MY FAVORITE REALITY SHOWS (with video)

Face it, reality TV is here to stay. It ain't goin' anywhere.

Being a writer, I'm a natural voyeur and I must admit, reality TV for me, is like crystal meth to a junkie. When done properly, it can have me sitting in front of the TV for hours and I can just feel my brain fading away along with the prospects of writing something of worth.

As if anyone cares, here's a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite reality shows and a brief explanataion as to why, followed by a video or two.

AIRLINE
This is an odd show, indeed. This A&E reality program follows the trials and tribulations of a national airline. Sounds boring? Think again. It's completly riveting. That said, though, if I've never flown before and watched this show, I'd probably never get on a plane. What's more, it's an awful advertisment for the Southwest Airlines, who never winds up looking rosy.





THE REAL WORLD
The grand dame of reality shows that, depending on the cast, never seems to run out of conflict. The recipe is simple - seven kids, throw them in a sweet crib, watch them fight. Keep Big brother. Gimmie my MTV kids who drink too much, fight too much and all look like supermodels.



COPS
I'm gonna be honest. I'm praying to the gods above that someone somewhere makes an all "COPS" TV channel. Loop the friggin' show 24/7. On the air since 1986 or thereabouts, this is a raw-as-shit look at what life is like being a cop. No host. Just a camera and sound tech. To see what life is like behind bars, check out its sister show "Jail" that debuted a few weeks back. Equally as awesome.



BREAKING BONADUCE
An offshoot of the reality show genre seems to be the "celeb-reality" show. While most of the shows featuring K-List personalities are bullshit ala "The Two Coreys" (which btw gets my vote as the suckiest reality show ever), this VH1 account of Danny Bonaduce trying to get back on the straight-and-narrow with his family, life, sobriety and career is as "real" as it gets. A close second is the former VH1 show "Shooting Sizemore."



THE CONTENDER
What self-respecting "Rocky" fan wouldn't love "The Contender," which by the way, leads us to another ofshoot of the genre - the competition reality show. Just the same, when done well, competition brings out the best in people and gives us the best TV watching experience.





HELL'S KITCHEN
I love this show, even if it is a little cheesy. Keep "Top Chef," this competition show with gonzo chef Gordon Ramsey is addictive if only for his insane screaming at everyone.



BLOW OUT and WORK OUT
Lifestyle reality. That's what I call shows that are basically about people we don't know, but TV people want us to. Hence, "Blow Out" and "Work Out," two shows that take place in Southern Cali. I don't live in La La land, but if I did, shit, I'd want to live in the realm of either clearhead hair stylist Jonathan Anton or uber-hot trainer Jackie Warner.



JONATHAN WITH BRUNO




THE OSBOURNES
You gotta love the Osbourne clan. They practically invented the celeb-reality genre with their groundbreaking show. Seems tame now, but they were the first TV framily to invite camera into the home.



MIAMI INK
These dudes at the Miami tattoo shop are rad and give us great stories each week through the conflicts in the workplace - another reality subgenre - and through their incredible tattoo work.

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Tinseltown Tidbits - 5/18

MR.& MRS SMITH TV WOES
While ABC didn't pick up the proposed pilot for the TV series version of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," fret not because it may land elsewhere. The Martin Henderson and Jordana Brewster-vehicle was granted an early release to court other networks, according to Reuters.

FOR THE FULL SCOOP via Dark Horizons CLICK HERE

'ACE' IN THE HOLE?
Director Joe Carnahan tells Slash Film that he wants to make a sequel to his awful, ridiculous and hacky actioner "Smoking Aces." Since the movie tanked at the box office, that notion was dismissed as a pipe dream. Unfortunately, however, the flick is finding its audience on DVD and thus we'll be exposed to more nincompoopish, wannabe Tarantino filmmaking. A prequel has been greenlit by Universal.

FOR THE FULL SCOOP via Dark Horizons
CLICK HERE

FOR THE SPACE GEEKS
Lucasfilm has revealed a first look at "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," the upcoming CG-animated TV series, in the form of a poster promoting Celebration IV.

FOR THE FULL SCOOP via Coming Soon.net
CLICK HERE

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'BIONIC WOMAN' TEASER - AWESOME

OK ... Just a quick mini post because, quite frankly, the blogoshere is making my Hemingway-lovin' butt tired as all hell.

But I couldn't resist posting this incredible scene from NBC's next hit - a remake of the classic '70s TV smash "The Bionic Woman." No slo-mo needed here, people ...

Enjoy!

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Tinseltown Tidbits 5/14

NBC Announces Its 2007-08 Primetime Lineup
It's upfront time and that pretty much means we can start deciding what we're going to watch next season and when. Sadly, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" will not be back. However, there will be a new "Heroes" spin off called "Heroes: Origins." Don't know much about it but ... we're so there.
NBC Announces Its 2007-08 Primetime Lineup - ComingSoon.net

She may not be able to act
But how hot is Jessica Simpson? If you're a fan, check out the trailer at Slash Film for the unnecessary remake of the '80s Melanie Griffith comedy "Working Girl." Doesn't anyone have any original ideas anymore? Sheesh... To add insult to injury, Creepy Papa Joe Simpson is producing.
Blonde Ambition Movie Trailer | /Film

Four 'Pirates' movie clips
Ahoy, mateees... Four new movie clips are up at Moviephone. I dunno, after checking them out, I'd say Cap'n Jack has his crosshairs on Spidey cubed. Yup, this new 'Pirates' film may be the only film this summer to give the 'ol webhead a run for his proverbial money.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Moviefone

Sly looking hella cool as an older John Rambo
Joblo managed to get their paws on a cool new pic from the upcoming "John Rambo." Gotta admit, even though he may be a little long in the tooth, Stallone looks pretty cool in the pic. And he looks super pissed...
Arrow in the Head News: New Rambo pic!

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AN ODE TO 'THE LITTLE RASCALS' & 'OUR GANG' FOLLIES

The older I get, the more I relish the simplicity of my youth. And being that today was Mother's Day and all, it had me thinking about all sorts of weird crap.

As an only child, I had a pretty even-keeled life. I had a great family and all sorts of friends but in the end, it was ... just a simple childhood.

But that said, there was an overabundance of TV watching. By today's standards, it was insane. I mean, shit, I watched so much goddamn TV that I swear, I'm like that guy Martin Tupper in the HBO series "Dream On," who would think in old '50s TV clips. In any case, it was a great show. Catch it if you can. It was an old school HBO series - groundbreaking nudity and all.

Anyway, forget all that, one of my favorite pastimes after I finished my homework was the boob tube. We were one of the first houses on the block with cable TV - and by cable it was really just a bunch of Philly TV stations and cable access channels.

At the time, all these new stations needed content and cheap, older properties were the only thing being broadcast. My favorite? I l-o-v-e-d Hal Roach's "Our Gang" follies aka "The Little Rascals."

To be truthful, I couldn't begin to do the black-and-white shorts justice here in a short post like this. For that, I'd say take a look here.

I'm sure I'm not the only one but I identified SO MUCH with these nostalgic tales that I swear sometimes I think I'm the reincarnated soul of some studio backlot grip or something.

A brief description: "Our Gang"/"The Little Rascals" was a long-standing series of American comedy shorts centering on various groups of poor neighborhood kids and their adventures. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, "Our Gang" was produced at the Roach studio starting in 1922 as a silent short subject series.

Unlike other pictures of the era featuring kids, producer Roach rooted these shorts in real life. The subjects were poor (poverty level, really) and the gang was always at odds with snobbish rich kids as well as adversarial adults and parents. The series was notable in that the gang included both African-Americans and females in leading parts at a time when discrimination against both groups was all too common.

For those significantly younger, I've managed to find a clip on You Tube. Get a drink, settle in and watch a few minutes of these priceless and even sometimes controversial gems.

Oh and for the record, the widely-circulated urban legend that comedian Bill Cosby bought up the rights to "Our Gang" to keep the racial stereotypes off of television is completely false. Cosby has never owned any rights to the series at any time

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