By Julia Gray
Recently I finished my master’s in journalism and now that I’m even more unemployable than ever before, I spend my days keeping the couch down and giving my remote the best workout ever. During my travels up and down the TV channels, here’s what I’ve discovered: the writer’s strike has sucked the life out of my television viewing so much so that I actually look forward to the commercials and, gasp, reality TV.
Join me on my little journey.
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Flipping Out
This little gem airs on the same channel as my ultimate guilty pleasure and is about another set of Southern Californians working their 15 minutes of fame to the very last second. Meet Jeff Lewis, the main house-flipper, drama queen and star of the show. He acts more like a movie studio head honcho than one of the thousands of house-flippers in the nation. His ego alone is bigger than the LA basin and while he’s monumentally obnoxious, he’s also mesmerizing. He’s very good at his job and turns some of the ugliest homes into hip abodes. He lives in his “flips,” is constantly moving and strongly relies on the power of house blessings/psychics when buying and selling a property.
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Verizon Wireless Miniature Horse Commercial
You’ve seen this ad and hopefully laughed out loud because it’s funny. It’s the one with the three high school girls standing in a backyard looking at the ultimate little girl gift: a pony. But it’s obvious a wood-eating, growling tiny equine is not the gift she had in mind. She wanted the latest cell phone, like the ones her two stunned friends got. It’s nice to see Verizon moving on from that god-awful “Can you hear me now?” tag line.
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Be the Boss of Your TV!
Yes, it’s a boring subject matter for those of us who don’t have kids. But, I guess parents don’t want to subject their wee ones to the evils of television. Now, there are PSAs out to help clueless parents navigate and regulate their electronic babysitter. These ads feature stereotypical, albeit popular, TV characters: the undead, the Mafia boss, prison gangs, the dominatrix and the junkie being confronted by concerned parents who sing their praises yet inform them that they’re going to be blocked. The funniest one features the prison gang on a concerned mom’s smartly appointed lanai where they’re noshing on finger sandwiches and lemonade. She’s obviously unmoved by these thugs and even attempts to show her hipness by using prison lingo (and is politely corrected).
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Emporio Armani Diamonds Perfume Commercial
Don’t get me wrong; I think Beyoncé Knowles is lovely. She can sort of sing and dance. She’s stunning to look at. She’s not a poster child for anorexia like so many of today’s starlets. Yes, her acting abilities need work. So what.
But this new ad for Emporio Armani Diamonds perfume that features Ms. Knowles belting out a sleazed-up version of “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” makes me cringe. It’s gotten to the point where when I hear the first few bars of the song and I’m not quick enough to the mute button, I want to rip off my ankle monitor and finish up my bid in the pen.
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Trailer Park Boys
With episode titles like “Going Off the Rails on the Swayze Train,” “Let the Liquor Do the Talking,” and my personal fave, “A Shit River Runs Through It,” how can you possibly not check out this show? Trust me, it’s clever and stupid and eventually even you can tune out the canned laughter.
Posted on December 19, 2007