Monday, February 15, 2010

“Pretty”

pretty_logo I’ve always been moderately disturbed by the world of child beauty pageants.  Not disturbed in the sense that I would, oh, do something like picket against it.  I just don’t get it.  I don’t get the whole world of it.  I’m a parent, but I can’t relate to child beauty pageant parents.  At.  All.  They live in a foreign land—and a land I don’t want to visit.  Yet, those things that freak you out, often intrigue you as well.  So, when “Pretty” the series was recommended to me as “a delightfully offensive new web series about the world of children’s beauty pageants”, I couldn’t wait to check it out.  The series premiered on February 1st and is online only in the form of webisodes.  The thing I love about webisodes is that they are short.  As a crazed mom, constantly pressed for time and with my attention in about 10 directions at once, 4.5 minutes is the perfect length for a show.

“Pretty” centers around Michael, a “Pageant Dad”, who is obsessed with his 5 year old daughter, Annette, competing in pageants.  It gets weirder: the daughter is played by a full grown woman, her mother is a professional smoker who is hot and heavy with her brother-in-law…And it gets weirder.  I’ve seen the first two episodes and am looking forward to more.  The 4.5 minutes are cleverly delivered and include pop culture references that kept me chuckling.  “Pretty” fits securely in the mockumentary category, one of my favorite genres.  It also reminds me a bit of The Office in feel as well as the fact that it is a series.
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The press release states: “Pretty” is an online mockumentary series that's shamelessly offensive, completely hilarious and ready to take on the "Toddlers & Tiaras" and "Living Dolls" of the TV world. Season One of “Pretty” will include five original episodes, a three-part behind the scenes documentary and a blooper reel, with a planned rollout over February, March, and April 2010.  Viewers can check out photos, read the “Pretty” blog, view cast bios and much more on the series’ web site: www.prettytheseries.com.

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