Posts with tag RealityTelevision
Posted May 30th 2008 10:02AM by Jay Black
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Awards, TV Squad Awards
There's a bit by Patton Oswalt on his brain-meltingly good comedy album
Feeling Kind of Patton regarding reality television. The short version: if we keep making reality shows, we will eventually run out of reality to film. (Believe me, the short version isn't even in the ballpark of how funny the bit is; go
buy this album immediately).
Like Arthur C. Clarke's predictions of geostationary satellites and floating man-god fetuses, Oswalt's vision of a reality-free future is eerily accurate. While our physical space hasn't quite been eaten by a giant white wave yet, the signs of reality's destruction are as obvious as the motivations behind Tila Tequila's bisexuality. Most glaring? The very words "reality television" connote an unreal experience.
After careful consideration, we at TV Squad, along with your input, have winnowed down the hundreds of possible candidates for "most unreal reality show" to these five...
Continue reading The Reality Shows Have Writers!? Award Nominees
Posted Mar 30th 2008 8:51PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities
The Donald is producing a new "My Fair Lady" style reality show involving party girls attending a private boarding school, and he wants Dupré to be one of the participants. Her
history must make her an ideal candidate for this show.
The show is based on a British show called
Ladette to Lady, which sounds a lot like
Charm School from VH1. I guess Donald wants his hard-partying girls to have class.
The show has not heard back from Dupré. Perhaps she's holding off for more cash. Maybe she's putting this in the same category as her offers from Larry Flynt and Joe Francis.
Continue reading Ashley Dupré to get some class?
Posted Feb 21st 2008 11:01PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S16E03) We're three episodes into
Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites and I still have trouble remembering who the one timid-looking fan is in this image. Oh, yeah. I know Krazy Kathy. And who could forget Joel?
I'm up to snuff on my faves tribe, though. But as I watched tonight's show, I happened to walk away from the set for a minute and it all came back to me. Jonathan Penner has totally stolen Alan Alda's voice. I remember it now from his season, but it's still evident. How did he do that? And, what does Alan Alda think about Jonathan Penner stealing his voice?
Continue reading Survivor Micronesia: I Should Be Carried on the Chariot-Type Thing!
Posted Feb 6th 2008 7:10AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Big Brother (US), Casting
Thanks to the
TV Guide website, the cast photos of the new hamsters in the
Big Brother 9 house were revealed before the big reveal on today's
Early Show.
According to several sources, the theme this season isn't really "dirty little secrets" -- it's "soulmates." It will be interesting who the possible soulmate would be for the one 45-year-old woman amongst all the 20-somethings.
Continue reading Big Brother 9 cast revealed
Posted Jan 31st 2008 11:20AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, OpEd, Daytime, TV Squad Lists
Not to worry -- this isn't about Simon, Randy, or Paula. I'm not talking
American Idol here. Nah, I'm talking real people, real cases, true litigants ... and so much more! You see, I'm generally off from my day job one weekday a week. Of course I have to watch television. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it, right?
I just never got into soap operas. Well, there was that period decades ago when I spent the summer home with a broken foot before the advent of the internet. But I digress. What I watch these days during the daytime hours tend to be the judge shows. Well, to digress a moment again -- WGN airs
Homicide: Life on the Street at noon here. I can't miss that, of course. But then it's justice served. Who judges the judges? I do, naturally!
Continue reading Judging nine TV judges
Posted Jan 30th 2008 3:29PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Industry, The Apprentice, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals
I didn't think he could do it, but the Donald did it. I've been a fan of
The Apprentice since its first season, but I threw in the towel with last season's lackluster gimmicky Los Angeles version of this unreality show.
But I started watching again this season as the celebrity (although far from A List celebs) started playing the game donating winnings to their favorite charities. Although my favorite Gene Simmons (of KISS fame) committed Apprenticide before my very eyes, only
Lost will keep me from watching it as it airs.
Continue reading Celebrity Apprentice gets second season
Posted Dec 10th 2007 12:35AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S12E06) Darn it. I know the
Amazing Race takes its episode titles from actual words uttered by the contestants on the show, but this one is downright silly. More apropos from the team at hand would have been ...
"I hate you!"
"I hate you more!"
On a side note, I'd like to see the cabs in NYC spell taxi the way it's spelled in Lithuania. Taxi without the X Factor, gotta love it. I think it would add a nice cultural influence to NYC cabs. Oh, wait. Most of the cabbies are from various countries anyway. Never mind. Let's get on with the show!
Continue reading The Amazing Race: Cherry on Top of the Sundae That's Already Melted
Posted Dec 5th 2007 11:02PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews
(S01E12) Oh, my. The time is really getting down there for the kiddie pioneers of
Kid Nation. Next week is the season finale. So many deserving kids, so many kids who are mere faces in the crowd. Who will get the last few gold stars? Brains? Brawn? Need? Greed? What will be the criteria?
Well, they're kids, so it's hard to say. But one thing is for sure, they'll be steered by the invisible adults in the background all the way to the decision. For me, that's been the nagging flaw of the show -- the amount of adult intervention. But the most enjoyable aspect of the show is getting to know the children themselves.
Continue reading Kid Nation: Where's Bonanza, Dude?
Posted Dec 2nd 2007 11:28PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S12E05) I can't help but wonder if the production staff has changed a bit for this season of
The Amazing Race. The challenges seem more all-ages oriented, perhaps a bit less exciting and adrenalin-pumping when compared to some past seasons.
But I think it makes things more interesting from a cultural point of view. I've mentioned before that one reason I enjoy the show so much is due to the fact I can take a peek into other countries I might never be able to visit.
Nothing against bungee-jumping, but if you've jumped a bungee once, why do it twice? Or every season? Fresh and different is a good thing, I say.
Continue reading The Amazing Race: We've Really Burned Bridges, for Sure
Posted Nov 26th 2007 12:14AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S12E04) Goths tend to be sincere and genuine according to Kynt of
The Amazing Race. And, if one were to base his perception of Goth kind of folks just on this particular episode of the show, it would be and accurate perception indeed.
There was a lot to enjoy with the episode and the Goth couple, Kynt and Vyxsin were just a part of it. Ah, but there was a team to boo, too. That team was genuine, as well. Genuine creeps, that is!
Continue reading The Amazing Race: Let's Name Our Chicken Phil
Posted Nov 22nd 2007 11:47PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, Survivor, Episode Reviews
(S15E9A) And, if you read the title of tonight's
Survivor China episode, you know the ending of it -- "It's been real and it's been fun, but it hasn't been really fun." If memory serves, that's how the saying goes. It was very apt for tonight's show, the mid-season repeat clips and previously un-aired bits they think might interest or amuse us.
I toyed with the idea of not reviewing tonight's episode, but there were a few interesting bits and pieces amongst the retreaded clips that I'd like to mention, plus it's a good time for me to reflect back on the season so far. Oh, and CBS is counting this as a new episode, silly network.
Continue reading Survivor China: It's Been Real and It's Been Fun
Posted Nov 19th 2007 7:29PM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities
Josie Smith-Malave, a contestant on the reality television show
Top Chef, was assaulted over the Labor Day weekend. The assault, allegedly by a dozen people, occurred as she and a friend were leaving a bar at the request of bar staff.
Smith-Malave, a lesbian, said the attackers repeatedly shouted gay slurs, spat on her and her friend, and hit them several times. Last week Smith-Malave filed a complaint with the Nassau County police because she thought they weren't vigorously pursuing arrests in the case. She had the names of some of the attackers, yet the police had not made any arrests at that time.
Continue reading Arrests made in Top Chef assault case
Posted Nov 18th 2007 10:15AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, The Amazing Race, Watercooler Talk, Casting
Now, keep in mind, this is
if I were to apply to be on the
The Amazing Race. I'm not saying I did it, nor am I even saying I plan to apply.
If I were to apply to be on any reality show, this would be the one. If I were on
Big Brother, I'd probably hide from my whacko housemates. If I were on a dating show, I'd be the first dumped. If I were on a cooking show, they would probably make me eat foods I don't like and I'd leave in tears while gagging. Ah, but
The Amazing Race?
Not that I'm applying, but I checked out the
13 page application as casting is on for the next season of the Emmy-winning reality series.
Continue reading If I were to apply to be on The Amazing Race
Posted Nov 14th 2007 9:23AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, Programming, The Apprentice, Survivor, Big Brother (US), Pickups and Renewals, WGA Strike
As the members of the Writers Guild of America continue to strike, more networks are coming up with what I'll call Plan B. What's that? Why, it's reality television, of course.
With the possibility of a long strike and some scripted shows already out of material, it's likely that most of the holes in the programming schedule will be filled by reality television shows. While reality shows do employ writers (although not necessarily called such -- they're story producers or editors, etc.), those folks are not a part of the WGA. Thus, they're willing to work and are probably looking at the situation as a cash cow.
I'm here to bring you the skinny on what the networks have planned. Remember, please don't shoot the messenger.
Continue reading More reality television planned as WGA strike continues
Posted Nov 12th 2007 1:12AM by Jackie Schnoop
Filed under: OpEd, The Amazing Race, Episode Reviews
(S12E02) Now,
The Amazing Race is one of my favorite shows, but tonight's episode leaned towards something which doesn't thrill me too much whenever they do it.
I realize that the "race" for tickets on the fastest or earliest flight will always be a part of the show. But I felt this episode spent way too much time in the airport. What I find truly amazing is how all airports in the world look kind of alike. Yeah, the languages on the signs may differ, but if you've seen one, you've seen them all.
I know some of the interaction between the teams at the airport was needed, but darn it all ... I want to see the race, not the airport!
Continue reading The Amazing Race: I've Become the Archie Bunker of the Home
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