I must confess, I am a reality TV junkie. I am not too ashamed of it though, seeing as the Raphael article points out that reality TV is the trend in television and programming in our current society. It was not until reading this particular article about Reali-TV that I realized why it was reality TV came to exist. I was unaware that the rise in reality TV had more to do with production and distribution, instead of audience demand or societal pressures and culture shifts. The difference of cost between producing a reality television show compared to that of a network produced drama blew my mind! Half hour sitcoms costing $500,000 and dramas costing over $1 million! No wonder production companies were jumping for joy when they could spend a quarter of the cost to produce a hit series like Jersey Shore, employing amateur 'performers' like Snookie and 'Mike the Situation' to live their cooky lives on camera and rake in the money for both themselves and the network.
In reading Raphael's article and understanding reality TV and its journey through the years I couldn't help but think about where TV is headed in the future. If anyone was lucky enough to catch the Golden Globes on Sunday night they would have witnessed Jodie Foster's exceptional speech in accepting the the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. In her elegant, yet teasing and light-hearted way of coming out as a homosexual woman (what seemed to me as the heart of her speech) she mentioned reality television a number of times. It seemed to me as a big moment for her, not only to accept such a major award for her outstanding work as an actress, but also to finally come out to the world, while also pointing out the importance of privacy and integrity of her life over the decades. Raphael pointed out in his article how expensive the Hollywood star system became over the years and there is no doubt Jodie Foster definitely falls into this extremely high priced star system. However, in her speech she poked fun at today's reality television craze, as she boldly stated that surprisingly enough she "is not Honey-Boo-Boo child", never was and never will be. She stated that she has been in this business since she was three years old, fighting "for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds", and that this has allowed her to value her privacy above all else, and "that is a reality show enough". It is clear she feels she deserves where she has gotten herself today as a major film actress and in no way does she relate herself to, or fall into today's societal pressures of solidifying her life by honoring her life through a "press conference and reality TV show." I think it is safe to say Jodie may not understand or agree with society's obsession with reality TV, no matter what Raphael, pregnant Snookie or any Real Housewife has to say about it.
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