Monday, January 21, 2013 —
I know I talk a lot here about treasure hunting, antiquing, pickin’ or whatever else you want to call it.
I was so ecstatic the other year when “American Pickers” came to film at Red Cross, only to find out that they wouldn’t let the press come out to the shooting. I’m still kind of bummed about that, even though I continue to watch the show and “Pawn Stars.”
But even the diehard collector in me has hit a wall.
These shows must end. I’m not talking about the two mentioned above; I’m talking about all the copycats that sprang up. There’s “Barter Kings,” “Hardcore Pawn,” “Auction Hunters,” “Toy Hunter,” “Comic Book Men” and “Storage Wars,” which itself recently made headlines when one of the “stars” proclaimed that much of the show was faked. There was even one called “Collection Intervention” that I must have missed, where people who have accumulated mass collections try to calm their disease down.
But these reality shows do not end with collecting. There are shows about lumberjacks, crab fishers, truckers and other careers.
All these reality shows took off after the success of “Survivor.” I watched the first season, which was good, but I haven’t been able to tackle another. I still watch “The Amazing Race,” mainly because it shows other parts of the world that I will never venture to and stunts that I would never dare try.
It is cheaper to do these shows, since there is no need for professional actors.
I guess if we look back at history there has always been a different genre craze every few years. We had the western days of the 1950s and 1960s. Game shows have always been popular, except most of the ones today can not match up to the ones of yesteryear.
Soap operas were once all you could find on daytime TV, but now we’re full of talk shows. I do have an admiration for what Oprah and Jerry Springer have done. Each catered to a different audience and succeeded.
Real people are more entertaining than actors I guess.
Real people?
Real people.
I have the perfect reality show for you. No need to turn on the television either. It stars real people even.
You’re looking at it.
Before I could even get this column into print, our publisher spread the word that NBC is looking to develop a documentary show about a community newspaper in the style of “The Office.”
Every issue of the SNAP has stories on real-life, honest-to-goodness, everyday Joes. The subjects are not actors, except in the case of the Uwharrie Players, West Stanly Players, Talent Company and … well you get the idea.
Every issue of The SNAP is like one of those famed shows of the past. It has a little something for everyone.
Tune in two days from now when we rejoin our program, which is already in progress.
Opinion & Letters to the Editor
Related Photos
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B.J. Drye
Discussion
Anyone know what is reality?
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Ronald McDonald House of benefit to us all
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Celebrating small businesses and continuing new ways of communicating
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Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
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Google shuts down SMS search, angers people who had forgotten it existed
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Walking by Faith
Last week I wrote about waiting on the Lord. I really needed to hear from the Lord, but all I was receiving was “wait.” I really don’t like to wait, but it is important to give God the opportunity to work things out before we proceed. After we wait on God, the next thing we are going to be asked to do is to walk by faith. That means that God is only going to reveal one step at a time, which is almost as much fun as “wait.”
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Jettie Parker
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Always Learning
I am teaching a class this semester that I haven’t taught in over a dozen years. Although I have taught it before, it still has a feeling of being new. The curriculum has been updated, and I must spend a good bit of time reviewing and preparing for the lesson each day. It doesn’t surprise me that often that I will come across something I didn’t know. The other day I made a big fuss about learning something new. The kids had a good time with that; their teacher learned something new.
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West of Memphis: My Favorite Documentary Gets a New Partner
I saw “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders of Robin Hood Hills” when it played in theaters in 1996. At some point during the viewing, it became my favorite documentary. A position it has held for nearly 20 years. I own a copy of it, along with the two sequels “(Paradise Lost 2: Revelations” and “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory).” Many know part of the story told in the films; it is a story that everyone should witness.
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Childhood bullying linked to adult psychological disorders
A significant study from Duke provides the best evidence we’ve had thus far that bullying in childhood is linked to a higher risk of psychological disorders in adulthood. The results came as a surprise to the research team.
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Saturday night with ‘The Rocketman’ Elton John
The Grateful Dead had its Deadheads.
Jimmy Buffett has his Parrotheads.
I guess Elton John has his … Eltonites? - More Opinion & Letters to the Editor Headlines
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