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Published July 17, 2008 07:42 pm - If the summer is the time of mindless popcorn movies between the release of the more serious fare of the fall and spring, then summer television is the thinking man’s respite for an overly taxed mind. Benji Tunnell: Venturing outside the multiplex It’s easy to forget, with this season of superheroes and explosions, of cartoon animals and larger-than-life stars, that there is indeed life outside of the movie theater.
Thus, just past the midway point of the summer movie season, I decided to put the sunglasses back on and expose my pasty flesh to the outdoors to see what else I could find. What I found was, fortunately for already reddening skin, resting comfortably in my living room. If the summer is the time of mindless popcorn movies between the release of the more serious fare of the fall and spring, then summer television is the thinking man’s respite for an overly taxed mind. Here is a quick look at some summer fare guaranteed not to challenge: “Last Comic Standing”: An old favorite and the stepchild of the reality-television genre. Whereas your “American Idol” fans may have spent a couple of years playing the wedding circuit or the bar scene, many of these professional comics have toiled for a decade or more trying to make drunks laugh. “Wipeout”: An Americanized version of “MXC,” an, uh, Americanized version of a Japanese game show. What made the original so appealing was the dubbed-in commentary and contestant babble. What we get instead is John Anderson of ESPN and Jon Henson, formerly of “Talk Soup.” While the co-hosts try valiantly, they both feel like they are reigning in their humor to fit the standards of network television. It’s a shame to see a talent like Henson, who had the makings of a star on basic cable, reduced to shilling a homogenized product such as this. That being said, every awkward tumble from the big balls always makes me laugh. “Hurl!”: This game show made its debut on G4, a barely known electronics and videogame channel, on Tuesday. The purpose of the game is to gorge on food and then participate in activities meant to return said food to its natural habitat. God bless America, the only country where eating contests are televised and binging and purging constitutes a game show. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be coming back for seconds. “Celebrity Family Feud”: Proving that each person has a different definition of what constitutes a celebrity (see also: “Celebrity Circus.” If you’re banking on Bobby Brady to bring in the crowds, you know you’re in trouble). If you tire of the television dumping ground that the summer has become, the Internet has a couple of options for you. First, revisit quality scripted television at network sites and streaming video sites such as www.hulu.com. Instead of enduring Larry the Cable Guy making out with his sister on the “Feud,” I instead caught up on some episodes of “House” that I missed during the season. And the best sitcom on television, “The Office,” has special short Web-isodes available at www.nbc.com. While it is risky watching skillfully crafted shows such as these and then trying to wade back into the shallow end of summer programming, it is nice to remind oneself of what a skilled writer or two can do. If none of these suit you, I suppose you could always do something crazy like crack open a book. As for me, I’ll be heading back to the multiplex next week. Just let me put on some sun block first. Address correspondence to Benji Tunnell, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802 or benjitunnell@gmail.com. 
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