Who Watches Big Brother?

So, let's start this off with a guilty confession: I watch Big Brother. Yes, I know, it's only like one step above The Real World, and I'd usually say that reality television is what is destroying this country (see: Rock of Love Bus aka The Rolling Brothel), but I'll be damned if Big Brother isn't one of the most addicting television shows. I enjoy the gameplay aspect of it: one giant game where people are the players and the whole world is watching. Kinda Roman Coliseum-ish, yeah?

Anyway, most of the commercials that aired were either car commercials or spots for other CBS television shows. The commercial I'm choosing to focus on, however, is a TV spot for Quentin Tarantino's newest film, Inglourious Basterds. The spot was only thirty seconds long, and featured Brad Pitt voicing over the trailer and giving the synopsis of the film: a special team is assembled, dropped into France as civilians, and their only mission is to kill Nazis. Having seen the film, I think it's a very watered down description of the actual movie, but this approach seems to be the most guaranteed way to get asses in the seats.



It's obvious that Big Brother 11 was chosen because it is the number one program on Sundays in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Seeing as how the film is rated 'R', this is exactly the demographic they want: they don't want to advertise to kids, and somehow, I don't think a film centered around a group of Nazi hunters is going to appeal to the old fogies. What I find clever, however, is that the quick TV spot makes the film appear to be an action movie. Almost every shot involves gunfire of some sort. However, the film itself is more like a character dramedy with bursts of action peppered in here and there. It goes to show you that our culture is more likely to go see a movie that guarantees they'll see Nazis getting ripped to shreds than go see a film that is about a young Jewish girl escaping Nazi persecution and striving for revenge.