Word: americanizing
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...Jersey Shore (which got nearly 5 million viewers for its season finale)? No. But that is on you and me, not on reality TV. And even in the cheesiest reality shows, there is an aspirational quality, a democratic quality, a quality that's - yeah, I'll say it - American. "American" in the sense that what is true of countries is true of TV genres: their worst traits are inseparable from their best ones...
...basic criticism of reality TV - that it makes people famous for nothing rather than rewarding hard work - is a Puritan streak that is as old as Plymouth Rock: Seek thou not the Folly of Celebrity, but apply thyself with Humility to thy Industry! Well, that's one strain of American values. But there are other American ideas that reality TV taps into: That everybody should have a shot. That sometimes being real is better than being polite. That no matter where you started out, you can hit it big, get lucky and reinvent yourself. In her own way, Jwoww...
...also - in the worn-out but cheerful employees - see a testimony to the incredible camera-readiness of the American public. How did O'Donnell manage to work unsuspected among his employees? He told them he was "Randy," a host making a reality show, natch, about entry-level jobs...
Percy Jackson is no Harry Potter. He's American, dyslexic, and his best friend is half goat. On the other hand, he has unusual parents, he's supposed to decide the fate of the world, and there is a series of best-selling books based on his teen years. With the Feb. 12 release of the movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, he has a chance to notch up another similarity. Can Jackson conjure up anything close to Potterphilia...
...head injuries in football are all worthy considerations [Feb. 8]. I have a couple more. Rugby players tackle and engage at full speed without equipment. They are taught early on not only to keep their head up but also to keep it behind the ballcarrier, not in front as American-football players do. Also, get rid of the face mask. Even more than the helmet, it provides a false sense of security. There's nothing like losing your front teeth to remind you of the correct body position in contact...