James Cameron

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With extra resources, Cameron goes bigger and deeper

Imagine that you suddenly have great gobs of money and resources. What’s next?
Some people buy an island or a movie studio or Twitter or trouble. James Cameron dives deeper (literally and figuratively) into his work.
“They’re going to have to drag me out kicking and screaming,” he told the Television Critics Association.
Cameron turns 70 on Aug.16; two days later, he debuts an ambitious project. For three Sundays (Aug. 18 through Sept. 1), “OceanXplorers” (shown here) will have episodes at 9 and 10 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, probing unseen parts of the world. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / August 4, 2024
Stories

The octopus becomes an Earth Day star

It’s easy to fall for something that’s cute, cuddly and koala-like. An octopus might be a bigger challenge.
Almost 2,000 years ago, Pliny, a Roman commander/philosopher. said: “No animal is more savage.” As recently as 20 years ago, writer Sy Montgomery told the Television Critics Association, people “thought: ‘Aren’t they monsters? Aren’t they gross?’”
They do look odd, but they also have remarkable skills and personalities And now, as researcher Christine Huffard put it: “Octopuses are having a moment.”
There was the fictional Hank in “Finding Dory” and real-life creatures in PBS’ “Octopus: Making Contact” (2019) and the Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher” (2020). Next is an Earth Day documentary mini-series from James Cameron. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 15, 2024
Stories

Nat Geo gives Disney+ a surge of nature epics

Two potent forces – Covid and Disney – could have blunted the National Geographic Channel.
Or not. Courteney Monroe, president of National Geographic Content, told the Television Critics Association that her projects are bigger and busier than ever. She announced a flurry of them — some global (including a new version of the 2010 “Great Migrations,” shown here) and one stretching for a decade.
All of those will go straight to the Disney+ streaming service, skipping the linear outlets — National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild. But Monroe insisted that neither channel will be trimmed back “and shows from the linear channels will find their forever homes on Disney+.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 9, 2022