Failed Pilot

Dice: Undisputed…the first reality show that I will watch from start to finish. The White Rapper Show looked good on paper, right up my alley (cat), but interest sank. MC Serch was an insufferable moron (1), Prince Paul (2) was confusing and boring as a co-host, and the truly bizarre rappers were clipped early on. Also promising was Shooting Sizemore, yet clarification is needed as to why. I do not advocate or enjoy this style of reality show. The suffocating negativity peddled by addict/derelict/downfall reality series is uncalled for (in my life, at least), but I enjoy Tom Sizemore as a character actor, and his particular spiral appeared (in the previews) to reach insane depths (like homelessness). So, to approach personal hypocrisy, I just wanted to see how things would turn out. Otherwise, as a half-observed rule, exploitation of demolished lives is something that I find unsavory. Regardless, I’ve yet to see an episode.

Dice was never a drug addict. This was a career ruined by various forms of stupidity (3), lack of diversity and progress, the PC movement, and a bulldozing cruelty on the part of the entertainment business. Because of these things, hopefully, the Dice: Undisputed formula is different. I don’t pretend to know how rigged/scripted these shows are. Naturally, we start off with a broken man. Rather, the career is broken. Home life is comfortable, suburban, and primarily friendly. There’s a focus on how much he loves his kids. None of this should come as shocking if you’ve ever watched a reality TV show. Be it fake or genuine, the show has heart. The parade of disappointments, the Ford Taurus rental, the unfashionable dining choices, and especially his dad’s support….I am, so far, hooked like an idiot.

1. And deeply unlikeable as a host.

2. The purpose being what? That 7/8 of his audience is white anyway?

3. In my previous post re: this subject, a Bill Hicks reference was made. Let me clarify. Hicks’ material was, at the time, unquestionably cerebral compared to Dice Clay’s rube-ish, dumbshit posturing. Hicks’ material is also sorely overrated, and has aged like Candlebox. His post-mortem glorification is vexing…I just so very rarely find his bits laugh-out-loud funny. You may not like where Dice Clay took things, but that place, in a pure sense, was previously unconquered. Writer Mark Prindle has a better grasp of what makes the Dice Clay career fascinating/entertaining. Read that.

(Bullet Point) I’m not here to surprise. I’m excited. Hopefully, there will be some mention of the last two Def American albums, the indie albums, and what has been happening since 2000. I find this him fascinating. I’m confortable with the predictability of it all. Edgy? Offensive? Bill Hicks? Please. For better or worse, there was nothing like this man’s comedy. He looks terrible. The skin underneath his eyes looks as though it’s seeking an out-of-court settlement with the rest of his face. Round 8 for that one.

(Bullet Point) I have not seen Zodiac, but…..I’m excited. I’m half-confident that David Fincher has made his first movie that falls outside of the Clever Art for Stupid People category.

(Bullet Point) Is this still interesting to people? Is a mainstream 80’s aesthetic (that has nothing to do with the music, sonically) still entertaining herds of idiots?

(from Pitchfork)

“With his midriff-baring t-shirts and loose-limbed dance moves, !!!’s Nic Offer is a total goofball in the unselfconscious way that only really cool guys can get away with being. If you’ve ever attended a performance by !!! or Offer’s former band, Out Hud, then you’re familiar with his repertoire: the Christ-like wingspan, overhead clapping, shimmying hips, gangly duck-walking, dervish spins, scissor kicks, and humpy pelvic thrusts. It’s like the mutant spawn of step aerobics, Flashdance, and Electric Boogaloo in an arena-ready package: ridiculous, extravagant, and completely awesome. Offer’s stage presence isn’t just deeply entertaining; it’s an ice-breaker that gives us permission, by example, to forget ourselves and celebrate with abandon. You can tell he’s having a hell of a time, and his enthusiasm is infectious.”

(Bullet Point) Ok, back to the excitement. These future reads make me smile: