Notes from the Nosebleeds #43
December 5, 2009
By: Matt O’Brien of WrestleView.com
If you ain?t got time to bleed, it’s time to start the revolution. Debuting this week on TruTV was Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura. The show title says it all as the former governor and his team of investigators analyzes scenarios that may just be cover-ups and keep the public in the dark as to what their true purpose may be. For those whom have not seen the advertisements for the show, it features Ventura listing off topics such as global cover-ups and secret societies. Jesse ?the Mind? Ventura declares that after being involved in government he has seen it all and is now ready to talk. That may come off as non sense to some as Ventura has rarely not been ready to talk. Ventura has been outspoken on topics regarding Vietnam, JFK and 9/11. With his relentless questioning, personality and knowledge, as well as his celebrity, Ventura was the perfect host for such a show.
When viewers tuned into the intriguing new show on Wednesday evening, many were perhaps underwhelmed when Ventura kicked off the series with High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) as the subject of its first conspiracy theory. Created to analyze the ionosphere to determine communication capabilities, Ventura’s team investigates accusations of mind control and weather manipulation. Imaginations running wild and jumping to conclusions feel like the logical cause to such claims, but Ventura and his television crew aim to shed a little more light on this issue.
Between interviews and segments viewers are treated to a series of clips of eerie footage giving you the feel that something dark lays beneath the surface, then ending with a close-up of Ventura. While the repetition of the clips become monotonous as the show wears on, the truly annoying part of the program is when Ventura and his team stand outside the gates HAARP, arguing with a worker whose face is blurred out, when a hokey series of special effects appear to interrupt the camera recording. The staged insinuation that HAARP used their satellites to stop the interview severely damaged the credibility of the show that needed to attain credibility on its debut night.
Nevertheless the show bounces back in the second half with Ventura interviewing Gakona citizens. By interviewing locals the show gives a feel that everyone regardless of their class position is affected by these conspiracy theories in some way. This is where the show succeeds. If they can?t convince you that what the perpetrators are doing affect everyday people then the theories matter none at all. Ventura goes the extra mile by pulling John and Jill into the story and showing that even their normal routines intertwine with the HAARP, giving power back to the people by demonstrating their knowledge and synthesizing it to show the world.
Aside from Ventura, his War Room team has no standouts at this time except for June Sarpong. Her intuitive investigative yang approach yings Ventura’s bark and bite yang. While Ventura stands outside the gates of HAARP saying he doesn?t like to be told he can?t do something, Sarpong interviews a man whom shows her just how weather can be manipulated.
The deep voice narrating the program seems out of sync with the team. Perhaps having Ventura narrating the program himself would provide the show with a with more consistency instead of the narrator telling the audience one thing then cutting to Jesse driving in a car telling us what he is about to do next. But the deepest disappointment of Conspiracy Theory is that Jesse is more confined into a bouncer-type role instead of a former governor. Ventura’s appearance on Raw reminded the wrestling world of just how good he was at getting something over. After all, the man became a state governor while running on a third party ticket. Interviews with Ventura, recorded conversations, and radio shows show a relentless skeptic telling stories of the man who knew too much to his colleagues and explaining the CIA’s involvement in state government. His recent appearance on the Opie and Anthony Show is proof of how off the wall and downright nasty the man can get when he feels backed into a corner. If allowed to continue, Ventura and the show will find their way. The coming weeks of Conspiracy Theory will no doubt be much more interesting. Next week the topic is 9/11, a subject which Ventura has been a huge skeptic. His comments in interviews, radio shows, and conversations demonstrate his deep skepticism over why the attacks really happened. From there the show will examine global warming, and then take a Dan Brown approach with secret societies before examining the 2012 apocalypse. There are undoubtedly several people who dislike Ventura and believe he is either delusional or just a liar. Regardless, Ventura will not be going away anytime soon and his new program just might be a guilty pleasure for those who can?t get enough of The Body/Mind.
As I was putting the finishing touches on this column, news broke about the passing of Umaga. Words cannot describe the pain his family and friends must be going through. From a wrestling fan standpoint, it is yet another loss of a life ended before it was finished. The great moments that Umaga gave fans inside the ring will not soon be forgotten. To end the Nosebleeds this week I will just put out two words to Umaga wherever he may be: Thank you.
Matt O?Brien
mattman5436@yahoo.com
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