I meant to address this a long time ago, but WTF is Ellen Degeneres doing as a judge on American Idol? I was under the impression it was a singing competition and therefore having individuals with experience and knowledge of the music industry would be beneficial.
The answer to my perplexed question is that Ellen is a ratings boost and that is really all that matters to Fox and the Idol team. Who cares that she will have no actual technical insights to offer, thereby perfectly filling the vacated shoes of Paula Abdul.
In the bigger picture of things, this is another indication that creativity is currently taking a dirt nap.
The initial incarnation of Idol was outstanding because it was new and fresh. As we roll towards season ten, the only thing new and fresh about the show is Degeneres, who will most likely just be the host of the Ellen Show sitting in a chair on Idol. I look forward to Simon wondering what is wrong with her when she gets up mid-song to begin dancing through the crowd.
Minor Idol reboots aren't the only indication of creativity being on hiatus in Hollywood. In addition to the multitude of mindless reality shows that are flooding the airwaves - if you have more the six kids, TLC will give you a show - to the rash of vampire / occult-ish inventions popping up everywhere, originality is no longer a prerequisite for programming.
The ironic thing about all this is that the level of talent trending towards the small screen is greater than ever; more and more accomplished and credible actors are ready to make the move to television thanks to stalled box office numbers and shrunken salaries, but the vehicles they're offered are CSI: Atlanta and NCIS: Los Angeles.
But it's not as if movie execs are helping the situation any either, with further installments of already dead franchises - they're making another National Lampoon's Vacation movie - and the always popular "reboot" like the one being offered up to Predator, the majority of the material is either formulaic or forgettable.
Nothing like another romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock and / or Ryan Reynolds to drive people into the theatres...
With few appealing options out there, people are going to have to start reading for pleasure again.
D'you hear that Hollywood?
You're making people read!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Creativity is Dead (Yes, I'm Going There Again!)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Things I Learned This Week
1. I'm Not Quite Ready for Some Football
Slept through most of today's action, despite the fact that it was the opening weekend and I have five fantasy teams to keep tabs on.
Personally, I blame the first half of the Minnesota - Cleveland game and that unretiring bastard Brett Favre. Nothing exciting happened and the Vikes looked like they weren't planning on running the ball much, so I took a nap.
Wake up, AP has gone for 180 and three scores and I missed it all. I'll try to be more awake for next week.
2. Ryan Loco Has a Fitting Last Name
Most interviews I conduct last in the 15 - 20 minute range, stick to the script and leave me feeling like I did my job.
Talking to the star of The Loco Life took around an hour, went on several different tangents and left me feeling like I would have a couch to sleep on if I was ever stranded in Encinitas, California.
Oh... and the guy is totally off his rocker! When you've got 30 minutes to kill, go read the interview and get your daily dose of laughter.
3. Creativity is Dead in Hollywood
Confirmation came this week when I realized we're maybe a year away from their being nothing but remakes (Melrose Place, 90210) and multiple versions of the same show (CSI: Boise and NCIS: Wichita ... Coming Soon!) joining Reality TV left to watch.
Can no one come up with a decent, original idea these days? Do we really need to bring back Melrose Place?
Couldn't we have brought back something better?
4. August Promises Don't Pan Out in September
This should have come as no surprise, seeing as I was hired a year ago as a full-time bartender and have never had more than three shifts on the taps in a week, but the "we'll get you more shifts when so-and-so leaves" I heard in August have turned into two shifts a week for September.
Even better is that we keep bending over backwards and rewarding the people who need accommodating, while the guy who came in whenever he was called and does a good job 99 times out of 100 is no the Wednesday / Thursday day bartender.
Nothing like being able to make $40 over two days to help pay for a move...
5. Jay-Z is Still the Man
Don't believe me? Go out and get a hold of The Blueprint 3 or wait 'til Friday when "Run This Town" shows up in Soundtrack.
"D.O.A." stands for Death of Auto-Tune and is vintage Jay telling you what he thinks, whether it's what you want to hear or not.
Until he truly retires, Jay-Z is still the baddest MC in the game.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
King of the Marginally Talented
Yeah, I'm shocked at how many opportunities you've gotten over the years too, Nick Cannon.
Honestly, you might be the most successful marginally-talented entertainer around these days.
Despite a number of kicks at the can, Nick Cannon has never ascended beyond mid-card status in Hollywood, yet somehow, he keeps getting opportunities.
People thought he was destined for stardom after a successful run on The Nick Cannon Show and his debut film Drumline, but since then, exactly what has he done?
Besides marry Mariah Carey, the answer is not all that much.
Wild N' Out is funny and part of my current "there ain't nothing else on so I might as well watch this" rotation, but we're talking about reruns from a discontinued show.
Movie roles have been either ensemble work (see Bobby) or horrible leading roles (see The Underclassman), while his music career saw he second album get permanently shelves after two singles had little to no success.
And now he's hosting America's Got Talent.
While the show is a summer success for NBC, it has little do with Cannon's efforts and more to do with people and their ridiculous fascination with watching talent shows judged by marginal celebrities.
Mr. Mariah Carey is creeping up on 30, and despite his youthful looks is no longer eligible for teen comedies with musical interludes; those roles are reserved for Zac Effron and his High School Musical associates, leaving Cannon with few options.
My prediction?
Drumline 2: Encore.
Laugh all you want, but you know Cannon's at home right now writing that script.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Best News Ever!
Posting some of my work over at Yardbarker earlier today, I trolled through the MMA posts and came across this gem that is easily the best thing to ever happen to Mixed Martial Arts.
Hung Lo Dojo found a story on gossip site Just Jared about Heidi & Spencer of The Hills "fame" making a foray into MMA for some new reality show Captain Douchebag (that's Spencer...) is going to be doing.
AWESOME!
That's exactly what the sport needs, this jerkoff spending too much time watching Entourage and wanting to be a real-life E and help Kevin Casey (2-1 career record, pictured) make it in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
We already have a show like that where unknowns fight to make the UFC and even though it's run by the people in charge of the biggest and best organization in the business, even it's getting tired and losing fans. But it doesn't have Spencer...
You just have to know that the creation of this project came together in some boardroom brainstorming session where a bunch of retarded television executives were shooting down Pratt's ideas and then pulled the old, "That Mixed Martial Arts sure is popular. You should do something about that..."
And now we have a show where this moron who really, really needs to shave plays sports management guy in the world of MMA.
I say it again... AWESOME!
Someone shoot me...
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