Friday, July 16, 2010

Junk, This Time on TV

In the mornings, before we go to work, there is a hierarchy and sequence of TV shows that we have on while we go about getting ready.  Kevin gets up first. WAY first (as in, hours before me).  He, like the intellectually engaged, knowledgeable, and geeky person that he is, will flip the channel (from Bravo, which is probably what I had on the night before) to Bloomberg.  I know, who watches Bloomberg.  He doesn't even work in finance.

wait a second, oh NOW I see why he watches Bloomberg

There's only so much Bloomberg I can take, so after I wake up (if it happens to be before he leaves), we compromise and watch NY1, a local news channel.  Great local news, weather every 5 minutes or so, and some fun segments--so I feel all informed, but not nearly as sophisticated as if I willingly watched Bloomberg.


For a while, I watched the Today Show.  While fun, the Today Show is super duper fluffy.  I stopped watching after one too many silly segments, Ann Curry trying too hard to look earnest and Al Roker pissing me off.  Although I really like Meredith. She seems great.


After Kevin leaves, oh after he leaves, then I indulge.  If I'm behaving and feeling like a responsible citizen, I'll keep it on NY1.  But lately I've been flipping to Food Network, which before 10am shows....INFOMERCIALS! Yaaaayy!!!  I know, you're embarrassed for me. Me too.  I love infomercials dealing with beauty, fitness, cleaning and kitchen gadgets. Too much fun.  I totally get sucked in, just like they want me to.  They are geniuses, and  I am their prime target audience.  Well, to a degree.  I don't actually buy things, but I have watched the same infomercials multiple times. I find it soothing.  My favorites?

The ubiquitous BareMinerals or bareMinerals or Bare Escentuals or whatever it's called.  I could watch Leslie, the CEO, hawk these all friggin' day and watch makeover after makeover.


The Wen hair care system is a relatively new one (that or I haven't been up on my infomercial-watching enough) and it's the whole sulfate free/no shampoo thing except that this is a "Hair Care System".  When I looked up the details it tells you to use, like, 20 pumps from the bottle for each shower. What the? So I have to buy one every week? Sneakies.

I admit I was fascinated by this the first couple of times I saw it--all that sweat and muscles and ripped bodies--but I can't watch it anymore because it makes me all the more keenly aware that I am sitting on a couch, not working out. And I don't like feeling guilty.

I have gotten sucked into watching the Shark Steam Cleaner infomercial a few times, but I'm a bit disappointed. I keep hoping the 'mercial will get better and the guy less annoying but it doesn't happen.  I leave this on when I'm desperate.

Do you like how I criticize the Today Show as fluffy and then go on to list the infomercials I enjoy?  I know, I know, hypocrite. 

Hm, I think I hear Kevin sending me loud and clear psychic messages that it's time for me to stop embarrassing myself.

But before I go, any favorite infomercials or guilty TV pleasures you'd like to share?

7 comments:

  1. Al and Matt hate Meredeth. You should know this. They are really mean to her. The obvious tension between the 2 headliners (Matt and Meredeth) on the Today show bugs the shit out of me but it's still a better morning show than GMA.

    My favorite morning treat is Regis and Kelly. Regis is hella senile and Kelly is like the woman, wife and mother I aspire to be.

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  2. Every morning when I'm getting ready I watch some show that I recorded on Bravo or a similar network earlier in the week. Sean always comes in and changes it to watch CNBC. Boring! But at least his getting ready time is about 10 minutes, and then I get control of the remote again. :)

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  3. I think that all of my TV watching can be classified as 'guilty' -- ie 'so you think you can dance'. I don't even know the channel #s for the TV news stations.

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  4. I hardly ever watch television in the morning, as I prefer to read the news over the internet. The only "news" show I watch (but not too regularly) are The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. However, I have to confess that I LOVE infomercials. My sister and I used to watch the same ones over and over and again and memorize them! And both of us really really miss Mike "The Sweater" Levey and Billy Mays.

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  5. Omg I love watching Matt hate on Meredith; it is hilarious. And did you know that hair care system is called "Wen" because it's "New" spelled backwards?

    I obviously share a lot of your tv watching habits.

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  6. Hahaha! You ALWAYS crack me up. Soothing infomercials...I like that! Though I don't watch much television, I *have* had the pleasure of those Shamwow commercials and now that magic chopper. They're not soothing at all...just so stupid I can't turn away. It's that guy...the one who looks like a young, even uglier Willem Dafoe. I think I kind of have a crush on him. And I heard he beat up his girlfriend. Nice!

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  7. Ohhh infomercials. Let me tell you, when you work for Home Shopping Network, you see a lot of things. A lot of things. Of course, the station played on our TV screens over and around our desks all day...24/7 of stuff to get sucked into buying, and that was in addition to the jewelry that I worked with on a daily basis! How did I develop my love for Dysons? HSN. A fancy 6 in 1 food processor/chopper/blender thing? HSN. Huggable Hangers? HSN. Ughhh darn it!

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