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New kids and natural disasters, or both
Hello and welcome to "Who wants to be a Rip-off?" I'm not Regis Philbin. Let's get started with our fastest finger question. Place the following pop cultural copycat fads in order from the earliest: (a) boy bands, (b) the stand-up sitcom, (c) disaster movies, (d) million-dollar game shows. Did you say A, B, C, D? Feeling confident? Is that your final answer? "Everybody steals from everyone." That is such a pop cultural axiom. But this trend towards Hollywood duplicity has never been more apparent than now, a time when the teen pop "sensation" is running rampant and Regis' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has eclipsed prime-time television ratings. The persistence of rip-offs, and their resultant success, often frustrates both the casual fan and the industry giant. Why do people watch these copies of stupid hosts and moronic guests? That nothing in pop culture is exempt from the realm of poor, and often blatant, imitation only turns once-ingenious ideas into the been-there-done-that-now-get-out-of-my-face nonsense that now dominates entertainment. Hence, the four ugliest trends in copycat culture. Place the choices in order starting with the earliest.1. The newest kids on the block: (a) LFO, (b) The Backstreet Boys, (c) 98 degrees, (d) 'NSync.
My favorite thing about the entire teeny-bopper phenomenon is just how ridiculously naive the members are about their futures. To think that, despite the unavoidable downward spiral that accompanies traditional boy band failure (think Menudo), these kids believe that somehow they're above it all. (Answer: B, D, C, A)
2. Attack of the Natural Disaster: (a) Armageddon, (b) Deep Impact, (c) Dante's Peak, (d)Volcano.
First you survived asteroids, volcanoes and alien invasions. Then came the twisters, sinking ships and towering infernos. But now, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the shower, it's Athlete's Foot. And you thought Hard Rain was bad. (Answer: C, D, B, A)
3. The Ima Moron Show: (a) The Norm Show, (b) The Steve Harvey Show, (c) The Drew Carey Show, (d) The Mike O'Malley Show.
Hi, I'm a stand-up comedian you've never heard of. Give me a television show and make sure my first name is in the title. (Answer: C, B, A, D)
4. The Money Makers: (a) Greed, (b) Twenty-one, (c) Money Lines, (d) Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Here we go, for $1 million ($550,000 after taxes): Why the sudden interest in big-time lottery shows? The answer's simple: People are stupid. (Answer: D, A, B, C)
—Aaron Zamost
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