Sunday, February 12, 2012

Where is the love?! Happy Hallmark Day!!


It’s that time of year where Hallmark and other providers of greeting cards alike con you into aiding their profit margin. Opinions remain divided as to whether Valentine’s Day is purely a commercial based occasion or a day to really mark true love? (I’m cringing as I pen the later!)
The stats would suggest it’s a ploy by greeting cards providers, florists, and chocolate producers alike to hone in on a target audience (men with little imagination ‘flowers and chocolates are a safe bet’ attitude ) and earn a lucrative profit in the meantime. It’s merely financial gain that concerns this set of people – Do they care for the ‘true’ (please sense the sarcasm!) meaning of Valentine’s Day? Highly doubtful! It’s a shrewd business plan – please take note guys! But don’t forget she does probably want the day marked in some shape or form.
Aside from the profit potential....To me, Valentine’s Day is an enigma.
Couples suddenly become extremely loved up for one day of the year, and revert to normality the next. Flowers are sent to the office, balloons delivered to the desk, and other cringe worthy gestures to mark the occasion. You’ve guessed it – I’m not a fan! PDAs aren’t really my thing! If you’ve someone in your life, I’m pretty sure they know where they stand, and if they don’t tell them.... when best it suits you, not on one particular day of the year, because Hallmark instructs you to do so! Be a rebel! Be spontaneous and do it on your own terms! Just don’t do a Tom Cruise.... no one should ever jump up and down on a sofa declaring their love for their other half!
And if you’re not one half of a couple (apologies for stating the obvious) well then you’re a singleton! And some singletons adopt this attitude of dread in anticipation of this one day of the year, citing an ‘it’s so hard to be alone at this time of year’ type of mentality! Would hate to see them for the remaining 364 days of the year if the loneliness and loveless lives linger on!!
But for those with an attitude of dread, do not fear, for Brendan Courtney is here! I most certainly wasn’t seeking out this piece of information but alas, a radio advertisement subjected me to the details of the ‘Brendan Courtney & all The Single People Valentines Night Party’.... well that, and a great giggle! With ideas like this, it can only be confirmed that this man most definitely is off the rails! The aforementioned title of the event says it all, apart from the fact that it’s in Cafe en Seine for those looking for love this year!
Finally, for those of you still in desperate need of someone this Valentine’s and not fond of turning to Brendan Courtney for help, there’s always Ireland’s answer to Cilla Black, Mr.  Ray ‘No likey, no lighty... that tea won’t make itself’ Foley and TV3’s feeble attempt to recreate the UK’s version of Take Me Out..... Desperate times and all that!!

The Forgotten Irish Graduate                                                                                            12 February 2012

Talafornia...


Talafornia ..... Thrashyfornia!!
Talafornia, miles away from the so called Californian lifestyle upon which it’s based, and more akin to Thrashyfornia if you ask me! TV3 what were you thinking?! Just when you thought Take me Out was bad, they introduce this lot! The Talafornia crew make the Take Me Out line up almost look classy (almost!)! This is not entertainment – this is distasteful viewing, and viewing not worthy of national broadcast!
A stripper, a bodybuilder, a few from the umpa lumpa (fake tan) brigade, scantily clad girls and a D4 head who obviously missed the Fade Street auditions! This lot coupled with copious amounts of alcohol equate to cringe worthy TV and a severely inaccurate representation of our generation – Why TV3?! Why! (No matter the budget, surely you can afford to make better TV)!!!
Reality TV shows have somehow weaselled their way into our lives, and no matter the lengths one goes to avoid them, it’s virtually impossible! Sure we have Jersey Shore, Geordie Shore and TOWIE to name but a few (I haven’t actually watched them!) but surely they aren’t this bad?
I’m repulsed that a young group of people are utilised in such a fashion for supposed entertainment purposes and in an obvious quest for fame by a TV station, when in fact they fail to represent the youth of today in any shape her form. Unlike the lifestyle depicted in Talafornia, young people do not drink every night of the week, party constantly, and laze about a house all day without daily jobs to go to it seems!
It saddens me that a TV station would regard this as entertainment, and broadcast such a poor depiction of modern living amongst young people in Ireland. In truth, this is not how the majority of young people live. We’ve been aching to get in the headlines of late to highlight issues regarding education fees, lack of graduate opportunities, forced emigration, lack of input by the youth in politics and you instead decide to air a group of yobs on the piss continuously!! Why?! There was room and scope to fill such a time slot with other forms of entertainment that could highlight issues currently under the spot light for the young generation of today.
We struggle everyday to have our voices heard, and yet you choose to air the voices of drunken idiots and media crazed fame hungry youngsters, that do not clearly care for the country in the same way so many of us do! We’re a well educated demographic, and entertainment that attempts to explore the political and economic opinions would much better viewing.
 For now though, it appears that TV3 are intent on portraying falsities and misrepresentations of a young generation!!  Cheers guys....

The Forgotten Irish Graduate                                                                                              12 February 2012