Posts tagged Bravo
Terrible TV: Tabatha Takes Over
Jan 27th
You know how sometimes you watch something on TV and your jaw just drops? And not in a good way. Well this week I had one of those moments.
The cause? Tabatha Takes Over, the long running Bravo series featuring former hair stylist and Shear Genius contestant Tabatha Coffey as she attempts to turn around a range of struggling businesses.
Earlier this week I caught one of the show’s recent episodes, featuring Tabatha trying to save a rundown gay bar in Long Beach, California. And all I can say is – what the fuckety fuck was that I just watched?
Now let me get a couple of things straight from the start. I actually rather like Tabatha herself. I wasn’t a Shear Genius fan but I think Tabatha is funny, sharp and a good TV character with a strong presence on screen. I’ve also watched a couple of previous episodes of Tabatha Takes Over, back in the days when Tabatha just concentrated on hair salons, and enjoyed them.
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Stop Obsessing Over Rich People!
Aug 19th
We haven’t run one of our 101 Ways pieces for a while now – but this week’s topic is constantly on my mind!
This week saw the tragic suicide of Real Housewives ‘star’ Russell Armstrong, a sad real life event that looks set to become tabloid fodder for weeks and months to come. We’re going to be hearing lots of ‘he said / she said’ nonsense for the foreseeable future but one theory that has already been tossed around is that Armstrong was deep in debt, and yet continued to spend money to live up to the Real Housewives lifestyle. Now this I can believe.
And why wouldn’t he? After all if you turn on your TV screens most weeknights you’re going to be overwhelmed by images of wealthy people living large, grinning cosmetically enhanced smiles and generally flaunting their wealth in viewers’ faces.
There’s the aforementioned Real Housewives franchise, Platinum Weddings on We, pretty much everything on E, and most shows set in Manhattan or LA…
Some of I don’t mind. Platinum Weddings is pure fantasy and while I find it distasteful seeing how much money people will spend on just one day – it’s a fun show to watch and the TV More >
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Rewrite The Reality Competition Rules!
Jul 5th
Hey everyone – it’s 101 Ways time again, where I climb onto my soapbox and opine on a few ways to make the TV world that little bit better!
Today’s topic is definitely near and dear to my heart, seeing as I’ve worked on numerous competition reality shows over the years. I’m a huge fan of the genre and the world still interests and excites me – at the moment I’m loving Oxygen’s Glee Project, and before that was a huge fan of Syfy’s Face Off.
But as much as I love the competition genre I have to admit the world is looking mighty tired at the moment. Bravo pretty much perfected the reality competition show back in 2004 with Project Runway and not much has changed since. The world has grown tired and needs some new ideas – fast. It’s rife with clichés, conventions and identikit formats.
Coming Soon: Platinum Hit
May 26th
When Does It Start: Monday 30th May at 10pm EST on Bravo
In A Nutshell: Bravo enters the music competition world courtesy of singer Jewel and songwriter – and former American Idol Judge – Kara DioGuardi.
What’s It About: Platinum Hit is the music competition show that’s all about songwriting. 12 competitors will face off against one another and must each week write and perform a different song in a different genre e.g. country, love songs, rock. At stake is a $100,000 cash prize and a publishing and recording deal.
Hosting (and judging) the show is 90’s star Jewel, while ex-Idol judge Kara DioGuardi heads up the judges table, alongside an RCA exec and a rotating celebrity. Sound familiar? It’s the standard reality competition template perfected by the network back in their Project Runway days. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
WEIGHT-LESS
Sep 27th
Dropping Pounds And Dropping Ratings – Are Weight Loss Shows Over?
So recently I took a look at Thintervention, Bravo’s new weight loss show, anchored by lesbian gym owner Jackie Warner.
In typical Bravo fashion it was a very polished and well-produced show – full of upscale contestants with strong personalities, tightly edited and with some nice touches (I liked how Jackie would literally turn up on contestants’ doorsteps at just the worst moments)
But as much as I liked the show I can’t help but shake the feeling that weight loss as a whole is a really played out genre on TV today. And it seems I’m not alone. Lifetime’s Diet Tribe and Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off both collapsed in the ratings from series 1 to 2, Losing It With Jillian could only scrape together 3-4 million an episode in its summer slot on NBC, and over on Vh1, Money Hungry has the dubious distinction of being one of the lowest rated shows of the year – just 225,000 viewers tuned in for the show’s last installment!
KATHY GRIFFIN: TODDLERS AND TIARAS
Jun 23rd
Last night was a busy night for me, with a screening of a recent project I’ve been working on and a 2-hour America’s Got Talent to wade through (check out all the nuggets we’ve posted on today’s site)
The result – I haven’t been able to catch last night’s Kathy Griffin yet – but everyone has been telling me today how funny and fantastic the episode was…
And how could it not be – with Kathy and the marvelous Maggie Griffin judging a child beauty pageant. OMG. I mean this is just prime material for Kathy – over the top outfits, mid-west moms, serious bad taste and gays, gays, gays everywhere… it’s a dream come true…
So if you like me you haven’t seen the show yet – here’s a taste of what to enjoy…
And if you have seen it – let us all know how good it was… worth buying in a box of wine to enjoy?
Tip It!
COMING SOON: WORK OF ART – THE NEXT GREAT ARTIST
Jun 3rd
When Does It Start: Wednesday June 9th at 11pm / 10c on Bravo
In a nutshell: It’s Project Runway with artists… back in the day when Runway used to be good!
What’s It About: 14 aspiring artists compete in a series of challenges to win the chance to stage a solo show at a nationally recognized museum – and a cash prize. Eliminations, catfights and meltdowns ensue…
The show is Executive Produced by Sarah Jessica Parker and the fabulous production company Magical Elves (they staged all the series of Runway that aired on Bravo, as well as mega franchise Top Chef)
Plus Points: Look at the credentials! If anyone knows how to stage great reality it’s these guys. The first few seasons of Project Runway were superb – authentic, gripping, full of great characters and with some of the best challenge ideas ever seen on a reality show (remember the ‘Clothes Of Your Back’ challenge where contestants had to create whole new looks using just the outfits they were currently wearing. Genius!)
