The Reality of Saying "No!"

Until maybe a year or so ago, few had heard of Jon & Kate Gosselin, the "stars", and I use that term loosely for a reason, of TLC's Jon and Kate Plus Eight. The eight in the title being their eight children. A set of twins and a set of sextuplets. TLC threw a bunch of money to the Gosselins so they could allow a camera crew to record every day of their lives so that a nation of voyeurs can learn everything about them. Whatever happened to ordinary people having private lives?

Over the last few months, though, the Gosselins have fallen victim to the darker side of tabloid media. They're in the process of a divorce, and TLC, smartly, put their popular show on hold while the Gosselins sort things out. Jon supposedly has a mistress? And they want her on the show? If that doesn't scream, "Jump the shark!", I don't know what does. TLC is better off, and so would the Gosselin family, to be honest with you, if they just cut bait and end the series, rather than continue to exploit the family for the sake of ratings and ad revenues.

Over on WE, there's something called Raising Sextuplets. And I've read that "Octomom" has been offered a reality show so she can extend her 15 minutes of fame. Please! Stop the pain! There are more important things that this country needs to concern itself with, like the economy and the situation in Iraq, for example. It's one thing if a celebrity agrees to do a reality show just for a quick payday, but for a cable network to offer money to an average family just because they have 6 or 8 or more children? One more reason that Hollywood has gone creatively bankrupt.