In the summer of 1987, the Silver Spring-based Discovery Channel unleashed a lineup of shark-centric shows that, a quarter century later, sends millions of fin-atics and land lubbers alike into a full-on feeding frenzy.
The 25th anniversary of Shark Week, which started Sunday, opened with “Air Jaws Apocalypse,” a follow-up to last year’s Emmy-winning program on the famously airborne Great Whites of Seal Island, South Africa.
This year, viewers can also vote via Twitter and Facebook for what they want a mechanical megalodon—that most fearsome of extinct dino-sharks—to chomp with its hydraulic jaws. Tweets tagged #SharkWeek might even get on the air.
So whether you marvel at the beauty of the ocean’s top predators or watch transfixed in morbid fascination, the rest of Shark Week 2012 is packed with plenty to hook your interest:
- “How Jaws Changed the World” (Tuesday, 9pm) details the seemingly paradoxical effect Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster has had in vilifying sharks while eventually helping give rise to a “golden age of shark science.”
- “Shark Fight” (Wednesday, 9pm) profiles shark-attack victims who have since made it their mission to defend the ocean’s apex predators
- “Shark Week’s 25 Best Bites” (Thursday, 10pm) takes a look back at the program’s biggest thrills and most memorable moments.
In that spirit, we want to hear about your hunger for (or distaste of) Shark Week.
Max Power
10:06 am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
I always look forward to Shark Week because these sea creatures are some of the most elegant and ferocious in the world. While they are scary-looking, sharks are very misunderstood animals. Thanks for the list of upcoming shows on the Discovery Channel; I’ll be sure to set recordings on my Dish Hopper so I don’t miss the underwater excitement. With all the storage space on my DVR I can record all the new Shark Week shows and other program I miss when I’m off doing pub trivia. I think my coworkers at Dish will be talking about “How Jaws Changed the World.” That scene where the girl was dragged under the water by Jaws is still one of the scariest in movie history!
Political Punnery
12:21 pm on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Americans have begun the annual Shark Week festival in hopes of minimizing the culling of the human herd during the next harvest season. As has been tradition for the last 25 years, various TV personalities from the Discovery network lead adherents in nationally coordinated rituals designed to appease the unstoppable water demons. They include praising sharks for their jumping ability, expressing awe at the 'feeding frenzy', and symbolic sacrifices of valuable goods to an insatiable, mechanical shark idol. While foul unbelievers point to the fact that only five people a year are killed by sharks, whereas millions of sharks are killed by humans in the same time frame, the faithful nod silently, thankful that the previous years' sacrifices were once again accepted by the great and powerful Megalodon.
http://politicalpunnery.com/posts/?title=bruce-almighty