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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
ot. top gear
Peter Tarry, Photographer
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croydon | Surrey | England | Posted: 5:41 PM on 07.23.10 |
| ->> Dont know how they pulled it off but this sundays episode has got Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz racing round the top gear track ,should be fun. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 8:03 PM on 07.23.10 |
->> How'd they pull it off? Because they are a better show than Fifth Gear!
Oh and they were both in London for a press event this week. |
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Daniel Putz, Photographer
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Owings Mills | MD | USA | Posted: 8:05 PM on 07.23.10 |
| ->> The current season probably wont air over here on BBC America until later this summer. There's about a 3-month lag time. |
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Peter Tarry, Photographer
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croydon | Surrey | England | Posted: 8:12 PM on 07.23.10 |
| ->> i was thinking more of the insurance costs involved ,must of been a big policy. fifth gear is a different sort of show ,ive worked with the cast who are also friends and they are all a joy to work with,dont be surprised if you see some of the fifth gear boys on a top gear of the future ! |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 4:49 AM on 07.24.10 |
->> Daniel
There are a variety of ways to watch Top Gear in the US about 24hrs after it airs in the UK. |
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Kohl Threlkeld, Student/Intern
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Bowling Green | KY | USA | Posted: 7:19 AM on 07.24.10 |
->> Daniel,
I'm too impatient to wait for them to air on bbc here in the states. Check out www.casttv.com. Like Steven said, they are usually on there within 24 hours. |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 11:27 AM on 07.24.10 |
->> "How'd they pull it off?"
They're shilling for their new movie. They'd turn up at the opening of an envelope. |
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Kirby Yau, Photographer, Assistant
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 10:53 PM on 11.21.10 |
| ->> Top Gear USA premieres tonight on the History Channel. |
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Greg Kendall-Ball, Photographer, Assistant
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Abilene | TX | USA | Posted: 10:56 PM on 11.21.10 |
| ->> This American version is simply awful. You can't just put three people and some cars together and hope they'll be Clarkson, Hammond and May with Yank accents. I'm betting this doen't last long...and it shouldn't. Some things shouldn't be messed with! |
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Bryan Hulse, Photographer
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Nashville | Tn | USA | Posted: 10:23 PM on 12.08.10 |
->> OK, I am resurrecting this dead horse.
After being a Top Gear fan for years, I finally watched the History Channel American version. Some thoughts:
It is pathetic they had to copy the EXACT format of the original. Why couldn't they at least try to have their own unique set and/or format? And they have the audience standing around just like the UK version? Come on! I really think the in-studio portion of the show is painful to watch.
However, when they hit the streets, that Tanner dude can DRIVE HIS BUTT OFF! He is an amazing driver and that really adds to the American version of the show. In a later episode, they said he was a 2 time drifting champion, and it really shows.
I also find the bigger guy, with the beard and glasses, to be quite funny.
So, overall, I wasn't as put out as I thought I might be and will keep it on Tivo for a while anyway. |
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Dann Wunderlich, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Chicago | IL | US | Posted: 11:06 PM on 12.08.10 |
->> absolutely bryan - i am really digging the driving and starting to find these guys quite funny - though i cant figure out how the third guy fits into this all - bad driver and boring to listen to
watching what tanner did with the EVO was incredible. |
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Matt Kartozian, Photographer
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Scottsdale | AZ | USA | Posted: 11:21 PM on 12.08.10 |
| ->> Bryan, Ive been a long time fan of the real and went to a few tapings of the US show. Adam seemed somewhat natural but Tanner and Rutledge were just super awkward the whole time in the studio. |
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Dennis Wierzbicki, Photographer
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Plainfield | IL | USA | Posted: 11:28 PM on 12.08.10 |
->> Danny, I agree with your comments about Foust driving the Evo on the ski slope. That was some awesome video.
Foust has some decent racing credentials:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanner_Foust
He most recently was on Speed Channel's Supercars Exposed, and Battle of the Supercars with Paul Tracy.
The "third guy...bad driver and boring to listen to" (Adam Ferrara) is a comedian who stars in Rescue Me as Captain Needles. I agree that his part on Top Gear has been the most disappointing. He hosts the interviews with the stars and their "Big Star, Small Car" segment (AKA - "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car") but these segments in the US shows haven't been terribly interesting, mostly resulting from Ferrara's mediocre interviewing skills.
It seems Foust is the parallel to Richard Hammond, Rutledge Wood is the James May equivalent which would leave Ferrara being Jeremy Clarkson, but we TG fans from over the years know that "Jezza" is a HUGE part of the British show's success, and Ferrara needs to up his game more than a little. |
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Doug Holleman, Photographer
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Temple | TX | USA | Posted: 12:10 AM on 12.09.10 |
->> This show is "something we like to call..." terrible.
You can't manufacture chemistry or copy wit and spontaneity. |
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Bryan Hulse, Photographer
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Nashville | Tn | USA | Posted: 9:16 AM on 12.09.10 |
->> Matt: Yes, that really comes across on the TV too. That must be why they got Adam for the show, since the other two aren’t comfortable in the studio.
But I am going to tune in just to see Tanner drive!
And yes, that Evo run was amazing! Having grown up in Colorado mountains, and having tried some of that stuff on a MUCH smaller scale in my younger days, I am really amazed at his skills. He also did some stuff with that Viper that blew me away. Like that 360 spin, while smoking the tires, then going straight again. THAT is when I realized this dude can DRIVE!
That’s why I wish they hadn’t copied the original and figured out how to utilize their talent in their own way. They have a guy that can drive like no one else, and a Rutledge is very funny and has some great comments. Adam (the new Yorker) seems completely out of place on the streets, but OK in the studio. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 10:00 AM on 12.09.10 |
->> Watched it ... and am also completely disappointed that it is a complete rip off of Top Gear in the UK. You cannot completely copy a show from formula with much success, since the success of Top Gear is largely based on the personalities and interaction between the three gentleman on the BBC's Top Gear.
Naming the driver The Stig also doesn't translate to the US, as the name originates from The Repton School, where Jeremy Clarkson and the UK show's producer Andy Wilman both attended ... and new students were referred to as Stig.
At least the cinematography follows a similar style to the original BBC Top Gear ... which is why I started to watch Top Gear in the first place. |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 10:26 AM on 12.09.10 |
| ->> ...and I thought this was another Canon vs Nikon thread.... |
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Bryan Hulse, Photographer
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Nashville | Tn | USA | Posted: 11:05 AM on 12.09.10 |
->> Steven: Yes, I too cringed when they called him 'The Stig'. Can't they come up with something on their own? Driver dude! Fast guy? Maybe something Hollywood related? Too Fast Too Furious? Transporter? ANYTHING other than Stig?
Chuck: Yes, this has nothing to do with photography. But it does have great cinematography (although not as good as the original IMHO). Does that count? |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 11:43 AM on 12.09.10 |
->> Considering that "stig" was a name for newcomers (and probably an abusive one at that) at Clarkson's very English public school (meaning very expensive and very private) it's a poor choice for US television.
An American equivalent would be something like "newbie" or "boner" or "hey you". |
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Dennis Wierzbicki, Photographer
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Plainfield | IL | USA | Posted: 11:44 AM on 12.09.10 |
->> http://blogcritics.org/video/article/tv-review-us-top-gear/
Read this just after the first episode of the US version.
Absolutely agree about it taking quite some time to develop chemistry amongst the stars. In this day of rapid cancellation, though, who's to say they will get enough time to achieve this before being axed?
I think copying almost the same exact format is a big risk, but if they would have changed everything, it wouldn't be Top Gear, would it? It would end up being just a new car show. I've read that's the train of thought the producers followed when determining the look and feel of the show. It also undeniably helps to have the Top Gear name to draw viewers - how many of us would have watched another car show on the History Channel if it were called "Cool Cars; Cool Dudes" or something else?
However, I think redoing the same shows (car being followed by a helicopter, car being filled with water, car being driven down a ski slope, etc.) doesn't show much in the way of creativity, and sooner rather than later this will put me off the US version of Top Gear. I mean, OK, reproduce the format of one of the world's most popular car shows (ever), but at least come up with some new and innovative situations - make the show your own, rather than a replica.
I'll cut them some slack on copying the format for now (and the set, and the Stig, and the audience standing around, and the Star in a reasonably-priced car, etc.) providing they start doing some new things and new segments.
We've watched it in my household (my son and I are big fans of the UK show) and once we (mostly) put aside comparisons to the UK version, we found it to be enjoyable...put just barely.
On the positive side, it's very nice to view in HD (DirecTV still isn't showing the UK version in anything other than SD), and has solid cinematography.
We'll give it a while before "voting with our DVR" and deciding to keep it on a season pass, or not. |
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