By Dean Robbins
Kim Kardashian plugs her own PR in ‘The Spin Crowd’
Here are the six scariest words in TV: “From the Mind of Kim Kardashian.” The airhead socialite has become famous for doing nothing, aside from playing herself in the reality series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” And how hard could that be, since her life basically consists of standing around in tight clothes?
Now Kim shares her creative genius with us as the executive producer of “The Spin Crowd” (Sunday, 9:30 p.m., E!). It’s an inside look at her own publicity agency — that’s right, the people who helped make her famous for doing nothing. Would you be surprised to learn that Kim herself appears in the show, wearing tight clothes?
I don’t think reality TV can get any more insubstantial or self-referential, unless perhaps Kim’s tight clothes go on to executive produce a series about themselves.
‘Miss Universe’
Monday, 8 p.m. (NBC)
I always tune into the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants for a good laugh, especially during the final question-and-answer segment. After parading around in swimsuits and high heels, the contestants are asked for their usually nonexistent opinions on weighty social, political and legal matters.
But I got the shock of my life at last spring’s Miss USA pageant. The questions were as tough as ever, but most of the women answered them intelligently, with nuance and a humane perspective. Miss Michigan argued that health insurance should indeed cover birth control; Miss Virginia saw the BP oil spill as a reason to pursue alternative energy; and Miss Oklahoma affirmed states’ rights to deal with illegal immigration while also denouncing racial profiling.
I will watch this week’s Miss Universe pageant not to laugh, but to gain an understanding of complex global problems. And maybe even to see a few of them solved. CV
