TLC

This is favorite thing while at the same time being one of those things that makes me want to punt a baby. I like the TLC channel and all, but I liked it better when it really was about LEARNING. I don't understand how "The Singing Office," headed up by two 90's hasbeen popstars, has anything to do with me learning anything.

I'm guilty of loving "Jon & Kate Plus 8," but mostly because I'm fascinated by how they can handle 8 children, and I'm also starting to enter the age where -gasp- the thought of a family actually appeals to me. It's an interesting look into the lives of a real family who has to cope with so much and be efficient at doing so.

But c'mon, TLC - "Master of Dance" with Joey Lawrence?!?! WHOA! (couldn't resist) I kinda get "What Not to Wear," though I believe it belongs on the Style network or E! (you're learning how to not dress like an idiot), and I kinda get "Flip that House," though it has its own place on HGTV or DIY (btw, aren't there like 8 shows with the same title, just tweaked a little bit?). I just hope TLC doesn't succumb to the MORONIC FAD that is "reality" TV. Even those tattoo shows and "American Chopper" leave me scratching my head.

There's a line between documentary and "reality," and TLC had been keeping that boundary fairly solid. However, the line is being crossed, and it makes me sad. If they want to do a "reality" TV show, follow someone with a common job so we can all see what it's like, or do something like PBS's "Frontier House" or "Thirty Days" or (God help me for saying this) those family-swapping shows where people learn something about how others live.

Don't sing and dance on my channel and tell me I'm learning.