Archive for April, 2010

Richest People of The Middle East

Richest People of The Middle EastIn this special programme being broadcast by Discovery Channel, viewers gain an exclusive glimpse into the extraordinary lives of four men who have made millions by making their mark across the Middle East region.

Meet Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Hamad Al Nahyan, who has one of the most unique car collections in the world. He’s spent over 20 million euros building a huge collection featuring every conceivable vehicle and then proceeded to build a pyramid in the desert to garage all 200 of them. But his passion for engines doesn’t stop there and he has designed and built everything from a full sized Noah’s Ark to a fleet of amphibious vehicles.

Dubai’s Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum al Maktoum wants to change the face of motor sport forever. As a prominent member of the ruling family of Dubai he has used his influence and money to set up the new A1 Grand Prix as a rival to the F1 circuit. He has pumped in a substantial amount of his own money into the estimated 320 million euro start-up costs, not to mention prize money of 55 million euros earmarked for the first three seasons.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

H.H. Holmes – America’s First Serial Killer

H.H. Holmes - America's First Serial KillerDepicts the entire life of Herman Mudgett, AKA Holmes, and his castle of horrors.

Also known as the torture doctor, Holmes designed his own building, complete with torture chambers, where he rented rooms to unsuspecting victims visiting the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Focuses on Dr. Holmes’ entire life of crime and villainy (1861-1896).

Threaded with on-location footage from Holmes’ past haunts, such as his childhood home in New Hampshire and the Philadelphia courtroom where his trial was held.

It’s a visual tour-de-force of reenactments, expert interviews, and period photography.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

How to Survive a Disaster?

How to Survive a Disaster?When disaster strikes who lives and who dies is not purely a matter of luck.

In every disaster, from those people face once in a lifetime, to those they face every day, there are things that can be done to increase the chances of getting out alive.

Horizon has gathered a team of leading experts to produce the ultimate guide to disaster survival.

Through controversial experiments, computer simulations and analysis of hundreds of survivor testimonies from plane crashes to ferry disasters and even 9/11, they will reveal what happens in the mind in the moment of crisis and how the human brain can be programmed for survival.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Gamer Revolution

Gamer RevolutionComputer games are a global phenomenon and a $25 billion a year industry. Over 800 million people worldwide are regular players. Gamer Revolution looks past the hype, paranoia and hoopla to explore the real stories behind the computer game revolution.

Gamer Revolution explores how computer games are not only changing the world, but giving rise to a new version of life itself. The line between the real world and the virtual world is disappearing. Millions of people feel that they have a life inside these games and that it’s better than their real life.

Gamer Revolution takes viewers around the world from Asia to the heart of the Middle East in search of the most mind-bending stories from the cutting edge of the game revolution. It also features interviews with gamers and game developers including Will Wright, creator of the wildly popular life simulation game, The Sims.

Just how pervasive has gaming become? The US army uses video games to train new recruits and to simulate real-life battle situations in preparation for combat. In Korea, computer nerds are the sex symbols of the 21st century. In Syria, a developer has designed an extremely popular shooter game in which the player gets to kill Israeli soldiers.

Every year, the biggest companies in the industry try to out-do each other in an effort to create buzz for their games. It’s a high-stakes business. The development cost of a new game has almost tripled in a decade. Eighty percent of games fail in the first year, but for those who succeed, the payoff is huge.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Under The Knife

Under The KnifeLouis Theroux travels out to Los Angeles to check out the world of plastic surgery, where breast enhancements, tummy tucks, muscle implants and the like are common procedures.

Spending time in the surgeries of several plastic surgeons, Louis meets the doctors who carry out the operations and the people who feel they need work – whether it is a man looking to make his muscles look larger or a woman preparing to undergo surgery as part of improving her life. On this occasion though, Louis also undergoes a procedure himself to experience it firsthand.

If anyone else decided to have surgery as part of a film about plastic surgery I would be very cynical and assume the worst but I think Louis Theroux is unlikely to be accused of cheap tricks or gimmicks. Mostly he does a good job of getting in with his subjects and bringing them out in front of the cameras; one could accuse him of manipulating them perhaps but I think that is too harsh a description.

Here he does enough away from the gimmick of having liposuction to justify it as quite a small part of the show. The rest is interesting if not fascinating. Naturally the patients make for the most interesting scenes and some of them are curious and quite sad. Some are easy targets but Theroux’s soft touch prevents it feeling like he is getting at them.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Natascha: The Girl In The Cellar

Natascha: The Girl In The CellarThis extraordinary interview reveals the ordeal of Nat­­ascha Kampusch, imprisoned in a cellar for eight years by Wolfgang Priklopil.

Although her story has since been pushed slightly down the league table of horror by the similar experiences of Elisabeth Fritzl and Jaycee Lee Dugard, Natascha – snatched on her way to school in Vienna in March 1998 – emerges as a startlingly self-possessed, intelligent and articulate young woman who is even able to feel compassion and insight for the sick individual who stole her childhood.

In recalling details of the dank, musty dungeon in which she was held, Natascha holds nothing back. Utterly calm, she relates how her captor violently and brutally exerted total control over her, humiliated her, kept her hungry, forbade her even to cry in case her tears damaged the tiles and how she bided her time until she was able to escape.

“Because the whole situation is so hideously unjust, you shouldn’t allow yourself to give up,” Natascha explains. “That would be an admission of defeat. There was a kind of fighting spirit that kept me alive.” Incredibly, in the eight years her daughter was missing, her mother, Brigitta – also interviewed here – never doubted her daughter’s fierce survival instinct for a minute.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Made in Spain

Made in SpainThe scent of saffron, the sound of flamenco, the sights of Spanish culture and a spirited chef creating classic dishes can now be found together in one captivating program. Made in Spain is a series exploring the culinary and cultural riches of Spain and is hosted by Chef José Andrés, creator of multiple celebrated Washington, D.C.- based restaurants, including Jaleo and minibar by josé andrés.

Made in Spain highlights the extraordinary cooking traditions of a country whose food and wine is capturing the world’s imagination. In every episode, José brings the exciting flavors of his native Spain to the American audience with easy and informative recipes created in his Washington, DC kitchen using products found here in the U.S.

Each cooking segment is woven into a gastronomic and cultural tour of one of Spain’s 17 vibrant regions, where José introduces the viewer to many of Spain’s great cheese makers, wine makers and restaurateurs. Traveling throughout Spain, José takes the viewer to the source and inspiration of the dishes he prepares back in his kitchen, demonstrating that the flavors made in Spain can be created right here at home.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Bulgaria’s Abandoned Children: Revisited

Bulgaria's Abandoned Children: RevisitedIn 2007 the BBC documentary film Bulgaria’s Abandoned Children caused an international outcry because the images of neglect were so shocking to witness in a country that had just become a member of the European Union. Viewers were overwhelmed with emotion and anger when they saw Bulgarian children brutalized and dying before their eyes when in State care, having been abandoned by their parents because of some form of disability.

After the transmission of the film, MEP’s and Ministers across Europe visited Bulgaria to demand changes, to ask to see conditions in other institutes and to donate money to instigate the process of change and de-institutionalization in a country suffering from the hangover of Communism. Eighteen months after filming Bulgaria’s Abandoned Children – Director Kate Blewett returned this year to Bulgaria – to film with a handful of the children featured in the original deeply disturbing documentary – to see where they are today and how their lives have changed since the outcry.

It is testimony to the power of television to bring about concrete change, and also demonstrate how even apparently hopelessly withdrawn and “damaged” children can be reached, helped and given a meaningful life and future with the right care. Bulgaria’s Abandoned Children: Revisited – shows both worlds, the past and the present in a 60 minute programme.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Beer Wars

Beer WarsIn America, size matters. The bigger you are, the more power you have, especially in the business world. Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries.

Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs – Sam and Rhonda – battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.

This contemporary David and Goliath story is ultimately about keeping your integrity (and your family’s home) in the face of temptation. Beer Wars is a revealing and entertaining journey that provides unexpected and surprising turns and promises to change the world’s opinion on those infamous 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments

Defamation

DefamationWhat is Antisemitism today, two generations after the Holocaust? In his continuing exploration of modern Israeli life, director Yoav Shamir (Checkpoint) travels the world in search of the most modern manifestations of the “oldest hatred”, and comes up with some startling answers.

In this irreverent quest, he follows American Jewish leaders to the capitals of Europe, as they warn government officials of the growing threat of Antisemitism, and he tacks on to a class of Israeli high school students on a pilgrimage to Auschwitz.

On his way, Shamir meets controversial historian, Norman Finkelstein, who offers his unpopular views on the manner that Antisemitism is being used by the Jewish community and especially Israel for political gain. He also joins scholars, Stephen M. Walt and John J. Mearsheimer, while they give a lecture in Israel following the release of their book “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy”, about the disproportional influence the Israel lobby in Washington enjoys.

Yoav visits Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem, the must stop for all world leaders on their visits to Israel. While in Jerusalem, he drops by the house of his grandmother that offers her insight on the issue and declares that she is the “real Jew”.

Posted by Sarah on April 9th, 2010 No Comments