Braindead at Bravo

  I regularly watch Bravo because of the awesome old-school jazz concerts and Law and Order reruns, but some of their programming of late has crossed my personal line. 

  The "Real Housewives" chain of pseudoreality series is exactly what I'm talking about. It is absolute crap that reduces women to brain-dead objects and demeans them for the masses. People excitedly watch women scorn each other, cheat on their "meal ticket" men, and bribe their teenagers into getting cosmetic surgery. But just when you thought that Bravo and their Housewives franchise couldn't get any worse, they have crept into the manure pile for the next one.

   They have signed on 44 year oldMichaele Holt Salahi as the star of their Real Housewives of DC fame-whoring expedition. Amazingly, 3 of the ladies are esteemed and employed individuals, including Lynda Erkeiletian of T.H.E. Artist Agency, but i'm sure people aren't lining up to see them. They want to see how Mrs. Salahi lives.
  Tareq and Michaele have lived high on the hog provided by Tareq's hard-working immigrant parents. Well, they did until they bankrupted the family business. They have been cited for running bogus charities, running from debts, and running mum and pop's winery into the ground. They have recently made a living pretending to be people they are not and have left a path of ruin in their wake. There is nothing high-class about this couple. But fame is there for the asking if you want it badly enough.

  Tareq Salahi contacted MTV for advice on how to crash the infamous Dinner Party and saw it as an audition of sorts for a reality series. After their 15 minutes had expired, they attempted to crash another White House shindig (This May) but were thwarted by security. It has become clear now that these douchebags are without morals and are a possible threat to national security. (Tareq was on the board of the American Taskforce for Palestine at the time.) And so Bravo gives them exactly what they were after in the first place- the spotlight.

  Bravo, you absolutely stink for this and I hope this is the beginning of the end of your horrid Housewives franchise.You are rewarding bad behaviour by giving two criminals an extension on their ill-earned celebrity. It is an insult to your network's decent programming, your viewers, and the class of women who will be on the program that actually earn their riches. Myself and other viewers can find dozens of other channels to watch Law and Order reruns on. You have descended into pop-culture hell with this one and I hope you burn.

  It's truly sad that Bravo will be remembered more for its famewhores than its Elvis Costello gigs.

  Rest In Pieces