television

Noor, the soap that breaks up couples

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:00:35 +0200

Everyone's talking about Noor this summer. The Turkish series has caused such a storm in the Middle East, it's even been blamed for breaking up marriages and causing suicides.

The popularity of the show - which has been dubbed into Syrian Arabic for the Middle East - might have something to do with the incredible anecdotes that surround it. Tales of women blaming their husbands for not being as romantic as those in the show; someone selling a herd of goats just to be able to watch the programme in peace; people refusing to go to weddings if it's on; Saudi Arabia even launching a fatwa against the show's broadcasters - the stories were as exaggerated as the soap itself. So why so much success? Maybe because of the blend of east and west, featuring both "free love" and Islam at the same time.

The Muppet Show makes a comeback, on YouTube

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:42:37 +0200

If you thought the cast from the Muppet Show had long disappeared from the mortal world, think again. A number of the Jim Henson puppets have proved their existence by setting up YouTube accounts and posting new footage online. Whether or not the comeback is official, however, currently remains a mystery.

Characters Sam the Eagle, The Great Gonzo, Statler and Waldorf, The Swedish Chef and Beaker are the first to have set up YouTube accounts. Since they began their online adventure a month ago, the Muppets, who have not made regular appearances on TV since 1981, have been posting daily videos online and communicating between each other (Beaker recently asked Statler and Waldiorf "Meep meep meep-meep meep Meeeeeep?" The favourite video so far is a Muppet version of Stars and Stripes Forever (the US national march) posted by Sam the Eagle, who describes himself as "an American and an Eagle. And as a citizen of this great nation, I am not required to give any further information to any weirdoes who may be reading this".

Via Nouvel Observateur's web review.

The panellist who disappeared

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:29:28 +0200

Last October a political analyst well known for his critical attitude towards the Kremlin took part in a pre-recorded debate on the Russian TV channel TV Centre. Were the authorities ready to get slated on television? Apparently not. When the show was broadcast a few days later, the opponent magically disappeared from the set.

The producers of the show - incidentally called "The People Want to Know" - soon realised their mistake after filming and carefully edited out Mikhaïl Deliaguin's contributions from the recordings. The black sheep is an economist who has advised Boris Yeltsin and other various politicians who are today expelled from power. He regularly condemns Russia's power and electoral systems. Although he was removed from the show, you can't say he wasn't there at all - the ghost panellist can sometimes be seen in the background.

No Sex And the Suburbs

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:29:33 +0200

We Need Girlfriends is a series that you won't see on TV yet - so far it's been broadcast exclusively on the Internet. It tells the story of three recent graduates struggling to understand the complex world of the New York City dating scene, after all three are simultaneously dumped by their long-time college girlfriends.

So far each episode for the series has been produced for under $200 [€130]. But with a successful two million views so far, the show won't stay just online for long. The creators are currently writing the pilot script for a TV version with Darren Star, producer of Sex and the City...

Assoud, the Hamas 'holy war' rabbit

Julien — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:45:02 +0100

The Hamas TV channel Al-aqsa has been broadcasting an "educational" programme for 7-13 year-olds called "Tomorrow's Pioneers" for almost a year now. Watching young presenter Saraa Barhoum talking to a big teddy animal on a colourful set, you'd think it was like any other children's programme. But if you understand what she's saying, you might find subject topics a bit different from those going on on Button Moon. That's because the content of the show is saturated with Hamas ideology. The result? Endearing cuddly characters with squeaky voices conveying anti-Zionist and anti-occidental messages, hailing Muslims and conversion to Islam and encouraging the holy war and martyrs.

Zapatero's looking for a fight

Julien — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:45:27 +0100

Both the US and Spain are in the process of choosing a new president. But while ‘change' seems to have become the "in" word for the American primaries, across the Atlantic in Spain, where elections will be held on March 9, it's ‘tension' that everyone's talking about. The concept was even launched by the president himself. On February 11 on an off-air TV set with presenter Iñaki Gabilondo, José Luis Zapatero admitted he thought tension was doing good for his campaign. He didn't know that his microphone was turned on, and the phrase is now a popular internet hit. The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) candidate has since explained, on the Onda Caro radio station, that "you need electoral tension to activate the electorate". But it was too late. The Popular Party has already profited from these words. Once again, the internet is playing its part in election campaigns. A white-lie, a bad joke or a slight exaggeration doesn't go unnoticed these days, and can soon run a campaign into the ground (see also our selection of videos during the US primaries).