Up & Coming Weekly

26 UCW NOVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 1, 2009 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Meet the Natives (Sunday, 9 p.m., Travel Channel) heads to the small South Pacific island of Tanna, where the tribes- men are naked except for grass tassels covering their penises. Five of these primi- tive people — including a chief, a medicine man and a translator — agree to visit the United States with a camera crew in tow. They plan to bring us a message of "peace and happiness." You see the potential problems here. Meet the Natives could easily be of- fensive, condescending to the islanders as they traverse a strange new world of cars, skyscrapers and powdered coffee creamer. But the series gets the tone just right, and the islanders emerge as the most appealing reality-show subjects of the season. In the first episode, they stay with a Montana ranch family for five days. Donning blue jeans and cowboy hats, they charm "the natives" (that's us) with their jovial response to industrial farming, chocolate cake and a local saloon. When the islanders learn that the United States is at war, they feel very bad. To fulfill their mission of bringing peace and happiness, they explain their concerns to their Montana hosts. "This brings shame on us all as brothers," one of them says earnestly. At that moment, the guys in the grass penis tassels seem more civilized than we do. Creature Feature Weekend Saturday & Sunday (SyFy) While other networks fill the Thanksgiving weekend with heartwarming fare, SyFy unleashes two days' worth of beasties. The marathon includes mov- ies about strange things (Basilisk: The Serpent King), big things (Anaconda 3) and big things vs. other big things (Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus). Fun stuff, but was there no film that fit the Thanksgiving theme? Mega Turkey vs. Giant Cranberry Sauce, perhaps? Beyond Sherwood Forest Saturday, 9 pm (SyFy) Here's the Robin Hood story as you've never seen it before. Robin and his men are as jaunty as ever, stealing from the rich and tweaking the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. But this time, Sherwood Forest is home to a beautiful damsel with the habit of taking off all her clothes, turning into a scary dragon and fly- ing through a neon-blue mystical portal. Believe it or not, the fantastical add-ons don't seem like a cheap gim- mick. The film melds them seamlessly into the Robin Hood legend to give new life to an oft-told tale. Now that I think of it, I've never known of a case where dragons and naked damsels didn't improve a given story. The 25th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert Sunday, 8 pm (HBO) HBO filmed last month's two concerts in Madison Square Garden cel- ebrating the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The lineup is amazing. Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, U2, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt and many others performed in honor of the Hall's 25th anniversary. Still, they were no match for the lineup — includ- ing Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, James Brown, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles, Joey Ramone and John Lennon — simultaneously jamming in heaven. Civilizing Infl uence Tribesmen Visit the U.S. in Meet the Natives TV by DEAN ROBBINS GET READY! THE 2009 RUN IS COMING ON DECEMBER 19 Register early to guarantee a T-shirt (Last year was a sell out!) 5K RUN/WALK in Memory of Ryan Kishbaugh Proceeds go to Ryan's Foundation, The Make a Wish Foundation and the Friends of the Cancer Center of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation. 5K RUN/WALK in Memory of Ryan Kishbaugh Proceeds go to Ryan's Foundation, The Make a Wish Foundation and the Friends of the Cancer Center of the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation. Please Pre-register online by December 16th www.runbecauseyoucan.com or www.active.com SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19th Starts at Medical Arts Building Field ,>ViÊ>ÞÊ,i}ÃÌÀ>ÌÊJÊÇ\ÎäÊ>°°ÊUÊ,>ViÊ-Ì>ÀÌÃÊJÊn\ÎäÊ>°°

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