Sunday, May 21, 2006

'Dog' the Publicity Hunter

THIS PASSES FOR NEWS: Honolulu - Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of A&E's reality show "Dog the Bounty Hunter," has married his longtime sidekick, Beth Smith. The sunset ceremony on the Big Island took place Saturday, a day after the death of Chapman's daughter. Barbara Katy Chapman, 23, was killed in a car accident near her home of Fairbanks, Alaska. Chapman gathered with his 10 surviving children - two of whom he had with Smith - and discussed whether to proceed with the wedding. "They all decided unanimously they should celebrate the wedding and her life," said Michael Feeney, senior vice president of A&E television network. The wedding will be featured in an Aug. 8 episode of the show.
So, another made-for-TV celebrity gets some free pub, while his life is played out for our entertainment. Meanwhile, his daughter isn't cold in the ground. I suppose postponing the wedding would have put the show behind schedule. God forbid. They've been together for 16 years, for Crissakes, would it have killed them to wait? The article also goes on to say:
The couple had planned to honeymoon in Fiji, but may postpone their plans because of the death of Chapman's daughter, Feeney said.
I suppose they "may" postpone the honeymoon because it wasn't going to be part of the TV show. Rats - that's the part I wanted to see.
This is yet another example of a made-for-TV celebrity whose life we wouldn't give a rats ass about if they were not on television. A hundred channels (and I don't even have premium digital cable) creates a lot of programs that wouldn't have seen the light of day a few years ago. We'll watch just about anything: Poker, car remodeling, animal stalking, makeovers and even bounty hunting. I wouldn't mind going back to the days when there were a few less channels and better choices.

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