T.V. Reviews

 Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (TLC)

HONEY BOO BOO CHILD !!!!!

I’m so excited to write about TLC’s new show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. This show has been blowing up on twitter and all over pop culture’s radar. It’s trending, friends are tweeting about it. It’s a phenomenon. It recently made news for beating out the RNC in ratings last week. Obama must be happy. For those of you who have not been around lately Honey Boo Boo is a reality show about a Georgia family mostly centered around their 6 year old daughter Alana who is an aspiring beauty queen. Her family enters her into beauty pageants and competitions.

This show is so shocking and hilarious I really just sat there in awe when I first put it on. I did not know people lived like this. This family is the epitome of rednecks. They are hillbillies and they are not ashamed of it whatsoever. Alana (aka Honey Boo Boo) is the main focus and she’s the funniest out of the family. But then you have ‘Mama’ who is the mother of Alana and her three sisters. One sister is a pregnant17 year old. Then there is one that they call ‘Pumpkin’ who is pretty much the most trailer besides the parents. And there’s Jessica who they were calling ‘Chubs’ and ‘Chubbette’ in the first few episodes. But now that she’s lost like 6 pounds she’s just known as Jessica. ‘Sugar Bear’ is Alana’s biological father and the man of the house. He isn’t married to Mama (although he’s proposed before) and he is not the father of the other three children. The family also had a pet pig for awhile named ‘Glitzy’. They got rid of it because ‘Mama’ was “too busy” to take care of it. It must be exhausting not working.

... and this people, is what class looks like.

As bad as this family sounds you cant stop watching this train wreck. And in some ways you actually kind of like them. You’re just not going to like them very much. But as a family they all love each other and seem genuinely happy with how their lives are going. They do things like participate in a local event called the ‘Redneck Games’. Where all the rednecks from across the land gather to do redneck things for redneck prizes. They play in the mud. They toilet paper their own house. They eat a lot of junk food. They prep Alana for her pageants. They go to water parks. And they are pretty hysterical to watch.

If you haven’t been watching this show yet you need to start. There are some awesome one liners you’ll hear on this show. Terrible subtitling which helps you understand the family and other times its there to just point out how stupid they are. One of my favorite recurring things that’s done is when they are interviewing Alana is when she talks with her stomach rolls back to the camera. I’m definitely interested to see what the second season will hold for this family. After getting their pay checks from this show I wonder how money will change this redneck family. Id like the give this show *** out of **** stars because of it’s entertainment value but I won’t. (*) out of (****).

Inbetweeners (MTV)

This is an American remake of a British T.V. Show. And unlike the U.S. Version of Skins this show isn’t terrible. It’s actually pretty funny. MTV has done pretty well for itself with half hour comedies lately. They first had Awkward, then I Just Want My Pants Back, and now Inbetweeners. It follows four guys navigating their way through high school and trying to make themselves cooler than they are. They are kind of in the middle of the social scene in high school. Not cool and not completely uncool.

Will McKenzie just moves into town and is transferring from a private school to a public school. He’s pretentious and very preppy. He eventually gets paired up with a group of three close friends. Simon, Jay, and Neil. Simon is probably the most normal out of the group. He’s in love with his neighbor and most of his story lines go along with trying to win her over. Jay is the funny chubby guy. Neil is the dumb surfer type. They are continuously trying to climb the social ladder at their high school and are constantly failing in each adventure.

All together this show is pretty funny. I’ve been having a problem with television comedies lately in general. Every line has to be a joke and the jokes come at you so fast you can’t appreciate all of them. What happened to a slower pace where you can really enjoy each joke? Now a days they fly at you so fast in the dialogue that you’ll laugh at a few but you will miss out on some too. This show isn’t any different. With that said though it’s a funny show. It will keep you entertained. Check it out. (** and ½) out of (****).

Live! Kelly and … (ABC)

Slightly disappointed that they didn't even consider George Zimmerman or Casey Anthony.

The reason I’m reviewing this show is because after awhile of having no co-host Kelly Ripa finally announced today who will be joining her every morning on the show and replacing Regis. Michael Strahan former New York Giants player is taking over. I’ve seen a few episodes where he was initially co-hosting with Kelly when they were trying out who works on the show and who doesn’t. They’re good together and they both are really likeable (unlike Regis).

Today’s episode started off with a dramatic reveal that Strahan will be the new co-host. Everyone seemed pretty happy. Then they followed up with Claire Danes (Homeland), Phillip Phillips (American Idol), and Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber (U.S. Olympic Gymnasts). Considering Homeland, American Idol, and the Olympics are all things that interest me I was pretty stoked on the episode. Will I watch tomorrow’s? Probably not. But if you want to see what Strahan is like feel free to check it out.

The show’s format is the same. They talk about the latest news for a bit, do a trivia game, then have celebrity guests on, followed by a musical guest (sometimes). I’m not a religious watcher of this show but I’m still glad they picked Strahan. I think he’s a good choice for the show. (**) out of (****). -RC