Jagged little thrill: Discovery Channel smells blood again
07/24/08 10:20 AM
By ED BARK
It's late July, and Discovery Channel hopes you're getting that gnawing feeling again.
Its 21st annual Shark Week, one of the first big branders in cable TV history, begins Sunday, July 27th, with six new programs aimed at making your jaws drop.
Facts of shark life: They can lose up to 1,000 teeth per year, have no bones in their bods and are more threatened by humans than vice-versa.
At least that's according to Discovery's "Shark Bites" fact sheet, just a small portion of the publicity blitz tied to this meal ticket. Perhaps you've seen the full-page magazine shots of the bespectacled, open-mouth kid brandishing two rows of jagged choppers. If not, go to sharkyourself.com for some grins.
Otherwise, in chronological order, here are the half-dozen Shark Week premieres, with all times central:
Mythbusters: Shark Special (Sunday, 8 to 10 p.m.) -- Does chili powder repel sharks or piss them off? Is it possible that dogs attract sharks? These questions and more are answered.
Surviving Sharks (Monday, 8 to 9 p.m.) -- Whaddya do if one of 'em bites ya?
Day of the Shark (Monday, 9 to 10 p.m.) -- This is the working title of a special chronicling six recent shark attacks.
Dirty Jobs: Shark Special (Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m.) -- Host Mike Rowe goes to the Arctic Circle in search of what's said to be the "mysterious" Greenland shark.
How Not to Become Shark Bait (Tuesday, 9 to 10 p.m.) -- "Escapologist" Jonathan Goodwin, Survivor: Cook Islands winner Yul Kwon and others journey to the Bahamas to test shark attraction theories.
Mysteries of the Shark Coast (Thursday, 8 to 10 p.m.) -- Presenting the largest shark-tagging expedition in Australian history. The goal is to figure out why the area's shark population is in "mysterious decline."
Discovery also promises "chum buckets" of popular programs from past Shark Weeks. Let the feeding frenzy begin.
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