bibleeohfile

Exec TV was a thought-provoking book on how our society is currently being spoon-fed crap in the name of entertainment, and then asking for more. (Don't get me wrong; I liked the book.) Dov Montana, a "perpetually out-of-work documentary filmmaker" has the brilliant idea one day while chain smoking: Putting the camera in a death-row inmate's cell and filming his execution. He's sure that is's *exactly* what the public is looking for. And you know what? He was right. After pitching the idea to Lerz Feingold, the stuttering TV producer, and getting the approval of the inmate's lawyer, Conrad Rangefork Thistle III, he takes Serena, Feingold's former secretary--and a blond sex-pot--on the road with him to Miami, where Randal Snell, the Killer Castrator, is currently incarcerated. Gathering up a crew (a gay wardrobe artist, an out-of-work Australian actor, and Serena herself (she'd always wanted to be an actress)), Montana begins filming *his* version of Snell's crime. It's nothing like the actual crimes, but that's OK, because Montana knows that people don't want the facts; they want the blood, the gore, and the entertainment. It's a great book, highlighting a couple of important points. The first would be how, as a society, we're all so desensitized to violence. More blood, gore, and violence is being shown all the time to us in films and movies in an attempt to get a reaction from the viewers. The second point that Brensilver raises is how the news has gone from a source of information to a source of entertainment. It's truly sad when people can speak knowledgeably about an actor's dating life, but can't tell you what's going on elsewhere in the world.

blewis13

When Randal Snell, also known as the ‘Killer Castrator’, winds up on death row for castrating gay men, his lawyer announces via CNN that his client holds the right to choose his method of execution. Upon hearing this, documentary filmmaker Dov Montana sees an opportunity to create what he claims to be the ‘revolution’ of reality television. Montana approaches an old colleague, Lerz Feignold, who runs a pay-per-view reality television company, ‘Tude Entertainment. Feingold, although apprehensive about working with Montana, also views the opportunity as one that would send ‘Tude Entertainment viewer numbers skyrocketing. With Feingold’s approval and hesitant cooperation Montana approaches Snell’s lawyer Conrad Rangefork Thistle III. Thistle agrees to the show under the naïve assumption that the debate sparked by the show will eventually lead to a reduction of Snell’s sentence. As the story pans out, it becomes clear that there are many differing objectives involved in the project. Serena, the dim-witted but smoking hot blonde attempting to sleep her way to fame, peppers the conversation with stereotypical “likes” and clueless statements. Feingold craves the ratings and success of ‘Tude Entertainment, but the power struggle between him and Montana will affect him more than he wishes. Dov so greatly desires to bring the ‘revolution’ while making a name for himself, but his sololiquoys are so convoluted its difficult to tell what he’s actually aiming for. Thistle, quite simply, has fewer concerns for his client than he leads the public to believe. This leaves Randal Sell himself, whose only desire is to get it all over with. The collision of these agendas culminates in a portrait of American society at its worst. David A. Brensilver brilliantly raises so many questions about our society on every page of “ExecTV” that it is impossible to pinpoint one as the main focus. It is difficult to decide what is more incredulous and surprising– the situation or the characters themselves. The novel speaks to what is worst about our society and it characterizes these traits in a very truthful way. The fact that it is a fairly accurate portrayal of our society’s behavior should be enough for everyone to read “ExecTV” and seriously contemplate the nature of modern American culture.

fufuakaspeechless

Exec TV is the amusing story of an egotistical filmmaker's quest to create something new and revolutionary. He teams up with several ridiculous characters to have an execution broadcast on television. It's an interesting story dealing with the realities of...well, reality TV. As a society America has become more and more immune to the violence we see on an everyday basis. Exec TV is a criticism of the way television is broadcast today, and where it may be headed if we aren't careful.