OK, a quick rant. Is anyone watching the fine BBC series "LIFE" on the Discovery Channel? I don't have cable so I am not, but I have seen clips, and was horrified to see that the US version has replaced the UK narration by David Attenborough with...Oprah Winfrey.
Now I like Oprah as much as the next guy, but although she is a fine actress, here she always seems to be reading a script, not talking about something for which she has passion - or knowledge. Does Discovery think we can't understand a refined British accent like Attenborough's? Few narrators have his sense of timing, or enthusiasm, but Oprah doesn't even come close.
( By the way, they did the same thing with "PLANET EARTH" a few years ago, replacing Attenborough with Sigourney Weaver. Great in Alien, but dull as dishwater as a narrator.)
Anyhow, I managed to find a copy of the British version of Planet Earth on DVD, and will wait for the British version of LIFE as well.
OK, rant over.
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I will be doing the same thing. I got the Planet Earth with Attenborough and will get the Life one with him as well. The series is pretty dang good. We are watching it down here.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm on board with this too! Somehow I can't help but think they threw in OPRAH to increase awareness and viewership. Nobody can come close to Attenborough when it comes to narration. And, Sigourney Weaver on Planet Earth----Planet Mars is more appropriate! You can pre-order "Life" (D.A. Narration) on Amazon and receive it on June 1 (the scheduled release date).
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