Tyra Banks is super-irritating.
After her modeling competition show "America's Next Top Model" hit it big with the CW crowd, multiple cycles (not "seasons") of the show were ordered. Someone also thought it was a good idea to give Tyra her own talk show, which "The Soup" on E! makes fun of in pretty much every episode.
I like to think of Tyra as Oprah Lite. She attempts to be inspirational, telling her models in training (really, they should call the show "America's Next Cover Girl Contractually-Obligated Model", but I digress) stories of her hardships of not feeling attractive. I doubt her sincerity, but I'm also highly cynical.
Anyways.
"America's Next Top Model" attempts to involve viewers via their CW website though something they call the "America's Next Top Model VIP Lounge". Once a member, you can chat with others in the VIP Lounge and post your own model photos. A lot of the photos are more than embarrassing, nothing like the professional quality (or attractiveness) of what the actual ANTM contestants achieve. I guess it's nice that they can pretend for a second that they're professional models, or vying for the show's Cover Girl contract, but I don't see it as adding any worth to the actual ANTM show.
I assume that all of this social networking stuff being tied in to television shows are networks attempting to retain viewers as streaming content (or downloading it for free) becomes the norm.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Girls Next Door: Crossword puzzle NOT written by Will Shortz
"The Girls Next Door" (E! Entertainment) is the ultimate in guilty-pleasure television. It follows Kendra, Holly, and Bridget; Hugh Hefner's three (now ex) girlfriends who live with him in the Playboy Mansion. The girls spend their days posing in Playboy photo shoots, playing with their tiny pet dogs, and getting up to all sorts of crazy hijinks like hosting the Midsummer's party or visiting the Playboy club in Las Vegas.
The girls are beautiful, the perfect epitome of the All-American: blonde, blue-eyed and buxom. However, the content of the show is about as nutritious as a pack of Sour Patch Kids and three cans of Coke. After watching two episodes back to back, my brain feels similar to the consistency of frosting on store-bought cupcakes.
The show stopped production after the three girls and Hef broke up. Reruns are still being shown on the E! channel, and their website is still in its full glory (http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor) Its new media content is as vapid as the actual show.
When visiting the site, viewers are asked to find the differences between these photos: (http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor/quizzes/diffgame/index.jsp) It's just like the "find the differences" game you played in the kid's section of the Sunday comics, but with a sexy twist! If you're a "Girls Next Door" buff, you can attempt to complete their very own crossword puzzle: (http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor/puzzle/index.jsp) I wish I could have posted the comparison pics and the crossword puzzle, but they were both embedded into the website using Flash. Sigh.
The point is, the new media content of "The Girls Next Door" has little thought put into it, which makes me wonder how much the show's production staff cares about their viewers. Not very much, apparently. Perhaps viewership was dropping off towards the show's end?
The girls are beautiful, the perfect epitome of the All-American: blonde, blue-eyed and buxom. However, the content of the show is about as nutritious as a pack of Sour Patch Kids and three cans of Coke. After watching two episodes back to back, my brain feels similar to the consistency of frosting on store-bought cupcakes.
The show stopped production after the three girls and Hef broke up. Reruns are still being shown on the E! channel, and their website is still in its full glory (http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor) Its new media content is as vapid as the actual show.
When visiting the site, viewers are asked to find the differences between these photos: (http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor/quizzes/diffgame/index.jsp) It's just like the "find the differences" game you played in the kid's section of the Sunday comics, but with a sexy twist! If you're a "Girls Next Door" buff, you can attempt to complete their very own crossword puzzle: (http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/girlsnextdoor/puzzle/index.jsp) I wish I could have posted the comparison pics and the crossword puzzle, but they were both embedded into the website using Flash. Sigh.
The point is, the new media content of "The Girls Next Door" has little thought put into it, which makes me wonder how much the show's production staff cares about their viewers. Not very much, apparently. Perhaps viewership was dropping off towards the show's end?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Biggest Loser: Losing weight, one Tweet at a time
OK. So. Twitter.
I have a Twitter. You're welcome to follow me there: http://twitter.com/lisettevoytko
I like watching NBC Universal's "The Biggest Loser". As horrible as it may sound, it makes me feel better about myself when I'm feeling down. When I'm in a good mood, it's an inspirational kinda feeling about people who are changing their lives.
The show has its own Twitter, but you can't actually find it on Twitter (I tried). Instead, you can find their Twitter through their webpage on NBC.com. It really doesn't make sense.... you can follow the individual Biggest Loser contestants through Twitter, but there is no official Biggest Loser profile through the actual Twitter website.
At the risk of sounding trite, "The Biggest Loser" has committed an ultimate Twitter fail.
The idea behind Twitter is, according to their website, "Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"
So maybe Twitter wasn't meant for a television show. It doesn't really fall under the realm of friends, family, or co-workers. And maybe shows like The Biggest Loser are struggling to stay relevant by attempting to follow social networking trends that may or may not apply to them.
I have a Twitter. You're welcome to follow me there: http://twitter.com/lisettevoytko
I like watching NBC Universal's "The Biggest Loser". As horrible as it may sound, it makes me feel better about myself when I'm feeling down. When I'm in a good mood, it's an inspirational kinda feeling about people who are changing their lives.
The show has its own Twitter, but you can't actually find it on Twitter (I tried). Instead, you can find their Twitter through their webpage on NBC.com. It really doesn't make sense.... you can follow the individual Biggest Loser contestants through Twitter, but there is no official Biggest Loser profile through the actual Twitter website.
At the risk of sounding trite, "The Biggest Loser" has committed an ultimate Twitter fail.
The idea behind Twitter is, according to their website, "Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"
So maybe Twitter wasn't meant for a television show. It doesn't really fall under the realm of friends, family, or co-workers. And maybe shows like The Biggest Loser are struggling to stay relevant by attempting to follow social networking trends that may or may not apply to them.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
What Not to Wear: a reality show on Facebook
If there is anything more pointless than a reality television show having their own Facebook page, please let me know what it is.
Because I can't find any redeeming value in one of my favorite reality shows having a Facebook page. As far as reality television goes, I've been hooked from "What Not to Wear" from the very beginning. After all, the show's premise is a dream; you get a week in New York City with two professional stylists and $5,000 for a new wardrobe. I'd sign up for that any day of the week (except I don't dress poorly enough to qualify, in my humble opinion.)
I was visiting the "What Not to Wear" website to see when new episodes were premiering. A scrolling banner at the top asked me to follow the show on Facebook. Curious, I searched for the show's Facebook page from my profile.
The Facebook page is a wasteland. A wasteland of weird comments from viewers who seem to think the show's hosts actually read the Facebook page. It gives no new information, just the TLC web address and what time to catch the show. The only interesting element to the page are the links on the lower left-hand side to other TLC shows.
This is a case where new media/social networking does not benefit a television show. "What Not to Wear" (which is an offshoot from a BBC show of the same name) is one of TLC's most popular shows. There is really no need for the show to have its own Facebook page, unless you're a viewer and want people to know that you're "friends" with the show. But really, that's just lame.
Because I can't find any redeeming value in one of my favorite reality shows having a Facebook page. As far as reality television goes, I've been hooked from "What Not to Wear" from the very beginning. After all, the show's premise is a dream; you get a week in New York City with two professional stylists and $5,000 for a new wardrobe. I'd sign up for that any day of the week (except I don't dress poorly enough to qualify, in my humble opinion.)
I was visiting the "What Not to Wear" website to see when new episodes were premiering. A scrolling banner at the top asked me to follow the show on Facebook. Curious, I searched for the show's Facebook page from my profile.
The Facebook page is a wasteland. A wasteland of weird comments from viewers who seem to think the show's hosts actually read the Facebook page. It gives no new information, just the TLC web address and what time to catch the show. The only interesting element to the page are the links on the lower left-hand side to other TLC shows.
This is a case where new media/social networking does not benefit a television show. "What Not to Wear" (which is an offshoot from a BBC show of the same name) is one of TLC's most popular shows. There is really no need for the show to have its own Facebook page, unless you're a viewer and want people to know that you're "friends" with the show. But really, that's just lame.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Project Runway, text message surveys, hey hey hey
If you live under a rock, you've never heard of Project Runway. I'm assuming you don't live under a rock, so you must be familiar with Bravo's Weinstein-headed, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn-hosted smash series about 16 desperate fashion designers. Three of the designers will ultimately show collections at Fashion Week, and one will take all in the competition: $100,000 to start their own line, a new car, and usually an apprenticeship from a well-known off the rack company such as Banana Republic.
The draw of watching this reality show is the creative aspect: how many people, outside of FIT and Parsons students really understand the process of creating fashion? And when the usual reality TV gimmicks are thrown in (tight deadlines, tight budgets, weird materials, sleep deprivation) hilarity and drama inevitably ensue. I've been drawn to this show since it first premiered in December 2004. I was 16 or 17 at the time, and I'm 22 now.
What does this all have to do with the nature of "If reality TV has taught us anything"?
As the seasons progressed, two things were patently obvious:
1) This show was Bravo's top moneymaker
-and-
2) As such, the show became a vehicle for sponsors and brand names.
The designers don't go to Fashion Week, they show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. To complete their models' outfits, the designers borrow from the BlueFly.com accessories wall. When readying for runway shows, the models are gussied up in the Loreal Paris makeup room. And some challenges are dedicated entirely to a certain product, such as Season 4's Levi's jeans challenge.
To keep viewers interested, Bravo also poses questions to viewers during commercial breaks, which viewers reply to using text messaging. (A popular question posed is who viewers would like to see eliminated). Viewers are additionally integrated through the Fan Favorite contest. This one is simple: Vote for your favorite designer, the one with the most votes wins an additional $10,000 dollars at the season reunion episode. My guess behind this is to keep ratings up for an episode which sees no fashions being made, and no designers being eliminated.
This show has evolved from revealing the creativity and process in creating fashion to touting major sponsors and employing silly gimmicks to keep their viewership interested. If text messaging and the Internet not existed, Bravo would have been forced to create more original challenges for their designers, and rely less on big-name sponsors to think for them. I think it's cool that Bravo attempts to involve viewers, but I've never once voted in text messaging questions or Fan Favorite.
This summer Project Runway is moving to Lifetime after an extensive legal battle between The Weinstein Company and NBC. I'm curious to see how the show will change, if at all.
The draw of watching this reality show is the creative aspect: how many people, outside of FIT and Parsons students really understand the process of creating fashion? And when the usual reality TV gimmicks are thrown in (tight deadlines, tight budgets, weird materials, sleep deprivation) hilarity and drama inevitably ensue. I've been drawn to this show since it first premiered in December 2004. I was 16 or 17 at the time, and I'm 22 now.
What does this all have to do with the nature of "If reality TV has taught us anything"?
As the seasons progressed, two things were patently obvious:
1) This show was Bravo's top moneymaker
-and-
2) As such, the show became a vehicle for sponsors and brand names.
The designers don't go to Fashion Week, they show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. To complete their models' outfits, the designers borrow from the BlueFly.com accessories wall. When readying for runway shows, the models are gussied up in the Loreal Paris makeup room. And some challenges are dedicated entirely to a certain product, such as Season 4's Levi's jeans challenge.
To keep viewers interested, Bravo also poses questions to viewers during commercial breaks, which viewers reply to using text messaging. (A popular question posed is who viewers would like to see eliminated). Viewers are additionally integrated through the Fan Favorite contest. This one is simple: Vote for your favorite designer, the one with the most votes wins an additional $10,000 dollars at the season reunion episode. My guess behind this is to keep ratings up for an episode which sees no fashions being made, and no designers being eliminated.
This show has evolved from revealing the creativity and process in creating fashion to touting major sponsors and employing silly gimmicks to keep their viewership interested. If text messaging and the Internet not existed, Bravo would have been forced to create more original challenges for their designers, and rely less on big-name sponsors to think for them. I think it's cool that Bravo attempts to involve viewers, but I've never once voted in text messaging questions or Fan Favorite.
This summer Project Runway is moving to Lifetime after an extensive legal battle between The Weinstein Company and NBC. I'm curious to see how the show will change, if at all.
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