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Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 2:22 pm
Anyone watch this car wreck? I am almost positive that the voice of "the player" is Survivor's Boston Rob. From the Hollywood Reporter The Player By Ray Richmond Bottom line: Shallow is as shallow does. 9-10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3 UPN From the network that brought you "Amish in the City" comes "Jackass in the City," aka "The Player," a new UPN reality series that assures us the younger generation should never be overestimated. It takes 13 impossibly self-centered dolts, turns them loose in a Miami Beach mansion and supplies us a front-row seat as they graphically demonstrate the horrors of dumbing way down. These twentysomething dudes are all practicing "players," preening narcissists of uncommon flash who are competing to win the heart (and other anatomical regions) of a sleek, gorgeous 24-year-old model named Dawn. If this eight-week assault on our neurons is meant to be taken for parody -- as it apparently is -- something gets lost in the campy translation. Just in case you never thought you'd live long enough to see a program whose pandering sensibility could make "The Bachelor" seem positively scholarly by comparison, well, you just have. "The Player" isn't merely unscripted; it's virtually unwatchable. This is Immaturity on Parade, without even the redeeming factors of scheming and backstabbing to sustain us. The "big" plot twist in the opener -- which I am about to ruin for you -- happens when Dawn and her two equally vapid girlfriends are obliged to move into the mansion and live upstairs from the guys in a far more opulent master suite. This appears to have an immediate chilling effect on the men; they actually briefly stop posing in front of the mirror and nearly are moved to think about something outside themselves. But the feeling quickly fades. The mixed-race "players" here include some fellows with very colorful names: Acie (22, musician from Houston), Chyno (23, singer-songwriter from Charlotte, N.C.) and Eian (25, pro slamball player from L.A.). All 13 are possessed of good looks and chiseled bodies, fueling a propensity to be in close touch with their inner egomaniac. Confidence does not appear to be a problem for any of these gents, at least on the surface. They're inspired to act super-cool so as to better impress Dawn and her gal pals Ananda and Jinelle -- who, if they were real friends, would instruct Dawn to make a run for it. In the opener, the guys mostly just hang out and put on little mini-shows to win over Dawn. They largely are reduced to shucking and jiving because that fits best with the editing on a show that's all hip-hop sheen and no evident personality. This actually turns out to be the greatest shortcoming of "The Player": that it simply isn't entertaining. We can excuse a lot of things of a diversion with such low aspirations, but being boring isn't one of them. It's also not at all clear what the incentive is here for the competitors. Certainly, it's not love or marriage (and perhaps not even sex). But then again, a pointless show needs no endgame. What does prove to be somewhat fascinating about this show is the prideful way that it seeks to glorify superficiality. The very crux of the conceit, after all, involves an ability to make transparent posturing seem somehow like genuine courting skills. Were it a book, you'd have to call it, "Insincerity for Dummies." In that sense, UPN succeeds brilliantly in spotlighting the least cerebral aspects of the mating game while validating that common lament about youth being wasted on the young.
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Mssilhouette
Member
07-11-2001
| Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 4:10 pm
I've watched this...because frankly there wasn't anything else on. It's actully just as they said, if you want to watch the a group of all the classic jerk "playes" from any Blind-Elimi-5thWheel-Dismissed-Dating show then there you have it. Even the Girl (because her 24 might as well be 12) "player" has no redeeming value. So you can watch just to enjoy the comedy of it all, but that's about it. Plus point the INTRO is very nicely done. I actually like the artwork. Until it changes to the real person. The art reminds me of some ads for liquor the people are all silhouettes.
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Rslover
Member
11-19-2002
| Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 4:37 pm
Did you recognize "the player operator" as Rob?
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Buggles
Member
09-07-2002
| Thursday, August 05, 2004 - 11:58 am
I did!!!!! 
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Mssilhouette
Member
07-11-2001
| Thursday, August 05, 2004 - 1:50 pm
I was wondering who's voice that was with the heavy NY/NJ accent. It probably is ROB. Also the first esisode repeated last night. More than likely it'l repeat again.
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Realfan
Member
08-08-2001
| Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 10:21 am
This has got to be the stupidest idea for a reality show yet. Maybe because I'm not a "playa," but I just DON'T GET IT. Her friends nominate one guy who's really making progress with her and who she likes, and one who's the oppisite, a wallflower. So what's the right way to play? There IS no right way! It's all subject to the whims of three wastes of space who disagree. The friends were worried the guy making progress was too much of a playa. But if you don't "got game," you're also out. It's nonsensical. The model treats the men with such disdain, like she's a princess or something, but she's not that special. Why these guys debase themselves to win her favor is way beyond me. Is there a cash prize? If not, it's clearly for the exposure. And what's with that last line, that "Don't hate the player, hate the game" crap? Does that even make sense?
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Mssilhouette
Member
07-11-2001
| Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 1:46 pm
Ahh yes. the last line makes sense. "Players" or slang version, "Playas" are those who date a lot or have a lot of women/men. Some people use the term meaning that someone who dresses well and also dates a nice looking number of women/men without attachments. No relationships just casual dating. The negative meaning of a "Player/Playa" is someone who lie and manipulates the opposite sex to get what they want from them (sex, money, etc) they do this through words mostly and by their appearance. This is what's know as "running game" Those who have been played, usually by the negative meaing of the term Player. Normally wind up having their emotions or wallet hurt by the "player". So to say "Don't hate the player, hate the game" basically means: You should be upset that you got dumped/used/lied/etc "played" than the person used you. Any questions?
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 2:19 pm
It's also from an Ice-T song.
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Monkeyboy
Member
05-27-2001
| Wednesday, August 25, 2004 - 9:00 pm
Am I the only one who cringes when she says "Don't hate the player, hate the game?" I might be the only one watching this, lol.
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Mssilhouette
Member
07-11-2001
| Friday, August 27, 2004 - 1:08 am
LOL I was watching it but then I just started to feel silly, plus I always seemed to miss when it came on.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Saturday, August 28, 2004 - 6:17 pm
I hate that too Mb, but I'm not liking her at all. Some of these guys are hysterical though.
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Monkeyboy
Member
05-27-2001
| Sunday, August 29, 2004 - 7:05 pm
Yea, the girl annoys me too. I like her friend, Ananda though. I wish she was the leading lady.
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