Douglas Howe: August 2009 Archives

As the Emmy awards approach while the Fall season kicks into gear, AMC's "Mad Men" is at the top of both discussions. It garnered 16 Emmy nominations,
more than "Desperate Houswives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "ER" combined. And for good reason.

"Mad Men" has managed to re-create not only the fascinating business environment of 1960, the pivotal nature of that decade's history, the zealous (sometimes fanatical!) world of Madison Avenue advertising and the loquacious nature of men among each other paired with their relative ambivalence at home.

Further, it also gently dives into the curious and oft-overlooked nature of religion and spirituality that reigned in that tumultuous time. On a show where chauvinism, womanizing and fraternizing is one of the main characters, Elisabeth Moss's "Peggy" explores fairness issues for women, her family's Catholic faith and her apparent departure from it, her attempt to be included in the debauchery-laden pecking order of her business, the aggressive proselytizing of a Catholic father, her own family's fixation with her church attendance and the Priest's fixation on her prior sins.

Of all of the things that get modeled on television, I think one of the most warm, family-friendly and inspiring events that ever occurs is when stars show themselves to be humble. To be human. To be the brunt of a joke.

And, it's important that media stars and the related pundits and critics support the event!

Such was the case recently on NBC's "Today Show." "Roker's Joke Causes a Stink," read the headline on America Online's homepage . It's sub-title read: "His Dig on Co-Anchors Body Part Elicits Groan on Set. "'It Is Awful.'"

Now which adolescent young person wouldn't be excited about hearing a joke? Especially about a body part? Especially about something stinky?! Young people go to school or the playground every day with the fear that they'll feel dumb, or look stupid, or (worse!) be accused of smelling.

So a simple link to the site provided a fun jump start for anyone who followed it (and it'll still be posted for a couple days).

Okay, which body part do you think it was? What was "stinky?" How were the parties treated?

Well, after a short viewing, what you'll find is that Al Roker, the weatherman and occasional co-host, had made a joke about the bare feet of "Hota Kotb," a tall woman who often stands bear-footed behind a podium so as not to alight too high above the camera angle. He then made a joke about the odor in the room, having something to do with "bad Chinese" food.

Who of us hasn't wondered if our feet smell? Who of us hasn't sniffed an odiferous contribution to the ambience of a place and wondered if it was us? And here, two of morning televisions mega-stars were able to joke it off, and the thought police or scandal searcher haven't yet come forward demanding a retraction or Roker's head on a platter!

More shows should be this way. More humility. More honest moments. Sure we have "reality TV" that's highly produced. But when the produced shows are injected with reality, they are way, way more inspiring than the fake spontaneity that we too often settle for because there's nothing else offered as an alternative.