Thursday, October 11, 2007

TV I love (and love to hate)

ITEM! Beauty and the Geek is the best reality show I've seen in a while (where are you, Project Runway?) and America's Next Top Model is making me feel really, really dirty. In last night's show was the usual maelstrom of breaking down young women with the "your personality is wrong"s to the "your eyes are dead"s. I feel like I oughta stop watching it, because, fundamentally, it goes against everything I'm opposed to (well, one of the things. I am fundamentally opposed to many things.) but, it's often hilarious and occasionally (occasionally!) enlightening. Last night, for example, I learned a lot about weaves. I should stop watching it, though, right? I mean, if want to watch hilarious things and occasionally enlightening things, I can always find that in the (technically) adult beauties and geeks of Beauty and the Geek, rather than in the immature and exploited, 95 pound, 18 year old girl. Thoughts?

Pushing Daisies is off to a really great start - I love the fairy-tale-ish atmosphere - for me it's like Wes Anderson meets Lemony Snicket (the movie). Last night, there was even a musical number - "Hopelessly Devoted To You!" I'm IN. All in. Miss it?

6 comments:

Carrie said...

We have Pushing Daisies waiting for us on DVR. As for ANTM, who am I to say, I watched Kid Nation again last night! Exploitation all around. I guess this TV crap is the same at gossip rags and faux-news; it will keep getting created if we give it our attention.

KHM said...

Haven't caught Pushing Daisies; will add it to my DVR.

Re: ANTM, you have a keen awareness of its evils so doesn't that make you kind of less immune to them? Still, talking about them in public spaces (eh hem) gives it a kind of credibility that might encourage others....hmmm. We've all got our guilty things and we can't crusade all the time. Its not as though you have direct responsibility for shaping the minds of any young girls

I actually enjoy these revelations of what seem to be contradictions in character because I think that at some level, they're not really contradictory----teasing out how that is so would be really fun. Or frightening.

Unknown said...

Yeah, me and Kathy really like Pushing Daisies. I'm a little worried it's going to get a little "too cute". The first episode was really great. The second, my teeth started to hurt a little.

-Andy

kbmulder said...

Beauty and the Geek is one of my all time faves! I guess it's because I've always been such a fan of the geek and I am rooting for him. My other fave reality show was Amish in the City about the rumspringa that young Amish folks take. That was fascinating!

I LOVE Pushing Daisies. Everyone of my friends that I've talked to has liked it, so I'm hopeful it will stay on!

Special K said...

KBM - have you seen The Devil's Playground? That was the documentary made (by the same folks that did the tv thing) about Rumspringa - it's really amazing!

KHM said...

KHM saw Devil's Playground! Agree--really fascinating stuff! But those poor Rumspringa kids are so unprepared for the "real world"---no wonder so many of them run into trouble and go running back to .... ummm, what they left.