I just put my Netflix envelope in the mail after it was sitting on my TV for 2 weeks. I never watched the DVD, but I thought about it every day. It was the first season of 30 Rock.
I watched Baby Mama and loved it, and decided that I would love anything that Tina Fey did, because I would. So I ordered 30 Rock because she writes it and stars in it. Solid gold, right? Right. That is the problem. You can't just watch a few episodes of any TV show anymore--you have to follow it. You have to plan your life around your TV schedule because, simply, you're addicted. Reality shows, sitcoms, even news shows--all of them are made to be engrossing and then addicting. Part of the addiction is the culture surrounding these shows. You have to get together with your one group of friends to watch Lost, and a different group to watch The Office. There are t-shirts and mousepads and fridge magnets and stationary all with funny inside jokes from the shows that define you as a follower of the show.
And its not just TV that is addicting. Movies now have sequels and prequels. Do you even know how many Land Before Times there are? I think its up around 19. There is a culture around most of those, too. Think of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Batman, Indiana Jones, movies by Adam Sandler (which are just one long string of sequels), British romances, Oceans 11, 12, 13, Pirates, etc. Each category has followers who are defined by how many times they have seen the film, how early they got their tickets, how much they know about the actors in it, etc. You can't just watch a movie anymore.
If you are going to get into blogging, heaven help you. There is an addiction that I am experiencing right now. Not just the addiction of updating your own blog and waiting for comments like a never-ending yearbook day; but the compulsion in checking everyone else's blog a couple of times a day to see if they've done anything new and exciting. Like go to a foreign country. Or cut their hair (which I did).
So there it sat, on my TV, waiting for me to decide what I was willing to get myself into and I ultimately decided that I value sleep more than Tina Fey. So I sent it back. But thats okay, because I think the next one in my queue is Ironman. I had better see that before the sequel comes out anyway.
14 comments:
I agree, movies and TV shows are addicting. I have limited my self to one that I LOVE and follow every week. I LOVE ER. I don't know why, it is a bit on the trashy side, people sleeping with each other without the commitment of marriage. Sex jokes, and blood. Guess what? I HATE blood. I usually close my eyes for 1/2 the episode. This is its last year. I guess I will need to find something new to watch
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I'm sorry you had to send it back, but it's okay because they are all on Hulu.com
so just plan a marathon and stick to it.
Yeah, its funny you say that about Ironman...
This is a great post, sister. Sadly, our Thursday night chores revolve around commercial breaks between Earl and the Office. The new one "Kath and Kim" is starting to hook me as well.
I'm such a consumer/yuppie/tool.
Well said about the never-ending yearbook day and Land Before Time. That deserves a yearbook like comment in and of itself. Let's get together, okay? If we ever live in the same state again, I mean.
Television is an evil that should be avoided AT ALL COSTS. In fact, we were thinking about selling our television, but then we realized that we would just be selling a vice to whoever bought it. SAD! So we're just going to destroy it so nobody can ever use it again.
On a more serious note, you can watch all of the episodes of 30 Rock at Hulu if you change your mind.
First of all, the blog list (whatever it's called)has changed my blogging life because I now only have to check two blogs a day instead of 20 per day. You know the drill. Second of all, 30 rock is really really funny and clever. That's all I have to say about that.
And yes, the part about TV being evil was a joke.
I think all pop culture is like that. If you consider yourself a true fan of any musician, you "have" to buy their next album, whether you like it or not. That's why I stay away from anything hop or cool, because I'm not into the commitment
I was very anti blog until my sister started my blog for me. Now I think I have a sickness not just an addiction!
And, um, Jan...where's a picture of your new haircut?!
It is important to keep up with the latest shows. As Americans, that is one way we can relate to people wherever we go. It defines our culture; gives us common ground.
You totally nailed it. Sadly enough conversations can revolve around a lot of that stuff too--for example I went to my first class this morning and I have one friend who is also an avid Office watcher. Every Friday morning we connect before class and talk about what we thought of the episode. Unfortunately I can identify myself with each of your points. I definitely have some work to do with my 'addictions'!
I'm not cool enough to keep track of stuff like that. I tell people who tell me I need a new phone that I'm on the ten year plan. In ten years, I'll watch those shows that are important and popular in our culture. Like how we used to watch MASH and Taxi after most of the characters had spent time enjoying the senior citizen discount.
Jan, you are hilarious! But the sad thing is that this is oh so true. And the bad thing is that once you start that group of friends or family, that's all you get to talk about. Try to change the subject and talk about something else, and you're zoned out or all of a sudden, "You know what, I have got to be going." Our society is too addicted to everything--and Texas is addicted to all sorts--fried food is a kicker right now. I know I posted about this. But seriously, they had fried oreos, ice cream, chocolate covered strawberries, twinkies, snickers--you name it, they fry it. SICK!!! We're too obsessed--we need not be so thorough!
I totally agree. It's so much work getting into a TV show late in the game. That's why I've pretty much decided that if I don't get into a show right off the bat, I just wait until it goes off the air before I bother with watching it on DVD.
And also, you'll like Ironman. We LOVED it.
And also, are we going to see pics of this haircut? Are you no longer a mermaid? (Because I don't know how I feel about that. I've always loved Jan's mermaid hair.)
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