ER: A Very Special Make It Stop

June 04, 2007

So how can we grumble or complain about a show that re-launched the careers of George Clooney and Anthony Edwards … okay, just George Clooney?

Here’s the thing: when “ER” first started, we were completely hooked. Must-See Thursday was more than just a marketing catchphrase: it was a command. A command we obeyed. The medical cases were fascinating, the drama was intense, and the cast was hot. What more could one ask for?

It took awhile -- say six seasons -- for us to slowly wean ourselves off of our “ER” addiction. First, we started missing a couple of episodes here and there, then, maybe half a season and then there actually came a day when we flipped on the TV and didn’t recognize 7 out of the 10 regular cast member. We think that’s when we finally considered ourselves a recovered junkie.

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Tired of Tyra Banks

April 25, 2007

“I ” and “me” are reoccurring words in Tyra Bank’s lexicon. In her new talk show, the aptly named “The Tyra Bank’s Show” – the former model successfully steers all of her interviews back to herself. This tactic is acceptable when she hosts former model friends like Cindy Crawford, Molly Sims, or Nikki Taylor whom she has something in common with, but when she talks about herself in reference to other guests -- like gay athletes, rappers, and sex addicts -- her self love becomes more obvious and cloying.

“Dear Tyra Banks: You cannot be the voice of your generation if all you do is talk about yourself, ” wrote New York magazine in their February 12 issue (they also listed her in the approval matrix as both “despicable” and “lowbrow.”) And that’s really the problem with her – she tries to be like Oprah, but falls flat.

It’s not that we don’t love “America’s Top Model.” In fact, watching ladies cry at the drop of a hat is the hallmark of good reality television. Let’s be clear about the problem, though. Good competition reality needs a mentor, and that mentor shouldn’t be in competition with the contestants.

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Oh (Big) Brother

March 19, 2007

He aint heavy...and nobody's watching.

Why is it, in these days of perpetual voyeurism—the frankness of myspace, the relentlessness of the paparazzi, the total disclosure of blogs—people in this country don’t seem to get into "Big Brother?"

Abroad, the show is wildly popular, the actions of some of the housemates causing ripples literally across the globe. Winners and notables on the British version are instant megastars of the Anna Nicole variety, complete with their own fragrances and exercise videos, but here, in the States, the show is a drop in the bucket of reality television. A summer fling while we wait for our appointment television to come back to us in the fall, and look forward to the new line-ups.

For whatever reason, Big Brother just hasn’t caught on around these parts. Thanks for the effort, and for the memories (if you have them), but it’s just never going to measure up. Please, Make it Stop.

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