Sarah Palin’s TV show debuts in US
Former US Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has launched a new reality television show. The first episode of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” was shown on Sunday night – our own Sarah Smith takes a look.
The former Governor of Alaska has allowed television cameras to follow her and her family for this eight-part reality TV show.
Sarah Palin’s Alaska made its debut on American television screens on Sunday night. he mother-of-five, who is tipped to run for President in 2012, is shown taking part in a variety of outdoor activities including kayaking, skiing and rock-climbing.
“I love this state like I love my family,” Palin told the TV cameras, as viewers are invited to step into her “backyard”.
“I’d rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office. I’d rather be out here being free,” she continues.
Palin is shown bonding with her children – Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig – as she enjoys a host of adrenalin-fuelled sports. She is reportedly being paid $250,000 per episode.
Channel 4 News has looked at the reactions to Sarah Palin's Alaska in the American press:
The New York Times:"The snowcapped mountains, pine forests and shimmering lakes are majestic, the Palin children are adorable, and the series looks like a travelogue; wholesome, visually breathtaking and a little dull. In a way it's like The Sound of Music but without the romance, the Nazis or the music."
The Boston Herald used the headline "Flippin' embarrassing - you betcha" before going on to write:"Last night's premiere of Sarah Palin's Alaska will be remembered as the moment the once-promising, conservative darling crossed over into the absurd."
St Louis Post-Dispatch printed: "A Tea Party role model and possible 2012 presidential candidate, Palin talks a lot, in her ear-splitting and/or charming twang....If you're a Palin booster, you already know all this, because you certainly watched. If you're a Palin hater, you may have blocked not only the show but all of TLC from your TV. The divide is understandable, but in a way, it's unfortunate. Red or blue, Alaska is beautiful."
The Los Angeles Times: "The intent of the series is not clear, is she merely showing off a state she truly loves with off-the-cuff remarks, or are these the opinions of the paid Fox News consultant subtly laying the groundwork for a presidential bid?"