Some of us watch too much television. Then there’s people like myself who pay too much attention to the television. While most television just slides by the wayside, sometimes hilarity ensues while other times you start to feel a touch weird while watching the events take place. It’s those latter moments when you change the channel, apologize to friends and family, or just sit there mouth agape. It’s those moments that are there for the cherishing. Here’s a View from the Couch…
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MXC (Spike TV)- There may not be anything funnier on television these days. Most Extreme Elimination Competition combines all of the necessary components needed for humor: people getting injured, unbelievable costumes, humorous running commentary and stunts gone wrong.
MXC is a reality/ game show from Japan named ‘Takeski’s Castle’ where contestants attempt ridiculous stunts for, well, I don’t know. It seems there may be money at stake, but it’s just a shot in the dark. What really makes the show is the running commentary in English from the shows two hosts Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano. This is Must-See television……Last Comic Standing (NBC/ Comedy Central) I really liked this show. I knew when the show was coming on. I made certain I was home. Then the inevitable came, namely the voting came to pass and I quickly remembered this was a reality show. Some of the people on this show are great. They are hilarious comics with a unique take. And then there are the people who they picked to be ‘in the house.’
If you haven’t seen this show, let’s backtrack a second and explain. Comics from around the country tried out in front of two talent scouts for the Tonight Show. As each was either called back or told no thanks, the comics advanced from the audition to a few minute set that night at the local comedy joint. The comics progressed from there to a show in New York City for the right to go to Las Vegas and compete one last time to get into the house. Now, this sounds all fine and well and as the show was being promoted, I thought someone had finally grasped a great idea out of the reality show garbage bin. Well, leave it to a bunch of producers to screw up a great idea.
Somehow, the funniest people were not making the cut. It became very apparent in New York that this show was going to be the same reality show as every one before it……and from the same people….. Who wants to Marry my Dad (NBC)- This show is just decrepit and begs the question ‘tell me again why humans reproduce?’ Apparently, the producers of this show thought it would be really neat to have one father be set up for marriage by his three daughters. As if the first marriage wasn’t trauma enough, dad now has the kids setting him up on national TV with another woman. This has to rank as one of the all time lowest moments in television history. (For a couple of weeks, though, I did think ABC had NBC beat with the Wife Swap show that’s upcoming, but then I saw the trailers for Wife Swap and realized NBC has dug much further.) Regardless, this show is really taking reality TV to a new senseless point …… On another note…..Citi Identity Theft Commercials- This campaign is one of the funniest to hit the television screen in years. From the first ad with the ‘But it lifts and separates’ to the latest installment with the airline pilot, the Identity theft campaign has really hit the mark. Funny and informative, pretty amazing in this day and age of commercials….. and on the other hand…..Sonic Commercials- They’ve just got to go. Like the ‘Dude, you’re getting a Dell’ ad campaign before it, Sonic has produced such bad advertisements that you really might consider knocking the actors out if you saw them in a bar. And yet, they keep coming out. Almost Criminal…… Law & Order (NBC/ TBS/ TNT/ USA/ BET/ NRA/ WMC/ TDOT)- Law and Order has been running in some form, be it SVU, the original, Criminal Intent, ICU, OU812, and any other variation I forgot to mention for more than a decade now. From the long list of shows, Law and Order can now boast 10% of all television that you can possibly watch. If you know your stations just right and have the proper satellite connection you can now watch Law and Order 24 hours a day.
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Alright, there fanatics. Have fun and don’t stare at the television too long or your eyes will turn square!
