Froodee

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TV Viewing Up to 5 hours a Day

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Women watching portable television at picnic

TV networks are really happy about the Nielsen Company’s latest report but I’m pretty sure parents and developmental doctors wouldn’t be. According to the report TV watching has increased by up to 151 hours per month. That’s around 5 hours a day!

The statistics were gathered during the last three months of 2008, which was when the US elections was really intense and the economy crisis was much felt. However, the people watching the news to keep track of these significant events are not solely to blame for the sudden rise in TV watching since the rise is, according to Gary Holmes of Nielsen, actually a long term trend. Factors that really contribute to the rise include…

more cable channels – This means a greater variety of shows to choose from at all hours of the day.

Technology – TiVo and DVR has made TV watching a lot more convenient even for the busy people, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to watch TV.

Economy – The news watchers is not to blame this time but the fact that people are trying to save money thus turning to the cheaper form of entertainment, at least compared to movie going and eating out, which is the television.

What isn’t taken into account with this study is the viewers’ habits so that the actual time spent in front of the television watching instead of doing other things while it is on is not really known. On the energy/environmental friendly note please refrain from doing this and turn off your TV set when not watching. Remember it will also help lower your electricity bills!

Reality TV’s Roots

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Reality TV shows are everywhere. People, including me, just can’t seem to get enough of the drama surrounding the loves of other people and for many, like Meredith Viera who I just saw confess in the Ellen show, watching certain reality shows is their guilty pleasure.

Before there were reality TV shows though the thing that paved its way are the reality RADIO shows that came out during the 40s. A direct ancestor of one of the first TV reality shows ever is the Candid Microphone, which placed prank calls to radio listeners, a reality radio format that can still be heard on radio these days. The reality TV show that sprung from this is called the Candid Camera, making Punk’d ideas really old. Nevertheless prank shows are still really enjoyable.

Immediately following the prank shows came the game shows, talent shows and competitions with shows in the Beat the Clock, Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour, and Miss America. The first reality show that got audience feedback to be able to decide on their content came out in the 1950s in the form of You Asked for It. After that reality show after reality show came out and now we have everything from documentary type reality shows to dating shows and social experiments. And still we can’t seem to get enough of these shows!

And just in case you’re wondering, Meredith Viera feels guilty about watching the Bachelor. It’s ok Meredith take Ellen’s cue and embrace your addiction. ^_^

Eastbound & Down: The Real South

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The Apple Store Soho Presents Meet the Actor: Danny McBride & Jody Hill

When you think of the South, what comes to mind? Thick southern accents perhaps? Mullets? Beer? Country music? Perhaps all that and more. While some of these stereotypes may hold true, real people from the real South know that there is so much more about them and their way of life than what the rest of the (perhaps uninformed) world knows. You have to admit, what Hollywood brings to the screen – TV or movie – is not always the real deal.

With Eastbound & Down, however, we just might get a taste of what southern living is really all about. Danny McBride, the writer behind the series and the main actor as well, wants the world to know that the show is not all about the “Hollywood south.” Instead, he wants to shout that this is the real thing – the real south with real people living real lives.

So what is this six-episode series all about? Amy Hotz of Star News Online wrote:

McBride plays Kenny Powers and “Eastbound” is about his down and out life. Kenny used to have a very successful career as a pro baseball pitcher. He had the money, he had the girls, he had the drugs. Progressively, though, he just seemed to have lost his power on the mound. And then he lost his job.

Forced to find something else to do, Kenny had no option but to put his head down in shame and return to his hometown, Shelby, N.C. To add insult to injury, the only job he can find in this un-glamorous town is with his old middle school, which needs a substitute P.E. teacher. Oh, and he’s so poor he has to live with his brother’s perfect family.

The unique thing about the show is that they found actors who are really from the south. To quote McBride, “When people that aren’t from the south pretend like they’re from the south it just brings out all the cliches and, you know, just all the stuff that you’ve seen a million times. It’s not even that accurate and not even that entertaining anymore at this point.” As such, do not expect any of the usual portrayals we see. Looks interesting to me.

TV Shows For Octuplets And Mom?

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Stack of Baby Diapers

Not long after Nadya Suleman gave birth to her 8 children, controversy raged left and right. In case you have not heard, it seems that the birth of the octuplets has garnered mixed reactions. Some congratulate the mom for having so many kids while others have criticized the decision to have multiple babies at the same time. You see, this is not the mom’s first birth and the conceiving of the babies was done artificially – meaning that the number of the children was somehow under the doctor’s control.

Anyhow, with the mother and the children all still in the hospital, reports are coming out that they are being “inundated” with offers for books, sponsorships, and of course, TV shows. Newsday has this story:

Hundreds of requests have been made since Nadya Suleman gave birth to six boys and two girls a week ago, said Joann Killeen, president of Killeen Furtney Group, a public relations company. But Suleman, who remained hospitalized with her children yesterday at Kaiser Permanente’s Bellflower Medical Center in Bellflower, Calif., hasn’t decided what she’ll do next, Killeen said. Some of the deals and requests for interviews involve offers to pay, said Killeen and her partner, Mike Furtney. They didn’t reveal amounts being offered. Suleman, a 33-year-old single mother, already had six children, ages 2 to 7, when she gave birth to her octuplets on Jan. 26.

Interestingly enough, AP ran a completely different story a day before:

Where is the unlimited supply of diapers, formula and baby wipes? The free van? The brand-new house?
Women who give birth to six, seven or eight babies are often showered with dazzling gifts from big corporations, local businesses and strangers. But that is not happening with the Southern California mother who delivered octuplets last week.

The news that she is a single mother with six other children — and that all 14 were conceived by having embryos implanted — seems to have turned off many people, and companies are not exactly rushing to get publicity by piling on the freebies.

So which is which? Are we going to see Nadya and her babes on TV soon?

All She Wants Are Her Teeth

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Palm Springs Film Festival Awards, Palm Springs, California

…whole and unbroken! The next time that I say something to the effect that movie and TV stars have it easy, remind me of this post.

Actress Mira Sorvino reportedly broke 5 of her teeth while shooting a new TV series that she is part of. The series is dubbed The Last Templar, a mini-series based on the novel of the same name. The novel was penned by Raymond Khoury and was released in 2005. The TV series was aired in January 25 and January 26 of this year and stars Mira Sorvino, Scott Foley, Victor Garber, Anthony Lemke, Kenneth Welsh, and Omar Sharif.

So what happened to the hot actress? The Bosh has this report:

She explained: “I broke five teeth. There was blood everywhere – it was gross and hurt so much.”

Things soon went from bad to worse on the shoot when the director decided to film a love scene shortly after the 41-year-old star recovered from her knock.

She added to the New York Post newspaper: “For some reason, right then our wonderful director, Paolo Barzman, decides that we should have a kiss to end all kisses, and so, after they paint even more bloody purple make-up on me, we have the big kiss. And at the end of it, Scott ends up for two weeks in bed, sick with my cold!”

I don’t know whom I should feel sorry for more – Mira Sorvino or Scott Foley. I guess Mira – breaking teeth is much worse than getting a bad cold.