If you haven’t turned on the TV in the past few weeks, you might’ve missed a heavily promoted kissing scene between former Friends’ stars Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox planned for the season finale of Dirt. The big mystery of it all was whether or not the kissing scene would amount to a peck or passion?
So, after watching the finale this past week, I didn’t realize I cared to see Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox kiss until I saw how lame the kiss actually was.
Over on the website TMZ many of the posters are praising the kiss for being “tasteful”. Some even express their shock that anyone would even approve of them kissing in the first place; wondering why they would “need to” or using religion as reason they shouldn’t kiss. And some believing a kiss between two women is not appropriate for their children to watch.
The religious side of it is to be expected. After all, there doesn’t seem to be anything that gets religious people talking more than homosexuality. But honestly, I have never fully understood the notion of judging actors for anything but their ability to act. And frankly, I don’t understand why a religious person would even care whether or not a stranger is homosexual or pretending to be homosexual anyways. I think sex before marriage is a sin, but God gave people free will for a reason. If they want to do something I have decided for myself is a sin, that is their business as long as it is not affecting me personally. Standing on a street corner holding a sign telling them they are going to Hell doesn’t change anything.
But this isn’t about homosexuality, religion, or censorship. It is about a make-believe kiss.
Believability is the point. Not necessarily tastefulness. And while I wonder what exactly is a tasteful kiss, I don’t see any reason why we cannot both have our ways.
For those who missed the actual kiss, it was wooden and emotionless. It was essentially the mechanical process of a contact between lips that appeared frozen in time for the three seconds or so it lasted.
10 years ago that might have been enough. The shock value would have been all that was required for entertainment. And considering I don’t believe Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, or Dirt were trying to make a statement on homosexuality, if you are going to hype up a kiss between two people, it should be somewhat entertaining.
Oh, I know, the prude people of the world are probably spinning the heads at the thought of a kiss ever being entertaining to watch. And while I think their innocence is cute, innocence isn’t necessarily why most people watch a show called Dirt.
However, I am not advocating gratuitous sexual behavior. I don’t want to see it for just the sake of seeing it. Although, I’m not necessarily opposed to seeing two people kiss anymore than I would be opposed to seeing two people eat dinner, sit next to each other, or any other every day behavior. But if you are going to kiss someone, kiss them. Make me believe it. Whatever Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox did simply does not qualify as a kiss.
The thought of it takes me back to all the other TV shows that false advertise to get people to tune in. It is like dangling pictures of McDonald’s hamburgers looking all thick and fresh in front of us while we are hungry. And then after we pay, serving us up some squashed meat sandwich with wilted lettuce and too much ketchup. Yeah, we eat it and might even come back, but come on already. Why be in the business of disappointing your audience? Why not hype it up and then actually deliver the goods?
A show that actually delivers what it promises… now, that would be way more shocking than two girls kissing.
