In my previous post, "Thumbs up for Billy Joel and AMERICAN RESTORATION" I discussed the History Channel's attempts to increase their shows' ratings by having celebrities make guest appearances. Two days later, the History Channel is at it again...this time with their top rated show PAWN STARS. In this case, the show's move to its new slot at 9 pm Eastern time on Thursdays was marked by Rick Harrison's visit to Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp with not one, but two celebrities in attendance.
The celebrities featured in this episode were 1980s Rock n Roll heartthrob Kip Winger (from the band Winger) and Rock n Roll legend Roger Daltrey (lead singer of The Who). Of course, Daltrey was the bigger draw here and Rick was appropriately star struck by the British singer. Rick's efforts to sing like a Rock n Roller were entertaining, albeit brief. Most of the show proceeded as usual with people bringing merchandise into the pawn shop and Corey, the Old Man and Chumlee wheeling and dealing with them.
In several of my other posts, I addressed the issue of whether or not the History Channel's reality shows are staged. My conclusion is that they are...especially PAWN STARS. After all, I've never heard of a single pawn shop anywhere in the world that gets the kinds of treasures brought into it that are offered to the folks at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop of Las Vegas.
When I assert that the show is scripted, I'm referring to more than just the items that come into the pawn shop. I'm also talking about the things the main characters do and the people they meet. I've never been to a Fantasy Rock and Roll Camp before, but my guess is that the average person would not get a private tutorial from two Rock n Roll stars the way Rick Harrison did...especially if one of the stars is as big a name as Roger Daltrey. Make no mistake, this is not real reality television.
But we don't really watch TV to see our own lives, do we? We watch to be entertained and to see the lives that others live...or the lives we think they live. In that case, the fantasy world of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop fits the bill nicely. And throwing a Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp into mix only heightens the illusion.
So why do we like PAWN STARS so much? It's consistently the #1 rated show on cable and has spawned numerous copycats (one of which is also on the History Channel...CAJUN PAWN STARS). My guess is that it is because the principle characters are likeable, the give and take between them is entertaining, often amusing and the items which are featured are almost always unique and interesting. Added to that, we get our history handed to us in an original way.
Above all, however, I think the show is appealing because it feeds a fantasy that we all have. No, I'm not talking about a fantasy to become a rock n roll singer, or to even hang out with one (or two). The fantasy I'm referring to is the near universal belief that somewhere in our mountains of possessions there is an item that we could take into a pawn shop and exchange for a huge payday. I must admit that I've had that thought. And I know my wife does every time she looks around our house and sees the things I've accumulated over the years.
So there you have it...PAWN STARS isn't reality television, it's fantasy. And tonight's episode just made it that much more obvious.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thumbs up for Billy Joel and AMERICAN RESTORATION
In my February post entitled PAWN STARS, PICKERS AND STURGIS, I discussed a cross-promotional strategy employed by the History Channel to garner higher ratings. As an avid viewer of this channel, I've also seen them implement other strategies to increase viewership. It seems that one of their favorite techniques is to have guest appearances on their reality shows.
Of course, guest appearances are nothing new to television programming. Networks and shows have been doing it almost since television first invaded American homes in the 1940s. In fact, I'd venture to say that every successful show...at least within the last 20 years has had at least a few notable celebrities make guest appearances.
But reality shows are another story, right? They're supposed to be based on "real" life and how many of us run into big time celebrities in our real lives? How many pawn shops have A-list actors come into their store looking to buy something? How many "pickers" are hired by Captain Kirk himself (William Shatner) to decorate their homes? And how many restoration shops are hired by world famous musicians to refurbish old motorcycles?
I'm referring to tonight's episode of American Restoration in which Billy Joel hired Rick Dale and his team to restore a 1967 BSA motorcycle. Now there can be no doubt that this episode was orchestrated in History Channel board rooms and negotiated by entertainment lawyers and/or agents. Billy Joel would not just walk into a shop in Vegas where a reality show is shot without having struck some sort of deal in advance. Clearly, this episode was orchestrated with television ratings in mind. And whatever price "The Piano Man" demanded was worth paying for the bump in viewership.
Despite my cynical tone, I actually have no problem with this little maneuver on the part of the History Channel and the producers of American Restoration. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. Being a fan of Billy Joel, I found the show fun to watch. My only issue is that this is obviously not television based on real life. It is scripted television and, like all scripted television, it is all based on ratings. If Billy Joel can improve the ratings of American Restoration, what's wrong with that? It's just like Leonard Nimoy appearing on The Big Bang Theory, Jimmy Buffet appearing on Hawaii Five-O, and the Harlem Globetrotters appearing on a 1970s episode of Scooby Doo.
So...how successful was Billy Joel's appearance on American Restoration? From an entertainment standpoint, I think it upped the ante a bit. When Billy Joel was on camera, it was obvious that "the man has the power to perform" (to quote a Billy Joel song). He was funny, a bit witty and charismatic. Of course, he also has the celebrity factor going which means that viewers were interested in seeing his motor cycle shop in Oyster Bay, NY which is named "20th Century Cycles". I doubt viewers would be very interested in seeing this shop if it was owned by John Doe, rather than Billy Joel. But that's the power of celebrity.
Fortunately, American Restoration has a lot of other charm going for it besides celebrity guest appearances. The characters are individualistic and play off each other in an entertaining way. There's often enough dramatic tension between them to keep viewers watching even though we know the tension will never become too intense. The characters are also likeable. And, of course, it's always a treat to see them turn a rusted, decrepit piece of junk into a gem that collectors would love to have.
Left to it's own devices, American Restoration is entertaining viewing. Now, a case can certainly be made that it doesn't belong on a network whose very name states that it's all about history. Then again, viewers do receive a bit of a history lesson every time the guys on American Restoration repair something from long ago...like a 1967 BSA motorcycle. So, like the late Siskel and Ebert, I'll give the show two thumbs up...and I expect that I'll be joined by other thumb wavers whenever celebrities grace the show with their presence. Who knows, maybe Henry Winkler, a man famous for flashing his thumbs on Happy Days will make an appearance...he already has on Pawn Stars, at least by way of a picture that not-so-subtly sits by Rick Harrison's desk. And yes, he is giving the show a "thumb up".
Of course, guest appearances are nothing new to television programming. Networks and shows have been doing it almost since television first invaded American homes in the 1940s. In fact, I'd venture to say that every successful show...at least within the last 20 years has had at least a few notable celebrities make guest appearances.
But reality shows are another story, right? They're supposed to be based on "real" life and how many of us run into big time celebrities in our real lives? How many pawn shops have A-list actors come into their store looking to buy something? How many "pickers" are hired by Captain Kirk himself (William Shatner) to decorate their homes? And how many restoration shops are hired by world famous musicians to refurbish old motorcycles?
I'm referring to tonight's episode of American Restoration in which Billy Joel hired Rick Dale and his team to restore a 1967 BSA motorcycle. Now there can be no doubt that this episode was orchestrated in History Channel board rooms and negotiated by entertainment lawyers and/or agents. Billy Joel would not just walk into a shop in Vegas where a reality show is shot without having struck some sort of deal in advance. Clearly, this episode was orchestrated with television ratings in mind. And whatever price "The Piano Man" demanded was worth paying for the bump in viewership.
Despite my cynical tone, I actually have no problem with this little maneuver on the part of the History Channel and the producers of American Restoration. In fact, I actually enjoyed it. Being a fan of Billy Joel, I found the show fun to watch. My only issue is that this is obviously not television based on real life. It is scripted television and, like all scripted television, it is all based on ratings. If Billy Joel can improve the ratings of American Restoration, what's wrong with that? It's just like Leonard Nimoy appearing on The Big Bang Theory, Jimmy Buffet appearing on Hawaii Five-O, and the Harlem Globetrotters appearing on a 1970s episode of Scooby Doo.
So...how successful was Billy Joel's appearance on American Restoration? From an entertainment standpoint, I think it upped the ante a bit. When Billy Joel was on camera, it was obvious that "the man has the power to perform" (to quote a Billy Joel song). He was funny, a bit witty and charismatic. Of course, he also has the celebrity factor going which means that viewers were interested in seeing his motor cycle shop in Oyster Bay, NY which is named "20th Century Cycles". I doubt viewers would be very interested in seeing this shop if it was owned by John Doe, rather than Billy Joel. But that's the power of celebrity.
Fortunately, American Restoration has a lot of other charm going for it besides celebrity guest appearances. The characters are individualistic and play off each other in an entertaining way. There's often enough dramatic tension between them to keep viewers watching even though we know the tension will never become too intense. The characters are also likeable. And, of course, it's always a treat to see them turn a rusted, decrepit piece of junk into a gem that collectors would love to have.
Left to it's own devices, American Restoration is entertaining viewing. Now, a case can certainly be made that it doesn't belong on a network whose very name states that it's all about history. Then again, viewers do receive a bit of a history lesson every time the guys on American Restoration repair something from long ago...like a 1967 BSA motorcycle. So, like the late Siskel and Ebert, I'll give the show two thumbs up...and I expect that I'll be joined by other thumb wavers whenever celebrities grace the show with their presence. Who knows, maybe Henry Winkler, a man famous for flashing his thumbs on Happy Days will make an appearance...he already has on Pawn Stars, at least by way of a picture that not-so-subtly sits by Rick Harrison's desk. And yes, he is giving the show a "thumb up".
Saturday, May 11, 2013
THE GREAT GATSBY and Jay-z's jazzy hip hop.
How do you update a classic story and make it a film that will resonate with contemporary audiences? That's a question that filmmakers have been asking for years. Another variation on that question would be, How do you turn modern audiences on to a period film? Obviously, the story, the director and the casting play a big part. But regardless of the names behind the film, the faces on the screen or even the timelessness of the story, audiences need to feel as if the movie speaks to them where they are in their time. And the most proven way for a film to relate to modern audiences is through it's soundtrack.
Hollywood has been putting modern music into period films for years...with various degrees of success. The example that comes to mind most glaringly is A Knight's Tale, which starred the late Heath Ledger. It was a fun, entertaining story about a medieval knight, but I was totally turned off by the filmmakers' use of Queen's rock n' roll classic We Will Rock You during major fight scenes in the film (If I recall, they also used some classic AC/DC songs). And I wasn't the only viewer to be turned off by this. Well-known critics panned the movie for this very reason. In our minds, modern music took us out of the fantasy of being in the middle ages.
This brings us to director Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby. If you've seen the previews or read the hype, you know that Jay-Z was a major contributor to the soundtrack along with other well-known rappers and hip hop artists. Of course neither rap nor hip hop were around in the 1920s and my fear was that the use of such music in this period film would detract from my fantasy of being in 1920s' New York with the film's characters. I must admit that I thought my fears were confirmed when I first heard the music in the early parts of the movie.
But I was surprised...and ultimately proven wrong. The more the story unraveled and I was sucked into it, the less I thought of the rap and hip hop music as being from our time. It began to feel that the music from Jay-Z and the other artists actually belonged in 1920s era New York. I didn't have time to question that during the movie because I was too caught up in the great drama. But later on, I asked myself the question, why did this obviously modern music seem to belong to an era that occurred almost a hundred years ago?
After some thought, I realized the answer to my question. Aside from the fact that the musicians affiliated with the film are talented professionals, the reason the music fit so well is because it matched the theme of the story. Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the screenplay by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce was trying to make a statement about how the nouveau riche (new rich) started with nothing, achieved riches in a single generation, but ultimately longed for acceptance by the old money people. What other musical genre better speaks to that theme than rap and hip hop? Most of these artists started in the inner city ghettos, achieved wealth and popularity fairly quickly and their music is now considered mainstream. They are transforming society with their newly acquired flash the way Gatsby transformed 1920s New York in the movie.
Certainly not all rap and hip hop artists strive for the establishment's approval the way Gatsby did in the film, but many of them do. To understand my point, simply listen to the lyrics of some of your favorite songs from this genre. These songs talk about money: the need to acquire it, the usefulness of it and what it means for them once they have acquired it. They're Jay Gatsby in the 21st Century. Hopefully, they won't meet with his tragic demise and I don't think they'll live out the rest of the theme of the story...which is that the establishment will never accept the nouveau riche and will actually eat them up and spit them out instead. I think rap and hip hop are legitimately changing popular tastes and are becoming accepted in a way that Jay Gatsby could only wish for.
So my hat goes off to Baz Luhrmann and the extremely talented filmmakers behind The Great Gatsby for creating a great film and for using the soundtrack to feed the theme of the story. I'd also like to extend my appreciation to Jay-Z and the other artists who created a soundtrack that not only paid respect to the Jazz Age, from which this story originally came, but also added their own modern flavors to it in a way that enabled contemporary audiences to identify with a by-gone era.
The 2013 version of The Great Gatsby is an incredible film that should be appreciated by the eyes and the ears of all who sit in it's audience. I highly recommend it.
Hollywood has been putting modern music into period films for years...with various degrees of success. The example that comes to mind most glaringly is A Knight's Tale, which starred the late Heath Ledger. It was a fun, entertaining story about a medieval knight, but I was totally turned off by the filmmakers' use of Queen's rock n' roll classic We Will Rock You during major fight scenes in the film (If I recall, they also used some classic AC/DC songs). And I wasn't the only viewer to be turned off by this. Well-known critics panned the movie for this very reason. In our minds, modern music took us out of the fantasy of being in the middle ages.
This brings us to director Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby. If you've seen the previews or read the hype, you know that Jay-Z was a major contributor to the soundtrack along with other well-known rappers and hip hop artists. Of course neither rap nor hip hop were around in the 1920s and my fear was that the use of such music in this period film would detract from my fantasy of being in 1920s' New York with the film's characters. I must admit that I thought my fears were confirmed when I first heard the music in the early parts of the movie.
But I was surprised...and ultimately proven wrong. The more the story unraveled and I was sucked into it, the less I thought of the rap and hip hop music as being from our time. It began to feel that the music from Jay-Z and the other artists actually belonged in 1920s era New York. I didn't have time to question that during the movie because I was too caught up in the great drama. But later on, I asked myself the question, why did this obviously modern music seem to belong to an era that occurred almost a hundred years ago?
After some thought, I realized the answer to my question. Aside from the fact that the musicians affiliated with the film are talented professionals, the reason the music fit so well is because it matched the theme of the story. Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the screenplay by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce was trying to make a statement about how the nouveau riche (new rich) started with nothing, achieved riches in a single generation, but ultimately longed for acceptance by the old money people. What other musical genre better speaks to that theme than rap and hip hop? Most of these artists started in the inner city ghettos, achieved wealth and popularity fairly quickly and their music is now considered mainstream. They are transforming society with their newly acquired flash the way Gatsby transformed 1920s New York in the movie.
Certainly not all rap and hip hop artists strive for the establishment's approval the way Gatsby did in the film, but many of them do. To understand my point, simply listen to the lyrics of some of your favorite songs from this genre. These songs talk about money: the need to acquire it, the usefulness of it and what it means for them once they have acquired it. They're Jay Gatsby in the 21st Century. Hopefully, they won't meet with his tragic demise and I don't think they'll live out the rest of the theme of the story...which is that the establishment will never accept the nouveau riche and will actually eat them up and spit them out instead. I think rap and hip hop are legitimately changing popular tastes and are becoming accepted in a way that Jay Gatsby could only wish for.
So my hat goes off to Baz Luhrmann and the extremely talented filmmakers behind The Great Gatsby for creating a great film and for using the soundtrack to feed the theme of the story. I'd also like to extend my appreciation to Jay-Z and the other artists who created a soundtrack that not only paid respect to the Jazz Age, from which this story originally came, but also added their own modern flavors to it in a way that enabled contemporary audiences to identify with a by-gone era.
The 2013 version of The Great Gatsby is an incredible film that should be appreciated by the eyes and the ears of all who sit in it's audience. I highly recommend it.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
THE RT CONVENTION: They've got what you want
As my loyal readers know, this blog is dedicated to history as entertainment. But every now and then I think it's good to diversify. Since my return from the RT Booklovers Convention in Kansas City, I've had many curious questions about how it went. So here goes...
First of all, a little history (sorry, the historian in me can't resist). RT stands for Romantic Times and it's an organization that was created by lovers of romantic stories. They review and promote books, encourage writers, provide a community for readers and, for the last 30 years, sponsor a major convention. Each year, their convention comes to a different city. This year they were in Kansas City. Next year they will be in New Orleans.
Anybody who's an avid reader knows that its nice to venture out of your reading comfort zone and pick up a book from a different genre every now and then. For that reason, the RT Convention began several years ago to open its doors to genres other than romance. Of course, the stock and trade of their convention remains romance, but now readers and writers of thrillers, mysteries, horrors, young adult, coming of age, inspirational, new adult (late teens/early twenties), paranormal and many other genres are encouraged to attend the RT Convention.
My novel LONG LIVE THE KING: Book One of the Charlemagne Saga was published this year in the thriller genre. Being an author who doesn't typically write in the romance field, I wasn't sure what to expect at RT. And to be honest, for the first several hours I thought I'd made a big mistake in coming. The vast majority of attendees were women...I'd estimate 40 women to every one male (great odds if you're single, but I'm not). Most of the books being promoted were romance and/or erotic...not my typical fare. But the main reason I questioned my decision to attend was because it was unlike any book event I'd ever been to. Since my novel's release, I've attended book festivals in Baltimore, Boston, Tampa Bay, Miami, Charlottesville, Tucson, Fort Meyers, and Venice (Florida). All these events were wonderful and my book was well-received, but RT was a convention, not a festival. At RT I would not be allowed to sell my book the way I did at the festivals...and that meant less book sales to off-set the cost of attending the event.
Fortunately, all my concerns were put to rest once I started talking to people. Like most book events I've attended, the people were friendly, helpful and patiently tolerant of my confusion. What set RT apart, however, was the...I don't know how else to say it...the egalitarianism of it all. Fans and authors mixed freely, frequently and casually. At this point, one may say, "well, of course, what's the big deal? It's not like the authors are Brad Pitt or President Obama." While that's true, there are some really big authors out there who, in any another setting, would be mobbed by fans or hounded by reporters...think Stephen King, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling. While these authors weren't at the convention, other notable, million + selling authors were...and they were hanging out in the bar, the lounge, the hallways and in the elevators with the rest of us. And they freely gave advice or answered the questions of anyone who asked.
While it was nice to hobnob with the big wigs of my chosen field, I must admit that I was equally excited about the freebees...and there were lots of them. Most of the 400 + authors who were in attendance came to promote their books, so they gave away a lot of swag that included, pens, magnets, posters, shot glasses, candies, gum, DVDs, toys, trinkets, t-shirts, etc. Several publishers sponsored events that ranged from a disco night to a breakfast, dinners, food and wine social and many, many sweets. Bestselling paranormal romance author Heather Graham sponsored a fright night themed event and Avon Publishers gave away an estimated $70,000 worth of free books that have not yet been released. If you enjoy books and entertainment related freebees, this event was like ten Christmases rolled into one.
To be honest, I met so many cool people and best-selling authors, that its hard to remember them all. Fortunately, I saved a program which lists the authors. So, in the interest of name dropping, I'll mention a few of the authors I spoke to, hung out with or ran into. If you don't know their names, you will most certainly know their work...just look it up on the internet. Some of the authors include: David Morrell, Andrew Peterson, John Scalzi, Robyn Carr, Brenda Jackson, Sylvia Day, Jude Deveraux, Cherry Adair, Heather Graham, Mary Burton, Julie Garwood, Ilona Andrews, Alyssa Day, Ann Voss Peterson, Brenda Novak, A.C. Arthur...there are countless more, but I think you get the point. Also, E.L. James, the author of Fifty Shades of Grey was there, but I didn't see her.
Oh, and I forgot to mention...for you women out there...there were numerous male cover models (the ones found on the covers of romance/erotic books) walking around without their shirts on...not my cup of tea, but whatever.
Anyway, such was my adventure at the RT Convention. As I mentioned, next year's event will be held in New Orleans and if the RT people can turn Kansas City into a wild place, imagine what they can do with The Big Easy. I, for one, will be there to find out.
First of all, a little history (sorry, the historian in me can't resist). RT stands for Romantic Times and it's an organization that was created by lovers of romantic stories. They review and promote books, encourage writers, provide a community for readers and, for the last 30 years, sponsor a major convention. Each year, their convention comes to a different city. This year they were in Kansas City. Next year they will be in New Orleans.
Anybody who's an avid reader knows that its nice to venture out of your reading comfort zone and pick up a book from a different genre every now and then. For that reason, the RT Convention began several years ago to open its doors to genres other than romance. Of course, the stock and trade of their convention remains romance, but now readers and writers of thrillers, mysteries, horrors, young adult, coming of age, inspirational, new adult (late teens/early twenties), paranormal and many other genres are encouraged to attend the RT Convention.
My novel LONG LIVE THE KING: Book One of the Charlemagne Saga was published this year in the thriller genre. Being an author who doesn't typically write in the romance field, I wasn't sure what to expect at RT. And to be honest, for the first several hours I thought I'd made a big mistake in coming. The vast majority of attendees were women...I'd estimate 40 women to every one male (great odds if you're single, but I'm not). Most of the books being promoted were romance and/or erotic...not my typical fare. But the main reason I questioned my decision to attend was because it was unlike any book event I'd ever been to. Since my novel's release, I've attended book festivals in Baltimore, Boston, Tampa Bay, Miami, Charlottesville, Tucson, Fort Meyers, and Venice (Florida). All these events were wonderful and my book was well-received, but RT was a convention, not a festival. At RT I would not be allowed to sell my book the way I did at the festivals...and that meant less book sales to off-set the cost of attending the event.
Fortunately, all my concerns were put to rest once I started talking to people. Like most book events I've attended, the people were friendly, helpful and patiently tolerant of my confusion. What set RT apart, however, was the...I don't know how else to say it...the egalitarianism of it all. Fans and authors mixed freely, frequently and casually. At this point, one may say, "well, of course, what's the big deal? It's not like the authors are Brad Pitt or President Obama." While that's true, there are some really big authors out there who, in any another setting, would be mobbed by fans or hounded by reporters...think Stephen King, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling. While these authors weren't at the convention, other notable, million + selling authors were...and they were hanging out in the bar, the lounge, the hallways and in the elevators with the rest of us. And they freely gave advice or answered the questions of anyone who asked.
While it was nice to hobnob with the big wigs of my chosen field, I must admit that I was equally excited about the freebees...and there were lots of them. Most of the 400 + authors who were in attendance came to promote their books, so they gave away a lot of swag that included, pens, magnets, posters, shot glasses, candies, gum, DVDs, toys, trinkets, t-shirts, etc. Several publishers sponsored events that ranged from a disco night to a breakfast, dinners, food and wine social and many, many sweets. Bestselling paranormal romance author Heather Graham sponsored a fright night themed event and Avon Publishers gave away an estimated $70,000 worth of free books that have not yet been released. If you enjoy books and entertainment related freebees, this event was like ten Christmases rolled into one.
To be honest, I met so many cool people and best-selling authors, that its hard to remember them all. Fortunately, I saved a program which lists the authors. So, in the interest of name dropping, I'll mention a few of the authors I spoke to, hung out with or ran into. If you don't know their names, you will most certainly know their work...just look it up on the internet. Some of the authors include: David Morrell, Andrew Peterson, John Scalzi, Robyn Carr, Brenda Jackson, Sylvia Day, Jude Deveraux, Cherry Adair, Heather Graham, Mary Burton, Julie Garwood, Ilona Andrews, Alyssa Day, Ann Voss Peterson, Brenda Novak, A.C. Arthur...there are countless more, but I think you get the point. Also, E.L. James, the author of Fifty Shades of Grey was there, but I didn't see her.
Oh, and I forgot to mention...for you women out there...there were numerous male cover models (the ones found on the covers of romance/erotic books) walking around without their shirts on...not my cup of tea, but whatever.
Anyway, such was my adventure at the RT Convention. As I mentioned, next year's event will be held in New Orleans and if the RT people can turn Kansas City into a wild place, imagine what they can do with The Big Easy. I, for one, will be there to find out.
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