The Fall Of The Roman Empire?

I'm not a fatalist by any means. I just think I'm a bit of an observer. I started out this week working on an MTV show called, "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew" and ended this week working on a new "reality game show" called "Jingles". What I observed was something that made me think of the Roman Empire and it's demise.

Below is a video from "America's Best Dance Crew" or as the kids shorten it, ABDC. It's from the episode I worked on, so if you are curious about what I was doing, just watch the lighted pillars and florescent tube looking things, I'm controlling those. You can sort of skip the first 54 seconds, where they have the interviews and rehearsal tapes, and get to the live performance.

I'm sure we've all seen the movie, Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. If you haven't, below is movie trailer. I caution you, it's kinda loud, so be prepared to turn down your sound.

Notice anything similar? I certainly did.

- In Gladiator, the coliseum is round. In ABDC, the stage is round.

- In Gladiator, the audience is seated 360 degrees around the coliseum and the gladiators enter through a iron gate. In ABDC, the audience is seated almost 360 degrees around the stage, and the dance crews enter through a sliding door.

- In Gladiator, the audience screams,waves their hands, and call out the gladiators names. In ABDC, the audience screams, waves signs, flash what look like gang signs (it's not, it's just the different dance crew hand signs), and call out the names of their favorite dance crews.

- In Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix plays the emperor, and at the end of battles, he gives the thumbs up or thumbs down to the winning gladiator to either end or spare the life of the loser. In ABDC, JC Chasez, of N'Sync fame plays one of three judges who either gives the thumbs up or thumbs down to the performing dance crew.

Is this the fall of our empire? Reality TV has brought a new spectacle to television. Many TV shows used to follow a formula that often involved conflict resolve, and everyone ended the show happy. But with reality TV, we tune in to see people either meltdown or be scolded or praised by people considered "experts". Think of American Idol, The Next Top Model, Top Chef. All shows where a battle or sorts is held and then the winners and losers are then judged.

America's Best Dance Crew was just the most blatantly obvious show to date that mirrors Roman gladiatorial combat and it's spectacle.

Crazy isn't it? Is this what we have come to for entertainment?

The next show I'm working on, Jingles, will feature people competing to write the next great commercial "jingle". It will, by formula, feature three judges who will give the thumbs up or thumbs down to the competitors (FYI, the only famous judge on the show will be Gene Simmons from the rock band KISS). We shoot for the first time next Wednesday. Stay tuned for an update on that.

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