Familiar tv faces.
Ever have one of those moments when you're flipping channels, and someone who used to be on TV when you were young, but has since gone into oblivion, all of a sudden appears on TV again? Although it is entirely pointless and meaningless, it's funny when you recognize one of these personalities. For instance, a few years back, I was flipping channels, and saw a news anchor named "Cora Ann Mahalik" or something like that. She was on the UPN 9 news, I think. I remembered way back in the day, she used to be an anchor for Fox 5 News. When I was little, I wasted away god knows how many countless hours staring at the TV. So these memories, of absolutly no consequence to anyone, have sunk deeply into my brain. I think I also saw the guy who played "Proctor" from the Police Academy movies on some other show one time. Most of the time they're always these obscure characters.
It happened again yesterday. When I got home and finished some studying, I made some food and started flipping channels. I was watching the Food Network, and they had some program about Olives and how they're processed and made into the pickled form. The host I recognized right away as Marc Summers, formerly of Nikelodeon's "Double Dare" fame.
I remember that show fondly from my 'tender' years. Every day, coming home from school, and watching Nikelodeon while having some lunch. Probably watched for several hours before being forced to go do homework by my irate mother who didn't want us to be stupid. The format of that show was pretty entertaining... one pair of kids doesn't know the name of some figure in history, they "dare" the other team, and if the other team didn't know it, they would receive a "double dare" in return (if they then answered the question properly, the points received would be higher), and if they didn't know it, they'd take the "physical challenge." The physical challenge inevitablly involved getting very messy and dirty, which was the entire thrill of watching the show. Every kid secretly wanted to go on the show and take the physical challenge.
So I got reacquianted with Mark Summers. In this episode of whatever it was on the Food Network, he didn't get dirty, nor did he put anyone through any interrogation, and to my expected disappointment, no physical challenges. Although I am somewhat glad to know that these guys do have a chance at life after hosting children's television programming.
Which also reminded me of the other strange show from the 80's, "Steampipe Alley." Never used to watch that show too often, mainly because I found the host to be really annoying. And low and behold, around 2000, he appears as a semi-regular on "Sex and the City" as one of the girls' gay friends. Despite the show he appeared in moving up in the respectability category, his character was still irritating and strange. He also appeared on a segment of "Chappelle's Show" called "Ask a gay dude."
Thus, one of my modern quirks, the result of watching way too much TV as a kid. I miss Ducktales and Thundercats. Those were quality cartoons.
It happened again yesterday. When I got home and finished some studying, I made some food and started flipping channels. I was watching the Food Network, and they had some program about Olives and how they're processed and made into the pickled form. The host I recognized right away as Marc Summers, formerly of Nikelodeon's "Double Dare" fame.
I remember that show fondly from my 'tender' years. Every day, coming home from school, and watching Nikelodeon while having some lunch. Probably watched for several hours before being forced to go do homework by my irate mother who didn't want us to be stupid. The format of that show was pretty entertaining... one pair of kids doesn't know the name of some figure in history, they "dare" the other team, and if the other team didn't know it, they would receive a "double dare" in return (if they then answered the question properly, the points received would be higher), and if they didn't know it, they'd take the "physical challenge." The physical challenge inevitablly involved getting very messy and dirty, which was the entire thrill of watching the show. Every kid secretly wanted to go on the show and take the physical challenge.
So I got reacquianted with Mark Summers. In this episode of whatever it was on the Food Network, he didn't get dirty, nor did he put anyone through any interrogation, and to my expected disappointment, no physical challenges. Although I am somewhat glad to know that these guys do have a chance at life after hosting children's television programming.
Which also reminded me of the other strange show from the 80's, "Steampipe Alley." Never used to watch that show too often, mainly because I found the host to be really annoying. And low and behold, around 2000, he appears as a semi-regular on "Sex and the City" as one of the girls' gay friends. Despite the show he appeared in moving up in the respectability category, his character was still irritating and strange. He also appeared on a segment of "Chappelle's Show" called "Ask a gay dude."
Thus, one of my modern quirks, the result of watching way too much TV as a kid. I miss Ducktales and Thundercats. Those were quality cartoons.
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