Corpus Christi Caller-Times TV/Radio by Elaine Liner, media critic

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Elaine Liner is Caller-Times' media critic. Her columns are published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. She has been known to occasionally gossip with her readers in the Elaine Liner Forum. Elaine can be reached at linere@caller.com

Thursday, February 24, 2000

For odd show O.D., flip to 'Iron Chef,' and 'Blind Date'

Cooks duel, strangers meet, all for an insomniac's amusement

Once February sweeps conclude next week, the rerun doldrums are bound to set in. Perfect time to check out some of TV's hidden treasures, little shows that pop up at odd times on those channels you've been flipping past or just haven't spent much time on.
   Some of these may require taping for later viewing, unless, like me, you occasionally hop aboard the insomnia train.
   TV's undiscovered gems:

"Iron Chef" (9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, midnight Saturdays and Sundays, Food Network) - "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening has called this his favorite TV show. And it's a diddly-doozy. The Japanese cult hit (redubbed with American narration) pits eager cooks in culinary battles with the legendary Iron Chef. Working against a strict time limit and with surprise ingredients (eels and mangoes!), the foodies rush to finish their fancy dishes, which are then judged by a panel to determine who wins the contest. On episodes with titles like "Bamboo Shoot Battle" and "Kinka Pork Battle," you'll find lots of laughs and plenty of things that make you go ewwww.

"Mastermind" (returning in March, BBC America) - Everybody's smarter than those "Millionaire" doofusses who don't know their duck-duck-geese. But few people could beat the players on England's longrunning quiz show. Recent questions: Which city is the capital of Australia's Northern Territory? Who wrote "The Prisoner of Zenda"? "Poppinjay" is an old name for which bird?
   And no, they don't offer true-false or multiple choices.
   (Answers: Darwin, Sir Anthony Hope, parrot.)
   Hosted by the unflappable Magnus Magnusson, the show lets four players (mostly civil servants or librarians) show off a special area of knowledge (say, the life of Emily Dickinson or the facts of the Crimean War) before they face a lightning round of general questions.
   The winner gets nothing more than the esteemed title of "Mastermind." This show, by the way, will migrate to America later this year, with easier questions and some sort of giant prize added.

"Goodness Gracious Me" (9:40 p.m. Fridays, BBC America) - England's latest hit comedy show sends up British attitudes towards Indians and their culture with a cast of witty young Anglo-Indian performers.
   Young Bombayites go to their local restaurant for an "English" and search for the blandest thing on the menu. The "Competitive Mothers" find that no son could be more intelligent, successful or fertile. Another skit surmises that Santa Claus must be from India. "Think about it - big beard, huge belly, terrible suit. Indian!"
   Very original stuff. Very funny reverse take on prejudice and cultural stereotypes.

"Wildlife Emergency" (9 p.m. weekdays, Animal Planet) - "ER" with roadkill. "Sutures with Wolves." Teams of dedicated vets at various wildlife centers around the U.S. deal with accidents and infections affecting a wide variety of wild animals. Recent episodes featured a snake with a tumor, a raccoon with a toothache and a fawn recovering from a face-off with an SUV.
Dramatic editing and inspirational words from the vets will have you reaching for a hanky during "Bambi"-esque moments.

"Blind Date" (4:30 a.m. weekdays, KRIS) - Roger Lodge is the wry host of this syndicated half-hour that sends strangers on dates and records the before, during and afters. Best of all are the pop-up thought balloons that clue viewers to what the nervous participants aren't saying out loud. One episode provided an onscreen count of how many whopping lies the guy told his date. Another toted up a girl's bursts of donkeyesque laughter.
Naturally, the trysts usually end with thumbs down. But the voyeuristic ride-along is a lot of fun.

"Fashion File" (9 a.m. Saturdays, E! Entertainment) - Host Tim Blanks, a Canadian fashion editor who can turn a phrase and raise an eyebrow when needed, takes viewers to Paris, Milan, London and New York for weekly glimpses at the runway shows, the couture designers and the stick figures who show off the clothes. Sure, it's a girly show, but I know guys who secretly tune in because the outfits are usually little more than shreds of tulle floating over gorgeous models who aren't exactly under-dressed, if you get my drift. For my money, this series is several well-coiffed heads above that other trendinista fave, CNN's Saturday morning "Style with Elsa Klensch." (Stay tuned after "Fashion File" at 9:30 a.m. for "Videofashion Weekly," also on E!)

"America's Dumbest Criminals" (midnight Saturdays/12 a.m. Sundays, KIII). Bank robbers who write hold-up notes on their check stubs. Snatch-and-grabbers who don't notice the videocams taking their pictures. Car thieves who call AAA when the hot Porsche breaks down. This syndicated reality show has 'em all, as told by police officers from around the U.S. Amazing how dumb scofflaws can be.
   Somehow this makes for reassuring viewing.

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