Disgusted With Substandard Entertainment? Take Heart—There’s H.O.P.E.!

By Linda Orlando

Several recent celebrity snafus and humiliating moments have brought to light a belief that many consumers are finally beginning to vocalize: entertainment today is definitely not the same as it was a generation ago. Before every room in the house had a television—even before every home had a television—the world of entertainment offered people a way to escape from the drudgery and repetition of their daily lives. Television shows "way back when" catered to the demands of a public that wanted something positive and uplifting, or at least interesting or amusing, and the performers enlisted to provide this escape from reality achieved it by hard work and a desire to please the audience. Making lots of money was certainly an encouragement, too, but back then people generally got their money’s worth from celebrities and entertainment in general.

Today’s story is vastly, disturbingly different. The airwaves are chock-full of unbelievably vulgar, tasteless, substandard fare that caters to the lowest echelon of modern society, and all in the name of money rather than quality. From television shows to movies, concerts, and mainstream music, embarrassingly bad entertainment is being shoved down the throats of everyone in this country. Thus this substandard fare is becoming acceptable through repetition, not merit. So what really is driving the careers of celebrities such as Ashlee Simpson, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, et al.?

According to the group Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment—H.O.P.E.—today’s culture is driven almost entirely by the media. Every day members of the media enforce their beliefs on the news and popular fads, by deciding what to cover and what not to cover, and by dictating what is acceptable advertising without moral and ethical considerations. H.O.P.E. believes that the media needs to take a responsible and healthy attitude toward guiding American culture from an artistic perspective rather than just a profit-seeking perspective.

The mission statement of H.O.P.E. is simple According to their website (http://hopeinamerica.blogspot.com): "H.O.P.E. is an association of entertainment and media professionals, students, journalists, and citizens that are fed up with the face of popular culture and mainstream entertainment. H.O.P.E.’s membership believes that with all the progress we have made in technology, music production, art, and film, these industries are capable of producing things much greater than what they’re giving to the world. H.O.P.E.’s members will not stand by idly and accept celebrities that are only famous because they are rich, musicians who do not sing at their performances, or any form of culturally bankrupt entertainment that the entertainment industry attempts to force down the public's throat. H.O.P.E. is of the people, by the people, and for the people... and just getting started."

The members of H.O.P.E. have a united goal to bring quality to the world of entertainment while working outside of the traditional network, record label, and studio structure. By voicing their feelings and concerns to the powers that be, they hope to bring about significant changes so that quality entertainment is only around the corner for the good people of the United States of America, the world, and beyond. To achieve their goals, they have a series on ongoing campaigns against celebrity targets chosen due to their overwhelming and ongoing assault on quality. They are constantly planning and executing new events to bring their goals to the forefront of public discussion.

One of their most important current campaigns is a CD exchange for people who have been duped into buying Ashlee Simpson’s latest CD. They have partnered with The Knitting Factory to offer consumers the opportunity to turn in Ashlee Simpson’s CD for one of a higher entertainment quality. The exchange campaign was instituted as a result of the lower entertainment quality of her music as well as her live lip-synching exploits. Residents of New York City can take their Ashlee Simpson CDs to the Knitting Factory box office any weekday and exchange it for one by genuinely talented performers such Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, X, Abe Lincoln Story, Grateful Dead, Neil Hamburger, Joni Mitchell, and Brian Wilson, courtesy of Rhino Records. Consumers outside of NYC can take advantage of the exchange by contacting Hopeinfilm@aol.com or by visiting ww.hopeinamerica,com

Low quality movies, such as the Jimmy Fallon vehicle Taxi, did not escape the radar of the vigilant observers at H.O.P.E. Members of the group already suspected his enormous lack of talent due to his lackluster performances on Saturday Night Live and the movie trailers advertising the film. Although the initial teaser was good and audiences responded favorably, the movie itself was deemed unfit for the silver screen within its first few days, and the H.O.P.E. staff worked hard to get the word out quickly that Taxi lacked any form of creativity, humor, or intelligence. They dispatched members to theaters to alert patrons waiting in line that it was substandard fare, and they offered suggestions for alternate viewing options available at the theater. H.O.P.E.'s campaign against Taxi was swift and effective, when combined with the film’s awfulness; the movie was pulled from major theatres almost immediately after its release.

Several similar important campaigns are underway, involving the likes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and H.O.P.E. continues to protest loudly the actions of regulatory outrageousness conducted by FCC Chairman Micheal Powell, Clear Channel Entertainment, and Viacom. H.O.P.E. members are in a constant process of planning and executing new events that bring their goals to light. For more information about how you can help in their struggle against the overwhelming and ongoing assault on quality in entertainment, visit their website at http://hopeinamerica.blogspot.com.