Hey, Guys, Let's Put on a Reality Show!
myspacetv.com
From the folks over at myspacetv.com comes word of the social-networking site's "first co-developed original web series." (Whatever exactly that means, it involves a sponsorship by the Ford Focus.) Roommates follows four young women, recent college grads, as they get an apartment together in Los Angeles and embark on adult life. (Four other friends send in video blogs, while "our friend Jason" gets the whole thing down on camera.)
"Adult life," in the first episode, involves mostly hanging out in the apartment, dressing up the dog and talking about what it's like being on a Web reality show. "[It's] going to be wild, sexy, crazy and dramatic at times, I'm sure," says "resident fashionista" Violet. "I guess I'm the cooler one out of the group," says not-quite-law-student Heather.
Yes, the show seems totally contrived, as reality TV tends to be: Violet just "happens" to be caught on camera changing clothes. But it's contrived in a different way from big-budget reality TV. The whole thing has the endearing, playing-dress-up feel of one of those amateur Jedi-light-saber battles on YouTube. Except that instead of playing Star Wars, they decided to get together and play The Hills. I mean, look at the font they use for the screen titles. It's as if the new version of iMovie added an "O.C. Effect" button to go along with the "Ken Burns Effect." It's intriguing, to me anyway, not as a glimpse into the real lives of four young women in the big city today, but as a glimpse into the real MTV-media fantasies of four young women in the big city today.
Or not. Laugh all you want. When the writers' strike hits, this is what you're probably going to be watching in January instead of 24:
Roommates Ep1: Life After College
Roommates Profile | More Videos
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"Or not. Laugh all you want. When the writers' strike hits, this is what you're probably going to be watching in January instead of 24: "
Given 24's nature, I suspect that the whole seasons' scripts are pretty much completed by January...
But it could prevent new episodes of South Park, given that Trey and Matt write most of their scripts on the fly....
Family Guy won't be affected. Fox was able to keep the union out because of the manatee codicil in the union contract...
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@p_luk: Mostly I made the 24 joke because News Corp owns MySpace. However, there certainly have been seasons where they were making it up largely on the fly--as it probably seemed to you. I recall at one point their saying they had the show scripted about six episodes in advance.
Serious note re: South Park: I'm actually not sure. The last time around, at least, there was an exemption for producers who also write, in which case Matt and Trey would be fine. But even if they were, some writer-producers have said they will honor the strike regardless.
Serious note re: Family Guy -- most traditional animated shows (i.e., alomst everyone except South Park) have to get their episodes in the can months in advance, if not longer... so I think there should be no shortage of Family Guy or King of the Hill or The Simpsons, not for quite a while anyway.
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James-
I'm having a hard time finding words for how awful that video was. I don't know if I'm bothered more that thats what 22 year old girls act like or that there are people out there who want to watch them act like that. So petty and shrill.
All I can come up with is that their "friend" Jason is actually doing an internship to become a porn director.Also if this strike further delays the return of Lost we may have to get together and start making episodes ourselves. I think I could pull off Hurley, what do you think our chances are of getting Chaddog to shave his head and be Locke?
- poniewozik Loved the season. Mrs Tuned In wd have put u on the main list RT @boredtodeath Thank u for incl us in Time's Top 10. We'll take hon mention. - 4 hours ago
- poniewozik @carr2n Virgin is the best, LAX-JFK - 5 hours ago
- poniewozik Did NPR interview abt multiscreen multitasking. After, automatically reached for iPhone in pocket. Like don draper wd have for cigarettes. - 6 hours ago
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