Out of The Fog - Can 150 minutes seem longer than 5 years?

Recently, Out of The Fog it's five year anniversary with a 90 minute special and a one hour look at the show entitled The Making of Fog. Here are some thoughts on the two shows .

• >As a 30 minute show Out of The Fog (OTF) is fantastic daily programming. At 90 minutes the tedium really takes over and I was barely hanging on. The 90 minute show was no different than any other nightly show except for the fact that Paddy & Krysta decided to Suit Up! A better idea would have been to combine the two shows or perhaps do a taped live show in front of an audience.
• >I'm still trying to decide if I am a Paddy Daly fan or not. He is better than prior host Dave Salter but I need to see more. He is smart enough though to know that it is Krysta's show and she is OTF.
• >I hope that no one tells Ron Hynes that he died five years ago (I've seen more lively looking zombies in a Romero movie) because he continues to make excellent music.
• >While I enjoyed Jenny Gear on Canadian Idol, I could not and would not be able to watch her over a full set. I just don't get her.
• >Most unusual pairing of the night; Harvey Hodder and Roger Sampson. Harvey with his usual grouch-like appearance and Roger with his Linda Evans hair (thankfully tied back for this show) and absolutely killing himself with his own jokes. I figure Harvey's restraining order against Roger must be good for 500 meters.
• >Ambrose Pierce...what can I say besides the fact that the man knew that dusty rose was in style back in 1995 and that the term Decorating Diva fits. On a side note, he was called Jackie "O" by the judges on a decorating reality show that he will be appearing on soon....personally I can't wait to see a Newfoundlander on National TV show who isn't funny, a singer or an angry individual really pissed off at a politician on the news.
• >While the Freixenet and the Parkdale pieces were nice did they really belong in the special.
• >OTF, the next time you are having a big blow-up special make sure you guys get Steve Winter of the NF Liquor Corporation...that dude is crazy. I believe he is already signed on for Jackass 3 after his appearance on OTF.
• >While I am a fan of OTF, I really didn't need 60 minutes of local celebrities and "man on the street" telling me over and over what a great show it is, as was the case with the Making of Fog (MoF) documentary.
• >Really every musical guest from the 90 minute special and others who spoke during MoF and basically said the same thing. Where was the insight?
• >Nice touch getting air time for some of the hard-working volunteers.
• >The one shining moment of MoF was when Krysta relayed the story about the dying man and his wife who watched her nightly forn the hospital and how they thought of her as their own. This is the beauty of OTF and MoF needed more moments like this.
• >Krysta Rudofsky is the real star of this program and that was evident in every aspect of the two specials. I would have liked to seen more about her in MoF but I suspect she was much to modest too allow this too happen. She has the talent to interview all levels of guests with the right level of decorum and she indeed makes her co-hosts look better. Even if Mrs. Media Stew thinks she wears too many low-cut tops!

In closing, Out of The Fog is great local television that never seemed local till they tried to outpace themselves with these two specials. The show is best when it is concise and features plenty of Krysta and local stories and celebrities. I personally hope that the show will be around for years to come.

Media Stew