What the passing of Estelle Getty has reminded me of......

Ok, so we all know people die. Its an unfortunate, yet very true part of life. The recent passing of Estelle Getty made me think about a few things, but mainly how much things have truly changed for me since The Golden Girls was an important part of my life. By this I mean how important all those quality sitcoms in the 80's were to me. Seriously, what would I do without the adorable randiness between Cliff and Claire Huxtable while making sure their kids were well educated and well rounded? Or the ability to make ends meet even under the worst set of circumstances, like Dan and Roseanne Conner? Or the fun that four women can find with each other after their husbands and loved ones have passed away and they are constantly being told they are "over the hill" like the broads on "The Golden Girls"? I am not sure when it was universally decided by Hollywood executives that people just weren't into life-like stories anymore, but I demand a recount on those votes!!!!

In the past ten years, the face of television has changed and while I deeply love "The Office", "Project Runway" and "Weeds", that doesn't mean there isn't any space for intelligently written stories surrounding a loving family, best friends or just "regular people" on the seven thousand channels my local cable provider delivers to my TV every night. Where did the heart warming, shit hits the fan but we can still make it through television go? I want to see families be families again and don't try and peddle any of that ABC Family hip crap on me. I want ladies in mumus in Miami. I want successful doctors and lawyers raising children in Park Slope. Hell I will settle for Family Matters pre-Urkel morphing into a "stud years". Reality TV did not and SHOULD NOT take the place of quality sitcoms. So please, get a bunch of people in a room and don't come out until you have penned many scripts in a similar style to The Golden Girls. And I will not take Golden Palace 2.0 !!!!

Thank you ladies for all the family vacations you made bearable, the bellyache filled school days, raining summer nights and allowed me to understand what a "loose woman" meant before I got to junior high. The acidic fueled tongue Sophia Petrillo was as close as I will get to an Italian grandmother and I want to thank Estelle for the many many laughs I have had because of her character. This one is for you.



This is the beginning of my series of looking back at quality sitcoms and great moments! They really should be celebrated with more than just some award show on TVLand.

The Real World Awards Bash....

So I managed to make it through The Real World Awards Bash the other night and words can’t describe my feelings at the end of it. First, my ass was super drunk and staring at people at the party thinking – Who the hell are these fools? Watching cast member after cast member who I had no idea what their names were come up and receive awards like, hottest male and biggest ego or something else even more ridiculous made me realize MTVlost its cache many many years ago. The awards bash was basically a reason to get all the trouble makers in a room, feed them booze and make MTV cash in on viewers watching drunks make fools of themselves once again. The most interesting thing was that Stephen from Seattle, who slapped Irene for calling him gay, was actually gay and marrying his partner. Oh and don’t worry, his ass didn’t apologizing for being an asshole back then. While they filled in with some updates on some of my favorite cast members and relationships that were born on the show, most of the time was filled with pointless comedy from Jeffrey Ross and idiotic chatter between cast members. At one point though, the show took on a serious tone and revisited cast members who had passed away, Frankie from San Diego and of course, Pedro from San Francisco. This is when it hit me that The Real World at one point had validity and creditability and a real importance.

When I began watching the show, the first season in New York on MTV, I was mesmerized by the “real lives” of young people struggling to find themselves, develop a career and learn to relate to people incredibly different than them. I was very young and while I grew up in a fairly mixed cultural neighborhood in Long Island, I hadn’t seen this kind of grouping of people on TV together before. The charm of the show in the beginning was that no one who participated really knew what to expect out of the process. They were “virgins” to the reality TV genre and were more focused on the sociological experiment going on then TV time. I have to say the Los Angeles cast was similar to that and while there was definitely drama in the house, it wasn’t for TVs sake but just merely an effect of multiple alpha personalities in one house.
When the show went to San Francisco, I was in junior high. I attended a private parochial school, where the biggest problem I encountered was the back brace I was forced to wear due to early onset scoliosis. I watched 6 people, relative strangers, rallied around a man named Pedro Zamora. Not to get too touchy feely, but Pedro embodied true strength to me. A Cuban immigrant, who was also an out gay male, brought his battle with AIDS not only to his housemates, but to America. Finally there was a face to a disease we were constantly hearing about, but in a very dark way. Pedro battled the disease, but famously said “I am living with my disease, not dying from it”. It was not only his strength that was admirable, but his ability to befriend almost anyone. Zamora passed away a day after the final episode aired and the media coverage was astounding. It almost felt like a close friend had died. This at one time was the power behind MTV’s Real World. The social experiment allowed us to watch others, whom we might never meet in real life, and form an attachment with them. Now, The Real World is known for its girl on girl kisses, meat head dude bros and arrest records for the cast members. Ever since the Chicago and Las Vegas seasons, the audience has wanted more “gone wild” attitudes and the casting directors seem to only find people with fake boobs, low IQs and the love of fist fights. While I have to say I really enjoyed watching the San Diego cast, since they seemed to really like each other and have fun, even when being bad, it wasn’t to grab screen time, but to bond with each other. But for the most part the previous five seasons have been nothing but boring and uncreative fools stealing TV time from each other. I am not sure which came first with this – the chicken or the egg – but I can tell you that MTV’s programming is almost exactly reflective of the change in the Real World.

When The Real World’s first seasons were on, MTV was at the forefront of youth culture. They were interviewing President Clinton, showcasing underground music acts and introducing America to The State. They were the tastemakers and reflected the changes that occurred in the youth culture. They celebrated the idea of “grunge” and “indie”. They showed teens in the US hip hop and rap artists and people like Tupac and Biggie house hold names. If you look at MTV now and then, its crazy this is the same network. Now, MTV is focused on the sexuality of teenagers. They created Britney, Christina and sadly “The Hills. They are supporting teenagers in the consumerist ideals and pumping the “exploration” of sexual identities.

They are creating house hold names for people whom have no talent, nor real personalities. They are literally making personalities. Everyone looks the same, with blank stares and vacant eyes. In an election year this charged, I have only seen mere mentions of the fact that we are having a ground breaking presidential race this year. MTV is no longer a tastemaker, but a reactor. It’s a factory of one time cool executives who have lost their footing and appeal to the lowest common denominator. I know I will be sucked into watching something on the channel again and I am current viewer of “Rob & Big”, “Human Giant and occasionally “The Hills”, but this channel isn’t marketed to me. It’s marketed to 15 year olds who have $400 purses and think nothing of it. While it’s sad that the cultural symbols for this generation’s youth are so different than mine, I am very glad I got be a part of the indie generation. Anyways, after watching this many people get drunk and make out with their roommates, I think the social experiment is definitely over and I am not sure if we will like any of the findings.

Here is a fun little Then and Now photo function to see previous Real World cast members.

Real World Reunion - I am so there....

One thing dear readers you should know about Little Ms. Spielster is that she loves the crap out of MTV's Real World. Well, not for the past few seasons, but up until Chicago and Las Vegas, I was able to give a brief synopsis of episodes, cast and where they went after filming. Some of my favorite quotes, like "Thats what a rapist says David", "Breakout" and more are from the lovable cast members I know I know (hangs my head in shame). So tonight MTV is making me a happy girl and giving me, FINALLY, a Real World Reunion. Yeah, the gauntlets wet my pallet for awhile, but come on, we all want to know what is up with Melissa from Miami, Season 5 and apparently from pics of the night she is wearing that same denim number she rocked almost every day back in Florida.

MTV has been sort of promoting this show with fan participation online, where you could vote who was the cutest couple, craziest roommate and other awards only MTV could give out to people. I looked through the site and seriously I didn't know who half these people were who showed up on this red carpet. I am bummed that a lot of the older cast members don't come out for these things anymore because it is a celebration of this one time thing that they did and I care way more how Cory, Pam and Judd are doing then anyone from the Philadelphia cast. Speaking of old school, how hot does Eric Nies look in this picture. YUM!After the hot mess, I mean show, I will definitely be online discussing the losers who showed up and the idiots who won. Apparently, Puck gets kicked out, naturally and hoes hook up at the party. OH and Coral's mean and people make fun of Beth. Oh who am I kidding, I love this shit. Check it out at 10PM tonight on MTV .

DAILY ROUNDS...

It's snowing here in NYC and I am stuck inside a big old building and having no fun. I would like to keep this short and simple, since I should get some work done before I leave for the weekend. As an update, the conclusion of the CSI and Wrath of Cruise will be posted next week, as well as our Oscar round up. I am very much excited for the Oscars and Spirit Awards this weekend and hope No Country kicks Juno's ass!

So let's get to some business:

+Jennifer Lopez finally popped! Lopez and Marc Anthony welcomed their boy and girl twins at North Shore on Long Island, early this morning. Congrats!

+ Tori Spelling has a biography coming out. Luke Perry called her a pet names, like camel, Shannen Doherty was the original Lohan and Jennie Garth was a bitch, sometimes. Things I all knew before the book. I will still read it though.

+ American Idol saw it's first losers last night. Out of the girls, Amy and Joanne, who were both forgettable on Wednesday were sent home. I could care less about the guys because I am pretty sure its a ladies year this go around.

+ William Bratton, an chief of police in the LAPD has stopped a "Britney" bill from going forward with more stringent barriers on paparazzi. He recommended people like Britney stay home if they don't want to be bombarded by paps. While I agree with and his very succinct assessment, check the link above, the paps still go way too far sometimes.

+ When it rains, it pours. Another thing I am excited about this weekend is Tina Fey hosting Saturday Night Live. I love her and I can't wait to see what they do about "Weekend Update".

+ Fun little games/cures for boredom:Choose your favorite Saturday Night Live performer and then Guess the Best Picture winners of past and then spend some timevoting on your favorite cast members of the "Real World" for the upcoming awards show.

+They are making Monopoly into a movie? And remaking Clue? Uhhh..WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

+
The Liberty State Festival lineup was announced and other than Radiohead and Animal Collective - YAWN. Can someone tell me what the hell is going on with this Jack Johnson nonsense?

+ And finally an extended trailer of the "Sex and the City" movie is out there for all of us fans. Big might leave Carrie, Charlotte will be pregnant and Steve might have cheated on Miranda. I hate when trailers show everything.



What do all of you SATC fans think???

ENJOY!

Aftertnoon Snack

Rolling Stone's latest cover ruffles feathers

Speaking of a cast member from Hairspray, Democrats have the first gay issue centered debate tonight

Chocolate Rain hits TV

CMJ announces their 2007 lineup I have to say other then a few bands, this lineup blows. CMJ has gotten progressively worse the past few years and this basically stinks. But don't fret NYers there are good shows coming up this fall.

SHOCKER: Michael Lohan speaks out Doesn't anyone have a muzzle? Lohan is speaking out against the tell all Lindsay's ex body guard gave to IN TOUCH magazine. (More on Lohan this Saturday on Spielster

Real World returns to LA for its 20th season Oh man...they should just stick Beth in the cast just for shits and giggles. And maybe Jon so he can finally get laid. I mean all these losers are gonna end up here anyway searching for "success" in entertainment (i.e. waiting to go into porn)


And speaking of reality, here is the weekly recap in all reality happenings:

Bret kicks out Rodeo and Brandi C from the Rock of Love house

"Hells Kitchen" jerks off for an entire episode. We are stuck waiting another week to see which mediocre chef will win the competition

Sara N. packs her knives on Top Chef!

Scott Baio is still a jerk

BRAVO makes me fall in love with another narcissistic asshole from LA
And finally, MTV stoops to its lowest common denominator and puts together the single worst cast of Real World possible. Syndey doesn't deserve this I can already see where this shit is going and I am not a fan...And these bastards get to kick it up in Australia for 4 months. The best part of the first episode was when Parisa didn't want to party anymore, Kelly Anne, sick body from Texas, goes " Then what is she doing on this show? Let's make her cry and send her home." This ain't Big Brother dummy! The (one time) basis of the show was to learn from different people and open your eyes. Not to have threesomes in the jacuzzi with your roommates.