President Obama inspires new Vh1 reality series. Seriously.
Vh1 network says President Barack Obama inspired them to pick up a new reality series in which a bunch of slacker guys who have fathered children are put through a crash course in responsibility.
No, it just seems like a "Saturday Night Live" skit.
"Obama put that out there, and then ["Biggest Loser" production company] 3Ball came in and pitched this," Vh1 programming chief Jeff Olde told the trade paper The Hollywood Reporter. (We think he was referring to Obama's speeches in which he has talked about the importance of men being fathers to their children.)
Anyway, the exec likened the new show, called "Dad Camp," to his network's guy-makeover series "Tool Academy" -- except "Dad Camp," he said, will have "more textures."
"Tool Academy" is, according to WaPo TeamTV's "Tool Academy" correspondent Emily Yahr, a series in which chicks "nominate their boyfriends who are total tools, to go on the show in order to become less tool-ish."
Wikipedia calls "Tool Academy" a reality series in which clueless bad boys are sent to "relationship boot camp." (BTW, the Wikipedia entry has only one comment:
"Dude, why are they called 'tools'?")
Anyway, we have established that "Dad Camp" will be more textured than "Tool Academy."
In much the same way, NBC's we-dare-you-to-eat-that-bull-testicle reality series "Fear Factor" was more nuanced than G4 network's "Hurl," in which contestants ate massive amounts of franks 'n' beans and clam chowder, and then rode Tilt-a-Whirl until all but one of them had puked, at which point that person was declared the victor.
"In a lot of ways, men aren't what they used to be," the Vh1 suit explained to the trade reporter. "We've mad it so easy for men to walk away from their responsibilities. These guys still want to hang with their buddies and it's time for them to man-up and take responsibility."
On a reality TV series.
On Vh1.
By
Lisa de Moraes
|
October 30, 2009; 6:57 PM ET
Categories:
TV News
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Bill Cosby is the one who should be getting the credit for this. Cosby has WORKED for what he has.
Posted by: waterfrontproperty | October 30, 2009 11:30 PM | Report abuse
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