Confessions of a Middle-aged Idolizer

I've been watching the show CONFESSIONS OF A TEEN IDOL onVH1. I don't really know why I started watching it -- I haven't watched VH1 or MTV in years and I don't necessarily gravitate toward reality shows, though I don't have a problem with them as some folks seem to (and why is that, anyway -- why should anyone give a flying fig about who watches what?! And by the way, I hate it when I bring up a particular TV show and someone says, "Oh, I never watch TV" as if they deserve an award -- how about the award for Most Condescending instead?) I adore THE AMAZING RACE and have an on again/off again relationship with AMERICAN IDOL (right now, I'm on). Anyway, I saw a commercial for CONFESSIONS and I thought it might be something I'd enjoy -- and I guessed correctly.

Now, to be honest, I never had a thing for any of these guys -- I had never even heard of Eric Nies (THE REAL WORLD) and I didn't recognize Billy Hufsey who was on the TV series FAME years ago -- I watched it way back then and, now that I know who he is, I do remember him. Sort of. I never watched BAYWATCH so, though I'd heard of David Chokachi and Jeremy Jackson, I didn't know anything about them. Same for Jamie Walters (BEVERLY HILLS, 90210). The only two I really knew were Adrian Zmed (GREASE 2, T.J. HOOKER) and Christopher Atkins (THE BLUE LAGOON) -- and didn't know much about them.

Anyway, the premise of the show is that they've taken these 7 guys who, at one time, were teen idols and adored by many -- but who are no longer recognized, noticed or even working in showbiz -- and are trying to give them a second shot at fame. The show is hosted by Scott Baio and Jason Hervy -- both former teen idols themselves. During the course of each show, these actors meet with a "fame psychologist" and are given some sort of task, related to celebrity. For instance, one of their tasks was to walk down a street in Los Angeles which is known as a paparazzi hangout. They were to do whatever it took to get noticed and see if the photogs or people on the street remembered them. It was a mixed bag -- and some of the guys were very uncomfortable with that particular part of being famous. Other tasks have been a mixture of the ridiculous and sublime.

There's not a winner or loser on this show (that I can tell). It's an effort to get these guys back into the Hollywood scene so that they can find viable work. Some of them don't really seem to want that -- and I'm not sure why they agreed to do the show in the first place. Others seem ready for it. It will be interesting to see who makes it and who doesn't -- and who sticks with it and who walks away from Hollywood -- again.

Standouts for me: Just for the squee factor (thanks, Jennifer, for that description!) is Jeremy Jackson. I'm practicing my cougar growl. The one I'm really pulling for is Adrian Zmed. Now, I know that the face people sometimes present to the world is not always their real face, but Adrian just seems like such a nice guy. And, the way I see it, anybody who worked with William Shatner and came out of it unscarred, is okay in my book.