My musical-loving P.I.T.A. (Pain In The Ass) friend Christine told me that I should give a new reality show a try. She started talking about this guy that makes cakes in Baltimore, but he doesn’t do just any cake… His creations are a bit different. It’s called Ace Of Cakes.
I tried to keep my eyes from glazing over while she told me about this show and the reasons why I would like it… I think I did all right. I maintained eye contact giving the impression that I was interested as she told me about mechanized cakes and ones that explode. To me, the guy and his cakes sounded slightly interesting… But I’ve got more pressing things to watch.
Let me put it into prospective for everyone out there…
My all-time favorite rock band is KISS. I love them! If I could, I would purchase just about all the merchandise they pour out into the market. Gene Simmons is my favorite member of the band. But do I watch Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels?
No.
Did I watch Gene Simmons’ Rock School?
Only one episode.
I just don’t care for most reality shows. I liked and will still watch the granddaddy of the all… COPS. And I loved WWE’s Tough Enough. But nothing else seems to thrill me.
Sure… I’ll admit that I have sat through a couple episodes of So You Think You Can Dance.
I was at a friend’s house who enjoyed the show and I was impressed with those dancing mofos that seek out their 15 minutes of fame. And I will admit that I liked the show and the talent exhibited by the contestants.
So when my friend called me at home before the show aired one night to ask if I was going to watch it… I said, “No. I’m not going to watch it.”
She couldn’t understand it. She said, “You LIKE the show. You told me that you liked it. Why aren’t you going to watch it?”
Frankly, I wasn’t interested in watching it alone. Again, I had better things to watch. She enjoyed watching it and I liked watching it with her. We could talk and comment about what we were seeing. We’d knock back some alcohol while watching. It was good times.
She just cared more about the show than I did. I only enjoyed watching it with her. I had no desire to see it without her… It doesn’t grab my attention like that.
I’ve said it before and I’m writing it down again… If it’s not something that I can watch over and over again for the rest of my life in reruns or on DVD, then I’m not going to waste my time watching it the first time.
Are the reruns of American Idol burning up the local ratings charts? Are season sets of Dancing With The Stars setting new sales records?
No. That’s because there’s no reason to see the outcome again. There was nothing of substance or meaning during the initial first-run airings… The herd mentality is the only thing driving those types of shows. It’s the perfect “water cooler” chatty type of stuff. It seems like something, but it’s really not.
Maybe I’m crazy, but I enjoy shows where someone gets a little artistic by creating, writing, and hiring a group of actors to perform them. Shows where you may actually remember something from them. Shows that cause you to quote lines for the rest of your life (“Not even Roy Clark?” Chris Peterson, Get A Life).
Hey… If you enjoy reality shows, that’s cool with me. Just don’t expect me to watch them. My rule of thumb… If it’s not going to be running on TV Land in 30 years, then I’m not going to waste my time watching it now.
Your musical choice reminded me I saw REO Speedwagon in 1982. I had forgotten about that.
ReplyDeleteThose guys were awesome when Richrath was in the band. After that, they just didn't do it for me.
ReplyDeleteGlad to spark that memory of a fine and slightly forgotten rock band.
I used to seriously annoy my ex during Ace of Cakes. She enjoyed that show and anytime it came on, or there was a commercial for it, I would sing, in my best Lemmy impression: "The Ace of Cakes! The Ace of Cakes!" She grew tired of that quickly.
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