Reality(???) TV and Me

I would very much to think of myself, and have you think of me, as one who is highbrow in her pursuits of culture. That entertainment should be informative as well as enjoyable. That this phenomenon called "reality television" is a vile thing and should be looked upon with contempt and disdain. In fact, I would like to think that my time is worth so much more than sitting glued to the television with my mouth agape shouting, "no she didn't" with no one to hear me except the pile of unfolded laundry.

But let's get REAL. Reality tv is about so much more than what is happening on the screen. It is about how anyone and everyone is equally vulnerable to its seduction. I don't care who you are, you give the Bravo network two minutes of your attention and you will be not only completely removed from your own reality, you will be absolutely hooked, I tell you. I dare anyone to dispute this. Ok not really, I don't like confrontation. (My husband would argue otherwise, however.)

Alright, now. Let's put it all out there on the table. My latest addiction is the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I can't get enough. I'm like a dog with a bone. We got rid of cable a couple years ago since we really didn't watch much tv other than the network stations anyway which we can get through an antenna. ( I'll save the my-husbsand-putting -his-foot-though -our-ceiling-installing-our-antenna-all-to save-money story for another time). And through this marvelous invention called Netflix and a Roku box we can watch virtually anything we want. Furthermore, Amazon On Demand offers entire seasons of shows which you can purchase either while the season is running and watch the episode the day after it airs, or like I did, after the season has ended which means you can watch the whole darn thing, one episode after another. How's that for a run-on sentence.

So, I had heard from my friend Laura, whom I trust in all matters especially those related to entertainment, that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was AMAZING. Well, what was I waiting for? So, I purchased the season and dove right in like a cat in a fish bowl. For an entire 5 days, which is all it took for me to watch 15 episodes, I was absolutely useless. All I could think about was what a flake Kim is and how I love Kyle's false eyelashes. And how I wonder if Lisa and I could be good friends and if Camile really talks that way all the time. These are serious ponderings, people!!

When the season was over, I had major withdrawals and started actually thinking about starting over and watching it all again, because why??? Get ready. I missed these people. How pathetic is that? But it's true. My addiction had been a very visceral and mesmerizing thing. And now that I've had a little distance (and time to recover) I'll just go back to watching Days of Our Lives as I have since I was six. Hmm, maybe I see a pattern here.