Don't Call It A Comeback
The song says if you catch a falling star, you should put it in your pocket. Reality television, however, subscribes to a different theory, preferring to catch falling stars and put them on television for all the world to see.
While programming that features former celebrities, semi-celebrities and even wanna be celebrities is far from a new concept, more and more people seem to be jumping on the "my life is a fishbowl, won't you feed the fish?" school of thought (no pun intended). Many of these people are the same ones who you used to see in movies and sitcoms, but as the years wore on, their sitcom and movie offers dried up. Now they are out there, attempting to breathe life into their careers by putting their own daily "lives" on display.
But depending on your station in life, developing a show about yourself can be a blessing or a curse. If you know who Jessica Simpson or Nick Lachey are today you most definitely have MTV's Newlyweds to thank (or scold) for that. The same goes for The Simple Life's Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton. Just think, had some suit somewhere never thought the idea of rich bitches milking cows would be mildly amusing, many tabloids would have closed up show years ago.
Admittedly, I initially didn't think it could get more surreal than the Surreal Life, until it seemed they started running out of celebrities to get real with. This is further supported by the fact that even celebrities like Chuck Woolery, Gary Busey and Ed Begley Jr. have all taken rides on the reality television Merry Go Round at one time or another. Then there are the celebrities who used to be cool, by some standard or another, but that ship has long since sailed.
As hard as it is to admit this, Scott Baio is definitely one of those celebrities.
Growing up in the late eighties and early nineties was a true testament to Scott Baio's teen dream status. Here he was technically past his Joanie Loves Chachi/Happy Days prime, but all little girls I knew grew to love the older man that was Charles In Charge. It was never quite explained that Charles and Chachi were indeed the same people, but it didn't really matter. All we knew was that this new boy in the neighborhood lived downstairs. It was understood.
Once Charles In Charge ultimately ended, however, it seemed Scott Baio's career flat lined along with it. Even the doctors of Diagnosis Murder couldn't fill the prescription for the fever of Scott Baio. Ultimately the teen and pre teen fans moved on to greener pastures, or at least to younger ones, and Scott Baio the heartthrob seemed to fade into oblivion.
Fast forward many years and now we have the VH1 reality show, Scott Baio is 45...And Single. When I first saw previews for this show I was both intrigued and disgusted at the same time. It's the exact same feeling of morbid curiosity that washes over you when you're passing an accident or watching a couple fight in public. You know you shouldn't give in to it, but something inside of you doesn't know how to look away.
As if the title alone wasn't bad enough to make me spit out my pasta, the contents of the previews themselves were equally as repulsive. Everyone knows the urban legend of Scott Baio's once Lothario-like status and penchant for bedding blonde babes, but it's like The Fight Club. The first rule of Scott Baio's bedroom behavior is you don't talk about Scott Baio's bedroom behavior. Now all of that has gone out the window. Suddenly seeing Baio face his inner demons, also known as his ex girlfriends, made me both squirm and squeal with delight. Rarely do we get such insight into a former stud's conquests.
But FYI, there is such a thing as TMI as evidenced in clips that featured former Growing Pains cutie and ex-girlfriend Julie McCullough exclaiming, "I had my first AIDS test because of you." or first episode eye opener Scott Baio's revelation of losign his virginity to Erin Moran of all people. Even worse was her admittance that it wasn't all that and a bag of chips. Ouch. Not only is that one surprisingly celebrity revelation, that's three times the amount of shock and awe. I don't know about you, but I'll take things I never needed to know for 500 1,500, Alex.
As painful as it is that it's come to this, there is something surprisingly, dare I say real about it. I just can't understand how it's anything but real. I mean why would Scott Baio willingly want people to know he is struggling to commit to his current long time girlfriend, and every girl that has come before her, so much so that he is resorting to speaker phoning The Fonz for guidance? Who in their right minds would want the American public to know that you were known having a less than average sized manhood? And if you had any doubts about how much time has exactly transpired, just take one look at Scott Baio's friends, including The Wonder Years, Jason Hervey. With friends like that, who needs a "Buddy" like Willie Aames?
Now, if you want to see staged and confused I advise you check out A&E's (yes, I said A&E) The Two Coreys. Back in the eighties, these "lost boys" they were known for being messed up and in love... with themselves. As the Talking Heads song once said, "same as it ever was".
These days I'm not sure I'd want Charles In Charge of me, but at the very least he's trying to work out his own wrongs and rights. What can I say? I'll take my reality TV hard boiled, with a side of Baio.
While programming that features former celebrities, semi-celebrities and even wanna be celebrities is far from a new concept, more and more people seem to be jumping on the "my life is a fishbowl, won't you feed the fish?" school of thought (no pun intended). Many of these people are the same ones who you used to see in movies and sitcoms, but as the years wore on, their sitcom and movie offers dried up. Now they are out there, attempting to breathe life into their careers by putting their own daily "lives" on display.
But depending on your station in life, developing a show about yourself can be a blessing or a curse. If you know who Jessica Simpson or Nick Lachey are today you most definitely have MTV's Newlyweds to thank (or scold) for that. The same goes for The Simple Life's Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton. Just think, had some suit somewhere never thought the idea of rich bitches milking cows would be mildly amusing, many tabloids would have closed up show years ago.
Admittedly, I initially didn't think it could get more surreal than the Surreal Life, until it seemed they started running out of celebrities to get real with. This is further supported by the fact that even celebrities like Chuck Woolery, Gary Busey and Ed Begley Jr. have all taken rides on the reality television Merry Go Round at one time or another. Then there are the celebrities who used to be cool, by some standard or another, but that ship has long since sailed.
As hard as it is to admit this, Scott Baio is definitely one of those celebrities.
Growing up in the late eighties and early nineties was a true testament to Scott Baio's teen dream status. Here he was technically past his Joanie Loves Chachi/Happy Days prime, but all little girls I knew grew to love the older man that was Charles In Charge. It was never quite explained that Charles and Chachi were indeed the same people, but it didn't really matter. All we knew was that this new boy in the neighborhood lived downstairs. It was understood.
Once Charles In Charge ultimately ended, however, it seemed Scott Baio's career flat lined along with it. Even the doctors of Diagnosis Murder couldn't fill the prescription for the fever of Scott Baio. Ultimately the teen and pre teen fans moved on to greener pastures, or at least to younger ones, and Scott Baio the heartthrob seemed to fade into oblivion.
Fast forward many years and now we have the VH1 reality show, Scott Baio is 45...And Single. When I first saw previews for this show I was both intrigued and disgusted at the same time. It's the exact same feeling of morbid curiosity that washes over you when you're passing an accident or watching a couple fight in public. You know you shouldn't give in to it, but something inside of you doesn't know how to look away.
As if the title alone wasn't bad enough to make me spit out my pasta, the contents of the previews themselves were equally as repulsive. Everyone knows the urban legend of Scott Baio's once Lothario-like status and penchant for bedding blonde babes, but it's like The Fight Club. The first rule of Scott Baio's bedroom behavior is you don't talk about Scott Baio's bedroom behavior. Now all of that has gone out the window. Suddenly seeing Baio face his inner demons, also known as his ex girlfriends, made me both squirm and squeal with delight. Rarely do we get such insight into a former stud's conquests.
But FYI, there is such a thing as TMI as evidenced in clips that featured former Growing Pains cutie and ex-girlfriend Julie McCullough exclaiming, "I had my first AIDS test because of you." or first episode eye opener Scott Baio's revelation of losign his virginity to Erin Moran of all people. Even worse was her admittance that it wasn't all that and a bag of chips. Ouch. Not only is that one surprisingly celebrity revelation, that's three times the amount of shock and awe. I don't know about you, but I'll take things I never needed to know for
As painful as it is that it's come to this, there is something surprisingly, dare I say real about it. I just can't understand how it's anything but real. I mean why would Scott Baio willingly want people to know he is struggling to commit to his current long time girlfriend, and every girl that has come before her, so much so that he is resorting to speaker phoning The Fonz for guidance? Who in their right minds would want the American public to know that you were known having a less than average sized manhood? And if you had any doubts about how much time has exactly transpired, just take one look at Scott Baio's friends, including The Wonder Years, Jason Hervey. With friends like that, who needs a "Buddy" like Willie Aames?
Now, if you want to see staged and confused I advise you check out A&E's (yes, I said A&E) The Two Coreys. Back in the eighties, these "lost boys" they were known for being messed up and in love... with themselves. As the Talking Heads song once said, "same as it ever was".
These days I'm not sure I'd want Charles In Charge of me, but at the very least he's trying to work out his own wrongs and rights. What can I say? I'll take my reality TV hard boiled, with a side of Baio.
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