Reality shows (shows about real people or real events) have become very popular in the U.S. and worldwide. There are competition shows, shows that follow celebrities around in their daily life, and many others.

Even for those of us who watch reality shows, it seems that TV producers (makers of programs) are getting more and more desperate (wanting something very, very much and willing to do anything for it) and outrageous (shockingly bad) with show ideas.  Then again, maybe I’m just old-fashioned and these shows aren’t over the top (gone too far).

Here are a few reality shows that are considered to be among the very worst ever on American television. Which do you think is the worst?  Are there others–past or present–that you think are worse than these?

~ Lucy

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1. Who’s Your Daddy?

A young woman who gave up a child for adoption (for someone else to legally raise as their own child) tries to pick the long-lost (has not seen for a long time) biological (by blood) father of that child. She has to pick from a group that includes several impostors (a person who pretends to be something he/she is not). If she guesses correctly, she wins $100,000.
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2. The Will

A very wealthy rancher (person who owns a large farm) and land developer (builder) puts his large ranch estate (house, land, and valuables) up for grabs (as a prize). His friends and members of his family competed.  The winner was put in the man’s will (a document that tells others what you want to do with your belongings after you die) and will get the estate when he dies.
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3. Temptation Island

Four unmarried couples travel to an island. They are given many temptations (desire to do something wrong) to lure them (try to get someone to do something) from their relationships. Each person spends time alone with members of the other couples in tempting situations, such as being in a hot tub (a small pool with hot water and bubbles) or in a bedroom together.
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4. Armed and Famous

Armed and Famous puts famous celebrities on the streets as cops (police officers) in a small town in Indiana, in the Midwestern part of the U.S. The celebrities are trained to be police officers. They then go along with their training officers to patrol (watch over) the streets.  You see how the celebrities handle their training and how they operate as police officers.
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Last Sunday the annual awards for the best movies were given out (awarded, given to the winners) in Los Angeles. The awards are popularly called the Oscars, because the statue you win is called “Oscar.”  But no one is exactly sure why is it called Oscar.  (Why the Jeff or Lucy?)   The Oscars are presented by the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences (hence (therefore), the ceremony is often called the Academy Awards). There is a separate category for the Best Foreign (non-American) Film, but actors and actresses from any movie, foreign or U.S.-made, can be nominated (named as a finalist) for the acting awards. The top or highest awards for acting are Best Actor (a man) and Best Actress (a woman). There are also awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, meaning the actors who weren’t the lead or most important actors in the movie, but were still important.

Many times in the past, actors from other countries have won acting Oscars, but this year, for the first time in more than 40 years, all of the top acting prizes – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress – were won by non-Americans.

Best Actor was given to an Irish actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, for the movie There Will Be Blood. Best Actress went to the young French actor, Marion Cotillard, for the movie La Vie en Rose. Best Supporting Actor went to the Spaniard, Javier Bardem, for the movie No Country for Old Men. Best Supporting Actress went to a British actress, Tilda Swinton, for her work in the movie Michael Clayton.

Movies are an international art form, so although Hollywood makes many of the most popular movies, I think it is a good thing that we recognize the great acting talents from all countries.

The Best Picture award went to No Country for Old Men, which was made by two people from my home state, Minnesota! So I guess Hollywood was the loser this year.

~Jeff

Many of our listeners like to watch English-language movies for enjoyment, but also to improve their English. We sometimes get emails asking for our recommendations. We don’t have specific films to recommend, but what is important is that any movie (or TV show) you watch is comprehensible, easy to understand. As another listener recently reminded us, using the caption function on your television so that the words appear on the TV screen can help to improve comprehension, and we highly recommend doing that. Keep in mind (remember), however, that reading the caption should not interfere (prevent; get in the way) too much with your enjoyment of the movie. If you find that you’re spending all of your time reading and can’t follow the story, then this movie is too hard for you right now. Try to find something simpler.

In general, dramas are easier to understand than action movies or comedies, but of course, many things can make movies more or less comprehensible. Stay away from movies with too much slang, of course, and period movies (a movie set in the past) that have old-fashioned (not modern) speech. How much you know about the topic of the movie–your background knowledge–also helps to make a movie more or less comprehensible.

You are the best people to ask for movie recommendations: our terrific listeners! If you have seen a movie in English that is enjoyable and easy to understand, please post a comment and let us and our other listeners know about it.

~ Lucy

In the Culture Note of today’s Learning Guide, we talk about the comix movement.

A major figure (important person) in the comix movement is R. (Robert) Crumb, who is an American artist and illustrator (a person who draws pictures for magazines, books, advertisements). He had a unique and easy to recognize style of drawing and he often wrote satirical (using humor to criticize or expose other people) and subversive (undermining or getting around authority) stories.

A few years ago, I saw the movie Crumb (1994), which was a documentary about the life of Robert Crumb. It was considered a very good film and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a well known and prestigious (high status; highly respected) film festival in the U.S.

Are there well-known or well-respected comics and comic artists in your country? Are there any that have become popular outside of their own country?

~ Lucy

Some of the best television programs in the U.S. are not from Hollywood, but from the United Kingdom (aka (also known as) Great Britain). The British Broadcasting Service (BBC) – known also in England as “the Beebe” – has some of excellent comedies, dramas, and documentaries. Many of these programs are on public television stations in the U.S.

My favorite comedies are from the BBC. When I was growing up, there was a comedy about a man who was going through a “mid-life crisis” like the one we talk about in ESL Podcast 311 for today. It’s called The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

I’ll talk about some of my other favorite comedies in future posts. If you have a chance to see this show on DVD, I think you will find it funny.

~Jeff

In the “What Insiders Know” section of last week’s Learning Guide (English Cafe 104), we talked about Hee Haw, the classic television variety show–with singing, dancing, and comedy–including why it’s called Hee Haw.

Here’s a clip (short section) of one of the skits (short acts) called “Pfft* You Were Gone” that was often on the show. This is from a 10-year anniversary TV special, 10 years after the TV show went off the air and was no longer broadcasted.
“It’s been 10 years since our love life started.
Then came the day you walked out the door.
Your loving arms I’ve missed since we parted.
But I miss Hee Haw a thousand times more.
Where oh where, are you tonight?
Why did you leave me here all alone?
I searched the world over and thought I’d found true love.
You met another and “pfft” you was (were) gone!”"Pfft” is the sound Americans make to mean something is ruined or destroyed, or not successful.

When Hee Haw was on the air, some of the most popular singing and TV stars were guests on the show. You may recognize one or two, but can you spot (find) the brother of a former U.S. President?*

~ Lucy