sponsored by

Hosted by
eROI

Longish   The Bad Tourist by Tom Byrnes Life is trip: all you need is one thumb   The Practice of Professionalism by Jenn Lackey Three tricks to dealing with unruly coworkers from a pro   Bus One Seven by Roderick Armageddon Tracing the roots of misery, one word —and site— at a time.   I don’t remember September 11th by David Volk When geography gets in the way of patriotism   Shortish   How Documentaries Saved My Love of Movies by Greg Coyle Keeping it reel in Hollywood       Cannibalíssimo! Join a friend for dinner at this hip new joint   The New Puritanism by David Volk A Video Store Cleans Up Its Act   Lists   -ism Haiku   Rejected Reality-based TV Show Concepts   Out of Sites by Jeff Gores   Good web sites or good laughs? Find them both here.

Jackass: Reality TV at its Best
by Kent Lewis

I’m a bit baffled by the increasing popularity of "reality-based" television shows. Is it the rush generated by a voyeuristic peek into famous (or unknown) people’s lives? Perhaps a form of escapism? I tend to be more cynical in my belief that those watching these shows are Grade A masochists. If my theorem is correct, the world is full of pain-loving people.

One needs look no further than MTV’s Jackass to prove my theorem. For those of you living in a cave (without cable), let me explain the simple concept: put a bunch of mildly disturbed amateur stuntmen in front of partially-hidden cameras, spice it up with choppy editing, assorted rock tunes and presto: cult classic!

While the viewing public is no stranger to reality television (Candid Camera pulled off their first prank in 1947), Jackass has taken it to an entirely new and dangerous level. Over the past few years, the band of motley fools with a penchant for pain have pulled off stunts that have resulted in broken bones, arrests and a plethora of copycats.

The buzz has been great enough for Paramount and MTV to team up on a full length feature film of the same name, scheduled to open later this month. There are no shortage of articles on the craze, most recently in Village Voice and Maxim. The cast has developed their own individual cult followings, including Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn and Steve O. Off screen, a few of the cast even have a moderately successful band based on their exploits as Camp Kill Yourself.

After just a few minutes of viewing an average episode, a normal person would realize the show has a uniquely dark sense of humor (in the most liberal terms). They shoot each other in the groin with paintballs, staple various body parts and frequently come into contact with cement at high speeds. The end result is often some form of injury, lawsuit and laughter. Thank goodness it's not you getting mauled by that attack dog while dressed in a bunny suit.

This is the crux of what I believe to be their success. Peel away the clever pranks and elaborate setups, and you end up with insanely silly stunts that commonly result in injury, insult and amazingly high insurance premiums. I guess we never get tired of seeing someone worse off than we are. With million dollar advance paychecks, it really doesn’t matter if the movie will be a hit, as few will realize these guys are far from being worse off than we are.

Luckily, we here at Anvil, are much more pain averse. We hope you agree that this month’s lineup is relatively safe for family consumption, and should be tried at home. We kick the issue off with a bit of adventure on a global scale in The Bad Tourist. Pick up a few tips on essential attractions for your next vacation, including the Erotic Museum.

While travel is always fun, it never comes cheaply, so we must work. Jenn Lackey has a few helpful tips for us in The Practice of Professionalism. Learn how to deal with drug-addicted coworkers and sexist bosses.

It's been a few weeks since the U.S. officially recognized the 9.11 terrorist attacks. We all remember where we were when the planes first hit, but a few of us had the unique experience of being on completely non-American soil at the time. David Volk tells us why he can't remember September 11th.

And speaking of remembering, Roderick Armageddon has dissected another chunk of the English vocabulary —a term you may remember hearing, and if not, you probably should have. Commit it to memory and augment your vernacular. The dictionary isn't the only place you'll find true meaning.

In the search for miserablism, you need look no farther than Hollywood. As Greg Coyle can attest in his latest piece How Documentaries Saved My Love of Movies, he's all but lost hope in Tinseltown. That is, until an Arctic explorer help him find his way.

The talk of terrorism and tourism can create quite the appetite. Try to hold onto that feeling when you read the menu from Cannibalissimo, a unique new restaurant you'll be dying to visit.

If the menu turned you a bit green, New Puritanism may turn your bright red. David Volk outlines a small video store’s attempt at maintaining family values. Is it censorship or freedom of speech?

Jackass was not the first show of it’s type. In fact, there have been many reality-based television shows, ranging from MTV’s Real World to CBS’s Survivor. For each of the new shows coming this fall that may seem far-fetched, there are 10 more that didn’t make the cut. We’ve compiled a list of just a few reality-based TV shows that didn’t make it.

If your own reality is that time is short, you may want to start with our shorter bits: Out of Sites will give you a few ideas on how to spend your time online, Take a Haiku provides a relaxing way to create one-ness with the -ism theme and our Gallery is currently showing some of our best photos to date.