Felons, Fascists, Freeloaders and Fools: Not My Utopia!

Utopia is a new, $50 million, reality television series from Fox that is supposed to run for a year — but I don’t think the show will make it to the end of October because of horrible casting decisions and even more miserable ratings.  The producers get some things right and most everything else wrong.

The technical aspects of the show, the live feed, the landscape, and the idea, are all right — but the casting is completely and horrifyingly wrong — as is the creepy-pervy peeping-tom-ish host who ruins the television show with his “stalkeristic” vibe and prissy mustache and bizarro hat and glasses.

As well, when you choose a convicted felon to be the center of your show from the git-go, and he’s also the initial online presence for your show and live feeds portal, something terrible and awful has gone wrong on a deep DNA level that cannot be cured by God, a false baptism, or human infusion.

Continue reading → Felons, Fascists, Freeloaders and Fools: Not My Utopia!

Why Jerry Lewis is Right About American Idol and Reality Television

I am a Jerry Lewis fan.  Sure, he’s an ancient, 85-year-old, egomaniac, but the guy has made some important movies, and he dedicated his life to trying to help find a cure for muscular dystrophy.  He did something while others — smarter, richer, and younger others — did nothing.  I admire his guts and stamina.  Jerry Lewis does not give in or give up.

Continue reading → Why Jerry Lewis is Right About American Idol and Reality Television

The Colony, Season Two: Killing to Survive the Pandemic

Season Two of the outstanding television series– “The Colony” — debuted on The Discovery Channel this week, and while this year’s “survivors” are dumber and weaker than those on Season One, the stakes are evermore higher in the Age of Urban Bioterrorism.

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How to Fix the Real Housewives Franchise for Bravo

The Real Housewives franchise is in trouble. Bravo used to have a charming show that dealt with the families of these insulated women. We found joy as they slowly began to tempt the threads of a genuine life in real time and sometimes feel the shallow tenderness of, perhaps, eventually becoming human. The ironic twist of the show has always been that these monstrous women were neither “real” nor “housewives” and we, as viewers, knew that — while they still do not.

Continue reading → How to Fix the Real Housewives Franchise for Bravo