Hollywood and Madison Avenue Just Don't Get It
I read in the news today that potential winners in the Oscar television program have been tutored on what to say and how to say it.
Finally, the producers and directors of this unabashed aggrandizing self-serving egomaniacal program have seen the light. They admit that the worst part of the program is the thank you speeches. Speeches hang in the air like smoke from a burning pan. They are in a word awful. Here is a "phrase" for all of those involved in that production, "Who cares?"
I am thankful that there are other options to watch. It is perhaps the most boring program other than the three-hour documentary I watched on how an 1856 barn door hinge works. The show is as appealing as a black banana and as tasty as a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich garnished with pickled black widow spiders. The truth is I haven't watched the program since Lassie was given an Oscar in 1953 for best actor beating out Elmer Fudd by two votes.
The world of entertainment has taken a turn for the worse in my lifetime. We all remember what Rhett Butler said in "Gone With The Wind" and it shocked the nation. In 2010 nothing shocks the world any more. It is a greater shock when entertainers don't open their mouths and let the drool of profanity and vulgarity flow like sewage coming out of the sewers of Calcutta. The Titanic went down slower than the moral level of that which is called entertainment over the past three decades.
I am aghast at what Madison Avenue (TV) and Hollywood call entertainment today. They drive by like a garbage truck and fill our living rooms and theaters with trash, voyeurism, violence, pornography, lurid sex, foul language and that is what many want. Here is a bulletin, if people did not watch it would not be offered.
An historical perspective reveals that we are not the first to be offered this drivel. The Greek theater had its tales of sensuality, incest, and even bestiality. The Romans had criminals and slaves fight to the death in the coliseum. Lions ate Christians and gladiators for lunch. Gladiators fought to the death. Historians suggest that we are morally superior to them. I wonder.
The entertainment industry justifies their offerings with three bits of rationale: (1) It is just harmless entertainment. This has no credibility. No one can deny that glamorized media offerings do not impact behavior. (2) It just reflects the realities of our society. Ask the single mom on welfare if she sees herself in the TV versions of a nanny, supportive family and friends and no money problems. (3) "We're only giving the public what it wants." The industry reports that movies rated "R" for sex and violence aren't good investments. In 2009 only two "R" rated movies ranked in the top twenty for ticket sales: "The Hangover" at number four and another movie at 18. There are none so blind as those who will not see.
The entertainment world has an agenda -- the bottom line.
Larry grew up North of Calvertville on a farm and graduated from Worthington High School. He lives in Plainfield and can be reached at Goosecrick@aol.com or (317) 839-7656. Write him at Larry Vandeventer 6860 Sunrise Drive, Plainfield, Ind., 46168. He has written five books.
- -- Posted by pbrown on Tue, Mar 16, 2010, at 12:44 AM
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