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Summer TV continues to bum us out as we just can't seem to get on board with the rest of the country and devote any of our time watching pseudo-celebrities embarassing themselves while trying to ballroom dance. We read about the success of this show and can't quite get our heads around it. Is it a sheer lack of any other programming that is driving the ratings up? Or is everyone in America just a closet dancer, living their dreams vicariously through these sad, sad stars? We remain perplexed, while continuing to look for other ways to waste our time...
For those who missed the airing on Monday night, USA will re-run the "AFI Lifetime Achievement Award Tribute to George Lucas" this Sunday at 9 a.m. For the most part, it's a pretty boring affair, with the usual suspects getting on stage and talking about how great Lucas is. But it is worth watching for a few interview clips with director Peter Jackson in which he looks like a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON, (it freaked us out. Did he get a makeover or something?), and also for Carrie Fisher's hilarious rant, wherein she treats the event more like a roast than a sincere tribute, and during which you can't really tell if she's on something, or simply crazy (even she would probably admit to both).
Image from a site that proves we aren't the only ones perturbed by George Lucas's neck.
Speaking of funny broads, Janeane Garofalo has a made-for-TV movie premiering this Saturday at 8 p.m. on Oxygen, and we don't really know how to approach this. We love Janeane. We love her stand-up, we love her big political mouth, and we love her constant self-deprecation. But we just don't know what to say about a movie called Nadine in Dateland in which she plays a thirtysomething "matchmaker" (hey, that combo sounds familiar) with problems in her own love-life. What do we know? It might turn out to be a hilarious movie (even The Truth About Cats and Dogs had its moments), but when we read that she got Botox for the role, it just made us sad. Garofalo has long ranted about the Hollywood prejudices against "overweight" or "older" actresses, (which in the real world would merely mean a woman who weighs more than 100 pounds and is older than 25) while still being forced to adhere to those standards in order to maintain her career. So she's stayed skinny, and now she's fighting the wrinkles. (She says she only did it because she had to play younger than she is for the part, but still...) All we can say is: Janeane, it's a TV movie on Oxygen! You shot chemicals into your face for that??
OK...ranting over. Let's set our sites on something a little more...edifying: The return of "History Detectives" on PBS Monday the 27th at 9 p.m. (with a repeat at 4 a.m.) Think "Antiques Roadshow" meets "CSI", and you'll kind of get an idea of what the show is like. Past episodes have brought the detectives to the Bay Area a few times with investigations into poems written on the walls of the the Angel Island detention center, dueling pistols on display at a local bank, and a banner possibly owned by Cesar Chavez. The premiere doesn't include any local mysteries, but it'll still be more entertaining than bad ballroom dancing. We promise!
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in defense of the ballroom dancing thing, watching ex heavyweight champ Evander Holliefield (sp?) shake his booty doing the quick step was truly amazing. Other worthwile reality pics: Trading Spouses (great editing showing contrasting family values between differing families of varied socio economic values--think vegan vs. crock eating cajuns), and the Tommy Hilfiger one (forget the name) great watching obnoxious young designer wannabees trying to impress fickle, tough ass Hilfiger. compared to the past generation of reality, this batch is a step up.
I thought "Trading Spouses" paled in comparison to ABC's Wife Swap which, I believe went into production first. (Well, the one in England did it first, but Fox went ahead with their rip-off the minute they heard ABC was bringing the show to the States.)
Also, I liked the Hilfigger show "Cut" much better the first time I saw it, when it was called Project Runway.
I mean, I totally want to like Dancing with the Stars, but I dunno, I just can't get through it. What I am totally into, though -- Hit Me Baby One More Time!!!! Dude, Billy Vera (that guy who sang that slow dance song "At This Moment" from Family Ties!!!) is on this week! What hit from today will he cover? I can't stand the suspense!
I was so very excited about "Hit Me Baby..." when it first aired, but hearing how incredibly AWFUL everyone sounded (someone hire a mixer, stat!) just made me depressed. Also, what kind if applause-o-meter are they using to decide the winners, and how come we never see it in action?!