It's really fitting given the show I'm referring to. Also unclever and totally predictable. A complete waste of time. And, given that I watched the first two episodes, those were two hours of my life that I will never ever get back.
In reality, it's all pretty disappointing. I was ecstatic when I heard that Neil Patrick Harris was championing the return of the variety show format to television. That genre is so missing and I still mourn the end of the Carol Burnett Show. Might we be seeing something similar with Mr. NPH. An ensemble cast. Some musical numbers. A few super-clever sketches that are much better written than the swill offered up by SNL. Oh, and it's going to be live?? Whoo-ee.
Talk about a letdown. "Best Time Ever" is hardly that. Indeed, it's likely one of the biggest bombs in television history. The format of the show seems to be lifted completely from You Tube. Some pranks. Cut-aways of embarrassing moments. If Neil's got a cat, I'm surprised we've yet to see it chasing its tail.
Variety? Hardly. This show is nothing more than a combination of "Candid Camera," "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Beat the Clock," and"Name That Tune." All shows I would rather watch in reruns than to be subjected to the first run entertainment provided by this trash can liner. Harris announced this show over a year ago. In twelve months, this is the best they could come up with?
Allegedly the show is live from New York. But that is questionable as there are tons of pre-packaged segments. Stuff shot around the country and, most notably, in Vegas. On the second episode, Neil pulled a woman randomly from the audience for a chat. But, as it turned out, the questions were all about her boyfriend at home. Or, as we saw in the taped pieces, was competing on a variety of NBC reality shows. Then he is jogging from their home in...wait for it...Las Vegas...to New York so he can show up on stage to propose. Close-up on the ring and, more importantly, the Kay Jewelers logo on the box. Five minutes of wasted air time just to get to that unabashed moment of product placement.
Shameful.
But, wait, there's more. Or, well, less.
Every week, there is a guest announcer who stands up in an isolation booth to banter with Harris. So far, we've gotten Reese Witherspoon and the never-welcome-in-my-living-room Alec Baldwin. Both have probably just fired their agents.
Another horrible segment had Neil Patrick Harris and some Jonas brother putting words in the mouth of Britney Spears as she interviewed candidates for a bodyguard job. Seriously. Of course, that's the equivalent of a ventriloquist act because Spears certainly qualifies as a...wait for it...dummy.
I had great hopes for this because I've always enjoyed Neil Patrick Harris' work. Well, at least, as host of the Tony Awards. Now that I think about it, all the other arenas he's branched out into have been less than stellar. He bombed as the host of the Oscars. He bombed as the host of the Emmys. Indeed, it's time for folks to realize that Neil Patrick Harris can't do everything well. In my book, he should basically confine his career to rehearsing a new Broadway musical comedy role every summer.
I hear there's a new DVD box set of the old Carol Burnett Show. Now that, my friends, is a variety show I want to see. Again.
Dinner last night: Pepperoni pizza at the Dodger game.
No comments:
Post a Comment