The bottom of the barrel is depressing to see

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Tuesday, November 25, 2003

The bottom of the barrel is depressing to see

By MELANIE McFARLAND
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC

Right around this time is when one becomes strikingly aware the year is getting stale.

This feeling is manifested in a variety of ways. Some experience a twinge deep within while squishing soggy leaves underfoot. The simple act of cleaning out the refrigerator to make room for holiday goodies evokes it too, especially if you come across a Tupperware full of toxic fur.

But it really hits you when you turn on TV and there, before your eyes, is a scarecrow that vaguely recalls Rick Astley in his glory days crooning a holiday tune. A neat melding of Halloween and Yuletide symbols? Uh-uh. Try Clay Aiken, the talented second banana to season two's top "American Idol," Ruben Studdard.

Both of them, along with first Idol Kelly Clarkson, Tamyra Gray, Christina Christian and Kimberley Locke, sing songs of holiday joy in "An American Idol Christmas," tonight at 8 on KCPQ/13. The thought sends me spiraling into a malaise.

Certainly any "Idol" fan of these talented sorta superstars are destined to get a kick out of this chortled cheer. I'm sure the stage will be lit just perfectly as the performers make like very talented pop star angels.

At the risk of sounding like a big old grinch, though, I have to say that this kind of thing highlights the fact that we've reached TV 2003's heel.


	Aiken

Yes, Aiken's CD remains near the top of the Billboard 200 weeks after its release. Clarkson's "Thankful" did similarly well, as will Studdard's debut once it's released on Dec. 9.

With all that going for the franchise, "Idol" mania feels excessively long ago. And Jan. 20, the premiere date for the next season, is too far away to contemplate --even with the two-part "World Idol" special coming on Christmas and New Year's days. These pop celebrations are giving me the blues.

Then again, the thin spreading of "Idol"-atry isn't my only source of pre-holiday tension. There's a general dregs-slurping going on right now, especially when it comes to reality TV.

You know the situation is grim when Rupert Boneham, the best "Survivor" contestant ever -- ever -- gets booted off Pearl Islands, and Jon Dalton, the most villainous, boneheaded castaway Mark Burnett could ever dig up, remains to torture us at 8 p.m. Thursdays on KIRO/7. Or when NBC's "Fear Factor" has to slime entire families to get our attention.

Things aren't looking up over on ABC either, the network devoting three episodes to "Trista and Ryan's Wedding" beginning at 9 p.m. tomorrow on KOMO/4. As if we didn't get enough of Trista Rehn's baby-voiced whining last spring, now we're invited to watch her agonize over invitations, flowers and the wedding cake, all paid for by the network.

And that's only part one.

Behavioral scientists, I'd like you to consider this a catalyst for holiday depression.

What can one do to battle this cavalcade of faux snow and bleary cheer? Try feeding your brain with some reality that highlights a true contest of will.

OK, so I'm talking about a National Geographic special. But you know what? "In Search of the Jaguar," airing at 8 p.m. tomorrow on KCTS/9, depicts a man with more strength, spirit and devotion than any of the contestants above.

The hourlong documentary follows Dr. Alan Rabinowitz and his prot�g�, Sandra Cavalcanti, as they track the disappearing jaguar through the swamplands of Brazil's Pantanal, continuing Rabinowitz's quest to preserve the animal and establish a corridor of protected lands where jaguar populations can roam and thrive.

Narrated by Glenn Close, "In Search of the Jaguar" sets itself apart from other nature documentaries by profiling Rabinowitz's personal challenges in the context of his lifelong fight to preserve the big cats. Rabinowitz became a conservationist to show appreciation for the fact that animals aided him in overcoming a severe stutter, a childhood memory that nearly brings him to tears. Then, after devoting his life to saving the jaguar, he was diagnosed with chronic lymphatic leukemia in 2001. Now he has a closing time frame to work within, with the disease progressing at the same plodding rate as his tenacious efforts to save these animals.

The jaguars, beautiful felines indigenous to Mexico and Central and South America, are the stars here, of course, and the filmmakers make them stand out keenly among all the jungle's jewel tones. The combination of the film's gorgeous imagery and the cats' struggle for survival with the intense human drama endured by Rabinowitz, his family and his team, is a rare and wonderful thing.

"In Search of the Jaguar" isn't warm, fuzzy holiday material. Thank goodness. But it does what the other television offerings mentioned above won't do -- it uplifts the spirit. Which is what we need right about now.

P-I TV critic Melanie McFarland can be reached at 206-448-8015 or tvgal@seattlepi.com.

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