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Dear Sarah:
During all of the recent fireworks over Alicia’s Law, we didn’t have a chance to tell you about two great new victories.
Anti-Grooming Law
When we were working with The Oprah Show in 2008, a law enforcement officer brought an outrageous “cartoon” to her studio. Oprah showed it to her horrified audience during a commercial break.
The video was designed by predatory pedophiles for children, to teach them that being abused was normal and good. It’s a despicable and very dangerous thing to do to a kid. Experts call it “grooming” and it’s a common tactic of predators. Oprah could show the video because it wasn’t illegal. It was “just a cartoon.”
Well, we told Virginia lawmakers about the outrage, and they found a legal solution. Showing material like that to a child is now a felony in Virginia, and we plan to make it the law of the land in more states!
Longer Sentences on the Way!
Another new law we’re proud of will be locking up some predators for longer.
Lately, some federal judges have been complaining that penalties for child pornography crimes are too tough. They want you to believe that child pornography is a victimless crime, especially when no money changes hands.
But as we’ve been saying, so-called “simple possessors” constantly fuel demand for new child abuse images. One way they do that is by encouraging others to share new video and photos of their crime scenes.
So our newest law makes it a mandatory prison sentence for encouraging anyone to share child abuse images to gain entry into a group. It’s another hammer for prosecutors to use, whether some judges like it or not!
Thank You Del. Bell, Gilbert and Albo
Three lawmakers deserve special thanks for these two laws: Virginia House Delegates Rob Bell, Todd Gilbert and Dave Albo. They’ve made Virginia safer and given the nation two new model laws.
Bipartisan Progress on Capitol Hill
We’re very happy to report that the Democrats and the Republicans are coming together lately to work with us in Washington. We’re looking at a long spring and summer, with very little work getting done until after the November elections. But we’ve got key leaders in both parties signing on to calls to double funding for law enforcement task forces that combat child exploitation.
Can You Chip in $5?
If you watch television or read the paper, you know politics is awash in millions of dollars in cash. But the bad news is that children are still not a real “special interest” in America. We continue to operate on a shoestring. If you can pitch in just $5, we’ll use it to keep our progress moving! Thanks in advance.
Just wanted to share an email I got from Bravehearts this week.
BRAVEHEARTS have applauded LNP leader Campbell Newman for his new election promises regarding child protection across Queensland.
The new commitments include $4m to trial a Fostering Families program to help at-risk families and children; $2.5 million for child counselling, telephone support and school education about sexual assault and a two-strike policy for people who commit sexual offences against a child.
Bravehearts Founder and Executive Director Hetty Johnston commended LNP leader Campbell Newman for his strong focus on the safety of children throughout Queensland families.
“We have been an advocate for the ‘two strikes and they’re out’ mandatory sentencing policy for repeat child sex offenders for years and commend the LNP for their new election promises,” said Ms Johnston.
“It is our position that child sex offences need to be considered with the upmost gravity. The reality is that child sex offending is a compulsive, addictive behaviour that impacts on victims throughout their lives, sometimes with devastating consequences.
“Bravehearts has advocated for a specific, targeted two strike legislation as a response to habitual and persistent child sex offenders and we applaud the LNP for their focus on this issue and ensuring this is a priority in the top five election policy promises.”
“On their first conviction offenders should receive support and programs aimed at reducing their likelihood of reoffending. However, if they reoffend, we believe there should be a mandatory life sentence for any second contact child sexual offence,” said Ms Johnston.
“Such legislative reform should include consideration of non-contact offences, which can be as harmful and as serious”.
In addition, Bravehearts applauds the LNP’s commitment to increase funding to both counselling services for children and young people and education programs.
“The proposed additional funding to counselling services and school-based prevention programs is welcomed. Services are currently stretched to their limit trying to respond to the need for specialist, therapeutic support for victims. Our waiting list for counselling has been unacceptably high for too long”, Mrs Johnston said.
“The need to support schools in providing effective personal safety education programs is vital in our battle to combat the sexual assault of our children. To have any impact on this crime that effects one in five of our children, we have to get serious about investing in prevention programs.
“We applaud the LNP for moving forward to protect our children to the best of our ability.” Mrs Johnston said.
I’m so excited that Corey Feldman is going to start naming people in his new book. I am a little worried he’s going to suffer some terrible “accident” or overdose right before its release. Hollywood doesn’t like those that start talking about what goes on behind the scenes.
In true creepy Hollywood style, this guy gives a big smile for his mugshot...
It seems that people are no longer OK with the notion of “it’s just a part of the industry, and you have to accept it if you want to be a part of it”. That’s bullshit. Child Molestation should never be a part of the industry, and no one should ever have to tolerate it.
It’s never OK to touch a child. It’s never OK to use your position in the industry to satisfy your sick needs. Child actors are not toys, they’re not little adults. Yes, some kids have dreams of being actors, but they should never have to sell themselves sexually to get where they want. Their parents should never think it’s OK for them to do it. New stage parents should never believe anyone who tells them to just accept it as a fact of life. Take your kid and run if anyone ever tells that to you.
I hope this trend of outing people in the industry continues. If we all stand up and say no, they can’t kill us all. They can’t blacklist us all. They can’t tell all of us we’ll never work again if we speak up. The industry needs kids. If we all refuse to accept the pedophilia aspect of it, it will have to end.
If you’ve ever had someone do something inappropriate to you, speak up. You don’t have to go as public as I did, but tell someone. Tell everyone. Make sure people know. The only way to stop these people is if other people also know.
I’m reposting the email I got from PROTECT today. You can go to their website and sign up to get their email directly.
Looking the Other Way
Americans are outraged that Penn State officials failed to report a suspected child predator. But what about public officials who know about child predators and look the other way?
PROTECT in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Rep. Dan Deasy announces the “Attorney General Mandated Reporter Law,” which will be part of Alicia’s Law in 2012. Behind him, L to R: Rep. Dan Frankel, Alicia Kozakiewicz, Former Congressman Patrick Murphy and Camille Cooper of PROTECT.
Today, PROTECT took our Child Rescue Emergency Campaign and our fight for sunlight and accountability to Pennsylvania.Our newest legislation, sponsored by Representatives Dan Deasy, Mike Sturla and Dan Frankel, and championed by former Congressman Patrick Murphy, will make the Attorney General of Pennsylvania a mandated reporter of child abuse and exploitation.
“Penn State covered up one alleged child predator,” says PROTECT’s Grier Weeks. “The State of Pennsylvania is covering up thousands. This law will force them to admit it and mandate that the Attorney General report the crimes to local law enforcement.”
No More Coverups
Law enforcement map showing traffickers of child rape videos and crime scene photos in the Pennsylvania region.
Since 2006, PROTECT has negotiated behind the scenes with politicians in Congress, the U.S. Justice Department and the States. We show them proof that they could rescue hundreds of thousands of children and we call for action.They always want to get away with the minimum. One senior official in the U.S. Justice Department begged us privately not to embarrass his administration by exposing the full truth, promising to do more.
When politicians cover up crimes like these, children are raped and childhoods are destroyed. That’s not rhetoric, it’s the truth. So, last month, we launched our Child Rescue Emergency campaign.
Pennsylvania officials don’t think they have an emergency now. But when they are forced to open up law enforcement databases and report the actual shocking number of child predators they are hiding, the tide will turn.
Are You With Us?
We are proud of our tough little band of staff and volunteers. But we cannot keep taking on and winning big fights like these without help.
Let’s just admit it. Even though there are millions of survivors of child abuse, millions of parents and millions of caring people, Americans still don’t fight for abused children the way they fight for all of their other “special interests.” It’s a disgrace.
If you value what we do, and you can support us financially, please help us keep the phones on. But even if you can’t, there are other ways to keep this fight going. Take action when we send action alerts. Join our Facebook community and help us make it 10 times bigger. Get your local government to pass a Child Rescue Emergency resolution. Spread the word every way you can. And we’ll continue to be the only voice in the political arena fighting for child protection… and doing it in a bipartisan, successful way.
White Balloon Day is September 7th. What do you have planned? Check out the White Balloon Day website to see events have already been planned that you can attend, or register your own event.
a dollar sign is the cheesiest, but Bravehearts could really use your cash. It’s the biggest fundraising event of the year. All of your donations are tax deductible.
Right now there’s a lot of events planned in QLD, but NSW could really use some superstars to organize some events. Let’s make this year HUGE!
I really wish I could be there this year, unfortunately, it looks like I won’t be able to attend any events while my investigation is still underway.
When I was a kid, I had penpals. The kind you had to actually use a pen to write to. Then, you’d send the letter off, and a few weeks later, you’d get a letter back. Sometimes I miss the days of real letters.
I’m also very grateful for new technology. If it wasn’t for Facebook and feeling like I’m still a part of the lives of my friends back in Australia, I think I’d be a lot more homesick. I love that I can read the Australian newspaper everyday and I love that there’s an app for the 2DayFM radio station so I can listen to Aussie accents here. I enjoy watching the Aussie news over the internet, even if it is in small 3 minute blocks.
When I’m having a bad day, I can email someone and get a response back and feel better in minutes. When Corey Feldman did his interview, it brought back a lot of memories and some heavy emotions. Then I got an email from another child actress. She had famously gone public in the US and pissed a lot of people off. She had been following my case in the media, and another friend on FB put us in touch with each other. She wrote me a couple emails and put everything very matter of factly. In the first email she talked about the balance of power in assault cases. She called it “sexual abuse vs fame public reaction mathematical algorithm” The public’s belief in and support of a victim of rape/sexual abuse is directly proportional to the fame and “likeability” of the victim, and inversely proportional to the fame and “likability” of the perpetrator. In other words, when a victim goes public with her story the response she receives will have nothing to do with the severity of the rape, number of occurrences or age at when the crime occurred. It will be based solely on her fame/power vs the fame/power of her perpetrator. She had several examples, and it was kind of a downer, because I’m not the famous/rich one in this case….
Her second email however was like a revelation and has helped me tremendously. Also: Something to remember – that I had to learn – is that the apprehension, conviction and incarceration of your perpetrator is NOT actually YOUR responsibility. It is the responsibility of law enforcement.
But remember, when people attack you for speaking out: any trouble the bastard is in, is entirely HIS doing. You didn’t “get him in trouble” – HE DID when he started assaulting children.
By the same token, when those on your side harass you to do more, you are not on call to “put him in jail”. You called the cops, it’s THEIR job to put him in jail.
This was the most empowering thing anyone has ever told me. It lifted the weight off me. She was right. I had done my duty and told the police. I gave them my statement. I invited them into my home in Texas and continued the investigation here. When they email me or call, I answer them the best I can. A lot of people may not agree with the way the investigation started, but it was MY journey, not theirs.
I have been laying low in Texas since the investigation started, because I was told I should. It was “duty” to go crawl back under a rock till it was over. I had to make sure there was a conviction. If I didn’t stay quiet, it was my fault if the case for the other girls didn’t pan out.
I’m sorry, but it’s NOT my responsibility. I will do my best to help the police in any way I can, but I’m not going to stop posting on my blog, or be social on twitter, or talk to people on FB, or have conversations with people in real life just because there’s an investigation underway. I don’t know how long it could take. Nobody does, and people can’t realistically expect me to withdraw for years if it drags out that long. As long as I’m not talking about the investigation, there’s no reason I can’t also be an active member of social media.
Meanwhile, in the twitterverse, I think we’ve all been following what’s happening with Andy. His blog is now down off the internet, and he’s currently hiding hoping things will blow over. I’ve been amused that people have been so upset that I was quoted in the Sun as having laughed when I saw Andy in there. With the way Andy dishes on others, he has to expect that people give it back. And apparently he does. I got this PM from him this morning after someone called me a “nasty piece of work” on Twitter.
I’ve had some really interesting conversations with people over the last few days thanks to Social Media. It’s nice to be able to communicate instantly with people all over the world, instead of waiting till it’s already old news. That being said, I would still caution people to be careful what they say on the Internet. It’s easy to take things out of context. Sarcasm doesn’t convey well in 140 characters. You can still be taken out of context. Private doesn’t really mean private. Andy used to love grabbing screenshots on my PM’s to him, as I have done above. But, it also lets you communicate instantly and be able to check in on someone and make sure they’re OK.
If you can’t be a good example, you’ll have to be a horrible warning.
I know what it’s like to be in the media. After going public last year, I really know what it’s like to be in the media. I know what it’s like to have every thing you say dissected, questioned, checked over and then be re-quoted incorrectly.
There’s thousands of pages on forums and blogs with people talking about what I did last year. A lot of them aren’t nice. If you have a few hours of your life to waste, drudge through the 100+ pages on the Whirlpool site. Do a Google search on me or the Hey Dad Scandal and then click blogs or discussions. It’s amazing at how many sites there are. Some of them are very supportive of me, some of them are downright scary. Like a site for expecting mothers who all call me a publicity whore. I hope their babies never come to them looking for help…. Then of course, there’s Andy Blume.
Now, at first look, Andy really is a professional c*nt, as he puts it. The first time I found his site in April of last year, as I was in the middle of the media circus, I couldn’t believe what he wrote about me. Then, as things settled down, I read through the rest of his site, to see what kind of troll he was. To be honest, a lot of Andy’s posts made me laugh, as they do a lot of other people. Andy says what a lot of people think, but don’t have the balls to say. Sure, he’s rude. Yes, he’s tasteless. But 10 years ago when I left Australia, being Politically Correct wasn’t in full swing yet. People could still take the piss out of themselves. My favourite are when he writes letters to big companies complaining of their terrible service or products. I never know if he really sends off what he’s written on the blog, or a toned down version of it, but a lot of us wish that’s what we could say. It’s what we tell our friends. It’s what we’re thinking as we write the polite version. So, after about 6 months, I forgave Andy. I understood his posts about me were part of his online character. If he had said something nice about me, people would have said, WTF Andy? We tweeted back and forth and when I did the one year update on ACA, he actually sent me a message warning me he was now going to have to do another post. I was prepared for it. It was actually pretty tame. Some of his friends made fun he had gone soft….
I’ve been working in SEO and Social Media for a few years now. Maybe it’s because I get to read so many white papers and sites on What Not To Do in Social Media and how to not lose your job with what you post on Twitter, but I thought everyone understood that what you do online affects what happens to you in real life. Employers are now looking at what you post on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites before they hire you. What you do online can get you fired. Maybe it’s not fair and maybe it’s not catching on that fast in Australia, but in the US, many companies will give you a fact sheet on “appropriate use” of social media, and give regular reminders throughout the year. Lots of people here are laid off because of something they did online.
You don’t have to be tweeting at work. You don’t have to say anything bad about your employer. But, if you post pictures of your late night binge at some club and then call in sick the next day saying you have the flu, expect someone might see it and you’re going to get called on it.
Back in the day, there was a lot more anonymity on the internet. Today, it’s all open. A lot of young people don’t realize that what they post now will come back to haunt them. The best phrase I ever heard was “Once tweeted, never deleted” because even if you delete it off your stream, it’s cached somewhere for someone to find. You don’t even have to post something, one of your buddies could do it and tag you. Or, you could post something anonymously, but through the powers of IP tracking, the IT gurus can still work out it’s you.
Pictures on FB are held on a server for over 6 months, even if you delete them. Pick a photo, copy the URL of that page, then delete the pic. A month later, go back to that URL… Your pic is still there. Also, a lot more people have access to your private pages, and even private messages than you think. I know the police have been reading my private messages. Basically, never say anything on the internet that you wouldn’t want on a postcard or displayed on a billboard.
I’m conflicted on the Andy Blume situation. At first I thought it was funny he got caught out. But I also felt bad for him. I try not to harbor resentment against anyone and I made my peace with Andy and his blog posts about me last year. I think he should have known better than to tweet while tramming, but he was called up on it a month ago and had stopped. I give him credit for using his real name on the Internet instead of hiding behind some fake alias to be such a huge douchebag. It’s a sign of how politically correct Australia has become when you can’t just have a laugh and move on, but instead have to get offended over every little thing. All of us have done something that someone else would think makes us a horrible person. ALL OF US. Before we judge others and hate upon them, we should think about ourselves and what we’ve done in life that others might not approve of. (You know, that whole glass houses thing)
I’m sure Andy will be OK. Someone will probably offer him a job on TV…. but it’s got to suck being fired in this economy.
At this point, I’m not sure if everyone will see Andy as a warning not to tweet about their jobs and make sure they’re always PC, or if this will make people go back to having anonymous avatars and fake names. Frankly, I’m not sure which of the two is worse.
Good luck Andy. I hope you find a new job. Just remember, people are watching you now….
This weekend, Matt and I went through the COPE facilitator course. Some of you may be wondering what COPE is. It stands for Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience. It’s one of the many programs run by the BSA, (Boy Scouts of America) and it’s a lot of fun.
Here’s the official explanation.
What is A C.O.P.E. Course? C.O.P.E. is an acronym for “Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience.” a COPE Course is a custom built challenge course or ropes course designed to meet the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)Project C.O.P.E. installation and operation procedures. COPE Programs are based on attaining seven goals outlined by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
The seven C.O.P.E. goals are summarized as
Teamwork
Teamwork is the key that allows a group to navigate a C.O.P.E. challenge course successfully. The C.O.P.E. challenge ropes course experience makes it clear that each individual can accomplish more as a member of a team than by going it alone.
Communication
A C.O.P.E. challenge course encourage in the moment active learning of critical listening and discussion skills important for any group, troop or individual attempting to accomplish a difficult task.
Trust
Participants completing difficult tasks on a C.O.P.E. challenge course develop trust in the C.O.P.E. staff members, their fellow troop members and themselves.
Leadership
Team members attempting to solve problems on a cope course have abundant opportunities to develop and exercise leadership skills in small and large groups.
Decision Making
Project C.O.P.E. requires groups and troops to make decisions by developing one or more solutions to a the specific obstacle, problem, or initiative. Teams must consider all the available resources and alternatives, and evaluate the probable results before moving forward.
Problem Solving
Project C.O.P.E. challenges groups and individual to develop solutions to interesting problems. Participants must step outside of the box and frequently use creative ideas. Participants can then test their solutions and evaluate the results.
Self-Esteem
Meeting the challenges of a C.O.P.E. challenge course allows individuals and groups to develop self-esteem and encourages them to set challenging yet attainable goals.
If you’ve ever seen some of those high adventure courses that companies like to send their executives on for team building, it’s the same kind of thing.
Here's me on belay. We're showing even the smallest in the group can belay a bigger person, by using an anchor.
On Friday night we started off with some trust exercises. These vary from the one on one where you have to fall backwards and trust the other person to catch you, standing in the middle with your eyes closed while you get pushed around the circle, having everyone join hands and pass through a hula hoop plus several other mind games. Most of these are designed to create communication and trust in the group.
Saturday we started off on some of the low courses. These are mentally challenging and really focus on problem solving and teamwork. Then, in the afternoon, we got to my favourite, and Matt’s dreaded, the High course.
I have no fear of heights. None. Never have. I have more issues with the low trust exercises than I do with the high course. Which comes in handy when you’re also the smallest person in the group. I have no problem with being used to show rescue techniques. I was a little more nervous when they asked me to be on belay a much bigger person, but that was just because I didn’t want to screw up and get them hurt.
Climbing the pole at the start of the high course
Turns out a smaller person can belay a bigger one, you just need another person behind you to hold on to make sure you don’t go flying up in the air. I got about a foot in the air, but it was all good. I got him down on the ground safe and sound.
When it was my turn to go through the high course, they used me to demonstrate a rescue technique. On the first wire, which has ropes hanging down that are each spaced further apart they had me let go and fall so they could show that if a person wanted to stay on the wire and complete the course, you could hoist them back up onto it. It just takes a few people puling really hard.
After I got back up onto the wire and got to the first crows nest, it was onto the Burma wire. We had to hook onto the second line and let the first line go. Since we were the facilitators, we were doing all our own hooking and unhooking. The Burma wire has a central highwire, with two other wires that you hold onto to make it across to the second crowsnest.
reaching for the first vine
From there, it’s on to most people’s favourite, the zip line.
On Sunday, they had a team of athletes come out from the local university and we had out first day as official facilitators. We put them through some of the team building exercises. Then, they went to the high course. I stayed up on the crowsnest between Burma and the zip line. My job was to get them across Burma and re-hook them onto zip and talk them over the edge. I was surprised how comfortable most of the girls were. Only one of them was terrified. We’re not supposed to push people off the edge, as tempting as it is, because it’s challenge by choice. But I did ask her if she wanted to be pushed, and she said no. One of her team mates made it over to the nest, and we kept talking her through her fear. After about 10 minutes, I asked her again if she wanted a push. As soon as she started to say yes, I pushed before she could change her mind. Everyone heard her scream and they all looked at me. Her teammate yelled down it was ok, she heard her say yes to the push. She was still shaking when she got off the line, but after a few minutes she came back to encourage her teammates and let them know she was really glad she had done it. Sometimes in life the fear can be too great to do something, even though you rationally you know it’s safe. Sometimes you need a push, and there’s no shame is asking for it.
Hanging on the belay rope, getting "rescued"
After the team left, we went and did one last exercise, which unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of. It’s called the Leap of Faith. Basically, there’s 3 poles set up in a triangle. You have to climb one of them, and then basically jump off and try to tap a hanging rope between the other two poles. It’s called the Leap of Faith because you have to have faith that the person down below will hold the rope and not let you fall. I was good climbing up the pole, but trying to get both feet on top so I could stand to take the leap was hard. The pole wobbles, and trying to hoist yourself up with nothing to hold onto is hard. Its a telegraph pole, so the top isn’t that big. Just enough room for two small feet. It was the first high challenge that really pushed my boundaries and got my heart pounding. I finally got up there. Stood for a few seconds, eyeballed the rope to tap, and leaped out to hit it before plummeting to the ground. Obviously, since I’m writing this, I didn’t really plummet.
Almost to the end on the Burma wire
It was pretty awesome. My group had the rope and I swung back and forth a bit. The only real danger was swinging back and hitting the pole. They lowered me to the ground. Then, I got to belay for the others going up there.
We had a great weekend. Poor Matt is terrified of heights and he couldn’t bring himself to get up on the wire while a bunch of newbies were holding his belay. So he was in charge of the camera. 😉
Next I’d like to go do the COPE Director course. It’s a week long course out at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
Flying down the zip line. The Leap of Faith poles are to the left of me. You jump off one towards the middle of the other two.
If you ever get a chance to try a COPE course, go do it. It’s an awesome personal challenge.
You’ll find that you’re much stronger and braver than you think you are.
This year’s event marks the 15th annual White Balloon Day, a national awareness and fundraising campaign staged on September 7 during Child Protection Week (September 4 –11). Since 1997 when White Balloon Day resulted in an unprecedented 514 per cent increase in disclosures of sexual assault to Queensland Police, the humble white balloon has become synonymous with child protection and this special day has evolved into Bravehearts’ signature national event. White Balloon Day is not only a day of recognition, awareness and support for the victims of child sexual assault but is also the principle fundraising initiative which enables Bravehearts to educate, empower and protect all Aussie kids.
Check out the Events page to go to a pre-organised event, or create your own event and get other people involved.
Get Involved – Do the White Thing!
Being involved in White Balloon day is simple, fun and best of all, you are guaranteed to make a difference in the lives of Aussie kids.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can join us.
Step 1: Think white
Check out our Ideas page to help you decide how you want to get involved in White Balloon Day.
Once you register your event, you will be sent our exclusive White Balloon Day Kit, which includes official White Balloon Day posters and brochures, a letter of consent to fundraise, promotional ideas and more. Registering your event also helps us create an accurate events calendar and allows us to promote your event on our website and encourage our supporters to support you.
Start to plan your event a few weeks in advance and be sure to invite your friends, family and co-workers to get involved. Your White Balloon Day Kit will contain more info on how to write a press release and get the media involved in your event. The more support and awareness created, the more funds we can raise to educate, empower and protect Aussie kids.
Why do we love watching these celebrity train wrecks reality shows? How many celebreality shows are on TV right now? Here in the US, there’s dozens of them. Celebrity Apprentice, Celebrity Fit Club, Celebrity Rehab, Dancing with the Stars, I’m a Celebrity; Get me out of here, the Kardashians and all their spin offs, all the different Real Housewives, the Girls Next Door and the list just goes on…
Of course there’s never any A list stars on these shows. They’re busy working, or, have a team that doesn’t want them doing reality. The only time they’re allowed to speak in public is when doing publicity on a talk show and they have all the questions prepared up front.
Which is what makes Celebreality TV so fascinating. You never know what’s going to happen. For the most part, it’s not scripted. It’s filmed over a few weeks, so people can’t be all sunshine and light and fake being fabulous Miss Congeniality the whole time. You get to see people’s somewhat real personalities come through. I say somewhat, because it is TV and these are mostly actors. They are going to ham it up for the cameras and of course the editors are going to cut stuff up for dramatic effect.
Who doesn’t love watching Celebrities explode on shows like Celebrity Apprentice? Or take a bunch of has-beens and throw them into a house together like on the Surreal Life. I know there’s a bunch of high brow folk who claim they don’t watch anything that’s not on the ABC, but we know reality TV is their dirty little pleasure too. I know they watch, because even though they claim they don’t, they can list all the reasons why, including all the best bits of each episode…
We get to see our favourite TV stars and find out what they’re really like. We get to see if they’re total pretentious dickheads or if they’re just like you and me. Some stars are total Divas. Others are surprisingly down to earth. Also, the other great thing about Celebrity competition type shows is that instead of trying to win cash for themselves, the celebs are raising money for charity. What charity doesn’t need a couple thousand dollars and untold amounts of free publicity? The Hey Dad..! cast did Celebrity Family Fued back in the day and we got a day trip to Brissie and raised money for (I think it was) the Children’s Hospital. We didn’t win the big prize. I was the final quiz person, but we did raise a couple thousand dollars. They gave me a telephone for my appearance. I swapped it with Julie who actually needed a phone. They had giver her a beautiful gold fountain pen I liked much better. 😉 I remember it was fun because that was back in the day when you actually got to fly first class. Back when Ansett was still in operation. I think the only other time I flew first class was on a trip to the Logies. Studios just don’t pay for good seats anymore. 🙁
Anyway, I’m pretty excited to see an Australian version of Celebrity Apprentice popping up. They’ve already got Pauline Hanson, who was on Dancing With The Stars. There’s some pretty good innuendos about who else will be on there. I’m not sure they’re going to have the same heated arguments that the US version does. Aussie’s are way too laid back for that kind of drama…. Still, I hope they end up showing the Aussie version here in the US.
I wonder what other kinds of Celebreality shows are in the works? Maybe they could do a Surreal Life Australia. I know just the has-been for that one. 😉
