MetaFilter posts tagged with realitytv

Andy Cohen is the Andy Warhol of the 21st Century.

Phire — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:31:44 -0800

How the Real Housewives Have Made America Better, by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "Watching these housewives scramble to suture up their tattered personas is both anger-inducing and heart-wrenching. That's what literature is supposed to do: make us angry at certain behavior; then when we recognize ourselves in the characters we so harshly judge, to change our behavior."

Television police chase gets personal.

phaedon — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:26:15 -0800

Front row seat to a car chase in Inglewood, CA. [SLYT] And if you don't believe it's real, watch this helicopter feed from NBCLA and you can see the guy that captured the video in his apartment at the 13:02 mark.

Commentary and thoughts on Honey Boo Boo

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:50:08 -0800

Don't judge Honey Boo Boo, because the tv show doesn't care what it's saying about American culture.

And Shopping. Always Shopping.

The Whelk — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:24:31 -0800

Propaganda - A film alledged to be from North Korea about the excess of Western decadance and public relations propaganda - hits Youtube (1:35:52)

The Tribe Has Spoken: Survivor is Reality TV's Finest Achievement

The Gooch — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:21:12 -0800

Is Survivor the only great reality TV show? The AV Club argues yes.

The ultimate lonely-planet destination

sarastro — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:21:53 -0800

A Dutch company has unveiled plans to establish a human settlement on Mars by 2023. They hope to finance the innitiative by making a reality TV show of the mission and cut down on operational costs by having the astronauts stay on Mars for the rest of their lives.

A bunch of guys standing around trying to sound like a Kevin Smith movie but failing because they're not as clever

Artw — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:06:21 -0800

Last Sunday, Comic Book Men premiered on AMC, sliding right into the time slot right after the comic book-based Walking Dead series. It's a reality show masterminded by filmmaker and occasional comic book writer Kevin Smith that follows four employees at his New Jersey comic book shop, the Secret Stash, as they deal with the world of comics retail. If the intent is to show comic shop employees as anything other than obnoxious walking sterotypes, it's a complete failure. If, however, it's meant to be the most compelling argument I've ever seen for never setting foot in a comic book store, I have to admit that it's a smashing success. - Chris Sims reviews Comic Book Men. Remember, no chicks allowed.

Did Gordon Ramsay “nightmare” kill off Austin’s El Greco?

reenum — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:57:32 -0800

Kitchen Nightmares shows Gordon Ramsay helping restaurants make miraculous turnarounds. Ramsay helped relaunch Austin, Texas's El Greco, but the restaurant still ended up closing. Some people are saying that Ramsay's interference may have been the final nail in the coffin for the restaurant.

Reality of India

infini — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:24:04 -0800

This is a story of a young man named Chotu Lohar* from a small nondescript village in one of the poorest states of India. He dropped out of school to work in the iron mines. Music on a radio was the only entertainment available in his house but last year he came to national notice on a reality show called Dance India Dance - where although his untutored enthusiasm and energy captured attention - he was unable to make the cut. His passion, on the other hand, caught the interest** of the show's producers who took him under their wing and a year later, he's just made the shortlist for this year's show. Reality TV has come late to India but gained immense popularity so rapidly that the phenomenon hit global media. There has been much discussion on its 'corruptive influence' on youth and society but the stories that emerge of those that made good offer a different perspective on their value. These young people no longer have to act or rely on the whimsy of directors and producers. The dream now trades on raw ability. To sing, to dance, to laugh. Stardom has been democratised and it seems all of India is lining up at the booth. *Chotu Lohar literally means 'little ironworker'. No translation of the video story (last year link) was available so here's a synopsis: I come from a little village known as 'little village' in the iron working district of Orissa. I have always loved dance and listening to music and dancing gave me something in life since I was a young boy. We are poor so I had to leave school to go to work to help feed my family, I have worked on the roads, breaking stones and also in the iron mines. My father has said this is my first and last chance (season 2, his first appearance) as we cannot afford for me to do this. I listened to Vividh Bharati (state run radio) and let the music teach me how to move. **Dialogue between producer and Chotu: “Aap agar untrained hoke itna achha dance kar sakte ho....toh I wonder under training aap kitna achha perform karoge,” was Remo’s immediate reaction. A teary-eyed Chotu said, “Sir, train karne ke liye paise kahan hai....pet bharne ke liye paise nahi hote, dance karne ke liye paise kahan se laoonga.” Chotu says "Sir, where is the money for training? There's no money to fill the stomach, where will I bring money to dance?"

Warning: May Contain Learning

Potomac Avenue — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:57:22 -0800

All-American Muslim is a reality show on TLC which takes a look at life in Dearborn, Michigan--home to the largest mosque in the United States--through the lens of five Muslim American families. The participants are depicted dealing with lives far more familiar than extreme. But some are unhappy with the very existence of the series. Citing pressure from far-right wing groups, the home improvement chain Lowe’s has pulled its advertising from the show. Online, boycotts of the store, and other methods of protest, are multiplying. Meanwhile the controversy has put the show, as well as the little known group that takes credit for the Lowes advertising pull (the Florida Family Association), on the national media map.

"By no means am I saying that these shows aren’t compelling. They are."

flex — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:34:58 -0800

What Reality TV Does To Girls - referencing Jennifer Pozner's book and a new Girl Scout Research Institute national survey, this piece discusses "how did we get here?" and "how does this affect the viewer?" Jennifer Pozner talks about her work in Maclean's in much more depth.

Go Back to Where You Came From

smoke — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:47:50 -0800

Six westerners make the same journey that thousands of desperate people make every year to Australia, but in reverse. Asylum seekers and refugees in general have been a hot topic in Australia, with the current opposition leader pledging to "stop the boats" bringing a tiny number of refugees to Australian shores. In an effort to quell the issue, the Prime Minister is trying to send refugee arrivals by boat to Indonesia, despite opposition from the other political parties, and the United Nations. Meanwhile, guided by an academic who specialises in refugee movements, these "regular" Australians - some of whom have said they wished they could shoot refugees, or they don't like the colour of African's skins - are confronting all sorts of realities meeting the objects of their resentment and more (first episode). Not sure where you stand? Take the quiz and see how much you really know about the issues, or play the game and see how you would do.

Money for Nothing

Georgina — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:45:34 -0800

In 2009, Jon Gosselin was offered $365,000 for interviews: how reality stars, celebrity parents and rehab workers make money selling gossip to celebrity websites and TV shows.

What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

kipmanley — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:29:53 -0800

“Is the repo industry something on which to base a game show?” [SLAwl]

Going to the extreme with coupon clipping

vespabelle — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:58:53 -0800

Was J'aime Kirlew, self-proclaimed "Diva for Coupons" and participant on TLC's Extreme Couponing shown committing fraud? Many couponers (discussion begins with second comment on the page) think she's done it before going on TLC (youtube links in thread may be broken). Bud Miller from the The Coupon Information Corporation says "This whole thing is kind of sad.". Fraud may be reduced with implementation of the GS1 databar (wikipedia) which contains more data than the traditional UPC code.

The Setup

brundlefly — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:10:43 -0800

"You may have heard the name Christopher Butler in the news lately but certainly not for reasons that the 49-year-old Concord resident would want you to know about. I’ve been following Butler’s mysterious story since last August, when he invited me to write a Diablo feature about his business. It unexpectedly turned out to be the most interesting—and frightening—story in my 14 years of being a journalist."

Pakistani actress takes heat from cleric, gives it right on back

ambient2 — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 22:29:26 -0800

Veena Malik, a Pakistani actress, appeared on an Indian reality show, "appeared to cuddle with an Indian actor" and was criticized by a Pakistani cleric. Malik stood her ground: "What is your problem with me? You tell me your problem!" an angry Veena Malik asked the Muslim scholar, who accused her of insulting Islam. At least some people in the country are unimpressed by the criticism of Malik: If there’s something this country’s good at, it’s sanctimonious hypocrisy. Oh by the way, she's said to have broken new ground in the Twittersphere.

"the public is positive, but they are judgemental."

Artw — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:29:56 -0800

Why Reality TV works.

A friend in need is a friend indeed

Senator Howell Tankerbell — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:57:45 -0800

I'm here to make friends (slyt) Previously I'm not here to make friends.

Like Punk'd But With Real Bombs

PostIronyIsNotaMyth — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:40:24 -0800

Combat operations in Iraq are over! Except, the AP says "our content should not refer to the end of combat in Iraq, or the end of U.S. military involvement." Meanwhile, in Iraq, a new show has been airing since Ramadan that has been described as "Punk’d, Iraqi-Style, at a Checkpoint." You can watch 14-minutes of the show (in Arabic, no English subtitles), here.

Behind the scenes with

rmd1023 — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:32:22 -0800

In 2006, Kai Hibbard was a contestant on weight-loss reality show "The Biggest Loser", where she was a runner-up. Now she's speaking out about her experiences on the show in an interview with blogger Golda Poretsky. The interview is in three pieces: Part I, Part II, Part III.

Unintentional or Hyper-Aware Marketing?

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:52:16 -0800

Why The Hills’ [new] Opening Credits Are Both Creepy and Cruel
For more can-this-really-be-an-accident marketing: This promo for the final season as compared to this earlier use of the same song.

If Giovanni Ribisi’s character isn’t listed as “Pointlessly Gleeful Cunt” in the credits I will be so disappointed

The Whelk — Sun, 16 May 2010 19:18:37 -0800

Spike of Templar, AZ (Previously, Previously) tends to go on rants on twitter, now you can follow them.

if you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere

Potomac Avenue — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:54:53 -0800

Is ‘If I Can Dream’ the Start of a Web Reality Rush? from the article: This week saw the launch of Hulu’s first original web series, If I Can Dream, backed by reality TV’s worldwide top dog, American Idol creator Simon Fuller. His first foray into the web goes way beyond Hulu though, as the series blends several reality formats into a 24/7 experiential internet show combining dozens of live camera feeds, edited episodes and even a public auditioning platform on MySpace. The show follows five young and aspiring talents trying to make it in Hollywood, which on its own isn’t anything novel. Three of them are actors, one a musician and another a model, all starting somewhere near the lower ranks of Hollywood’s slippery talent ladder. So why is this is big deal for web TV? ...A success for If I Can Dream means we may be seeing the start of a reality rush online in 2010.

It's all fun and games until someone gets voted out an airlock

zarq — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:58:47 -0800

On February 1, a new 24-hour internet-only reality show was launched by the same folks who brought us Apollo 13. Live Feed. Main site. Catch the action (from a distance). How the "set" was built. Cast interview (video). Official press release.