1. It's set in Georgetown. Where all the best clubs are frat boy hangouts. The problem is: frat boy drunken tomfoolery - from going through the drive thru with a blow up doll on the driver's lap to dropping watermelons off the library balcony - only amuses the direct participant. Anyone who has to watch. Or, god forbid, hear the story over and over and over again (until forced to dump the loser) is unlikely to be amused. It's not good television.
2. It's set in Georgetown. This town just doesn't do uncensored self-expression. From Puck to Omarosa to Tim Gunn, the ONE THING that makes good television is someone willing to say whatever, no matter who will hear it. That doesn't work if you're trying to keep a security clearance. Besides, I'm pretty sure I worked with one of these girls (Or maybe it was just some other well-dressed blond with a habit of throwing up after lunch). She had nothing to say. None of them do. If they did, they'd already be somewhere ELSE. Politicians control the conversation here, and politicians are boring. There is a reason that James Carville with his severe adult ADD, has starred in the only watchable political documentaries in existence. Because all politicians do is answer their phone, duck calls, and have boring, meaningless conversations with people they don't want to offend. Then, sometimes, they offer long-winded speculations about either possible race outcomes or past race outcomes. Then they argue about it forever and no one ever wins because who the hell knows anyway. Like the frat boy problem, this stuff is only interesting if you are a direct participant or a recent victim of a serious head injury.
3. It's set in Georgetown. I've been on the Late Night Shots boards, and it's not that interesting. The racism all seems faked for shock value. (Not that that's ok, but anything like that wouldn't make it on tv anyway). Posters claiming to be girls are either obvious Penthouse-style fakes "I was POUNDED by a tall dark and handsome LNS last night - do you think he'll call?" Or provide lectures on appropriate footwear (Ok, that part I found quite useful. But it's not everyone's cup of tea). There isn't even a can't-turn-away-from-the-car-wreck angle. It's more like a low speed car wreck that you knew was coming and won't matter because their parents will cover any damages.
4. Finally. It's set in Georgetown. Have you been there? Are you KIDDING ME? The residents of Georgetown (deservedly, I think) are so serious about saving their national treasure of a neighborhood that they turn fights over sky lights into to-the-mattresses-wars. Plus 98 percent of them are lawyers. The show's producers can pass out waivers like candy and they're still going to spend the next 15 years in court.
I like reality television. I like Georgetown. Anyone who has paid any amount of attention to either would know that these two things do not belong together.
8.14.2008
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wow, the trolls just keep getting lamer and lamer, don't they?
ReplyDeleteHow many drive-throughs are there in Georgetown?
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't underestimate the cast's ability to also feel like people care about them when they go out on the Hill or in NoVa.
dislikedc.blogspot.com
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ReplyDeleteLame lame lame. Who cares? Don't turn it on.
ReplyDeleteIt must be miserable to be so left out. You guys act like a pack of pimple faced, cry baby, 5th graders. In a city of millions with hundreds of places to go and things to do, you cry because you are left out of a group you so revile. It speaks to your immaturity.
best post yet. More like this and I won't stop reading after all.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, "The Hills" is going into what - season 3? Season 4, now? That suggests a show about wealthy blondes doing nothing much and dating uninteresting douchebags can claim a fair part of the market.
ReplyDeleteLOL OMG LMAO GUYS!
ReplyDeleteI just let my cable TV subscription lapse and I'm out of weed. Not willing to give up alcohol but the cable television has got to go. I'd have to be tripping on cough syrup to find that crap interesting.
ReplyDeleteOrganized?
ReplyDeleteOpinionated?
FUNNY???
Liz - Best post yet.
Thanks for bringing back the hate! This is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteAlthough come on, who isn't going to tune for the first episode, if only to play "I've been there!". Also because it's going to be airing after Project Runway on Lifetime, apparently.
Watching dumb, spoiled rich kids puke on each other and buy things can be fun. Cf. The Hills. I'm sure the LNS kids aren't as good looking, but still.
I just knew it would be either the Junior League or Canada that would attack us through television.
ReplyDeleteI just knew it!
Chardonay Shooters AWAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!
Anyone that's been to Smith Point knows it isn't that sweet. Plus, seriously... my friends and I would be a lot more fitting for a reality show. Added zinger... my best friend's parents just cut her off! Oh the DRAMA!
ReplyDeleteHow about a reality show about people who actually support themselves? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteIs it really that common for people to be supported by their parents past the age of 18? I always thought that was a myth. I guess that's why I've never been invited to hang out with the cool kids (that and my "frizzy hair," OH NOES!).
Good post Liz...seriously. Delete if you must, but I enjoyed this entry. Keep it up.
ReplyDelete(See, I'm not all hate and stuff)
dcrez:
ReplyDeleteIf you knew anything about this cast you would know that they don't set foot in NoVa.
"Is it really that common for people to be supported by their parents past the age of 18? "
ReplyDeleteFor most of the people I know, yes. Their parents either pay the rent, buy them a condo, provide a credit card with a monthly allowance, give them a car and pay the insurance, buy all their clothes twice a year like it's fifth grade back to school shopping, pay off the student loans (if they didn't outright pay for grad school) or some combination of the above options. Anyone not supported by the 'rents will have at least one second job.
I agree w/ the Hurricane. I'd be much more interested in seeing a show about the other side....
ReplyDeleteYour reading comprehension is weak. I never insinuated that anyone associated with LNS was going to be nominated for sainthood. I am just curious where the hate comes from, because as pitiful as the LNS shenanigans are, watching you guys trying to sling rotten fruit at them is comical.
ReplyDeleteSo what is it? A slow new week?
Eh, well, I survive all right on one job (although I do have a lot of student loan debt), so not sure what the necessity of the second job would be. Perhaps too much consumerism? Yeah, I'm old. I didn't even get a cell phone until like 4 years ago, why? Because I couldn't afford it. And yet I continued to live. But I'm not going to be working my government job during the day and waiting tables at night so I can buy sparkly trinkets. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteI volunteer to star in the normal-person version of the DC reality show. Action will consist of me posting blog comments instead of doing my job, drinking beer in dive bars, and attending concerts during which I glare at anyone who talks. How could such a show ever be cancelled??
It's not consumerism, really, it's the nature of certain jobs. If you work at a non-profit, it's easy to not have a cell. But if you work as a contractor or on the Hill, you have to have a blackberry. Some jobs will pay for yours but a lot won't, and the bill is about $100 month.
ReplyDeleteIf you work at a non-profit, you can wear the same two pairs of khakis with your big shoes every day and it's fine. You can't do that on the hill. You can't do that if you're making $32k as an analyst. You can't even do that if you're in fundraising at a lot of nonprofits.
Also it's fear. If you are a guy, you can live in a bad neighborhood. (Even most of the bad neighborhoods have high rent, though. Shaw is INSANE for what you get). But if you're a small girl who gets catcalls even in good neighborhoods? That's an extra $1000 a month to live somewhere, even with three roommates.
Oh, I almost missed where you work. It seems like government jobs have tax breaks and things like gym bonuses and travel allowances that make life a lot easier than you'd think. I know people who work in government and are more comfortable on $40k a year than a lot of other people making $60. It's not the baubles, it's more like, not having to pay for the dentist, the gym, or the metro.
ReplyDeleteI second that Liz. I am a journalist hoping to make it in the TV world, and I can't do that in some sorry ass suit from Sears.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how anyone survives in the 21st century without a cellphone. They should make a documentary about that...
I'll give you the fashion thing a little bit, since as we all know government employees wear crippity-CRAP to work, myself included, but then I've seen how a lot of people on the Hill dress and frankly it ain't that much better. I've had friends who worked on the Hill who were in my same situation (no parental support, debt, etc.), and they managed to be quite successful careerwise wearing off-brand, even "dowdy" clothes.
ReplyDeleteTax breaks? Gym bonuses? You're making me giggle. No loan repayment either, which if I'm not mistaken, the Hill offers. I do get a metro card. That helps.
And believe me I fully understand how expensive it is to live in DC, but...I still think a lot of things that some people regard as necessities aren't really. I'm a chick. I live alone. Yeah, it sucked paying over half my take home pay in rent my first couple of years out of law school, and I did rely on credit cards to fill the gap many months, but after a few years you should be making some more money and it does get better. (and you can even pay the credit cards OFF! Hurrah!). But you do have to be very parsimonious with your cash. Ramen is a staple. Gap and Old Navy and Filene's Basement have stuff you can wear to work (really). Vacations don't really happen. Ipods do not exist. I guess if you're not sold on an image of yourself as a pretty pretty professional in the city it's probably a lot easier to let go of that stuff. Or if you're not used to your parents anticipating and meeting every slight need you may have throughout your entire life. *Thus ends my "these kids today, get off my lawn, etc." rant.*
If your govt building doesn't have a gym that they pay you to go to, you are being robbed. Even the vets admn pays for that :)
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point though. I consider healthy food a staple - completely non-negotiable. But it is EXPENSIVE. (Not to mention the hassle of hauling it home). I was on the Hill when that congressman was trying to live on the welfare allowance. It's insane how cheaply you can live off crap food, and how little nutrition is available from it. It has to leave you feeling like shit. Ramen is a staple? It's fried noodles and MSG. Forget frizzy, that will make your hair fall out.
Wait, maybe the vets don't pay for the gym in all departments. I thought it was a pretty big deal in most govt. offices though. They're supposed to be reducing health insurance costs.
ReplyDeleteHa, no, have you seen the ass of the average gubmint employee? There actually is a gym in my building, but you have to pay for it. And then sweat next to your elderly male bosses...gruesome...but I have one in my apartment building anyway, so I win. Or something. And given my insanely thick, curly hair, I often WISH ramen made some fall out, but alas, no. Or whatever falls out doesn't make a dent. But yeah, I lived on pasta for many years and actually was a lot thinner than now, sadly for me. Not always ramen, but lean cuisine, pasta roni, whatever was cheap and relatively ok tasting. It comes down to the standard of living you are used to.
ReplyDeleteBut to the person who wonders how anyone can live without a cell phone, I answer: just like people lived before cell phones existed. By using a regular phone. Jesus.
Did I read in here somewhere that people on the Hill spend money on more than two pairs of khakis? Are we thinking of the same Hill here? Like, the one with the Capitol on it? THIS IS CRAZY TALK!
ReplyDeleteOh wait. I've come to my senses. They also each own at least one ill-fitting seersucker suit, with which they pair the most horrid square-toed black shoes. It really is a barbaric place, that Hill is.
"They also each own at least one ill-fitting seersucker suit, with which they pair the most horrid square-toed black shoes. It really is a barbaric place, that Hill is."
ReplyDeleteYes! I've never figured out where they get either item. The higher up on the food chain you go, though, the better the clothes get. Check out Kennedy's interns.
After graduating from college, I was able to support my self on 20 G's just fine. Because I had what you call "roommates".
ReplyDeleteAfter graduating from college, I was able to support myself b/c of what you call a "live-in girlfriend."
ReplyDeleteNo health insurance, car or expensive suit, though. Yeah, that's make for more interesting reality TV.
@patrick
ReplyDeleteI'll take that as a compliment.
But I guess I'll have to watch and learn.
Good post, Liz! I was definitely annoyed with one of your earlier posts(for reasons I won't go into because it's behind us now), but am glad I continued reading. You've gotten better and better.
ReplyDeleteAfter living in Adams Morgan for a few years, I gotta tell you I love NOVA.
ReplyDeleteCapitol Hill ain't all that, either.
Great post! I'm so happy that I don't have cable to waste my mind on a bunch of snobs.
ReplyDeleteFor most of the people I know, yes. Their parents either pay the rent, buy them a condo, provide a credit card with a monthly allowance, give them a car and pay the insurance, buy all their clothes twice a year
ReplyDeleteThat totally blows my mind. Your friends' parents will buy them a condo?? Seriously? Having a condo is in no way a necessity. A roof over your head? Yes.
I wasn't cut off at 18 because I was lucky enough to have parents who agreed to pay for my college and living expenses. But as soon as I moved up here at 23, I was on my own. And on $33k a year, I was able to rent a studio apartment in VA, feed myself, have a cell, cable, and internet with no parental support. This was partially due to previous parental support though since I had no student loans. But my other friends that were at the same income level were also completely self-sufficient, while renting a group house. None of us had second jobs either. Yeah, that was a tangent, but I just have not met anyone like you describe who wasn't a total spoiled brat.
Back on topic - I had heard about this reality show, but never could figure out what channel was actually going to air this garbage. So it's on Lifetime? How depressing.
If I had to live in NOVA, I'd eat a gun. I'm sorry, but I'm not kidding. I've been in some of those 500-units-off-a-6-lane-highway places, and I literally want to off myself.
ReplyDeleteOn another vein, my first response to Liz's comment was "what kind of crazy rich parents do her friends have?". Then I realized I know a few people like that. But, upshot, it's not even a little necessary to have wealthy, generous parents. You can still make ends meet on less than $50,000 in this city, less than $25,000 if you don't have to dress for work. It's not easy, and you're not saving for retirement, but plenty of people do it.
lau - I moved out of VA after the first year. Couldn't stand it. Still, I think I have known maybe a couple people who were receiving money from their parents, but the money was not used to buy any type of necessity. Rather, it was being used to buy new clothes from Burberry.
ReplyDeleteSeriously...I can only imagine asking my parents to pay rent on my studio apartment in DC, which costs more than their 2 bedroom townhouse in PA. They would laaaaugh and laugh. I couldn't even get 500 bucks a semester out of them for books in college or law school. I repeat, people who are supported by their parents into their 20's are NOT NORMAL.
ReplyDeleteWoah...new look to the page...and the archives appear to be fixed! Great googly-moogly! Turns out Oceania *hasn't* always been at war with Eastasia!
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I hate reality TV (well, the "Hills" genre of it...love me some "Top Chef"), and I dislike Georgetown...and yet, I'll probably still watch an episode of this stupid show before giving up out of boredom. But I'm an idiot like that.
[in bad Japanese accent]
ReplyDeleteI am pleased!!! Your post has brought great joy to your ancestors!
At first glance, I was going to rip your post to shreds. Then, I realized I didn't read carefully enough, and went for a second/third read.
ReplyDeleteYou're completely right. This sort of drivel isn't interesting. Nobody really cares about the fuckwits that descend on Smith Point after the sun goes down. I think your last point is most salient... due to the anomalous lawyer/non-lawyer ratio in Georgetown (what is it, 10 to 1?) there's not a chance in hell this show will fly.
I was a reader of Rusty's blog -- never posted but was a fan nonetheless, and read yours and found it an acceptable alternative (not the same vein of ranting). Good job.
Good Job! ;)
ReplyDelete