It's American Idol Tuesday MKF 1/21/03

[xita]

I know I'll be watching it tonight You know I hate to admit I liked this show over the summer I got all into it. I liked the conflicts between Paula and Simon , that's before Paula hired herself a writer to write witty comebacks. tsk tsk, then again I am fan of the old star search. Can't seem to watch the new Arsenio version of Star Search, I think it's his hair, it bugs me cause I do like Arsenio.

Anyway to make this more international, what reality shows do you like?

I admit to getting into many seasons of the real world. I really liked that show and I think one of the reasons was that it was one of the few places where you could see gay folk on tv. I haven't watched in a few years though. I also got into 2 seasons of Big Brother, never really got into Survivor at all.

[WiccansIllusion]

I've watched the Bachelor, mostly cause my mom was addicted. But what I like are the ones on TLC, A Baby Story is kind of cool, specially when they have gay couples. My mom looked at me one time and said "see, even gay people have kids." In referrence to wanting a grandchild no matter what LOL.

Also that one show thats like Trading Spaces where they take a living room or kitchen in a couples home, get the guy out of the house for a weekend and completely rearrange the room without him or her even knowing.

[urnofosiris]

Oh we are right in the middle of the Dutch version of "Idols". A search for a new soon to be world famous in Holland Dutch pop idol. I only saw parts of the first episodes in which people were singing so horrendously bad and being totally flamed to the ground by the jury that I did not realize at first that they really were looking for talent and that most of the people who sang so badly actually believed they had a real chance. I thought it was all a joke and that people deliberately sang like crows so the jury could bash them. However as it turns out the opportunity to bash was a big plus for the ratings but the goal really is to find an actual talent and they have found some real gems. Unfortunately some of them have prematurery exited the program as lesser gods have gotten more votes. Still, there are a few awesome singers remaining, but I fear the winner will not be the best singer.

Ah well, other than this I don't really like reality shows except for hospital shows or documentaries about various subjects. I only really got into the third edition of Big Brother which was won by a lovely lesbian lady with a wonderful deep smokey (literally, she is -or was, don't know what she is up to nowadays- a chain smoker, heh) voice. This year I could not stand the program for more than 5 minutes. Does Jerry Springer count as a reality show btw? I am still having trouble believing the people on it are for real.

[Warduke]

I'm not a big fan of reality shows (I can't think of one that I've watched lately) but I can't wait for tonight

Tonight will be the best episode because it's the one where we see (and hear ) all the really bad singers and of course the best part...Simon's comments to them

I saw a commercial yesterday...Canadian Idol

And of course the fact that this show will slay the competition is just too

[urnofosiris]

Oh Brian that's great! A talent show in Canada. Who knows, maybe if we're *really* lucky they will discover another Celine Dion!
Maybe even her twin brother, wouldn't that be awesome? They can sing duets then. The possibilities are endless.

[girlofp]

I can't wait for American Idol tonight. It will be one of the first times I don't watch Buffy this season, I can't help it.. I have issues. But tonight I will be watching Simon bash some people!!
I really liked some of the Real World and Road Rules seasons too.. especially because of the gay couples. Right now I'm watching Battle of the Sexes on MTV because I love Genesis from a past Real World Season. Once in awhile she talks about her girlfriend.
And I will admit that I enjoy watching Joe Millionaire.. I just can't wait to see the girl's face that wins and finds out he makes $19,000 a year and is not worth millions
Of course Trading Spaces and While You Were Out are two of my favorite shows on TV!!!

[tommo]

Oh Simon Cowell. You have to love a guy with a tan so thick he could probably fill in the gap in the Ozone layer...

Well as you know, I'm a huge Popstars fan. Ahem. I'm ashamed to say I watched the original Popstars with Darius and the group that eventually became Hear'say. But where are they now, hm? Hee. I think it's bloody hilarious that the five "rejects" who went on to form Liberty X are doing really well whilst Hear'say are...well, no more.

But I loved Pop Idol. Everyone thought Gareth Gates had it sewn up and then the delicious Will Young nabbed it in the end. And you know, I always liked Will. When he came out as being gay not long after winning Pop Idol I was just laughing my socks off. And then I was crying because another potential husband had gone by the wayside. I've now fixed my sights on Darius, who is a beautiful looking man with a nice haircut. And that's really what's important in a potential husband for me. Ahem.

But yeah, Popstars: The Rivals. You can't argue with a show that gave us Girls Aloud, can you? Or maybe you can. I dunno. When I'm feeling like reality shows are shite and totally pointless, I just look at my avatar and then I feel all better. Besides, Popstars: The Rivals gave us the amazing possibilities of Geri Halliwell dishing out advice on how to be a successful musician and singer. That in itself was baffling, believe me. Heh. Geri bloody Halliwell. I think I'd like to see her with Simon Cowell, bitching away at the rejects. That would be great fun.

But I'm looking forward to seeing Paula and Simon clash. I believe that their "chemistry" was quite something to behold. And anyway, it just brought back the shameful knowledge that I know the whole rap from the middle of Opposites Attract. Great song. Very underrated.

When I was in Chicago last year, the auditions were being held downtown for the last series of American Idol. Unfortunately, the fact that I was neither American nor an idol meant that it would have been a waste of time for me. Pity, that. I reckon I could have made it as a girl group. Y'know, all by myself. There's plenty of me to go round, anyway...

Have fun watching tonight, statesiders!

[Kalita]

I'm actually no fan of reality shows, in any form. something just bugs me about the whole process; I'm not totally sure what, but I just feel icky and must flip past whenever one is on.

I do have a Tuesday-at-8 commitment, though - the ever-fun This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Canadian satire at its best!

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-

I'm not sure if this fits but my FAVORITE show now, reality or otherwise, is the BBC America offering Ground Force. In two days someone gets a surprise makeover of the garden. The core group consists of three people. The largest person is Tommy Walsh, a tall builder with a wicked sense of humor who with his mate Will Shanahan handles the paths and building. Charlie (Charlotte) Dymock is a strawberry blonde water feature specialist and no slouch in the wit and fire department. Leading all of this chaos, more or less, is Master Gardener Alan Titchmarsh who is usually frantic by the end of the second day.

I love gardens but I am to gardening what whales are to motorcycling. Besides my little balcony just has room for some tomato plants, a live Christmas tree (very small) and a pot of pansies in the spring. So I guess Ground Force is vicarious gardening for me.

I even have the CD from the show by the Black Dyke Band, very good if you like brass and very tongue in cheek for the references in the show.

And it's on tonight!

Jixer

[tommo]

Ah, Ground Force. I watched that with my sister-in-law when I visited her up in MI. I have to say, the selection of daytime programmes on BBC America are really baffling, heh. Not indicative of what we show here, to be honest.

Anyhoo, my dad has a real thing for Charlie Dimmock. As do most dads in the country, I suspect. Can't see it myself; I always get frustrated at her untidy hair, heh heh. And when I heard there was a Charlie Dimmock calendar, I really had to wonder at the tastes of the viewing public...

[mscheckmate]

I can't watch reality shows. I either end up feeling sorry for the participants, or blown away by their sheer evilness. But my gf loves "Survivor." She says that watching that show has taught her far more about management and group behavior than did all of her college courses. If I were a Nielsen household, I would probably turn the TV to "American Idol" just to stick it to those who have said, in effect, that "people always say they'll stop watching, but our numbers stay the same." Instead, I'll probably watch videotapes of old "Mission Impossible" episodes: Barbara Bain (Juliet Landau's real-life mom) was hot.

[Zippy]

I'll let you into a little secret I really enjoyed PopStars: The Rivals

I didn't watch Pop Idol or the first series of Popstars. I was really hooked on the first series of Big Brother. I thought Nasty Nick was priceless, the programme makers couldn't have wished for a more devious little weasel to stir things up, it was fab. I also fancied the pants off Anna. That girl was seriously funny.

I love Changing Rooms, with smiley, smiley Carol Smiley. The look of horror on the contestants faces when they see that Lawrence has ripped up there brand new carpet, painted the floor red and added a zebra paint design to the walls is highly amusing.

Tommo I agree with you on dad's fondness for Charlie Dimmock. I bought my dad (at his request) the calender last year. I think he has still got it up in the cow shed.

[Nix42]

Zippy You're right about Changing Rooms, it appeals to my snese of humour when they do something hideous to some poor suckers home. The plaster cast of someone's breasts comes to mind . Did you see the smiley one on Graham Norton last night, I don't think Handy Andy will ever be the same again.

I loved the first Celebrity Big Brother, mainly for Vannesa's madness. The second one wasn't as good, but I do think Sue Perkins was funny

[samiamiguess]

Reality tv? Far too scary for me. Real life *shiver*. One of my flatmates has a fascination with the airport ones which can be interesting but since we live so close to Stansted airport also kinda frightening.

As for Pop Idols, I was a Will fan. Just so lovely.

[La]

I liked real world until they stopped having real people and started casting for what they think people want to see. The first season of Road Rules was great too. After that it got silly.

My brother says that he and I need to be on Amazing Race, but I've never seen it.

Can I count cooking shows as reality shows? I watch a lot of the food network shows. i probably watch 2-3 hours a day (scary, eh?) - i'm watching it right now and have been for the past hour!

[AlexisWillow]

I watched Bigbrother 2 and 3, mainly because that was the only thing worth watching at that time of the morning (just before we would start work). I really like watching other people do normal things, i don't know why! I once watched the big brother contestants lie on their beds for 30 mins not saying a word to each other, then fall asleep - they did and i did! Then when i woke up, they were still in the bedroom and Alex was just waking up too! lol - geez how boring does that sound?!
On a more exciting note. I work at the same studios where PopIdol and Popstars is filmed! Have bumped into Ant & Dec a few times in the corridors and the Canteen... and a few of the contestants!
I am wondering why the cheeky girls look so freaky!

[BoredNow99]

I'm a sucker for reality shows. I always feel slightly ashamed for liking them, as if there's something unseemly about it.

But I can't help it. They're so addictive. Popstars, Pop Idol, Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, Fame Academy. Human behaviour laid bare.

I did get a little worried about myself during Big Brother 2, though. Yes, Brian was funny. Yes, the will-they-won't-they romance of Paul and impossibly dizzy Helen was intriguing.

But I really had to question my mental state when I sat watching the contestants sleeping at 2.30am one morning. It's moments like that - those crystal clear moments of clarity that just can't be ignored - when you realise it's time to get a life

[AlexisWillow]

I know what you mean BoredNow99! I was worried as i started to have sleeping patterns like the BB3 contestants! - and also that i was thinking that working on the show would be like not so bad as at least i would be paid to watch them! lol
Also remember Fame academy, wasn't so long ago now, but the winner has a feature on them in this weeks heat magazine i think! Where they have taken a photo of him where he is supposed to be trashing a hotel room. He has a TV in his hand about to throw it out the window or something... but he looks more like he is about to place it gently on the floor!
Claim to fame - Mr Lamar (I can sing like Al Green) - his first appearance on a TV show was called "Upbeat" on Uk cable (which quite strange was my first TV job!) where a panel of judges gave him 9/10 for his peformance and said "well, he might make it inthe future". lol - i knew i should have put a few bets on him!

[Zippy]

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I am wondering why the cheeky girls look so freaky!

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It's because they eat nothing but melon, or so they said in some magazine.

I forgot to say that I really love Animal Hospital with Rolf Harris. That man is far to inquisitive about the bowl movements of a pitbull.

[concrete]

Talk about reality; check this this out. Nbr. 2, "for instance" and look: who are in a shared 15th position?

[urnofosiris]

Oh, hee interesting Concrete. I'll try to not let that 0.91% go to my head there.

[seurat]

I watched the first two Survivor series, and I still have a crush on Colleen. But since then I've found them too predictable and the people steadily less likeable. Most of these shows seem to be demonstrating a sort of lowest common denominator version of entertainment that I can easily do without. I watched a couple of eps of AI and it was ok, but it's on opposite Gilmore Girls tonight so I'll have to pass.

[willow4tara2gether4eva]

I enjoy Trading Spaces and Changing Rooms.

I did watch more or less the first to seasons of Survivor as well. Then I lost complete and utter interest.

I watched big brother overseas for the first time and not in the United States. The US version is so lame compared to the international versions. No wonder nobody watches it here.

But otherwise I am not into any reality shows. I occasionally watch the last episode of them to see who the big winner is, but that is about it.

[Jennifer]

So far the only one I've liked at all was the one on Bravo "Gay Weddings". That was so sweet, and I wished it had ran longer than a week. Hopefully they have a "Gay Weddings 2".

[SJ]

Popstars,Pop Idol,Pop Stars:The Rivals,Big Brother,The Osbournes.
Anyone UK Kittens watching The Salon on E4 and CH4?

[tommo]

See, I said I wasn't going to watch The Salon, because if I want to look at pissy gayboys bitching I'll go out with my friends...

And yet, there I am at 6pm every day. Sigh. I have no shame.

[maudmac]

I like Ground Force and Changing Rooms. Trading Spaces is okay, but I really only watch it to see Amy in her tool belt.

If cooking shows count...Iron Chef, of course! I don't watch it all that much, but when I do, at some point during the episode, my jaw drops at what one of the chefs comes up with. I'll never forget the time the challenging chef cut her hand wide open and just duct-taped it and kept right on going. I wanted her to win sooooo badly.

I've watched every Survivor except the first one. I think it's fascinating to see how strangers deal with being thrown together in a tough environment. Such drama! It makes me feel better about my life.

But I think the best reality show is The Mole, though I'm avoiding stupid-ass Celebrity Mole. I don't even know who half those people are and I'm sick of reality shows thinking it's a good idea to toss some old has-beens on there. I mean, Corbin Bernsen? That just makes me want to run far, far away.

Aside from that blip, it's a smart show. It's not just interpersonal crap, petty little pissing contests, who can eat the most disgusting thing, or who hates whom - the contestants have to use their brains. The aren't voted off because they are annoying or because they're a threat, they only leave the show if they haven't been able to figure out who the mole really is.

I miss Battle of the Network Stars.

[relativegirl]

Just when I was thinking that I lack the gene that allows one to enjoy, or even understand, reality tv shows . . . . Holley brings up Battle of the Network Stars!

I LOVED Battle of the Network Stars! Totally addicted to it. And when Kristi McNichol was on it ? Well . . .

[Penrose Orleans]

Trading Spaces! YOu have to love a show where you get to vicariously enjoy surprising and *ahem* 'unique' design ideas, then NEVER have to see them again (much less live with them in your house)! My dorm-mates and I are also big fans (in the sarcastic, mocking way we college students tend to use way too much ) of Joe Millionaire... as my friend put it, "It's so horrifically amusing that it's like meeting Jesus... in a clown suit." -Nora

[Willow Rocks]

Now fame Academy was quaility cause it had Sinead who i must say i have fell in love with!