It’s that time of the year. The May sweeps have ended and television, both scripted and reality, has been thrown into Limbo Land. Sure, cable has some decent new scripted episodes, but what about us reality buffs? I mean … how long can we listen to speculation on Adam Lambert’s sexuality preferences? Do we really care about past tense voting scandals on American Idol?
No! This is the day of instant gratification! We need fresh reality shows, and there’s just not a heck of a lot going on. Watching the TV Guide network’s show about where all the Survivor millionaires are now entertains me, for an hour at least. Then it’s done. Now I remember that I don’t care what most of them are doing. They were on the show; I loved them or hated them; now they’re gone. I want fresh meat.
That was the week it was
Well, Bachelorette fans might be happy. There’s a new season of that show in the dearth of reality entertainment right now. But, of course, I’m not a fan of the romance shows. I think they’re like being a sleaze at a bar looking for love in all the wrong places while being made for a fool on national television. That could be me, I guess. The show airs Mondays at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC. It’s not my cuppa tea, but it may be yours. And, at least it’s new.
One show I do watch and enjoy has just started up again — So You Think You Can Dance. But the problem with this one is similar to watching the first few weeks of American Idol. It’s the audition and early contestant stage of the show. Some of the auditions are horrific, some look outright painful. Many can’t dance any better than I can pass myself off as a leggy supermodel. Then there are the good auditions. But we might not see some of them again or they might fall apart in Las Vegas.
I can’t get too attached to this show until they get the group down to a manageable number of contestants. I can’t invest my emotions until I can remember at least the first names of some of the dancers. But, with the auditions, I can enjoy some of the better street type performers. B-boys and poppers are amazing. And, it’s cheaper to watch them on TV than to put a buck in the hat at Washington Square Park to see some good street talent.
Up and coming
Next Sunday, June 7, my calendar is already marked. It’s the return of Gene Simmons Family Jewels on A&E. Now, I’m actually more of the generation of Gene, but I have a wicked cougar crush on Nick Simmons. This show is everything The Osbournes wasn’t. While I’m sure Gene and I would clash, at least I can understand him when he talks. Instead of presenting a decadent washed-up hippie rocker dysfunctional family, the Simmons (albeit highly staged) come across as witty, clever and lots of fun.
The kids both have their heads on straight which says a good deal about how they were raised. Sure, they do typical teenage wacky hijinks (I always wanted to say that), but they don’t seem to have deep psychological scars or a tendency to frequent rehabs. Oh … and did I mention my cougar crush on Nick?
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Jun 01, 2009 @ 17:00 EST5EDT
