celebrities who skate, dance, and do other things...
Wow, two updates in the same month! I haven't done that since, well, one year ago it seems. It still won't beat the record from my first month on livejournal, back in August of 2003, where I actually posted seven times in one month! ^^; I don't think I even had seven posts in the entirety of 2005. Yeesh. But anyhoo, back on the subject. I've been watching the FOX show "Skating With Celebrities" lately, and been trying to catch up with ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." Both of these shows are right up my alley, just like that "Celebrity Spelling Bee," or shows like "The Surreal Life," etc...
I'm a huge TV and movie nut, not to mention a nostalgic bastard. So shows like this are such a godsend, for one thing, cause they give the "B-list" celebs a chance to shine again. In most of their cases, these are supposedly "washed up" people that are actually just as talented or funny as they ever were. Or in other cases, they're current stars who just aren't in the spotlight enough. In this modern pop culture world, there's so much emphasis thrown on the couple biggest stars of the moment. Once stars grow out of that phase, they seem to get tossed aside even quicker than in past decades. It's so nice to look back at the varied past we have, once in a while, and realize how fun it was.
The other thing that makes these kind of shows so fun, for a majority of people watching, is that you get to see celebrities who don't mind embarassing themselves. They'll act goofy or stupid, and they'll do things that most stars wouldn't touch. It helps us realize that these are normal people, and it endears them to us. In America, this isn't something that we get to see very often. At least not with our current "A-list" celebrities. There seems to be this understanding that they're too good for us, and must be put on a pedestal. The only time we get to see those huge/current stars acting this way, if anything, is on late-night television. Shows like "The Tonight Show," "Conan," or "Saturday Night Live." But even there, it's mostly just funny interview segments.
That's a big reason that a lot of people are so drawn to Japanese music and variety shows. They still air the kinda shows that WE haven't had in America since the 1970's. Shows where you can see the current stars of music and television, even the insanely popular ones, just acting goofy. Acting in skits, playing physically-intensive and weird games, taking quizzes, traveling to various places, etc. And on a regular basis, not just on rare occassions. It's something that makes it easier to associate with a celebrity, rather than seeing them as some kind of demigod. Not to mention it's a lot more entertaining than the context in which we usually see them on TV or news shows. Especially for the musical stars, since their appearances on American television are usually just limited to singing a few songs or doing a very short and boring interview (if even).
I'm a huge TV and movie nut, not to mention a nostalgic bastard. So shows like this are such a godsend, for one thing, cause they give the "B-list" celebs a chance to shine again. In most of their cases, these are supposedly "washed up" people that are actually just as talented or funny as they ever were. Or in other cases, they're current stars who just aren't in the spotlight enough. In this modern pop culture world, there's so much emphasis thrown on the couple biggest stars of the moment. Once stars grow out of that phase, they seem to get tossed aside even quicker than in past decades. It's so nice to look back at the varied past we have, once in a while, and realize how fun it was.
The other thing that makes these kind of shows so fun, for a majority of people watching, is that you get to see celebrities who don't mind embarassing themselves. They'll act goofy or stupid, and they'll do things that most stars wouldn't touch. It helps us realize that these are normal people, and it endears them to us. In America, this isn't something that we get to see very often. At least not with our current "A-list" celebrities. There seems to be this understanding that they're too good for us, and must be put on a pedestal. The only time we get to see those huge/current stars acting this way, if anything, is on late-night television. Shows like "The Tonight Show," "Conan," or "Saturday Night Live." But even there, it's mostly just funny interview segments.
That's a big reason that a lot of people are so drawn to Japanese music and variety shows. They still air the kinda shows that WE haven't had in America since the 1970's. Shows where you can see the current stars of music and television, even the insanely popular ones, just acting goofy. Acting in skits, playing physically-intensive and weird games, taking quizzes, traveling to various places, etc. And on a regular basis, not just on rare occassions. It's something that makes it easier to associate with a celebrity, rather than seeing them as some kind of demigod. Not to mention it's a lot more entertaining than the context in which we usually see them on TV or news shows. Especially for the musical stars, since their appearances on American television are usually just limited to singing a few songs or doing a very short and boring interview (if even).