Home-Improvement, Self-Improvement
Fox announced a new reality television cable channel. They're actually not the first to try 24/7 reality TV - last year Wired toted Reality Central, a startup network. In Britain, they're offering Reality TV porn -
but now, the cheapo genre is taking Iraq by storm! A Christian Science Monitor story explores one of many new "reality" TV shows which have launched on Iraqi television stations in recent months. One of these programs is a home makeover show in which producers bring donated materials to bombed-out houses and try to fix 'em up.
"This is a big surprise," says Ahmed Hassan Kadhim, standing in the doorway with a gap-toothed grin. "What can I say?"- "We've brought you a whole set of furniture!" says Ms. Zubair. "We're trying to compensate you for what you lost!"
Labor and Materials is Iraq's answer to Extreme Home Makeover and the country's first reality TV show. In 15-minute episodes, broken windows are made whole again. Blasted walls slowly rise again. Fancy furniture and luxurious carpets appear without warning in the living rooms of poor families. Over six weeks, houses blasted by US bombs regenerate in a home-improvement show for a war-torn country.
but now, the cheapo genre is taking Iraq by storm! A Christian Science Monitor story explores one of many new "reality" TV shows which have launched on Iraqi television stations in recent months. One of these programs is a home makeover show in which producers bring donated materials to bombed-out houses and try to fix 'em up.
"This is a big surprise," says Ahmed Hassan Kadhim, standing in the doorway with a gap-toothed grin. "What can I say?"- "We've brought you a whole set of furniture!" says Ms. Zubair. "We're trying to compensate you for what you lost!"
Labor and Materials is Iraq's answer to Extreme Home Makeover and the country's first reality TV show. In 15-minute episodes, broken windows are made whole again. Blasted walls slowly rise again. Fancy furniture and luxurious carpets appear without warning in the living rooms of poor families. Over six weeks, houses blasted by US bombs regenerate in a home-improvement show for a war-torn country.