Musings on reality actors/stars/whatever they are

[texaslawchick]

I'm a great fan of a lot of shows on the Discovery Channel. Mike Rowe on Dirty Jobs just makes me happy. I enjoy watching the shennanagins on Myth Busters. Man vs. Wild makes me appreciate my television. And Graham and I almost signed up for The Alaska Experiment last year because we liked the first season so much. (We're not as impressed with

Comments

[datawhorevoyeur]

Oh no. The Gosselins were by no means small potatos, and the kids in their audience were watching with their parents -- online media, largely unprofessional writers and privately run blogs, have been all over them for YEARS, and the local PA papers in their town and near them have been also been talking about them, offline and online, for years. TWOP shut down the thread devoted to them (possibly just because of the vitriol spewed there, although that sure hasn't shut down their Sandra Lee/Semi-Homemade threads last time I checked; that shit is ALL about classism, and not a little bit of misogyny. And, of course, the disastrous monstronsities she makes, such as her Kwanzaa/Hannukah cake. IMHO. :-D ), and then Gosselins Without Pity took over (http://gosselinswithoutpity.blogspot.com/). The reason they are being investigated by the PA Dept. of Labor is due to the online campaign to have them recognized as illegal exploiters of their children's labor -- they

[lovelypoet]

classism and misogyny in reactions to pop culture figures? Surely you jest!!

[datawhorevoyeur]

*hee hee* I mean, dang, Sandra Lee really is kind of a train wreck, but some of the commentary is so transparent in how much she is resented as a "social climber."

[datawhorevoyeur]

Oh, and, no. Again, the Gosselins were under scrutiny WAY before Suleman. Online commentary about Suleman often referenced Kate Gosselin, among other HOM parents -- which is par for the discourse -- the Gosselins almost always are compared unfavorably to other HOM families, such as the Dilleys in particular, who allowed some filming of their family in updates over the years, but who explicitly have not sought a series. There's a whole cottage industry on TLC of HOM families (e.g. Then Came Six, which focuses on the only surviving set of African American sextuplets), and families with large numbers of kids (e.g. their series Kids by the Dozen). The Gosselins are the tip of that iceberg.

No. I'm not obsessed. I'm a scholar. :-D

[texaslawchick]

But the cover of Us and People and Star and all of the other grocery store tabloids? I mean, it's one thing to have people ranting about you on the internet. It's another to not be able to go to the store without seeing yourself.

When I tried to go to the Kat Von D signing a few months back, the place was over packed, the line was about four hours long, and her book was totally sold out of every bookstore in Houston.

But though she'd like to be, she's not ever been the sort of person that attracts the attention of the mainstream media in such a large scale.

[datawhorevoyeur]

The slew of big tabloid/magazine stuff is mainly related to the latest round of scandals, but if you consider regional newspapers to be mainstream, Christian publishing to be mainstream, etc., it hasn't ever just been ranting on the internet. And the "ranting" on the internet about these folks in particular represents far better investigative journalism than any of the mainstream pieces to have come out in the last couple of months. The professional reporters are so far behind this story, they should be embarassed -- if they chose to consider any of this legitimate news in any way (and I think it's mainly the popularity of the Gosselins and their ilk that is itself the news, not the pure substance of their lives, which is not that riveting at all, except for the discussion of what constitutes child labor in a reality television setting), they should have been picking up on this stuff long before Jon got photographed at some bars

[datawhorevoyeur]

I will stop spamming you after this:

The Gosselins were also a semi-cottage industry on the conservative Christian speaking circuit in particular, promoting themselves through speaking gigs (where they sold photos, autographs, and asked for donations from the church audiences), and Kate has (with aid from others) written two books, and has a cookbook contract, which may be impacted by the divorce announcement... They have tried to capitalize on the family values Christian market, going so far as to quote Quiverfull discourse in the Mutiple Blessings book, although their aggressive use of fertility medicine and technology is anathema to a true Quiverfull philosophy...

[erbie]

If you get in with either of them, please let me know how you did it. I've been trying to get in with one of them for months. I may have to bite the bullet and do it on the show if that's the only way. I really want Kim, but Hannah would be great as well. I love their color work and I'm going to get a very bright floral piece. Should be right up Kim's alley. I'm doing it either on my back or on my ankle, but I'd also rather not be on the show. Might be worth it though if I can get in with one of them.

[texaslawchick]

I think the key to Hannah is to book through her Chicago studio instead of High Voltage. I'm pretty sure that she goes home to Chicago as soon as taping for LA Ink ends. BUT, she has a huge backlog of clients that wait for her, so it takes awhile. I'm not so sure about Kim, because I'm not sure where she spends her off-season time.

Graham's friend Suzanne was tattooed by Kim on the show last season. She got a skull and crossbones with a clown nose. We haven't seen her since she got the tattoo to ask how she got on. Graham auditioned to get Cory to do a coverup (which has since been done by a guy here in Houston that we both love), and he thinks that he didn't make it because he didn't really have a compelling story.

[erbie]

I'd rather not have to travel to Chicago to get it. Adds to the price a bit! I'm hoping my story is compelling enough. It's for my Gramma and my girls, and Edgar's birth story might make good TV, what with pics of her in the NICU, though I don't really want pics of her now on TV.

[texaslawchick]

I'd have to travel either way, unless I happen to be in town for something else.

Mine isn't a particularly compelling story other than I like fireworks, and I want some bursting on my leg under my lightning bolt. If push comes to shove, I could say something about Relampago's lightning bolt and how I'd like a green (for Celosa) and wine colored (for Crianza) fireworks underneath. But really I just want a field of fireworks, because fireworks are pretty and make me happy.

[kokopopo]

Are you completely recovered from your surgery yet?

It will be 103 here today. Ugh.

[texaslawchick]

Yep. I don't even feel the incisions anymore. I was noticing that the largest of the scars is pretty much healed now.

It was 104 at IAH yesterday. I think it's supposed to be the same today.