Oddities (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Oddities is a half-hour documentary
/reality television
program which follows the operation of an East Village, Manhattan
shop which trades in antiques and other rarities. The show premiered on November 4, 2010, and airs on the Discovery Channel
and its sister network, the Science Channel.
Oddities focuses on the day-to-day operation of Obscura Antiques & Oddities, and stars co-owners Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson and buyer Ryan Matthew, with appearances by other employees and customers. The store's employees search flea markets, personal collections, auctions, and antique shows for unique and unusual artifacts. Odd items bought and sold by the shop or featured on the show have included a mummified
cat, a Rhesus monkey
skull, art made from nail clippings, and a straitjacket
.
Celebrities appearing on the show have included Jonathan Davis
of the band Korn
, Whitey Sterling, singer for the New York band Stiffs, Inc.
, musician Genesis P-Orridge
, actress/comedian Amy Sedaris
, artist Ann Hirsch, actress Chloë Sevigny
and actor/comedian Paul Dinello
. Legendary New York playwright Edgar Oliver
also appeared on the program, and was shown admiring a straight jacket in promotions for the show. Also, the musician Voltaire
was shown on the show. High Pitch Eric from The Howard Stern Show also had a segment appearance on the show where he tested some antique electric equipment.
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
/reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program which follows the operation of an East Village, Manhattan
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
shop which trades in antiques and other rarities. The show premiered on November 4, 2010, and airs on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and its sister network, the Science Channel.
Oddities focuses on the day-to-day operation of Obscura Antiques & Oddities, and stars co-owners Mike Zohn and Evan Michelson and buyer Ryan Matthew, with appearances by other employees and customers. The store's employees search flea markets, personal collections, auctions, and antique shows for unique and unusual artifacts. Odd items bought and sold by the shop or featured on the show have included a mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
cat, a Rhesus monkey
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
skull, art made from nail clippings, and a straitjacket
Straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong sleeves and is typically used to restrain a person who may otherwise cause harm to themselves or others. Once the arms are inserted into the straitjacket's sleeves, they are then crossed across the chest...
.
Celebrities appearing on the show have included Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
of the band Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
, Whitey Sterling, singer for the New York band Stiffs, Inc.
Stiffs, Inc.
Stiffs, Inc. was a Victorian punk band formed in New York City in 1992. They played their final show on May 24, 1998.Brought together in New York City under the name ‘Stiffs, Incorporated’, the group were active between 1992 and 1998. Their early material is influenced by 70’s English punk...
, musician Genesis P-Orridge
Genesis P-Orridge
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is an English singer-songwriter, musician, writer and artist. P-Orridge's early confrontational performance work in COUM Transmissions in the late 1960s and early 1970s along with the industrial band Throbbing Gristle, which dealt with subjects such as prostitution,...
, actress/comedian Amy Sedaris
Amy Sedaris
Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
, artist Ann Hirsch, actress Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Stevens Sevigny is an American film actress, fashion designer and former model. Sevigny gained reputation for her eclectic fashion sense and developed a broad career in the fashion industry in the mid 1990s, both for modeling and for her work at New York's Sassy magazine, which labeled her...
and actor/comedian Paul Dinello
Paul Dinello
Paul Dinello is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and an alumnus of Chicago-based The Second City, Improv Institute, and Annoyance Theatre...
. Legendary New York playwright Edgar Oliver
Edgar Oliver
Edgar Oliver is an American stage and film actor, poet, performance artist and playwright. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he has lived and worked in New York City since 1977. He is considered a "legend" of the downtown New York theatre scene.-Career:...
also appeared on the program, and was shown admiring a straight jacket in promotions for the show. Also, the musician Voltaire
Voltaire (musician)
Voltaire , is a popular dark cabaret Cuban-American musician...
was shown on the show. High Pitch Eric from The Howard Stern Show also had a segment appearance on the show where he tested some antique electric equipment.
Episodes
Season 1: 2010
| # | # | Title | Original US airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mummy Cat | November 4, 2010 |
| 2 | 2 | The Model Mortician | November 11, 2010 |
| 3 | 3 | Spider Prank | November 18, 2010 |
| 4 | 4 | Skull Envy | December 9, 2010 |
| 5 | 5 | Mummified Hand | December 16, 2010 |
| 6 | 6 | Four-Legged Chicken | December 23, 2010 |
| 7 | 7 | Pickled Pig | December 30, 2010 |
| 8 | 8 | Teeth On A Stick | January 6, 2011 |
| 9 | 9 | The Chair | January 13, 2011 |
| 10 | 10 | The Bulb Cruncher | April 9, 2011 |
Season 2: 2011
| # | # | Title | Original US airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | Shrunken Head | April 9, 2011 |
| 12 | 2 | Raising The Dead | April 16, 2011 |
| 13 | 3 | Three Little Piggies | April 23, 2011 |
| 14 | 4 | Rock Star Embalmer | April 30, 2011 |
| 15 | 5 | Romancing The Bone | May 7, 2011 |
| 16 | 6 | Edison's Monstrous Creation | May 14, 2011 |
| 17 | 7 | The Horaffe | May 21, 2011 |
| 18 | 8 | Piece of Mind | May 28, 2011 |
| 19 | 9 | Hedgehog Homolog | June 4, 2011 - |
See also
- Pawn StarsPawn StarsPawn Stars is an American reality television series on the History Channel, produced in Manhattan by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business operated by patriarch Richard...
, about a Las Vegas pawn shop - American PickersAmerican PickersAmerican Pickers is an American reality television series that premiered on January 18, 2010 on History Channel. The series began running concurrently on sister channel Lifetime in December 2010.-Summary and reception:...
, starring itinerant buyers of antiques and collectibles - American Restoration, chronicling the daily activities at Rick's Restorations, an antique restoration store
External links
- Oddities at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Discovery Channel – About the show
- YouTube – show trailer
- Discovery Insider interview
- Discovery Channel - Episode Guide
- Obscura Antiques & Oddities website