Anchorwoman

This show is about putting a person into a job that she does not have the basic requisite skills to perform properly. In particular, Lauren Jones, a former Miss New York, is assigned to a job as an anchorman at a struggling Texas television station. She has no training with television or production equipment, or with doing news broadcasts.

Such a concept may work in a scripted fiction show as there would typically be a reason why the person has to try to sustain the appearance of competence, and there would be humorous situations and dialog built in. However, it does not work with a reality show, as comments and situations as those that make the TV series "The Office" or the movie "Anchorman" amusing would (usually) never be made by real people in real jobs. The idiocy in Anchorwoman is incredibly predictable and not at all entertaining. We all deal with inept people at work, and it is frustrating, not funny. As an analog, how amusing would it be to watch someone technologically illiterate be put in the job of a network administrator where he had to call the boss to bail him out for even basic tasks?

This is absolutely the worst show I ever saw. The genre was listed as comedy and reality. Comedy is supposed to be funny and reality is supposed to be riveting; this show was neither. Very quickly I didn't find it entertaining (the initial allure of Lauren Jones' looks wore off rather fast), but since it was the premier episode I decided I would give it a chance and stick with the show for the entire half hour. Unfortunately, when 30 minutes was up, there were no final credits, and a quick info check on the TiVo revealed the show was actually a full hour. I rarely do this, but with Anchorwoman I decided I could not force myself to sit through another 30 minutes. I changed the channel and did not go back, and I never had any qualms about not finding out how the show ended.

Fox made a very wise decision to limit its damage and not air a second episode.

Last night the Fox Television Network premiered a new scripted/reality hybrid series that asks the question: "Would you trust a bikini model to deliver the news?"

Dumb question. Just take a look at this anchorwoman's chest and you will see what "fair" and "balanced" really means.

Lauren Jones plays herself as the breathtakingly beautiful and buxom bimbo who is hired by a Tyler, Texas TV station to increase ratings. A former "Barker Beauty" on THE PRICE IS RIGHT and a featured WWE Diva, Ms. Jones is the hottest thing on the boob tube since Pamela Lee Anderson. Guys -- if you are looking for a high-def hard-on, ANCHORWOMAN is the place to be.

Virtually the entire cast is comprised of the actual KYTX-TV news staff whose reaction to the hiring of Lauren is mixed at best. This includes, of course, Stormy the Weather Dog whose wardrobe helps deliver the forecast. Stormy and staff are remarkably solid in their on-camera performances and the cinema verite style of Director Mark S. Jacobs adds an air of credibility to the proceedings.

During the thirty days of production this broadcast news stunt resulted in six half-hour episodes, with the first two airing back-to-back.

You might ask, "What's next?" So far there has been no word whether ANCHORWOMAN will be renewed. If not, I do have a suggestion. How about going one step farther and replacing Greta Van Susteren with Penny Pittman? (See CHATTERBOX, 1977)

ANCHORWOMAN is a reality TV series showing what happens when a small Texas television station wanting to increase its ratings hires Lauren Jones, a stunningly beautiful bikini model, to report the news.

People want to know, does ANCHORWOMAN show life as it really is? The answer is YES! Right or wrong, in the first two episodes of ANCHORWOMAN, reality is what we see.

ANCHORWOMAN shows the grown-up world as it really is. The males "light up like a Christmas tree" when a stunningly beautiful female is in the room. More energy. More smiles. More laughter. ALL of the heterosexual males act different including the big bosses.

If an average looking female enters the room, the big bosses remain glued to their chairs and their facial expressions and energy level are unchanged. Night and day.

I have worked at offices with male bosses, average looking female workers and some stunningly attractive female workers and have seen it all a thousand times. ANCHORWOMAN is real life.

Average looking females will sometimes come up with some great winning ideas, but they still don't receive a show of personal energy from the male bosses. Worse, the average females see it when a stunning beauty comes in with a smaller accomplishment such as, "I found the missing box of paper clips," and then receive the smiles and personal energy.

Stunning supermodels have a slightly privileged, over-confident type personality. We see that too in ANCHORWOMAN -- a show that puts the REAL in reality.