Generation E

Most of the television discussed on this entertainment-themed web log is either the scripted kind or sports. Rarely do I venture into the realm of unscripted shows or so-called reality TV (except to discuss Dog the Bounty Hunter). Today, however I would like to discuss an alarming trend in today's television broadcasting. That is the emergence of thought control. Apparently there are 24-hour news channels out there that, instead of trying to just present the news, put politically-biased editorial commentary with their coverage. I'm told that Fox News caters to the politically conservative while MSNBC has copied that business model and slants its coverage to appeal to people who love the party currently in power (I've previously stated my opinions of one such MSNBC anchor here). Meanwhile CNN is trying so hard to be cool, even at the cost of professionalism. Case in point: what's the point of having a 24-hour news network when people who tune in for coverage of election riots in Iran can only get reruns of talk shows. But that's OK because CNN has really cool graphics and pretty young fashion reporters. Plus, now you can follow CNN on Twitter. Another emerging trend in the market of thought control is the drone factory known by one simple letter: E! (the exclamation point is theirs, not mine). Have you watched this channel lately? Apparently the E stands for entertainment, but you'd be surprised what they present as such. At least I know where to turn when I need to know what Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan are doing. The one thing going against E! is that it's difficult to mold minds when heads are empty. Take for example the clip below (1:16). It's from a program that aired on E! called "Wildest Commercial Moments." Instead of showing funny commercials and letting the audience laugh at how amusing they are, E! decided its audience probably wouldn't understand the sophisticated humor of bad local commercials so they provided annoying "comedians" in pop-up windows to tell us what's funny. In a similar vein is the VH1 series "I Love the Decade." Instead of presenting a nostalgic look at what went down in the 1980's, they have to had commentary from people whose memories I'm suppose to value over my own. I've got to go now. I've taken up too much of your time as it is. In fact, while you were reading this Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie adopted twin Asian babies and named them after Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith.