World News Korner

The reviews of the Sportsman Channel's "Amazing America with Sarah Palin" are trickling in, and so far the opinion seems to be "Meh."

At risk of losing my designation as "Palin reality show watcher-in-chief" let me admit that I did NOT watch Palin last night on the debut of her latest soon to be cancelled return to television.

As it turns out, though my cable package is fairly comprehensive, it does NOT feature the Sportsman Channel. I know, bummer right?

Since I have no intention of purchasing new channels just so I can watch something that I should only have to watch at gun point, I will continue to get all of my information about this series second hand.

You know, until it crashes and burns or Palin remembers that she does not want to have an actual job and quits.

Anyhow I looked around on the internets and found two reviews thus far.

One from a reporter at the Guardian, who kind of admits that he did not find it eye gougingly bad.

I found this part interesting:

But as interventions in the culture wars go, Amazing America with Sarah Palin is more a water pistol than one of the high-powered rifles being sold to its watchers. The amazing Americans profiled during this hour of TV don't address the merits of Obamacare or the government shutdown. Instead, they discuss their recipes, show off their homes and drink beer straight out of pitchers at the local tavern.

And Palin isn't even a big presence in the first episode of the very show that bears her name. She introduces segments. She adds sporadic commentary while wearing a GIRLS WITH GUNS t-shirt in front of an American flag backdrop.

Essentially the heavy lifting is done by Palin's various co-stars who go out on location and conduct the actual interviews, while she stays warm and dry inside the studio standing in front of the green screen.


The next review came from the Alaska Dispatch, from a reporter who is an old hand at watching Palin family reality train wrecks shows.

Here is how she summed it up:

Here’s what I learned watching the first two episodes of “Amazing America with Sarah Palin”:

• We get The Sportsman Channel at my house. I literally had no idea.
• Sarah Palin talks baby talk when she talks to dogs. (Amazing.)
• If the credits and titles are any indication, The Sportsman Channel thinks Sarah Palin is still the governor of something.
• Being a “modern-day cowboy” has nothing to do with wrangling cattle and much to do with liking guns.
• Technically, under the “Amazing America” definition, I qualify as a modern-day cowboy.
• Horses do not have airbags.

With 10 more episodes left to go, here’s the bottom line: If you are remotely interested in guns, horses, trucks and/or dogs (no, seriously, those things are specifically mentioned in the truly awful theme song); if you like sassy girl-power messages; if you can get on board with things like stock car racing and pro wrestling; and most importantly, if you can reach deep inside of you and forget Sarah Palin is anything but an engaging television presenter with a strange accent; you can love “Amazing America.”

Now this reporter watched two entire episodes which included Palin's sole interview with musher Dee Jonrowe, during which she learned that DeeDee named several of her dogs after members of Palin's family, and that Palin has no balance, which is made painfully clear when she tumbles from the moving dog sled. (Palin also makes DeeDee apparently the only meal she knows how to make, moose chili.)

Sarah and DeeDee before Palin lost her grip.

The consensus seems to be that the show has found the right mix of tiny, carefully scripted, servings of Palin with a lot of harmless hillbilly shenanigans to keep things light and non-political.

If they keep that up the show could be Palin's most successful.

However the question is how long can Palin last before she feels the need to attack the liberals, spout off something hateful about the President, or say something mind numbingly stupid?

My guess is not long.

But we shall see.

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