Today's Double News: Marco Polo Most Wanted

Another instance of me killing two birds with one stone (an act I can only condone in a figurative sense by the way):

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153071/netflix_produceert_marco_polo_serie

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/153030/speciale_golden_globe_promo_voor_muppets_most_wanted

More historical series, epic or otherwise, are always welcome, especially if they involve 'political skullduggery, sexual intrige and spectacular battles'. I can't recall Marco Polo having been done before on the small screen, so this might be as good a time as any to start. There's enough hugely fascinating material to be covered, ranging from Polo's long voyages to the East and the clash of cultures between West and East (but also the mutual learning) the explorer personified, to the major political strife in ancient China. At least there's one Game of Thrones veteran to bring his expertise on television like this along, and the participation of the duo of writer/directors Sandberg and Ronning is also most welcome after their wonderful Kon-Tiki movie that already showed they have an affinity with exploration, even though I know they are quite busy working on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales simultaneously. In all honesty, I'm not acquainted with showrunner John Fusco's body of work, but judging from his resumé - which includes The Forbidden Kingdom and the upcoming Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II (don't ask) - the Far East is something he enjoys, and if that's true, he might be properly motivated to make this project work to the best of his abilities, as would befit a showrunner. As for Netflix, I have as yet no need for it in my life, since I prefer to watch television of my choice the oldfashioned way, by slowly but surely - with emphasis on the former it must be admitted - working my merry way through huge piles of DVDs and such. So I guess I'll have to do some serious waiting on this show over the next two years, as I'm also not the downloading type. Oh well, that pile will keep me busy for many more months to come anyway.

And should I get bored regardless I can always go see a movie in theaters, like Muppets Most Wanted for example (not the strongest segue, I'll grant you). This new Golden Globe promo spot is pretty hilarious, though it could easily have been done with other movies too, or for other award shows for that matter. Wouldn't be surprised if the Muppets had something up their sleeve for the Oscars too. Until that time, this fun little teaser is enough to whet our appetite for this 'most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational' sequel. And it also adequately reminds us to avoid any online message boards that are running rampant with trolls, flame wars and assorted silly people, especially the sort that would entice unsuspecting visitors to make money simply sitting at home.