Televised poker tournaments used to be "as exciting as watching paint dry, " admits World Poker Tour producer Steven Lipscomb.

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While it will be a struggle to tear yourself away from watching paint dry, you may actually find them an illuminating read.

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Why has the vote count resembled watching paint dry?

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"The past America's Cups have been like watching paint dry, when the boats were very slow and miles offshore, " Jimmy Spithill, skipper for the Oracle team, said in an interview last month.

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Who said watching paint dry is no fun?

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Watching paint dry is a mere instance compared to watching ice form, but each year the organizers have to wait patiently for a solid layer of at least 30 centimeters before declaring the event safe.

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That does not mean just televising Parliamentary debates - "because watching a Parliamentary debate is like watching paint dry" - but packaging the type of work Parliament does "so that people understand how we arrive at legislation".

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"The past America's Cups have been like watching paint dry, when the boats were very slow and miles offshore, " Jimmy Spithill, the skipper for Oracle Team USA, said in an interview last month as his team was under way with its own training.

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