So Kelly is on her way to Australia, where she is going to be a columnist with Cleo magazine.
Australia’s Got Talent is also set to announce their 4th judge on Monday; the seat that was left vacant by Mel B. We all know AGT wanted Sharon Osbourne, so I wonder if they’re going with Kelly instead? Kelly is hugely popular in the US right now. She’s on Fashion Police on E! And is a regular at all the big events. Kelly would be a huge get for AGT. We know they wanted an international star, and the timing of her arrival is spot on the the announcement.
She is super sweet, so I guess she would balance out Kyle on the show. Guess we’ll have to wait till Monday and see….
Ryan may be an Olympic medalist, but he’s not a ratings winner. His show premiered on Sunday night in the US, right after the Ryan Seacrest interview of the Kardashians. It only rated 807,000 viewers, which is bad even by US standards. I watched it tonight, just to check it out.
Remember The Girls Next Door? Think how pretty they were, but they weren’t real smart. They were looking for love, but you had the feeling they just didn’t get they were looking in the wrong places. Kendra had that really distinctive laugh that was mildly amusing at first, but then got really irritating. Lochte has some really weirdly unintelligent things come out of his mouth, and he has this stupid catchphrase, “Jeah!” Which he is trying to get trademarked. I already hated the word from the commercials for the show. Hearing it over and over during the program made it very difficult not to just switch channels. Like the girls, he’s also trying to find love. He takes all the dates to the same restaurant and he looks like on of those college frat guys who has no idea how to talk to a chic. Just like a hot chic thinks her boobs are all she needs, Lochte thinks his medals will get him by. No intelligent conversation needed.
I can’t tell if Ryan is just trying to be funny and acting daft for the cameras, or if all the chlorine from the pool has seeped into his brain.
I know E! isn’t known for hiring people because of their smarts, but this one is a real dunce.
So anyone who reads my blog knows I’m a bit of a reality TV tragic. I figure the format isn’t going to go away, so you may as well embrace it. Besides, some of it is interesting. A lot of scripted TV shows just don’t hold my attention anymore, or they become so predictable it’s boring.
So tonight, when presented with the choice of my old favourite NCIS, or reality selections including a Kardashian special, Hell’s Kitchen, The Voice or Splash, I started out on the Kardashians, well, mainly because I had been watching E! news and it just came on. That’s when I looked at the TV guide. 😉 Now since I’m not in the mood to actually pay attention to the TV, which NCIS requires, coupled with the fact that I can watch it again in repeats, preferably in a marathon on a lazy rainy day with my husband, I decided to give Splash another go.
Now, I know you’re all thinking I’m crazy. Yes, it’s a show about a bunch of kinda celebs diving into a pool. But I think Channel 7 may have been onto something when they picked this show up. I mean honestly, when the concept of Dancing With The Stars was first announced, how many of us were like, WTF? Really, a show about dancing celebs? Ballroom, Tango? Why do we care? But look how successful that show is. Well, Splash is kinda like DWTS, and here in the US, Splash is on at 7pm, and DWTS follows on the same channel at 8pm.
Now just like Dancing, you’ve got some TV types who are learning a new skill. One that’s way out of their element. What I didn’t expect was what a train wreck this show was going to be. You don’t really think of diving as a dangerous sport. However, there’s already been several people on the US version who’ve had serious injuries. Chuy, the little nugget from Chelsea Lately broke his foot in training. Last episode one of the guys overturned and smacked the back of his head and was really disorientated.. Tonight, someone flopped on their face and got a black eye. Seriously, a black eye. There’s lots of bellyflops and ouch moments. Let’s face it, we all like watching people hurt themselves. That’s why we love Jackass or those sports clips with all the car wrecks.
It’s also nice to see people who we think have everything show a human side. Kendra was terrified on the high board. She did the show to overcome her fear of heights, but it was too much for her. Some people made fun of her for not jumping, but I think a lot of people would back away on the 10m board. Just because you’re on TV doesn’t make you super human.
Just like DWTS, it’s about the competition, but it follows the same format of showing the rehearsals, and a peek into the personalities of the contestants.
If it’s got nothing else going for it, it’s on at dinner time and you don’t actually have to pay attention to it. You can have it on, and look up occasionally and know what’s going on. Let’s face it, sometimes we don’t want to have to actually watch, we just want some background noise on. After a long day at work, I don’t want to have to actually think when I get home and watch TV….
So make fun all you like of Seven’s upcoming Celebrity Splash, but I bet it rates well for the first couple weeks at least. If nothing else, people will watch the first episode to see how good, or bad, people look in their swimwear.
Who is more important, the contestants or the judges?
I get that on some of these talent shows, the judges are super important. Especially shows like The X Factor or The Voice where the judges are also coaches. You really want high quality stars who can help mold and shape a contestants career. On shows like Dancing with the Stars, or even Celebrity Splash, you want judges who are technical, and who can actually judge the sport.
But then there’s some shows where I think you don’t necessarily need a big name judge, or even someone who is skilled in that area. For example, I don’t need to be able to cook an awesome apple pie to know a good one when I taste it. Maybe if you’re going to win a restaurant, you want a Chef as a judge, but a lot of chefs don’t actually run restaurants, they just cook there. Head chefs don’t even usually cook anymore. They just stand around yelling at people, or hide in their office. But do you need a model to judge models, or should you have a combination of judges? Photographer, agent, magazine editor, etc. It seems like on some of these shows they’ve got a variety of judges. Like Got Talent has a selection of people. Which is appropriate, because they have a selection of talents. It seems silly to only have singers as judges, if you’ve got dancers, jugglers, magicians and all kinds of other random acts. I get that the judges are also a big part of the show, and that’s why networks fight over celebrities and pay massive amounts of money for those sitting behind the desk. BUT, shouldn’t the talent be more important than the judges? They’re spending millions of dollars on judges, but the talent only gets paid if they win, and even then, it’s only a fraction of what the judges make. Yes, judges work every episode, and put their reputations on the line, but I think instead of fighting over Spice Girls and paying millions to steal them, get some lesser known judges, and maybe even unknowns, like actual talent agents, and put the focus back on the stage. When all these shows started, people like Ryan Seacrest weren’t famous. He had hosted several programs, but he wasn’t the megastar he is now. These shows made the judges and hosts famous, or at least revived the careers of several people. Wouldn’t it be awesome if these shows could also be a launching platform for the hosts as well? Rotate them out every few years so they can move on, and also to give the audiences something new.
People are whining about which judges are on what show, but I don’t think talent shows should really be about the judge. We already know they’re talented. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be up there. We are all judging from home. Because I’m not getting a million bucks, does that mean I’m not allowed to have an opinion on if someone is good or not? Lets go back to focusing on why these shows exist; To showcase the new talent out there that hasn’t been discovered yet.
So there’s a new reality dating show on TV tonight called Ready For Love. It’s a new concept, in that they have 3 guys, and there’s a bunch of matchmakers that pick girls for them. The matchmakers help coach the girls through the dates, which at least helps the girls in the long term when they get booted off the show. The first round is kinda like Perfect Match, because he can’t see them and they have to do the one liner thing, and then when he picks one, he gets to see her.
My beef with competitive reality dating shows is that I don’t think the contestants really see whether the prize is really a catch. They’re so focused on winning, they overlook any potential flaws. The one who is dating all the contestants doesn’t get a chance to really get to see the real personalities. They’re so caught up in being a prize and being loved on by so many people. When you make love a competition, it becomes about winning, not about finding love.
All these women are so certain this guy is “the one” but they don’t even know him. He gets to make them jump through hoops, and they have to try to be nice for a while. It’s kinda humiliating for them when they can’t deal with it.
At least this show they’ve got a coach telling the girls to raise their standards and be a challenge. Hopefully even if they get booted off here, they can take some dating lessons with them.
I just hope at the end of the show, if either one is not into it, they say so before the fake engagement. So many times, they’re so caught up in winning, it’s not till they have time alone together they realize if he had hit on them in a bar, they’d never have gone out. They just don’t have anything in common.
I also hope with all the bodily fluids being swapped, they do some kind of STD testing before the show.
I’m so glad I got a great man and I don’t have to go through dating drama….
Why is Scripted TV considered more high brow than Reality TV?
Reality TV is here to stay. Producers have worked out that it’s cheaper to produce, it requires less crew, and it can be made quickly.
Actors and people who are from traditional television despise reality TV. Probably because they know that the more hours of reality TV there is, the less hours of scripted shows, which means less jobs for them. There’s also a lot of really awful reality TV out there. However, there’s also some reality TV that is pretty interesting to watch.
What I don’t get though is why people say that reality television personalities are all no talent brainless people who just walk around doing nothing and getting filmed. Then it gets edited to be interesting. They’re all just attention seekers who should get a real job.
Here’s the thing. It’s gotta take balls to be on reality TV. You also, for the most part, had to have some kind of talent to get on reality TV. It’s not like you can just call up MTV or E! and say you’d like a reality show and they’ll give you one. There’s also some major differences in how you work.
A traditional actor has someone write all their lines for them. They have someone who dresses them. They have a make-up artist. They have a director who tells them what emotion to have. They get told where to stand. They have set work hours. The cameras are there while they’re working, and then they go home. Most importantly, they’re playing someone else. Actors are secretive people. They talk about how they have to be choosy with parts because they’re worried about what people will think of them. They’re super careful in interviews, because even their real lives are mostly carefully crafted fronts. Another character almost. They’re terrified of saying the wrong thing. Of alienating their audience.
On reality TV however, they don’t get a writer who spends a couple weeks coming up with witty things for them to say. It’s all them. They normally are in charge of their own wardrobe. Sometimes producers will create a scenario for the actors, such as in the Kardashians they’re going to dinner, but after that, it’s all on them. They’ve got to be interesting on their own. People love actors who do some adlibbing. For reality people, it’s all adlib.
There’s also not much private time. The cameras are there, all day, all night. They’re in your bedroom, your bathroom. They’re there while you have breakfast, lunch & dinner. They’re there while you’re trying to get your freak on. When actors go out and party, they hope there’s no paparazzi there to snap a drunken shot. With reality, the whole crew is there, documenting every stupid thing you do….
Kim Kardashian. Monster face, but no award...
Reality people have to be very secure in who they are. They’ve got to have the balls to say whatever they
This fugly look got Charlize Theron an Oscar...
want, and not worry about offending someone. While actors are getting Academy awards for cutting their hair or looking ugly, reality people have to deal with looking fugly while crying and not getting any love for it.
There’s also so many kinds of reality show. You’ve got things like The Kardashians, which is probably the first thing anyone thinks of when they hear reality stars.
But there’s a whole bunch of different types of shows out there. Some are pure mind numbing entertainment, some are voyeuristic, some are actually educational or more like documentaries.
Shows like Being Lara Bingle, Mrs Eastwood and Company and the newest show, Chasing The Saturdays give us a glimpse into the life of people we already know. People that we’ve seen in magazines, or on red carpets. People who we want to know more about. We get to follow them around and see if their life is really as fabulous as we think it might be, or if they’re just like us.Chasing the Saturdays is about a British girl band that’s come to America and trying to make it. If it was a scripted show, it would be The Monkees. Instead, they show the real drama of moving across an ocean, trying to keep it together away from their family & friends. They show it’s not all glamour and red carpets. There’s lots of hard work and tears too.
Shows like Deadliest Catch and Pawn Stars are more documentary. In some ways, even educational. Sure, most of the time they edit it to focus on the personal drama, but producers seem to think that’s more interesting than just watching a bunch of regular office stuff.Think of The Office. All that goes into the daily drama of work. But there’s no witty Ricky Gervais to come up with funny punch lines. This is all real.
Then there’s a bunch of drama type reality shows, that don’t seem to focus on anything, except the interactions of people. Whether it’s a bunch of people thrown together like Jersey Shore, Big Brother, The Real Life or real families like The Kardashians, it’s about seeing how people interact. It’s about relationships. Shows like Here comes Honey Boo Boo give us a glimpse into a redneck heaven that most people have probably not witnessed in real life. It lets us see how other people live. Honey Boo Boo and The Kardashians are at two ends of the spectrum. One set is poor, and people look down on them for eating road kill. But their mother loves them and is putting all that money into trust funds for them. The Kardashians are rich, and their momma also loves them. She also manipulates them into making money any way possible… Both families though are probably nothing like our own, and it’s interesting to see how people live. Kinda like The Brady Bunch.
There’s a whole bunch of challenge type reality, like The Apprentice, The Amazing Race, Survivor, even any of the cooking or singing competition shows, like Master Chef, Idol or The Voice. Whether they’ve got celebrities competing for charity, or regular people competing for a job or money. They’re all still entertaining. They still have drama. Sometimes they’re even doing something good for the world, like helping to raise money or awareness about something.
I love good scripted television. I love dramas like House, NCIS and Lie To Me. But I also loves me some Ice Loves Coco or anything where Gordon Ramsey is yelling at people. With several hundred tv channels on cable, there’s more than enough room for all types of shows. I don’t think we should count reality TV as the bastard step-child to scripted TV. I find the real life stuff just as fascinating as the carefully scripted, edited stuff. Yes, there’s a lot of awful reality shows, but there’s just as many terrible scripted shows. I also find myself having more and more respect for those that are willing to just be themselves, who spend hours getting followed around, who have to be witty, smart and interesting without the help of dozens of people to make them look witty and smart and interesting.
Next time, before you bad mouth reality tv, trash a Kardashian, or bash a Bingle, ask yourself whether you could do what they do. If you were followed around all day. Could you handle it. I don’t think I could. Then ask yourself, is what you’re seeing when you’re watching Deadliest Catch any less interesting than something like The Office. Is the acting on Home & Away really any better than The Hills?
I know thespians and their respective unions hate reality TV. They hate that they’re taking up air time. I think the unions brought a lot of it on themselves. They make so many demands, and make productions so expensive, some studios just can’t afford to make scripted TV anymore. There’s too many channels, not enough advertising dollars. Reality is easy, cheap and in a lot of cases, not subject to unions.
I think reality TV is here to stay, and I’m going to enjoy it.
It seems like the two most popular types of reality shows on TV these days are cooking shows and weight loss shows. People want to eat, people want to get thin. Seems like maybe one is leading to the other….
The cast of Excess Baggage
I remember when they started talking about Excess Baggage. To me it seemed like it was going to be an awesome show. So many people have complained that celebs get special treatment, and if they were given trainers and chefs like the stars, they’d look just as fabulous. So, here they made a show where they paired up a celebrity with a civilian. They got to travel all over Australia. So not only was this a weight loss show, but it was also part travel series. It wasn’t just about losing weight, it was going to be about getting mentally right, since that’s what’s behind most peoples weight issues. We would get to see some of Australia’s most beautiful locations. I told Stephen, my publicist to see what he could do to get me on there. I couldn’t imagine anything better. Getting the opportunity to get in shape, both physically and mentally, while getting to spend some time in Australia, seeing my beautiful homeland.
Well, it didn’t happen. Apparently, I wasn’t fat enough. Then, after only two episodes, the show got yanked off Channel nine and was banished to some sub station. I saw the first couple episodes online, but haven’t been able to watch the rest. I didn’t get why it was moved so quickly though. I think they could have given it more of a chance. Was it the viewers didn’t like it, or was it simply a network decision? People seem to love the Biggest Loser and the other weight loss shows….
But then I got to thinking, how come all these weight loss shows are about people who are grossly obese trying to lose weight? People are always looking to actors and models for inspiration on what they want to look like. These weight loss shows do a great job of getting someone from 350lb down to 290lbs. But they never show people who get into super shape.
I think it would be awesome to have a weight loss show where they show someone who is maybe 20-30 lbs overweight, and they have to go through a typical Hollywood eating and workout regime to get into shape for a movie. Show just how hard those celebrities work to get into shape for a film. People like Jessica Biel worked out for hours a day before some of her films. Think of the workouts Hugh Jackman or Russell Crowe go through before being a Wolverine or Gladiator. Any girl who makes a movie where she has to be in a bikini is going to be training like crazy to good look on camera.Think of the actresses who are getting back into bikinis or haute couture dresses for the red carpet a couple months after having a baby.
All these makeover shows show people who are going through dramatic weight loss. But what about people who are just pudgy? What about when you’re just chunky enough to not feel good in a bikini, but not really considered fat? It’s always said that that last 10-20 lbs is the hardest to shed. Maybe it’s just so much more dramatic to see someone lose 100 lbs, than see someone who goes from slightly chunky to super ripped in 8 weeks.
I’m still in the healthy weight range. But I think the BMI is bullshit. When I first moved to the US and did my physical for my life insurance, I was smoking hot. I looked great. I was toned, I was thin but still had boobs and an arse. I was penalized for being underweight according to the BMI. Then, a few years later, I got into the so called “healthy weight range” but when I put on a bikini, I look pudgy. When I went on ACA, everyone commented on how fat I looked. Being a shortass at 4’11” can mean that a burrito is the difference between looking good and looking pregnant. Most people fluctuate 3-5lbs during the week. I do too. But on me its very noticeable. 2lbs can mean the difference between a size 2 and size 6 pant…..
Anyway, I propose someone make a show where you get some people who are just mildly tubby, and you subject them to the kind of grueling regimes that celebs go through to look awesome. You could even do like Kyle and Jackie O did for their weight loss challenge, and if people don’t get down to the proper weight or dress size, you stick their pics up on a billboard of them in their undies, looking so not great. Then people could really understand what it’s like to be a celebrity. If you’re not flawless, everyone will point it out!
We could get some of the big trainers to the stars, some celebrity dieticians. We could have the paparazzi follow us around for motivation. We could get some big name celebs who are between films and let themselves go a little. Match them up with some regular people like me who just want to get back into shape. To make it more interesting, you could make it like the Kardashians and follow everyone around all the time, instead of just being about the training…. Or you could just get a Kardashian on there. You could show them trying to fit in all that working out and eating right while still attending auditions and parties and functions. Trying to balance out the whole thing. While the average person is complaining they don’t have time to exercise and eat right, how do they think people like Miranda Kerr can do it while constantly flying from country to country? Have a quick thought of your last airline meal….
It’s be interesting to see whether it really is just good genes, as people always claim, or if it’s just that these people have way more drive and discipline.
Ok, I’ve never hidden the fact that I love trashy reality TV. After a long day of serious work, sometimes it’s nice to just come home and switch off. At first I watched the Kardashians cause I was trying to work out why they were worthy of having their own reality show. I haven’t gotten into any of the MTV shows, like Jersey Shore or the ones about teenage mothers. I’m into switching off, not going into a coma….
I’ve watched Married to Jonas, and it’s interesting to see a girl who obviously loves her man, but really isn’t prepared for living the life of a musician’s wife. It’s obvious she’s not a gold digger, but I do think she’d like the nice life without him having to ever leave the house. It’ll be interesting to see whether they work out. I hope they do. It’s so nice to see a girl who loves her man for him, not what he does, but if she doesn’t toughen up, it’s just not going to work.
Then there’s Ice Loves Coco. Here’s a couple that are going to work. Her body may be fake, but her personality isn’t. She’s open and out there and looks like she’s totally comfortable with who she is. She’s also totally supportive of Ice. In return, he’s totally and utterly whipped by her. He’s what every woman wants in her man. He loves her. He loves her curves. He loves her personality. He loves her quirks. He is always right there beside her, building her up. He admits she makes his life easy and takes total care off him and he’s lost without her. They’re total best friends. They’re the ideal couple.
I think I love Ice Loves Coco for two reasons.
I love that there’s a reality show that’s positive. Yes, they’re quirky and they do some weird stuff. However, there’s no drama. There’s no cattiness. They don’t look like they’re making shit up just for ratings. They don’t fake fight to make it interesting. It’s so refreshing to see a show that just lets people like each other. Every other show, whether it’s set in a pawn shop or catching fish creates so much drama. I have enough of that in my life without watching grown ups yell at each other over petty shit. Ice Loves Coco shows that people can just be nice to each other and still be interesting. We could all use a bit of niceness in our life.
The second reason I love them is because they remind me of Matt and I. This month, on Thanksgiving Day we’ll have been married for 10 years. I will truly have a lot to be thankful for. Matt is my best friend. He’s the best friend I’ve ever had. He’s always there for me. He loves me, flaws and all. He never cared about who I used to be, what my weight is, or anything else others obsess over. He helped me grow as a person and become comfortable in my skin. He empowers me to be what ever I want to be. He’s everything a girl wants in a boy.
While spending so much time away from home for work, Ice Loves Coco lets me enjoy a little bit of the perfect relationship I have with my own man.
Do you have a favourite guilty please reality show? Is it something like the Kardashians cause you have a big family, or no family and wish you did, or do you love those singing or cooking shows cause you secretly wish you could also sing or cook? What’s your guilty pleasure?
Today while reading news.com.au I came across an article by Chris Paine, a journo with a column on the Punch. He had written a post about Trashy Reality TV becoming his life. It was interesting to see a man’s perspective on reality TV, especially someone who was into macho football and drinking with the boys at the pub.
I used to enjoy watching the news. I loved it. I also loved NCIS, CSI, Law and Order, Lie to Me and House. I loved shows that make you think. When I had a day of dealing with idiots while working at a restaurant or in retail, I craved some intelligent viewing. I wanted to see what was going on in the real world. After going public I lost interest in Law & Order. Seeing Benson and Stabler nicely wrap up a case in an hour was irritating. The cast changed so many times on CSI, I didn’t like it anymore. House got to the point where we knew if it was 8:45, he was about to have his epiphany. Lie to Me got cancelled.
Now I have a job where we literally have a wall of television screens that are tuned in to every news channel and I’m constantly bombarded with the news, which is recycled every few minutes on each network, I like to watch something else. My job involves reading intelligence reports all day, scouring news sites and writing weekly reports. I work in a Law Enforcement Intelligence Center. I wear a military uniform. So now when I watch anything military or LE related, I am irritated with all the Hollywood bullshit that has no realism. Guys who don’t wear their uniform correctly, or leave their cover on inside. Cops who do stupid shit. Make believe scenarios like on NCIS LA where they have totally unbelievable technology that helps them catch the bad guy in 10 minutes.I also see a lot of dead people in my reports. Not gentle dead people. Violently killed dead people. Or usually, bits of dead people….It’s not pretty and I see it so much at work I no longer want to see it on TV. When I first got here and went to see a movie with one of the FBI analysts, I didn’t get the no-violence in movies preference. Now I totally get it. You can only watch so many execution videos before a movie like SAW or Hostel just isn’t appealing anymore. I can understand why lawyers hate law shows, and why medical people hate doctor shows.
So these days, when I need to switch off, I like to turn on E! Suddenly, Keeping Up With The Kardashians seems like fun. I love Tosh.O and Chelsea Lately. Fashion Police and who was wearing what to which awards ceremony is fun. At night at work, we turn on stupid TV. One of the guys has so many movies on his laptop and we plug it in and watch it. Today, before heading to work I was watching Mean Girls. I got to work and turned it on. None of the boys cared. They all watched it. Sometimes, you just need to watch something that has nothing to do with anything. It’s a way to switch off. Being deployed and away from my in-laws, and being an expat and being so far from my own family, watching the Kardashians makes me see that some people actually like their family. Mostly I think they like each other too much and could use some other people in their lives, but I get that they probably do have other friends, they just don’t want to be part of the show. But for half an hour I get to witness family time. I get to see people interacting. I get to hear family tell each other they love them. It’s something I don’t get down here.
Before you judge someone because they watch crappy reality shows, understand that not everything has to be super intellectual all the time. Life has to have some fun in it. If you have a fun job and crave high brow TV when you get home, great. If you have a super stressful job and silly TV gives your mind a break, then power to you. That’s why there’s so many different styles of show on TV. That way we all have something to entertain us and take our mind off life. Don’t tell people they’re stupid because they choose to watch Lara Bingle or Celebrity Apprentice. For people with stressful jobs, it’s much cheaper than talking to a shrink and better for you than unwinding with a 6 pack.
If you don’t like reality or silly TV, don’t watch it. Change the channel. But don’t demand it be taken off TV or spend all day on websites bitching about it. While you’re watching 4 Corners, I’ll be watching Fashion Police. I won’t judge you and I hope you won’t judge me in return.
Since Channel 10 likes to geoblock, and nobody has posted it onto YouTube yet, I haven’t actually been able to watch Being Lara Bingle yet. However, since I do use Twitter and read the Aussie papers, even while being deployed with the Guard, I know that Lara Bingle has a reality show and that it started to air this week. I also know that there are plenty of haters out there.
I guess after all I went through in the last couple of years I shouldn’t be shocked by all the armchair heroes with internet access spouting hate towards anyone and everyone, but sadly, I guess I just still expect better from people and am saddened when I read so much bitterness and hate directed towards someone who is simply trying to live her life and be successful at it. When I read Australian papers and all the comments from the Aussie public, it actually makes me glad that I moved away. The Tall Poppy Syndrome in Australia was always ridiculous, but now it’s just sad. I’ve learnt to love America. It’s a place where people are encouraged to dream big and go for it. If you want to be an actor, a reality star, a business person or athlete, people will support you and encourage you and be happy for you if you make it. In Australia, everyone loves “the little Aussie battler” but the moment that person makes it, the minute they achieve their dreams, they become a pariah. They’re an arsehole. They’re a jerk. They’ve become too big for their boots. Are we still that angry over our convict past that we hate anybody who might be a step above us? (Even if it’s only a perceived step)
If you really don’t like reality TV, then don’t watch it. Go watch your high brow ABC or SBS series. Sometimes people want to just switch their brains off and enjoy something silly. Hence, why there are so many reality TV shows these days. Don’t kid yourself, MasterChef is a form of reality show. Most travel shows are a form of reality. Then there are actual reality shows, like the Kardashians, (who Aussie’s seem to love) there’s Jersey Shore, and now, there’s even Mrs Eastwood and Company. That’s right folks, Clint Eastwood, Actor and Director Clint Eastwood is on a reality show. I think when Clint Eastwood starts doing reality TV, we need to accept that it’s just a part of accepted mainstream television.
I also don’t like the famous for being famous cliche. Reality TV is just as much work as making a scripted TV show. Probably more. If you’re on a soap or drama, you go to work, film, then go home. You get to leave the cameras behind. Reality TV on the other hand means having a cameraman with you about 12-18hrs a day. There is no going home and unwinding. You’re always working. Even when Kim Kardashian goes on vacation, she’s working. Personally, I think being that famous would suck. What’s the point of having enough money to go anywhere you want if once you get there you can’t leave your hotel room because you’ll be mobbed?Plus, none of these people are actually famous for simply being famous. There was a reason they got a reality show in the first place. They didn’t just go out and pick some random off the street and decide to give them a reality show.
Anyway, back to Lara. Unlike Kim, who became famous for being friends with Paris Hilton, her dad representing OJ Simpson and then making a sex tape, Lara was a model who was the international face of Australia. Sure, she’s had some questionable relationships, and some other incidents. But if we’re honest, which one of us hasn’t fucked up at one time or another? The only difference is that most people don’t have their mistakes shown on national TV or the cover of the newspaper.Most people probably couldn’t handle that kind of scrutiny either. I was amazed at her control when interviewed on The Project or B105. I wouldn’t have been that polite….
Power to Lara. If she can make money at being herself, then why not? If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Just don’t be a douchebag and act like you’re so intellectually superior that you think there’s no need for Being Lara Bingle and that it’s the downfall of society. Not everything has to be mentally stimulating. Sometimes, we just need a good laugh.
So Lara, good luck with the show. Milk it while you can. I hope they sell it to the US so I can watch it over here.
Kelly Osborne on her way to Australia
