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Black Gold  TruTV’s New Roughneck Oil Drilling Series
By Rick Grant

Just when you think that the Deadliest Catch is the most dangerous job in the world--it is-- then the second most dangerous job must be wildcat oil drilling as a roughneck in Texas in 120 degree heat. Thom Beers, the producer behind Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch, has launched another macho man series, starring probably the toughest, most profane, hard drinking, snuff using, and hardest working men on the planet.

Yep, this job is not for wimps or metro men. No way Jose, these guys face deadly danger everyday wrestling these whipsaw chains and 10,000 pound drill blocks around in a dance of spewing dirty water, scalding steam, and tons of drilling pipe. Watching this new show, I couldn’t help but think of Daniel-Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood, as he toiled on his own to eventually become a big Texas oilman, who was driven stark raving mad by the pressures of the business. 
The series on TruTV follows three crews on three platforms, Big Dog, Longhorn, and Viking as they race against the clock to strike oil on these wildcat rigs financed by oil speculators who put up millions to risk everything to get to the oil. If they don’t get down the two miles to the oil in a certain time frame, then the enormous expense of operating a rig will cause them to run out of money, forcing them to shut down the rig. Any problems can cost $45,000 an hour if the rig is not drilling.

The men who work these oil drilling platforms are characters right out of an old cowboy movie with names like Peanut (a new guy called a worm) Wayne, Steve and Gerald. Their Texas drawls sometimes need subtitles. Their vocabulary of four letter words is easy to discern. The older experienced bosses are strict and hard on the men who screw up. If you’re late or do something stupid, then you’re run off the platform. Mistakes can cause deadly accidents. If there is a mechanical failure, the rig boss must make sure the drill is back running in a minimum amount of time, putting enormous pressure on the men. Down time has to be made up, so the crews have to work around the clock to get to their daily drilling quota of feet into the hole. Competition between the oil platforms is another factor in putting pressure to get ‘er done for a reward bonus.

The work is brutally hard and dangerous. Roughnecks are seriously hurt and killed every year. But the pay is way above average. Not many men can take working this type of manual labor after they turn forty. So, they become bosses if they have a good production record. Even the bosses have to chip in to cover crew members who don’t show up. The no-shows are cursed and the boss says they are fired. Yes, good help is hard to find. When the men do get a day off (which is seldom) they relax by going out in the woods with cases of beer and guns to engage in Texas R&R--shooting and drinking beer. It doesn’t get any better than that.

When the show is edited, the beeper guy gets a workout–just about every word out these crew members mouths is beeped. It’s stupid because viewers know what they are saying. It would be much more realistic to let the profanity go into the show. Is anyone going to be offended? I think not. What are you going to say when a steam line breaks and almost takes your head off–“oh fudge.” Fuck yeah, they cuss. And, it’s about time TV grows-up and uses it on these tough guy shows.

The oil rigs are located in the West Texas plains where the sky meets the endless brush country. As the thunderstorms gather, the roughnecks don’t miss a beat. The work goes on rain or shine, 24/7, even when lightning is cracking all around them. Wildcat oil drilling is a high risk endeavor with millions on the line. The black gold is their payoff or they come up with naught, having lost their grub stake. Only the most bold oil speculators get into this game and can afford to lose a couple of million in a month.

When We Left the Earth
Discovery’s Definitive Documentary on NASA’s Space Program


By Rick Grant

Since I had worked on Project Apollo’s fuel cell development program at United Technologies’ Power Systems Division, I feel a kinship with the entire NASA Space initiative to put a man on the moon. The seminal new six hour documentary running on Discovery, When We Left the Earth brought back many memories. I was among thousands of engineers in many companies who worked on this space race to the moon. In those days, we were embroiled in the cold war, and unbeknownst to the U.S., Russia had developed a reliable rocket to launch astronauts into orbit.

Of course, the big cold war fear was the Soviets wold get ahead of us and use space and the moon as a strategic advantage to threaten the United States. There was nothing like the threat of global thermonuclear war to drive us to make progress in going to the moon. When the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first satellite in space, the Kennedy administration went nuts. How could that happen. We were not going to stand for it.

Then those “crazy Ivans” (a phrase used to designate a maneuver by Russian subs) launched the first man into space. At the time, we couldn’t seem to do anything right. Our early rockets exploded on the pad, and after the Soviets launched a man into space, we managed to launch a monkey, who was retrieved safely and lived to a ripe old age.,  Ah yes, we were the laughing stock of the world.

This was America, dammit, and we put all our resources into the space program and caught up rapidly. In fact, it came out much later when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, that we were way ahead of the Soviets in computer technology and astrophysics. But, at the time, the threat of the Russians getting to the moon first was unthinkable. Thus, NASA was created and the best engineering minds in the country were hired to press forward at any cost to beat the Russians to the moon. When the Soviets only moon rocket exploded on the pad, it insured that we would get to the moon first or die trying.

Discovery’s comprehensive and skillfully edited documentary on the entire space program from Project Mercury to Gemini to Apollo to the Shuttle is by far the definitive chronicle of this important time in history. It was a time we dared to boldly go to the moon and back-- not once, but six times, not losing any astronauts, except in the on-pad fire in a Gemini capsule, killing three astronauts.
The six hour documentary, now available on two CDs from Discovery is well worth owning. Its detail and photography are stunning in high-def and because the network news at the time told only a fraction of the story, the film includes much unseen footage of this mission impossible that put a man on the moon in a period from 1961 to 1969.

Incredibly, given the space program began in 1961, the integrated circuit was only invented in 1963, followed by the microchip in 1967. The computer aboard Apollo 11's moon lander was primitive. Our cell phones have more memory capacity. The early engineers were still using slide rules. So it’s a miracle we accomplished this momentous task at such an early stage of electronic technology’s development. The space race gave the U.S. motivation and the unlimited funds  to accomplish this spectacular achievement.

The film chronicles the early space program which seemed to appear from thin air. In many ways it did just materialize at the new Cape Kennedy Space Center with furious construction and rapid building of the rocket pads for the converted ICBM missile called The Atlas Rocket, which had problems. In the beginning, we didn’t know anything about space. Could astronauts even breathe or their hearts beat in zero gravity. We took it one baby step at a time. The early space program is seen in detail and the choosing of the first astronauts was a big publicity stunt to launch the space program. The astronauts were chosen for their Boy Scout images which would look good on he cover of Time and Life magazines.

The rapid advances in astrophysics, computer technology, and rocket science enabled the NASA engineers to move the project ahead. The fire aboard a Gemini capsule on the pad set the program back by two years while they redesigned the moon space vehicle. By the end of Gemini, we had constructed the awesome Saturn V moon rocket and the Apollo program took off.

Originally, Apollo 9 was going to test the systems of the moon lander and capsule in orbits around the earth, but intelligence revealed that Russia was close to testing their moon rocket and orbiting the moon. So NASA decided to take a chance and go for moon orbit. It was a bold move but driven by our burning desire to get to the moon first. After all, the Soviets had already beat us in putting he first man into space and orbiting the first crew around the earth. It was all about beating the Soviets to the moon, which in retrospect, was the kick in our asses that we needed to take that leap of faith to leave the earth.  

More Trouble Ahead for TV Producers
A Possible Actors’ Strike and Market Uncertainty Plague Decision Makers


By Rick Grant TV Commentary

Like all businesses in this wrecked economy, TV producers are tearing their hair out and popping Zoloff like candy over the market uncertainty and the melding of television with all the new media such as Podcasts,  webcasts, iTunes television, iPod downloads, computer games, and DVR recording,  plus expanding speciality cable channels like the various offshoots of the Discovery Channel. It’s jungle out there with all the media platforms competing to win fickle TV viewers.

Twenty seven new series premiered on the alphabet networks and most of them bombed. The alphabet networks lost nine percent of their viewers to other media and cable. More significantly, an actors’strike looms at a time when TV producers are just crawling out from under the losses of the writers’ strike.

With all this chaos going on in TV land, alphabet networks still think the average TV viewer is an idiot who still revels in the 70s. The lame-brain new show, Swngtown, which revives the 70's experiment with wife swapping, opened with a respectable rating but my guess is the numbers will plummet after the novelty wears off. History tells us that “swinging” resulted in a spike of divorces during this sexual freedom era.

During TV’s golden years, choices were limited to two maybe three channels with carefully marketed and censored TV shows. Now, there are a dizzying array of choices, channels, and specialty shows. Many people are watching TV on their computers or going to the movies, or playing video games. TV no longer dominates families’ entertainment choices anymore.

If the Actors’ Guild goes out on strike, the alphabet networks will be hurt the worst because of scheduling conflicts and appeasing advertisers. Coming this soon after the writers ‘ strike, an actors’ strike would be devastating to the alphabet networks, already losing business during the summer rerun season and failing to produce interesting new shows for the summer.

As an example of how desperate the alphabet network producers are at brainstorming new ideas, NBC is spinning off The Office and retooling Knight Rider. Please, their brain trust has dried up like prunes. Where are the new ideas for exciting new shows? Producers are combing the archives for old ideas that they can revive into a modern context that will play it safe. No one wants to take a chance on something cutting edge by spending mucho dinero on pilots

We look through the TV guide and see the same old crap. How many more CSIs or Law and Orders can we take before we search the fringe networks like BBC and AMC for new content? Even for me, an avowed TV addict, I can’t seem to find intelligent life on the many networks’ choices. I’m down to the Science Channel and A&E’s reality shows like The First 48 and Intervention. I did like Axe Men and It’s Tougher in Alaska, but History Channel ran through those episodes rapidly.

Indeed, I’ve seen a marked decline of intelligently produced and written new scripted series, which are just recycled old ideas from years ago. Hell, the alphabet networks are still producing sitcoms with laugh tracks, which to me is completely archaic. Laugh tracks presume the viewer is too stupid to know when to laugh, so they inject artificial laughs when the lines are not even funny.

As long as TV producers cling to the past and are afraid to take chances, alphabet networks will continue to lose viewers to other media.  Prepaid cable like HBO and Showtime will rule the quality television market with innovative new shows and series.

Mary McCormack Shines in USA’s New Dramedy In Plain Sight

By Rick Grant TV Commentary

Acclaimed actress Mary McCormack (The West Wing) stars in USA’s hot new dramedy In Plain Sight. The series premiered to better than expected ratings, thanks to a stellar supporting cast and well written scripts. McCormack portrays US Marshall, Mary Shannon, who works in the secretive Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). Mary is a tough broad with no time for BS. She watches over her witnesses with dedicated fervor, and sometimes, like in last week’s story involving a 10 year old boy, she acts as a caring step mother.

Set on location in the Albuquerque/Santa Fey, New Mexico region, Mary and her partner Marshall Mann (Fred Weller) not only watch over their witnesses, but they invariably get involved with their lives, trying to juggle their jobs as protectors with their willingness to help their witnesses adjust to their strange new lives. Mary’s partner Marshall stays out of her way but is there to watch her back. Mary is a driven work-a-holic with almost no social life.

Mary’s mom Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) is a hard drinking promiscuous femme fatale who causes Mary much consternation. Her ditzy younger sister, Brandi (Nichole Hitz) is no better than mom. In fact mom and Brandi often get in trouble together, and Mary has to bail them out. Mary does have a part time lover, Raphael (Cristian de la Fuente) who plays baseball for a minor league team and puts up with Mary’s flighty ways. In reality, Mary doesn’t want a permanent relationship so she keeps Raphael at arms length and just visits him for the sex. Of course, he wants more than just sex and is lobbying for a deeper relationship with Mary. But, she is married to her job and is not ready to settle down.

The show’s fast pacing and clever dialogue is similar to another excellent USA show, Burn Notice, but with the focus on a female protagonist. The WITSEC partners Mary and Marshall spend their days bickering and shadowing their protectees,  fending off threats to their safety. Some WITSEC people are witnesses and some are criminals who have testified against colleagues and are in constant danger. When the son of one of Mary’s mobster protectees is killed, she takes it personally and feels like she failed. So, she puts her sorrow and frustartion back into her job, tracking down the killer outside her jurisdiction stepping on the FBI’s toes.

Even when things are going smoothly, Mary is always alert and on guard for trouble, which, predicably, stalks her night and day.  She finds that working her job 24/7 is preferable to dealing with her Mom and sister’s problems. Mary is a great vehicle for McCormack’s tough woman acting style. She pulls it off with zealous regard for her character’s foibles and no BS attitude. Indeed, Mary is a strong women who has trouble fitting into a society that doesn’t accept macho females. However, when she is protecting children, she can be sweet and caring, although she doesn’t think she is good with kids. 

Clearly, McCormack identifies with her character Mary and she is so skilled at characterization, she makes it look  natural and easy to play this complex woman. But when we remember her past characters we can conclude that McCormack is an accomplished actress who sells this character with bravado and carries the series along with her superb supporting cast.

In Plain Sight runs Sunday nights on USA Network at 10:00 pm ET. This series is worthwhile summer viewing

New Season of 30 Days Premiered
Summer TV Viewing Looking Up

By Rick Grant

Morgan Spurlock’s walk a mile in my shoes documentary series 30 Days debuted last Tuesday for its  new season of six episodes. It was a harbinger of hope for TV’s summer schedule, which looked bleak a couple of weeks ago. Spurlock’s season premiere featured him traveling back to his West Virginia roots to shoot 30 days of him working as a rookie coal miner and living with a mine supervisor and his wife.

The opening scene featured Spurlock’s wife sadly seeing him off to work in this dangerous job for a month. She seemed terribly upset by his departure. In a previous season’s episode, Spurlock and his wife tried to live on minimum wagewhich was depressingly difficult. After that, Spurlock’s wife vowed not to be involved with his show anymore.

Spurlock will be directly involved with two episodes–the coal mining 30 Days and in a future episode in which he will live with a Navajo family on their reservation. Spurlock’s father worked for a coal mine rebuilding torque wrenches, so Spurlock understands the coal mining lifestyle. These days, miners make from $60 to $100 grand a year. However, it’s still dangerous, clastrophobic, and dirty work, with many of the miners suffering black coal disease after working in the mines for many years. In fact, Spurlock tried to use the standard respirator to filter out the coal dust, but he, like the other miners, found it much too restrictive and hard to breathe through.

As a rookie, Spurlock was assigned the most menial jobs, such as shoveling the excess coal from the conveyor belt back onto the belt. After a day doing manual labor, Spurlock was sore over his entire body. The job also involves an hour commute from his guest house in the wee hours of the morning. The miners work steadily from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm and take their lunch break when they can.  Just watching the dirty harsh conditions made me think that the money wasn’t worth it. But, the workers come from a long tradition of coal mining and they do it because they can’t make that kind of money anywhere else.

During Spurlock’s tenure inside the mine, he went through a serious emergency when the air vent fan shutdown. Without air circulation, any spark could ignite the coal dust or the methane present in the air. Spurlock and the other miners had to make a hasty retreat or face a possible explosion.

With the memory of recent mine accidents dancing in his head, Spurlock went to work everyday, slugging away doing the grunt work. As his days passed, he developed new respect for what these men go through day after day. Spurlock also formed a bond with the family in which he was living. The fifty something mine supervisor had tested negative for black lung disease the last time he went to the clinic. But Spurlock took him along when he was tested. It turned out that his host tested positive for BMD but Spurlock was okay. Spurlock’s host said he wouldn’t wear the respirator despite his diagnosis. The episode also taught the viewer about how important coals is to our economy and that half our electricity is produced by coal.

Summer looks a little brighter in TV land with other returning quality shows, which have new episodes for the summer, including one of my favorite wacky comedies,  Weeds on Showtime. The fourth season debuts on June 16 at 10:00 pm ET. Mary-Louise Parker is back as our favorite suburban pot grower with her cadre of marijuana obsessed friends and neighbors, including Kevin Neelon, who is hilarious in this offbeat satire of suburbia.

Army Wives returns with its second season on Lifetime. The series hooked me with its quality writing and frank portrayal of military wives. Kim Delaney stars along with a stellar cast. Last year’s scripts realistically portrayed the struggles of Army wives and how they cope with the separation from their husbands off fighting in Iraq and dealing with the tedious military bureaucracy.

A surprise USA hit, Burn Notice on Thursdays. Season opener debuts on Thursday, July 10th at 10:00 pm. The action/comedy seriesreturns with a second season of new episodes, starring Jeffrey Donovan portraying an ex-spy who was left out in the cold and has to get by being a private eye and find out who burned him. Donovan and the strong supporting cast make this show widely appealing. It comes off like a modern version of Magnum P.I.

And just when you can’t stand another repeat upside of Law & Order SUV, Kyra Sedgwick is back with a fourth season of The Closer on TNT.The season opener debuts on Monday, July 14, at 9:00 pm ET.Sedgwick has refined her Southern belle character as a tough cop with quirky habits and a love of sweets. However, she always gets a confession with her deceptive ah-shucks charm, which catches suspects off-guard.

So don’t throw your TV off the balcony yet. There is new content out there for the summer viewing. A gaggle of odd ball new shows will debut during June and July, including (get this) a revival of Chuck Barris’ old program, The Gong Show, with Dave Attell hosting.Now that is weird.