Whiny-Weepies

I guess I had too much time on my hands. I guess I needed a break from all the writing, reading , and Thanksgiving cooking I was doing. I was also feeling a bit under the weather. As a result of all of these excuses…er…reasons, I found myself watching dumb shows on the Style network, Bravo and VH1 (whose programming seems to be permanently stuck on stupid).

I was struck by how many celebrities surround themselves with whiny, weepy, genuflecting staff and hire consultants whose advise is spurious at best. They need the salaries they command just to keep the legions of staff and hanger-oners they employ.

Even reality shows that I used to like, i.e., Project Runway, have become caricatures with crisis carefully scripted and scenes edited to manufacture tension and drama when there is, in fact, little to be had. And what’s up with the plethora of ugly hair this season? It is clear these contestants have learned from past seasons that personality and ‘tude will guarantee they are not cut in the opening weeks thereby extending their few minutes of fame.

I think there should be term-limits for most TV shows. Once shows get popular they seem to sink into becoming formulaic and predictable. I even read that Paige Davis, former host of Trading Spaces, is being brought back. Don’t do it, Paige! You were the glue that held the program together and then they unceremoniously dumped you for some dumb reason and the viewership has eroded ever since. Don’t return to the scene of the crime! Surely you have moved on – take my advice and stay gone.

In addition to the whiny-weepy assistants and opportunistic snake-oil salespeople…er…I mean consultants, there are the whiny-weepy stars (aka Paula Abdul) and a whole bunch of liars on reality shows. The lies happen consistently and are denied ferociously despite being recorded and re-run for all to see.

Believe it or not, one of the better shows I caught was Run’s House on MTV. (MTV!) He and his wife are a team who are active, loving, and present parents. (Although Mrs. Run’s voice runs toward the whiny and there is a bit too much bling and too many sweet, unearned opportunities that the kids walk into. But, I should be real – privilege and money always opens doors.)

I’m putting myself on a stupid-TV-free regimen. I might even call the cable folks and cancel some channels ’cause I can’t justify paying to watch dumb and dumberer television.

11 thoughts on “Whiny-Weepies”

Jim November 27, 2007 at 10:08 am

Pull that plug! Then gradually bring back the programming that you miss. About six months ago, I cancelled the TV portion of our cable service. (We still get telephone and internet from the same people.) For $200.00 I bought an over-the-air hdtv digital reception box. Now we get six PBS stations, although WGBH, with two channels often runs analog programming on one and the exact same HD program on the other and WGBX dedicates one of its four channels to arts, crafts, and cooking and another to kid’s fare. In addition to PBS, we get ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, WSBK, WLVI, an inspirational station that is largely gentle music, overlaying pretty pictures with platitudinal captions and nothing else. We missed the Sox this summer, but not having them every night made the playoffs which were broadcast on FOX more fun. We watch a lot of PBS stuff, but that gets repetitive and seems to go through spells of crappy programming and I can never stay awake for any of their dramas. I miss Bravo, the History channel, A&E, the occasional movie, although if we had a DVD player we could rent movies endlessly (Yeah Netflix!) My wife and I walk and talk more, it’s amazing how entertaining she is even after 32 years, her programs are much more complex, more fun to analyze and decipher. Hopefully she feels the same way about me. I have always read a lot, so that hasn’t changed, but it’s nice not to sit at the TV and flip endlessly through dozens of crappy programs. All in all, I don’t feel culturally deprived nor do I think I’ll ever get cable again. But I’ll probably break down and buy a DVD player one of these days.

Candelaria Silva November 29, 2007 at 4:29 pm

You’re right, Jim. I have the power to turn off the tube and rediscover other things – like conversation. You are blessed that you still find your wife entertaining after 32 years of marriage. Congratulations!
I have also discovered that if I turn off the tube – I can focus more on my reading, conversation, task at hand.