 Friday, January 17, 2003
You gotta love the television industry. They can smell the $$$ in exploiting down-on-their-luck celebs in reality TV programming. Next in development is a show that allows one "lucky" contestant the opportunity to train for a fight against Mike Tyson. Sure, the former champ ain't as scary as he was in the 80's, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to mix it up with him in the ring. No thanks. But it's probably worse for Tyson. He was at the top of his sport. Many people were acting like he was going to be the greatest of all time. But then years of bad personal and professional decisions left him
in serious debt and viewed as nothing more than a circus side show. And the sharks have smelled the blood. Knowing he just got divorced again and knowing that reality programming is a very profitable format, it wasn't difficult for producers to figure out that 1 + 1 = 2. Tell me, when does OJ get his own reality series?
Inspired by Martha Burk and the NCWO, I, too, have written a letter to the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, Hootie Johnson.
Thursday, January 16, 2003
I was watching some old, cheesy heavy metal videos tonight on VH1 Classic and then it struck me - what happened to the Devil, where did he go? In the 80's, if you believed the hype, Satan was everywhere. Rock and Roll music, movies, Dungeons and Dragons, there were even ritualistic animal sacrifices happening in the woods (according to sensationalistic "news" programs). Did Lucifer retire? Did he have a change of heart? Maybe he needs a new P.R. firm to get his message out. Back then bored Bible Belt housewives could always find the Devil in some segment of our society. But now, save for a few people occasionally picketing a Marilyn Manson concert you never hear about it. Do these people exist anymore or has the press finally stopped giving these paranoid lunatics the time of day?
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Great episode of FOX's 24 last night. A lot of subplots kicked into overdrive. Now we have to wait three weeks for a new episode. Next week is the premier of that stupid as hell American Idol 2. And then in two weeks is the State of the Union Address. Does anyone even care about the State of the Union Address? Didn't it Jump the Shark in the mid-80's? Does anything of importance ever get said? The only reason it might be fun to watch is to see how badly Shrub II can screw up (although he'll just be reading off of a teleprompter). Anyone that wants to watch it can just tune into C-SPAN or PBS.
Monday, January 13, 2003
A TV producer is working on an hour long commercial free variety show to be run this summer on the WB Network. To try and counter the effects that TiVo is having on the way people watch television, the sponsors' advertising messages will actually be incorporated into the show itself. So, the sponsor's logos and products are going to be prominently displayed on the set as well as being integral parts of the show's sketches. A giant "Boo!" to this idea. Who wants to watch an hour long infomercial? I hope people send a message to the television industry and staw away from this program. On a side note, the producer who came up with this idea, Micahel Davies, also wrote a very entertaining daily diary of the time he spent at last year's World Cup for ESPN.com's Page 2. A great mix of soccer, people watching and alcohol consumption. A giant "Cheers!" to you, Mr. Davies, for your World Cup diary.
Sunday, January 12, 2003
ToddBreer.com - Japanese version.
How many wannabe commedians and bad morning radio personalities are going to be making lame "Staying Alive" jokes about the death of the Bee Gees' Maurice Gibb?
Wow. The outgoing governor of Illinois, George "Don't Call Me Buddy" Ryan commuted all death sentences in his state to life in prison. Balls move, real ballsy. I never understood the death penalty to begin with. For me life in prison without parole is a far worse sentence than death. Locked up in the same small cell for decades would be terrible; being executed is almost like an escape. Another thing I never understood is how come in American politics it seems as if the Pro-Lifers are pro death penalty while the Pro-Choicers are anti death penalty. Seems very backasswards to me, especially from those who use religious reasons to justify their arguments.
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