It might make a good, single-panel newspaper or magazine cartoon:
The outside of a large auditorium is depicted. Two long lines of humans form at the two-door entrance. One line extends around the block to the left, the other around the block to the right.
Over the right door is a sign: “Fox American Idol Contestant Auditions.” Over the left door, another sign reads, “Fox American Idol Judge Auditions.”
Enter, stage left, Nicki Minaj.
Ms. Minaj is an interesting figure in that she’s billed as and often performs as a female rapper. Yet, unlike many rappers, she has discernible and considerable musical talent. Her artistry does not exclusively lie in her ability to chant words to the beat of an AK-47 while holding her crotch.
Alas, however, she’s bound, but certainly not gagged, by the rappers’ code. That is, many of her songs include excessively boastful, excessively hateful and, most essentially, excessively vulgar lyrics.
Naturally, such a difficult-to-ignore reality is easily ignored by a pandering and easily frightened TV, radio and print media.
In a recent profile of Minaj, the New York Times referred to her lyrics as “lusty.” Of course, the Times was unable to provide any transcriptions of such lyrics because they were not lusty at all; they were unprintable and unspeakably obscene.
But, for better or worse, she’s popular, and that’s all that matters.
Pity of it all is that she’s so musically talented that she very likely could be just as popular — if not more so — if she wasn’t reliant on the worse.
But in 2012, why risk it?
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One wouldn’t normally turn to a documentary series on the prison lives of convicts and correctional officers expecting a good laugh . . . still, ya never know.
Nat Geo Channel’s “Hard Time” is a compelling watch for its vivid and ostensibly unfettered view of jailhouse and “big house” living.
Last week, a recidivist female inmate — drugs, theft, prostitution — at Las Vegas’ Clark County Detention Center, was pleadingly and sympathetically told by a female security guard that she “has to learn to follow the rules.”
The inmate erupted with a shout of common, indisputable sense: “If I could learn to follow the rules I wouldn’t be in here!”
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Used to be that there was a time and place for TV commercials that didn’t pass the stink test, say, midnight to 6 a.m. That’s a good time to sell newly minted quarters for a buck apiece (plus S&H).
Now? As long as your checks clears . . .
Last week at 7:30 p.m. on WABC-Ch. 7, an ad appeared for a party store that, with Halloween nearing, specializes in Halloween costumes. And, as our luck would have it, “All costumes are now 60 percent off!” Wow!
Go figure. At the one time of year when the demand for costumes is the greatest, this store is discounting all of theirs by 60 percent!
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Why does it seem that nearly all genre programs featuring real video of bad guys being tracked by law enforcement have the same TV newsman reporting from the helicopter following the suspect’s vehicle?
From Atlanta to LA, Denver to Phoenix, the same man — or at least the same voice — seems to provide the same excited play-by-play. “He’s heading for the Interstate!”
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Not that we’d expect better from TruTV, a prime-time garbage repository formerly known as CourtTV, but its “World’s Dumbest” series now includes the paid celebrity observations of Amy Fisher.
Fisher’s particularly qualified for TruTV appearances and TV stardom given her career highlights:
She disfigured her boyfriend’s wife by shooting her in the face with a .25 semi-automatic, she did prison time, then starred in a homemade porn movie.
Formula for TV success!