Maybe 15 Minutes Was Enough

If only Andy Warhol had been right and everyone had just 15 minutes of fame. We wouldn't end up watching child actors becoming disfunctional adults, celebrity couples and parents putting all their warts and blemishes on camera and desperate people selling their souls for a little more chance in the limelight.

I don't know if it started with Anna Nicole, but hers was the first show of that sort that I heard about. It was a far cry from Ozzie and Harriet raising their sons on tv. That was a scripted sitcom. Now we've seen "The Osbournes", "Being Bobby Brown", and "Breaking Bonaduce". Currently we can see "The Two Coreys", "Denise Richards: It's Complicated" and "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-list". Okay, I liked Kathy's show.

I also got to watch Scott Baio end his singlehood and become a dad. Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry got married on tv and then squabbled last year about whether to start a family. It amazes me that flatulence seems to be deemed entertaining. I like catching up with the actors I grew up with, but I really don't need to see all the warts.

What amazes me even more are the shows that follow 'ordinary' people. Bravo has a lot of these. Why would Jonathan Antin want the world to know what a temper he has in his "Blow Out" series? Did it bring his salon and hair product line more business? Was "Millionaire Matchmaker" a good vehicle for Patti Sanger to get more clients? And what was with the rich men who were willing to be shown needing help in finding the women of their dreams?

Right now, "Flipping Out" has Jeff Lewis revealing all his obsessive mannerisms to the world. Did he sell more houses because of his appearances? I could see making the mistake of trying it for one season, but to go back a second time? It sure seems crazy to me.

I've always been fascinated by people. Biographies are my favorite reading. I love to sit in airports watching people. Still, there's a limit to what I want to see or know about people. Most of these shows go beyond that limit.