I have only seen a few Springer shows. But I still know that if my significant other (whether of two weeks or two years) asks me to go on the Jerry Springer, I'm not going to be dumb enough to go. I figure that the guys/gals who end up being embarrassed on the show are lied to about why they're on the show, but how gullible does one have to be? I can't imagine what story would be so tempting that I'd risk it. But then again, how many of those people are putting on a act to get on TV.
It's one thing to pull a stunt to get on Jerry Springer, but it's another to get engaged. Take "Married by America" back in 2003. The basic plot is that short segments on several men and women are shown, and then the viewers can call in to vote for who they think should get engaged to whom (and pay a couple of bucks per call while they're at it), and then the most voted couple agree to get married. It's one thing to go on a blind date, but another to get engaged solely based on the judgement of people who sit at home and spend some $20 on a show (that's if they only vote once per couple). And that's not even considering how many jokers are sure to call in to set you up with some asshole.
And then there was "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?", where some women agree to marry some millionaire sight unseen. Now, while it's not something that I'd be a part of, I can actually see this as being a reasonable option for some people. How many good looking women are simply looking to marry a rich man? So for them, why not simply cut out all the dating, get hitched to some loser, get the money, and have a 'headache' from then on out? The guy was just some goofy looking putz, who's only real chance for marriage is that some girl will do so for money anyway. So, why not be a part of that show and get to pick the one you think looks best? It's about as close to an actual marriage that some of these people will get to.
I still watch a few reality shows, but not many. Shows like "Amazing Race" that are mostly based on competition instead of any "voting off" crap, or "dating" shows.
---jps
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Anonymity is a Warm Blanket
I don't want to be famous.
If life leads me down a path where I happen to be famous (doubtful), then so be it, but I sure as snot will not go looking for fame. You lose your privacy, too many losers feel the need to know every detail of your life, too many idiots feel qualified to judge others, and so on, and so on. Even if you find yourself in a position where people have nothing but good intentions, it can be a crush, and you can't do anything anonymously in public. Who knows how much of an idiot I would turn out to be if I were surrounded by the same people as stars like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. I once flew on a plane sitting next to a sitcom star from the '60s. She aged well, and you could still recognize her, and more than half the people in the small puddle jumper recognized her as someone familiar. The poor lady wouldn't have gotten a moment's rest if some fan had set next to her. No, no, that's not for me. I will happily go through life where most people don't know me from Adam.
I don't want to be super-rich.
Sure, I'd like to be a bit more financially secure than I am now. But there is a point where one is comfortable and secure, and the rest is just more of the same. When you have a lot of money and people know it, most want to get it from you. You don't know who is being your friend to be your friend, and who is in it for the money (most would be in it for the money, of course). People will come out of the woodwork to sue you at the drop of a hat just to get money, even if you haven't done anything to deserve it. And you and your loved ones will constantly be the target of all kinds of thieves and con men.
Take for example, the fellow in West Virginia who won 315 million in the Lotto around Christmas of 2002. He took the lump sum payment, which ended up being 113 million, after taxes. Since then, he has been arrested for drunk driving, gotten caught up in all sorts of crap with strippers and drugs (including some fellow being found dead in his house). He's been sued for all sorts of things, and now he doesn't have anything in the bank, because some people started writing checks on his account. This unknown fellow has been consistently in the news because of all these things that have been happening to him. Some of these things he has brought on himself by his own actions (power corrupts), and some of these things have happened to him because of the money.
No, if I win the lottery, a few million should be just fine to handle my needs for the rest of my life. Even that amount will bring me the attention of some unscrupulous types, but I hope that I'd be able to at least handle that kind of trouble. Well, then again, I'd probably need another million or two just to send a couple of kids through college...
---jps
If life leads me down a path where I happen to be famous (doubtful), then so be it, but I sure as snot will not go looking for fame. You lose your privacy, too many losers feel the need to know every detail of your life, too many idiots feel qualified to judge others, and so on, and so on. Even if you find yourself in a position where people have nothing but good intentions, it can be a crush, and you can't do anything anonymously in public. Who knows how much of an idiot I would turn out to be if I were surrounded by the same people as stars like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. I once flew on a plane sitting next to a sitcom star from the '60s. She aged well, and you could still recognize her, and more than half the people in the small puddle jumper recognized her as someone familiar. The poor lady wouldn't have gotten a moment's rest if some fan had set next to her. No, no, that's not for me. I will happily go through life where most people don't know me from Adam.
I don't want to be super-rich.
Sure, I'd like to be a bit more financially secure than I am now. But there is a point where one is comfortable and secure, and the rest is just more of the same. When you have a lot of money and people know it, most want to get it from you. You don't know who is being your friend to be your friend, and who is in it for the money (most would be in it for the money, of course). People will come out of the woodwork to sue you at the drop of a hat just to get money, even if you haven't done anything to deserve it. And you and your loved ones will constantly be the target of all kinds of thieves and con men.
Take for example, the fellow in West Virginia who won 315 million in the Lotto around Christmas of 2002. He took the lump sum payment, which ended up being 113 million, after taxes. Since then, he has been arrested for drunk driving, gotten caught up in all sorts of crap with strippers and drugs (including some fellow being found dead in his house). He's been sued for all sorts of things, and now he doesn't have anything in the bank, because some people started writing checks on his account. This unknown fellow has been consistently in the news because of all these things that have been happening to him. Some of these things he has brought on himself by his own actions (power corrupts), and some of these things have happened to him because of the money.
No, if I win the lottery, a few million should be just fine to handle my needs for the rest of my life. Even that amount will bring me the attention of some unscrupulous types, but I hope that I'd be able to at least handle that kind of trouble. Well, then again, I'd probably need another million or two just to send a couple of kids through college...
---jps
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Things I love...
I love game shows.
I don't like them all, but I like most of them, and I watch alot of them, especially on GSN. I despise it when game shows draw out the "drama" too extreme lengths, and game shows where contestants are "talking things out" and/or where they cast the shows with over-hyped overly-excited contestants. Take Deal or No Deal for example. That show is all about dragging out the "tension", which makes it extremely boring to me. 1 vs. 100 is an interesting spin on a trivia show, but they do the too-talky thing and draw things out too much. It boils down to the fact that you get some ten to fifteen questions in an hour long show. I still watch shows like that and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, but I record them on a DVR, then fast forward through them.
I love Carly Simon.
While she is a talented and sexy songstress, and while I like several of her songs, that's not why I love her. For many years, people have rumored that her song "You're So Vain" was written about a famous man. And, she has admitted that there was a man who inspired the song, but she won't say who. Theories are rampant, and three of the main "possibilities" are James Taylor, Mick Jagger, and Warren Beatty. For all this time, Carly has refused to say who it is. A few years ago, she held an auction for charity, and the winning bidder was to learn who the song was inspired by. The winning bidder paid some $50k, and brought several friends to hear her play the song, and find out who it was. She swore them to secrecy, told them, and allowed them to release one letter of the name: "E". Then later on, she released the letter "A", and then "R". Of course, that matches all three rumored famous guys, and for all we know, the guy is some bartender or record exec with a name like Tony Carrera. But I love the fact that she is just dragging this out, taunting people who are obsessed with this too much, and need a life. I'm a little curious, admittedly, but I'm actually enjoying her toying with every one much more.
And, I love potatoes!
While I like the vegetable, that's a very obscure reference to a '90s standup bit by Jeff Garlin (the comic from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy Day Care, and other things). I'd share the joke with you, but I don't want to steal his stuff. I'll just say "I love them mashed, I love them fried, I love potatoes!", and leave it at that.
---jps
I don't like them all, but I like most of them, and I watch alot of them, especially on GSN. I despise it when game shows draw out the "drama" too extreme lengths, and game shows where contestants are "talking things out" and/or where they cast the shows with over-hyped overly-excited contestants. Take Deal or No Deal for example. That show is all about dragging out the "tension", which makes it extremely boring to me. 1 vs. 100 is an interesting spin on a trivia show, but they do the too-talky thing and draw things out too much. It boils down to the fact that you get some ten to fifteen questions in an hour long show. I still watch shows like that and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, but I record them on a DVR, then fast forward through them.
I love Carly Simon.
While she is a talented and sexy songstress, and while I like several of her songs, that's not why I love her. For many years, people have rumored that her song "You're So Vain" was written about a famous man. And, she has admitted that there was a man who inspired the song, but she won't say who. Theories are rampant, and three of the main "possibilities" are James Taylor, Mick Jagger, and Warren Beatty. For all this time, Carly has refused to say who it is. A few years ago, she held an auction for charity, and the winning bidder was to learn who the song was inspired by. The winning bidder paid some $50k, and brought several friends to hear her play the song, and find out who it was. She swore them to secrecy, told them, and allowed them to release one letter of the name: "E". Then later on, she released the letter "A", and then "R". Of course, that matches all three rumored famous guys, and for all we know, the guy is some bartender or record exec with a name like Tony Carrera. But I love the fact that she is just dragging this out, taunting people who are obsessed with this too much, and need a life. I'm a little curious, admittedly, but I'm actually enjoying her toying with every one much more.
And, I love potatoes!
While I like the vegetable, that's a very obscure reference to a '90s standup bit by Jeff Garlin (the comic from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy Day Care, and other things). I'd share the joke with you, but I don't want to steal his stuff. I'll just say "I love them mashed, I love them fried, I love potatoes!", and leave it at that.
---jps
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