By Barb Oates
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Cantore said years ago he’d show up at an upcoming storm site and three satellites would be parked, now it’s almost a traffic jam, where news crews from all over flock to provide live coverage of upcoming storms. The channel’s got 200 meteorologists on hand for deployment. (Now if only I could get someone who could predict my local weather correctly five days out.. but that’s another story.)
In addition to all the live coverage, The Weather Channel announced the premiere of a new series, Coast Guard Alaska, premiering Nov. 9. The series follows a team of Coast Guard swimmers and rescue pilots stationed in Kodiak, Alaska. It’s a Deadliest Catch-type of show that depicts the occupational dangers and personal lives of the men and women of that base. From intense training to perilous rescue missions in icy waters, the show follows the crew to show the strategies they use in saving lives in Alaska’s harsh environment, along with the teamwork and discipline associated with the job.
Next up was ESPN, where they previewed a clip for their new four-episode series Rise Up, airing Tuesdays beginning Sept. 13. The series tells the stories of four communities coming together to renovate their local high school’s athletic facilities. The Extreme Locker Room Makeover-like series is hosted by ESPN’s Chris Spielman. Cameras showcase a positive story on how community members, athletes and ESPN workedtogether to provide schools with the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. No different than any of the other reveal shows, in the end it’s a tearful celebration about a job well done. Kudos to ESPN for leading the effort. The schools highlighted in the series are Wellston High School in Wellston, Ohio; Dorchester Education Complex in Boston; Ingraham High School in Seattle; and Walter H. Dyett High School in Chicago.
ESPN’s 30 For 30 film series team announced an impressive of new films, set to begin Sept. 27 and air seven consecutive Tuesdays.
The premiere film, Catching Hell (Sept. 27) tells the story of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS where Chicago Cubs left fielder Moises Alou had fans interfere with a catchable ball, where ultimately Steve Bartman was blamed for tipping the ball out of Alou’s reach. The film looks at the firestorm that ensued as Bartman became a scapegoat. Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney relates the scapegoat compulsion to his own frustration as a Red Sox fan when Bill Bucker was singled out for letting a groundball go through his legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Gibney engages Buckner and his story as a means of exploring what has kept Bartman so silent despite lucrative offers to tell his side of the story.
Other films include Renee Richards battle to enter the 1977 U.S. Open as the first transgender tennis player (Renee); an indepth look by Morgan Spurlock on sports agents (The Dotted Line, Oct. 11); Chris Herren’s dark road into drugs and alcohol addiction and his road to redemption (Unguarded, Oct. 18); the story of the real Rocky – Chuck Wepner in The Real Rocky, Oct. 25 (he provided some hilarious stories we’ll post later); the amazing colt Charismatic who was just seconds away from becoming the first Triple Crown winner (Charismatic, Nov. 1); and the history between Auburn and Alabama, the bad blood between the teams and how their rivalry came to a pinnacle (Roll Tide/War Eagle, Nov. 8).
More on Hallmark, History and Lifetime next… along with best quotes of the day (who the current leader is Chuck Wepner).