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“Coke on the Beat” presenters Tich Maruziva and MisRed

Tafadzwa Zimoyo TV Column

What’s happening, everybody?

Last week I wrote a critique of the reality show “Starbrite Talent Search”.

It did not go down well with some of their staunch supporters who argued that Rome was not built in a day.

Since the inception of the show in the 1990s, they want critics to hold their peace for a while.

Others approved of my piece and pointed out that Zimbabweans needed to up their game and take lessons seriously.

I later reflected that facts are stubborn. If one wants to grow, they must consider all criticism and work on shortfalls.

Fortunately, I got to meet the founder of the show and we had a constructive discussion.

The key thing is to desist from effortlessly shifting blame.

After the article I was left astounded by some sponsors attacking the show saying they have never approached us but the case still remains the same. Where were you when they needed the resources?

Let us help them get the star they need on the Starbrite.

Zambezi Magic continues to rock, with some of our own Zimbabwean acts shining.

There was a question raised last week by some television fanatics on who determines the videos to be played on the channel.

There seems to be emphasis on the same videos while other artistes do not get to be accommodated.

Yes, we love our hip hop but if it comes too often at the expense of other genres, we become concerned.

Besides even the music videos are losing direction. Why can we not play those that portray our Zimbabwean values?

I rest my case on that one.

“Music Calabash” happens to be another pertinent issue.

The Calabash show seems to be just one bore, but that is only because it is not strategically timed.

During the day, many children watch television and with the advent of technology, they now know what is hot and what is not.

“Music Calabash” could play a major role if it is aired a bit later, considering that your videos are catering for the 80s generation who would be at work during its slot.

On to “Coca cola on the Beat”, let me take the opportunity to salute the presenters for good style and interaction skills which keep the viewers glued to the screen.

Although some of the videos are whack, I urge them to support our local videos too.

If they play local videos and get feedback they may get more ground locally.

Enough of that; this week I am focusing on Universal Channel on DSTV.

I love the dramas, the love, the hate, the thrillers and the suspense.

Universal Channel is a South African television channel broadcast exclusively on DStv which specialises in movies and television shows – thrillers, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres.

It is owned by Universal Networks International, a division of NBC

Available on channel 117, some of the shows to watch include “Haven”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (from Season 8 in 2010; the first seven seasons aired on SABC3), “Fairly Legal”, “Being Erica”, “Jack Hunter”, “Numbers”, “Flashpoint” and “Rookie Blue” among others.

I took some hours to watch the entertaining channel although it later became a bore after you could predict the shows.

On a separate note, did you know that watching a powerful mystery is actually good for you?

The best TV crime dramas build suspense over a number of episodes. They challenge viewers to pay attention to complicated stories, including red herrings, and to remember them from episode to episode.

In other words, they provide great stimulation for the brain, which in turn helps keep it healthy, as the human brain needs to be kept active. In fact, when you deprive it of stimulation it reacts very badly.

Research shows that when people are put in an artificial situation with no sensory stimulation, their brains take only 30 hours to become so distressed they start stimulating themselves by hallucinating.

When people come out of those isolation experiments and are asked to undertake reasoning and memory tests, they perform worse than previously.

The more you tax your brain, the sharper it becomes.

And when you watch a complex TV drama, you really tax it. Almost all the visual regions in the brain are activated, starting with the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe, where the images are first analysed.

Make sure you have your favourite drama series if you want to have a healthy mind.

Enjoy your viewing!