Monday, September 15, 2008

I Want My MTV

So here's the deal: I have a love-hate relationship with MTV. I hate it for everything it's not and I defend it for everything to which it has evolved (if I can be so complimentary). Quite an inner conflict, right? You see, back in the day, MTV had amazing programming, some even musical: Old school Road Rules (no back-stabbing eliminations there), The Grind and Say What? Karaoke, the slightly educational Sex2k series (which I believe morphed into my recent favorite True Life), the fictional sauce Undressed, and of course, the 90's staple Total Request Live. Those simple days of MTV are over: I was saddened to read that TRL is 'ending' because it is truly the last show of the network's previous life. Currently, I see MTV as a lifestyle network. Yes, the 'M' does stand for music, but our culture, or the one MTV has created, won't allow a network to adhere to the monotonous programming of music videos. In a furiously paced world where even my DVR won't fast forward quickly enough, the network had no choice but to diversify. In doing so, MTV tapped into the mentality of its current 12-34 year olds (their core demo) and created a channel that caters to their lifestyle interests. Shows like The Hills (my arch nem, more on that later), My Super Sweet 16, Real World/Road Rules Challenges, and Run's House touch on the image the media insists adequately represents our teens: girl-on-girl hate, shopping, hooking up, jealousy, nepotism, and aspirations to be famous. MTV speaks to a generation to which none of us belong (thank gaw) and leaves many bewildered at the network that was once our social staple. I admit, programming like Fat Camp, with it's vintage MTV appeal, will suck me into marathon viewing any day but I can't sit through one more second of Lauren Conrad's scripted existence that is now invading my tabloid readings (US Weekly no longer gets my dolla dolla bills, y'all).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I want MY mtv. Cause I seriously miss vids with a storyline (down on bended knee, for ex.) and the "it wasn't not funny" Real World of the old days. *le sigh*

I haven't talked to Mackey in like 72 years.

love y'all