Harsh Reality Gets Even Harsher 2009: Hating Reality

Harsh reality gets even harsher

Hating reality TV gets easier tonight with the launch of something called “Re-Inventing Bonaduce” (9 p.m.
Eastern, Saturday, Fox Reality Channel). It was bad enough that Danny Bonaduce got to make us sit through his has-beenery, but “Re-Inventing” stars his ex-wife, Gretchen, as she sets out to make it on her own, without her semi-successful and vaguely pathetic ex-husband, whose semi-celebrity name she clings to with the tenacity of a bloodthirsty tick. If that’s not dumb enough for you, there’s “Sex Decoy: Love Stings” (10 p.m., Eastern, Saturday, Fox Reality Channel), “starring” Sandra Hope, a shapely peroxide blonde who has assembled a team of “tempters” to entrap straying husbands and boyfriends. On a professional level, of course. Ladies: When your relationship reached the point where you considered hiring Hope, was it really worth saving — With so many cable networks to choose from, I still want more! I’d love to see a network devoted to cheesy made-for-TV movies. They remain one of the lost stepchildren of pop culture. You can buy or rent a DVD of the fourth season of “F-Troop,” but you can’t beg, borrow or steal many of the great (or bad) TV movies of the past 40 years. As if to partially right this wrong, the Hallmark Channel dedicates Memorial Day to some recent TV movies of the sweeps spectacular variety, including the seismic shocker “10.5” (8 p.m., Eastern, Saturday), starring Kim Delaney, Fred Ward, Dule Hill, Kaley Cuoco and Beau Bridges. Look out for the remake of “Poseidon Adventure” (8 p.m., Eastern, Sunday), starring Steve Guttenberg and Adam Baldwin and “Shark Swarm” (8 p.m., Eastern, Monday), starring John Schneider, Daryl Hannah, Armand Assante and F. Murray Abraham. — Some holiday traditions endure. ABC has been broadcasting the Indianapolis 500 (Noon, Sunday, ABC) since Memorial Day 1965. To put the passage of time into some perspective, that weekend, “Help Me Rhonda” by the Beach Boys had just edged out “Ticket to Ride” by the Beatles for the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. “Bonanza” was the top-rated show during that TV season. ABC had only two shows in the top 30 for that year, “Batman” and “The Lawrence Welk Show.” Racer Jim Clark would win the Indy 500 that day, putting him on top of the racing world until his fatal crash on April 7, 1968. Sunday’s coverage includes interviews with many of the starting drivers, a profile of Helio Castroneves and a look at Danica Patrick’s relationship with her father. There’s also a celebration of the enduring appeal of the Indy 500, a tradition that has been very good for racing and for ABC as it has evolved (or at least changed) from the days of “Shindig” to the era of “Dancing with the Stars.”
In other racing news, Fox will cover the Coca-Cola 600 (5 p.m., Eastern, Sunday, Fox) from Concord, N.C.

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