And for the second time, heeeeeeeeeere’s Allison!

So I watch a lot of TV. More than I should really, but I can’t help getting sucked in to shallow frivolousness that is reality television. And I know that a lot of people have written about their love of reality TV, A LOT. But my love is more like a love-hate relationship than anything else. I watch to keep myself sane. Reality TV shows me that my life is good in all of its normalcy. Some shows I just don’t watch though because they are too predictable. Like, anything on MTV. Real World has not been original and really interesting since the Seattle cast. And all these challenges like the Gauntlet (seasons 1- 45) that have the exact same cast members?? The reason I tuned-in in the first place was to see new people each year. How many times are you gonna show “the Miz” get in a fight with some frat guy with a Mohawk.?? No thanks.

The shows I really enjoy are the shows that know the ridiculousness of Hollywood and poke fun at it while still identifying with it. It’s an enigma in itself really, but refreshing. It shows that there are some people out there that understand the stupidity of the media. Two wonderful examples: Kathy Griffin My Life on the D-List and The Soup - formerly Talk Soup. I LOVE these shows. After I catch up on the regular news channels, I always make sure I have time for The Soup and then Jon Stewart or Steven Colbert. There once was a time when you could get satire like this from Saturday Night Live, but those glory days are gone….sigh.

I must say that Kathy Griffin’s show is not for the light-hearted. She can be very harsh and sometimes obscene. Viewer discretion is advised. But I love her. I love the way she tells her comedy. It’s like a really good story, and she gets every detail no matter how crude. She is fearless and I admire her for that.

I also love Sarah Silverman. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if they collaborated. (open letter to Sarah and Kathy: Collaborate. I will be on the very first row.) A lot of people don’t get their comedy. Especially Sarah’s. And, really, I don’t know if I am getting the way she wants me to, but I still laugh so that’s probably half of the battle for her.

When she does stand up, she puts on the façade of selfishness in hopes of uncovering a variety of ‘isms and prejudices in all aspects of life. It’s basically the standpoint of, “It’s funny because it’s true…and that’s kinda sad…but the only way to tear it down to size so that we can dismantle it, is to laugh at it.” (See J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - specifically the part about Boggarts - for a better look at this phenomenon.)

But besides these kind of shows there are some that have yet to deviate from their original purpose. These shows are: Top Chef, Project Runway, Last Comic Standing…and I’m sure there’s another I’m forgetting. These are going into multiple seasons not because of the controversy of the casts and the media hype that surrounds shows like Survivor and American Idol. They are strong because most of the people cast are professionals in their craft. They take the challenges seriously because they identify with what they are doing. Eventually they will probably sell out, but I hope it’s not for a long, long time.