pRIMrose
02-24-2003, 05:43 AM
Brent Bozell
February 24, 2003
Townhall.com
The power of romance never dies, especially in Hollywood. Romance movies being almost as popular as romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood discovered the endless possibilities in romance "reality" TV. And therein lies the irony. The romance one sees on "reality" television is just about as realistic as that Clinton slow dance on the beach. Fox earned its highest ratings ever outside of major sporting events with the finale of "Joe Millionaire," which added a 21st century twist to the traditional dating-game female demographic by promising that the man in question would be lying his face off to a bevy of apparently gold-digging schemers.
Fox's regular "Joe" was Evan Marriott. Fox told its viewers in endless promotional advertisements that "Joe" was really just a lowly construction worker making $19,000 a year. Twenty unsuspecting ladies would be taken to a French chateau, where they'd be told he'd inherited $50 million. Not only was Joe lying to these women; Fox was lying to its viewers. Reporters soon found public records stating Marriott was renting a $1.7 million home in Venice, Calif., as late as last December. They reported the Department of Labor statistics showing how the average California construction worker earns $42,000 a year. Marriott explained the discrepancy by claiming he only worked a few months out of the year. But that didn't stop the Fox manipulators from repeating the untrue "$19,000 a year" line in every show.
Some 40 million people watched the finale of "Joe Millionaire." Another 20.4 million tuned in to "The Bachelorette." We're doomed. (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/brentbozell/bb20030224.shtml)
I'd like to think this means that 240 million and 260 million didn't bother watching this drivel. "Reality Dysfunction" in full bloom. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tqrolleyes.gif <from the geezer gallery> http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin2.gif
February 24, 2003
Townhall.com
The power of romance never dies, especially in Hollywood. Romance movies being almost as popular as romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood discovered the endless possibilities in romance "reality" TV. And therein lies the irony. The romance one sees on "reality" television is just about as realistic as that Clinton slow dance on the beach. Fox earned its highest ratings ever outside of major sporting events with the finale of "Joe Millionaire," which added a 21st century twist to the traditional dating-game female demographic by promising that the man in question would be lying his face off to a bevy of apparently gold-digging schemers.
Fox's regular "Joe" was Evan Marriott. Fox told its viewers in endless promotional advertisements that "Joe" was really just a lowly construction worker making $19,000 a year. Twenty unsuspecting ladies would be taken to a French chateau, where they'd be told he'd inherited $50 million. Not only was Joe lying to these women; Fox was lying to its viewers. Reporters soon found public records stating Marriott was renting a $1.7 million home in Venice, Calif., as late as last December. They reported the Department of Labor statistics showing how the average California construction worker earns $42,000 a year. Marriott explained the discrepancy by claiming he only worked a few months out of the year. But that didn't stop the Fox manipulators from repeating the untrue "$19,000 a year" line in every show.
Some 40 million people watched the finale of "Joe Millionaire." Another 20.4 million tuned in to "The Bachelorette." We're doomed. (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/brentbozell/bb20030224.shtml)
I'd like to think this means that 240 million and 260 million didn't bother watching this drivel. "Reality Dysfunction" in full bloom. http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tqrolleyes.gif <from the geezer gallery> http://gopusa.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin2.gif