Reality TV & Gossip TV

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by Miss_Tia

television is a main tool of socialization, and it does pass along a culture's beliefs and values, and therefor can and does create new ones. Dont think so? Think of Jennifer Aniston's haircuts. On a deeper level, Ellen D's bookstore sitcom changed our culture forever. Why do you think there were/are so many groups opposed to allowing homosexuality on tv? Because once its on there as an approved and accepted lifestyle, its only a matter of time before it becomes an entrenched cultural value.

Television has had a hand in influencing our society from it's inception. What is different now? I wonder how many women were influenced by June Cleaver? How many people thought blending two families may be as uncomplicated as the Brady Bunch? Talk about debasing.... my mother thought I Love Lucy was the worst show ever because of the way Lucy acted to get what she wanted.... she thought it was insulting to women. We weren't allowed to watch it. (We would sneak it because we loved it) Yet, look at how beloved that show is and Lucy is.

I was influenced by a lot of television shows from the 70s and 80s.

And games shows of the past.... The gong show, the Dating Game, Hollywood Squares....Embarrassing? Debasing? Influential? All reality Shows in a sense. People getting on television for their 15 minutes of fame and saying and doing whatever would keep them there. (I loved Hollywood Squares because of the racy chatter of the "squares".)

And talk about racy, what about the Newlywed Game? Yowza

[princessbelle]

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

Television has had a hand in influencing our society from it's inception. What is different now? I wonder how many women were influenced by June Cleaver? How many people thought blending two families may be as uncomplicated as the Brady Bunch? Talk about debasing.... my mother thought I Love Lucy was the worst show ever because of the way Lucy acted to get what she wanted.... she thought it was insulting to women. We weren't allowed to watch it. (We would sneak it because we loved it) Yet, look at how beloved that show is and Lucy is.

I was influenced by a lot of television shows from the 70s and 80s.

And games shows of the past.... The gong show, the Dating Game, Hollywood Squares....Embarrassing? Debasing? Influential? All reality Shows in a sense. People getting on television for their 15 minutes of fame and saying and doing whatever would keep them there. (I loved Hollywood Squares because of the racy chatter of the "squares".)

And talk about racy, what about the Newlywed Game? Yowza

True dat. Remember the word whoopie they used instead of the word sex? As if renaming it made it better somehow and we younger folks in the audience didn't have sense to know what they were talking about?

And Gemme, you know me too well. I will topstay on the planned show for the lanetplay.

I loved Lucy. Ha. But i did. I can be her at times, ok more than times, i am her a lot, so i'm told. More than once.

As we know, there is a whole thread or two on the June Cleaver shows and how they affected us.

Did anyone ever watch Dark Shadows? It was, i think, the first soap opera, or one of the first. I believe it was in black and white (showing my age here) but my mom would watch it every afternoon when i was a wee one and i got into it as well. A vampire soap opera. It was great. I know there is now a movie based off of it. I need to watch that...it's on my list.

[Greyson]

This was random. I came upon this today when reading morning news. Apparently a U.S. Senator from West Virginia says "Enough." Buckwild is a new show about Appalachia. The article says "Appalachia with a Jersey Shore twist."

Senator urges MTV to pull the plug on 'Buckwild' series, calling it a 'travesty'

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/20...-travesty?lite

[macele]

i've never wanted to be like june cleaver or mr. cleaver. i may have found myself being jealous of shows at times, like say of their material things or the way their families bonded so well. growing up, i found a lot of television to be make believe.

that very well could be how reality tv evolved.

[morningstar55]

..... interesting thread......
the shows i watch
Chef Ramsey's shows .. im a big fan..
pawn stars
judge judy ... she is tough
judge mathis ... i like his sarcastic sense of humor

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by Greyson

This was random. I came upon this today when reading morning news. Apparently a U.S. Senator from West Virginia says "Enough." Buckwild is a new show about Appalachia. The article says "Appalachia with a Jersey Shore twist."

Senator urges MTV to pull the plug on 'Buckwild' series, calling it a 'travesty'

http://theclicker.today.com/_news/20...-travesty?lite

This show is really loving the controversy. When it happened to Jersey Shore it actually increased the ratings. I'm not crazy about the show but I love Snookie! She's such a cute little train wreck.

But this Buckwild show is going to create big media buzz, get a lot of free advertising and its most likely going to be stupid. It almost reminds me of those stupid guys from Jackass.

I love all the Real Housewives. Lately Miami is my fav. I love Top Chef, Diners, Drive-In's and Dives. Actually there are quite a few Food Network shows I love.

[Sparkle]

I'm not a huge fan of reality television, shock jock radio or "entertainment news" - generally. Almost all of those shows make me uncomfortably embarrassed for the people participating in them. I can't even watch the 'Amazing Race', which is a great concept, because the amount of xenophobia that many of the contestants spew every time they're in a foreign culture makes me cringe and change the channel.

Don't even get me started on "real housewives" or "mob wives" or the Kardasians... or the billion dollar birthday parties for pre-teens ... or the spray tanned children ... What do those shows say about how we view women? And children? And what our values are?

...But that's me. they make *me* really uncomfortable.

I don't begrudge anyone the right to decide which shows to watch, books to read, magazines to buy, radio stations to listen to. BUT I do believe that we perpetuate it by "buying it". For example, the paparazzi only exists because magazines pay $100s of $1000s for photos of public figures, and magazines only pay that much for a single photo because those photos sell magazines.

I don't think there is anything wrong with enjoying shows or magazines or internet sites - but make no mistake your choice to participate as a consumer is not negligible, your participation is counted, it does impact what type of television shows are made, how far a photographer will go for a shot, how outrageous a act has to be in order to gardner audiences - it impacts what policies are in place and where the boundaries are...

The "entertainment news" industry is colossal and a multi-headed Hydra.

Murdoch himself has taken a huge hit in the past couple of years, his empire is starting to fall to pieces from the phone-tap scandals, but there are no lack of morally bankrupt media outlets ready to fill the gap.

The prank call that precipitated this tragedy was incredibly distasteful and indicative of how dehumanizing the "cult of celebrity" has become.

The radio hosts should be deeply ashamed of themselves because not only did they successfully invade the privacy of a person at a very vulnerable point in her life; they also acted with utter disregard, and a total lack of respect, for the medical professionals with whom they were speaking... all in the name of entertainment. All for a joke. Their act was distasteful and ill conceived and they should be held accountable for some of the blame for this loss of life.

Both of the nurses involved in the prank call would have been in serious trouble both legally and professionally. The UK does have very stringent laws (equivalent to HIPPA) surrounding patient confidentiality and access to health records. Those laws were violated. Their professional credentials and livelihoods would have been on the line, not just their jobs at that hospital. And while the nurse who killed herself may not have disclosed the information regarding the morning sickness she would have been complicit by the very act of passing the call on to another colleague (an admission that the Duchess was a patient). Beyond the legal violations of disclosing personal health information - the hospital administration would have been publicly embarrassed, they would be in the news for all the wrong reasons, they would have likely lost the patronage of the Royal Family, they would be facing legal fines for the disclosure, and it is quite possible that portions of their funding could be on the line because of the scandal; the hospital administration would have been looking to take swift and severe action against the staff involved.

I think there should be no doubt that this nurse would have been under considerable personal stress at the time she took her life.

[macele]

i just remembered seeing a reality show about whitney houstons family. i am a whitney lover. she is the voice of inspiration, ... the absolute greatest. i love whitney! but i can't watch the show. it is reality, ... but i don't want to see her daughter drunk, drugged, and disrespectful. i don't know who allowed this to be shown, ... it's very heartbreaking.

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by macele

i just remembered seeing a reality show about whitney houstons family. i am a whitney lover. she is the voice of inspiration, ... the absolute greatest. i love whitney! but i can't watch the show. it is reality, ... but i don't want to see her daughter drunk, drugged, and disrespectful. i don't know who allowed this to be shown, ... it's very heartbreaking.

I thought that too. Just too soon for this shit. I have not watched it and I don't think I will.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

I'm not a huge fan of reality television, shock jock radio or "entertainment news" - generally. Almost all of those shows make me uncomfortably embarrassed for the people participating in them. I can't even watch the 'Amazing Race', which is a great concept, because the amount of xenophobia that many of the contestants spew every time they're in a foreign culture makes me cringe and change the channel.

Don't even get me started on "real housewives" or "mob wives" or the Kardasians... or the billion dollar birthday parties for pre-teens ... or the spray tanned children ... What do those shows say about how we view women? And children? And what our values are?

...But that's me. they make *me* really uncomfortable.

I don't begrudge anyone the right to decide which shows to watch, books to read, magazines to buy, radio stations to listen to. BUT I do believe that we perpetuate it by "buying it". For example, the paparazzi only exists because magazines pay $100s of $1000s for photos of public figures, and magazines only pay that much for a single photo because those photos sell magazines.

I don't think there is anything wrong with enjoying shows or magazines or internet sites - but make no mistake your choice to participate as a consumer is not negligible, your participation is counted, it does impact what type of television shows are made, how far a photographer will go for a shot, how outrageous a act has to be in order to gardner audiences - it impacts what policies are in place and where the boundaries are...

<Big clapping hands emoticon we don't have here>

Originally Posted by princessbelle

True dat. Remember the word whoopie they used instead of the word sex? As if renaming it made it better somehow and we younger folks in the audience didn't have sense to know what they were talking about?

Speak for yourself!

<--- was sheltered

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

<Big clapping hands emoticon we don't have here>

Will this one do?

[Guy]

I think this reality show is on Monday nights at 11pm on MTV.

It's called Catfish. The truth and lies about online dating. Max Joseph helps turn couples online relationships into a reality.

I've watched it a few times and enjoyed it

[homoe]

Granted I only watched the first episode, and I admit I did fast forward through most of it, but does this game show have any point to it? I mean other than showing the greediest, most deceptive, and best lying contestants?

[alexri]

"Reality television" isn't reality. Just my humble opinion.

If you're into these shows for the entertainment value, and it makes you happy, rock on. I don't watch them; I barely watch TV. I just don't think they're worth my time.

I like the quote from Professor David Irving, chairman of the television and film department at New York University: "television is entertainment" and that "the lines between fiction and reality are always blurred."

I sincerely doubt in many of these shows that the outcome isn't planned and/or the events aren't scripted. Again, if it's being appreciated as entertainment, that's one thing.

These shows push their work as "reality" when they are really edited/adjusted to portray the perception of reality some tv executive wants you to see; the things producers want to you believe so you'll watch the show. But in actuality... just a few examples...

Man vs. Wild: admitted some scenes were staged, and the star of the show was found spending nights in hotels when he was supposedly roughing it out in the wild.

Survivor: has admitted faking and reshooting scenes.

In the news today: Former 'Storage Wars' Star Files Lawsuit Claiming Show Is Fake
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...8#.UMpzQHf9xXI

I also have an aversion to hero and media worship of people that do absolutely nothing to contribute to society. The impact these shows have on society and culture is scary. I've never watched Jersey Shore, but I know who Snooki is. Can I tell you the name of the ambassador that was killed in Libya off the top of my head? No.

/gets off soapbox