Memo to Bravo: Don’t Let Crashers Invade Our Living Rooms

In a year when a “balloon boy” became a media sensation, it is bizarre that some networks are thinking about giving more credibility to reality show contestant wannabes. The Salahis, the other high-profile ”celebrity” couple that seemed  more interested in gaining publicity and fame than following the law, are getting even more attention because of the party they crashed several weeks ago at the White House. The network Bravo has seemingly furthered their careers by polling people about giving the party crashers their own show. These are the uninvited guests who, after invading the White House party, want to invade your living room.

The Washington Post recently reported on the Bravo poll that gave the Salahis the spotlight once again. The article noted that Bravo ”decided to poll viewers for their thoughts on Michaele and Tareq Salahi. This included asking whether you’d think less of Bravo if it gave the Salahis their own reality series.” The Post article noted that “the poll, which was being conducted by Research Results — a company that says it’s affiliated with NBC Universal” asked repondents if  “it would be in poor taste to give them [the Salahis] their own reality show. ” The answer to that question seems obvious.  The Salahis got publicity for breaking into a White House party. If that activity helps to earn them a reality show, that will only lead to future White House incursions by publicity-hungry celebrity wannabes. (more…)

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Tags: balloon boy, Bravo, NBC Universal, Reality television, Salahis
Posted Dec 27th 2009 at 5:25 pm in Celebrity News, Entertainment, Television | 28271436 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhanlon/2009/12/27/memo-to-bravo-dont-let-crashers-invade-our-living-rooms/Memo+to+Bravo%3A+Don%27t+Let+Crashers+Invade+Our+Living+Rooms2009-12-28+01%3A25%3A50John+P.+Hanlon

Another Reality Show, Another Exploitation of American Life

Hold on to your remotes – yet another reality show is coming down the pike. Fox has announced that it’s casting for More to Love, a dating competition show for “average looking” people. Which makes me wonder, of course, why bother having a diet competition show (The Biggest Loser) when there are shows being developed specifically to highlight the dating habits of fat BMI-challenged people. But there could be a tie-in - Contestant A doesn’t make the grade on The Biggest Loser, so she embraces her size and goes on to find love and happiness on More to Love – or not. Wouldn’t that be a ratings bonanza!

Actually, this rant isn’t so much about the fact that overweight people are the new target for reality dating shows, but that reality shows in general are less about reality than exploiting people desperate for stardom and/or money. Would you want to watch a show about the true reality of everyday lives? Watching someone mop the floors, go to the grocery store, pick up the kids from school, realize  at dinnertime that there’s no spaghetti sauce in the cupboard and having to run out to the store for the third time that day? Watching paint dry might be more exciting. (more…)

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Tags: Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Ghost Hunters, More to Love, Reality television, Richard Hatch
Posted Mar 31st 2009 at 12:26 pm in Entertainment | 9281042 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2009/03/31/another-reality-show-another-exploitation-of-american-life/Another+Reality+Show%2C+Another+Exploitation+of+American+Life2009-03-31+19%3A26%3A16Pam+Meister

‘Top Chef New York’: Why It Sucked

Yes, I’m a fan of “Top Chef.”  No, I won’t apologize.  Season four—based here in Chicago—was outstanding, transforming Wednesday nights into ‘Padma night’ at my apartment.  Sadly, the recently concluded fifth season left quite a bit to be desired.  After last week’s awful reunion show concluded, my roommate and I tried to identify the reasons why the popular series’ most recent installment was so unsatisfying.  We settled on five major reasons:

 1) The contestants were lame:

This season’s contestants generally fell into two categories: Utterly forgettable (Remember Jill?  Me neither!) and cartoonish caricatures of real people. Precious few competitors combined true cooking proficiency with compelling personality.  Most were one-dimensional: Stefan was an excellent chef who, despite being typecast as the villain, never moved me to the point of unadulterated loathing like Lisa did last year.  Pretty boy Jeff cooked creative and interesting food, but could not have been less interesting.  One got the sense that Jeff could literally burst into flames, and it wouldn’t evoke more than a shrug from him.  Fan favorite Fabio (you born, you be rais-ed, and you die) was extremely charming and funny, but he hardly won any challenges and was frequently on the chopping block. His Italian accent alone punched his ticket to the final four.  Even finalist Carla, who I was rooting for, frequently pushed the bounds of my patience with her food “love” philosophy and her over-the-top reactions to pretty much everything.  (more…)

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Tags: food, Reality television, Top Chef
Posted Mar 14th 2009 at 5:39 pm in Entertainment, Reviews | 7915436 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/gbenson/2009/03/14/top-chef-new-york-why-it-sucked/%27Top+Chef+New+York%27%3A+Why+It+Sucked2009-03-15+00%3A39%3A31Guy+Benson