Welcome to the end of the week, Overthinkers – and your Open Thread.
First up, Oprah, the most successful woman in the history of entertainment, announced this week that she will retire her TV show in 2011 in order to start her own cable network. Is cable TV ready for a light news station that devotes hours to “soft” subjects and celebrity interviews, all united under one mogul’s monolithic vision? CNN’s Ted Turner thinks not.
Question: Oprah’s known for surprising audiences with exorbitant giveaways, like giving one guest a house or giving every guest a car. What will she give away on her final episode?
The traffic boost we'd get if Oprah muttered our name on her show, once, would dwarf all site traffic to date.
In reality news, Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model hosted their season finales this week. Project Runway had survived some legal disputes and the move from Bravo to Lifetime to still come out strong. And America’s Next Top Model, shockingly enough, picked a willowy 18-year-old with perfect cheekbones to be America’s Next Unheard-Of Model.
Question: Do you have what it takes to be America’s Next Top [Whatever You Do]? If so, which celebrity would judge you? Note that you don’t have to be American to be considered.
Yes, but is she fierce?
Oh, and, there’s some this movie about vampires opening this weekend.
Question: Vampires apparently avoid sunlight because it makes them sparkle, not because it kills them. Which other classic monster vulnerabilities actually have a more tragic – yet beautiful – explanation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUjiOHA7GAo
And, of course, whatever you’d like to discuss! After all, this is your … Open Thread.
Just out of curiosity, have you guys ever overthought Rambo: First Blood? Theres plenty of underwritten themes in there to get creative with….
Have we ever.
http://www.overthinkingit.com/tag/rambo/
(In nearly two years, we’ve hit most of the big targets. You can use the search box in the upper right corner to find them!)
Imagine getting to even GO to the final Oprah show. You’re more likely to win Lotto or the Super Bowl.
Who will be the guests on the final Oprah show? What will they say about the state of the Pop Culture and Oprah’s relevance therein?
Is anyone else going to be following Desert Bus for Hope this year?
http://desertbus.org/
Oprah’s final show will most likely involve that ass Dr. Phil somehow or another, I’d bet money on it. I won’t, but I would.
Working at a public library allows me to observe the fact that the market is glutted with vampire-themed young adult lit (as it was with wizard-themed lit during the high tide of Pottermania). I’m more interested in trying to figure out what the new “next big thing” will be in terms of getting teenage girls to part with their parents’ money. Fairies, perhaps (brooding, misunderstood fairies, no doubt)? Frankenstein could use a teen-friendly resurrection. Or maybe invisible men? Make that invisible boys with a dark past and a brooding demeanor, which you can’t see because they’re invisible.
Trevor, “invisible boys with a dark past and a brooding demeanor, which you can’t see because they’re invisible” sounds an awful lot like that highly disturbing Robert Cormier novel, “Fade,” which kinda blew my mind as a young kid. I mean seriously, who writes books about a boy who turns invisible and watches his best friend committing incest and a classmate getting molested by a shopkeeper… for *preteens*?!
Anyway, I for one hope the Percy Jackson movie (The Lightning Thief) doesn’t suck, because those books are awesome, and I’m all for demigods becoming the next vampires (he really doesn’t brood much, though, which might work against him here…)
Q1 – I think Oprah will give away… TALK SHOWS! Yup, 1/2hr per week for each audience member, on her new network. Maybe 15min. Hey, it’d probably be more compelling than whatever programming she *actually* has planned.
Q2 – I would totally be in the running for America’s Next Top Wasted Potential. There are a slew of burnt out, washed up child actors who could serve as Celebrity Judge. I couldn’t possibly pick just one.
Q3 – Werewolves aren’t actually killed by silver bullets. It just casts a binding on them that makes them settle down with whomever shot them, into a maddening suburban hell where they have something akin to love, but no freedom. NO FREEDOM, man!
@Genevieve re:Q3.
“You’ve changed, Garulor! You used to lead our pack. Now you’re shuttling normal albeit hairy children to soccer practice. Abandon your family! Join us in the Hunt!”
“I’m sorry, Arkadon. I’ve been bound by silver …”
Garulor pulled out a Visa card.
“… and Platinum.”
@Genevieve and Perich- you both totally win.
Re: New Moon- I actually clenched my jaw and watched the first one last week. It was much more tolerable than the books. I was entertained most of the time, even if it was just by laughing at the “seriousness” of it. I suppose I’ll borrow this next one from somebody eventually.
Q2- America’s Next Top… Well, you could pick one of the myriad tasks I do every day to make it funny. …Next Top Diaper-Changer, there’s a fun one. And then get someone like Martha Stewart as the guest- if she likes your technique, she sprays the air freshener a bit, then winks and says, “It’s a good thing.” The first immunity challenge goes to the person that can fit the most rubber gloves on their dominant hand in one minute.
Q1 – Private jets.
Q2 – America’s Next Top Pop Culture Essayist. (You guys could totally do it, you know.)
Q3 – Turns out that Superman’s weakness to kryptonite has been greatly exaggerated over the years. He just doesn’t like green.
I think the most obvious answer to Q1, the one that I most desperately hope to come to pass, is that she gives her show’s budget and time slot to an audience member, returning the gift her fans gave her to the fans themselves.
But it’ll probably be a submarine.