I’m Excited, Bert!

There have, over the years, been some almighty, long awaited and/or much anticipated TV moments to grab our attention or build our excitement. I’m not talking about the recent phenomena of Idol and Big Brother, with their contrived processes of public suspense and expectation which, by virtue of nation-wide, relentless exposure, almost bludgeons us into tuning-in; I’m talking more of irresistible, subtle story lines and events which coerce us into wanting to find out what happens next.

I’m remembering Scott and Lennie’s (or Charlene, as it was by then) wedding before Kylie lost the teased hair and puffy, white satin shoulders (Neighbours).

I’m remembering when Molly died after a long-suffering battle with leukaemia (A Country Practice) – we all tuned in for the heart wrenching moment when Brendan, interrupted in his kite flying with Chloe, ran towards the camera as it slowly blacked out.

I’m remembering when an argument between Ron Casey and Normie Rowe over conscription during the Vietnam War turned to punch-throwing fisticuffs on The Midday Show.

I’m remembering when Stuart Diver was found under tonnes of rubble after having survived the Thredbo landslide and sixty-plus hours of near-freezing temperatures.

And for the non-Aussies, I’m remembering Hawkeye’s one and only military salute through the O.R. door window as Radar finally slipped away from the 4077th, and I’m remembering the final curtain call of Cheers, or the big trial of the Seinfeld team, as all the hilarious cameos were paraded across the court room to recite the despicable social misdemeanours of Jerry, George, Elaine and Cosmo.

These things were BIG! There’s no denying, but you will notice that they were all a long, long time ago. It seems the Idol/Big Brother/My Restaurant Rules/The Block style of broadcasting, while being low on production costs, is also a bit light-on for real excitement and the suspense-generating moments we remember of yesteryear.

So after years of TV boredom and dejection, it’s no wonder I am so toey, as we right now are into the final, 12 hour countdown to the most exciting TV event this decade … The Amazing Race, Asia!

That’s right, 10 teams will set off tonight at 11pm, “Asia Time”, in the most innovative twist to this exciting reality TV programme; no dysfunctional yanks this time, with their limited understanding of the world outside, just Asians from across the region, battling it out on their own turf for the big prize.

In the lead-up publicity on the box this week, the executive producer is quoted as saying, “I can’t think of anything bigger in Asia than The Amazing Race, Asia”, which seems an odd comment about a region that has brought you the Taj Mahal, Mt Fuji, 60% of the world’s population and, as Mrs Donkey pointed out, extreme poverty! But I think you get what the guy’s saying, in terms of TV in Asia, this is going to be BIG!

And as Big Kev always says, “I’m excited, Bert!”


The new Phil; Allan Wu hosts The Amazing Race, Asia ... tonight! Pic: www.axn-india.com