Bye Bye Becker

This past Saturday, I woke up to watch my weekly installment of VH1's Top 20 Countdown to find that my favorite VJ was missing. Instead the show was hosted by the formally lovable but recently lackluster Jim Shearer.

I was stunned actually. I hadn't heard anything about Alison Becker leaving the show. She was my burst of sunshine on Saturday mornings. Aside from the fact that we're both "single L" Alisons from Jersey, I felt kind of a connection with her, a connection that I'm sure most people feel with their favorite television icons. But I got her humor and thought maybe some years from now, when I was making my NY rounds, looking for a job at VH1 or NBC, I'd bump into Ms. Becker and say, almost in passing, "I used to watch you, ya know. Thanks for the good times."

But alas, she is moving westward. My only hopes are that she finds what she's looking for out there and finds her way back to small screen (or big screen) so that she might brighten our days again.

Good luck Alison!

(Check out her blog.)

I Love Money

So the last few Sundays have been spent watching VH1's "I Love Money". The show consists of a number of reality show contestants from "Rock of Love", "Flavor of Love", and "I Love New York". They are competing for a cash prize of $250,000, though I don't know if its worth sacrificing the last little bit of dignity they have. The premise is that instead of pretending the contestants are there to gain the love of a has-been celeb or of another (two time) reality show reject, they'll cut through the crap and get right to the point. They love money. And let's be honest, how many of the girls on "Flavor of Love" can name three songs by Public Enemy? Probably none. And that's okay, we know.

So, what do I think? I think this is one of the finest examples of money hungry, shallow, predictable and completely formulaic "reality" television shows I've ever seen. But I gaurantee, I'll be tuned in every Sunday. Even though I could care less about who goes home with the cash prize (that none of them deserve), its fascinating to see how quickly these people form "alliances" and then how quickly they turn right around and cram a stiletto into their friend's back. The challenges must come from discarded Fear Factor ideas and nothing has seemed terribly difficult thus far, but it's only two.

On a scale of 1 to 10 clicks of the remote, I give it 7.5 clicks, if you're into mindless dribble.