respond to his gentle "ch ch" murmurs just as well as the angry pit bulls he deals with regularly on Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.

The show celebrates its 100th episode on Sept. 19, and this household is officially hooked. There's something strangely meditative about the way he calms the dogs on that show. And, truthfully, it's not so much the dogs he works with as their nimrod human companions. Let's face it. The dogs are alright. The humans need work.

It's all about relationships, and his job, he says, is to draw out the good behavior in any given dog ("There are no killer dogs!"), and then tell the humans how to maintain it.

In an interesting move by one of the iconic astronauts, Buzz Aldrin blamed science fiction for the lack of space flight in modern society. Aldrin currenly hosts a show for the National Geographic Channel called Unseen Moon. According to him, sci-fi fed greater expectations than realistically possible and led to a lack of interest in the general public of promoting space travel.

"I blame the fantastic and unbelievable shows about space flight and rocket ships that are on today," Aldrin said in an interview at the TCA. "All the shows where they beam people around and things like that have made young people think that that is what the space program should be doing. It's not realistic."

The National Geographic Channel is using humor to sell it's ambitious new special Stonehenge Decoded. Christopher Guest has resurrected his Spinal Tap alter ego for National Geographic Channel, lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, to expound on his theories about how Stonehenge came to be. Naturally, even as he's promoting the special and National Geographic, his tongue is firmly planted in cheek as he disses the findings of the scientists and purports to be an expert on the subject.

Guest as Tufnel is interviewed by straight man -- comic actor -- Jim Piddock, leading to riotous takes by Nigel about dinosaurs, the secret language of potatoes, the pyramids and other weighty affairs. Here's one of the videos (after the jump), so you can see what I mean:

Have you ever wonder how it is those speed eaters can stuff so much food into their bodies in such a short amount of time?

No? Okay, then go away, this isn't for you.

If you are interested, tune into the National Geographic Channel July 8 at 9:00 p.m. for Science of Speed Eating. The special will examine the science behind these eating competitions by following three speed eaters, including Tim Janus, who only weighs 170 pounds. In fact, at one point a doctor will track the food as it makes its way through Janus' body. Yes, it's disgusting, but science is yucky sometimes. I think Einstein said that. Or maybe it was Bunsen Honeydew. Either way, it's true.

Reading about Man Among Wolves, the National Geographic Channel's documentary on Shaun Ellis, a man who takes on the mannerisms of wolves to help them learn to survive in the wild, I couldn't help but think of Werner Herzog's 2005 film Grizzly Man, the story of Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among bears and was ultimately killed by one along with his girlfriend. I found Grizzly Man both fascinating and absurd: fascinating because it provided a view of these animals that's rarely seen, and absurd because of Treadwell's tenacious and unwavering belief that a human being could live among wild animals and not be in danger.

Ellis, the focus of Man Among Wolves, which airs April 16 at 9:00 p.m., does not live among wolves in the wild. Rather, he raises abandoned cubs and teaches them by example how to survive in the wild. I'm not an animal expert of any kind, but my first question would be, "aren't such survival skills instinctual?" I guess my question will be answered when I watch the documentary.

The updated version of Inside 9/11, the National Geographic Channel's Emmy-nominated documentary, is being re-broadcast on March 25 at 7:00 p.m. Since the original four-hour miniseries first aired, new details about the tragedy have sprung up, including the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui; information on Able Danger, the intelligence team assigned to track al Qaeda; new video of the attack on the Pentagon; audio from Flight 93; the CIA's dismantling of the bin Laden unit; the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi; and new video from bin Laden himself.

It's been over five years since the events of September 11, 2001, and I can understand how some might be sick of hearing about it, but it's not surprising that the aftershocks of an event of this magnitude would still be felt even today. I'd like to think my ongoing curiosity is natural and not morbid, but I still want to learn as much as I can about everything that happened that day, and the people and events it connects to.

This Sunday, January 28 starting at 8:00pm the National Geographic Channel is going inside three high-tech U.S, factories for Ultimate Factories. The first stop is the Harley-Davidson factory at 8:00pm, followed by the Peterbuilt factory at 9:00pm and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery at 10:00pm. If you enjoy getting drunk, riding motorcycles, trekin' across the country on a big rig, or doing all those things at once, then you might want to check out these programs to see how it all comes together. You'll find out how humans and robotics work together at Harley-Davidson to make sure the motorcycles run perfectly, and how every Peterbuilt semi is constructed so that no two are exactly alike.