I watched. Thought it was ridiculous, but funny, because every segment was so politically incorrect. It worked in the elderly, picking on animals, making the disabled do physical feats against each other... It was a bit amusing at times...
Yeah, it was so (I can't think of any good descriptive word(s) to put here that would do it justice) that it was actually kinda funny... in a silly sorta way. I'll be surprised if it survives with all of the premiere's un-PCness intact, however.
Anywho, I played online but didn't do very well. How the one-legged kicker beat the one-armed goalie, I'll never know.
I did get all the bonus LXG questions right, though.
It was novel. I didn't realize there was an online component to it & wondered what all the mentions to placing bets were for. Duh! Very weird seeing Lou Ferrigno(?) win baby Danny's soul. Banzaii!
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An Asian-American media group on Thursday protested the Fox network's airing of "Banzai," a parody of a Japanese game show, saying it demeans and stereotypes Asian people.
Outside a network presentation in Hollywood, about 20 members of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans carried signs and shouted into bullhorns, protesting the show.
The program, which debuted to strong ratings last Sunday, features an off-screen announcer speaking in a clipped parody of a Japanese accent, fake Japanese language graphics, and a karate-chopping middle-aged Asian host known as Mr. Banzai.
The show first ran on Channel 4 in Britain.
"It's just all the backward images of Asian-American people," Guy Aoki, co-founder of the group, which monitors the depiction of Asian Americans in media, told Reuters.
"This is like an Asian minstrel show," Aoki said. "Can you imagine the black version of Banzai?"
The protest came as Fox's senior executives prepared to make a presentation at the Television Critics Association summer tour for press, during which they preview their new fall lineups.
The demonstrators were confined to an area on the sidewalk in front of the hotel where the tour is taking place.
One of those senior executives, Gail Berman, the president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting, was a creator of the ABC 1994 sitcom "All-American Girl," the first broadcast show with a predominantly Asian cast, starring Margaret Cho.
"We've received an entire range of comments on the show, both pro and con," Fox spokesman Scott Grogin told Reuters. "It's a satire, a parody of Japanese game shows. It's very tongue-in-cheek and should not be viewed as anything but."
Carrying a sign that read, "Fox puts profit before people," Aoki said his group held two meetings with the network about "Banzai," asking that it not be aired, but said Fox executives declined to address their concerns.
He said that Fox indicated if Banzai comes back for a second season, they may add a disclaimer at the beginning of the show.
But Aoki said a disclaimer was not enough to assuage his group's concerns. They want the show to be canceled and for Fox to apologize for airing it in the first place.
NEW YORK (AP) — Just when this summer's TV shows were about to make you doze off ...
Banzai!
Fox's new Sunday night comedy, "Banzai," is unlike anything else on broadcast television. The fast-paced import manages the breathtaking trick of being offensive, stupid and completely hilarious — often at the same time.
Narrated by Japanese actors who occasionally show off crude kung fu moves, the series sets up bizarre contests for viewers to bet on at home, if they're not choking back laughter or disbelief.
There's a game of chicken between two elderly ladies steaming full-speed toward each other in wheelchairs: which one will veer off first? A priest, a rabbi and underworked actor Lou Ferrigno face off in a stationary bike race. Then there's the soccer contest between a one-legged kicker and one-armed goalie.
In the very first stunt a week ago, viewers were asked to guess how many helium balloons would need to be attached to a chicken before it becomes airborne.
If you guessed 90, you win.
"You brave little chicken! We will never forget you!" host Burt Kwouk says as "Larry" floats skyward, with REO Speedwagon's "Keep on Loving You" on the backing soundtrack.
Animal rights activists were appalled. The National Council on Problem Gambling would like to see viewers urged to bet responsibly. And the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans has complained that the series showcases "the most offensive, negative Asian stereotypes."
"The Shuffle of the Sinful Ladies," where viewers had to pick which of three Japanese women in whiteface wore red panties under her kimono, wasn't a big hit, either.
"I didn't think that was particularly funny," said Aki Aleong, a spokesman for the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans.
His group mounted an unsuccessful effort to block the show from airing in cities with big Asian populations.
"`Banzai' is not intended to offend anyone," Fox spokesman Scott Grogin said. "It is a satire, a parody of Japanese game shows. It's a spirited show, very tongue-in-cheek, and shouldn't be viewed as anything more than what it is — a very different kind of game show."
Different, in this case, also apparently means taking liberties with the truth.
Since most of the episodes shown on Fox are reruns of material already filmed and aired in Britain, it was surprising to see one contestant in a jousting contest introduced as being from Memphis, and another from Boston.
Wow! Some local rooting interests? Don't bet on it.
"It's a lie," admitted Gary Monaghan, the series' creator. The participants are British actors. Fox's response to anyone who objects to a fib that misleads viewers on the show's origination? Get a life, basically.
Fox sees "Banzai" as a parody of Japanese game shows, although Monaghan said that wasn't what he had in mind.
Three years ago, he was trying to invent a betting show at a time British newspapers were filled with stories about organized crime figures from the Far East fixing soccer matches.
That led him to imagining what kind of TV show these mob figures might create.
"It's kind of a surreal place in that land," Monaghan said. "Anything can exist, anything can be a gamble. So you kind of throw out all boundaries of taste and normal, decent behavior and everything is up for grabs."
He pronounces himself shocked that some Asian-Americans are offended. The show has aired for two years in Britain and he hasn't heard any complaints, he said.
The show uses virtually all Asian actors who use their own accents, not exaggerated ones, he said.
"I can understand that Asian-Americans want a realistic portrayal of Asian-Americans on TV," Monaghan said. "But this isn't set in America. It's not realistic. It's fantasy. I don't quite understand it."
The show's racier in Britain. He's proud of one stunt where a crude euphemism for "breasts" is carved in a field, much like mysterious crop formations seen from the air.
He called it "a ridiculous amount of effort for a really cheap joke."
But the greatest "Banzai" achievement may be introducing two indelible characters whose main functions are to make celebrities uncomfortable.
"Mr. Shake Hands Man" stands on a receiving line and grips a celebrity's hand, not letting go until the person pulls away. The game is guessing how long that will take.
Similarly, "Lady One Question" carries a microphone, queries a celebrity and fixes her subject with a blank stare. When will the person walk away, weirded out by the unresponsiveness?
"Banzai" performed modestly in its first episode, aired July 13. It was seen by 6.2 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research, but Fox was happy it did well among a target audience of young men.
Four more episodes will air on Sunday nights, for a total of six. If the ratings are good, Fox may come back with more episodes sometime during the upcoming TV season.
Monaghan suggests inviting some friends over to watch. Bring beer.
"In a bizarre way, it's really old, interactive TV," he said. "You don't have to have any computers. You can do it just by sitting in front of the television and shouting at it."
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An Asian-American media group on Thursday protested the Fox network's airing of "Banzai," a parody of a Japanese game show, saying it demeans and stereotypes Asian people.
Outside a network presentation in Hollywood, about 20 members of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans carried signs and shouted into bullhorns, protesting the show.
The program, which debuted to strong ratings last Sunday, features an off-screen announcer speaking in a clipped parody of a Japanese accent, fake Japanese language graphics, and a karate-chopping middle-aged Asian host known as Mr. Banzai.
The show first ran on Channel 4 in Britain.
"It's just all the backward images of Asian-American people," Guy Aoki, co-founder of the group, which monitors the depiction of Asian Americans in media, told Reuters.
"This is like an Asian minstrel show," Aoki said. "Can you imagine the black version of Banzai?"
The protest came as Fox's senior executives prepared to make a presentation at the Television Critics Association summer tour for press, during which they preview their new fall lineups.
The demonstrators were confined to an area on the sidewalk in front of the hotel where the tour is taking place.
One of those senior executives, Gail Berman, the president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting, was a creator of the ABC 1994 sitcom "All-American Girl," the first broadcast show with a predominantly Asian cast, starring Margaret Cho.
"We've received an entire range of comments on the show, both pro and con," Fox spokesman Scott Grogin told Reuters. "It's a satire, a parody of Japanese game shows. It's very tongue-in-cheek and should not be viewed as anything but."
Carrying a sign that read, "Fox puts profit before people," Aoki said his group held two meetings with the network about "Banzai," asking that it not be aired, but said Fox executives declined to address their concerns.
He said that Fox indicated if Banzai comes back for a second season, they may add a disclaimer at the beginning of the show.
But Aoki said a disclaimer was not enough to assuage his group's concerns. They want the show to be canceled and for Fox to apologize for airing it in the first place.
Fox is a unit of News Corp. Ltd.
When I saw Leathal Weapon IV I always wondered why it was OK for Gibson and Glover to make fun of the Asians while both were staunch defenders of other races' rights?
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