Guidos, Gangstas, and Goons

Last Tuesday, MTV premiered their new show, From Gs to Gents, offering 14 "Gs" a spot in Fonzworth Bentley's Gentleman's Club. With an array of characters ranging from the short and sleazy, to the awkwardly greasy, we were introduced to these supposed gangstas. Some were a little suspect (The Truth, Mikey P) and I would have liked to see a resume, maybe a few references, perhaps a background check or two, just to make sure these Gs were as hardcore as they claimed to be.

I must admit, after years of being slightly embarassed by the umbrella toting assistant to the stars, I've gained a certain respect for the effort Mr. Bentley is putting into the recovery of these misguided individuals. He seems to have the seriousness of this show in perspective. His hilarious commentary and rather enlightening insight is what has me looking forward to the next episode. He had a pretty powerful moment with the Miami Gardens res Creepa who, took it upon himself to sleep off his booze in the middle of his one on one interview. But after his nap, he won me over with a heartfelt declaration of how he intended to turn his life around. Another one I'm curious to follow is Cee, the small and sneaky Jersey native who prides himself on his ability to network and "form alliances" with his fellow Gs. I'm not entirely buying into his street cred, but that's probably because I've seen the psuedo thugs Jersey can produce (I'm a Jersey Girl myself).

Overall there was a lot of that "getting to know you" stuff that comes with the introduction of new "characters". Hopefully next week we can skip the bull and get right to what's important: the fights.

On a scale of 1 to 10 clicks of the remote, I give From Gs to Gents: 8.5 clicks

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.