Operacion Hispaniola: how to make bad television worse!

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arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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What a dreadful idea, the wireless phone company is the lead sponsor for Operacion Hisapaniola. This is the ill-conceived (in my opinion at least) Dominican version of the incomprehensibly popular "Survivor" television series. I suppose it was only a matter of time. The Dominican Republic is one of only a few countries that has not yet been the site of a version of this so-called "reality" television product. I shudder to think that the Dominican versions of The Bachelor/Bachelorette or Greatest Car Chases versions might be next.

During "Operacion Hispaniola" Dominican contestants will compete for a prize of about US$50,000. The competition will be take place at "a challenging location." Maybe they should have based it in Washington Heights?
 
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andy a

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Feb 23, 2002
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I'm not sure that it would be possible to be worse than the soap operas teaching chicas to become perras.
 
OwnRules

OwnRules

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Don't watch much (any) Dominican TV, so I can't comment on their "Survivor" version, but I am guilty of enjoying a number of reality-based TV shows going all the way back to the original, "Cops." They all appeal to the basic voyeuristic instinct in us -- and judging by the ratings, said instinct is broad-based and universal.

Not surprised they are trying it here, just that it took them this long.
 
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Golo100

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Jan 5, 2002
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Arturo

Yes, you are behind by two years, but I agree with you, this program is as bad at corporate staff meetings, where I used to wear sunglasses to hide my boredom and sometimes my snickering smile from my disdain for bullshit.

But Dominicans are suckers for Mickey-Mouse stuff. This is why lotteries, prize games, prize offers and rifas make it big in DR. Dominicans love a game of chance and anything corny. I can't still understand 9 years after my comeback why Dominicans love these corny shows. I am also amazed at people laughing at Dominican humorists. I can't understand Dominican jokes. I have no feel for them. There is a popular program called Perdone La Hora where I have tried hard to laugh to please my girlfriend and she thinks I just have a bad sense of humor. HELP PLEASE!!!

Will someone tell me what's so funny about Freddy Beras Goico? Or Titirimundati?

TW
 
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arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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I thought it was a new show because I so rarely watch television. I couldn't agree more about the humorists. It seems as if they recycle the same jokes week after week. I think they are limited in the material they can use because so few Dominicans have perspective on current events. Listin Diario has the most international news coverage and it is rarely more than a page or two per day.
 
OwnRules

OwnRules

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Re: Dominican humorist. Gave up on then after my first go-round over ten years ago.

Best I could tell, they used 'humor' as an scape-valve for all the misery their target audience lived with. Considering their own lifestyles, I always found that to be more than a bit hypocritical -- not to mention the fact that the "jokes" plain sucked.

Humor can be used as an effective social critique -- think Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, or even someone like Peter Sellers -- but I have yet to see any cutting-edge satirical comedians here. What there is, is topical yet bland, poorly written and performed.

Perhaps they would make people too uncomfortable? Or not many would understand it?
 
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arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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I had trouble understanding the appeal of the Dominican humorists for a time until a few years ago when I was working out at my gym there were some toddlers behind the row of stairmasters I was using, a woman who was at least 30 years-old on the machine next to me, and the Cartoon Network on the telvision in front of us. After a few minutes, another woman came and collected the children behind us. I got off the stairmaster and switched the television to CNN en espanol. The woman on the stairmaster next to mine angrily said "hey, I was watching that!"
 
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jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
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Shit! Even Saturday Night Live sucks now.
Where have you gone, "Felipa y Macario"?...David Spade?...B. Murray?...Dennis Miller?...Jonathan Winters?...Carvey?

Jose?to
42--not 44--episodes of Beavis & Butt-head on DVD coming my way! Happy days are here again.
 
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Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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I also found out recently that the DR is a location for some of these copycat Survivor reality TV shows, I was at a hotel near Samana a couple of months ago and it had been taken over by a massive Russian crew who were going to be filming such a programme in Parque Nacional Los Haitises. I heard a couple of years ago that there was a British crew on a recce in the area, but don't know if anything came of it. There is a good book lampooning the whole phenomenon by Ben Elton, called Dead Famous.

Chirimoya
 
X

x_man

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Jan 1, 2002
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hola joseito

I'm a great fan of Beavis&Butthead myself!
All I'm watching now is CNN. X.
 
OwnRules

OwnRules

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On a positive note, I've found Domincan cable to be a veritable gold mine of footy coverage. And for a devout Real Madrid fan such as myself, deprived for so many years in the States, that alone is almost worth the move.

So, if I may...

Hala Madrid!

(Beavis on)

He...hehehehehehe

(/Beavis off)
 
J

jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
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x-man...

No CNN for me! Well, for that matter, no TV for me, per se. I'm an accidental TV viewer.

A little of D. Letterman, but none after the Top 10 list; maybe some reruns of old SNL--if I happen to catch it by accident--a little of PBS Book Series--again, if by accident--Discovery (maybe); National Geographic (maybe), and 60 Minutes--depending on the issues, but if it's running late due to broadcast of boring NFL game, then I hit the streets.
Only hightlights of baseball games on ESPN Baseball Tonight does it for me.

There are some weeks in which I watch zero TV. Zero. Nada.
Reality shows? Never. Court shows? Never ever! Fox TV, Univision, Telemundo ? Not here, not ever. BET, well, only Comic View, if by accident, and I like to stare at Vannesa Bell Galloway's face on "Oh! Drama", if by accident.

Letterman at 10:35PM CST; 60 Minutes at 6:00PM CST, Sundays.
After that, I don't know.

-Jose?to
Does anybody remember Lynne Russell/CNN? High cheekbones, eyes far apart, lucious lips, Jose?to's mami.
 
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Indie

Bronze
Nov 15, 2002
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Joseito,

Tell you what: since you don't want to post your picture here, why don't you send your picture directly to me? After all, everyone knows I've got first dibs on you, and furthermore, I know that you know that yo soy la que te debemba el elastigo de tus calzoncillos.

And I'll do my best to reciprocate. That shouldn't be too complicated or too hard. What do you say? Fair enough?

-Indie, not believing for a moment that you look like el ratoncito Miguel, and not caring if you do.
Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh. I said 'hard'.
 
I

Indie

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Nov 15, 2002
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Smart woman and very attractive, but she's not aging well. Have you seen her lately?

Oil of Olay, Lynne.
 
J

jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
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Se puso agria la pi?a...

MamIndie,

It's a deal, mi chula chula. But I must warn you: I ain't no negrito lindo, and I ain't no Dominican stud. I is what I is: Jose?to, un ratoncito fe?to, rebej?o, pariguayo y medio tonto. And, yes, tu eres the one that made me stop corralling the tadpoles. You give me hope, but saving up is hard to do. Audubon, here I come!

-Jose?to
If you help Jack on the horse, would you...?
 
J

jose?to

The thread finally snapped...
Jun 19, 2002
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MamIndie...

You're my kind of woman: strong and confident enough to be mujer de guerra, and smart y cari?osa enough to allow me to be Da Man.

-Jose?to
Now I'm three times the man I used to be five minutes ago.
 
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