Sit back, Relax, and Enjoy the Dirt

When you were younger, did you enjoy getting dirty? Making mud pies, throwing dirt, playing with paint; it was a natural stress reliever. Something that would make you smile, well, until you got yelled at by your parents. Well, what if it was the dirtiness and freedom that caused you to appreciate the little things? Discovery channels “ Dirty Jobs” may be that little “something something” that’s missing from your life, what New Orleans natives would call Lagniappe. During our tough economy, we begin to realize how every job counts. Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs does just that. “Dirty Jobs” has made stars-for-a-day of dung beetle farmers, camel herders, chewing-gum scrapers and other working folk as they take Rowe under their wing for a day. "It never set out to be preachy or be a morality play -- it's just a simple, fun show," said Rowe, whose own eclectic resume includes stints as a musician, shopping-network pitchman and television news reporter. "In some ways, I think the headlines in the papers today have caught up with the themes of 'Dirty Jobs.' " Mike Rowe takes on jobs that are even scary to other tradesmen featured on the show. Rowe is unabashed in showing the hard, dirty work others do to make the viewers' daily lives run smoothly. But, he said, he works to avoid stereotyping his subjects -- positively or negatively. Last year, with the U.S. economy in a tailspin, Rowe said he couldn't help but apply the things he'd seen and learned on the show to the nation's financial situation. In a nine-minute video posted to his Web site on Labor Day, Rowe urged his fans to rethink what it means to have a "good job." "Rosie the Riveter is retired to some convalescent home with all the other icons of work that used to embody what work was," Rowe said on the video. "We don't have American icons any more -- we have American idols. We're worshiping the wrong stuff and it's hurting us." The show was on a bit of a hiatus, but thankfully 11 new episodes of new dirty work are soon to emerge.

HelloGoodbye to the Gosselins

While reading Carissa's blogpost on the FCC, I thought about what else was out there that would be better left out of reach of family homes. TLC's Jon and Kate Plus 8 came to mind. The show, which is about a bickering couple and their eight adorable kids, emphasizes on the daily life struggles and kodak moments of having 8 kids.At first, this quickly became a family favorite. As the seasons progressed it became obvious that something was not right. Kate's verbal abuse and Jon's faithfulness were questioned. Most recently, the couple of 10 years has called it quits. Ever since then it's been a question of whether to keep the show or drop it completely. This past friday, TLC sued Jon Gosselin on the account of a breach of contract. A CNN insider has come forth to state that there's enough footage to last until mid-November. A basic way of saying we have enough to satiate the American audience if they need one last Jon and Kate fix.TLC would like to be able to replace "Jon & Kate" with the renamed series "Kate Plus 8," but the network will have to get past Jon Gosselin first.The network announced in September that "given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and the program to keep pace with the family.TLC's "deeper focus on Kate's role in the family and her journey as a single mother" apparently didn't go over well with Jon. Days after learning about the network's new show, the father of eight barred TLC from continuing production on his Wernersville, Pennsylvania, property, citing concern for his children and effectively pulling the plug on his wife's solo spotlight.It's unclear when either of the Gosselins will return to television after "Jon & Kate" becomes part of reality TV history, but I'm pretty sure not everyone wants to join in to watch.