Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
In the past few years, VH1 has carved out a niche for themselves as basic cable's number one destination for the voyeurism that is reality TV staring celebrities. They have even coined a term, celebreality, to set shows like Surreal Life and Hogan Knows Best.
They have also been among those at the forefront of reporting on the pathetically sad problems that pass for a life among the young, rich and famous. Think Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. I would rather see footage of some famous chick getting out of a car in a short skirt and no panties on the Best Week Ever, then on an actually news program. I worry about a culture so fixated on this handful of people and I doubt that the attention does anything but feed the egos of already screwed up souls.
The channel should be proud of itself for taking a distinctly different look into the true lives of the famous in Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
I've been a fan of Dr. Drew Pinsky since his days on MTV's Loveline co- hosted by Adam Carolla. Dr. Drew was the medical mind to go along with the humorous dating and sex advice offered by Adam and guests. I was always impressed with his level headed, frank discussion of embarrassing sexual questions. My friend Renee and I would stay up late to watch whenever I spent the night. Good times. Good times.
More recently, I've watched Dr. Drew on Discovery Heath with his two great programs, Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew and Strictly Dr. Drew. I like that he is a doctor and scientist first; TV host second. For anyone who is skeptical about this famous physician's ability should check out his credentials.
See? Not just one of those older men that is attractive despite the obvious fact that he is old enough to be my father. Hey, I like smarts.
That said, I doubt I would have even given the concept of the show a chance had someone who I respected not been involved. I am not, as a rule, celebrity obsessed. I find human carnage poor entertainment. However, with Dr. Drew at the helm, I thought it might be possible that the show would be illuminating.
I've watched the first episode. I've read what Dr. Drew has to say in interviews on the VH1 blog. There will be an interview published each week to go with the new episode. I found the installment from before the first show aired very interesting.
The first installment of the series, dispels the myriad of jokes the inevitably follow an announcement that a famous person has been checked in to rehab. You know those statements that allude to drug rehabilitation
as glorified spas for the rich party animal when they need some rest and time out of the spotlight.
If that was the case, one of the patients, Jeff Conaway, would not have been hospitalized in a life and death struggle with the detox process. Even when he got back to the treatment center, this guy is in serious pain. Even more sad is he confessed that he was not 100% sure he wants to be clean. Drugs are a cruel master.
There is no glamor in this glimpse of the rehab process, nor are the participants exploited by producers looking for more dramatic footage.
So far, so good, VH1. Here is one you can be proud of to go along with the guilty pleasure programing you do so well.
Trackbacks
-
1/25/2008 11:57 PM
The Creative Nerd wrote:
While Celebrity Rehab last week, I'd had enough of not knowing who that Jeff guy is who was causing so much ruckus. Since VH1 has a broad definition of "celeb", it usually doesn't bother me to have no clue who these people used to be when they were famous. This guy though, he seemed familiar, like I'd seen him much younger and before drugs took their toll, but I could not place the name "Jeff Conaway" for the life of me. Thanks to IMDb, I found, to my horror, the guy who was having such a rough detox is ...
Comments