Monday, January 23, 2006
Don't Buy What They're Selling
In a sad but predictable turn of events, Joey Buttafuoco and his ex-wife Mary Jo and her would-be killer, Amy Fisher, are trying to squeeze a little more money and publicity out of their sleazy story. Here's a link to the AP story on Yahoo! Entertainment.
They've all agreed to appear together on a televised special. "There's gonna be shocking revelations... I'm really excited," says Joey. Wow. Can you imagine, shamelessly hawking a TV show that showcases your most base and animalistic nature? He's excited?! Or he's got a deal whereby he gets a fee and then percentage points based on the ratings, more like. And between insurance fraud, his divorce, and his new wife, Joey needs all the money he can get.
Amy says, "you've seen everything else play out on TV, so why not this?" That sounds like a woman who has no pride left to salvage. Nor should she. She spent seven years in jail - not the best dignity-booster - and I'm sure she needs a payout just as badly as Joey does.
And then there's Mary Jo. Still partially paralyzed from being shot in the face. She's engaged, too. I don't know for certain, but I'd be willing to bet she was the last one to sign on. But why should she walk away from a deal where Joey and Amy, the two lowlives who victimized her so thoroughly, laugh all the way to the bank?
The kicker is, according to the Yahoo! story, the show hasn't been picked up by a network yet.
That's where I see some slight, small glimmer of hope for humanity.
David Krieff, the producer who decided this was a worthwhile project, is scum. But if some network rewards his efforts with a fat broadcast and distribution deal, then there's absolutely no hope, no excuse, no point to discussing the media any further.
I know that the very assumption that there's something worthwhile or redeeming about television is questionable. If not heretical. But if this 'special' gets picked up, then the deal is sealed, at least for me. We're in S'dom (Sodom). Nothing's going to get fixed, and nothing's going to improve. The end is very hopefully near.
Joe Heller (author of Catch-22) said it best: "It used to shock me and alarm me and discourage me that there was a general decline of everything of value. But it doesn't surprise me anymore. It seems inevitable and natural and there's no way to resist it." -- salon.com Dec. 13, 1999
I just wish things could be different.
They've all agreed to appear together on a televised special. "There's gonna be shocking revelations... I'm really excited," says Joey. Wow. Can you imagine, shamelessly hawking a TV show that showcases your most base and animalistic nature? He's excited?! Or he's got a deal whereby he gets a fee and then percentage points based on the ratings, more like. And between insurance fraud, his divorce, and his new wife, Joey needs all the money he can get.
Amy says, "you've seen everything else play out on TV, so why not this?" That sounds like a woman who has no pride left to salvage. Nor should she. She spent seven years in jail - not the best dignity-booster - and I'm sure she needs a payout just as badly as Joey does.
And then there's Mary Jo. Still partially paralyzed from being shot in the face. She's engaged, too. I don't know for certain, but I'd be willing to bet she was the last one to sign on. But why should she walk away from a deal where Joey and Amy, the two lowlives who victimized her so thoroughly, laugh all the way to the bank?
The kicker is, according to the Yahoo! story, the show hasn't been picked up by a network yet.
That's where I see some slight, small glimmer of hope for humanity.
David Krieff, the producer who decided this was a worthwhile project, is scum. But if some network rewards his efforts with a fat broadcast and distribution deal, then there's absolutely no hope, no excuse, no point to discussing the media any further.
I know that the very assumption that there's something worthwhile or redeeming about television is questionable. If not heretical. But if this 'special' gets picked up, then the deal is sealed, at least for me. We're in S'dom (Sodom). Nothing's going to get fixed, and nothing's going to improve. The end is very hopefully near.
Joe Heller (author of Catch-22) said it best: "It used to shock me and alarm me and discourage me that there was a general decline of everything of value. But it doesn't surprise me anymore. It seems inevitable and natural and there's no way to resist it." -- salon.com Dec. 13, 1999
I just wish things could be different.
