[ Post a Response | EVEN DeepER Blurting! ]
Posted by DexterBG on 4/23/2006, 3:14 am
I don't know if anyone else here has bothered to see this Tv show
on ABC. I've avoided it myself, for the most part. Just watching a
few minutes of it is extremely painful. And I'm not talking about
the caliber of the inventions featured. But the whole exploitive
nature of the show. It's done like so many other so-called reality
shows, that it seems to demonstrate a formula of production. A very
boring formula. I doubt that there is a single second of unscripted
spontaneity during the whole show. Even the so-called judges appear
to act out their responses. And often the editing seems way off its
mark, matching these responses with whatever they're supposed to be
seeing for the very first time. I doubt what we're seeing their
first reactions to anything.
.
But what really repulses me is that stupid question they ask the
hopefulls. "Why you?" What is this, a beauty contest? What's the
inventor's background got to do with what they have invented? Would
they have asked Thomas Edison, "Why do you deserve to be rewarded
for inventing the electric light?" The invention's usefullness
should be all that's important. But this show is far from having
common sense on its side. They're trying to make it into some kind
of a "survivor" series. Loads of melodrama, very little substance.
And of all the inventions that they looked at, the things that have
made the final cut are a new kind of sand shovel, umbrella, and some
sports gear. Wow, get the number for the Nobel awards. We might have
a doozie for the start of the new century. Forget about curing the
common cold. We've got this great new shovel! Pul-lease.
.
But what I've recently started wondering, is if its creator Simon
Cowell, was a fan of MST3000 from the old days of its own Invention
Exchange? And he borrowed the concept, to make it into this even
crappier show? Some of the inventions the Joel came up with were as
least as good as the ones on this series. Some of his may be even
better than those on American Inventor (A.I. get it?). Even though
Joel's stuff was never seriously intended to be practical, only
entertaining. But then what the h*ll was that rip-away ribbon suit,
that got passed A.I.'s supposed screening process, if not purely to
boost the show's ratings? Not too long ago, when Janet Jackson has
a far less revealing, wardrobe malfunction, the network responsible
for its coverage got a fine. I'll just bet ABC didn't get fined at
all for this, even with their digital blurr editing. Even though
they could have easily omitted it altogether. Isn't this supposed
to be a family show? Isn't Disney calling the shots now? How does
it get worse with the big cartoon rat in charge? Maybe I just
answered my own question.
.
All I can say is that apparently it's OK to copy bits and pieces
of MST3000 for primetime programming. But we can't have the whole
original show on, because it messes with too many sacret cows of
the entertainment industry. I'm surprised that S.N.L. gets away
with spoofing anything in movies or Tv. But then it doesn't do it
on every show. And I've noticed that J.K.L. (Jimmy Kimmel's show)
hasn't breathed a word of ridicule about American Inventor. Is ABC
so touchie about it, that they've told him "keep hands off!"? I'll
bet it's just killing his staff, that they can't criticize any of
its invention choices. Like the "fart deoderizing pad". Or the lame
judges' reactions to so many screwy gadgets. Why can Jimmy only
rank on American Idol, but not American Inventor?
.
Obviously, it's because ABC calls the shots, and won't let him joke
about any of their own programming. That's probably why Cowell chose
ABC in the first place, for A.I., instead of FOX. Because J.K.L. is
the only show that ranks on these things. And ABC restricts what
Kimmel can do. In a way, ABC is running a "protection racket". If a
show doesn't want to be ranked on by Kimmel, they have to ask ABC
to muzzle him. And they probably want something for doing that. Like
a contract or something. Image ABC getting hit with a RICO Act suit
someday.
-Dex
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