'Invasion of the Cheerleaders' or 'Glee'?

2011-07-16T22:53:00.008-05:00

Is 'Invasion of the Cheerleaders' a new TV show? Maybe it's a take off of the movie 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'? No, it's not a new show or movie, it's just what happened at my house last night! My oldest daughter, captain of the varsity cheer squad at her high school, hosted her cheerleaders' bonding/sleepover party. Of course the girls stayed up until all hours, so I didn't exactly sleep well. This post, instead of being an enticing essay about one of the rare flowers in the wonderful, wild garden that is TV (did I really promise that in my very first post?!), will be a short and sweet (but fun) blurb as a direct result of that.

Speaking of fun, isn't it funny how that one word 'cheerleaders' evokes a vivid image and accompanying strong reaction? You either love them or you hate them, don't you? I, for one, thought I hated them (memories of the cheerleaders at a certain southern high school come to mind) until my daughter became one! The initial portrayal of the 'Cheerios' (cheerleaders) as being "stupid and beautiful" on 'Glee' made it wickedly funny because so many of us have those strong reactions. Now, after a few seasons, the characters have had time (and the writers of the show have been smart enough to allow them) to become multidimensional. The quintessential mean girl/cheerleader, Quinn, has endearing qualities and a backstory that explains her evil actions.

If you've never watched 'Glee', you might want to check it out. WARNING: This is no 'High School Musical'. There is adult content in this show even though its main characters are high school students. The adult content is getting racier and racier with each season. It really is a soap opera and, despite the musical that's mixed in, it is not necessarily suitable for tweens or even teens. You'll have to watch and decide for yourself. If you like it, I highly recommend watching the first (especially the first) and second seasons on DVD too. My two teenage daughters watch it, but I watch with them so we can discuss what happens. True to form, this soap opera's writers will be writing several characters out of their jobs this year, as was recently announced. The actors who play Rachel, Kurt, and Finn will be leaving 'Glee' (they're seniors, after all, and will be graduating from William McKinley High School) at the end of this season. Show co-creator Ryan Murphy has hinted that others may be leaving as well. The series' third season premieres Sept. 20 on FOX.

P.S. -- Once again, please click on the links if you have a sense of adventure. It might be worth your while. Please leave a comment. Tell me if you've watched 'Glee' and what you think of it. Weigh in on whether you'd rather watch 'Invasion of the Cheerleaders' or 'Glee'. Also, follow me! You won't regret it :)

Is TV still a vast wasteland -- or a wonderful, wild garden?

2011-07-14T17:24:00.003-05:00

"When television is good, nothing--not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers--nothing is better. But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit and-loss sheet or rating book to distract you--and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland.

You will see a procession of game shows, violence, audience-participation shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western badmen, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence and cartoons. And, endlessly, commercials--many screaming, cajoling and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you will see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, try it."

This is an excerpt from Newton Minow's speech to the National Association of Broadcasters on May 9, 1961.

I think Newton Minow, the then 35-year-old chairman of the FCC, had a point when he called TV a vast wasteland back in 1961. His speech upset a lot of people in the TV industry. Sherwood Schwartz, the producer of Gilligan's Island, even retaliated by naming the sinking boat in the show "The U.S.S. Minnow" (you know, the boat that was supposed to take the characters on what was supposed to be a "three hour tour"?). Minow's "vast wasteland" remark stuck and it's what he's best known for to this day. Sadly, his observations about TV still ring true (to some extent) and probably always will.

I definitely can relate to Bruce Springsteen's song 57 Channels (And Nothin' On). Admit it! You can too. You, like me, have experienced sitting in front of the TV, zoning out after a long day's work (in or out of the home), wanting nothing more than to be entertained (is that too much to ask?) and ... despite the fact that TV has grown into what college professor/writer Matthew Lasar calls "a crazy, weed-filled, wonderful, out-of-control garden", and despite having cable or satellite TV, and a DVR, maybe even Netflix or HBO or AppleTV ... you still can't find anything you really want to watch.

Like it or not, TV has become a part of the fabric of our lives. Although new technologies may threaten its existence, TV adapts and continues to matter. Reality TV was not its downfall as some had predicted. DVRs allow us to be more selective. Cable and satellite have expanded to make TV truly vast. You can find a show (or sometimes an entire channel) devoted to almost anything that interests you. My blog will attempt to help you find your way through the wilderness (or laugh at the weeds along the way) so you can experience TV as a beautiful, wild garden instead of a vast wasteland. After all, when you really sit down and think about it ... TV is related to everything! Or, at least, I can relate most anything to TV. Can't you?

P.S. -- I'll try to include links to interesting or fun information, too, so click on them if you have a sense of adventure!

What Not to Watch

'Invasion of the Cheerleaders' or 'Glee'?

Is TV still a vast wasteland -- or a wonderful, wild garden?