The Challenge of Oscars Overseas – Part 2

Despite my previous brushes with Oscar disaster, I really thought 2012 would be different.

Now in Paramaribo, Suriname I’ve been pretty excited.  My house was set-up with AFN prior to my arrival and everything was looking good… however, as I’ve prepared for the Golden Globes, I’ve run into a pretty major problem.

You see, I don’t actually get the REAL 10 channel AFN, with dedicated stations for family programming, movies, sports and that sort of stuff.  No, I don’t get the REAL 10 channel AFN that comes with two stations dedicated to showing the best of Primetime programming, to include live events like major sporting events, parades, and awards shows.  No… I don’t get the REAL AFN because Suriname is outside the AFN satellite’s footprint.

Instead I get this sickly 3 channel version of AFN called ‘Direct to Sailor’ (dubbed ‘DTS’)… now in theory, when you look at the channels I actually get (News, Sports, and Primetime) you wouldn’t think it’s much of an issue… however, I recently found out that these channels don’t actually mirror the programming found on their REAL AFN counterpart stations.

You see, while the REAL AFN Atlantic Coast Primetime feed will be showing the Golden Globes live this Sunday night… the seemingly fake DTS version of the Atlantic Coast Primetime feed will be showing a hockey game: the New York Rangers vs. the Montreal Canadians.  And following that… they will be airing a basketball game: Warriors vs. Pistons.

Also, keep in mind, DTS also has a dedicated sports station that will be airing the Giants/Packers (NFL) game, followed by the Suns/Spurs (NBA) game.

Ummm… okay… really?

Okay, I’m a sports fan, I get it… well, actually I am an NFL fan, a league where each team only plays once a week for a total of sixteen games.  Plus the NFL is currently running their playoffs.  I get that.

But what really gets under my skin is the fact that random NHL and NBA games are preempting the Golden Globes, and eventually the Oscars, on my only outlet for watching them, the Primetime station!

Listen, both the NHL and NBA don’t start their playoffs until April.  Plus, in both leagues every team play an 82 freaking game season!  Even with this year’s NBA lockout delaying the start of the season until Christmas, they’re still going squeeze out a 66 games apiece!

So, let’s do the math… hmm… number of games divided by length of season equals, on average, 3.76 games per team/per week… and since both leagues have 30 teams… that gives us the possibility of 15 NHL and 15 NBA match-ups at any given time, so… if we run THOSE numbers (15+15)*3.76 = 112.8 NHL and NBA games per week. 

Hmmm… I… umm… really?!?

When there are 112.8 (non-playoff) games per week… why in the world are you preempting once a year programming?  I don’t get it… I really don’t get it. 

ERG!

Sigh.

The Challenge of Oscars Overseas – Part 1

So far, I don’t feel like I’ve done a very good job connecting with EGOTing on a personal level.  Sure, I talk about my personal feelings about various movies and things… but the truth is this:  I connect to movies and awards at a very deep level… I’m not sure why… I just do.  I obsess and salivate uncontrollably during Oscar season. 

I am so controlling over my Oscar experience that I don’t even like hosting or attending Oscar parties… which is something my wife doesn’t understand at all.  I don’t know… I just don’t enjoy sharing my Oscar experience with ‘non-believers’… I find them distracting and this is all so deeply personal to me that I like to keep my viewing very intimate… and well… over the last four years… ever since I moved overseas for work, my viewing of the Oscars has been more intimate that I would like… so intimate in fact that a better description would actually be “nonexistent”.

Sigh.

Yeah… it’s pretty depressing.  Back in 2009 I had just arrived in Belgrade and didn’t have my television set-up yet.  So for the first time since I was a small boy, I missed watching the Oscar telecast.  I had to monitor the awards as IMDB posted the results live.  It was certainly not a very enjoyable experience.

Then in 2010, while still in Belgrade, my Oscar experience was so bad that it spawned a series of four posts on my other blog, SchutzHappens:

Day 598: Oscar Coverage – My Triumph? Or My Defeat?

Day 599: Oscar Coverage – Recording Attempt 1… FAIL!

Day 600: Oscar Coverage – Recording Attempt 2… FAIL!

Day 601: Oscar Coverage – Recording Attempt 3…

Gearing up for the 2011’s telecast I thought I had all of my bases covered, I really did.  But then the unthinkable happened:

Day 953: Bad Oscar Karma… Again  

Sigh. 

And I hate to say it… but 2012 isn’t looking any better… but more about that tomorrow.