Over the last week I’ve been waking at obscene hours in the morning due to crazy wind and rainstorms, loud air conditioners, bats, cicadas, mosquitoes, jet lag, and any number of other excuses. So, I’ve been watching a lot of tv till the rest of the country wakes up and breakfast is available (I’m really looking forward to having my own kitchen soon!). While there are many of the same television networks we’re used to like CNN, BBC, National Geographic Channel, and The Discovery Channel. It’s fair to say that there’s a number of interestingly quirky shows and stations that have caught my attention. Here’s a few:
The Soundtrack Channel – That’s right… music videos from soundtracks. That’s it! Classic.
Religious Evangelism – There must be 20 channels, non-stop, day and night. I can buy my salvation from most of them for a pledge of $80/month for 6 months.
Al Jazeera – News from Iraq and the middle east. Recent hilights? Installation of solar powered street lights in Baghdad.
FOXCRIME – Even here, FOX airs CSI non-stop.
Russia Today – News from Russia. Much ado about Georgia and Russia lately.
2 Karaoke channels – 24/7 karaoke. One with a SMS text request number.
The Pentagon Channel – News and entertainment for US Troops stationed overseas. Heavy emphasis on tanks.
Viva Prime – A local sports channel with basketball, horse racing, and cock fighting (very brutal).
Cinemax, HBO, & Star – A constant stream of bad B movies.
AXN – Action/kung fu movies and Jackass style stunt shows.
Velvet – Chick flicks and princess based reality tv shows.
The Hiphip-Hooray Show – I have no idea what the show is actually called since its in Tagalog, but its a gameshow where contestants alternate between saying ‘Hiphip’ and ‘Hooray’ while clapping their hands above or below their heads. A contestant is eliminated when they say the wrong verse or clap in the wrong position. Can carry on for 10-15 minutes. Repetitive, but funny as hell.
Chicken Bingo – Again, no idea what its called due to the lack of english, but it combines bingo and answering questions from 5 or 6 categories. When a contestant gets a question right, they wag their elbows like a chicken.
The Hallmark Channel – No longer just making cheesy gift cards… Now they also air cheesy drama shows and movies.
BALLS – A sports network. Primarily covering a lot of golf and basketball lately. Their tagline? “We’ve got them.”
Posted by: Shim
