I”ve mentioned before my dislike for so-called reality TV. I’ve never watched a minute of “Survivor”, which, if I recall correctly, was the original network reality show, or at least the one that made reality TV take off. The fornication-fests like “The Bachelor” and others like it were just stupid. And who can forget Man vs. Beast??

Now, it seems there’s a couple of reality show talent contests on every night. “American Idol” is the most popular, but there have been a whole host of others in recent years. And, there is some debate over whether these talent searches are truly reality TV or not (although I consider them such.)

Now, I can’t get the song “You’re The One That I want” out of my head because I’ve been seeing promos for this “Grease” audition show all week. Apparently, people are showcasing their talents (or lack thereof) in an attempt to become the next Danny and Sandy (on stage, not screen, if I’m not mistaken.) I assume there are a handful of annoying “judges” like Simon, Paula and the guy who can’t stop saying “dog” (or is it “dawg”?). I just finished watching the end of the Giant-Eagles game and then found that this show was premiering over on another network.

I don’t even really like musicals in the first place. I’ve seen a few on stage, and they were okay. I’ve seen a few on screen, and only two have I actually liked. I will admit that I love The Sound Of Music with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. I used to be forced to watch this as a child. It came on a lot during holidays in the 70’s, and once my family got our first VCR in the late 70’s, this movie was among the first things recorded. My sisters would watch it regularly - too regularly - and eventually I grew to like it as well. I now own it on DVD, and spent a few hours watching it just a few weeks ago when it was on television.

But, the other one was none other than Grease. Perhaps it was because Travolta was in it and I liked “Welcome Back Kotter” as a child (although, seeing reruns now, I can’t for the life of me comprehend why.) Perhaps it was because I thought Olivia Newton-John was a babe. I don’t know, but I liked it when I saw it in theaters as a kid (again, it was forced upon me.) And, I still like it to this day. It’s not nearly as good as it seemed back then, but I’ll still watch it if I see it on (no, I don’t own this one on DVD.)

A talent contest for the next cast, however, is not appealing.

I will say this - the one thing that shows like this actually have on other reality shows is there is, at least, some semblance of reality in them. It’s a contest based on talent. Maybe that’s why there’s a debate. Other shows, like “Survivor”, “The Bachelor”, and other such shows, are about as far from reality as possible. How often are you on a deserted island engaging in contests with strangers? How often do single guys get to live in a mansion with 20-something chicks for a few weeks? This is not reality.

Nevertheless, I haven’t watched much “reality” TV yet, and I don’t anticipate starting now. Surely there’s something better to do with my time.

I will be will be willing to make an exception, however, if William Hung were to show up to audition by singing “Greased Lightnin’”. That might actually be worth watching.