Reality Review

So the Gosselins are breaking up. It wasn’t that long ago that they renewed their vows in Hawaii. I’ve been wondering if, because the trip was free for them, they didn’t take the ceremony as seriously as they might have had they had to scrimp and save for it. Was it just something they did for the show? Did they think it would help their marriage? I had thought that they had a special bond of support, that, because they didn’t seem to have the support of their families, they relied on eachother. I guess I was wrong.

I watched Tori Spelling’s reality show when it first started jsut to see what it was like. Surprisingly, I have watched every episode. Not sure if it’s because it really is interesting or I have some personality flaw. The last few ahve driven me crazy though. At every turn, viewers are reminded that Tori has to cope with life on her own while Dean is in Calgary for 5 weeks. Literally every ten minutes, whenever the scene shifts to the next thing Tori has to do (go to NY for an appearance, go to Tampa for HSN, go back to NY for her book meeting. I guess it was all to make us feel that much more elated for her when Dean surprised her in NY on Valentine’s Day. It was touching when she saw him ans was so surprised. She admits to being a workaholic but to tell us how stressed she is having to deal with her various enterprises falls on deaf ears in my case. I realize she needs to do these things to have income, but these are some incredible opportunities the rest of us would love to have the chance to complain about!

So Kendra is engaged (getting married tomorrow!) and pregnant. Some wonder just what her relationship with Hef was all about. I’m not close to the situation (so far away that you can’t count all the stars between us) but I have always thought that he was more of a father figure to her. He can’t possibly be that active in bed to satisy 3 or more girls. Being with Hef is a great door-opener, a great opportunity to see new things, meet new people, and start a career in Hollywood. I think that’s what it was for her. He settled her down, gave her security, gave her a path to go on which it sounds like she needed from she’s been quoted as saying. I was a bit worried her show would be thin on plot, just showing how blond she can be. I think they do need some variety of people. Kendra is still the playful one with Hank as her straight man. But it’s entertaining.

Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels shows how unreal a reality TV show can be. What girl is going to let her father tell her that an old non-practicing  Jewish rock star should be her child’s godfather? For drama, they show Gene and his girlfriend Shannon rushing off to NYC to get a gift for the baby and getting to the church just a few minutes late enough to make people start to wonder if they would show at all. That show is so obviously planned. But yet I still watch.

And Jessica Simpson is going to show us all the extremes people will go to for fashion and good looks. I’ll watch because she’s another person who interests me. Interesting coincidence that the movie she said was a factor in her decision to divorce Nick is at about the same time he and his girlfriend Vanessa break up. I watched the movie to see if I could figure out what in it was so key to her. I think it was when Noah says (it’s not an exact quote) “What do YOU want to do? Not what your mother thinks, not what (the fiance) thinks. What do YOU want?” that made Jessica think just what did she want… She is so close to her parents that she probably thought about what they wanted, so this gave her permission to think for herself. I woudl think they are so different that they would not try too imitate star-crossed lvovers, but who knows…

Gosselin & Hayes

The season finale for Jon & Kate Plus 8 is Monday. The season opener for a similar show, Table for Twelve, follows. I’ve seen just a few episodes of Table for Twelve, the Hayes family of 3 sets of multiples (10 kids), and I’ve liked what I’ve seen. People will think they are copy cats of the Gosselins, but they live a blue collar life compared to what is almost a white collar life in the Gosselin house. The Hayes’ lives haven’t been invaded with invites to attend special events or see special things, from the episodes I’ve watched. Check it out to see what you think.

Gosselin Gripe

I recently watched an episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 where Jon and one of his daughters went to Utah to ski and snowboard, and the rest of the family went to see Sesame Street Live. Now maybe they are making tons of money and can afford both of these things. But they had their own box at Sesame Street Live and those typically are unaffordable. Plus they got to meet all the characters afterwards. Kate talked about how the kids were tired and they were just making their way to their car as though she didn’t know this was going to happen. But they were the only attendees in the hallway with the characters. And the characters gave them each a goody bag of stuff. That is not something regular people get.

Maybe the show people knew they were going to be there and wanted to do this. Maybe she really didn’t expect it. But I think it was probably part of the conversation when the offer for the nice seating was arranged. I kind of like that Kate didn’t say they got special attention because, although acknowledging it is fair to the viewer, it just bugs me that they get stuff for just being on TV and hearing it would be annoying.

I’m guessing that Jon didn’t have to pay for the Utah accommodations. And, to my cynical eye, it looks like the ski place closed the tube run so just they could be on it. How nice for them.

Yes, it’s reality, their reality.

I complain because I’m jealous. Maybe I should quit complaining and try to figure out how I can get some special attention and have people giving me stuff left and right.

Spenders vs Savers- Who are we supposed to be?

So we watch TV, listen to the radio, or play on the web and all we see are advertisements. It is said that TV exists for the companies that advertise to us, not for the people who watch it. We’ve been conditioned by all this advertisement to spend, to buy everything we need or want. We see examples of who we want to (or should)  be glorified by shows like Cribs or people who deserve better like Extreme Makeover or What Not to Wear.

Nowhere except in dry news reports about the government do we hear about saving money. The gov says we aren’t, as a nation, saving enough money. I’m not sure what that means for our economy exactly. I guess it means we are spending all we can, not planning for the future, maxing out our credit cards.

There are no TV shows with people who save a lot or spend properly.  How do you work that into Grey’s Anatomy or Desperate Housewives? TV has to start advising us. Work it into the news, work it into some kind of plot, do PSAs. We can still buy, just do it within a budget. Companies will still get our money. Can’t a teen character on Friday Night Lights say he can’t afford to party next weekend because he doesn’t have a job? Just like some groups want more minorities in shows, this kind of plot needs to be there too.

Review of ‘The Beast’

The Beast stars Patrick Swayze as a an FBI agent who is mentoring a new recruit, played by Travis Fimmel. I haven’t seen Swayze in anything since Ghost I think, so I don’t know if his current look is natural, due to aging, or induced by his recent illness. But the narrowing slightly wrinkled face and less than smooth voice rally adds to the character he plays. Agent Charles Barker is one who, after many years, has his own way of doing things, a way that some in the bureau are concerned about. He’s built a knowledge base about how people work and he may harm those he feels deserve it rather than bring them to the bureau’s justice. In one episode, a man who he was told would pay for his crimes was set free courtesy of the higher powers. Because the man was very deserving of some punishment and because the man would continue to do was he was before, Barker called on some ‘friends’ and the next morning’s news story was of the death of that man.

Fimmel plays the rookie Ellis Dove, who the bureau hopes will help them by corroborating their accusations of misuse of powers and probably other sins considered to be beneath a bureau agent. Fimmel’s Ellis is Barker’s gopher (get the coffee, get the car) but also backs him up as a partner. That Barker is crooked is in the back of his mind, but he’s still new, still learning, and finds that Barker isn’t yet doing anything so far off the charts that he can’t go along with it.

The plots, for me, are new and different. They are easy to follow and lead to surprises or logical conclusions. Although there is a main story along with the ‘Barker is bad’ subplot, you will be able to watch episodes out of order without feeling like you’ve missed anything. Definitely not a bad way to spend an hour.

Noam & Rory

I finally checked out who Noam Chomsky is. Why did I need to know? Do you remember the poster on wall of  ‘Gilmore Girl’ Rory’s room (college or home I can’t remember)? It said Noam Chomsky. You see it occasionally through the years and it is a memorable name.  I’d heard the name before and knew it was someone important in some ‘world view’ kind of way. He’s a linguist and an anarchist. So I see the relevance of a person who wants to go into journalism having a poster of a linguist on her wall. The fact that he’s an anarchist must mean something to someone involved with the Gilmore Girls, but since the girls never venture far from Stars Hollow geographically or via the plotline, I think it was not a vision into one of the character’s personalities.

I watched a repeat of the episode where Lorelei agrees to marry Max while at dinner at her parents’ house. You see her calling Max in a panic about where they will live and all the other things they hadn’t yet discussed. She quotes something Luke said verbatim. Because she’s talking about the future, you and Max both see where this conversation is going, but you don’t see her verbally agreeing to marry him. You see her walking back into the dining room but hanging back at the threshold long enough to catch Rory’s eye and nod. Both she and Rory know what this means and are excited jumping around while her parents wonder what is going on.

I sometimes just watch things at face value and don’t always see the domino effect others’ actions have on people. But I think there was a reason why Lorelei agreed that night to marry Max. When she and Rory arrived at dinner, her parents were excited to tell them that they knew that Rory was in the top 3% of her class. A special dinner was to be planned and gifts given so she got some nice attention.

I think Lorelei agreeing to marry Max was a reaction to her daughter’s attention. Not in a vengeful way, she didn’t tell her parents that night and steal the spotlight. But Rory had the positive attention of her grandparents, a bright future ahead of her, and she was growing up. Lorelei needed to feel good about something too. It was also a reaction to Luke’s response to the news.  When she told her good friend Luke about the news, he was less than enthused and supportive. I think she wanted him to tell her what she couldn’t tell herself or needed his approval. She defended the relationship while he raised questions about it.

Of course we know that Lorelei and Max do not end up ‘happily ever after.’ And it is for the better.

Those house bunnies are hopping away

I’ve become addicted to the Girls Next Door so I am sad to hear that Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt, and Kenra Wilkinson are apparently ending their relationships with Hugh Hefner. The future of the show may entail watching Hef pick the new girlfriends. I can’t see myself being interested in that or in the new girls. Holly, Bridget, and Kendra made the show what it was for me. In a sense, the fact that these relationships are changing shows that they are not the ‘dumb blondes’ some might want to think they are.

Being in a relationship with Hef is certainly not what we are used to. One must be open-minded about a lot of things to live in that household. Holly may have thought she was becoming very important to Hef when the girlfriends wascut down from seven. She said she felt a sense of validation when she finally was on the cover of Playboy, as all Hef’s previous serious girlfriends had been there. Still, she had a goal of getting married and having children, and did what some people are able to do, give up love for the hope of attaining those goals.

Bridget has been furthering her education during her tenure and finding job opportunity in her show on satellite radio and movie productions. Kendra has opened her world by being with Hef, seeing the world, attending all kinds of events. Kendra knew on some level it wasn’t going to last forever.

I’m sure it was a trade off to adhere to a curfew and not be able to travel anywhere at any time while in a relationship with someone who you wouldn’t get to spend a lot of personal time with. But they got to do a lot of travel and appearances, meet lots of people, have their food prepared for them, their laundry done for them, (presumably other expenses were taken care of too).

I envy the forethought that they each had to take advantage of the opportunity they had to be in a relationship with someone who could give them so much in terms of a world experience and the opportunity to further their goals. I also envy their ability to be able to walk away when things no longer suited their needs. Perhaps being wedded more to their goals was the key.

Review of Spain: On the Road Again

Intrigued by the idea of seeing Spain through a non-typical travel show, I set up my DVR to record Spain: On the Road Again. The series follows actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s travels through Spain with chef Mario Batali, writer (?) Mark Bittman, and Spanish actress Caudia Bassols. It does not focus on her, she and Mario are the people who will draw viewers to the show. I was watching primarily see the sights of Spain and learn about the foods. I like the idea of four people, two of whom I was familiar with, traveling in pairs or as a group to see various sites, sitting down together to eat, tasting and cooking local delicacies. By the second episode though, I was moved to delete the show from my DVR. I didn’t feel drawn in by the four. The second episode I saw showed Mario and Claudia speaking in Spanish while Mark asked them to interpret what was being said while they traveled in the car (Gwyneth had gone home for a few days). Then I watched as they ate a meal outside of a restaurant and joked with eachother. It’s hard to enjoy the full flavor of manchego when you’re not the one eating it. I didn’t learn what it was or how it’s cooked, only that Mark wanted a certain kind of egg, and Claudia liked her meat fully cooked. I seemed like a attempt to show their chemistry rather than helping me know more about Spain or what they would be doing. I would have liked to see the chemistry develop as they were engaged in activities that ’showed’ me Spain.

While I was impressed to learn that Gwyneth spoke fluent Spanish, I was put off by Mark’s attitude, which is not warm. I was also put off by the fact that they were driving a Mercedes convertible. I could have forgiven the Mercedes if the hour-long show offered more.

8 Positive Thoughts on the Gosselins

The National Enquirer recently published an article that does not paint the Gosselin family, of Jon & Kate Plus 8 fame, in a good light. It’s interesting that they would publish such a negative article that serves no real purpose. Maybe they think people will feel better knowing the Gosselins can’t do it all on their own. I haven’t seen the article but I did read various stories about the article on the web that I feel need to be commented on.

1. Jon and Kate’s parents may have chosen not to be involved in the show. There is plenty that happens in a day or week of the family’s lives that can make up an episode so it is conceivable that the extended family does see them regularly without actually appearing on the show.

2. I would think anyone appearing on the show does get compensated somehow. I’m sure Jon & Kate saw this as an informational and financial enterprise so why wouldn’t Aunt Jodie? I can’t see why Kate would have a control issue about Jodie getting paid as it doesn’t take away from what she’ll earn, plus it opens up some stroylines. If, as I read somewhere, Jodie is getting her own show, she’ll need a compelling storyline for it to work, but there are plenty of networks that could be interested so it would not be direct competition for the Gosselins.

3. Kate does talk over Jon. Her kids are not at the age where they can be quiet and patient and listen to what each person has to say, they all talk over one another. There is constant noise and chatter so that someone does have to talk over others to be heard. I think she just does it out of habit now. Jon is an adult who certainly can have a conversation with his wife about this issue if it is something that bothers him.

4. Kate does come across as bossy. She has a tight ship to run with kids who are not at the age where they know what to do and where to be all the time. She spends the entire day with them and runs the house so she knows what needs to be done when so that everything runs well. It’s probably not a new aspect of her personality for Jon.

5. The Gosselins are entrepreneurs so when they are asked to speak, they do it for money. Former presidents do this, Suze Orman does this, the Dog Whisperer does this. It’s not being greedy nor is it illegal.

6. Everyone can change their minds about where they want to live. They are looking at land in various places but I don’t recall that they said on their show why they are looking in certain places or that they have a preference for one place over the other. I don’t know why there are seemingly factual theories as to why they are or are not looking in Pennsylvania but maybe I missed that episode. They can explore all their options and comparison shop all they want, without letting us know the thought process, without discussing it with the viewers.

7. So the National Enquirer says that the family employs a maid, a cook, or other kind of helper. The show shows her cooking and shows her acknowledging the various people who do come and help. They aren’t taking credit for things they don’t do. They never say they don’t need help. If it’s the fact that they now have the money to have hired help that bothers people, remember that they are being paid to do the show (I would have to assume this), Jon works in IT and could have had several promotions we are not aware of, and they could have other money-making entities going on (think Jessica Simpson with her records, perfumes, clothes and now beer enterprises).

8. Try to keep an open mind and realize that the network, the show producers, and the Gosselins are ultimately trying to create an informative show that a lot of people will watch and that sponsors will attach their name to. They are human, are not perfect and never claimed to be doing anything in the one-and-only right way. It’s their way.

Reality TV Stars Get All the Free Stuff

It’s really become annoying to watch reality tv people receive things for free. Just started watching this week’s episode of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood where Dean’s been given a bike by Specialized that he will use in an upcoming AIDS bike race. He can afford to buy his own bike but Specialized thinks that if people see Dean McDermott riding one of their bikes, others will buy them. People will, I know. And Dean may eventually auction off the bike for charity so truly needy people will benefit. But this week I cannot pay alot on my credit card bill because I have to pay an oil bill, so I’m really feeling like it would be nice if someone would give me something for free.

I also see the Gosselins (Jon & Kate Plus Eight) getting free hair transplants and tummy tucks and chalets in ski country. People see them on tv and think, wow, they have a lot going on so they offer these things to them. Granted they aren’t asking to get free stuff (like I am). Maybe it would be considered rude to not accept these things. And they do say that they are free and we do get to see their experience.

I don’t have a scintillating story that’s fit for reality tv. I don’t have a sad story that will get me on Extreme Makeover or Oprah. I’ve worked hard for everything I have. Yes, I have more things than others, but I’d still like a little special attention once in a while! Perhaps I should just watch less tv.