al-Gore-zeera

Current TV is the name of the new "youth channel" formed by the former VP, but we prefer to call it al-Gore-zeera. To the extent that the channel's debut has made any splash, we think it's only an indication of how fast it will sink. First of all, the target audience is not exactly underserved by current TV offerings. However, the big problem, according to the Wall Street Journal, is that the channel offers all the excitement you'd expect from an entertainment company that has Algore himself directly involved in chosing content.

OpinionJournal - Taste: "Any adults who were worried that Mr. Gore and his Democratic partners might use their investment to indoctrinate and arm a generation can probably rest easy for now. Newsless, often clueless and usually dull, the new channel is a limp noodle.

The idea is that viewers will create content, called "pods," and send it in. The flaw is to think this will be interesting.

The content pods, also repeated ad nauseam like CNN items on a foreign hotel-room TV, are thin stuff. Many offer little more than brief action shots of guys doing guy things like base jumping and skateboarding. Some simply showcase 'hotties' like the L.A. model who crows: 'Apparently, I have the perfect black butt.' And then there's visiting 'Mentor' Deepak Chopra, dispensing such gems as: 'The best way to find out who you are is to ask yourself, 'Who am I?''

Other pods look suspiciously like infomercials. In one, a guy does little but obsess about Nike Air Jordan sneakers. Another features a company seeking egg donors. If you're a broke college student, a host quips, 'Why sling latte when you can score $5,000 giving an egg to a childless couple in need?'"

Well, you can't have your eggs and apples, too.

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