CHANGES, Part 1

By Phil R. Elliott

I am almost to the point where I can no longer stand television. Except for racing, a few science/history types, some old-time sitcoms and movies, TV drives me nuts. It seems like about 50% of airtime is taken up by the remake and reality shows, none of which have me interested at all. The only reason I can see for this type of show, whether it be building choppers or refitting a kitchen, is their relative low expense when compared to producing a drama or comedy.

We can thank PBS, Bob Vila and This Old House for the remake phenom, except that when it started, it was for DIYers looking for hints on home repair. It was kind of fun to look in once in awhile as we were guided through whatever repair was going on. As the show evolved, they took on ever-increasing projects to the point of insanity. The show began to rely more and more on donations and sponsors (they weren't called commercials then), and some of that took its toll on the show's originators. Even the host succumbed when self-serving commercialism got the better of him. Vila was replaced, and seemingly now, even all the TOH subcontractors are TV personalities (That's a marketing term for "very small star"). Vila has his own tool commercials and a similar show, while the original soldiers on and reaps more spin-offs and pretenders.

One show I actually became hooked on for a time was Trading Spaces, a flagrant copy of a British show wherein two couples are guided by designers to complete a major change in each others' homes in a given budget of time and money. But the reality parts overwhelmed the perky hostess, and I now just check in to see what is happening during the show.

Like lots of you, I spent a great many hours during February with my TV tuner aimed at Daytona. So many things had changed inside NASCAR it was very interesting to see how the racers, crews and cars attempted to absorb all of them.

Certainly, you all know these changes without me mentioning them. They start right at the top with Nextel replacing Winston, and a huge revolution in the way the champion will be tallied. There is a huge controversy about how it will all shake out but the whole reasoning is to make the world's biggest spectator sport even more exciting.

In the meantime, while waiting for the first champion to emerge under the new system, NASCAR has oft looked like bumbling buffoons instead of the second-most popular motorsport worldwide. Weekly rule changes throughout 2004 have forced drivers, owners, crews and fans to and past the breaking point.

Adjustments continue with Sunoco taking over for 76 Union, Toyota coming on board among the trucks, IROC backing from Crown Royal, and dozens of new templates, including several that force total conformation of the gas cans! (It is probable that NASCAR is the most rule-heavy sanction in all of motorsports.)

I've also noticed a few other things.

The IROC champion will earn a cool Million Bucks. Amazing. A series that started as kind of a lark to see which of the many racing champions was really the worlds best now pays one of twelve invited drivers seven figures! I've always been cynical that the F1 and dragrace drivers aren't a part, nor are the rally or motorcycle folk. But it's their club. This year, I giggled under my breath when Busch-series champ Brian Vickers and CART champ Paul Tracy were not part of the line-up. It seems like it is OK for a 20-year-old to race and win in a series sponsored by a beer company but not in one by hard liquor. And, with the CART vs. IRL courtroom scenario, nobody knew what might happen and how many conflicts the reining champ might have had. Due to the controversy, Tracy's personal website lists him as "2003 Champ Car Champion" which has gained a half grin from yours truly.

The CART vs. IRL, and the potential CART/IRL merge is another of topic almost too hot (or cold) to handle. The cynical can certainly suggest that waning TV ratings prove nobody cares anyway but I believe there are still plenty of open wheel race fans in this country and beyond.

But changes are necessary to keep up with evolution. Whether the changes turn out to be great decisions by masterminds or knee-jerk reactions by goof-offs only time will tell.

I won't get into the myriad changes in dragracing. I stepped into that a bit in my recent predictions column. My desk and Email in-box are filled with press releases about sponsors and drivers and official this and that. And by the time I could change these PRs into a column, half of the ingredients would change and my column would be horribly dated. I'll let you check out the online photos from the early season races, and the little stories of big changes, or vice versa. You can make up your own mind.

One thing that hasn't changed is the attraction to rain NHRA continues to experience. The year 2003 was one of the worst for the Glendora group and 2004 has not shown a much sunnier countenance.

But racing is just a microcosm of the world.

If we worry about which person is in the White House, which terrorist faction is going to hit what next, why our favorite TV show has been cancelled, or why the index for the class we chose just got hammered by a tenth, it is so much negative energy. Right, wrong or indifferent, our choices for where to stand on an issue will eventually all work out.

Last month, Janet Jackson was still big news. If what happened during the Super Bowl was a publicity stunt, it worked. Very well. Now there are two Jacksons to discuss. Janet actually overtook Michael's limelight for a time. The act also made for some immediate and major changes. Live TV broadcasts will now all be on a 5-30-second delay to edit out such "horrifying" displays, which actually means there is no more truly live television. I am amazed at the reaction to what is supposedly just 18-frames of videotape.

It is rarely a surprise to me when even major changes take place. They are just the inevitable result of evolution at its best.  

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