Nibbled News

Turning Viewers Into Entrenched Voyeurs

"I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table." ~ Rodney Dangerfield

It seems these days that even  the most  dramatic, respected  and creative  television shows  eventually flaunt and promote unbridled, carefree and unprotected sex as the answer to their series flagging viewer rating.

This usually happens after the third or fourth episode when the viewer numbers have been compiled and the networks and advertisers are eager to boost exposure and sales. Network managers are willing to take a chance on new dramatic content and more receptive to innovative writing.

The Nielsen viewer ratings have been successfully compiled by this time and a television home viewing market selected within which a show's writing team can become "creative" oftentime using gratuitous sex to overcome writing lapses and lulls between commercials.

Two such shows that pop into mind are "King"and "Suits". Both shows are presented on the Showcase network.The plots and the writing  are first rate. Initially the sexual nature of the show's characters was downplayed and the legal angle highlighted. On the premium channel a viewer content warning is flashed between commercial segments indicating "adult content view discretion is advised."

"King" is a tough female cop who has been divorced a number of times and likes her sex hot and heavy. She is nearing forty, wears tight skirts and is desperately trying to get pregnant. She is the head of a crime division in a large metropolitan city. At times she lets her biological clock run her common sense. This aspect may make her appealling to all those female viewers in her particular life situation.

"Suits"  main characters are Harvey Specter" and  "Mike Ross". For Harvey a romp in the hay is an accepted pro bono aspect of the job.  Recently Ross has also been priming the pump for female companionship.  Specter is a talented, conniving, no holds barred successful attorney possessing street smarts and an over active libido. Ross is his protege with a photographic memory whom he is tutoring in the law firm.

Eventually though the main characters in both shows abandon their higher callings and are eager to tear off their clothing, hop into bed with  any available and consenting member of the opposite sex.  This allows three to five minutes of air time to successfully transpire. This on-screen action is supposed to turn the viewing audience into consenting adult voyeurs.

The popularity of both shows has attracted the attention of the non premium channels. The channels do flash the viewer warning adult content notice at the start of the show. So an at home viewer expects some adult content not out-and-out orgy action. What does a parent do when their children are in the same room with them while they are watching the juicier segments?

In this age of sexually transmitted diseases, herpes, genital warts, AIDs and the like dramatic televison shows should offer the viewing public richer content and more thought provoking themes and try not to merely pander the easily gratuitous side of life .

If this is an impossible task then at least have the main characters enage in protected sex before they dazzle the viewer with their bedroom prowess.

 

Morticians and Makeup Artists Share Goal

Morticians and professional makeup artists share a common goal: deception. The former attempt to rekindle a momentary  but memorable instance of animation and vigor in their charges for  grieving family and friends. The latter hope to spruce up and add more life to their client's waning public personna.

The professional makeup artist's overall mission in life might entail the following commitments:

1. convert the haggard and puffy-eyed actor into a charming , offscreen hearththrob. 
2. remold the insecure, drug addicted female rockstar into a beloved diva free of any telltale cosmetic defects.
3. transform the ailing politician into a man with a slow and deliberate personal public image.

These days it seems that the much vaunted Hollywood makeup artist and the dreaded funeral mortician have joined forces in their desire to produce a specific outcome for their clientel: normalcy , vibrancy and healthy glows where no such circumstances exist.

Broadcast personalities, politicians , models , rock stars and movie idols all willingly submit to the expertise and seemingly magical powders and lotions the makeup artist offers them.

These allegedly fragile personality types hope the makeup artist will  infuse something wonderful into their lives and transform them into someone larger than life.

The public demands a fresh, animated and healthy glow from their icons. The makeup artist was therefore invented to generate such a healthful aura for these folks. Thus the use and overuse of the rouges, pancake makeup and eye liner on many of your favorite media personalities.

Terminally ill politicians, burnt out movie stars and drug dependent rock stars all have their selected entourage of P.R. specialists, makeup artists and spin doctors ready to redirect and if necessary quash any and all negative press or rumors inadvertently leaked to a gossip hungry public.

Case in point.   A well-known politician recently won a leadership position for himself and an influential opposition role for his parrty after waging a long and fatiguing campaign.

Jack was described as a fighter, a man representing the little guy in the scheme of things. A tireless champion for the people. He campaigned long and hard and kept his platform honest, to the point and factual.

His press kit pictures and televised debates always showed him as a healthy and dynamic individual ready to battle things out for his constituents.

He always smiled appropriately for the cameras and his skin glowed with a special radiance and allure. His efforts and public facade of vigor and energy won him the power he sought. His supporters rallied his election success.

Jack recently announced that his previous bout with prostate cancer , though in remission for the past five years, has created certain health problems for him. He told his supporters and the press he would be temporarily stepping down from political office and that a party associate would be handling his leadership role.

His overly powdered media face now looks sallow and wan. His eyes lugubrious and vacant. To the average television viewer he appears to be a walking cadaver biding his time and smiling in a half hearted manner.

In this instance the truth about his overall health and medical condition should have outweighed the blarney his press cadre was promoting. His actions have caused many of his devoted constituents to seriously question the man's honesty and integrity.

His entourage of public relations personnel and partry gophers should have realized that this type of double dealing would not sit well with a majority of voters.

He could have vastly improved his image by using the truth and being honest with himself and his party. Pancake makeup can only conceal so many human flaws for so long.

 

The Comedic Impulse Eludes Drew Carey

Comedy just pokes at problems, rarely confronts them squarely. Drama is like a plate of meat and potatoes, comedy is rather the dessert, a bit like meringue. -----   Woody Allen

Drew Carey, the current host of The Price is Right, is definitely a people person who enjoys interacting with his live studio audience and relishes in his own celebrity and acquired fame. He is obviously comfortable and at home in such an interactive environment.

His seemingly innate inability however to create comedy content which will excite, enthuse, entertain and captivate his audiences is apparent to anyone who takes the time to watch only a few minutes of Carey's new TV show , Improv-A-Ganza,  which is carried on the cable networks game show station.

One wonders why the network executives placed this genre of comedy show on the game show network. Perhaps this was a Freudian slip on their part -- they wanted to take a gamble on an offering lacking any proven track record of performance and quality.

The talented comedians of past years, the greats who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, exuded charisma , charm and excitingly controversial material. They were able to immediately form a bond with their audiences and the combination was explosive. In those bygone days ladies and gentlemen that  was called entertainment.

Carey's motley crew of comedians rely mostly it seems on interacting with an audience who probably have had a bit too much to drink and will easily laugh at anything offered to them under the label "comedy".

Drew claims that hecklers upset many comedy routines because the material is boring and the heckler believes he is adding a bit of zip to the skit. Unfortunately any heckler worth his salt would not ruin his reputation by interrupting Carey's team of misdirected miscreants as they flounder about on stage pandering for applause.

If you enjoyed the frivolous antics of fellow students in grade five then this show is definitely for you. The routines are tired, not very comedic and at times insult an audience's intelligence.

Drew should have kept his day job and not tried to overextend the boundaries of  his charisma and comedic talent abilities. In this sad situation the price was not right for Drew.