The Easy Way Out...

Not sure how many people tuned in last night, but I'm sure it broke some records. I tuned in and I'm not even a fan of the show. I hoped I would see something different happen last night, but I didn't.

I'm talking about the TLC "reality" show, Jon & Kate Plus 8.

Part of me thought I shouldn't even write about this. Giving them more attention just feeds into the disaster that they are already a part of.

As I watched last night I heard Jon & Kate throwing out this phrase, "for my kids," a lot.

"I do everything for my kids."

"We're doing this for our kids."

"This is the best thing for my kids."

Really?

As the tension built throughout the show, I just kept shaking my head. Why would they do this to their kids? What benefit would the kids get from the decision they were about to make? What would those kids think when they looked back at this TV show that brought them so much fortune and fame but destroyed their family?

Do you think that every one of those kids wouldn't give up all the toys and things that they get from this show to have their mommy and daddy together?

Maybe Jon & Kate don't have any real friends or family members that care enough to speak the truth to them, but someone should have told them a long time ago that it's time to step up and put your family first.

Turn off the cameras. Tell TLC to kiss off. Deal with whatever consequences come your way and save your family. They don't need "crooked houses," picnic lunches on acres of land or anything else but their family.

Do you think TLC really cares one bit about you as a human being. If they did, they would say, "Hey, we're going to put the show on hold and get you guys some counseling. We love you too much to let this show destroy your family. These kids need you." The only thing they see are huge ratings and tons of cash piling in. It's really despicable.

I know this is just one family who just happens to be famous for taking fertility drugs and having 6 kids at once, but seriously this whole thing is just a taste of what happens in families all over the world. People are so willing to throw in the towel on their marriage.

Jon and Kate could work through this. There was something there. They loved each other at some point. I wish I had five minutes to talk with them to show them what they are doing. In reality they know what they are doing. The money and the fame and all that goes with it are just too much for them to let go of apparently.

Soon the lights will fade on their little show. America likes a happy ending and this is not a happy ending. Maybe they will realize that the show will get a ratings boost if they reconcile and stay married... or maybe we can pray they turn those cameras off and do the right thing.

I'm a Reality Junky... Get Me Outta' Here!

There is a disturbing dirty little secret that has crept it's way back into my life... "Reality TV."

I had sworn off these horrible shows a few years ago because I found myself hating people I didn't really know. Since I say I love Jesus and am a follower of His I remember reading somewhere that you aren't supposed to hate people... something like you already murdered them in your heart, there is no light in you and so on and so on. I have since moved from hate to annoyed or mildly annoyed.

So I decided it was in my best interest to stop watching because I really hated some of these people. There was one young lady in particular on Big Brother that was a real piece of work. Chris would remember her name... she made her boyfriend look like an idiot while she was on the show, then they both showed America their wonderful relationship with a return appearance on the Amazing Race. Anyway, after a long respite from "reality," I started to let it creep back in.

These shows have to be like gold to the television industry. I wonder if in the not too distant future they will make up more than half of what we watch on TV. You may even think you are above "those silly shows" but if you watch American Idol or John & Kate Plus 8 (has anyone learned being married and a reality TV show don't mix?) or any other show that has "normal, everyday people" in it, you are one of us.

But I think it's time that we find a new name for these shows. Maybe someone has already, I don't know, but these shows are anything but real. I guess Manufactured Reality TV isn't as catchy, but it definitely is more precise. Besides the original Real World: New York way back in the day, none of these shows just follow someone in their everyday life. There is always something or someone introduced to make things happen. Whether it's a vacation, a new job opportunity and the ever popular alchohol, nothing is just real life. Why? Real life is pretty boring... it's you sitting at your desk or staring at your screen until lunch. It's you getting the kids ready in the morning or going to the bank. Real life is mundane at times.

Another disturbing reality trend are shows like Gene Simmons Family Jewels where not only are scenarios manufactured, but they are acted out. It almost seems like Gene and a staff of writers talk about funny stories they have experienced in life or "wouldn't this be funny?" moments and have Gene and his family act them out as if they are their own reality. Confused yet? Me too. It reminds me of when Kramer sells his life stories to J. Peterman on Seinfeld.

Alas, I keep watching.

Now every quasi celebrity we grew up with is getting a reality show. Corey Haim & Corey Feldman (canceled... too real when Haim got back on drugs), MC Hammer, Torri Spelling and a host of others. Not to mention shows where a bunch of celebs go on together. Even Screech has been on a bunch of these shows. You know, there was a time when reality shows gave the common man a chance to be famous... washed up celebs couldn't have that. Now we have the Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity Fit Club, I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta' Here (total Survivor meets Big Brother rip off) and I'm sure there are more to come.

Why am I spouting off about all this? I have no idea... maybe to share with you so you don't feel so bad about yourself for watching or maybe so we can all admit we have a problem. All I know is I love watching these shows and then talking about how lame I am for watching them.

Plus, I would have never known anything about Spencer Pratt if it weren't for I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta' Here. It's like when you see the Godfather for the first and then you understand all the jokes. I would have missed out on a lot of punch lines if I hadn't learned a little about Spencer Pratt... I fear for future generations if they are learning any life lessons from the Hills.

So when all is said and done, why not take a few hours this week and plop yourself down in front of the TV and escape reality... to a simpler place where Baldwin brothers live with the guy from La Bamba and the kid from American Idol that wasn't very good but kept sticking around because of Vote for the Worst.com (so that's how Janice Dickinson is sticking around!). The psuedo reality called Reality TV.

Couldn't Have Been Scripted Better

Tonight on Big Brother 8, the stars aligned and the unthinkable happened. 

The man known as Evel Dick (left) did everything in his power to be kicked out of the house by going on an Evel Dick rampage, tearing people apart and acting like a total jerk. He won the Veto Competition and saved his daughter from eviction from the Big Brother House seemingly ensuring his own eviction.

Then...

America made things interesting. This season BB8 has someone called America's Player and America gets to see what people say when no one is watching. They know who is lying and who is telling the truth. So last night they told Eric, America's Player, to get one of his own put up for eviction and voted out, Dustin (right). That set the wheels in motion that saved Evel Dick from exiting the house.

Dick lives on for another week and to top it all off, his daughter, Danielle, won the Head of Household competition and will be picking two poor souls to be nominated for eviction this week.

I swear, it seems like someone is writing this stuff, because the likelihood of these events all lining up is completely amazing.

I Know I'm Funnier Than...

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of two of our best friends from Vegas! Can't wait to see them...

While we're waiting we caught tonight's episode of Last Comic Standing. It seems that NBC has revamped the way this year is done. No longer do the comics live in a house together, this year they are all put up in a hotel. The episodes also seem to move along a lot quicker and they eliminate more than one comic a night.

As usual, the best comics did not make it through this season, but it seems like the really good comics are picking off the average ones pretty handily. So, for now, I guess I'll continue to watch.

Plus Matt Kirshen (pictured) made me laugh pretty hard tonight.

Fat March

We ended up watching the new show Fat March on ABC and I have to say, it was not all I had hoped for. I'm a big fan of The Biggest Loser on NBC, but Fat March just doesn't stand up so far.

The whole idea is that the contestants will walk 500 miles in ten weeks. All along the way, you can quit or be voted off if the group things you are slowing them down, but each time you lose a team member, you lose part of the groups prize money.

One of the worst things that happened were when this guy that was 520 lbs. was unable to continue walking because of stress fractures in his feet. He actually planned on continuing to walk, but the rest of his "teammates" decided to relieve him from duty. The good news is the guy - who just happens to be a youth pastor - is down to 43o now.

The other thing that was really quite annoying was this chick who did nothing but complain and whine and drag everyone down. She eventually dropped her backpack while the trainer tried to motivate her and said, "I'm done." The team lost money, but they also lost some dead weight... pun intended!

Banner Night In the Big Brother House

Alright, this season of Big Brother is really crazy!

This is probably the meanest season I have seen thus far. Evel Dick (pictured w/Johnny Depp) is absolutely out of control at times, but refreshingly honest. He is making this season very fun to watch and living up to his name in more ways than one.

On Thursday, he poured a glass of iced tea on Jen and escaped with nothing but a question from Julie Chen during the Eviction Ceremony for Kail and Nick. Whilst part of me feels sorry for Jen, the humorous side of me laughed uproariously when it happened. Where else but Reality TV does this stuff happen?

Cheryl has a secret fantasy of throwing a drink in someone's face, but when does an opportunity like that really present itself? Well, knowing me, she may have had a few chances by now...

Most Reality TV shenanigans like that would get you kicked off the show by the producers, but somehow Mr. Dick survived...

Now things get really weird when a plane with a banner behind it flew over the Big Brother House... it said:

WE LOVE NICK! ERIC AND AMBER ARE LIARS! LNC ARE THE NERD HERD!

Okay, so Nick just got voted out and obviously someone he knows decided to send a message to the BB House... Crazy! I've never seen anything like this before. Eric and Amber are now outed to the rest of the house. LNC stands for "Late Night Crew," which as you may have guessed is all the people who stay up late... how creative.

This is really bad news for Eric. He is one of the twists this year called America's Player. Basically CBS has people voting on things for Eric to do in the house. Usually it's who to try to get nominated for eviction, some kind of crazy stunt and who to vote for on eviction day. He has to dig himself out of a pretty big hole now...

I could go on and on...

Which leads me to something I have been toying around with for a while and the other day while talking with a good friend of mine, Chris, I kind of got a little validation for my latest idea.

The Ramblin' Scotzman may become a little more of an entertainment Blog over the next few months. Most likely I will Blog about TV as I have not been to see an actual film in the theater since Borat (I know, of all the movies to go to), plus who wants to pay $9.25 for something that might suck? Getting new DVD's from the library fits into our budget perfectly (FREE besides all the taxes we pay).

So I would love to know what all two of the readers of this Blog think... there will still be ramblings about life, love and craziness, but I figure why not write about something I know a lot about. Sad but true... I know TV.

The Two Coreys

I ended up watching a show called, The Two Coreys on A&E last night. This show was a little odd at first. I found myself wanting to turn it off, but wondering what event they would stage next.

You may remember the Corey's, Haim and Feldman. Feldman was in The Goonies. Haim was in Lucas. Both were in a string of movies, most notably The Lost Boys and License to Drive. Then both took a turn for the worse... drugs and bad behavior. Too bad they weren't acting that way now. Britney, Paris and Lindsay seem to be making a career out of it.

I'm slightly interested, because both of them have cleaned up their lives. Corey Feldman is married and is a lot more stable, while Haim is portrayed (and plays the part) as the immature, wild man. Really he comes off self centered and desperate at times. But he still has that "lovable guy" thing going for him.

I'm pretty sure that Corey Haim must have persuaded Feldman to do this. Feldman seems like he is fine with where he is in life, while Haim is dying for the limelight again. Haim ends up in tears when he finds out from Feldman that they are already doing a sequel of The Lost Boys without them. Very sad... was the movie even that good? I loved it when I was a teenager, but some things are better left without sequels.

When I was a teenager, I loved their movies. Now they are in their thirties and the movie roles have dried up... but reality TV will always be there for them. I'm a sucker for that. A very entertained sucker though.

Scotty Wept...

We watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tonight. Why do I do this to myself?

I cried like a little girl... a good cry never hurt anyone though.

It feels ridiculous and amazingly heartwarming all at the same time. Ty needs to stop tugging on my heartstrings.