Bravo Television -- People Behaving Badly

I watch Bravo Television to catch reruns of The West Wing. I love the intelligent dialogue and the inside view (though fictional) of the way government runs. During the Bush years I wanted my President to be smart like Bartlett. I record the show on my DVR and watch when I have a chance.

There are a lot of commercials for the other content on Bravo. The other shows are: The Real Housewives of Orange County, New York City, New Jersey; The Millionaire Matchmaker; America's Next Top Model; Top Chef Las Vegas, Top Chef Masters; 9 By Design; Flipping Out; Million Dollar Listing; Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List.

All these shows have a common denominator. A low common denominator of people acting, behaving badly. They are mean and backstabbing and egotistical and treat people, generally, like shit. This is entertainment? Watching people melt down and yell at each other, and they have no problem with them looking like assholes on television. I wouldn't invite any of them to a BBQ or want to chat with them in a bar.

There is a show that can be interesting. Inside The Actor's Studio. I think, however, they ran out of actors because James Lipton recently did a fauning interview with Sean Combs. Yup. P Diddy, Puff Daddy, whatever he is called now. Is he an actor. No. Celebrity? Yeah. Businessman? Hell yeah (But people are paying way too much to have "Sean John" on their sweats). But not an actor.

There's a new show coming on soon. Work of Art. The Next Great Artist. A number of artists (16? 20?) are going to sculpt, paint and photograph in a competition to see who is America's next great artist. This is not going to be similar to the comptitions that happened with Michelangelo and Bernini. Those tooks months or years with the end result being the David. The end product was judged, not the process. You didn't see Michelangelo yelling at his assistants or throwing chisels in a tantrum. But how do you have a show like this when art is so subjective anyway? How can it be judged? Modern art especially is so vastly different than what was art even 100 years ago. So what does the show come down to? Flamboyant "artsy" people behaving badly. Let me set my DVR.

Now, I can totally be an asshole. I yell at people when driving on the 405. I'm just as base and crude and petty as those people at times. But I do it in private. I don't revel in it. I don't seek out cameras to show the rest of the world the worst parts of my being.

But would people tune in to watch someone who is nice and kind? I don't know. But it would never sell to Bravo TV.