This one time... on a Reality set...

I was reminiscent of my time in reality television the other night and was remembering some not so fun times I had on set. This post is going to be my "so this one time at band camp" type entry. So this one time... on a reality set I was on a restaurant make over show and got the task of being apart of the night crew and having to actually do a lot of the manual labor needed for the makeover. I remember it being 3am and upholstering restaurant chairs and hanging up light fixtures. The worst part of that job was when we were moving out the old stoves and other kitchen appliances (which were heavy as all hell btw) and low and behold a family of dead, pancaked, half burnt and decomposed rats! As disgusting as it was I am happy to say (sarcastically) I drew the lucky straw of the bunch and had to actually physically take them out one by one. Yeah I had gloves on but it was not a fun experience.

Id have to say that was one of the worst jobs I had to do on set... the second would be having to clean the bathroom on a set of 40 people after 3 weeks of use. That was not any fun either, did i mention it overflowe and there was about a foot depth of water everywhere... and oh yeah theres that other thing, IM NOT A PLUMBER! So needless to say I had no idea wtf i was doing. 3 long hours later lets just says I smelt... FRESH!

Thirdly I'd have to say taking my producers dog for a walk and having to pick up poop for a week wasn't any better. It was defiantly a gut check I must say, but hey, you do what you gotta do to make it right? I forgot to mention I also had to pick up their dry cleaning, grab them coffee, buy them M&M's and remove all the red one (he was allergic to the dye) and find him organic fresh squeezed cranberry juice... If you don't know that's almost impossible to find in New York City! At the end of my stint working for him on that show lets just say he was my least favorite Executive Producer... He was a royal dick!

I had the not so pleasurable opportunity to work with some celebrities as well. I say not so pleasant because at least for the most part, all the celebs I worked with or for were douche-bags! Weird, entitled, conceded and just flat out ignorant. I wont mention names for obvious reason but 2 names i will mention on the opposite end of the spectrum are Ozzie and Sharon Osbourne. I had the pleasure of working with them on a Green Screen shoot at Sony Studios in Manhattan and you could not meet any 2 nicer people. They were very kind and friendly, spoke to everyone no matter what title or age they were and if you didn't know any better they fit right in and you'd think they were just normal everyday average people like me or you. Ozzie even got me a drink...! And let me tell you something that man still has quite a voice... no post editing in his albums that's all Ozzie baby.

I guess the point of this entry was to share a few different first hand stories I had on set of Reality TV... its not all Hollywood I can tell you than much...

TMZ

One blog that I actually follow with some consistency is that of TMZ. Though I don't like them... mainly because they offered me a job and then just as quickly swept the rug out from under me with no warning what so ever... they do a good job of showing you entry after entry just how ridiculous Reality TV and celebrities of all sorts and sizes are. I mean just read some of their blog entries and tell me you aren't left shaking your head as to why some of these people are even famous to begin with. They really are mostly all just weird individuals who if not for being famous would probably be committed, or have social workers following them around trying to administer medication, (thought my suspicions are some of them probably have this happen already). I know TMZ is not the NY Times or a credited news source at all for that matter but it is entertaining and seeing how dumb some of these celebs are and their antics is just silly. I remember working for a major television network during the hole Mel Gibson Anti Semitic fiasco and just how often it led all the headlines, and I worked for a mainly politically based network. All in all if you are looking for a good laugh TMZ is the site for you, and if you are like me, one who doesn't understand the current requirements for fame... prepare to have you mind blundered even more.

Fear Factor is back...

Welp after a brief hiatus from the airwaves, one of the original most popular Reality TV shows is back on NBC, Fear Factor is now making a return to TV. So many have missed the show where contestants were forced to hang from moving helicopters and leap thru rings of fire. Most notable though is Fear Factors legendary challenge where it would make its contestants eat something vile, like bull testicle or alligator penis, just to name a few. They also had many challenges where they would have the most squeamish of contestants have to lay in a tub filled with insects or other disgusting creatures. I just think this show is funny because it shows just how stupid some people are and even more so how far some will go for the right price. Again the world revolves around money and no show can bring that to the forefront than Fear Factor, its not about the competition. Its not about conquering ones fear, of lets say heights, no its all about the green backs and what and how far you are willing to go to get them. If you care to watch that stuff Fear Factor will be on NBC Dec 12th at 8pm...

A REAL rant...

What ever happened to good ole fashion TV? I miss the days where we had shows with real characters and real story lines.  Now we just have "Real housewives" a show that follows rich woman, half of them not even traditional housewives in the sense or even married, running around spending money and fighting with each other. We have "Millionaire match maker" where men or woman with money are set up with men and woman who don't have any... yea that's a real match made in heaven. Don't even get me started on Jersey Shore or Real World... They even have 20 different talent shows like American Idol, X Factor, Americas got talent... yet none of them have any, talent that is... so what next?

My question is why do people keep watching this stuff? Granted I'm a bit jaded because Ive worked in the industry but at the same time I have literally tried time and time again to watch this crap and just cant get into it. What do people see in this stuff? Celebrity Rehab is a perfect example... to me that show is a joke, following around former celebs who have addiction issues exploiting them to the masses. They try and make the show look like its a positive effort to help its "patients" but you cant pull the wool over my eyes. I know its just for ratings and exploitative. Half the people on the show end up relapsing and coming on for another season, yea real helpful.

I just don't understand why we as a society need this stuff on the tube. I don't understand why we have to feed into it and make these people "Reality TV stars". Especially in this economy where there are so many talented people who are jobless and broke it makes my blood boil knowing people like "The Situation" and "Snooki" are raking in millions of dollars... and for what? Because ones a drunken fool and the others a dumb whore? If that's the case sign me up, if that was the new barometer for success I'd get rid of my degree, and boat loads of debt, trade in years of work experience for a shot glass and a fourty ounce and collect my checks.

One Reality "star" I worked with and actually befriended told me how he had never held a real job in his life. He lucked out by booking a casting for a show and now makes over 100 grand a year, and that's when hes not even on a show taping and just making bar and club appearances. He shows up to a place for an hour, signs some autographs, takes a few pictures, gets tons of free food and booze and leaves to another place to do the same, he'll do that 2 or 3 times a night and get paid $3-5 grand each visit. He'll make more in one night than some make in almost half a year. Tell me there isn't something wrong with that picture. Yet I have a degree and this guy barley graduated high school. 

I don't think realty TV stars should be paid as much or even more so than Doctors, that's the point I'm trying to make. You can make the same argument about athletes and how ridiculously overpaid they are but at least in their case I can say they have a real world class talent. I just ponder when we will wake up and realize what crap we have been force fed to watch and end this proverbial Reality TV psychosis we are in. I cant picture a world 5 to 10 years down the road where Toddlers and Tiaras is still on the air. As I said in previous posts I am hoping that eventually there will be this Renaissance of sitcoms and scripted shows and the Reality TV genre will decrease. I supposed for the moment we have to deal with this infection that is Reality TV and hope its not a virus that keeps on spreading with more and more of it coming on the tubes everyday as it is now, and has been for quite some time.

Come to think of it, I don't think I have actually enjoyed or found a Reality show that I enjoyed watching for its content value at all. Except for ones that might of had a hott chick I was attracted to on them. Even all of the shows Ive worked on I have never watched, well other than the credits just to see my name scroll by. Other than sports I really don't watch TV at all and Reality is the main reason why. In doing this blog I have come to realize that though my opinions are strong I may be in the minority for my hatred of Reality TV . In doing research there are more positively charged Reality TV blogs and articles than bad ones, More shows pop up  weekly, and more Reality stars are gaining celebrity recognition by the day.

Even over in Europe, Reality TV is just as popular as it is here, maybe even more. I actually found a British Reality TV blog with the same name as my own and all it does is talk about British reality TV. No real opinions or insider information like I offer, but more so recaps of the different shows and happenings of its stars. What I have realized is as jaded as I am about my opinions of Reality TV it is definitely not going anywhere for a while, and I must live with that fact. The good thing is I have an outlet where I can vent my Television frustrations in hopes that one day Reality TV will be nothing but a stage our society has gone through and my blog will have to be no more. Until then I will continue to scrutinize, look back, hate, bitch and moan about Reality TV and all its stars that come with it.

A REALity Story...

I want to serenade you all with a bed time story. This story is about a young ambitious little boy who at 12 steps on the stage of his fist TV set. He got the lucky opportunity to star in a few episodes of an after school special where he felt like a famous movie star and becomes star struck by the lights and cameras. He thinks to himself "people do this as a job?" and immediately sets his young mind on a career in TV. This young boy soon becomes a High School teen and seems destined for stardom, he is the lead news anchor on his High School Morning show and becomes a mini celebrity in his own right. From teachers to students alike, even people in the neighborhood recognize his face.

After graduation, he then moves on to college where in his sophomore year he becomes Vice President of his University Campus television station, the youngest in school history. Next he changes the entire programing format and shatters the old standing philanthropy record when the stations Telethon raises over $2000 for a non for profit organization. Life is good, things are good, it seems as if he is well on his way, and working hard to hone his skills and perfect his craft. While others are out partying like most college kids do, he is in the studio, and the library, un phased by the crazy parties he may be missing out on.

Junior year brings the most to be put on this young mans plate, he is now running the network and all its shows, interning at a major network television station and working part time at a small local station as a camera man covering High School sports. The dream is in full swing... Once senior year approaches he has finally made it, at 20 he is no longer just an intern but a crew member at that major television station, no longer a camera man but now a full time Reporter at the other, all before he has even graduated. He is determined as ever to continue to see that his stock rises. He now has even taken on a yet another job, modeling. His picture is on countless magazines and billboards, hes been in a couple commercials and even strutted down the cat walk in fashion shows. "Is this real?" he asks, pinching  himself every time he steps foot onto set or in the studio...the dream of a small town 12 year old boy who was always considered shy  is now living all that he had ever wished.

Though these successes seem all  like a dream, just like a dream they can come and go in the blink of an eye. The rescession hits and his crew position vanishes, turned into an unpaid internship, the reporter job gone, all after a hostile station takeover,  the glamorous photo shoots and catwalks disappear... An "almost was, but never has, been" This is how this young boy now young man feels. Broke, distraught, confused and down, this young man becomes depressed, the life he strives for and career he worked so hard for now squandered before he could even fully enjoy it. Was it his fault? what did he do wrong he wonders... all these questions with no answers. What should he do???

Then one day vicariously searching through job postings on the internet he comes across an opening... "Reality TV crew needed" is the title. He wonders, "reality" could this be the re start he'd been looking for? Before another moments thought he emails his resume and by that afternoon gets a call for an interview. Needless to say he gets the job and is back on track... or so he thinks...

The next 3 years he spends working on numerous reality show sets, some good, some bad, and some just god awful. 12 hour days, low pay, zero respect are now the norm for someone who had such promise and belief he could make it. But he keeps fighting, he keeps the fire inside him burning, hoping for his next shot and the beginning of the next chapter in his life. At 25 he decides to give school another shot and peruses his Masters Degree and gives reality a break. Invigorated by his studies he feels that the future is once again bright and better things are on the horizon.

Poised by his experiences both good and bad, he continues on his struggle and battle to make it where he once was headed. Even though he has his doubters, and has even doubted himself at times, he knows that no matter what, he can achieve great things if he strives for them and believes in himself. An unfinished story... an unfinished journey...  an excited young man with an exciting young future... to be continued.

After giving it some thought...

In my previous post I was able to sit down and speak with Brandon Williams, an Associate Producer over at VH1. Brandon and I both broke into the Reality TV scene together a few years ago, and where I have taken a different path, Brandon still works in Reality, so I thought his keen perspective on the matter would bring some insight to my blog. Brandon had a lot of interesting things to say pertaining to Reality TV, but I wanted to focus on what he said about moving forward and the future of Reality TV. I asked Brandon where he thought Reality TV would be down the road... I for one think and am hoping that the Reality TV bug will have died down a bit, but Brandon offered a different perspective. He said "Reality will have a place on TV for a long time due to several reasons, People like to imagine themselves in situations and reality TV offers that. The poker boom (I classify it as sports and reality TV) of the early 2000s is an example of that. poker can be played by anyone. People can imagine themselves winning all that money, how they were play a hand, how they would react."

I would have to disagree with that... respectfully of course, I feel that Reality TV is just a fad, and like all fads Reality TV will disappear into the fog. For one, Reality really picked up steam during the writers strike a few years back, I think that with more and more up and coming writers looking for work we may end up turning back toward the sitcom as our major form of television entertainment, just as we did in the early 90s with such successes as Seinfeild and Friends. The problem with reality TV is that I don't think it can sustain longevity because a lot of it has the same premise, it cannot continue to re invent itself. Even now I see a lot of redundancy withing the Reality TV realm, there's 20 different real housewives shows, tons of competition shows whether it be cooking ones like Chopped or Top Cher, or designer ones like Project Runway, Mad Fashion etc... At some point viewers will say enough is enough and want a change.

Brandon did bring up a good point when he said  " I think society has a major impact on TV." But that impact will eventually do away with Reality...maybe not entirely but I think there will be a significant decrease in the amount of reality shows that are put out there. Reality TV will always be around in some way shape or form, shows like Cops or even Game shows are a type of Reality Television that will last, but all of these others will eventually meet their demise, at some point, the question is when?

All in all for the time being we will have to put up with the "Jersey Shores" of the world and hope that a sort of Renaissance happens where the glory days of television like 90210, Melrose Place, Saved by the Bell, Fresh Prince of Bell Air, Friends and Seinfeld come back to us.

A different perspective...

As you already know, I have worked in Reality TV for a few years and my experiences are a big reason why I began to write this blog.  I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with a previous colleague of mine who still works in Reality TV as an Associate producer for VH1. I thought by bringing in a different point of view from someone who still works in the genre on a daily basis would be interesting. I was able to ask him a few questions and get his perspective on Reality TV...

Me: for my readers, can you introduce yourself and tell us your name and official title at VH1?

Brandon:  My name is Brandon Williams and I started out as a Production Assistant and for the past 2 years I have been an Associate 
Producer on various shows and projects at VH1.

Me: Whats are some shows that you have worked on? 


Brandon: I have worked on Chopped, Project Runway, Kim and Kourtney take New York, The Entertainer in a basement affair, just to name a few and most recently 40 Champions of Cute and 40 Fails part 2

Me: So how did you get your start in Television production?... 

Brandon: I moved to NYC from outside Boston because I had a connection in reality TV. I'd been trying to break into TV or Film and took the first opportunity I could. This was about July 2009.

Me: Having worked in Reality TV... how do you feel about it?...

Brandon: Reality TV has a place in our culture. Since its inception about 10-15 yeas ago, people have been waiting for it to disappear. I don't think it will at this point but it will shift with our culture. 

Me: That's and interesting perspective, which do you prefer... reality or another genre altogether?

Brandon: I like both sides of TV that I have worked in. I've worked reality and like working it for personal reasons. Usually a bigger crew and the comradery is much better. I've worked on scripted clip shows for VH1 and like that side because I get to be creative and have major input into the show. 

Me: In your opinion, what is Reality TV's effect on society?...

Brandon:  I don't think reality has a major effect on society. I think society has a major impact on TV. (look up OJ Simpson bronco chase). This was the start of a major shift in the way the US wanted to watch TV.

Me: What do you think the future has in store for Reality TV... will it even be around?..

Brandon: Reality will have a place on TV for a long time due to several reasons. People like to imagine themselves in situations and reality TV offers that. The poker boom (I classify it as sports and reality TV) of the early 2000s is an example of that. Poker can be played by anyone. People can imagine themselves winning all that money, how they would  play a hand, how they would react. Reality is very cheap to produce versus scripted TV so the networks and channels would prefer it over any other show, besides Jersey Shore reruns.

I have to send a special thanks to Brandon Williams for giving me some time out of his busy schedule making TV to sit down and talk to me for my blog. I'll let this marinate for a while and on my next blog entry I will post my response to what Brandon said in the interview.

Kardashian Kover up...

Well the news recently has been inundated with rumors swirling that the entire relationship of Kim K and her recently divorced ex hubby Kris Humpheries was a sham form the beginning. Reports are that she had a interview with Marie Claire Magazine months ago which covered mainly the topic of her divorce... problem is that the interview was conducted months before she was even married??? How could she already know about her impending divorce if she hadn't even gotten hitched yet? Apparently the interview has specific details in it as well that one would only know if the divorce was indeed planned from a previous time.

There are also reports of a number of other NY based athletes coming forth saying that they were approached with a proposition from members of Kim's camp about dating Kim while in NY because she needed a NY athlete as arm candy while shooting her reality show. So your telling me Kim's "people" were pimping her out to NY athletes now... I know I wish I had gotten that call... even if just for 72 days. One of  the NY athletes to come out was former NY Knicks basketball player Danilo Gallinari who turned down Kim's offer.

I for one am a believer. I almost worked on Kim's show while taping in NY and have a few close friends who did. Those freinds have told me a few things about Kim that leads me to believe that all this deception is right up her ally, and those who represent her. They've told me how they would literally pay extras to be on standby to pose as fans to show up to events and appearances that Kim was attending. They even paid a little girl to pretend to cry and say what an inspiration Kim was to her on camera. Kim herself would even tweet locations where they would be shooting to ensure people would show up so she'd seem to be well in demand. One story that stuck with me was when they arrived at a Jamba Juice in midtown and no fans where there waiting, even after all the tweets Kim sent out on purpose, so she refused to get out of the car until the production crew gathered and wrangled strangers from the street to surround her vehicle so it looked as if she was arriving to a massive crowd. Talk about an egomaniac or dare I say "attention whore"?

As for relationships, I heard that when she was dating Dallas Cowboy and New Jersey native Miles Austin, a key reason why they broke up was because of her affinity for attention via press. One time Kim promised Miles that they would have a quiet romantic dinner for 2, no cameras, no press, no paparazzi. No sooner did she make that promise, she tweeted the exact time and location of the restaurant without Miles knowing. When they arrived, bombarded with press, a sad and disappointed Miles wondered how the press knew where they would be, Kim lied to his face and said that she had no idea. Sad part is from what I hear Miles actually liked Kim.

This is yet another classic example of how what you see is not always how it actually went down... especially in the realm of Reality TV. For all intensive purposes Kim K has faked a multi-million dollar wedding, lied about an entire relationship, sabotaged another, lied to us all on TV and who knows what else has been kept under the rug. CLASSIC!

How to... create crap

How to create your own Reality TV show...I think to a certain degree we all feel as if we could star in our own Reality TV show. We all think we are entertaining in some way and have moments that are "made for TV".  In my opinion there are a few key ingredients needed to have a successful Reality TV show that people would want to watch. Id say first and foremost you need to follow the format of sex... sex sells, and the more you have of it the better your show will be. You need a hott guy or a hott girl (or both) to prance around provocatively to catch the viewers attention. Next you will need drama, tons of drama. You need to have fights, disagreements, tons of miscommunications and trash talking. Add a dose of betrayal and you will get the fiery scandal you are looking for. You also need cloudy moral judgment, it tends to help if one of the characters in your show is arrested or does drugs. After that you need a match to ignite it all, and that match is alcohol. Alcohol is the fuel that starts and sustains the inferno that is Reality TV shows. You have to make sure all of the characters on your show are wasted... most, if not all of the time.  If you follow these simple steps even you can be a Reality TV connoisseur.

My dear Snooki

So I found a blog that for the purposes of my own I am going to start paying more attention to. It is called the 
MTV Remote Control Blog and follows all of MTV's reality shows and its band of characters. One post I just have to comment on is one about my dearest old friend Snooki. In the post she goes on to tell a story about when she was interviewed by GQ Magazine and was forced to "think" during questioning because rather then ask her about partying and the Jersey Shore house they actually asked her about politics and life after reality television. She said "I've never really had to think in an interview...This is the first real interview that I ever did in my life!" I never knew thinking about your future and political affiliation was such a process that it throws you for a loop when asked. I guess thats why Snooki isn't exactly known for her "brains".

What really threw me for a chuckle was when Snooki said she was upset with how she and her fellow cast members are perceived by the public. She says...
 
"people just think that we're stupid, that we have no education, and all we do is drink, have sex...I would love to [change that]. I have an education. I went to college, you know?" 

Well Snooki NO I DON'T KNOW!... Even when you're not in the cast house and out in public or making appearances you are constantly acting like a drunken fool, in fact all of the Jersey Shore cast members are. You make party appearances at night clubs, its not exactly as if you are showing up to a fund raiser for the March of Dimes. You yourself are the one who acts in the very way we perceive you. I mean in a previous blog entry from the same site you are staining a wall with the immense amount of makeup you wear??? And I'm supposed to look at you differently and not like the idiot to which most of the world thinks you are? Cmon Man!

If you want us the think differently of you its simple...act differently. I personally don't think you can, and you just want some remorse for some of the harsh things people in the media say about you. Its OK if you are exactly what we think you are, no need to put up a fake front to change our opinions, we just wont like you. I know I don't... and that's that. SO keep "GTLin", keep staining walls with your face, and keep getting drunken misconducts and arrested by the police... Its who you really are... and any future questions about politics will cease in further interviews because lets face it... no one really cares.

If you want to see the post I am commenting on or to read more about my girl Snooki or other MTV reality shows read... http://remotecontrol.mtv.com/  

For the entire official GQ interview with Snook read... http://www.gq.com/entertainment/celebrities/201111/snooki-gq-interview-college-politics-election-jersey-shore

Real Reality...

While working in reality TV I always had my own idea of a reality show. My thoughts for a reality TV show would be more of an expose than a dramatic scandalous reality TV program. Having seen all that goes on behind the scenes first hand I always thought it be cool and revealing to have a show that focuses on the show within the show. I would focus the show on probably the most underrated and definitely most underpaid members of Television production in every aspect... the Production Assistant.  Having been a Production Assistant early in my career I know the perils that you can face, often times asked to do the impossible in the most improbable of situations. Many of my experiences as a "PA" sucked, and I think capturing some of those experiences would make for great TV. I know the show would never take flight because it would expose many of the people who think they are the masterminds behind a production as frauds, and also uncover the many un-truths within reality TV.

If I wasn't bound by confidentiality agreements I would be able to go in further detail and really "let the cat out of the bag" but unfortunately I cannot. But having been there trust me when I say that what you see on the screen is NEVER what actually happened. My show would follow PA's during there typical 14 hour day of work on set, and at some point the REALITY of it all will draw the audience in. My peers and I often fantasized of sneaking in a camera to work so people could see what really goes on and how ridiculous it can be, my show would be just like this, except legal... lol

In my opinion a realty show on the behind the scenes happenings of a reality production would make for great TV. Maybe then the raw uncut truth of what really happens would open viewers eyes so they could finally see the crap they watch on TV for what it really is.

Reality Scandals...

Reality TV is no stranger to its stars being involved in juicy scandals. With the majority of reality TV stars being some of the most morally compromised people on the planet, scandals are always on the horizon. From sex tapes to annulled marriages these scandals sometimes can be more entertaining than the reality program this pseudo star comes from  itself. A few sandals in the news right now that have peeked my interest are the recent Project Runway Season 9 winner Anya Ayoung Chee sex tape, as well as the elephant in the room that was the Kim Kardashian wedding.

Anya Ayoung Chee was the eventual winner of Project Runway but during the season there was a leaked sex tape of the designer back from 2008 when she was actually Miss Trinidad and Tobago competing in the Miss Universe Pageant.  Now these pageants are no strangers to scandals themselves but this one crossed into one of the most popular Reality TV programs out.  The tape shows Anya with another girlfriend and a man having sex in a threesome. As always when asked about it Anya said the tape was somehow "stolen" from her computer and she apologized to her fans. Obviously it didn't hurt her in the running for the champ of Project Runway because she ended up winning anyway... hmmm, could it be she won because she was now in the public spotlight and helped shine that light on the show?... food for thought. They always say all press is good press right?

As for Kim Kardashian and what was coined the "American version of the Royal Wedding", Kim and New Jersey Net forward Kris Humpheries were wed just a whopping 73 days ago and on Halloween (insert irony here) Kim filed for divorce, ending her marriage to the currently locked out NBA player. Many of us saw this coming seeing that the relationship was turbulent at best from the beginning. Anyone who watched the E! show Keeping up with the Kardashians could see that this marriage was destined for divorce from day one and yesterday that is exactly what happened. What amazes me is what Kim actually made from the wedding... $17 million dollars!!! Id marry just about anyone for $17 million... especially if I could divorce them 73 days later. Alas the Kardashians again show us how you very well can become rich and famous for having absolutely ZERO talent what so ever...

Reality TV or Surveillance?

I worked on a shoot for Microsoft where one of the gentleman we interviewed had a unique opinion about Reality TV. His outlook was different than anything I have ever really heard before. He believed that the future of reality television was closely related to that of surveillance. He described a world  where every individual was the star of their own reality television program in a sense. He used blogging as sort of the stepping stone to his theory and I found this correlation very interesting, especially now that I myself am blogging. He said the very way many of us like to blog about opinions or update our statuses with what we are doing we will do in a very different way in the near future.



Will we be watching ourselves one day?



He stated that we will begin to voice ourselves through private personal point of view videos. I found this interesting because I know Vloging or video blogs are picking up steam but I never really thought of them as a sort of "Reality TV". He said the very way blogs and personal status updates are super popular, adding videos to that mix is only going to happen by the natural progression of things. It makes a lot of sense, I could see people becoming very free in giving video updates on their twitter or Facebook just to see themselves doing something, or record web cam convo's with more frequency. I mean you can already upload videos on Facebook so whats to stop us from adding more, more frequently, inevitably becoming a video log of our daily lives as we live them. I think calling it surveillance is a bit of a stretch but who knows, some people love to see themselves on the "big screen", and with cell phones having video capability and video cameras themselves being so small I think we have already begun to enter that era. Especially with YouTube it gives us a forum to create our own brand of stardom. These videos kind of say "hey look at me" and if enough people do "look at you" who's to say where that can lead you.

To a degree I can see why he compares it to surveillance, but this is surveillance that we are doing on our own accord, recording our every move. I think that is the cool thing about social media and reality TV in general; that they will continue to combine in ways we could have never imagined, and possibly develop into something we never saw coming.





The punch heard round the world...

The Jersey Shore is probably one of the the most if not the most infamous Reality TV programs on air right now. With its equal part haters and supporters it has put MTV on the top of the map of Reality TV show makers. What initiated the shows popularity during its inaugural season was what I like to call "the punch heard round the world". Snookie, one of the shows main characters, was inebriated at a bar, as she often is, and began to curse and throw something at another patron across from her. The patron, who was later to be revealed as a school teacher, took action to Snookies drunken shots with a shot of his own, and preceded to punch her in the face. When looking at the video this whole thing is shocking, disgusting and just flat out wrong, but this is what MTV is looking for.

MTV, and other Reality TV show creators want this, they want to capture the borderline crazy and very much of the time illegal to happen. It makes for good ratings because viewers want to see the risque shocking and appalling to happen. But where do we draw the line? As much as I have expressed my disdain for Snookie even she doesn't deserve to get hit like that. I mean in my opinion MTV all but sets this up to happen, they constantly send these now very public and very publicly hated figures out into the most volatile of situations. It's easy enough for a normal person like you or me to go out to a club and get into a fight, now imagine going out with a crew of cameras and a group of people with a negative reputation in a place that feels the very show being filmed paints it under a negative light.  You are just asking for things like this to happen and continue to happen.

My point is that today its an always drunk Snookie getting punched in the face for her antics, but tomorrow who knows? When is this going to stop? Will we have to wait until someone gets really hurt or maybe even killed before we stop following around cocky drunken characters into the night? The same way Snookie was punched in the bar that night  future violence can escalate, someone could end up getting shot or stabbed the next time they are in  one of these heated altercations, which happen on almost every episode. Or is this what MTV and Reality TV creators want to happen next...to capture the first live Reality TV show stabbings, or shootings or worse on their prime time television show?

A pictures worth a thousand words...

While doing some further research on topics for my blog I came across a picture that grabbed my attention. Its more of a graph than a photo but nonetheless I wanted to discuss it. The graph shows statistics based on a study from a UK Publication on the ages of viewers who watch Reality television in the US. Now clearly Reality television has been proven to be a hot commodity and is extremely successful in attracting viewership around the world. The graph pretty much solidified my assumptions that the majority of viewership is between the age range of 18-25, both for male and females alike. However what the study left out and I wish it haddent was the percentage of viewers in the teenage bracket lets say from ages 13-17. In my opinion if the study had accounted for those ages the outcome would have been very different and the leading age ranges would have shifted. Clearly the older age groups don't have nearly as large an affinity for Reality TV as the younger generations, it could be because most of the Reality TV genre is aimed at the younger target audience with all the sex and drama.

That is exactly what my issue is with reality TV, that it emphasizes a bit too much on the sex and drama, and with the viewership being as young as I suspect it to be its not sending the proper message to its younger viewers. Its one thing for a movie or sitcom to be based around sex or drama because its fiction, its a story, its suggested and a certain line can be drawn from it. Reality TV however is proposed as "real" or factual not fiction and that message can be manipulated by a younger viewer. Take in point the second image in my blog to the left. It shows the comparison of teen pregnancies in this country related to others. We are second only to Bulgaria and my belief is that a main cog is that our teens are bombarded with sex in every facet of television with Reality TV in the forefront. Teen Mom is the perfect example, with the glorification of teen pregnancy and motherhood's. To me there has to be a direct coloration to the numbers of teen pregnancies to what is being showed on TV. Lets face it, Televisions is a mass media engine, couple that with the internet and the on demand readiness to which a teen can be exposed to these shows and there's no stopping the impact it can have on a ripe mind.

My sentiments exactly...

I have been doing some web surfing on other Reality TV blogs and such and I recently came across an article that caught my eye. I have to completely agree with a lot of what the author talks about. The author dives into how most of these newly crowned "reality TV" stars claw at the opportunity to try and extend their "15 minutes of fame" when most of them if not all, don't even have a viable talent to warrant the added acclaim. Like for example theses semi famous female reality stars, just because you're semi attractive and have the moral compass which allows you to pose half naked (if not fully nude)  in front of the camera doesn't mean you should be famous... it just means your more of an exhibitionist than a celebrity. Or take some of these people who have won on a show like Fear Factor for eating bull testicle... if eating bull testicles was the standard for fame all of Spain would be famous seeing as bull testicle is a national delicacy. Fame should be for those who deserve it, artists, musicians, novelists, people with real talents. I'm a firm believer that if your so called talent just takes you on a search for the limelight then you don't deserve it to begin with.

“in the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”~ Andy Warhol

Read more: http://technorati.com/entertainment/tv/article/reality-tv-meltdown/#ixzz1aUd6163h

Rules are made to be broken...

Is Reality TV real or just scripted non sense?

Hello all... I have another back stage story for you. This one has to do with the ever so popular competition reality show. You know like Top Chef or Americas Next Top Model... two shows I haven't worked on. I did work on this one design show where on one episode the designers were given an allotted amount of time to construct and design a bedroom from scratch. They were given a strict budget and the use of only specific tools and were only allowed to go to certain show approved stores (stores that where sponsors of the show). These were all the "rules" or "guidelines" of the challenge, whats a challenge if its not monitored in some way right? Well in reality, rules are made to be broken. All the challengers had to do was put up a little bit of a fight before they started getting their way. They got a significant amount added to what was supposed to be a minimal stringent  budget, they actually only went shopping at one of the approved stores and did a large amount of their shopping at non approved ones instead... in essence making my life harder because no one was pre image released. They also bought tools and materials from these non sanctioned stores that they originally were not supposed to use. What really shocked me was that after time was up, and the challenge was supposed to be over, no one had finished, and the producers ended up giving them all more time. The main point of the challenge was that it was time/deadline oriented and to just give the contestants more time is inconceivable to me. It also sucked because a normal 12 hour day became a 16 hour one.

The really funny part was that later on once the season aired I watched the episode on TV and saw that the editor skillfully snuck in a few B-roll shots of the exteriors of some of the stores that they were supposed to go to but didn't in that particular episode, to make it seem as if they did. They also completely edited out anything that was shot during the initial deadline and only kept in that of which made the story line seem as if they all finished on time, which being there I know they did not. My question is if your going to be a show based on challenges, why make it easier for all the contestants to succeed in the challenge if your just going to allow them to break the rules? Doesn't that cancel out the idea that the winner is  winning the challenge fair and square? This is another example of how Reality TV pulls the wool over our eyes and what we see is not always what actually happened.

The REALity...

So I was thinking every week I would try and include a post on something I witnessed from behind the scenes of a reality set that I have worked on... Obviously I wont be able to disclose what particular show or mention names but none the less it should be rather entertaining or at the very least eye opening.

On this one dating show I worked on I remember sitting in on a production meeting before an elimination. Little ol me thought we were going to discuss camera angles and lighting but to my surprise when I walked in they had the blown up pictures of the cast members up for elimination on a board. Under each picture there were notes. My second surprise was sitting in along with the producers was the star of the show... I use the word "star" loosely... They were telling him who he should eliminate and why and giving him incentives on why he should eliminate one girl over another. Hold the phone... wasn't this a reality dating show and the eliminations were supposed to be made based on lack of a connection or common interest and or bad dates... Silly me for thinking such, this was not how it was done at all... the producers essentially sat there and told him who was more photogenic, who would generate better ratings, who he looked better paired up with and who the audience would prefer him to be with, not once did he divulge who he actually liked or who he would like to pursue dating. It was never about love or trying to find this guy someone he actually enjoyed spending time with... it was all about ratings. I distinctly remember them keeping this one girl on because she didn't get along with the other girls in the house and the producers were trying to instigate a fight with her and the other girls for a future episode and story line even though he had no interest in her what so ever. When he said he liked this girl or wanted to get to know this other girls he was flat out told "NO" by the producers, and to pick someone else from the "approved" list.

This is just another example of how "reality TV" is nothing more then a scripted show with lesser talented actors with an air of realness about it that is intended to do nothing more than fool the viewers.

Top Ten

Hello all... on today's post I am going to unveil my top ten worst reality shows. They are all terrible in my eyes but these really take the crown.  So here they are....

10. Flavor of Love : One of the original stinkers this show was full of shit... literally, one of the contestants pooped on a staircase during a taping of an episode. Mix in a bunch of class less, fame hungry hoe bags and you got yourself a show with some of the most unfortunately unforgettable memories in reality television. 3 seasons spawned a spinoff...equally as terrible called "Strange Love". Note...Flava Flave did not find love and is still currently single... big surprise.

9. I Love New York : One of the worst reality personalities that was given birth to by Flavor of Love was back to back season finalist "New York" aka Tiffany Pollard. She was loud, obnoxious and as ignorant as a human being can be. Mix in a bunch of testosterone hyped steroid pumping meat heads who were equally as ignorant as contestants and your have #9 on my list. This show survived for 2 seasons and even worse than New York was that the show included New York's mother "Sister Paterson" and if you saw the show you'd see exactly where New York got her personality from. Like mother like daughter... unfortunately for viewers you had to deal with both in one show. Spinoffs were "New York goes to Hollywood" and "New York goes to Work". Thankfully shes no longer "working" starring in terrible Reality TV shows.

8.  The Bad Girls Club: I didn't really see too much of this show but when I did all I ever I saw was naked girls cursing, kicking, screaming and fist fighting. From what I later found out  almost every cast member has been involved in some sort of a sex tape as well... big Surprise! Shows like this give girls a bad name...

7. Real World  : Sad part is I used to like this show. The older seasons were actually pretty good Reality TV dealing with some "real"  hot issues such a Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Homosexuality to name a few but it seems now with Jersey Shore and co. Real World in recent years has felt the pressure to keep afloat and that in my eyes has allowed it to take a back seat and suffer. I have to give credit where credits due though, Real World was one of the "Originals" and is in its 26th season. It doesn't look like its going anywhere anytime soon either... Spinoffs include Road Rules, Real World vs Road Rules Challenge

6. Basketball Wives : This show is just ridiculous....A bunch of grown ass women acting like clicky high school teens. Oh and they aren't even married to their aforementioned professional basketball player husbands anymore! So how the hell are they still called "Basketball Wives" ??? They are a bunch of middle aged Mothers running around the country bad mouthing their ex's and each other... Terrible

5. The Hills/ Laguna Beach : These shows really fire me up. They are both about a bunch of snotty rich kids from Cali who don't even do anything with their lives except spend their trust funds and date each others boyfriends. Oh and they also travel and get invited to red carpet events and receive loads of plastic surgery. I just scratch my head.

4.My Super Sweet 16 : Speaking of spoiled brats, this show highlighted them and put them on their own stage for all to see. I mean this show literally featured 16 year old's crying because they got a Mercedes Benz in the wrong color for a birthday gift. REALLLYYY????

3. Toddlers and Tiaras : This show just saddens me and shows a terrible dark side to parenting. Some of what these parents do to their own children should be labeled as abuse. These kids are 3 or 4 years old and are taken on tour and dressed up as if they were 23 or 24 year old hookers all to win a trophy in a beauty padget for kids. One of the most frightening shows on television.

2. Jersey Shore : Shocking that this wasn't my number one with my previous post reaming into it but there is worse TV out there than these Guidos. If you read my previous post you know exactly why this is # 2 on my list.

1. Teen Moms : I will eventually make a separate blog post about this show but low and behold this is my #1 worst Reality TV show. Glorifying teen pregnancies these teen moms have become reality celebs for all the wrong reasons. This show has wrongfully spawned real life teenagers to make "Pregnancy Pacts" in hopes that if they get pregnant they can get on the show and become "famous". Like raising a teen isn't hard enough for parents as is but now they have to deal with this. Thanks MTV!

Fist Pumpin @ The Jersey Shore

So I must admit that the main reason why I created this blog was not just for my disdain for reality TV as a hole...but for my immense disdain for one particular reality TV program...The Jersey Shore...Now I will also admit that I am a bit jaded with my hatred toward the show because I had an opportunity to work on the show during its inaugural season but turned it down to work on another show that at the time I thought had a better chance of sustaining interest, but flopped, so I guess you can say my hatred is laced with a bit of jealousy. That being said you cannot dispute the popularity of the show and its entertainment factor. I however do not like the show. I don't  approve of what it stands for and the messages it portrays to its younger audiences.

Point in case, my 13 year old cousins idol is the "Situation"...A guy known for his elaborate haircuts, 6 pack abs and knocking himself unconscious by beating his own head against a wall during an argument with other cast members in the house. I find this alarming...when I was 13 my hero's were men of substance...my grandfather, a man who came to this country with $17 to his name and worked his entire life so that now he can have over a million in the bank, or  Micheal Jordan, a man who transcended the NBA and sports in general. Not some drunk fool who "gets with" a lot of woman at clubs...What has the "Situation" ever done to improve society...or even attempt to...Dancing with the stars????

I also think the Jersey Shore promotes unhealthy and violent relationships. The star couple of the show (Ronnie and Sammi) are known for their terrible fights, breakups and make ups. Heaven knows what we are not shown and what the cameras don't  record...This puts the wrong idea of a healthy relationship in the heads of young teens who might just be starting out in the dating word...which is already tough enough without seeing these two every week blow up at each other. It promotes non stop partying and binge drinking...all they do on the show is go out and drink, stay home and drink, go to the beach...already inebriated. I mean "Snookie" (who was arrested for being a publicly drunken fool on the beach) was paid 32 grand by Rutgers University to be the key note speaker at their most recent Graduation. Snookie, a girl who's probably never stepped foot into a college classroom...but I'm sure has stepped stumbling foot into many a frat house or dorm rooms.  And her most memorable quote from her speech? " Study hard, but party harder" Like really? This is just absolutely ridiculous to me. Oh and last years previous graduation key not speaker at Rutgers...Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison...got paid less to speak than she did...That just shows you the true price of an education...and Rutgers priority scale...

The show also glorifies violence...every episode there are fights, and not just arguments but fist fights...The very first time I heard about the shows success was after an infamous fight at a club where one of the female characters got punched straight in the face by one of the male characters....last time I checked that was illegal...but yet after that episode was when the show gained the height of its popularity...Come ON!

Personally I just think the Jersey Shore is an abomination and glorifies people who don't deserve the attention.  Especially with the economy the way it is and unemployment being so high its a shame that these bums are being paid millions of dollars to "GTL" (Gym, Tanning, Laundry). This is exactly whats wrong with our society and our country, its exactly whats wrong with MTV who has now done a complete 180 from Music Television from its conception to Shitty Television such as Jersey Shore and Teen Moms. I guess you can say my review of the Jersey Shore is not a very good one. This show is the exact reason why NJ and Reality TV get a bad wrap...I mean the state of NJ banned the shooting of the show, that's why they had to go abroad over to Italy to shoot the most recent season. They're not wanted in their own country nor the initial state the show was meant to take place in. I get it, viewers want to see sex, hott guys and girls making out and tons of controversy...but to what extent...and at what cost?

H8R...HATER

So it was a typical Wednesday night and after hitting the gym I turn on the tube to see if I can find anything worth watching. As I channel surf through crappy show after crappy show something finally caught my eye...A new reality show. My immediate reaction was "great, another new reality piece of sh*t", then I saw "Snookie" on it and almost threw up!....But for some reason despite, my urge to yack I kept watching, and I am glad I did. The name of the show is "H8R" (pronounced Hater), a new show on the CW. The premise of the show is to match up normal everyday people like you or I, who are strongly opinionated or deemed a so called "hater" and have them confronted with and actually have to spend a day with the reality star or pseudo celebrity they hate most. Now this is Reality TV I can actually get in to. Its not set up by  producers hiding behind the scene who get a cast of characters drunk and wait for the fireworks to explode. Its not some corny dating show where a B list celeb is trying to revive their dead career and is set up with 10 skanks and failed porn stars looking for their own 15 minutes of fame.

To me this was real uninterrupted animosity shown between two human beings.  In my opinion at first glance this is what Reality TV should have been from the beginning, instead of what it has become, just sex and story lines. We are made to believe that what we are watching is Reality but its not...its scripted reality. The absolute beauty of this show was that everyone on it doesn't necessarily come out liking the person. In some cases they hated them more than they did prior to meeting them. I'm sure initially its meant so that the celeb can redeem themselves in the eyes of their "H8R" and show their true colors as opposed to what we see on TV, but that doesn't always happen and this show holds true to that. Sometimes ones opinion cannot be changed, sometimes if a person is a douche on TV they really are a douche and its not just some act. Too often in Hollywood every aspect of life is controlled and that's not what real life is. Sometimes the guy doesn't get the girl, sometimes the parents don't survuve the terrible accident and sometimes, the good guy doesn't always win. In my opinion this is exactly what Reality TV is missing, raw un cut actuality, truth and harsh realism. So my hat goes off to the CW's H8R...at least for one episode...and I look forward to seeing more of what this  "Reality TV" show has to offer.

Here is a youtube preview of H8R if it peeks your interest...

Until next time...

VJS

Intro to Un-Reality TV

I'd like to welcome you all to my very first blog ever. After much thought and consideration I have decided to make a blog on a topic that I have had much exposure to in both my work life as well as my personal life..."Reality TV".  It seems that today's airwaves are bombarded with these reality TV shows, from the infamous Jersey Shore to Toddlers and Tiaras it seems one cannot change the channel without being inundated with such muck. I say such muck because back in 07 when I graduated from college I entered the TV industry hoping to make an impact with my work and be apart of something special, whether it be in TV News or Sports, or shooting Documentaries, I wanted my work to mean something... Naive and new to the business I soon found out just  how competitive and cut throat the industry really was and before I knew it I had found myself crossing the line into the dingy world of Reality TV. Now I cant say exact details of my experiences due to confidentiality agreements but lets just say I was a far cry away from my initial dream...but hey, you got to pay the bills somehow right?...Throughout the course of my blog I will talk about the social ramifications Reality TV has on our society, specifically our youth and also the negative impacts it has demographically just in our state of NJ alone. I hope my readers will find my opinions interesting and I look forward to to sharing my blog with all of you. I now bid you adieu until my next entry....

VJS