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The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:43 pm
by Big Daddy O'Reilly
I have now officially lost faith in the future of American entertainment, I really have.

I mean, look at the movies we've been given this past year: No Strings Attached, Friends with Benefits, Bucky Lawson, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, etc. On top of that, you turn on TV anymore, and what's something you see on the screen 90% of the time, irregardless if you're watching a sitcom, a crime drama, reality TV, etc? Let's just say it makes Margaret and Frank's escapades look tame. Recently, I've seen promos for a new sitcom called Suburgatory, and what's one of the first things we see in the promos? Here's a hint: the contents of the box are round and rubbery. NOW, you know what movie's been adapted into a TV series for NBC? Actually, ne of the aforementioned movies.

I've had it, I've just had it... I'm sick of the entertainment industry constantly promoting and encouraging selfish, reckless, and inconsequencial sexual behavior. To think, television of yesteryears actually had rules and regulations enforced by the FCC that forbad showing two married people in the same bed, but now, they're always putting everybody in bed with everyone else; it really sets bad examples, and it paints a disturbingly sick portrait of American lifestyles... or am I just the last person on this planet who actually has a moral compass? I mean, it sure feels like it most of the time anymore.

Well, that's it for me, I've had it, I am sticking with DVDs and reruns, because I'm just sick of the garbage on television and in theaters. I mean, people are always complaining that things shows on TV and such are always too "politically correct" anymore... how is THIS politically correct?!

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 10:35 pm
by townsbg
Not to mention the commercials......I don't miss cable.;)

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:20 am
by TrapperJoe
Yeah, I've been in that same boat for awhile now.

I've givin up on culture nowadays and the human species in general pretty much :P I try to put my finger on it, when and how it happened, and it seems its been a gradual thing over the course of time, going back who knows how far. I always wonder if its the people around me, or is it me. Some people are old souls and seem to have been born out of their time. I seem to get all my culture and knowledge from the past, whether its films, music, television, etc. I'm kind of an amateur historian, I love reading and learning about things from eras long gone. Things had more class, heart and quality long ago.

I hear ya about sex being thrown at you 24/7 no matter what medium...it seems like a constant. Theres nothing wrong with love, making love, romance and all that stuff....but the stuff forced on us nowadays, is just unclassy, selfish, and devoid of any genuine qualities. Now the humor also hinges on all that garbage, and its just not funny at all. The characters on shows nowadays are not very enjoyable or likeable. They have no heart, warmth, values or any redeeming qualities, and if they have any of those, its something very dumb and idiotic, or it winds up to be a stupid joke.

One example is my friend watches It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and I tried to watch it, and found the show unfunny, and ALL the characters were completely obnoxious, unlikeable and had no enjoyable qualities. Theres other shows I can point to, this is just one of many. It seems like quality is lacking in all departments, the ways films and tv are made now...with a certain look and fast paced flashy uninspired cuts that don't set up anything, or show any scope in scenery or location. Its all rolled off the assembly line, as quick as possible and with the quality long gone, I think they resort to the lowest common denominator to reach the audience with sex and violence.

I can deal with life and death, pacifism and violence(when its required to protect those you love and yourself) but the stuff in films nowadays is just gross vile nonsense. I like a good scary film, I like the classic Universal monster flicks and stuff like Poltergeist, Gremlins, The Lost Boys, The Frighteners etc. but the stuff in these torture porn flicks is just nasty. It's not scary, it's not cool, it's not enjoyable, it's just dumb and unneccessary.

I feel like an old man with my friends watching garbage like Tosh.o, Sunny in Philly, Adventures of Christine, Two and a Half Men, That 70s show, UFC, Big Brother etc. and here I am watching old Marx Brothers films, and old classic tv on MEtv and RETRO. I've started watching The Dick Van Dyke show on MEtv, and I'm loving it. :D That is comedy! I watched it as a kid on Nick at Nite and such, but now I can appreciate the great comic timing of that show. Dick Van Dyke is a riot, and Mary Tyler Moore is hilarious also, they have some great chemisty together. The Mary Tyler Moore show is solid as well. Ed Asner is great as Lou Grant and Ted Knight cracks me up big time. I loved Ted Knight in Caddyshack, and am glad I got into this show as well.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 11:45 am
by Big Daddy O'Reilly
You know, I DO have to give Suburgatory credit for one thing, they're actually doing something that most shows stopped doing eons ago: they actually casted a relatively unknown in the lead; I forget what her name is, but she seems like a promising young talent.

I mean, remember back in the old days when the shows made the stars? Andy Griffith was a struggling, unknown actor who failed at movies and stage and finally turned to TV and had a beloved long-running series that made him a star; it's even been said that M*A*S*H, "Turned a group of unknown actors into the nation's best friends". Nowadays, it's the otherway around, and they try to have the stars make the show: I don't think they put a lot of effort into plot, premise, etc, they just want famous names and famous faces, in hopes that alone will bring in an audience. Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men? Actually, also remember backin the day when movie stars were "too big", "too expensive", and "too important" to even consider doing television? I mean, that's mainly why like Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, etc didn't reprise their respective roles as Hawkeye, Trapper, Hot Lips, etc. I don't know.

But... let me just tell you guys something. I know I've said this many times before, but I''ll keep saying it until the cows come home: I do most of my own writing and such, and I've got to tell you, it is seriously not hard, not hard at all, to write something that's genuinely funny and entertaining without having to be raunchy and vulgar to get quick laughs.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 6:53 pm
by Jeeter
This is why i don't even watch TV anymore. I got tired of all the crime shows because I couldn't keep up to all of them. I'm so glad M*A*S*H made 251 episodes because it's the only thing that should be on television still. The only decent shows I ever watch (which isn't very often) are Top Gear and The Big Bang Theory. Of course, the occasional Discovery Channel program is good too :geek:

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:42 pm
by Big Daddy O'Reilly
I'd actually argue that "Big Bang" falls into the trashy category, or at least it seems like whenever I look up whenever it's on, the characters are naked in bed with other characters. Funnily, people are always shocked to find out I don't like the show, because they assume it's up my alley, since the show's about nerds, for nerds, and I'm a nerd, but I don't like it, lol.

And actually Jeeter, I feel the same way you do: I know there's a lot of people who are STILL into Pokemon after all these years, but I stopped being able to keep up years ago, lol! I don't even know exactly how many creatures there are these days... I can still remember when there were originally only 151, then they introduced like another 100 or so new creatures, then they started retiring characters, and reviving older characters, etc... I just couldn't keep up. ><

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:24 pm
by Jeeter
I leave whenever there is some kind of sex involved in Big Bang (wow that sounded dirty) because it's always a pathetic attempt at humour and mixing things up between characters. As well, Sheldon is getting old fast.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:20 pm
by Big Daddy O'Reilly
Jeeter wrote:I leave whenever there is some kind of sex involved in Big Bang (wow that sounded dirty) because it's always a pathetic attempt at humour and mixing things up between characters.
Exactly my point: THAT is what's considered comedy anymore these days.

Today's Comedy = Let's put so-and-so in bed with so-and-so.
Today's Drama = Let's make so-and-so pregnant by so-and-so and see how they react.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:09 pm
by Jeeter
Thankfully M*A*S*H only did that once throughout the series. But it was for a different reason than just trying to "shake things up a bit". Hawkeye and Margaret being together was something unheard of in the earlier seasons and it showed how much they meant to each other. In other shows, things like this happen with whoever and whenever and it has no meaning at all. Just trashy drama.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:25 pm
by Big Daddy O'Reilly
Oy.

You know what they were talking about on the news this afternoon? How all these new raunchy chick-flicks like Bad Teacher and Brides Maids are the most popular trends in Hollywood right now, you know why? Well, according to the chicks who MAKES these movies like Kristen Wiig (boy she's hideous as a blonde, isn't she?) and Anna Farris say it's because "at last" women can have characters they can believe in and relate to... I mean, that's a little scary to think that characters like THOSE are actually relatable... I mean MAYBE there's women like that out there, but I don't know any personally, and frankly, I'm not sure that I want to.

The upshot is that they're saying that we can expect Hollywood to crank out even more of these raunchy chick-flicks since they're the hot ticket right now apparently.

Oh joy, enraptured. :roll:

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 10:27 pm
by townsbg
I don't have cable so I don't know what you are talking about but I don't miss it. :roll:

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 2:59 pm
by Ranger
I think M*A*S*H got the balance right, there were enough slightly risque jokes in there that adults would enjoy but wouldn't cause any awkward questions from any kids who happened to be watching.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:46 pm
by townsbg
I don't miss cable.

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 4:30 pm
by Big Daddy O'Reilly
townsbg wrote:I don't miss cable.
Sometimes I wonder why I even have cable... I mean really, I don't hardly watch much of it anyway, reruns of good classic shows keep getting more and more butchered, you can't change the channel without seeing the face of a Kardashian plastered up there...

Re: The Future of Entertainment

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 2:18 am
by townsbg
I didn't want to pay for it and I knew that I wouldn't watch it that much. :?