“Time has convinced me of one thing. Television is for appearing on, not looking at.”
- Noel Coward
Well, believe it or not, I finally got a day off this week.
Shocked? Me too. And what did I do with my 24 hours of freedom? Well, I hate to disappoint you, mostly I just lounged on the couch and took several naps.
It was heaven.
I mean it was one of those days where you wake up, walk into the kitchen, grab some cereal, eat it on the couch and then, big finish, go right back to sleep.
When I did manage to open my eyes I stared blankly at the television.
All I found when I clicked the clicker was the one thing I was trying to avoid - reality.
What ever happened to regular television shows? When I was a kid I used to rely on the standard sitcom to entertain my day away. The shows of the past had a very simple format: two people, usually living together for strange reasons, who always had the wacky neighbor that would intrude onto their lives.
In 30 minutes some oddball crisis would be resolved and everyone would have learned a meaningful lesson about life.
If the action ever got stale there was canned laughter and a voice that would come on when the credits rolled telling you that the show was taped before a live studio audience.
Simple, straight forward and to the point. You didn't care who won or lost or who might be voted off an island, in fact the only island I watched as a kid was Gilligan's.
But this Reality TV seems to be entertainment for those in a vegetative state. It's no wonder that we have so many people with short attention spans because there isn't a whole lot worth paying attention to in the first place. “The Great Race,” “Survivor”, “Big Brother?”
I don't need these shows. And why is that, you ask? Well, to put it in simple terms, I grew up with brothers and sisters.
You want to watch a real challenge? Try being the youngest of a gang of Molloy kids trying to get ready for school in a house with only one bathroom.
Our mornings were filled with everything the networks are now looking for: drama, violence, and if you were the one who really needed to go, well, there was suspense.
There was a brief moment of hope during my day when I thought I had found an odd documentary on Animal Planet but it was just a rerun of “The Biggest Loser.”
Sure that's what I need to relax, a show that has guys who possess breasts that most women would pay money to have. Where was the black censor bar when I needed it?
I finally gave up and rolled over thinking that I should enjoy my quiet time because come tomorrow, it's back to reality.
Auburn native Bradley Molloy's column appears here, each
Sunday, in The Citizen.
He can be reached at lovonain@hotmail.com
Well, believe it or not, I finally got a day off this week.
Shocked? Me too. And what did I do with my 24 hours of freedom? Well, I hate to disappoint you, mostly I just lounged on the couch and took several naps.
It was heaven.
I mean it was one of those days where you wake up, walk into the kitchen, grab some cereal, eat it on the couch and then, big finish, go right back to sleep.
When I did manage to open my eyes I stared blankly at the television.
All I found when I clicked the clicker was the one thing I was trying to avoid - reality.
What ever happened to regular television shows? When I was a kid I used to rely on the standard sitcom to entertain my day away. The shows of the past had a very simple format: two people, usually living together for strange reasons, who always had the wacky neighbor that would intrude onto their lives.
In 30 minutes some oddball crisis would be resolved and everyone would have learned a meaningful lesson about life.
If the action ever got stale there was canned laughter and a voice that would come on when the credits rolled telling you that the show was taped before a live studio audience.
Simple, straight forward and to the point. You didn't care who won or lost or who might be voted off an island, in fact the only island I watched as a kid was Gilligan's.
But this Reality TV seems to be entertainment for those in a vegetative state. It's no wonder that we have so many people with short attention spans because there isn't a whole lot worth paying attention to in the first place. “The Great Race,” “Survivor”, “Big Brother?”
I don't need these shows. And why is that, you ask? Well, to put it in simple terms, I grew up with brothers and sisters.
You want to watch a real challenge? Try being the youngest of a gang of Molloy kids trying to get ready for school in a house with only one bathroom.
Our mornings were filled with everything the networks are now looking for: drama, violence, and if you were the one who really needed to go, well, there was suspense.
There was a brief moment of hope during my day when I thought I had found an odd documentary on Animal Planet but it was just a rerun of “The Biggest Loser.”
Sure that's what I need to relax, a show that has guys who possess breasts that most women would pay money to have. Where was the black censor bar when I needed it?
I finally gave up and rolled over thinking that I should enjoy my quiet time because come tomorrow, it's back to reality.
Auburn native Bradley Molloy's column appears here, each
Sunday, in The Citizen.
He can be reached at lovonain@hotmail.com
