Superhero "Reality Show" -- Humor
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Before anyone asks, what I find most interesting about the following creation of popular culture is the increasing frequency with which the "superhuman" pops up in popular media. If you look at the movies which have achieved blockbuster status in the last five years or so, a surprising number of them featured characters who were in some way "more than human," if not outright superheroes (Spider-Man, the X-Men, Batman). Writer Grant Morrison has suggested that superheroes have already made the leap from fading comic books to the silver screen, in preparation for their next jump... into the real world.
Regardless of whether or not four-color comic book characters make it into the real world, we do seem to have increasingly advanced augmentation technology on the one hand, and plenty of superhero enthusiasts on the other. If "becoming superheroes" seems too utterly ridiculous a career path for our first group of radical augmentees, perhaps we need to start thinking now about what viable alternatives there are to dressing up in ridiculous costumes and doing good as if it were an obsession.
In the meantime, we have shows like the following offering their perspective...
The Sci Fi Channel announced Who Wants to Be a Superhero? this Thursday, featuring Stan Lee, on its 2006 schedule. The network describes the show this way:
"Sci Fi Channel, teamed with Bruce Nash's Nash Entertainment (Meet My Folks, For Love or Money, Who Wants to Marry My Dad?) and legendary comic book creator Stan Lee (Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men), will produce a six-episode, one-hour weekly competition reality series that will challenge a lucky few to create their very own superhero and reward the winner with the best reality competition prize yet: immortality! All you'll need is an original idea, a killer costume and some real superhero mojo. The winner of this six-week competition will walk away with their superhero immortalized in a new comic book created by Stan Lee himself!
"In nationwide open casting calls, potential heroes will arrive in costume to prove their mettle ? revealing the true nature of their superhuman abilities and invoking the noble credos by which they live. From these thousands of hopefuls, Stan Lee will choose 11 lucky finalists to move into a secret lair and compete for the opportunity to become a real-life Superhero!
"Finalists will leave their former lives behind and live as their brainchild heroes 24/7, all under Stan Lee's watchful eye. Each week, our aspiring heroes will be challenged with competitions designed to test their true superhero abilities. It's not all just leaping tall buildings in a single bound, a true Superhero will be tested for courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness. In the end, only one aspiring Superhero will have the strength and nobility to open the gates to comic book immortality."
Interesting. Anyone interested in competing?
Future Imperative
Before anyone asks, what I find most interesting about the following creation of popular culture is the increasing frequency with which the "superhuman" pops up in popular media. If you look at the movies which have achieved blockbuster status in the last five years or so, a surprising number of them featured characters who were in some way "more than human," if not outright superheroes (Spider-Man, the X-Men, Batman). Writer Grant Morrison has suggested that superheroes have already made the leap from fading comic books to the silver screen, in preparation for their next jump... into the real world.
Regardless of whether or not four-color comic book characters make it into the real world, we do seem to have increasingly advanced augmentation technology on the one hand, and plenty of superhero enthusiasts on the other. If "becoming superheroes" seems too utterly ridiculous a career path for our first group of radical augmentees, perhaps we need to start thinking now about what viable alternatives there are to dressing up in ridiculous costumes and doing good as if it were an obsession.
In the meantime, we have shows like the following offering their perspective...
The Sci Fi Channel announced Who Wants to Be a Superhero? this Thursday, featuring Stan Lee, on its 2006 schedule. The network describes the show this way:
"Sci Fi Channel, teamed with Bruce Nash's Nash Entertainment (Meet My Folks, For Love or Money, Who Wants to Marry My Dad?) and legendary comic book creator Stan Lee (Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, X-Men), will produce a six-episode, one-hour weekly competition reality series that will challenge a lucky few to create their very own superhero and reward the winner with the best reality competition prize yet: immortality! All you'll need is an original idea, a killer costume and some real superhero mojo. The winner of this six-week competition will walk away with their superhero immortalized in a new comic book created by Stan Lee himself!
"In nationwide open casting calls, potential heroes will arrive in costume to prove their mettle ? revealing the true nature of their superhuman abilities and invoking the noble credos by which they live. From these thousands of hopefuls, Stan Lee will choose 11 lucky finalists to move into a secret lair and compete for the opportunity to become a real-life Superhero!
"Finalists will leave their former lives behind and live as their brainchild heroes 24/7, all under Stan Lee's watchful eye. Each week, our aspiring heroes will be challenged with competitions designed to test their true superhero abilities. It's not all just leaping tall buildings in a single bound, a true Superhero will be tested for courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness. In the end, only one aspiring Superhero will have the strength and nobility to open the gates to comic book immortality."
Interesting. Anyone interested in competing?
Future Imperative
posted by Ralph Cerchione | Wednesday, January 18, 2006
2 Comments:
I just thought you could be interested.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/bolero.html
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/ear.html
Wow, I hadn't heard of it. It's really amazing that he's doing this. As Nanogirl I probably could make a good character, but as Gina I'm not willing to put on the suit on national t.v. Sort of a Superman complex isn't it!
nanogirl.com
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