American Gladiators

American Gladiators (The Original Series): The Battle Begins
$29.99
I managed to get my hands on this DVD set and watched it the other night. It was such a throwback to being in front of the TV watching the show as a kid.

First, it's amazing how much changed over the seasons, yet how much stayed the same. The first 13 episode recap was a good way to get past the early medieval look to the show. I thought the production values of those first episodes was pretty cheap, and I'm glad they decided to spend more money for the second half. Once you do get to the last half of the first season, things pick up.

The video quality is actually pretty good too considering how it was filmed. I was impressed with how "new" it looked. I don't know if any restoration was done, but the second half looked pretty darn good for it's age.

The one thing I really loved about this set though were the audio commentaries by the 3 gladiators. Dan "Nitro" Clark, Jim "Laser" Starr, and Raye "Zap" Hollitt. I have to say that they are better than a lot of other commentaries I've listened to, just because they are so natural and casual. The gladiators go into specific details on how the show was in it's first year, the different personalities of the other gladiators, and what some of them are up to now. Also, giving some inside info on the contestants and the backstage decisions. What I liked the most was just the interaction between the 3 of them, it was like sitting on the couch with them and just chit-chatting with friends. Sometimes I would forget to pay attention to the show, because I was listening to one of their stories. It's kind of a "fly on the wall" feeling...like you shouldn't be listening, but it's good stuff, and they are really funny. I'm also glad the production company didn't censor them...there are some pretty frank topics, and cursing, which I thought was great.

Some things I learned from them:

That "Assault" was the gladiator's least favorite event...because they didn't get to do much, and the only punishment for being shot at was messed up hair!

The rules for "Powerball" and other full contact events were changed back and forth frequently from being allowed to tackle contestants to only being allowed to push them.

The amount of injuries to the gladiators...which makes sense since they really had no padding.

So, I would recommend this DVD set on both the nostalgia, and the audio commentaries...totally worth it!

Best Picture Collection (American Beauty / Braveheart / Forrest Gump / Gladiator / The Godfather / Titanic / Terms of Endearment)
$69.98
This package of Best Pictures is definitely a great buy. You can not beat the price for this package of first rate movies that any two would easily cost. Not to be missed.

Gladiator: A True Story of 'Roids, Rage, and Redemption
$25.00
Growing up watching American Gladiators, I never had any inkling of what might have been going on behind the scenes. I saw these superhuman gladiators each week and didn't think that they might be just regular people with flaws.

So, when I found out Dan "Nitro" Clark had written a book about his life, I was intrigued. Also, I recently watched the first season of American Gladiators on DVD, which had a few commentary tracks. Dan, and two fellow gladiators, Raye "Zap" Hollitt, and Jim "Laser" Starr, sat down and did commentary for a few episodes. I found it very relaxed and funny. So, I thought that if Dan was that approachable while speaking, maybe his book would be the same.

Well, I was right. Dan's book is a very candid, sometimes blunt account of his life. This is not an expose on the Gladiators, or the show. So, if you're looking exclusively for backstage gossip, this book is not that. What it is, is a look into one man's private (and sometimes public) battle with an addition to steroids, and what led him there, and then where they led him.

Dan's writing style is refreshing to me. He's very blunt, a little crass, and has no problem swearing. I have no problem with that, and found it like he was telling me all of this personally. He relates it in a way that is very personable. There is a lot of heartache early on, and some tragedy that he deals with growing up that make you really feel compelled to find out how he rose from that. Well, it does set him on a path, which takes the majority of the book to tell.

I don't want to spoil any of the details from the book, you really should read it yourself. I will say that you will learn a lot about the man Dan Clark, and the toll that steroids can take on a body, both physically, and psychologically. If you have any questions about the adverse effects, then you REALLY need to read his book! I hope it does what he's hoping, by telling his story, maybe people will think twice before taking steroids for any reason.

This book is a very compelling read, and I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you have no interest in American Gladiators. I found it a pretty powerful book, and an easy read because of Dan Clark's easy, approachable writing style.