2002 TELEVISION: SLICE OF LIFE IT'S NOT A FAD: REALITY TV EXPLODES.Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer Just sit tight, they said. This, too, shall pass. Pop culture pundits who looked to the slimming ratings of ``Survivor'' sequels and the mediocre performance of ``The Mole'' and ``Chains of Love'' predicted that reality television was not long for this world. Instead, reality became a programming epidemic in 2002, infecting cable and broadcast prime time with its can't-miss combination of low budgets and high ratings. The biggest splashes of the past year were made by ``The Osbournes'' on MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. , ``The Bachelor'' on ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , ``American Idol'' on Fox and ``Fear Factor'' on NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. . All have become appointment television for their viewers. ``The Osbournes'' launched in March as a larkish attempt to meld ``Ozzie and Harriet'' with Ozzy and Sharon. Now in its second season, the fly-on-the-wall series about the rock star, his manager-wife and their quirky teenagers is a water-cooler show, even as it gets serious with Sharon's cancer treatment. ``The Bachelor,'' with two rounds already aired, expanded the ``Dating Game'' process-of-elimination formula as an eligible hunk sifted through 25 single women to find his Ms. Right with whom he would share his life, or his vacation condo for a couple of hot weekends, or his 15 minutes in the media spotlight. ``American Idol'' owes its origins to Ted Mack's ``Amateur Hour'' and its success to Americans' passion for fame and our snarly snarl 1 v. snarled, snarl·ing, snarls v.intr. 1. To growl viciously while baring the teeth. 2. To speak angrily or threateningly. v.tr. certainty that we (or one of our loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl ) could do better than some of those no-talent schnooks. In addition to granting a recording contract to Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982) is an American pop rock singer. Clarkson made her debut under RCA Records after she won the highly publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002. , the summer series made judge Simon Cowell Simon Cowell (born 7 October, 1959) is a British artist and repertoire ("A&R") executive for Sony BMG in the United Kingdom and a television producer, more commonly known as a judge on television programmes such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, American Idol legendary for his self-esteem-gutting putdowns. ``Fear Factor,'' an apparent descendant of humiliating hu·mil·i·ate tr.v. hu·mil·i·at·ed, hu·mil·i·at·ing, hu·mil·i·ates To lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect of. See Synonyms at degrade. Japanese game shows, challenged contestants to devour something disgusting and to suppress their instinctive fears of height, fire, drowning and other threats to life and limb in exchange for prize money. The show got off to a slow start but gained steam after NBC started emphasizing the gross-out segment in promotions. What the shows have in common is the dearth of professional performers and writers on staff. Maybe there was a Writers Guild member behind the concept or a Screen Actors Guild member as host, but for the most part reality producers have slashed the two most pricey budget lines facing comedy and drama series. The only financial downside to reality shows is their minimal returns for reruns. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Kelly Clarkson sings ``A Moment Like This'' after winning in the final episode of Fox's ``American Idol.'' |
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