Jon & Kate Plus Too Many Children...
I mean, who isn't talking about these nut cases? In the very beginning of their show I was fascinated with it. Watching this (bossy/loud/somewhat annoying-but-who-wouldn't-be-with-eight-friggin kids?!) woman organize her days and manage all those kids was almost hypnotizing. They seemed real (as real as "reality" TV can be) and Jon went to work everyday and they argued and she dealt with meltdowns and hungry kids and everything else us stay at home mom's deal with or have dealt with, minus maybe a few kids in comparison.
One of the favorite things I took away from the show in the early days was something Kate said regarding holidays. Every year before they go trekking off to wherever it is they go for holidays, they have their own ham "lunch" and that she felt it was important to have these rituals and traditions that focus on only the ten of them and that, here is the part I really loved, that by starting these traditions early enough there will never be a time that the kids won't remember doing that on Christmas day. I love that.
The show went downhill from there.
They moved into a lovely huge house (and not super far from where we live now, by the way). Jon quit his day job. And they became grossly extravagant and obnoxious.
In fact, that was one of the main reasons I tuned off. Every episode was about the two of them (and then later just one at a time) going and doing something...having these huge custom "tree" houses built...having custom motorcycle's built...baking cakes at the Ace of Cakes place...zoos, trips to NYC, helicopter rides...go, go, go, do, do, do, spend, spend, spend. Does this make great television? Yawn. I enjoyed it much more when it was them at home with normal, regular day to day stuff. It did not interest me to watch these (soon to be VERY spoiled little kids, if they aren't there already) kids go and do and GET. I no longer enjoyed the new designer sunglasses, the message that you have to always be going somewhere or buying something for/with your kids, or the swagger that the now-glamorous-and-trying-to-be-a-celebrity Kate uses.
I think the most disgusting part is how Kate has now repeatedly been asked WHY she continues to do this show and she said this is her livelihood and she is now a single mother. While I understand the money must be entirely too good for her to stop at this point, when do you think about your kids first and not the attention (which I think she truly loves and enjoys, secretly) your now-pathetic life is attracting? What about doing something noble instead of pimping out your children for a buck? (She used to be a nurse, that sounds like a pretty good fall-back to me.) And I'm sure the show picks up the tab for all their extravagant outings, but in today's climate I think it is reckless and a terrible display of what money does to people who suddenly are hit with a windfall. I realize eight kids is a hell of a lot to juggle alone and deal with work and so on but, hey, you are the one who decided to have these children so this is YOUR challenge to deal with. Millions of moms are also single ones who struggle and work and do an honest days work for their money. I'm sure there is something on television she may be able to weasel her way into since her fifteen minutes hardly seems up...I just think it is way beyond the time the cameras get turned off in that house.
And Jon. Good grief. What an asshole, truly. I get the idea that they didn't "ask" to be celebrities...really? Once you sign to be on a television show you have to guess that at some point your mug is going to appear places and besides that what about acting with integrity and decorum that we would expect from anyone in society, cameras following your ugly self or not. (Seriously now, the guy is ugly, arrogant, and selfish...what is the attraction besides the publicity, attention, and hard cold cash? Yep. Exactly. None.) This guy needs to stop flaunting his indiscretions as if he is an overzealous 18-year old finally allowed out of an all-boys-school for the first time. Pull your pants up, shut the fuck up, go get a job, and start THINKING about your most important role as FATHER to EIGHT little children.
Lastly, 1) is it just me or is the absence of grandparents on either Jon's or Kate's side seems a little strange? Why are they never mentioned nor seen? 2) I watched Kate on The View for the past two days. I swear, it took my all to even watch her or listen to her. She is extremely narcissistic and was it my imagination or did Dr. Phil yesterday seem incredibly annoyed with her? He seemed to do everything to NOT look at her, seemed VERY cold when responding to her comment, and made his point VERY clear about how cameras in your marriage/home is ALWAYS a bad idea. Ouch.
Dinner Impossible
We are hooked on this Food Network show. It is basically a chef with his two assistants and every week they are given a new, sometimes very odd, challenges where they have to cook dozens of dishes in about eight hours. Some of the ideas have been a birthday party for a gal who owns a candy store and every dish had to contain some sort of candy item...a zoo anniversary where they cooked a variety of dishes using foods that birds, tigers, and so on would eat. Meanwhile, chaos happens at every turn, time runs out, and the energy is captivating. We love it.
However. I do have one issue. And, this isn't the only show that I see doing this...other similar shows like Hell's Kitchen does it too.
If something isn't cooked the way the chef wants/needs it to look before feeding it to "customers", they throw it in the trash. The trash! There isn't anything wrong with the food, per se, it just isn't what the chef wanted it to look like. The entire episode a variety of perfectly good food goes into the trash can.
I guess my biggest "complaint" is that it seems like such a waste of food. Maybe it won't work for the meal they are putting on for people but couldn't SOMEONE use that food instead of it landing into the trash?
That's it. Nothing huge. Just a mild "what a shame!"
Jay Leno
I have always been a fan of his. Loved The Tonight Show. I like his humor, his bits, everything. He seems like one of those rare celebrities that isn't a jackass. To me, Leno and Conan made for a great night. It has taken me a little while to get used to Conan and Jimmy. I like them but I'm not hooked just yet. Conan seems ever so slightly more serious on The Tonight Show than his overly silly, mildly dirty Late Night gig.
But now, Leno is back AND an hour earlier?!? Sweet Jesus, I'm in heaven. One of the things that originally drove me bat shit crazy about living in Idaho was the Mountain time we were forced to endure. However, the evening news at 10pm and then The Tonight Show at 10:35 (SNL too) was GLORIOUS. I could go to bed before 11pm and see the news and the beginning of The Tonight Show. Here, we are back to "regular" time shows. Nice when evening TV doesn't start at the ungodly early hour of 7pm but dreadful when I have to force myself to stay awake to watch SNL or The Tonight Show at 11:30. Good Lord that's late.
But now Leno on at 10pm. Wonderful. I get my fill of Leno and laugh a bit and then go to bed to watch a few minutes of the news, catch the weather (shocker more rain in the forecast), and go to sleep.
I heard some of the criticism was that Leno was the same minus the The Tonight Show title. And this is a shock, why? Of course it is the same. He never said it would be different. Stand up-type jokes, silly bits, same musicians, and some guests. Okay, now he doesn't have a desk but he uses one for a bit now and again and the two chair thing is a little more relaxed than his TTS years.
I found myself suddenly missing Jaywalking (are those people really THAT stupid?!) and my all-time favorite, Headlines.
Ah, my evenings have returned.
The only challenge I see is when Dinner Impossible comes on once a week at 10pm at the same time as Leno.
