The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
I just saw the headline on OK/Hello/Chirpy title, spurious bol***ks magazine at the newsagent which read "Helen from Big Brother, reveals all about her relationship with Paul". Like who gives a monkeys about what some half wit hairdresser from Wales has to say about her "relationship" with another flipper child from the shallow end of the gene pool. I could just go and get my haircut if I wanted a complete stranger to tell me the ins and outs of their love life. Has the world gone mad?
I'm sick of reality TV. I don't want to know what its like to pass your driving test etc. I know what its like, I've done it. I don't have to watch Big Brother to see a bunch of unmotivated, twenty somethings loafing around doing nothing very much. I could stay in my living room if I wanted that.
The country seems to be obsessed with "ordinary" people. Why? I know plenty of "ordinary" people, who without wishing to be accused of Oprah Winfrey new agey sentimentality are "extraordinary".
I want TV to entertain and divert me, to make me think. I don't want to see ordinary people, I don't want a mirror image. I want a bit of imagination and magic. Scriptwriters are paid to write scripts as they are generally more interesting/funny whatever then how an "ordinary" person would express it. You only have to witness actors/comedians whatever without their scripts and characters to realise they are fairly "ordinary" people, as dull as the rest of us.
Its also cheap TV, you don't pay the actors/scriptwriters/ there are no sets or location costs etc just stick a CCTV camera somewhere and wait for an ordinary punter to come along and behave badly. Its wallpaper TV.
And then there is the whole "ethics" issue. Nasty Nick of Big Brother fame was quite clearly a lunatic. The type of bloke you take with a huge pinch of salt, make your excuses and leave. How a whole bank of "top psychologists" didn't recognise the man had a personality disorder is beyond me. The cynic might suggest that he was there to make for interesting TV. Give it enough time and he'll be suing TV companies for the "stress" that the fame he went and touted for that has now ruined his life.
The whole thing is highly dubious. Poor TV with no production values and questionable ethics. Think I'll stick with reading books and watching films.
I'm sick of reality TV. I don't want to know what its like to pass your driving test etc. I know what its like, I've done it. I don't have to watch Big Brother to see a bunch of unmotivated, twenty somethings loafing around doing nothing very much. I could stay in my living room if I wanted that.
The country seems to be obsessed with "ordinary" people. Why? I know plenty of "ordinary" people, who without wishing to be accused of Oprah Winfrey new agey sentimentality are "extraordinary".
I want TV to entertain and divert me, to make me think. I don't want to see ordinary people, I don't want a mirror image. I want a bit of imagination and magic. Scriptwriters are paid to write scripts as they are generally more interesting/funny whatever then how an "ordinary" person would express it. You only have to witness actors/comedians whatever without their scripts and characters to realise they are fairly "ordinary" people, as dull as the rest of us.
Its also cheap TV, you don't pay the actors/scriptwriters/ there are no sets or location costs etc just stick a CCTV camera somewhere and wait for an ordinary punter to come along and behave badly. Its wallpaper TV.
And then there is the whole "ethics" issue. Nasty Nick of Big Brother fame was quite clearly a lunatic. The type of bloke you take with a huge pinch of salt, make your excuses and leave. How a whole bank of "top psychologists" didn't recognise the man had a personality disorder is beyond me. The cynic might suggest that he was there to make for interesting TV. Give it enough time and he'll be suing TV companies for the "stress" that the fame he went and touted for that has now ruined his life.
The whole thing is highly dubious. Poor TV with no production values and questionable ethics. Think I'll stick with reading books and watching films.
Are you me?
Yeah the distinction between "ordinary" and "celebrity" has become very blurred hence the BB with Celebs where Vanessa was revealed as a deeply messed up puppy. Maybe it is the ultimate irony that "celebs" spend their lives trying to persuade us they are ordinary - which they are and "ordinary" people persuading us they are "celebs". Maybe we'll have celebrity plumber Big Brother with Handy Andy and crew indluging in a bit of emotional w***king for the benefits of the nations psyche.
So yes, I'll stick with the Simpsons, news programmes,Frasier and anything else that has a bit of depth, humour or insight. Where talent, creativity and intelligence are clearly used and you don't come away feeling like a voyeur on someone else's "ordinary" existence. Reality TV is like a bad one night stand, seems like a good idea at the time, could even be fun but you wake up with that ohmigod what have I just done sensation.
So yes, I'll stick with the Simpsons, news programmes,Frasier and anything else that has a bit of depth, humour or insight. Where talent, creativity and intelligence are clearly used and you don't come away feeling like a voyeur on someone else's "ordinary" existence. Reality TV is like a bad one night stand, seems like a good idea at the time, could even be fun but you wake up with that ohmigod what have I just done sensation.
I've seen bits of Big Brother, and it is pretty pointless, but at least someone with a personality actually won it. Rather than Helen, who was totally dim. Apparently she didn't even know that a dove is a bird.
Reality TV will die out gradually. The figures for the second series of BB weren't quite as high as the first. The novelty is wearing off already. And Survivor was a failure. Like all TV, we don't have to watch it. I'd rather watch comedy shows, documentaries and music TV. I can understand that if people are restricted to terrestrial TV, reality TV eats up one or more of the channels. But TV isn't the be all and end all. There's always the option to watch a DVD or video, listen to/play music, read, have a conversation (if you just want to veg out). If you have more than terrestrial TV, then obviously you can watch all kinds of programming. But if you think that 90% of everything is rubbish (not just TV), you just learn to appreciate the good stuff even more.
Reality TV will die out gradually. The figures for the second series of BB weren't quite as high as the first. The novelty is wearing off already. And Survivor was a failure. Like all TV, we don't have to watch it. I'd rather watch comedy shows, documentaries and music TV. I can understand that if people are restricted to terrestrial TV, reality TV eats up one or more of the channels. But TV isn't the be all and end all. There's always the option to watch a DVD or video, listen to/play music, read, have a conversation (if you just want to veg out). If you have more than terrestrial TV, then obviously you can watch all kinds of programming. But if you think that 90% of everything is rubbish (not just TV), you just learn to appreciate the good stuff even more.
Same appeal as soaps, isn't it?
Getting entertained by tales of other people's lives... I've never been a fan of things like that, but realisty TV has all that, with the added bonus that it's real - and you know how much the public like a true story.
I think the appeal lies somewhere between the "real life soap" concept and the "general public are nosy gits" theme.
Getting entertained by tales of other people's lives... I've never been a fan of things like that, but realisty TV has all that, with the added bonus that it's real - and you know how much the public like a true story.
I think the appeal lies somewhere between the "real life soap" concept and the "general public are nosy gits" theme.
Agree 100%.
But unfortunately we're in the minority on this one.
I've pondered and asked why people watch this stuff, and nobody can really say.
But then I feel that way about 95% of all television.
Refuse to watch it unless I'm at the girlfriend's place or just happen to flick through.
There are some shows I like and try to watch:
The Simpsons
The News
Animal documentaries
Other than that? Don't ever turn it on.
I do see the ultimate irony coming though:
Celeb goes home to watch a reality show about a plumber.
Plumber goes home and watches a programme with celeb in.
I'm gonna laugh my head off the day that happens.
But unfortunately we're in the minority on this one.
I've pondered and asked why people watch this stuff, and nobody can really say.
But then I feel that way about 95% of all television.
Refuse to watch it unless I'm at the girlfriend's place or just happen to flick through.
There are some shows I like and try to watch:
The Simpsons
The News
Animal documentaries
Other than that? Don't ever turn it on.
I do see the ultimate irony coming though:
Celeb goes home to watch a reality show about a plumber.
Plumber goes home and watches a programme with celeb in.
I'm gonna laugh my head off the day that happens.
I just saw the headline on OK/Hello/Chirpy title, spurious bol***ks magazine at the newsagent which read "Helen from Big Brother, reveals all about her relationship with Paul". Like who gives a monkeys about what some half wit hairdresser from Wales has to say about her "relationship" with another flipper child from the shallow end of the gene pool. I could just go and get my haircut if I wanted a complete stranger to tell me the ins and outs of their love life. Has the world gone mad?
I'm sick of reality TV. I don't want to know what its like to pass your driving test etc. I know what its like, I've done it. I don't have to watch Big Brother to see a bunch of unmotivated, twenty somethings loafing around doing nothing very much. I could stay in my living room if I wanted that.
The country seems to be obsessed with "ordinary" people. Why? I know plenty of "ordinary" people, who without wishing to be accused of Oprah Winfrey new agey sentimentality are "extraordinary".
I want TV to entertain and divert me, to make me think. I don't want to see ordinary people, I don't want a mirror image. I want a bit of imagination and magic. Scriptwriters are paid to write scripts as they are generally more interesting/funny whatever then how an "ordinary" person would express it. You only have to witness actors/comedians whatever without their scripts and characters to realise they are fairly "ordinary" people, as dull as the rest of us.
Its also cheap TV, you don't pay the actors/scriptwriters/ there are no sets or location costs etc just stick a CCTV camera somewhere and wait for an ordinary punter to come along and behave badly. Its wallpaper TV.
And then there is the whole "ethics" issue. Nasty Nick of Big Brother fame was quite clearly a lunatic. The type of bloke you take with a huge pinch of salt, make your excuses and leave. How a whole bank of "top psychologists" didn't recognise the man had a personality disorder is beyond me. The cynic might suggest that he was there to make for interesting TV. Give it enough time and he'll be suing TV companies for the "stress" that the fame he went and touted for that has now ruined his life.
The whole thing is highly dubious. Poor TV with no production values and questionable ethics. Think I'll stick with reading books and watching films.
I'm sick of reality TV. I don't want to know what its like to pass your driving test etc. I know what its like, I've done it. I don't have to watch Big Brother to see a bunch of unmotivated, twenty somethings loafing around doing nothing very much. I could stay in my living room if I wanted that.
The country seems to be obsessed with "ordinary" people. Why? I know plenty of "ordinary" people, who without wishing to be accused of Oprah Winfrey new agey sentimentality are "extraordinary".
I want TV to entertain and divert me, to make me think. I don't want to see ordinary people, I don't want a mirror image. I want a bit of imagination and magic. Scriptwriters are paid to write scripts as they are generally more interesting/funny whatever then how an "ordinary" person would express it. You only have to witness actors/comedians whatever without their scripts and characters to realise they are fairly "ordinary" people, as dull as the rest of us.
Its also cheap TV, you don't pay the actors/scriptwriters/ there are no sets or location costs etc just stick a CCTV camera somewhere and wait for an ordinary punter to come along and behave badly. Its wallpaper TV.
And then there is the whole "ethics" issue. Nasty Nick of Big Brother fame was quite clearly a lunatic. The type of bloke you take with a huge pinch of salt, make your excuses and leave. How a whole bank of "top psychologists" didn't recognise the man had a personality disorder is beyond me. The cynic might suggest that he was there to make for interesting TV. Give it enough time and he'll be suing TV companies for the "stress" that the fame he went and touted for that has now ruined his life.
The whole thing is highly dubious. Poor TV with no production values and questionable ethics. Think I'll stick with reading books and watching films.