Posts Tagged Television

By zerlina • 12 years ago

Pilot for new Black drug wives reality show in production

Deep sigh. I’ve written before about my disdain for reality television. Particularly offensive is reality television that portrays grown women as if they are petty, violent, and gossipy high school girls. Basketball Wives on VH1 is damaging to the psyche of young women in that it promotes wealth over values and the superficial over substance.

But worse than Basketball Wives is the rumor that a new show called “Black Drug Wives” of “BMF Wives” is coming to BET. Likely related to the success of “Mob Wives” on VH1, BMF Wives stands for “Black Mafia Family.” “Black Mafia Family” is made up of Gricelda Chavez, Lisa Buford, Tiffany Gloster, and Tonesa Welch.

These wives ...

Deep sigh. I’ve written before about my disdain for reality television. Particularly offensive is reality television that portrays grown women as if they are petty, violent, and gossipy high school girls. Basketball Wives ...
By Jos Truitt • 12 years ago

The temp from Chiswick: why I love Donna Noble

*Major Spoilers for the relaunched Dr. Who*

Nerds like me know Christmas is Dr. Who season (I guess the UK doesn’t even pretend with “Happy Holidays”). I’m a huge geek for the show, one of those rare popular scifi/fantasy properties that (anecdotally speaking) has a more vocal female fanbase than male one. Which makes a lot of sense to me given the show’s format – the lead is male but an often inaccessible character, and usually accompanied by a woman who’s role is just as large and who’s much easier to identify with.

Some people prefer the last couple series’, overseen by show runner Steven Moffat. From what I can tell, most of those people are dudes. The current Dr. Who has ...

*Major Spoilers for the relaunched Dr. Who*

Nerds like me know Christmas is Dr. Who season (I guess the UK doesn’t even pretend with “Happy Holidays”). I’m a huge geek for the show, one of those rare popular ...
By zerlina • 12 years ago

GLAAD and HRC take out full page ad condemning new ABC “comedy” Work It

ABC is set to premiere a not at all funny sitcom called Work It about two men who dress as women to get jobs. If you are not sure how this has any comedic value and think it only serves to hurt the trans community then you are not alone. Ridiculing people for who they are is in no way funny.

And fortunately the folks at GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign have taken out a full page advertisement in Daily Variety, the industry newspaper, condemning the new show and also educating the public on the issues facing the trans community. It is all too rare that the media highlights something positive in the trans ...

ABC is set to premiere a not at all funny sitcom called Work It about two men who dress as women to get jobs. If you are not sure how this has any comedic value ...
By Samhita • 12 years ago

TLC’s Virgin Diaries comes to the US

TLC is debuting a new reality TV show that showcases the lives of 30-something virgins.

Alternative tagline: Adult virgins kiss on wedding day; looks like bird feeding.

Fetishization of the myth of virginity is an ongoing theme in conservative politics. (Check out Jessica Valenti’s book on the topic). It’s frustrating and harmful when reality TV continually echos some of the most disasterous cliches about women and sexuality.

But, reality TV now goes a step further from fabricating problematic story lines. Reality TV today showcases “freaks,” wherein characters are picked based on how outlandish their stories are and how much we will be shocked by their lives. So technically they want us to laugh at their stories, in all their ...

TLC is debuting a new reality TV show that showcases the lives of 30-something virgins.

Alternative tagline: Adult virgins kiss on wedding day; looks like bird feeding.

Fetishization of the myth of virginity is an ongoing ...
By Eesha Pandit • 12 years ago

Women, War and Peace to air final episode tomorrow

Watch Behind the Scenes with Geena Davis on PBS. See more from Women War and Peace.

It’s so rare that there is compelling and accurate television that captures both the challenges that women face around the world as well as the power we wield.

Women, War & Peace is a new five-part PBS television series Feministing has partnered with that is challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain.We live in a world at war. Today’s wars are fought by ...

Watch Behind the Scenes with Geena Davis on PBS. See more from

By Eesha Pandit • 12 years ago

Forthcoming HBO Special on Dr. Tiller

The brains behind True Blood has another show up his sleeve. Alan Ball, who’s the executive producer of many of my friends’ top DVR selection, is working on a new show called Witchita. The new drama will be based on Dr. Tiller,  who was, for many years the figurehead of political and cultural tensions.

Ball is teaming up with Devin Friedman, who wrote the the 2010 GQ article “Savior vs. Savior” about Dr. Tiller. Hearing that this series will be on mainstream(ish) TV made me both interested and wary.

Dr. Tiller, who was the medical director of the Women’s Health Care Services facility, was shot and killed by anti-choice activist Scott Roeder in 2009. He also survived an assassination attempt in 1993 and was a ...

The brains behind True Blood has another show up his sleeve. Alan Ball, who’s the executive producer of many of my friends’ top DVR selection, is working on a new show called Witchita. The new drama will be ...
By Claire Moshenberg • 12 years ago

Parks and Recreation: Thank You for the Pawnee Goddesses

I used to babysit a house full of smart, awesome girls. They played pirates, staged elaborate kitchen science experiments, and read books by the case-full. For half an hour every evening, we sprawled out on the couch and tuned in to the ongoing exploits of a myriad of makeup lacquered, fresh out of elementary school Disney starlets. Those 30 minutes of 100%-geared-towards-girls-programming were chock full of boy craziness, feuding girl friends, and the trials and tribulations of pop super stardom (this was in Hannah Montana’s heyday). The girls on screen were nothing like the bright, playful girls who I babysat or their friends, full of personality and laundry lists of interests that went way beyond boys and looks. Every night ...

I used to babysit a house full of smart, awesome girls. They played pirates, staged elaborate kitchen science experiments, and read books by the case-full. For half an hour every evening, we sprawled out on the couch ...
By zerlina • 12 years ago

3 reasons Breaking Bad is (almost) as good as The Wire

Okay before you beat me up, no, I do not think that AMC’s hit drama Breaking Bad is really as good as HBO’s The Wire.

I consider The Wire to be the greatest television program ever made. Before you even read this post, if you’ve never seen The Wire you need to stop what you are doing right now and go watch episode 1. Oh and cancel your plans for the next 72 hours or longer because that’s how long you will be sitting watching The Wire non-stop once you start. But I’m not speaking from experience or anything. And if you’ve never seen Breaking Bad click here.

So yes, The Wire is still the best, ...

Okay before you beat me up, no, I do not think that AMC’s hit drama Breaking Bad is really as good as HBO’s The Wire.

I consider The Wire to be the greatest television program ever made. ...

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