Has anyone been watching Planet Earth? Discovery was showing it every fifteen minutes there for a while, and then Animal Planet started showing it. It’s a multi-part series filmed by the BBC and I just bought it for my parents at Costco. I watched some of it on Animal Planet, and it was narrated by Sigourney Weaver, and that was nice, whatever. But on the DVD, it’s narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and WELL, that’s a totally different cup of tea, now ain’t it? Not only does everything sound like Shakespeare, but he talks about glaciers and he pronounces it “glass ears”. What really got me hooked was I was out to dinner with my friend M. and M. said, “Have you seen the bird that has plenty of food and no enemies? Do you know what he does all day? He cleans up the forest floor…and then he dances. FOR NOBODY.” And sure enough, yes, he does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85LoHftEKs
I think my favorite part is when he wipes down the branches with a leaf, because, you know, those jungles get so DUSTY. And then he shakes the leaf off a plant and takes the leaf away. Damn leaves! In the jungle! And seriously, the dances the birds of paradise do, I can understand why the female is like, “No, I have to wash my drab plumage tonight. I’m busy.” The males, they try so hard. “Look at my feathery goodness!” They scream at the female. “Do not avoid the feathery goodness! It is iridescent and I look like a Las Vegas showgirl and I am hopping around like I have a thumbtack in my keister! Ahhhhhh!” I too would be a little overwhelmed.