Sunday, February 13, 2000		Television

Toon times are a-changing

SCOOBY-DOO, the lovable, giant-sized Great Dane, has been voted ‘Toon of the Millennium’ in a recent millennium Cartoon Network survey involving kids. Dexter came second, closely followed by Captain Planet. The results also demonstrated the growing popularity of Johnny Bravo and The Powerpuff Girls, all of whom figured prominently on the ‘Toon of the Millennium’ survey.

Scooby’s birth seven years ago, introduced a new kind of cartoon detective — a globetrotting canine Sherlock Holmes with a mystery-solving heart of chicken! Though Scooby-Doo shivers and cowers, but when it comes to the ‘whodunit’ part, he finds a solution which amazes his ghostbusting teenage detective gang.

The survey, which focused on viewers from four to 14, revealed that kids enjoyed the mystery aspect of the show most which is why the lovable canine scored a popularity score as high as 63 per cent and a familiarity score of 85 per cent. The surprising misses of the survey were Flintstones and Tom & Jerry — two of the comedy cartoons which have spawned two generations of pupularity. Toon times they are a-changing.

Probing life’s Arth

This is a cracker of a Star Bestseller. Slick and fast-paced, Arth. February 23, 9.30 p.m., is a bagful of surprises. The story focuses on Priya, an urban professional woman, who wonders why her life is taking a downward dip when her career graph starts rising.

The cause of her problems is her live-in boyfriend, Jatin. While Priya has made it, Jatin, a writer, is still struggling. He is so caught up with his own frustrations that love takes a back seat. The main problem is his temper and his negative attitude.

At this point, Priya meets Karan who is like a breath of fresh air which blows away all the depressing shadows in her life. Priya is drawn to Karan and she decides to leave Jatin. But when she professes her feelings Karan is shocked. He says that she’s just a friend. On Priya’s insistence he admits about his five-year gay relationship with a man. She is dumbstruck, and decides to go back to Jatin. But life is not so simple...

Writer director Sanjay Upadhaya has made serials like Trikaal and Gaatha and assisted Govind Nihalani in Aakrosh and Ardh Satya an experience which stands him in good stead in this telefilm.

Crime and punishment

Here’s another marathon from Doordarshan, and a familiar tale at that. Juhi on DD-2 every Sunday at 8.30 p.m. revolves around a group of people caught in the vortex of good and evil.

Set in the background of intense rivalry between two city dons and an honest cop who heads a special task force code-named ‘Juhi’ to root out crime, the serial is more a thriller than a social comment.

"Juhi", says director Gurbir Grewal, is a "close reflection of youth in the present society wherein their restful energy goes awry owing to the wayward and selfish behaviour of adults." One of the most redeeming features of this otherwise humdrum serial is that it has been shot in Delhi and Rajasthan which lends it a visual freshness.

Pulp queen goes starry

There’s no place like Hollywood, and no one knows it better than Jackie Collins, the internationally renowned novelist and one of Hollywood’s most famous and glamorous residents. Now Collins makes her television series debut as hostess of Jackie Collins’ Hollywood on Star World February 5, 10.30 a.m. — an insider’s look at stars and their dazling lifestyles.

The series, Hollywood Lives, showcases the hottest trends in fashion and hobbies, probes the latest celebrity causes, tours the most spectacular Beverly Hills homes, guides viewers into the most powerful boardrooms.

Collins also visits the trendiest restaurants, clubs and stores; attends the most talked about parties and looks into the private lives of some of the biggest names in movies, TV and music. Each episode contains a feature story — a star home tour, a day in the life of a celebrity or clothes shopping with a star. In short, Collins provides a VIP pass into the glitzy private lives of celebrities in her own inimitable style.

Wild adventure

In a land of myth, magic and the wild, a dethroned prince with a mystical gift of being able to communicate with wild animals, holds the power to restore peace to both mankind and animals.

Based on Andre Norton’s novel AXN’s new series Beastmaster every Tuesday at 9 p.m., brings alive the mythical realm of kings and queens, wizards and sorcerers, dragons and damsels, as ‘Dar’, the Beastmaster — begins a journey of heroism and deadly battle.

Dar, a dethroned prince is gifted with the ability to talk with animals and share their powers. When his village is destroyed by marauders, and his childhood sweetheart, Kyra, is kidnapped, be embarks on a quest to find her.

He’s not alone though. At his side are his clumsy friend, Tao, and his animal companions Shark the eagle, ruh the tiger and Kodo and Podo, two mischievous ferrets.

Shot in the rainforest and on the beaches of Queensland, Australia, Beastmaster is a visually stunning and expertly crafted series with amazing computer-generated creatures to enthrall both kids and adults.

— Mukesh Khosla