NEW ANIMAL PLANET SHOWS AREN'T BEST OF BREED.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic WE'VE SEEN how dangerous it can be when niche cable programmers attempt to break into entertainment programming. ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network and Court TV served up truly inept movies earlier this year. Now, Animal Planet enters the fray - one entry soils the living-room rug; the other could use a little more obedience training obedience training a standardized program of training for dogs calculated to give owners mastery of their dogs at all times. The grades of increasing excellence vary between countries. A popular grading is Companion Dog, Companion Dog Excellent, Utility Dog and Tracking Dog. . Rarely has a sitcom been as honestly monikered as ``Beware of Dog.'' It relates the misadventures of a mixed bearded collie Bearded collie a medium- to large-sized, gray, fawn, blue, brown or black dog with harsh, strong medium to long hair, particularly around the face and under the chin, giving the name. The body is longer than it is high, in a ratio of 5 to 4. named Jack (played by a rescued stray named Chip and, in voice-overs, by one ``Park Bench''). The dog's thoughts, voiced by Bench, express cynical views on life with the shallow Pooles, the dysfunctional family that adopts him. Dad's (Richard Waugh) an ineffectual doofus doo·fus n. pl. doo·fus·es Slang An incompetent, foolish, or stupid person. [Perhaps blend of doof, fool (from Scots) and goofus, fool (from goof). who plays with his Civil War army men; mom (Carolyn Dunn) ditzily struggles to wrest herself from her mousy mous·y also mous·ey adj. mous·i·er, mous·i·est 1. Resembling a mouse, especially: a. Having a drab, pale brown color: mousy hair. b. housewife trappings; the kids (Alex Appel, a new entry in the world's oldest teenager sweepstakes, and Gage Knox) represent the producers' uninspired image of kids: spoiled, trend-conscious and obnoxious. ``Beware of Dog'' is aimed at young children - with the acting barely reaching children's-show quality; few adults could tolerate it. Parents, however, may cringe at the pervasive sexual content in the dialogue (which, at any rate, isn't very funny). Following ``Beware of Dog'' is ``Animal Pranksters,'' the umpteenth iteration of ``Candid Camera,'' only featuring pets in the silly escapades. Host Reggie Gaskins gas·kin n. 1. The part of the hind leg of a horse or related animal between the stifle and the hock. 2. gaskins Obsolete Galligaskins. [Probably short for galligaskins.] good-naturedly torments a handful of genial dupes in a series of scenarios: A zealous cat groomer returns patrons' pets to them fully shaved; a chimp apparently beats its human competition in intelligence tests; a creepy animal lover hires entertainers to perform for a roomful of pugs For other uses of "pug", see Pug (disambiguation). Pugs is a compiler and interpreter for the Perl 6 programming language, started on February 1 2005 by Audrey Tang. Overview . Gaskins is eager to please, the ideas are hit-and-miss and focus more on the cute animals or Gaskins' performance than the reactions of those being scammed. Some of the gags seem staged, with too many cameras detailing the action from too many tight angles. But the plaintive shot of the bored pug pug, breed of sturdy, compact toy dog that became popular in England during the 19th cent. It stands about 11 in. (27.9 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 14 to 18 lb (6.4–8.2 kg). as it's being serenaded by a guy dressed as Santa is a keeper. BEWARE OF DOG - Two stars What: A dog shares his sardonic thoughts about the family that has adopted him. Where: Animal Planet. When: 8 tonight. In a nutshell: Aimed at kids, but this family show has too many sexual references. ANIMAL PRANKSTERS - Two stars What: Pet-themed ``Candid Camera.'' Where: Animal Planet. When: 9 tonight. In a nutshell: Tries to pull pranks on animal owners, some that look staged and some that work. |
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