The Moment of Truth

As most of us know, there is a strike going on in Hollywood. The Writer’s Guild of America has been on strike since November 5, 2007. Since that time Hollywood has been allowed to shoot the existing scripts but nothing new has been written. Many of TV’s popular series have run out of new episodes. Awards shows are being canceled or revamped due to no one being around to write the witty banter of the hosts and presenters. And we’re seeing a glut of reality television in prime time television.

I’m not one to complain. I truly enjoy reality television. Anyone that knows me or has read this blog with any regularity over the last 2+ years knows that. I’ve written about how much I enjoy these programs, particularly those that involve a competition. And you know that I have absolutely no success when it comes to predicting a winner. I’ve only ever gotten one prediction correct in all my years of watching this genre of programming.

Right now my TiVo is chock full of season passes for reality programs. And the series run the gamut in program concepts: CBS’ Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites, NBC’s American Gladiators, Biggest Loser: Couples, and Celebrity Apprentice, CW’s Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, Fox’s American Idol, Bravo’s Project Runway, MTV’s Gauntlet 3, and Oxygen’s the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. And soon to be added to my TiVo cues will be Big Brother 9, America’s Next Top Model Cycle 10, and Beauty and the Geek.

And for all of you other there wondering where I have the time to watch all of these programs – that’s the beauty for me about reality TV. I can turn it on, turn my attention to other tasks, and still know what is happening. Unlike an hour long drama that requires all of my attention, reality programs are good for entertainment but also allow for multitasking.

Anyway, the point of this post has to do with a program that I’ve watched the last two week’s on Fox called the Moment of Truth. It has to be the most uncomfortable and destructive hour on TV, and I hate to say it but if this is what networks are now turning to due to the lack of scripted programming then I beg of someone to please settle the writer’s strike.

The Moment of Truth was developed from a hit reality show in Columbia called Nothing But the Truth. In this program the contestants, prior to the show taping, are connected to a polygraph and asked 50 questions on a variety of topics, some of which are more personal than others. Then in front of the studio audience 21 of these questions are again asked to see if the person is truthful, with family and friends looking on.

In order to demonstrate how destructive this program can be, only needs only to look at the Colombian version which was ordered to be taken off of the air. A contestant admitted to hiring a hitman to kill her husband and won the equivalent of $25,000 American dollars for telling the truth. But the questions that have been posed have the potential to destroy marriages, family and working relationships, and to develop a general level of mistrust in the live of the contestants.

Here are some examples:

In the first episode the first contestant was a former college football player who was asked if he ever looked at his teammates in the showers, to which he said yes he had. His wife did not seem pleased by that. In addition he was employed as a personal trainer and was asked if he had ever touched a female client more than he was required to. He said no and the polygraph showed that to be a lie. The contestant lost the money that he had won up to that point, but what ramifications could this have with his job?

The second contestant had some embarrassing admissions, such as a former male model he did admit to stuffing his underwear for a photo shoot. But then the show took a nasty turn and got him to admit that he was a gambling addict, that he had lied to his girlfriend about how much money he had lost, that he had stolen money from a job and let it be blamed on a coworker, and that he believed he could not be trusted with his friends’ money. The only saving grace for this guy was when his son came out and asked if he had ever gambled away his college fun, to which he said no and that was the truth. But again, what kind of an effect is this going to have on this man’s relationships with his family and on his psyche?

I implore the people at Fox to please pull this program. I implore the writers and the producers to come to an agreement so that they can get back to work and programs like this one don’t make it to air.

But that’s not likely to happen. In its first airing The Moment of Truth had 23 million viewers – one of the top premieres of the 2007-2008 TV season. I guess the question now is what does this high audience turnout say about Americans as TV viewers?

NBA Eligibility - Hurting the College Game?

This past fall semester I taught a course that examined the role of sports in the media. One day I talked a bit about eligibility rules and what someone has to do to become a professional athlete. I found it interesting that the current rules for the NBA

states that in order to be eligible to play you must be 19 years old and one year removed from high school.

But then this got me to thinking if this is good for college basketball. What this means is that players, if they want to keep playing while waiting to be eligible, must play 1 year college basketball but then can leave and declare themselves eligible for the NBA draft. For some reason this didn’t sit to well with me.

Fast forward to today. As many of you know I am a three-peater from Indiana University. I received my B.A., my M.A., and my Ph.D. degrees from that great institution. During my time there I couldn’t help but be a huge basketball fan. I was there during the firing of Bobby Knight, the ups and downs of Mike Davis, from making the NCAA final to not even making the tournament, and the start of the Kelvin Sampson era. Even though I am only five months removed from living in Bloomington I’m still an avid follower of their men’s and women’s basketball teams.

This year the Hoosiers’ men’s team has one of the greatest line-ups in many, many years. Currently they have an overall record of 16-1 and are ranked 7^th on the Associate Press poll and 8^th on the ESPN/USA Today poll. This is thanks in part to the one-two punch of senior D.J. White and freshman Eric Gordon. And it is Gordon that got me thinking again about eligibility requirements for the NBA.

Eric Gordon is currently averaging 22.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He is without a doubt one of the hottest freshmen in the college game today. But will he see a sophomore season?

Eric Gordon is good enough to enter the NBA draft after this college hoops season. I even believe that once he does so it is very likely that he will be snapped up by a pro team. But where does this leave the Hoosiers? After one year of success they are left to rebuild yet again.

Now it is the responsibility of the coaches to recruit the best possible players. (But don’t get me started on Sampson and recruiting due to his violations over the years.) But how can a coach cultivate a championship team if the best players are only putting their time in for one year while waiting to be eligible for the NBA? What does this do to the college game overall?

NBA Commissioner David J. Stern has said that it is best for these players to gain another year of maturity and another year of experience before coming to the NBA. Their only chance to really get this experience is the college game. But does it really benefit the players? The NBA? The college basketball programs? In my opinion the NBA needs to go one of two ways with this rule.

One option is to revert to the old rules what allow players join the league out of high school, in essence bypassing the college game and turning pro. This way college teams will not get invested in these players with the hopes that they will stick around for the long run but end up only get them for the short term. The only caveat is that the player must have completed high school.

The other option I believe that the NBA has is to follow the model of the WNBA. In order for a player to be eligible for the WNBA draft she must be either at least 21 years old or have completed her college eligibility. By waiting until they are 21 most players will have played basketball through their junior year. This allows coaches and teams to build year-to-year and make great runs at the NCAA championship. It isn’t the same as having players stay all four years, but I do believe that it is a better option than having them play only one year and leave.

Any thoughts?

Super Bowl XLII

It's that time again. We are less than two weeks out from Super Bowl XLII.


Unsurprisingly the New England Patriots have made it to the big game, going undefeated on their road there. But I don't think many people would have predicted that they would be going up against the New York Giants in Phoenix.

I must admit that I'm rooting for the New York Giants, though they are a real long shot. It's not that I have anything against the Patriots, but I don't want to see a completely undefeated season. But I have no reason to believe that this game will go any better than the last time the met during week 17 of the regular season where New England won 38-35.

For Your Amusement

I feel the need to post something to my blog, but unfortunately I've been quite busy and haven't had the opportunity to sit and write anything substanital. I'm preparing to teach three classes during this coming spring semester and it is sapping up more of my time than I ever realized it would.

So here's another video for your amusement. It's taken from the TV series Showdog Moms and Dads that aired on the Bravo TV network back in 2005. While the situation is not a happy one that is being shown, the woman's description of her dog's actions about 90 seconds into the clip are unreal. Enjoy!

Chocolate Rain

Over the past few months I've become more and more of a YouTube junkie. I'm finding it a good source for video to use in teaching since so many commercials and clips from various TV programs end up on here. And I'm always looking for something to watch for a good laugh.

I've heard about this one video for months, but I never took the time to watch it. Now I hear that it has been viewed more than 13 million times. So I figured it was time to check it out.

It's the original song "Chocolate Rain" performed by Tay Zonday.

I don't understand it. What's the appeal? How come so many people viewed it? Or are they all like me, watching it and wondering why people like it? And did it really need the sequel, "Cherry Chocolate Rain"?

Blue Hen Mention

On Wednesday night's the Daily Show with Jon Stewart the University of Delaware got a mention. See the clip below. And then take a look below that to see the huge poster Stewart is talking about. (Photo courtesy of the University of Delware website and was taken by Don Shenkle.)