Thursday, August 2, 2007

Celebrutality


For a long time I blamed the shit condition of the 18-25 year old demographic on MTV. And, to be sure, they are partly to blame. Shows such as The Real World, The Osbournes, Jackass, Next, Parental Control, Wild'n Out, Date my Mom, Room Raiders, Etc. have all added to the obnoxious, self-obsessed way of life for people of that age group. (*Editor's Note- I just had my 26Th Birthday, officially removing me from that demographic, so now I can criticise, thank you.)
However, One station has, of late, pulled ahead far and away as the winner in the "degeneration of American society" Olympics. That Winner(?) is - VH1. With their evening line-up (and subsequent, constant re-running) of their "Celeb-reality" shows, they have pulled the American viewing public, not only away from worthwhile pursuits, but also away from decent television shows! An America where "Arrested Development" is relegated to cult-hit status, while "Flavor of Love" is a breakaway hit, is an America I can say I am ashamed of.

And the worst part of it all is that these so-called "reality" shows have a trickle-down effect on the viewers. In my estimation, it has now become more important to young Americans to be famous, than to be anything else in the world. Reality shows have, in their mind, moved them one step closer to being famous, because so many of the "stars" of these shows are famous for doing absolutely nothing. There is actually a really interesting book about this phenomenon call "Fame Junkies" by Jake Halpern.

Furthermore, the producers in television now see reality TV as a way to subvert union disputes with TV writers, because if the writers threaten a strike, the producers will just drum up another reality show with some nobody C-list celebrity. Just another way for Screenwriters to be shat upon in this industry. Don't worry, guys, this fad's gotta dry up soon, right?... guys?


The Surreal Life, Hogan knows best, I Love New York, Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, Breaking Bonaduce and all of these other shows are the psychological cancer of this generation. And let's not forget the other accomplices: A&E (Gotti Boys, Family Jewels, Dog the bounty hunter) and E!(Playboy bunny show, simple life, etc.) The sixties had drugs, and we have reality shows. I just hope that our flashbacks don't involve hearing Flava Flav say"Yeeeaaaahhhh booooyyyy" over and over again. The horror... the horror...

All in all, reality TV is a hemorrhoid on the ass of television, but we all knew that already. After all, isn't that what we're all about? Taking part willingly in things that are bad for us?

Well, gotta go. "On the Lot" is coming on.

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