David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. Sizemore matters
VH1 must be so proud: Actor Tom Sizemore, whose struggles with addictions were depicted for your entertainment on the network’s reality series “Shooting Sizemore,” was arrested. In Bakersfield. With methamphetamine. But, alas, apparently not with his show’s camera crew in tow.
This follows VH1’s “Breaking Bonaduce,” which unwittingly but ultimately appears to have essayed the dissolution of the former Danny Partridge’s marriage.
Obviously, Train Wreck TV has its adherents and (perhaps) defenders, but here’s the ugly little flipside: These shows aren’t created to be documentaries or edifying; they’re made to be titillating. And while beholding such a public descent can have a grisly allure, when the marriage does break up or when the actor is eventually busted (and faces jail time), it’s hard to feel good about having watched such programming.
Not to mention those who participated in the making of the shows, which no doubt exploited and exacerbated the tenuously fragile mental states of their subjects. So kudos to “Sizemore’s” Terence Michael – whose upcoming project, according to imdb.com, looks to be every bit as tasteful, entitled “MILF” – and “Bonaduce’s” supervising producer Bill Hochhauser. It might be entertaining to follow these guys with cameras to find out how they sleep at night, but here’s guessing they at least would be savvy and sober enough never to sign any releases allowing such an imposition on their private lives.