Why Is TV Suddenly Overstuffed With Buxom Bunnies, Sexy Stewardesses, and Charlie's Angels?

[katty]

more: http://www.alternet.org/story/152473/why_is_tv_suddenly_overstuffed_with_buxom_bunnies%2C_sexy_stewardesses%2C_and_charlie%27s_angels/

Why Is TV Suddenly Overstuffed With Buxom Bunnies, Sexy Stewardesses, and Charlie's Angels?
With a fleet of "Mad Men"-esque shows glamorizing the "good old days," retrograde sitcoms, and fewer women in the writer's rooms, the TV lineup is discouraging at best.


Buxom Playboy bunnies entertain suited, whiskey-swilling men at a private club. Lithe stewardesses offer men drinks as they fly the friendly skies. Charlie's angels suit up in skin-baring outfits yet again, ready to take their boss's calls and do justice in style.

[Broderick]

1. I don't mind equal opportunity at all

But, I think news reading has turned into a competition with porn.

[StopTheNeoCons]

169. The right wing wanted their country back, and this is it, sexism the way it used to be...nt

[MineralMan]

2. There's a demographic. People who remember the 60s, have a job

and disposable income. That's who's watching those shows. It's all about the demo.

[WinkyDink]

10. Yeah, we 61-yr-olds are the demographic! NOT. It's the "Mad Men" faux-nostalgia for those NOT ALIVE

THEN.

[MineralMan]

16. I don't think so. A lot of us geezers have disposable income.

Not all, but a lot. Our kids are adults and mostly out of college. We're still working, for the most part. We buy stuff.

[JuniperLea]

24. I think this is why Led Zeppelin...

Can now be heard pimping Cadillacs.

[lame54]

60. every single rock song is a potential future add

[JuniperLea]

61. I can't wait to see...

What will be advertised with "Detachable Penis!"

[lame54]

75. My guess it will be the new...

Detachable Penis - by Ronco

[JuniperLea]

79. Oh, that would be perfect!

Gives a whole new meaning to their gadget "The Pocket Fisherman!" Then you have the added benefit of being able to pick one up at your local "As Seen on TV" Store, right next to the dehydrator and the beef jerky machine! I wonder if they still have the egg scrambler...

Heehee!

[WinkyDink]

63. During which shows?

[JuniperLea]

77. I think the last time I saw it...

Was during Fringe.

[Warren DeMontague]

98. I remember when people wanted to censor Led Zeppelin, too.

Maybe in a decade or two I'll also find I have the need or desire to monitor other folks's entertainment choices, but I'm not there yet. :shrug:

[cherokeeprogressive]

112. News Flash! There IS no Led Zeppelin.

[WinkyDink]

62. Oh, not denying the "disposable income" part, but, much that it pains my Boomer heart to say it,

TV commercials are not aimed at my g-g-g-generation.

Well, except for those Cialis ones. ;-)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

88. Green Onions.

It's amusing that they use that tune on Viagra commercials for men, and Depends commercials for women.

[Warren DeMontague]

100. You should watch more science shows. It's all ads for rascals, sleep number beds

and discreet adult incontinence protection.


I mean, seriously.

[MADem]

32. True--the MM exec producer was BORN in the sixties. He has a good eye, though.

The demo is almost always eighteen to fifty. They think they're the ones who do the most spending.

[zipplewrath]

35. Exactly

Most of the Mad Men fans I know are under 30 and have no idea just how bad it was in those days. I'd love to send them to work in that environment for about a week. About the third time someone called them "sugar" and asked for coffee, after slapping their butt, they wouldn't be nearly so nostalgic.

[katty]

59. my oldest sister started wrk in the early-mid sixties, she had

the MM look but less curvy, more petite. She used to tell stories about how sexist it was (once she got liberated in the early 70's)and that the women put up with most it because they had to keep their jobs-there was no HR or even the issue of sexual harrassment, you were expected to get married after awhile and have kids. that's it.

[SharonAnn]

174. And I lived it, too. I enjoy watching MM to remember how bad it was,

but I'm certainly not nostalgic for it.

Actually, Watching it gives me a clearer awareness of how awful it was. At the time, it was the typical environment so we couldn't compare it a better environment that actually existed. Only to a theoretical environment.

It was awful! It was soul-killing! At times it felt hopeless. And we often felt powerless over the degradation.

[Warren DeMontague]

96. I'm old enough to remember the "Mad Men" era

and a lot of the period details, that show NAILS.

[annabanana]

124. Yeppers.. Those of us who actually remember those days

aren't nearly as enamored with them.

[Warren DeMontague]

138. Have you actually watched "Mad Men"?

It's hardly putting that era through a set of rose-colored glasses. Nostalgia for the time when people would eat lunch in a park and then leave their garbage just sitting there, as Don Draper & his family do in one early episode?

I don't think so.

[LongTomH]

15. I think you've got it!

For a while, the demographic TV was aiming at seemed to be young men, teens to early 30s. Now it seems to be menopausal males who need some stimulation for flagging libidos.

[Carolina]

68. I remember the 60s and have a job

and while I'm nostalgic about what once existed in this country, a remake of Charlies Angels has no appeal nor does some titillating Pan Am stewardesses nonsense. In fact I think much that's on TV, especially the new crap, is just that: mind-numbing crap!

My sister, cousin and best friend -- same demographic -- feel the same way!

[MineralMan]

71. I watch Mad Men. The others...I don't think so.

But Mad Men is outstanding. Truly.

[Warren DeMontague]

139. Mad Men. Breaking Bad. Game of Thrones. (HBO)

Just to name a few. There is some seriously good television out there, it's just usually not the regurgitated pablum the ABCNBCCBS networks barf up.

[leftstreet]

76. So people with disposable income feel entitled to consuming women as sexual objects?

not following your logic there

[Warren DeMontague]

97. You mean, like, cannibalism?

YUK! :o

[librechik]

3. Have you ever watched tv?

that's kinda what it's all about, mostly, This year they are betting on 60s nostalgia becasue Mad Men was so successful.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. I noticed that, too.

:puke: I found it a bit depressing.

[DJ13]

5. It is?

Im going to have to start watching TV!

:hide:

[katty]

11. yup, network tv is late getting on the '60's nostalgia bus

but period tv (like movies, unless they underscore a real change in politics or society in period costumes)is 'comfort food' for the masses, even the (same) 'old' problems can be viewed as 'that was then, this is now'...move along....

[WinkyDink]

6. Because men run the media? Just a thought.

[itsallhappening]

7. I've seen two out of three so far. Good stuff.

Looking forward to Charlie's Angels tonight.

Nice way to relax after a long day of work, rather than watching a bunch of blowhards telling people what to think on the "news" channels. I gave up that shit long ago.

The great thing is that people can watch what they want. Cool, huh?

[FiveGoodMen]

12. Is you screen name taken from 'Almost Famous'?

[villager]

14. Well, no -- people can watch what the media companies give them

Your choices, such as they are, exist within their parameters.

[11 Bravo]

8. You're just now discovering that America loves boobies?

[samsingh]

9. they're attractive?

[LaurenG]

13. We're going back to the 60's I guess

though none of this was on TV my parents knew and partied wth Pan Am stewardesses and pilots, my dad read playboy and well Charlies Angels isn't 60's so I don't know about that one.

[RamboLiberal]

39. early "establishment" 60's

[qb]

17. I guess I'll keep going to the movies

where action flicks feature hot male beefcake!

Captain America

[Scottybeamer70]

108. Heh

I'm with qb.......:)

[MicaelS]

18. Because men like to look at beautiful women, that's why.

The most common male fantasy is sexual access to beautiful women without fear of rejection.

Large breasts and large buttocks are secondary sexual characteristics that subconsciously indicate the woman is well fed, healthy and would make a good mate and producer of offspring.

I'd rather look a woman with some meat on her bones, than ones of these high fashion models who is nothing but skin and bones.

And I don't notice many short, fat, balding leading men in movies and TV shows aimed at women.

But I guess women don't like to look at good looking men, do they? :sarcasm:

[Darth_Kitten]

143. I certainly don't want to see drop dead gorgeous men....no way..ick.

:sarcasm: ;)

[Ship of Fools]

19. Maybe I'm reading too much into it

but my take is what with many men out of work and women doing slightly better, we're drifting back into putting women into stereotypical degrading, *pornish* roles for their bruised egos ...

[cliffordu]

21. Ah, bullshit.

[Ship of Fools]

31. Really? I thought it was a valid point that we're getting more pornish

as a country in general, if not on the boob tube (pun intended) specifically.

[cliffordu]

37. maybe you don't look at porn.

There is a real difference.

[Ship of Fools]

38. True, that. But it is an *acceptable* level of porn for teevee 1

[CTyankee]

107. hey, great put down! I loved it!

[Warren DeMontague]

121. All these people who bought televisions without off switches or channel changers

should demand their money back.

[seabeyond]

33. needing the dominance and control they have lost. these shows are not about beautiful women

they are about men privilege in exploiting, harrassing, controlling these women and the women putting a smile and the face and shutting the fuck up, taking it.

[Ship of Fools]

41. Yes, it's certainly control of women, but women with looks & boobs ...

I guess I'll really be frightened when exploitation of women of *regular* looks takes hold.

[seabeyond]

50. take a look at the religious right. or the pornification of our girls.

sexualizing our youngest. it is coming at our young from every direction.

[raccoon]

146. +1. nt

[Overseas]

175. I agree.

[Warpy]

20. It seems they always put out T&A shows when the economy really sucks

They did the same thing in the mid to late 70s (Charlie's bimbos) and the late 80s and early 90s (Baywatch).

I guess they figure as long as the men are home with their tongues hanging out, fingering their willies, there won't be a revolution or even any inconvenient strikes.

Note they do nothing for women.

[jtown1123]

26. Because women are only attracted to emotions and are not visually stimulated!//sarcasm

[NMDemDist2]

73. +1 n/t

[jtown1123]

22. They'll all be canceled too. What bothers me about the bunny one is they act like they are so libera

liberated and are making a shit ton of money while in reality they were paid VERY little and had to adhere to ridiculous standards i.e. not eating or drinking while working, etc. Gloria Steinem went undercover and documented the poor working conditions..it wasn't glamorous or liberating.

[JuniperLea]

23. The Idiocracy is now in control...

So we must become very base, very shallow, and very primal. All hail the brain stem!

:puke:

[sad sally]

47. Grandma once told me how shallow people were, said

men are told they're only as old as they feel; women, on the other hand, are told they're as old as they look.

[stuntcat]

151. yah

what you said.

I had to stop watching tv because it scared me what passes for entertainment, and what commercials clearly work on everyone.

[ellenfl]

25. solely due to the success of 'mad men'. there apparently are

no new ideas and you know the bosses will work a winning premise to death. just look at all the reality shows on tv.

ellen fl

[Retrograde]

57. Exactly. Mad Men is a big success (well, for cable anyway)

so therefore any show set in the early 60s will be a success because after all, audiences just want more of the same. What they overlook, of course, is that Mad Men is actually showing a society in transition that many of its characters are still blind to.

[whathehell]

70. Correct...

I don't view Mad Men as a sexist show and I'm female

and feminist.

The women in the show are three dimensional,

mostly intelligent and AWARE that the men often

underestimate them as well as objectify them.

They often complain about it and try to work,

either around it, or against it.

The men frequently come off looking

backward and bigoted and that is intended.

[William769]

27. Trying to pray the Gay away?

:shrug:

[RamboLiberal]

28. Nostaglia for time pre-women's lib and civil rights movements

When white men ruled & women served. At least in case of pan am & playboy.

Trying to imitate Mad Men.

[MADem]

29. Glamour sells during an economic downturn.

During the Great Depression, all the fims were about fine romances and folks like Ginger and Fred, dancing the night away in ballrooms full of bejewelled wealthy people. Servants were everywhere, but they had few lines. Stories were set in English mansions where everyone went hunting and dressed for dinner. The screens were not loaded with down, depressing stories of people starving, on the road, or getting evicted (though that was the reality for many). When people put their few cents down to see a film, they wanted escapism, ballgowns, tuxedos, furs, and chauffeurs.

That's what the studios delivered.

Funny thing, though--MAD MEN does not have a "contented women" storyline. The women in that series are powerful even without any real access to power, pissed off, and fighting the system. They're women on the cusp of change.

I haven't seen the other Bunny/Pan Am shows, so I can't say how they're approaching the gender equality thing in those programs. The article seems to suggest that they're not going to deal with that bit--if that is true, it would be a mistake. If they're giving it the fair treatment, it might be a learning experience for those who didn't realize how much of a struggle women had to deal with on a day to day basis. There are some kids who really do not realize that "Equal pay for equal work" did NOT exist--because "men have families to support" and "women are just working for 'pin money'"--and a lesson like that would be a good thing to impart, along with the retro fashions and lifestyles.

Since I really couldn't abide the Charlie's Angels franchise the first time around, I skipped the films and will probably skip the new program as well. It just doesn't push any of my buttons in terms of plot or construct.

[hifiguy]

43. +1. I recently saw the excellent

"Moguls and Movie Stars" on TCM, and one of the programs was about just that. Escapism sold big in the 1930s. And things look an awful lot like the 1930s these days, only with tech gadgets added.

[MADem]

46. I keep meaning to subscribe to TCM. I'm just cheap and have little time. NT

[katty]

58. yes, it was a fantastic docu - luv the TCM

[JI7]

30. i think it just has to do with the popularity of Mad Men , the same happened with the crime shows,

reality shows, the game shows etc.

[RamboLiberal]

34. yeah tv network honchos sure love to try to copy

[demosincebirth]

36. Tell me a time when it wasn't a requirement to have all those attributes?

[Throd]

40. Suddenly?

[Cleita]

42. Or my early twenties. I lived in those days and

was taken to the Playboy Club by one of my bosses (a twice a year treat for the office staff) and knew girls who were airline hostesses and guys who flew the aircraft. I even knew a couple of girls in college that worked as bunnies and other kinds of glamorous cocktail waitress jobs. They made good tips. The airline crews bursted any bubble you had about the glamour with their stories about their jobs. (I once worked at Continental Airlines in its heyday.) However, I don't remember the immorality displayed but maybe that was there in the underground. There were never lady PIs like Charlie's Angels though that I ever met.

[chrisa]

44. All of these shows look pretty terrible.

Women running around partially undressed for 30 or 60 mins. Derp. Such depth in the story telling.

[sandyj999]

45. It Reminds me of a great time in my life

The clothing, the music and all the rest. It is entertainment and a lot better than a lot of the reality we all face. In 1965 I was 30 years old and it was a fun time. I had no thoughts of the stock market, social security or any of the rest of it. It makes me happy to think about those days and I hope the shows remain and I'll be watching.

[Kennah]

48. I guess totally screw up the demographics, since "Detroit 187" is my fix

[sandyj999]

64. That was gone way too soon. n/t

[Kennah]

74. OMG! I cannot fucking believe they cancelled 187! Totally missed that news from months ago.

[Malikshah]

49. Agreed--noticed this a few months ago as the news talked of these new shows

It's like we entered the wayback machine and entered a time in which paunchy sweaty men with ginblossoms for noses leered at dead eyed women as they mindlessly gyrated on greasy floors in dank smoky rooms lit only by flickering neon lights.

ABC is a big culprit here, but NBC is closing in. We go from a time in which portly men have model wives (According to Jim, King of Queens, etc. ) to this. Pretty damn pathetic.

[Octafish]

51. T&A keeps one's mind of the BFEE

For one thing.

[Chan790]

52. Answer.

Nostalgia sells in a down economy. I used to live in NYC and write screenplays and tv-plays. When the economy goes south, nostalgia sells and horror movies with supernatural elements get hot...fantasy and escapism among other things. People prefer realism in drama in an up economy. I don't wonder why.

There are tits on your TV because marketers know that tits and sexism and old familiar products will be the hot thing in TV programming for the next half-decade.

[WilliamPitt]

53. Suddenly?

[Cirque du So-What]

54. Ah, those were the days!

When minorities knew their place, women represented no threat where promotions were concerned, and no reason to be concerned about any of that pesky 'PC' stuff. Not surprising to me at all why these shows appeal to a certain 'demographic'...if forlorn, doughy white guys lamenting their loss of status can be called a 'demographic.'

Note: I understand that these shows may appeal to non-bigots as well, and I'm not insinuating that they were written solely for aggrieved white males; I'm just pointing out the obvious appeal to those who pine for those less-egalitarian days.

[Hoosier Daddy]

55. "Suddenly"?????

Where in the name of Tom Sawyer have YOU been???

[JoePhilly]

56. Why do you hate America?

I have not seen any of those ... but last might I watched 2 episode of Modern Family, and they were awesome.

[rainbow4321]

65. I give them all one season til they are dropped

All I needed to see was the Angel promo that had one gushing "we're angels, NOT saints" to know it's a shallow, crappy, predictable, one-season show.

[Hotler]

66. To distract and dumb down.

If Joe six-pack is zoned out watching the tube he won't be thinking about how bad he's getting screwed by the fuckers in Washington and on Wall St..

[katty]

72. exactly: cheap hynoptic therapy

[Warren DeMontague]

94. Then why does the right wing love censorship & want to ban porn?

Why are societies that have tight controls on what citizens can watch on tv (read: sex) so often warlike & militaristic?

:shrug:

[Warren DeMontague]

93. Oh, for fuck's sake. There are like 2,000 channels on most cable plans.

People like sex, people like to look at attractive people, and hetero men in particular have been known to enjoy looking at scantily clad, buxom attractive women.

Not EVERYTHING is a friggin' conspiracy.

[Codeine]

67. Success is always copied.

This is simply the way of all media -- it's nothing new, nothing dire, and nothing of sociological significance. Mad Men hit a rich vein and now everyone wants to emulate their success; this trend too shall pass.

[JVS]

69. Too many cheap knockoffs of Mad Men!

[Blue_Tires]

78. Hell with that! I wanna see the Convair 880s, DC-8-60s and B707s

I don't even care if they are CGI

[L0oniX]

80. When are they going to try a show were only short, fat and ugly people are the actors?

Oh silly me ...they have that already ...it's called The Jerry Springer Show.

[Warren DeMontague]

81. Because people like sex.

That's the short answer.

Also, "Mad Men" is a good show that has generated a lot of buzz, so you're going to see a lot of cheap, crappy attempts at imitation.

[leftstreet]

85. Are there a lot of naked and scantily clad men on that show?

Is that how they draw in the women who like sex?

:shrug:

[Warren DeMontague]

86. I don't know. If you want to see more naked dudes on TV

write the networks. I'll fully support you in that endeavour, even though it's not my thing. :hi:

[leftstreet]

87. lol

I just wondered

[WillyT]

82. Well It Is The Boob-Tube After All

:hide::evilgrin::hide:

:yoiks:

[Iggo]

83. Bo Derek's t*ts.

I like sex.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

84. At least these are shows with SCRIPTS

On top of the nostalgia, maybe the pendulum's swinging away a little from all the cheap 'reality' crap.

[Initech]

89. True - I'm getting really tired of reality.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

90. We're going to have to go ahead and move you back to storage room B...

[Initech]

91. No! They moved my desk and then I didn't get a paycheck and they told me to talk to payroll...

And then payroll told me to talk to Mr. Lumbergh...

[JI7]

95. yes, scripted shows provide many good union jobs , not only actors

either.

[AverageJoe90]

141. I just hope the reboot of "Charlie's Angels" hasn't been shot all to hell......

TBH, the original, while probably not without it's flaws, was actually pretty decent; the Angels actually had a little personality & kicked ass!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

159. The new one sucks

It's got that whole quick cut split screen MTV style feel, and Bosley is now a latino stud the same age as the Angels. ABC screws up all it's reboots, the worst being The Night Stalker.

[AverageJoe90]

177. I was afraid of that. n/t

[backwoodsbob]

92. it's not *suddenly*..it's always been there

sex sells..it isn't rocket surgery

[ismnotwasm]

99. Read "The Rise of Enlightened Sexism"

by Susan J. Douglas. She breaks it down point by depressing point
Here's an article
http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2011winter/2011_winter_Douglas.php

I

[Warren DeMontague]

102. translation: people stubbornly continue to like what they like & do what they do

despite several decades of being ordered not to.

[ismnotwasm]

105. "People"?

You mean, like everybody?

Actually I think "people" stubbornly cling to entitlement of whatever stripe they have (everyone has entitlement, it's a question of what and how much as someone once said)

I also think "people" tend not to think things through carefully, or care to, when it's not to their benefit to do do. Why should they?

People indeed.

[Warren DeMontague]

109. Right. Folks who think that only a vast conspiracy could make women want to look attractive to men

also can't figure out why so many people think they're out of touch and irrelevant. :rofl:

[seabeyond]

106. i thought it an insightful article discussing much of my issues today. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

110. I'm glad that someone is discussing your issues.

No, really.

[seabeyond]

117. btw... not having responded to your posts above. it is not about sex, or beautiful women

it is about a control and donimance. these two shows are women stand there, and men do as they like, and the women smile for the money or the paycheck. everyone knows it, but with all their pearl clutching and unwillingness to look at the ugly, they keep it pc pretty so as not to worry their little minds. people unwilling to accept a reality and must continue to live under a fantasy of illusions.....

[Warren DeMontague]

119. "these two shows are..." So, have you actually watched the shows?

AFAIK, they're not even on the air yet.

[Warren DeMontague]

142. Guess that's a "no"

:shrug:

[Nye Bevan]

101. Why are young women in love with vampires all of a sudden?

Vampires are supposed to be evil scary bloodsuckers.

[Warren DeMontague]

103. I actually think the "Twilight" idea of sexually repressed, low IQ Jesus monsters

is a perfect metaphor for Red State Merika.

[Warren DeMontague]

104. I'm sure there are several pilots for Breaking Bad knockoffs in the pipeline, too.

Although I'm not sure how they'll pull that off.

[Zax2me]

111. Cyclical trash. Recycled trash.

quit watching it all long ago.

[Warren DeMontague]

115. Actually, tv has been where the best writing has taken place in the last 5-10 years

it's movies that are the formulaic, idiotic narrative suckholes, now.

[datasuspect]

137. delete

[bhikkhu]

113. Why do people still watch TV, is what I wonder...

I quit ten years ago myself. Back then everyone complained about the "quality of the programming" (how it was dumbing down the country, perpetuating all kinds of noxious stereotypes, and was used as a subtly propaganda tools for all sorts of questionable agendas) and then kept right on watching anyway...

[Warren DeMontague]

116. Because tv is far and away where the good narrative storyelling is happening, now.

Oh, I'm not talking about "Bridezillas" or George Lopez or 98% of the crappo that's out there, particularly on the networks.

But there has been some GREAT stuff done on television in the last decade. The Battlestar Galactica reboot. Mad Men. Breaking Bad. If you've got HBO, Game of Thrones... that's one to watch, for sure.

[bhikkhu]

114. dupe

[badtoworse]

118. What's wrong with that?

[Warren DeMontague]

120. Sex is inherently oppressive & exploitative & you're not leaving the house wearing that young lady

...to think, I burned my bra for this!!!

[badtoworse]

129. Fortunately, some things are unlikely to change

To those that can't appreciate that, I offer my abject apologies.

[AverageJoe90]

122. Charlie's Angels was actually pretty decent!

I'd be worried about 'Father Knows Best', though.

[Le Taz Hot]

123. I can't believe they're bringing back

"Charlie's Angels." Like it wasn't bad enough the first time around. Stupid plots, bad acting, and could it get any more sexist?

[AverageJoe90]

134. It wasn't that bad. Ever heard of Father Knows Best?

In fact, did you even watch the show with an unbiased eye? .......Yeah, I didn't think so.

How about Father Knows Best? Nobody here's complained about THAT piece of garbage. At least Charlie's Angels had a smart Angel(Sabrina), a levelheaded and kickass one(Kelly), and a graceful one(Tiffany). How many other '70s TV shows actually gave women characters some real personality?
(Although, tbh, I've never watched the reboot, so I won't comment on THAT one.)

[Le Taz Hot]

136. Non sequitur.

The topic was the nostalgic path TV's Fall Season seems to be taking. If they ever bring back "Father Knows Best," I've no doubt DU will be debating it just as vehemently.

[AverageJoe90]

140. I certainly hope so.

In any case, I apologize for not clarifying this earlier(I did with another poster), but I will say that I haven't seen any of the episodes of the new "Charlie's Angels", so I won't say anything about that, as to whether it's good or not.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

154. Explain to me what was sexist about "Charlie's Angels"?

The women were smarter and more competent than the men. Did they dress in sexy outfits? Sure, because what better way to distract a dumb man?

[DearHeart]

125. Because of Mad Men and....

the genius MBAs who are running the movie/TV industry are gearing everything toward the 16-24 year old males and their penises! They must've been really shocked when a movie like "The Help" did so well at the box office, but I forgot, women don't go to movies-according to the MBAs:eyes:

[Warren DeMontague]

126. I know a lot of MBAs who don't have penises. And I know a lot of people in the tv and movie industry

It's been common knowledge since not long after Hollywood was still Orange groves that women DO go to movies. Google "maternal melodrama". Unfortunately, what small insular communities of out-of-touch ideologues want women to like, and what women actually DO tend to like, are not the same thing. But I digress. Do you think men were going to see "Eat Pray Love"? Julia Roberts wouldn't have a career if "the genius MBAs who are running the movie/tv industry" thought "women don't go to the movies".

Problem is, movies are mostly dreck these days- and that goes for your standard idiotic "chick flick" as well as the dude flick. TV, OTOH, has actually seen an incredible blossoming of interesting narrative storytelling, because of several wonderful convergences, some social and some technological- to wit, in addition to the well-reported 'cocooning' phenomenon which began in the 1990s, television technology has advanced significantly, cable has increased the offerings and choices, and executives- particularly at places like AMC- have been willing to take risks with complex stories, morally ambiguous characters, and lengthy, multi-threaded narratives.

[DearHeart]

132. I agree that movies these days are really horrible, but the number

of movies geared towards males age 16-24 far exceeds that of movies that were geared towards women, both in 2010 and this year. In each year, maybe a dozen movies are actually "chick flicks" whereas the vast majority of the rest are "dude flicks", such as Transformers 3, Bad Teacher, Warrior, Killer Elite, etc. I would, as a woman, like to see the movie & tv industries actually cater to both sexes. I love movies of all genres and I go to the movies quite frequently; however, I just don't want to see all of these women's tits and asses in my field of vision every 20 minutes of so. :blush: ;)

[Warren DeMontague]

133. I think the offerings at the Cinema have been atrocious for the past decade or so.

There have been a few good, groundbreaking movies. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy springs immediately to mind as a singular achivement of the era. Avatar was a quantum jump in visual filmmaking as well, even though people love to bag on it. Truly GREAT movies? They've been few & far between in recent years. A lot of it is crap.

It's unfortunate, because I think there was a period in the late 90s when some intelligent, thought provoking movies were being made. Kind of stopped all of a sudden, maybe after 9-11.

Like I said, I think the really interesting stuff has been happening on tv. The Sopranos, even Lost for a while (if they had been able to pull off ending it in a reasonably intelligent fashion, which they didn't do) The Battlestar Galactica reboot, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones...

there's good stuff out there. But it doesn't seem to be in the Theaters these days.

[TeeYiYi]

176. Scary. What happened to their penises?

TYY B-)

[RB TexLa]

127. Does it really matter? Honestly, what percent of Americans watch television on a weekly basis?

[WinkyDink]

145. Advertisers seem to think quite a few.

[ThatsMyBarack]

128. I want to see PanAm for airline nostalgia!

Other than that, the constant stream of recycled and overused anatomy jokes and sex has gotten way out of hand!

[RamboLiberal]

156. Yeah before they became flying cattle cars

People dressed up for flights. Meals were served. Could do without the smoking.

[AnnieBW]

130. Meh

I have no desire to watch any of those shows.

[BiggJawn]

131. Everything old is new again.

I wonder when Westerns will make their comeback.

What d'ya expect? one of the most popular current "celebrities" is a woman who's known not for her brains, but her huge ass.

And don't forget Snooki...

[defendandprotect]

135. Suddenly -- ???

[pokerfan]

170. I had the same thought

Yeah, I don't think it's suddenly. TV's always been filled with beautiful people. As far as Charlie's Angles is concerned, they're trying to capitalize on the success of the movies. And as far as Pan Am and Playboy Club goes, they're just aping Mad Men's sixties nostalgia.

[JVS]

144. The contract dispute between Weiner and Showtime created a gap that the networks decided to aim for.

These imitators have several months to gain followings before the genuine article gets back up and running. I think they'll flop, but if Weiner and Showtime had not come to terms the networks would be kicking themselves for not doing them.

[Warren DeMontague]

147. Yeah, the Mad Men delay is pretty long. nt

[Evasporque]

148. same reason it is filled with RIGHT WING yargle bargle....nt

[Warren DeMontague]

149. Judging by some of the responses here, many DU'ers need to switch cable providers

I've found some great stuff on these odd little channels perhaps some have never heard of... AMC, HBO, FX, The Science Channel..

[stuntcat]

152. also TCM!

classic movies, no commercials.. why watch all the mind-rot?!

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

157. There are so many choices out there......

....a trend of a few TV shows does not "overstuff" anything.

I don't watch much network TV myself, other than "Castle", which features a hot, super smart lady cop who often shows up her smug, skirt-chasing writer/partner.

[Warren DeMontague]

158. I almost never watch ABCCBSNBC. Most of that is crap.

I'm relieved, frankly, that there are so many more choices than there used to be. Like I said, AMC has put out some seriously great television in the past few years. (...who saw that coming?) It's telling that many of the people complaining about "Mad Men" in this thread have never actually watched it.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

161. I'm glad AMC found something to save themselves

It was depressing when they went from showing great old movies sans commercials to running the same recent films with ads every night. I've never gotten around to watching Mad Men but fully intend to give it a try on DVD via Netflix.

[Warren DeMontague]

168. My God. Not even save themselves- they're responsible for 2 of the best tv shows on currently.

Mad Men *and* Breaking Bad.

[WildEyedLiberal]

150. blah blah blah TV rots your brain blah blah blah

More of the same "this season's shows represent the DECLINE AND FALL OF AMERICAN SOCIETY" crap that we've been hearing for 50 years.

[Warren DeMontague]

160. Even more fun is the folks complaining about stuff they've never actually, uh, seen.

I think tv, with a few notable exceptions, DID used to be mostly crap. But I stand by my statement that I think tv- particularly cable channels like AMC- is where the interesting narrative storytelling is happening, these days. It's not happening in the 2 hour cookie cutter product placement-laden film industry, that's for sure.

[WildEyedLiberal]

173. Yup.

I'll take Sons of Anarchy over 99% of Hollywood's dreck any day.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

153. There are also plenty of shows where men are shown to be total idiots

This, however, does not engender such complaints.

Television is overloaded with stereotypes. If you're only realizing this now, I don't know what to say.

[Desertrose]

155. Cause it's the best distraction they can come up with? nt

[RamboLiberal]

162. Clarence Page: Retro TV revisits birth of 'culture war'

Do "Mad Men," "Pan Am," "The Playboy Club" and BBC America's "The Hour" exploit society's barely suppressed appetite for a more sexist, racist and conservative era? Fear not. The underlying message in these depictions of the bad old days is clear: We should be better than that now, even when we aren't.

Just as we can enjoy "Gone With the Wind" without feeling nostalgic for slavery, or "The Sound of Music" without missing the Third Reich, we can watch the chain-smoking white men and underpaid, underappreciated women of "Mad Men" without wishing we could bring back Jim Crow racial segregation and legal glass ceilings for women.

Quite the opposite, the best moments of this surprising new nostalgia craze for the 1950s and early '60s come when they suggest glimmers of the social revolution that we, today's audience gazing back with the wisdom of hindsight, know is about to take place.

"Mad Men" led this craze by doing what cable TV does better than the big over-the-air networks: It took a chance on trying something new — and won. The show found thoughtful drama in a New York ad agency in a time that today's much-coveted 18-to-35 generation knows to be ancient history, the 1960s.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-oped-0925-page-20110925,0,3027244.column

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

164. Clarence gets it

Great writer.

[Warren DeMontague]

172. I like how people think it's all some grand plot

right wingers simultaneously arguing for censorship and then simultaneously hypnotizing the masses with sex.

It's fucking goofy, but I guess that's the universe some folks think they inhabit.

[hayrow]

163. Could this be the dumbest question ever?

[NuttyFluffers]

165. because media is OWNED. what do think your masters want from you?

stay asleep. breasts are hypnotic, but they're covered up here and know their place, just like i should. as it should be, as it should be. we need to go back, we need to go back. i'm getting sleepy...

turn that shit off. it's the only way. being selective only goes so far.

[TNLib]

166. I don't like mad men

I find it highly disturbing.

[Jack Rabbit]

167. It's too soon for sweeps week

[ElboRuum]

171. I'm just glad to see someone actually employing a screenwriter or two...

Regardless of what it is, at least it isn't reality TV.

That's a step up in my opinion.