So Country

So I just finished watching (via TiVo; recorded late last week) what has been billed as "The Hills meets Nashville" or something like that. It was....um, interesting.

I watched mainly because I love seeing Nashville sights, whether in person or on television. Plus, a friend who worked at the West End Starbucks until recently talked often about the regular (as in daily) visits several in the film crew made to pick up their dose of caffeine and give a tidbit on where/what they were filming that day. It all got me curious to know what it would be like.

Sadly, it's just not worth watching. It has had great potential; a series exploring the lives of musicians/songwriters and the difficulties of breaking into an already crowded industry in a town where over half the population claims "singer/songwriter/musician" as their true profession (and the other half is either in health care or a student -- or works for LifeWay). It's an intriguing premise and could have not only been entertaining but very informative for all those aspiring musicians dreaming, hoping and planning to make the trek to Nashville to mine their golden futures some day soon.

Unfortunately the series completely misses this mark, settling instead for banal "dialog" (or what passes as dialog in these counterfeit reality shows) and junior high level "relationship issues." It is insulting to all serious musicians, in my opinion; portraying them as shallow and simple-minded rather than the passionate, deep thinkers I have known. And, frankly, the show is just down right boring to watch; slow-moving and uninteresting.

On the positive side, the music was good.

....

....[insert sound of crickets chirping here]...

I do have to say it was good for one thing. I got a huge laugh at the end of the hour when this montage of "coming up on 'Nashville'" (ooooo!) came up. It had a clip of one of the Nashville "natives" (or at least "veterans") -- I don't remember what her name was -- talking about how she was gonna teach the newbie "country girl" a lesson. She punctuated her declaration with, "Welcome to the big city!"

I about fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard! This dumb blond who obviously thinks she is too cool for color teevee was all up on her high horse -- without the horse! You are real country if you think Nashville is "the big city," honey. Puh-leeze. Nashville ain't no big city by any stretch of the imagination. I moved here from Los Angeles. Now, that's the big city. But Nashville? Not hardly.

Here's a tip for anyone considering watching an episode of "Nashville." Don't. Skip the show and spend that time exploring the real thing instead. I promise you your time will be much better spent.

Comments

[Joe Kennedy]

So I know you're all Hollywood and everything, but I drove past a shooting of K*Ville the other day- they were shooting in front of Cafe du Monde/St. Louis Cathedral/Jackson Square in the Quarter. At first I thought, "why would someone attach a bike rack to the front of their car?" Then I realized it was a camera mount of some sort, and saw a large truck with lots of equipment in it. Safe assumption I stumbled upon a K*Ville shoot or there's a movie being shot here. Kind of neat- it's about time- I missed all the action for Deja Vu and The Dukes of Hazzard.

A local blogger did make the comment today: "So, do they re-dirty the upper French Quarter after cleaning it up for cop show and commercial shoots?"

Classic.

You should see my non-related pictures of the Quarter from Sunday. Sorted newest to oldest.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephkennedy/sets/72157594339101906/

[Larry]

Television is the only industry I know of that can routinely turn gold into sludge. That something good occasionally manages to surface from the swamp is a miracle more than minor.

I think your recommendation is right on the money: blow up the TV and go for a walk. Yeah, I know, unamerican. So, sue me. Just don't make me buy one of the things. :)

[Kevin Bussey]

I used to watch Walker Texas Ranger just to see the places in DFW that I could recognize. The show was bad and it was always funny how they would go from Ft. Worth to Dallas in the matter of minutes when in reality it would take 35-40 minutes with no traffic.

[Lu]

Joe -- I am soooo Hollywood (HA!). :) Actually, the longer I'm away from LA the less Hollywood I am, I think. I'm even giving up the award shows; bored and frustrated with them -- now I KNOW I've turned a corner on my Hollywood-ness!

It's always cool to stumble across a film shoot, no matter who ya are. Angelenos try to pretend they're all upset and put out that they have to "put up" with all the traffic snarls and such but the dirty little truth is we all love it. Even the Hollywood snobs love seeing the fun stuff in the trucks and rubber-necking to spot a star or two and just check out who's getting thei location on film. And usually the crew are very friendly and willing to chat for a minute with passersby. So next time you see a shoot, stop and chat with one of the crew for a sec. They'll let you know real quick of they don't have time. But if they do have a little, you might get a fun little tour or some juicy tidbits from the set. :)

Larry -- Very unAmerican. I think I shall sue you. ;) The only times I've been without a tellie was both times I lived overseas. Probably the wisest non-purchase I made. I spent so much more time with God and in His Word.

But don't expect me to throw out the one I've got now. I think I'm hooked up to it by I.V. at this point... sadly.

Kevin -- Every time I hear the name of that show I can't help but think of something my old pastor, Erwin, used to say about it. He would compare it to The X-Files by saying that it was amazing that the producers of the X-Files took a completely unbelievable premise and by the end of every episode you completely believed it could happen -- and maybe even WAS happening right now. But the producers of Walker took a completely believable and real-life premise and by the end of every episode you didn't believe a single second of it could be true, ever. --- The difference in talent and producing ability. (Yikes!)

And I love watching stuff that's supposedly set in LA too for the same reasons you mention. Especially movies. They'll have their characters go into a "tunnel" in the Valley and come out "five minutes" later down in Venice or Culver City somewhere. BAHAHA! SO not possible. Or like the tour bus Jackie Chan gets on in Rush Hour. It's driving forward but the route it's taking is like it's traveling backward and around corners to streets that are not anywhere near each other. That's some wild bus ride.

[peachyperspective]

i have to agree with you about the ridiculousness of this show. i honestly didn't even make it through the entire hour. nashville is much cooler in real life!