Every few years, two different networks stumble across and produce the same basic idea at the exact same time. Most experts attribute it to dumb luck; however, I’m pretty sure that’s wrong. I think some enterprising bastard sells a treatment to one of the big 4; then, he adds a fake moustache and glasses, duping a second network into forking over more loot. Some of you holy rollers might be offended at this brilliant scheme, but frankly, I’d like to shake the man’s hand. Then again, I’d fit in well at Sodom and Gomorrah.
Sadly, this tendency towards parody parties will be overtly and uncreatively thrown in viewers’ faces this summer by the premiere of two almost identical shows. According to Zap2It.com, on July 10th, NBC will premiere ‘The Singing Bee’, a reality romp attempting to discern if anyone knows the real lyrics to “Blinded By The Light.” Twenty-four hours later, FOX will premiere its version entitled ‘Don’t Forget The Lyrics’, a reality romp attempting to discern if anyone knows the real lyrics to “Blinded By The Light.” I probably could have added euphemisms and creative adjectives to illustrate a clear alteration between the two. But what the hell is the point?
More than likely both of these programs will fail. I’m not disparaging the general idea; in fact, I’m actually more than willing to sacrifice more potential exercise time. Unfortunately, the competition will likely dilute and split the overall viewer numbers. The entire situation is very Ralph Nader-esque. It’s unsafe at any speed, and one will screw the other out of the Presidency (or at least a second season)
