Life

It has been a while since I've stopped by the ol' blog - I have been consumed by the Discovery Channel's Life documentary series. It's AWESOME!

This 11-part nature series from the networks that brought us Planet Earth (you know how I loved that one, too) captures the various life forms that inhabit the planet. It's narrated by Oprah Winfrey (my main, if petty complaint about the project; her voice doesn't quite seem to fit and I'm a bit distracted by the fact that it's Ms. Winfrey) and explores how the various species survive, interact with each other, and procreate.

Last night, I watched the episode on insects, and the filmmakers somehow captured grass-cutter ant colonies chew apart grass, carry it back to their ant hills and use it to fertizlize the fungus that is their food supply. It's like the real Antz or A Bug's Life without Hollywood recasting. Crazy! There is more where that came from: hunting chase sequences that are more nail-biting than any big budget thriller, delicate mating rituals and emotional family moments, all enveloped in bar-raising cinematography. I got my new HD tv just in time.

Check it out - I am sure Discovery will play it many times over as it has garnered its best debut ratings in a decade with this series; this weekend features the final installments and a "making of" episode, where I hope to learn more about the production of this incredible doc series.