Salon reports what we've been missing on Big Brother in the web-fed portions that appear neither on television nor in CBS's web archives-- and it's enough to inspire revolution against a network. Most all major events that happen are an order from CBS, that much we know. What we didn't know (unless we were watching the live feeds 24/7) was that CBS has portrayed commanded incidents-- even scripted dialogue-- as the house guests' own ideas on the TV show. For example, the "roast" of two fellow houseguests included offensive jokes scripted by CBS but portrayed as written by the houseguests.
I had a bunch more to say to amend the article, including a description of the recent "massage" fiasco that I'm surprised they actually aired. But I wanted to link a bunch of barcode stuff instead, and I try, often unsuccessfully, to limit the amount to screen space I use each day. ;)
Salon has had daily coverage of Big Brother, despite the fact they didn't like it at first. I wish they'd be more critical of the show in the daily coverage, instead of merely summarizing the TV spots.
The massage fiasco: As a reward for a challenge, Eddie was given a massage in the Red Room, requiring that he stay double-blindfolded. He gets on the table, and a guy comes in and starts beating the crap out of Eddie's back with his fists and elbows. Eddie is genuinely angry, and the other guests are concerned, hearing Eddie's protests through the soundproof door of the Red Room. Curtis, the smart one, correctly guesses that the assailant was William, but the theory is dismissed by others in the house.
The house guests never got enough of a good look at William to see him for the coward he is, taking enjoyment in abusing control over people in vulnerable situations, and otherwise being annoying in lieu of genuine assertiveness. The massage idea was either conceived with this in mind, or out of reckless idiocy. Part way through the violent massage, CBS piped in and told William to take it down a notch, perhaps fearing genuine cause for a lawsuit.
(To be fair, I of course haven't had a good enough look at William either, and could not possibly judge the scope of his cowardice. But it's the only character trait that really came across in the few weeks he was on the show. *shrug*)
Now I'm a blogger that posts pointless raving opinions!