Saturday, June 21, 2008
Poor Seacrest...(the Meerkat not the 'American Idol' Host)
From Kalahari Confidential: Sleeping with the enemy has proved successful for Seacrest, but before he heads on his merry way, Nikita wants one more romp for the road. This, of course, has nothing to do with emotions – it’s all business. Another go means another chance for her to get pregnant and bear pups to further ensure her status, because let’s be honest – Nikita’s favorite position? AUTHORITY!
Meantime how sad a post-Flower generation for Rocket Dog. She's having trouble leading. It seems that the trouble with Rocket Dog and the Whiskers may be a mirror image of this season for 'Meerkat Manor'. Either the show has lost some if it's ability to create and track great drama in the desert... or I have a serious case of "anticapointment". I wanted so much for this season to be even better than the last. I have struggled through the first three episodes... almost to the point of not making it "appointment TV". I want the drama and excitement of last season. Now.. it sees kind of ho-hum. SOS - Save Our Show before its too late.
REMEMBER TO GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CHECKING IN THE RIGHT COLUMN
Friday, June 20, 2008
Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation Episode 3 -- Rising Star
HERE'S A LOOK AT FRIDAY'S NEW EPISODE PLAN (Episode 3 from Animal Planet): Rocket Dog is having trouble keeping her clan in line. When the Commandos attack the Whiskers, rookie Seacrest is at the head of the counter-assault. But when Rocket Dog chickens out and calls the fleet back, Seacrest doesn't hear the call — and is left to face the Commandos alone. Twenty-five to one aren't good odds for Seacrest.
Rocket Dog's cowardice costs the Whiskers their burrow, while Maybelline has finally snagged a suitable home for the Aztec clan. Are the burrows turning on the rivalling sisters? Rocket Dog has a secret that could put her back on top.
EPISODE 2: All Manor of Love Zaphod and six of his males have deserted the Whiskers family and gone roving at the Aztec clan. Now Rocket Dog's problem is Maybelline's — dear old dad keeps chasing away the good men. When Zaphod ejects roving male Wilson from the Aztec clan, Wilson doesn't give up on finding a mate... he visits the Whiskers girls. But there's a big problem. While Rocket Dog is vying for Wilson's attention (and his pups), subordinate Sophie gets there first. If Sophie is pregnant, it spells trouble for Rocket Dog.
EPISODE 1: To Have and Have Not Since the tragic death of the manor's reigning monarch, Flower, the meerkats of the Kalahari Desert are in chaos. The Whiskers family divided; once-deserter Maybelline defied Rocket Dog's new leadership role in the Whiskers and started her own group, the Aztecs. With their archenemies, the Commandos, still knocking at the meerkats' burrow, both the Whiskers and the Aztecs find themselves weakened by the split.
Maybelline's control over the Aztecs is dwindling and her futile attempts at leadership have made a lot of her subordinates quit. Rocket Dog isn't faring much better. With a bigger group of meerkats under her command, her dominance is rocky. To ensure their leadership, both meerkats need to get pregnant. Too bad Zaphod, their endearing dad, keeps running off all the eligible males. Will the Next Generation uphold Flower's legacy and reunite the manor?
Would Your Like A Meerkat Of Your Own?
"Adopt a meerkat".. at least symbolically.
And then this.. "buy a meerkat".
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Plus a new tribute to the Whiskers filed on YouTube.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Special Tributes To Meerkats of 'Meerkat Manor'
The funeral for Flower...
A tribute to Zaphod the fighter...
A tribute to Youssarian...
A tribute to Kinkajou...
A tribute to Mozart...
A tribute to Shakespeare...
Meerkat Manor Season 3 on DVD; Two New Tributes To Flower
From TV.com Animal Planet's series Meerkat Manor follows the Whiskers, a family of meerkats, that struggles to survive in Africa's Kalahari Desert. The series was filmed over the course of a 10-year period for a Cambridge University study.
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Plus, check out these two new new tributes to Flower post on YouTube.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Why Was Bill Nighy Narrating The American Version? Episode 2 On Demand
The Los Angeles Times has a bit of information about Nighy, but no real details about why he was narrating the American version On Demand of this particular episode.
The show is seen in 160 countries and has a separate narrator (Bill Nighy) and different character names in a British version. In the American version this year, characters, who are named by the researchers, have been named after celebrities and even TV hosts and reality show judges, such as Seacrest and Simon.
I posted the question on Kalahari Confidential to see if ther was an explanation. It could simply have been a one time thing... but still, very odd as the series gets a lot of mass media attention.
Stockard Channing on "The Late Late Show"
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday's Episode: "All Manor"
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
RATINGS For The First Meerkat Manor This Season; Plus Meerkats And The Emmys
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Plus this from the LA Times about Meerkat Manor and an Emmy...
In today's L.A. Times issue of The Envelope, which chronicles the awards season, Tom O' Neil writes that the animal lovers' favorite soap opera-tinged reality show "Meerkat Manor" may take home its first Emmy nomination for nonfiction series:
"Despite media and viewer mega-hype, "Meerkat Manor" hasn't been nominated in this category yet, but it got a hefty push at the tail end of Emmy eligibility and the start of the voting period as Animal Planet ballyhooed a special heart-tugging movie version focusing on the animals' matriarch -- the formidable Flower, otherwise known as the "Kalahari Desert Rose."
"Meerkat Manor" has serious competition though. O' Neil's short list of favorites:
"American Masters""Biography""Deadliest Catch""Iconoclasts""The Jewish Americans""Meerkat Manor""This American Life"
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
ABC NEWS Nightline Profiles Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation
UPDATE: See the 'Nightline' piece here.
FROM ABC: Mournful songs like "Amazing Grace" and "Arms of the Angels" accompany literally dozens of YouTube videos made in honor of Flower, the famous meerkat matriarch. They were created by diehard fans of "Meerkat Manor," the TV show that made little Flower a star.
If you're familiar with the story, you know by now that Flower is dead. But if you don't know the plot, the show or the species at this point you are probably wondering, what's a meerkat?
Standing 12 inches tall and weighing less than 2 pounds, a meerkat looks a bit like a squirrel or a gopher. But they are not rodents. Meerkats belong to the mongoose family, which makes them closer to cats than rats. Native to South Africa, they dwell in burrows and typically live within family groups called mobs.
To find out why a TV show about these furry creatures is proving so addictive, "Nightline" ventured to the Fellow Earthlings Wildlife Center in Morongo Valley, Calif., to meet some meerkats up close and personal.
Pam Bennett-Wallberg, who runs the center, introduced us to two feisty meerkats, Rafikki and Kendi, and we fed the animals their favorite snack: chilled meal worms. Despite a few ferocious growls and barks, they were very cute.
Bennett-Wallberg has worked with meerkats for 22 years, but she credits their new star status to "Meerkat Manor." For her, it's no surprise they make for such good television. "They're just so cute," she said. "They're watchable. I mean, they have such big personalities."
Rivalries and Ambitions
Originally seen in Britain, "Meerkat Manor" is now in its fourth season and remains Animal Planet's biggest hit ever. The weekly episodes chronicle the running story of an extended meerkat community in a spot of desert in southern Africa called the Kalahari.
Members of the Whiskers family, led initially by the ill-fated Flower, work through their rivalries, their ambitions and their personality flaws. They compete for rank and the attraction of the opposite sex. They mate, they care for their young and they get in fights with their neighbors.
When a show like this is about humans, we call it a soap opera. Mick Kaczorowski, the show's U.S. executive producer, says that's precisely the idea behind "Meerkat Manor," which is scripted more like a soap opera than a traditional animal documentary. The executives weren't always convinced, however, that the show would bring in ratings.
"We didn't know that we would get enough interesting behavior out of an animal, that the stories would be complex enough, that anybody would be interested," Kaczorowski said. "But I think stylistically the approach we took, keeping it only to a half hour, giving the meerkats names that people could relate to, and the way that the stories unfolded, people got drawn to it like they do a soap opera."
Friday, June 6, 2008
LIVE BLOG -- Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation Debuts
The show opens with Stockard Channing narrating the death of Flower, Maybelline's new Aztec and Rocket Dog now in charge of Flower's old group... plus the Commando foes are still a factor.
- Rocket Dog and Maybelline -- two sisters, both inexperienced leaders of their groups. Success or failure may be as simple as fate.
- The visuals are always breathtaking. They certainly are this season. Amazing.
- Rocket Dog remains in charge of the largest group.
- Something new... Zaphod now sports his own radio collar. He is a loyal supporter of his oldest daught Rocket Dog... He remains without a mate.
- Meantime, Maybelline's group dwindled during the winter. Some of her former members quit... and returned to Rocket Dog's group. Maybelline must now find a better burrow. There is trouble ahead though.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -- QUICK THOUGHTS -- Channing is much better at narrating than I expected and saw in preview clips. The writing is as crisp as ever... and the visuals in the Kalahari are even more stunning than ever. A show that outlined the production of the recent movie talked about how the crew must gain the trust of the Meerkats to get those great shots.
- A snake awaits Maybelline's group as they venture out. The group no doubt recalls the death of Flower from a snake bit. The group tries to convince it go away. More danger arrives from overhead. The Aztecs retreat. Maybelline is off to a bad start.
- Meantime, Rocket Dog's group faces feasting trouble of their own. There are few scorpions... only ants. No one is picky though. Fights start because of the lack of food. Half of the family splits off once again. But Rocket Dog manages to regain control.
- Mitch spots an intruder... a mystery rover looking for the ladies. Rocket Dog returns the looks... knowing she needs a rover for new pups this year. But, Zaphod steps in and refuses to let his daughter hook up in the Kalahari with a roving male. He just won't allow his daughter to tramp it up in the Kalahari. Masterful rovers find a way still for another chance. Zaphod rallies the males in the group to chaase away poor Rocket Dog's only hope of dating right now.
- But the drive to move the rover away, leaves Zaphod separated from the family Rocket Dog's rover is gone... so is her brothers and her father.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK - QUICK THOUGHTS What's a girl to do? Yes, the Whisker's leader is horny and she needs to mate this season. How many dads step in to ruin the day... or protect the tribe? Time will tell in the series. There are so many aspects of this show that mirror human life. Learn more about the Meerkats from Animal Planet.com
- The third segment returns with Rocket Dog still alone. Her dad and brothers are still separated. Rocket Dog is torn. Her group must search for food. There is a science lesson here in the search for food.
- Rocket Dog has lost seven males already... Now there is a fight for food and she as the dominant female is losing.
- Meantime, Maybelline is burrow hunting for her new Aztec clan. She finds a great home... a home that is usually occupied by an ardvark. So, they must move on. Night is falling but they have no where to sleep.
- Back to the Whiskers, a long hard day ends. They are headed home to the burrow. But trouble looms with a new challenge in the bushes.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -- QUICK THOUGHTS The plot is woven tightly in this episode with the growth of the two sisters into authority with their new tribes.
- The trouble appears to be no trouble at all. The trouble in the bushes turns out to be the rover who was chased away. He's back... still looking for the lady of the hosue, so Rocket Dog thought. The trouble is that the rover brought his family... the Commandos.
- Instead of love, Rocket Dog now faces an invasion. There's no Zaphod and few males to help her. A battle is almost out of the question. But... the drama begins. The battle in the Kalahari sparked fast heartbeats. Rocket Dog starts the counter attack... but then retreats. She can't afford to lose. Her group is now in flight... driven from their land by the Commandos. So much for the loving rover who wanted a few minutes with Rocket Dog.
- Back to Maybelline, the search for a home continues. Channing does a great delivery in narrating the home search here. A yellow mongoose calls this his home though. Murray challenges the mongoose. It's easy prey... and chased away.
- As great storytelling goes.. the theme becomes clear.
- Maybelline and her Aztec tribe ended the day with success -- a new home, after a very rough start.
- Rocket Dog and her Whiskers are now homeless. She lost a home and seven meerkats in just a matter of hours.
I mentioned in a previous post that this show is so well crafted that there is great love, drama, family, power, struggle, sex and battles. It’s worth your time… even if on TiVo or DVR. Do check out the video of "Behind the Burrow' at AnimalPlanet.com as well. It gives you great insight into the bit of land in the Kalahari that has sparked so much interest around the world. Even without Flower, there is still great drama in 'Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation'. The next new show airs next Friday night. Until then, show some love for Meerkat Manor. Add your comments about the debut of the new show below. And, get your Meerkat ringtones by clickng in the right column.
SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE: Here are some other blogger reactions to the debut.
FROM CHRIS CARLISLE: Have to say, I wasn’t impressed with the start of season 4. This was a pretty typical do-nothing episode with very little action. As for the narration, let’s just say I am so far unimpressed. The voice I can get used to (bring back Samwise!), but the cheesy-overly dramatic intonations I could do without. It seems that Animal Planet has dialed up the anthropomorphism this season.
FROM ZAP2IT: With nightfall coming fast, Maybelline finds yet another seemingly vacant burrow. Aside from the smell and a quick visit from Ty Pennington, it seems perfect for the Aztecs. It appears that once again, she’s managed to find another not-so-vacant home as a mongoose returns to find some unwelcome guests.
As I leave you this week, I;ll post the tribute to Rocket Dog again. As you may have read, there is trouble for Rocket Dog. A real life accident claimed her life on April 28th of this year. It was not mentioned in the show as production for the year had already completed. Her tribute will come next season.
'Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation' Debuts Tonight From The Kalahari
- Sean Astin is being replaced by Stockard Channing as narrator.
WHY WAS ASTIN LET GO? From the Rocky Mountain Nerws: "We just decided that since we were starting fresh, with a new generation, that we would look at everything. Sean was great, but he was part of the Flower era. We thought, we've got the next generation, let's look for someone new to tell the story. We thought it would be interesting to hear it from a female's perspective. The way she tells the story is very different. The stories that unfold are a lot funnier this year, and only in a way that a female could tell it. You've got three females battling it out in the Kalahari, with a lot of other females. It makes a point of why the next generation is different." If you missed it, Whoopi Goldberg narrated the movie. Astin remains the best of the three in my humble Meerkat Manor-loving opinion. - The new series debuts after a great movie last week that celebrated the life of Flower, the once great leader of the Whisker
- Flower died in the ls.ast series after a snake bite. It was a very sad time for fans of the series.
- Watch for a LIVE BLOG of the show's debut Friday night. Come back here while you watch,
There is quite a bit of media coverage today about the Meerkat premiere. Check out the coverage. Washington Post: Death Knocks (Again) At 'Meerkat Manor'...Sun-Sentinel.com: Gen X Meerkats...Los Angeles Times: Meerkat Stars Enter The Next Generation of Drama...Los Angeles Times: Meerkat Preview...Reality TV: Meerkat Preview
REMEMBER TO GET YOUR MEERKAT RING TONES BY CLICKING ON THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT
Thursday, June 5, 2008
"Meerkat Manor" Star Killed In Car Accident – BREAKING MEERKAT NEWS THIS WEEK
RD was amazing. She will be missed. Apparently RD was crossing a road in April 28 and struck and killed. Production has already completed for the season… so the death will not be mentioned in this iteration of the series which debuts tomorrow night. Animal Plant confirms they will acknowledge the death in the next season. They know which meerkat died because each is uniquely tagged. Other bloggers have blamed the death on a researcher in the ongoing Kalahari project. But the driver is unknown. "In the Kalahari, trucks just keep going. So we don't know whose truck it was," spokesperson for Animal Plant said.
If you watch the show, crossing the road is a major event for the 6-inch meerkats. Crossing the road in the Kalahari signifies a major life change in the world of the meerkats. They instinctively know it is a dangerous venture. You can find this highlighted in the recent movie that celebrated the life of the meerkats great leader Flower. She was killed during the last series by a snake’s attack.
Look for live blogging tomorrow night as the show airs… AND DON’T FORGET YOU GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CLICKING IN THE RIGHT COLUMN.
Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation -- WATCH AN EXCLUSIVE TWO MINUTE CLIP OF THE FIRST EPISODE
Jun 06,
9:00 pm
To Have and To Have Not
Maybelline's control over the Aztecs is dwindling and her futile
Watch a two minute clips of that first episode here.
Jun 06,
9:30 pm
To Have and To Have Not
Maybelline's control over the Aztecs is dwindling and her futile
Jun 07,
1:00 am
To Have and To Have Not
Maybelline's control over the Aztecs is dwindling and her futile
Jun 07,
1:30 am
To Have and To Have Not
Maybelline's control over the Aztecs is dwindling and her futile
Jun 07,
5:00 am
To Have and To Have Not
Maybelline's control over the Aztecs is dwindling and her futile
REMEMBER TO GET YOU MEERKAT RING TONES BY CLICKING IN THE RIGHT COLUMN
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Meerkats Bring Sexy Back.... Oh yeah baby!
GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CHECKING OUT THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT.
Cool Feature About Real Meerkats on SouthAfrica.com
Meerkats are fascinating little animals that are highly entertaining to watch. The closest most people will get to a meerkat is at a zoo, where to the extent possible in their captive state, their natural behavior can be observed. Television documentaries of meerkats in their natural environment are another way of enjoying their antics. The ideal way to gain insight into the lives of these cute, furry creatures is to unobtrusively observe them in the wild, and this is where Meerkat Magic in Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo region of South Africa, comes into the picture.
Read the full feature here.
GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CHECKING OUT THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT.
Check out this review and the new season of Meerkat Manor...
By Tod Emko's Review. Read it all here.
"Cuteness aside, Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins is an impressive drama that often seems like a documentary about any desert tribe of humans. Narrated by Guinan, the story follows the birth and life of the meerkat Flower, leading up to her role as the main character of the TV series. For those worried that the TV show was too childish or mindless for their sensibilities, the movie is full of war, tragedy, amazing and unexpected nature shots, romantic protagonists, underhanded plots, and frankly a lot of crap you wouldn't expect from a show about animals. That and it's under the name of The Meerkat Project, which is pretty f#%king cute. Ironically, this documentary about burrowing animals may have too much drama and tragedy and cold-blooded baby meerkat deaths for little kids to handle, so you may want to prepare them by forcing them to watch Bambi and other horrendous children-scarring entertainment before showing them this. "
Again, read more here.
GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CHECKING OUT THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation -- Watch a clip!
Flower was a leader like no other has been. What do you hope happens in 'The Next Generation' to keep your interest? Add your comment now.
GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CHECKING OUT THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT.
Meerkats in the news...
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Despite Flower's passing, ''Meerkat Manor'' will continue. Season four, now titled ''Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation,'' premieres June 6. Stockard Channing replaces Sean Astin as the series' narrator. "You'll find they have a different feel with a woman's point of view," the show's senior executiuve is quotes in the Chicago Sun Times.
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The film, ("Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins") according to a press release, "tells the story of Flower before she became the Manor's famous first lady." The movie, which debuted at this year's Tribeca Film Festival (!), "traces the transformation of Flower from a young, inexperienced meerkat into a remarkable leader who puts her family above all in the fight for survival in one of the harshest deserts on the planet."
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((Star Ledger))
Filmed over seven months, it follows the Whiskers clan on the Kalahari. Forced out of their family homestead, if burrows can be considered as such, they try to eke out an existence on a harsher piece of land. From early on, Flower exhibits the traits of a leader, staying with her sister as she's dying, not backing down when other meerkats attack. When a cobra lashes out at the foot-high animals, it's Flower who takes it on, eventually nibbling its tail. It's one of those stories in which you know the ending before it starts, but it's still worth watching.
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From Animal Planet... the owners of all Meerkat rights (we are just fans)
Meerkat Manor's favorite first family, the Whiskers, was dealt a harsh blow last season with the death of their fearless matriarch, Flower. With the family in shambles, Rocket Dog fought her way to the spot as top "kat" and new leader for the Whiskers clan. But mutineer Maybelline didn't accept her sister as queen and ditched the clan to form her own mob, the Aztecs. With the family divided, the sisters' claws come out — and the Manor is changed forever.
Now, Rocket Dog and Maybelline must live within the rather large shadow of their late mother, Flower, and there's very little room in the Kalahari for both sisters' clans. Not only do the meerkats face predators, harsh desert weather and their archenemies, the Commandos, but they also most deal with dissent within their ranks. Without a solid leader to unify them, they face their toughest survival threat yet: each other.
GET YOUR MEERKAT RINGTONES BY CHECKING OUT THE COLUMN TO THE RIGHT.
The Real Kalahari Meerkat Project...
"Since the start of the Kalahari Meerkat Project at the Kuruman River Reserve, life history data on meerkats and meerkat groups have been collected. We now open up access to such data to the public interested in meerkats. Please find the current Life History report, background on the Life History database, an overview over the typical life cycle of a meerkat, and information on naming and identification