Ox Notes: July 31, 2007

In an interview with TV Guide, former Pirate Master captain Azmyth gives his take on why the show didn't score with viewers: "The television audience just didn't get to see half of the stuff the producers actually put us through." And, yes, he really believes he's a wiz at accents.

The Simple Life is no more, and insiders at E! blame the show's demise on Nicole Richie.

Speaking of sinking ships, Variety has an article about Katie Couric's lackluster first year as anchor of CBS's Evening News.

Discovery Channel's Shark Week 2007 is drawing killer ratings (yuk, yuk) -- including an audience of nearly 4 million for the Sunday night premiere of Ocean of Fear: The Worst Shark Attack Ever. For the annual event's 20th anniversary, Discovery is featuring more than 130 hours of shark-related programming, and I am loving it.

If you follow the above link to the article about Shark Week's ratings, note that Yahoo TV! has filed the post under articles about the CBS lawyer show Shark. Just think of the crossover potential if Discovery could've gotten James Woods to narrate some of their shark specials!

And if you're interested in the subject matter of Ocean of Fear -- the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II -- check out the book In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton. It's a gripping account of the days sailors spent in the water at the mercy of sharks, as well as the burden borne by the ship's captain, Charles McVay.