Nothing on TV?

Sometimes there is just nothing good on tv - too many reruns, too much sports, not enough well-written drama - and the list continues. Candid culture has a few suggestions, which are all easily accessed through your local library.

Cirque du Soleil presents fascinating, wildly complex and highly entertaining performances. Productions like "Kouza"and "Love" tour internationally. Find out what it takes to train, create and produce an original Cirque du Soleil production in "Cirque du Soleil Fire Within," a unique 13 episode documentary that follows performers through the grueling training process through the premiere and start of the world tour of of "Varekai," created in 2002. Tensions run high as performers are cut and new, highly expert athletes are flown in at the last minute to replace them. Not many of the actual performance "tricks" are shown in detail, but human drama runs rampant. This documentary follows a few of the performers very closely, exploring the effect of training on personal relationships and life at home after a 14 hour day at the Cirque center. The drama trails off after "Varekai" premieres, but the first 10-12 episodes are fascinating.

However, if you watch the video performance of "Varekai" in hopes of seeing the excitement come to life and tie all the little pieces together, know that "Fire Within" provided very limited glimpses of the entire production. Viewing a Cirque du Soleil performance on film lacks the urgency of the live production. The acts featured in "Fire Within" are few and far between. Only the triple trapzee act truly delivers the grace, artistry and excitement presented in "Fire Within." Several of the other acts simply do not translate well to film.

Opera lovers should check out U-Carmen, a 2005 version of Bizet's classic, set in a modern South African township. Translated in Xhosa and set to Bizet's score, U-Carmen is a compelling interpretation of the class conflict present in the original score, made urgent and universal against the South African setting. Bizet's themes run deep into the struggle of the poorer classes in a hierarchical society and have a presence in the modern world.

Instead of watching the same old tired DVDs when nothing is on, what new story did you discover? What other videos should candid culture check out?