I know what time it is...

Let me be frank; I hate reality television. There is nothing 'real' about it. And the fact that there are writers listed at the end of every episode of Survivor, The Amazing Race or The Bachelor makes me just shake my head. I have previously stated that Marc Burnett would be Top 5 on my hitlist because I hold he and Simon Cowell responsible for the majority of the refuse I'm forced to sift through on my television these days.

Anyway, my annoyance of shows like the previously mentioned rubbish made me want to make it a burning, sweeping hatred across the genre. But Flava Flav changed all that. Once again he has surged to the top of his game. In the early 90's he and Public Enemy took rap to a new level. And now, he's done the same for 'reality' television.

I wanted to hate the show. It was just 'The Bachelor' but with an incredibly eccentric former rap star. But Flav is hilarious. He is beyond ridiculous and over the top. William Shatner, Robin Williams & Martin Short could all learn something from the showmanship of this nut. However, the show works for two simple reasons. #1 is Flav. #2 is that they acknowledge the odour of the genre of 'reality tv'. The acknowledge that it's bizarre, constructed and geared to make interesting televsion; nothing more. I suppose you're set to do that if your leading man wears a Viking helmet, a large clock on a chain around his neck and sports an entire set of gold teeth (all with sincerity and no hint of laughter), but they take it further. The girls are all recruited by Flav and given ridiculous names by he and his writers. Names like Sumthin', Like Dat, Nibblz, Krazy & Buckwild (who was on probation). Instead of getting voted off the island, or being given a rose, the girls are given clocks with their name and picture on them and Flav says, "You know what time it is." And on the first 'Flava of Love' (oh yes, this is a sequel) he gave the winning girl an entire set of gold caps to match his own choppers. You see the possibilities. If you don't, you're missing out on some of the most entertaining and ridiculous programming on tv in the last ten years. All I can say is "Wow."

A Jim Henson Joint

I have a gift for surrounding myself with generous, kind & talented people. My friend, Dave Hudson, is no exception to this rule. I can't say I've ever seen him treat another person badly or make them feel like they're an outsider. He goes out of his way to make you laugh and if you're an easy target...well, you'll leave his house sore from guffawing. Apart from his positive and gentle nature, he also knows the most colourful coloquial slang and all of my top 5 offensive strings of the English language. Probably a job hazard (he's a comedian, after all), but the stark contrast always makes me laugh. Maybe that's why he's so good at his job. His persona disarms you and prepares you for something completely different than his brand of humour. You need only follow the link to discover I'm right. He and a few of his pals took his childhood collection of Sesame Street toys and decided to re-shoot 'Do the Right Thing.' I predict an award nomination for the dark and tortured performance of Mr. Hooper (played by Dave). It's pretty entertaining.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=L-1s9MKDrmU