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Article: 'Mindless silliness' tends to be underrated: ; Best shows know that silly sells better than sexy, violent or cool
- Article from:
- Charleston Daily Mail
- Article date:
- December 3, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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IF the media pundits are correct, Americans have developed a
sudden need for amusing distractions. Two weeks ago, CBS crushed the
competition with a Carol Burnett retrospective that the comedian
dismissed as "mindless silliness."
As entertainment trends go, mindless silliness has always been
underrated and underappreciated. TV big shots think that viewers
want sexy, violent, cool, bad, dangerous and cutting edge. Who wants
to be known as "the silly guy?" And remember the grief that Paul
McCartney took for writing "Silly Love Songs"?
Often, silly has to be sugarcoated with a layer of sexy, or
drowned in a vinaigrette of cool. But the best shows know that silly
sells. Look at "Friends." While ...