Reality Shows... Or, More Likely, It Doesn't!

I, for one, am abysmally tired of the so-called "reality shows" on TV. Some may have "realistic situations" in them, designed obviously to entertain the audience through reenactment, but the majority of these shows have more scripting than the collected works of William Shakespeare's plays, and more choreography than a performance by the Bolshoi Ballet. All-in-all, they have about the same amount of reality as does an episode of "The Simpsons" or a few rounds of "World Wrestling Entertainment"! I gave up on them years ago, after the first two episodes of "Big Brother" and about three episodes of "Survivor".

Who, in this extremely litigious American society, is dumb enough (other than Obama supporters) to believe that any broadcast corporation would strand two dozen people on a deserted island with no food, no water and no medical aid available? The networks ownership would probably change hands on a bi-weekly basis if that were the case!

And then, there are what I call the "fluff shows" - "The Bachelor", followed by "The Bachelorette", "Dancing With The Lepers", etc. These are apparently designed primarily to lure the lady viewers into the clutches of their sponsors. Who really cares if Kirstie Alley can do the foxtrot? Let the stars do what they are noted for. I don't care if Johnny Depp can change the oil in his car... show me Johnny Depp acting (when he isn't busy trying to commit career suicide with efforts like "Sweeny Todd" and "What's Eating gilbert Grape")!

There. I feel MUCH better now! How about you?

Michael Jackson Gets Credit Where Credit Is Due

I got to thinking about my posting of 6/26/09 regarding the passing of Michael Jackson, and decided it was a bit "cold". Here's my take on EmJay:

Michael was undoubtedly one of, if not THE, most phenomenal entertainers of the twentieth century. His music bridged international boundaries, and obliterated language barriers. His career of over 40 years was an exceptional accomplishment. MJ's performances were like a modern-day Roman Circus, in that he appealed to the masses. And not just the masses of Rome, but the masses of the entire world. He was truly "The King of Pop"!

Unfortunately, all was not roses for Michael. Despite his international fame and the many, many millions of dollars he earned, MJ was apparently a tortured soul. As his fame and fortune grew, MJ made a transition from an adorable young black child, to a somewhat other-worldly-looking, middle-aged, white woman-looking creature. He was obviously unhappy that he had been born into a black skin, and as he matured he could not reconcile that fact within his mind. Thanks to the volume of his positive cash flow, he could afford to undergo numerous procedures to bleach his skin to an unnaturally phantasmal white, and have his naturally black facial features surgically modified until he had a miniaturized Woody Woodpecker beak as the central focal point of his countenance. How unsatisfactorily MJ must have viewed the black race, to go to such extremes to erase its image from his mirror. Yet the black community - which he rejected - mourns his passing as they would a true "brother". Sadly, Michael reached the end of his unhappy life as a "whigger".

Then there was his inordinate interest in other people's children... especially other people's pre- and early teen boy children! There's an old saying that goes, "Where there's smoke, there's fire". EmJay should have been charged with arson for the several 5-alarm, fully-involved infernos into which he continued to pour fuel. A fantastic entertainer, outwardly exhibiting the mind and emotions of a young child, yet he indulged in some seriously questionable adult behaviors. I wouldn't go so far as to call him a miserable, self-loathing, child-molesting pervert... nor would I call him anything other than that.

The world has lost a truly great entertainer. MJ will leave a large hole in the entertainment world. The silver lining to this particular dark cloud is that there is also one less pederast in the world.

I'm absolutely certain that many people will consider me to be wrong in my assessment of EmJay's legacy... and there's a snowball's chance they could be right.

Another Round of "Who Cares?" - Pitt and Jolie Aren't The First People to Have Twins

Why does anybody really care about Angelina Jolie giving birth to twins? This is not the first set of twins in recorded history, for Pete's sake! It is, however, and indication that the Brangelina's are now buying into their own "super star" status, that elevates them above the rest of humanity. I could understand the hoopla if Angelina had given birth to a litter of octuplets ... or even octopi ... either of which would have certainly been a newsworthy event. But, she didn't ... and, in order to insure her goddess-like stature was maintained for this essentially mundane event, the Pitt-Jolie empire bought the entire 5th floor of a maternity hospital in France for the final weeks of the 'event!' I wonder how many "lesser women" got less-than-excellent treatment at that facility during this egregious display of stellar selfishness? One room with, perhaps, two bodyguards posted outside the door, should have provided more than enough exclusivity to satisfy the privacy needs of any mortal woman.

And the press is guessing that the first 'official' photographs of the twins will be worth between $10M-$15M! Photographs of the baby Jesus might be worth that much to somebody. Or if the kids have two heads or six legs each, that might be worth a bundle! But, as far as I am aware, these are just two normal, healthy, human infants. If it's all about the money, maybe Angelina could auction off some of their dirty diapers on eBay, and pick up a few extra dollars that way, too. Perhaps the parents chose to have the babies born in France so the kids could be French citizens - which is much classier than being Americans ... at least in the eyes of the liberal left. Hollywood is entertaining, but most of the people who are in the industry seem to confuse the Hollywood culture/ethics/elitism with the real world. That's like comparing Disney's Magical Kingdom to Fidel Castro's Cuba!

Are our lives as working-class Americans so boring that we feel a need to deify celebrities? Keep in mind that these are people who don't even know YOU exist!