Sunday, April 26, 2009
A+E, In this Issue..., Atlanta
Reality bites
What Michael Vick’s TV show—real or not—says about our celebrity-obsessed culture
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Michael Vick
5 REALITY SHOWS WE'D LIKE TO SEE
- “The Real World: Little 5 Points”: How long can professional adults survive in a community of discerning hipsters and starving artists? Contestants sell homemade crafts, play music on the sidewalk for food, and vie to work at American Apparel.
- “The Amazing Race: Interstate 75 Edition”: In the most anticlimactic season yet, contestants test their patience as they creep along to their jobs during rush hour—if they're moving at all.
- “The Apprentice: Andre 3000”: Hopefuls compete to see who can keep up with the OutKast member’s eccentric tastes. Contestants are judged on their ability to simultaneously rap, sing, act, dress bizarrely, "hush that fuss" and "shake it like a Polaroid picture."
- “Shirley Franklin’s Road to Redemption”: As the end of her second term looms, the mayor puts aside her knitting to preserve her legacy by paying attention to Atlanta's crime problem.
- “Survivor: MARTA”: Enough said.
BY CALVIN SON
The Internet was abuzz a couple of weeks ago when the Hollywood Reporter let the dog—er, cat—out of the bag regarding Michael Vick's latest controversy. The publication’s Web site reported that the former Falcon was shopping around for a reality show that would follow his progress as he makes "amends for his past."
Vick's agent later effectively refuted the story on NFL.com. But the fact that someone—whether it was Vick, a network executive or some anonymous rumormonger—thought such a show might be a good idea shows a shift in the significance of reality TV. After all, the onetime Atlanta quarterback may or may not be reinstated into the NFL after he gets out of prison. But a reality show? That’s a guaranteed career-maker.
Such shows have steadily been creeping their way onto the list of celebrity requirements for some time, joining the ranks of scandals, fragrances and clothing lines. But in an era in which anyone can gain some measure of “fame” through YouTube or blogs, or access the most minute thoughts of Shaquille O’Neal, Britney Spears or Ashton Kutcher on Twitter, celebrities have to step up their game. And for now, anyway, there’s one outlet not open to every Tom, Dick and Spencer with an Internet connection: having your own television show.
“We live in a world in which we are increasingly subject to forms of surveillance—not just closed-circuit TV, but monitoring online," says James Hay, co-author of "Better Living through Reality TV: Television and Post-Welfare Citizenship” and associate professor at the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois. "My undergraduate students have grown up inhabiting this world of surveillance. They don't think it's odd at all looking in on the personal lives of celebrities."
FEEDING OUR SCHADENFREUDE
Reality TV itself, of course, is nothing new. But recent years have seen a noticeable increase in shows that focus on the everyday details of people's lives instead of following more situation- or game-based formats like "Big Brother" or "Amazing Race."
Atlanta, which seems to churn out a new reality TV star every week, is no exception. Rapper T.I.’s “Road to Redemption,” which doubtless influenced the idea behind the proposed Vick show, is but the most recent example. Currently, there are projects in the works from former "Cosby Show" star Keshia Knight Pulliam, singer Monica and T.I.’s wife-to-be, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle.
In some cases, the genre has even turned completely boring or otherwise unremarkable people into celebrities—as with, say, Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” or BET’s “College Hill.” And then there’s Comcast’s Real City TV, which puts everyday Atlantans in the spotlight.
Matt Duckworth, a self-professed fan of reality TV from Norman, Okla., says he's drawn to the fact that these programs allow him to see and hear things he previously wouldn’t have been able to, no matter how trivial or uninteresting the actual content may be. The voyeurism of reality programming helps satisfy his schadenfreude—pleasure derived from others' misfortunes.
"I like to watch people being stupid and screwing up and making idiots out of themselves in front of millions of viewers," he says. "And I guess I’m interested in the mundane aspects of peoples' lives. People like to know what the girl from 'The Hills' is eating for breakfast. People like to know what celebrities do when they wake up in the morning or when they have nothing to do. There's nothing wrong with that. People need decompression in their lives."
BONUS SIDE EFFECT
Obviously, these shows are on one level a reflection of our desire for voyeurism and exhibitionism. But it's not all just about slipping up and snooping. Hay says that modern reality programming can serve as a means of instruction. Rather than depending on the government for help, viewers are encouraged to improve their own lives—with the help, of course, of TV experts like Ty Pennington or “Supernanny” Jo Frost, who "swoop in" and save the day.
In the case of shows like NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice," MTV's "T.I.'s Road to Redemption" or the purported Vick show, the subjects aren’t trying to win money for themselves or gain technical training as much as they’re serving as agents of welfare and public assistance.
While "Celebrity Apprentice" offers "a way of poking fun at people like Dennis Rodman and so on," Hay says, the flip side is that these shows are “turning them into people who are doing good. It's interesting, because it dovetails with the trend toward private citizens or celebrities who are doing that kind of work." Viewers are entertained by the voyeurism and learn how to help themselves, while the networks profit from the positive image—and the ratings.
Duckworth says the shows help him in a different way.
"If you want to make a difference, give some money to some foundations,” he says. “I think T.I. was just trying to keep his ass out of jail. I guess there is some good that comes out of it, if some kids see it and get inspired, but I see that sort of thing more as a byproduct than a goal. I just like to melt my brain a little bit by spending half an hour or whatever just doing the most mindless thing possible."
SP