Guilty Pleasures
Reality TV is a waste of time. There is enough reality to live through without watching fools put themselves in some sorta-kinda hardship place and prove their worthiness. I live and work in 3rd world countries where life is truly hard and the dangers are real. The Bachelor, Survivor, all of the "your house is ugly and so are you so clean up already" series, Amazing Race and the myriad of other like shows speak poorly of what we are becoming as a society. It brings to mind the Roman Colosseum, gladiators and the feeding of the Christians to the lions. I give all these shows a thumbs down. Let them die!
Having now spoken from the soapbox, I have a confession: I have gotten sucked into the world of weirdness that is American Idol. Worse yet, I am a fan of Dancing With The Stars. It's embarrassing, but there it is. I eagerly await the next episodes, know who is who, and, although I don't vote, I have favorites and root for them shamelessly. And I am now going to bore you to tears with my take on both shows. Enjoy :-)
When Sanjaya got booted this past week, I was glad. He needed to go. If I was a 12-year old girl eagerly awaiting my turn in high school, I would have loved Sanjaya too. He sang with all the fervor of the senior who is finally getting the lead in the spring musical. But he wasn't any better than that and won't be. Close your eyes and listen to him. That isn't what you want to hear blaring from the radio every 30 minutes. That, and Phil and Chris need more time to be seen for the talents they are. Yes, I like Phil and Chris. They won't win but they will have careers. And Phil's smile is worth tuning in for; it's just beautiful. Blake can sing but his beat box 'gimmick' will only take him so far. LaKeisha is amazing but has faltered and my heart goes out to her. That leaves Jordan and Melinda. I think Jordan deserves to win because Melinda is already a professional. But I am rooting for Melinda. That girl has talent and pizzaz oozing out of her very soul. Many years ago I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gladys Knight ( I worked in the concert biz for a few years and trust me, very few 'stars' are a pleasure to spend time with). She is a warm, caring, good soul. Melinda seems to carry the same vibe. She should win for that reason alone but her talent should make her a household name and, eventually, a legend.
Dancing With The Stars is not really about people with dancing talent vying to be the next Baryshnikov. These people have already achieved their 15 minutes of fame and fortune and, for the most part, are 2nd string. The person with the biggest fan base will win whether or not they can truly dance. This is the fourth year and I was drawn into this show the very first season (unlike American idol, which I am really watching for the first time this season although I was aware of it's existance and the top 3 contestants for the last two years). It is the first time I am at a loss as who to root for. There are still some contestants who need to be sent home (Billy Ray - this means you; John - your wife will be pleased to be seen on the dance floor with you after this; Heather - you are impressive, I can't dance like that with two good legs, but ballroom excellence will never be yours) and then it's going to tough to really root for any one person/couple. Ian started out like a pro but has begun to struggle and I don't think he'll make it to the top. Apolo, Joey and Laila should be the top three. Each one should win. They can't so I am going to root for Apolo because he and his partner are just too cute together. Well, maybe I'll root for Laila because the dancing is much harder for the women and a woman has only won one season and even that was contested in a re-match and she lost. Then again, Joey started the season like he had been doing this all of his life and has only gotten better so he'll be the one I cheer on.
Reality TV. How embarrassing.
Oh - here's one more Reality TV show to watch - Ghost Hunters. It is what it sounds like. They hunt ghosts. Sometimes they find hauntings, most of the time they debunk the snot out of the stories they've been told about the places they are hunting in. If that's not enough to lure you in, there is this: the two guys (Jason and Grant, otherwise known as Jay and Gee) running the team are plumbers by day. Could you ask for more? It runs on the Sci-Fi Channel. And I'm going to keep watching no matter what you think - but I promise to feel guilty about it! :-)
Having now spoken from the soapbox, I have a confession: I have gotten sucked into the world of weirdness that is American Idol. Worse yet, I am a fan of Dancing With The Stars. It's embarrassing, but there it is. I eagerly await the next episodes, know who is who, and, although I don't vote, I have favorites and root for them shamelessly. And I am now going to bore you to tears with my take on both shows. Enjoy :-)
When Sanjaya got booted this past week, I was glad. He needed to go. If I was a 12-year old girl eagerly awaiting my turn in high school, I would have loved Sanjaya too. He sang with all the fervor of the senior who is finally getting the lead in the spring musical. But he wasn't any better than that and won't be. Close your eyes and listen to him. That isn't what you want to hear blaring from the radio every 30 minutes. That, and Phil and Chris need more time to be seen for the talents they are. Yes, I like Phil and Chris. They won't win but they will have careers. And Phil's smile is worth tuning in for; it's just beautiful. Blake can sing but his beat box 'gimmick' will only take him so far. LaKeisha is amazing but has faltered and my heart goes out to her. That leaves Jordan and Melinda. I think Jordan deserves to win because Melinda is already a professional. But I am rooting for Melinda. That girl has talent and pizzaz oozing out of her very soul. Many years ago I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gladys Knight ( I worked in the concert biz for a few years and trust me, very few 'stars' are a pleasure to spend time with). She is a warm, caring, good soul. Melinda seems to carry the same vibe. She should win for that reason alone but her talent should make her a household name and, eventually, a legend.
Dancing With The Stars is not really about people with dancing talent vying to be the next Baryshnikov. These people have already achieved their 15 minutes of fame and fortune and, for the most part, are 2nd string. The person with the biggest fan base will win whether or not they can truly dance. This is the fourth year and I was drawn into this show the very first season (unlike American idol, which I am really watching for the first time this season although I was aware of it's existance and the top 3 contestants for the last two years). It is the first time I am at a loss as who to root for. There are still some contestants who need to be sent home (Billy Ray - this means you; John - your wife will be pleased to be seen on the dance floor with you after this; Heather - you are impressive, I can't dance like that with two good legs, but ballroom excellence will never be yours) and then it's going to tough to really root for any one person/couple. Ian started out like a pro but has begun to struggle and I don't think he'll make it to the top. Apolo, Joey and Laila should be the top three. Each one should win. They can't so I am going to root for Apolo because he and his partner are just too cute together. Well, maybe I'll root for Laila because the dancing is much harder for the women and a woman has only won one season and even that was contested in a re-match and she lost. Then again, Joey started the season like he had been doing this all of his life and has only gotten better so he'll be the one I cheer on.
Reality TV. How embarrassing.
Oh - here's one more Reality TV show to watch - Ghost Hunters. It is what it sounds like. They hunt ghosts. Sometimes they find hauntings, most of the time they debunk the snot out of the stories they've been told about the places they are hunting in. If that's not enough to lure you in, there is this: the two guys (Jason and Grant, otherwise known as Jay and Gee) running the team are plumbers by day. Could you ask for more? It runs on the Sci-Fi Channel. And I'm going to keep watching no matter what you think - but I promise to feel guilty about it! :-)
Comments
Also "debunk the snot' out of some ghost stories is perfect and hilarious. I love the episode when they tell the Goth couple that all their "ghost sitings" have been of dust!:)