Comments on: Liveblogging the Premiere of MTV’s The City http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/ Overthinking It subjects the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:53:58 +0000 hourly 1 By: lalala http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-6719 lalala Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:15:53 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-6719 p.s. i love top chef too, although im sure some of it is staged like when jaimi was eliminated just because her celery was salty while the brown haired chick (forgot her name) didn't even put the right ingredients in her dish. but for the most part i think that top chef is one of the few reality shows that is pretty much actual reality p.s. i love top chef too, although im sure some of it is staged like when jaimi was eliminated just because her celery was salty while the brown haired chick (forgot her name) didn’t even put the right ingredients in her dish. but for the most part i think that top chef is one of the few reality shows that is pretty much actual reality

]]> By: lalala http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-6718 lalala Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:10:42 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-6718 love your little blog there, you should do one for every episode.... love your little blog there, you should do one for every episode….

]]> By: s orourke http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-6480 s orourke Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:39:39 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-6480 olivia is a no one. her cousin is not a socialite but a looser Whitney you have a lot af class do not get caught up in newyork snob. Adam is twoface and trouble and a liarer olivia is a no one. her cousin is not a socialite but a looser
Whitney you have a lot af class do not get caught up in newyork snob. Adam is twoface and trouble and a liarer

]]> By: The Bromantic Gaze | Overthinking It http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-4268 The Bromantic Gaze | Overthinking It Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:27:55 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-4268 [...] the same night that MTV unleashed The City upon the world, the network also premiered Bromance, a reality competition show in which 9 dudes [...] [...] the same night that MTV unleashed The City upon the world, the network also premiered Bromance, a reality competition show in which 9 dudes [...]

]]> By: Casey http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-4024 Casey Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:49:19 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-4024 Alright Mr. Belinkie, you asked what I thought about The City and I finally saw it tonight even though I didn't really mean to. Anyway, I blogged about it (http://thoseextra4inches.com/) but here is a little part I thought you might appreciate: First of all, the name annoys me. The City? Just The City? What about Sex and the City? Is Whitey so boring that there is nothing else interesting about the show other than New York itself? Just image SATC centered around Charlotte, minus Samantha. Yawn. Have any of you ever read Samuel R. Delany's Trouble on Triton? Really great book. If you have, compare Whitney to Bron Helstrom. Alright Mr. Belinkie, you asked what I thought about The City and I finally saw it tonight even though I didn’t really mean to. Anyway, I blogged about it (http://thoseextra4inches.com/) but here is a little part I thought you might appreciate:

First of all, the name annoys me. The City? Just The City? What about Sex and the City? Is Whitey so boring that there is nothing else interesting about the show other than New York itself? Just image SATC centered around Charlotte, minus Samantha. Yawn. Have any of you ever read Samuel R. Delany’s Trouble on Triton? Really great book. If you have, compare Whitney to Bron Helstrom.

]]> By: McGrath http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-3953 McGrath Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:27:46 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-3953 I've only ever seen a couple episodes of The Hills, but I agree that the notion that the audience should buy it as reality seems to be asking a lot even by reality show standards. My question, as someone who has very little exposure to this kind of show, is was it always like this? Back when MTV first put on Laguna Beach, was it "more real"? Or was it just as bad back then? I’ve only ever seen a couple episodes of The Hills, but I agree that the notion that the audience should buy it as reality seems to be asking a lot even by reality show standards.

My question, as someone who has very little exposure to this kind of show, is was it always like this? Back when MTV first put on Laguna Beach, was it “more real”? Or was it just as bad back then?

]]> By: Gab http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-3930 Gab Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:47:52 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-3930 @Sheely&Belinkie: Yeah, I thought it was totally staged, as well, which is why I asked. I mean, honestly, there just *happened* to be a bunch of extra pork lying around the kitchen? That was the part that solidified it for me. I rewatched it a while ago (almost midnight, Happy New Year), and yes, the camera angle was nice and ambiguous, and I find it a little convenient that the "victims" had enough ingredients and time- even with the help from the other chefs- to do all of the new prep work before going to the venue. I like that name for it, Belinkie: "Fridgegate." Have you seen _Frost Nixon_ yet? @Sheely&Belinkie: Yeah, I thought it was totally staged, as well, which is why I asked. I mean, honestly, there just *happened* to be a bunch of extra pork lying around the kitchen? That was the part that solidified it for me. I rewatched it a while ago (almost midnight, Happy New Year), and yes, the camera angle was nice and ambiguous, and I find it a little convenient that the “victims” had enough ingredients and time- even with the help from the other chefs- to do all of the new prep work before going to the venue.

I like that name for it, Belinkie: “Fridgegate.” Have you seen _Frost Nixon_ yet?

]]> By: Matthew Belinkie http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-3904 Matthew Belinkie Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:43:52 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-3904 @Gab&Sheely- I definitely had some questions about Fridgegate. Put aside the issue for a moment of who left that fridge open. Are we really supposed to believe the chefs recreated three hours of prep in the 30 minutes of "packing up" time they were given? More importantly, where did they get the extra food? They were on tight budgets - no way they bought twice as much ingredients as they needed the day before. And somehow, Hosea got the win, even though he was one of the people whose meal was completely wiped out with the warm fridge. I'm sorry to say this, because I like the show and I don't want to feel like it's completely fake, but I feel like that part, at least, was somewhat fake. @Gab&Sheely- I definitely had some questions about Fridgegate. Put aside the issue for a moment of who left that fridge open. Are we really supposed to believe the chefs recreated three hours of prep in the 30 minutes of “packing up” time they were given? More importantly, where did they get the extra food? They were on tight budgets – no way they bought twice as much ingredients as they needed the day before. And somehow, Hosea got the win, even though he was one of the people whose meal was completely wiped out with the warm fridge. I’m sorry to say this, because I like the show and I don’t want to feel like it’s completely fake, but I feel like that part, at least, was somewhat fake.

]]> By: sheely http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-3902 sheely Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:44:08 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-3902 @Gab- I enjoy Top Chef quite a lot as well. On the Christmas episode, it certainly wasn't clear what caused the fridge to be hot. When Radhika and a few others walked away from the fridge, it looked open, but the shot was edited in such a way that it was really impossible to tell. It could have been the case that the contestants left it open and the camera crew just didn't intervene, but I also wouldn't be shocked if the producers actively intervened so as to make things interesting, and then used the resulting banding together to create a warm and fuzzy Christmas narrative. It wouldn't be a huge stretch, given that they were already having everyone pretend that it was Christmas (even though the episode was filmed in August). @Gab- I enjoy Top Chef quite a lot as well. On the Christmas episode, it certainly wasn’t clear what caused the fridge to be hot. When Radhika and a few others walked away from the fridge, it looked open, but the shot was edited in such a way that it was really impossible to tell. It could have been the case that the contestants left it open and the camera crew just didn’t intervene, but I also wouldn’t be shocked if the producers actively intervened so as to make things interesting, and then used the resulting banding together to create a warm and fuzzy Christmas narrative. It wouldn’t be a huge stretch, given that they were already having everyone pretend that it was Christmas (even though the episode was filmed in August).

]]> By: Matthew Wrather http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/29/liveblogging-the-premiere-of-mtvs-the-city/#comment-3890 Matthew Wrather Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:28:50 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=3938#comment-3890 Well, there may be some justice in the world: http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/12/mtvs-hills-spinoff-disappoints.html Well, there may be some justice in the world:

http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/12/mtvs-hills-spinoff-disappoints.html

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