Poke Fun But “Homeless Real World” Not a Joke

Thanks to now-defunct web video site ManiaTV, there are over 160 hours of footage featuring six homeless people living in Denver.  The show’s creators were never able to convince Mania to go to series and were able to get the footage back.

They have released a “sizzle reel” that gives a very good taste of what they were able to capture.  Since the produccers were independent and not bound by conventional TV approaches the result is quite unusual:

The approach that the producers took to shooting the series is unlike anything on TV. The producers bonded closely with the subjects, at times breaking the fourth wall in the footage. Interviews are more conversation than Q&A and feature nothing like the typical “confessionals” adopted by so many reality shows.

“The cast and crew became so close that they’re still very much in touch with each other,” Ayoub says. “So we can tell you what everyone is doing today.”

This is apparent in the video below.  This is the sort of unique programming that could only happen in the new world of independent web video producers.  Whether or not a major distributor will take on such controversial material is uncertain.  This would be a tough sell to advertisers.  At the same time, one has to wonder if a smart distributor would be able to use the controversy to build the level of attention that advertisers simply cannot ignore.

Homeless Real World (sizzle reel) from Broadcasting & Cable on Vimeo.

Check out the video:

IFC and VBS Hope Porn Will Boost Viewers – Sasha Grey, Too

Tilzy.TV has a very good post on two conceptually  similar webseries each of which focuses on an erotica/pornography photographer primarily as an excuse to show a whole lot of naked women and girls.

IFC.com is presenting The Stagg Party, a sort-of reality show format following the life and work of professional photographer Ellen Stagg.  Meanwhile, VBS.TV is going with Shot By Kern in which we watch Richard Kern take pictures of young porn stars like Sasha Grey intercut with harmless interviews with the girls.

Now, I am not saying there is anything wrong with this but as Tilzy points out, it’s too bad the filmmakers didn’t explore some deeper issues and themes.  Instead, we get a lot of the same stuff we’ve heard before about the intersection of art and porn.  If this was your only glimpse into the world of pornography you’d think everyone involved was just as well-adjusted and happy and emotionally sound as one could possibly be.

Sure, it’s trendy right now to view much of porn as some sort of later-day post-feminist political movement but the truth is most of it is just people having sex on camera so other people can masturbate.  Again, not saying there is anything wrong with that but coming from sources like IFC and VBS it would have been nice to see a some actual meat on the bone.

Here’s an episode of SHOT BY KERN (NSFW):

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But Wait…There’s More Obliterates Separation of Show and Ad

Among the many new shows coming to you via the Discovery Channel this year is one featuring infomercial legend Billy Mays, who has shilled everything from OxiClean to the Awesome Auger (via THR):

First is “But Wait … There’s More” from executive producer Beers, which follows longform ad salesmen Billy Mays and Anthony “Sully” Sullivan as they evaluate quirky new products, craft pitches and take to the airwaves to push the goods.

Just so you get it, the guy who was doing infomercials is now doing a show that will actually have advertisements around it but the show itself is still an infomercial…with commercials…

When infomercials started taking over the late-night airwaves I was saddened by the loss of the late-late-movie and the other weirdness that would pop up on TV after two in the morning.  Then reality shows came along and I was saddened by the loss of a lot of solid scripted fair.

Now that Discovery has figured out how to make an infomerical into a reality show we can pretty much kiss all decent TV goodbye.

Sigh.

2009 – The Year of Bowling

Every year I like to make a few predictions about the year ahead.  The beauty of a blog is I can actually be on record in case any of these things comes true.

So, in that spirit, please let it be known that I believe 2009 will be the Year of Bowling.  I think we are going to see a large rise in the visibility of the sport and a major uptick in youth participation.

I think we will see at least one major TV show that is centered around bowling.  In fact, I would not be surprised if we see both a bowling reality show and a scripted sitcom set, at least in part, at a bowling alley (yes, I remember “Ed” but that was really not about bowling at all).

There you have it, folks.  If anyone is interested in help creating any of these shows, please drop me a line. I’ve got a bunch of ideas…

We Get the TV We Deserve – Fox Mates Candid Camera with Cops

Image via Wikipedia

Sure, it’s fun to complain about the state of TV programming and especially the state of reality TV but the networks are only interested in producing shows people watch.

Since people seem to like to watch other people being tricked AND arrested, Fox is bringing us (via BB):

“Smile, You’re Under Arrest features people with outstanding warrants getting tricked for the audience’s amusement before being arrested.

Fox President of Alternative Entertainment Mike Darnell calls it “a reverse Punk’d. Instead of the worst day of your life and then a joke at the end, this is the reverse. This is the best day of your life, and then we arrest you.”

From the network that canceled Arrested Development… We have nobody to blame but ourselves.

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Lonely Without LonelyGirl15

There is a send-off piece over on NTV about the end of LonelyGirl15, a true pioneer of the webseries and one of the few honest success stories out there.

The question is, will we ever see anything like it again?

“There was an innocence and an excitement to the shows of this era that can never be replicated. It’s like the first season of The Real World: It was genuinely interesting because no one knew what was going to happen. The participants of every subsequent season (and every reality show that followed) knew they could get famous from it, so it became fake. Everyone knows that there is money, or a Hollywood deal, to be made on the web now, so there’s no sense of danger. The thrill is gone, replaced by a careful eye on playcounts, CPMs and creating a brand.”

I’m not quite as pessimistic as NTV.  I think there will always be kids out there excited by the chance to just get their vision out there, to be thrilled by the sheer fact that they are being seen and heard.  Will some of them be dreaming of Hollywood contracts?  Sure.  But plenty of others will just be dreaming up the next insane scene they can shoot and post with their buddies.

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