As their marriage crumbles, Jon & Kate plus 8 getting record viewers

[Liberal_in_LA]

As a Family Faces Stresses, Its Cable Audience Grows

Published: May 26, 2009

Given the number of people who are profiting from the suddenly family-unfriendly TLC show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” a more fitting title would be “Jon & Kate Plus 80.”

are the camera crews and technicians, the producers and the security guards for the family. There are the spokeswomen, the magazine editors, the book packagers, the TV executives, and the paparazzi who follow the family on every trip. And, of course, there are Jon and Kate Gosselin, the Pennsylvania couple who have raised their supersized family of eight on camera for the past two years.

After weeks of tabloid attention, the couple’s disputes were documented on an intimate, longer-than-usual season premiere of the series on Monday. Almost 10 million viewers watched, making it the most popular prime-time show on any channel on Memorial Day. During what amounted to a confessional about the couple’s troubled marriage, Mr. Gosselin denied having cheated on his wife but apologized for his (unexplained) actions. At one point Ms. Gosselin said, choking back tears, “Maybe this will be our last family picture.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/arts/television/27tlc.html?hpw

[Skittles]

1. sick

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. supreme court hearings won't get as many viewers

[JenniferJuniper]

3. Child abuse.

That's the only thing you can call this sort of parental pimping out of little children. The longer it goes on, the more therapy the poor kids are going to need.

[Kontora]

14. Is it really child abuse?

The family is earning $50,000 - $75,000 per episode. It gives opportunities this children could only dream of, they seem very happy and TLC said they won't film if they don't want to be filmed. Is it really child abuse?

[no_hypocrisy]

4. This is a redux of the Loud Family from the 1970's where a dysfunctional

family is watched and criticized by a disembodied audience.

Cue Lance.

[underpants]

6. I get the feeling that it was basically the same thing

From what I have read the Loud family were picked because the producers knew they were about to implode, or they would be pushed to.

Jon& Kate (my mother loved the show) apparently was "good TV" just because she was so...uh... disagreeable. Something tells me though that the producers knew this wasn't going to last. I base this on what has happened to Hulk Hogan's family since they went on the air-clearly it was well known that they were about to split and the decision was made (by them too) to film it.

:shrug:

I could very well be wrong but I doubt it.

[walkaway]

10. The Louds were cool and edgy

The Gosslins are just creepy

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. When did

watching other people live their lives become "entertainment"?

Same with watching poker games.

I can't wait until the Paint Drying Channel starts up.

We, as a society, really do deserve extinction .....................

[chalky]

7. We've already got a Paint Drying Channel. It's called HGTV.

n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. Oh....but I love 'house hunters'

[4lbs]

11. Since shows like "The Real World" on MTV and "Big Brother" on CBS became popular.

n/t

[rurallib]

8. did gay marriage do them in?

[Christa]

13. lol

That's why I am opposed to opposite marriages.

:eyes:

[Christa]

12. Okay, I admit I watched this episode

my first and last one. Kate is so obsessed with the camera that she just about pushed people out of the way to be in the center.

I don't blame him for leaving. She is self centered and controlling. It's a shame that their kids are exposed to this.