March 28, 2006

• those shows sicken me, I am so glad I don't have tv anymore altho I do miss America's Next Top Model...
• One more argument for the elimination of television.
• That's exacty why I barely watch TV anymore. Well that, and the internet. I don't suppose that's much better, though.
• That's exatly why, when i watch tv, I turn the channel to something good, rather than something very bad.
• I watch a hell of a lot of tv. I make up for you all that don't. I also surf the web on my laptop almost constantly. It shouldn't be news that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is looking for crazy exploitative stories. Doesn't anyone remember that this show is a spinoff of Extreme Makeover: Bodilly Mutilation Edition? An exploitative show from the makers of a show all about the message that your self esteme is directly related to your physical appearance? Who would have guessed? To say "That's why I don't watch TV" is like looking at a crappy romance novel (not to imply that all romance novels are crappy) and saying, "That's why I don't read."
• Exactly, why not watch something decent? Nobody is forcing you to watch exploitative shit.
• I keep hearing my friends tell me I should get cable. What the hell is wrong with them? Maybe they need an intervention.
• (and yes, there are a few good things on... thats what DVD box sets are for)
• yes, there are a few good things on, but I personally found myself spending way too much time watching re-runs of Law n Order:SUV. I love that cop-drama stuff!
• I mean, come on, jccalhoun, you don't expect the viewer to be responsible for what s/he watches now, do you??? I mean, how can one resist the wicked siren song of stinking trash over the options of enrichment and culture? /sarcasm
• What kind of person does stuff like this? It's just bad enough not to be evil. It reminds me of Albert Brooks from Broadcast News: "What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he's around? Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing... he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance... Just a tiny bit. And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen"
• I don't watch TV at all, proud of it too.
• I wonder how they figured out that these particular "cast members" were the optimal people to pull the heartstrings of their viewers. Did they do a poll? "Hell yeah! Nine out of ten people want to see more progeria on TV! Thirty percent of viewers prefer hate crime victims!"
• *looks at scantily clad harlequin romance babe on crappy romance novel cover* I'll pass. But it made me look for a couple of seconds.
• I read one of those stupid harlequin romances when I was a teen. NO SEX.....none, not even a little bit...why on earth would I read that drivel otherwise?
• Ha, Medusa. I remember the first time I picked up a Cosmo magazine at a friend's apartment, while waiting for her to pick up some stuff. Whoa!
• Fabio on the cover can sell anything. e.g. I Can't Belive It's Not Butter... Spray!
• seriously! cosmo has way more sex than harlequin, altho I personally got my sexual education in my dad's playboys, which I found, and began a fascinated perusal of, around age 9 or so...
• and one of mr. medusa's 'porn star names' is 'I can't believe its not butter'....heeheeheeharaharharhar!!!
• Who needs TV? Buy a month's worth of Daily Shows for $.62 an episode at itunes.
• I also watch lots and lots of tv. Some of it is good, some of it is crap. We all need our guilty pleasures, and I'll admit that EM:HE is one of mine. The network gets nice raitings, a family gets a sweet new house, and I get my weekly catharsis. Everyone wins. However, I will admit that lately the families on the show are so downtrodden, so utterly sad, that I bet the casting directors are high-fiving each other while saying "Top that, 3 Wishes! See ya later, Miracle Workers!" (two other similar shows)
• And we all know Harlequins don't have any sex in them. That's why you read Zebra romances. They have *lots* of naughty bits, which I found out at age 11.
• Yeah, who needs TV? I used to surf the channels heavily, but now most of my media fix comes from the net; Daily Show clips, interesting art exhibitions and science news, tons of music videos, all for 'free' on the net. And that's even while I've abstained myself from getting into the torrents and P2P stuff.
• Y'all realize that in 50 years it's gonna be "Pfft, I don't use the World Wide Web," right? .
• Look! My comment is on its period!
• Our "Harlequin" novels in Jr High were Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear. series. Book one is fine, but books 3-4 contained graphic descriptions of teh hawt sex. Made my 7th grade loins tremble in ways a picture of a boob never could. wait, didn't i come in here to berate TV?
• I like that show. They give people who need it a new house and really change their lives. The people are onscreen for about 10 minutes or less. The rest is all money shots of walls coming down or laying parquet flooring. I think they should stick to the current formula, and to people who apply to them. Hey Weezel - those novels have excellent descriptions of paleolithic/neolithic life, and are very educational. I know if I ever get abandoned in a glacial steppe, they'd be better than the SAS guide.
• I admit I watch this occasionally, but I switch channels when the crew are tearfully explaining the family's plight. It's so artificial, so contrived, and I find it hard to believe they really care enough to cry over these people. Even the men. But never Ty, except in cases of large community donations. Because Ty is manly. I saw a book called something like "Ty's Household Tips" at the library today, and I would have brought it home had I not anticipated #2's hysterical laughter at the sight of it.
• OT: Holy hell batman, did that "baby diarrhea green" color used as the background get on anyone else's nerves?
• Barf havent turned on idiot box since partner been away..... wonder why - Barf
• "WE'RE GOING TO SEARS!!!!!!!11!!!111!!!!!!!" (see, I've watched it too.)
• I like to tape this show, and then edit so that you get the following: * Introduce worthy family * Team demolishes current house *EDIT* * Team leaves while family cries Ha ha! That'll teach you to take in those orphans!
• I used to watch this show... And I do appreciate the "power of people" message that this delivers occasionally. I mean, to demolish and rebuild a (quite nice, I may add) house in a single week is pretty impressive. Just goes to show what can be done with enough resources and man/woman power. That said, I have to completely agree with tracicle. I mean, how the heck can you constantly break down in tears regarding the plight of someone you've known for three hours. And to top it all, the "acting" in these sequences isn't even any good, which makes it all the worse. I would like to see "Extreme Makover: Has-been Celebrity Edition" You know, build MC Hammer a house... (You could even turn the first year of his living in the house into a reality show!... Damn... I shoulda been a program director...)
• I wish they'd come to my house. I've got plumbers banging around under the place as I write this. The water is off, and I really, really have to poop.
• Apparently, Life on Mars is to be remade for the American audience. Look out for it.
• From Slate:

  As Newsweek has pointed out, an Extreme Makeover makeover could add thousands of dollars in new taxes—which, in all likelihood, the owners couldn't afford.

• #2 and I talk about that all the time, layne. Taxes, utility bills for pools and the TVs in every room and the fancy gadgets everywhere, not to mention that these are huge, expensive houses in rundown neighbourhoods: how long do you think those houses stay looking nice, and how long before all the outside fixtures are pinched?
• "...contestants who have been receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of "makeovers" for appearing on the show have paid no taxes on their gains, even though prizes and awards are considered to be taxable income." More about the taxes.
• The water is off, and I really, really have to poop. Brace yourself, keep your strength and don't stray from the true faith, MCT!