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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

When Bad Means Boring: The Lessons of Viva Laughlin

posted by on October 31 at 9:45 AM

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When it comes to bad art, I trust no one like I trust my friend Mindy. She’s my best friend from high school, now a lawyer and mom in Los Angeles. Most importantly, she’s the person who introduced me to Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls, the holy grail of cinematic badness, which Mindy insisted I watch in 1999, and which I’ve watched several times a year (often with others) ever since.

So when Mindy called to tell me that I was required to watch the new CBS show Viva Laughlin, I obeyed. She’d seen the premiere episode and had been blown away by its astounding awfulness. Still, she needed reassurance that it really was as bad as she feared. (Mindy’s faith in her own judgment had been dealt a crushing blow by Forrest Gump, a movie she’d watched in abject horror, only to watch it win the Best Picture Oscar; she was sure her brain was melting.)

Lucky for Mindy, her opinion of Viva Laughlin was confirmed by numerous press outlets, including the New York Times, which wrote, “Viva Laughlin on CBS may well be the worst new show of the season, but is it the worst show in the history of television?

I couldn’t wait to find out, and I spent the six days until the airing of Viva Laughlin’s second episode learning about the show. Adapted from the BBC hit Viva Blackpool, Viva Laughlin tells the story of a fledgling casino owner and his struggles to open his fledgling casino—complete with song-and-dance musical numbers. The cast includes Melanie Griffith, Hugh Jackman, one of the sexy ladies from Twin Peaks, and a bunch of people I’ve never heard of. I couldn’t wait.

Imagine my disappointment when I watched the second episode and realized Viva Laughlin is not only awful, it totally sucks. And not in a magical way—in a totally boring, cancellation-securing way.

This is a drag, because the musical numbers were pretty amazing. For example, the scene where Hugh Jackman’s evil character is introduced by his warbling along to “Sympathy for the Devil.” (Click the link, watch the scene!) Episode number two featured a similarly brilliant scene, in which the fledgling casino owner illustrates his ability to remain standing by singing “I’m Still Standing.”

Unfortunately, the musical travesties were surrounded by some of the slowest, boringest, dumbest, sub-soap opera scenes imaginable, and after two episodes, Viva Laughlin was killed. CBS even yanked its webpage.

RIP Viva Laughlin: You sucked so hard it’s impossible to care.

RSS icon Comments

1

Try to dig up Viva Blackpool. Scarecrow has it in PAL and there are NTSC EMMY screener copies floating around eBay. It's just a magical ride and is also one of the few productions David "Doctor Who" Tennant has appeared in whilst using his real, Scottish accent.

Posted by Chrissy | October 31, 2007 10:00 AM
2

I shall, I'm totally curious about it. Did Viva Blackpool do a similar sort of singing-along-to-the-car-radio performance style for the musical numbers?

Posted by David Schmader | October 31, 2007 10:03 AM
3

I LOVE Showgirls.

Posted by Amelia | October 31, 2007 10:08 AM
4

Um, David, I'm the one who sent you some Jon Stewart stuff and promised not to stalk you. Still not stalking! But I do have VIVA BLACKPOOL recorded from BBC (by friends) and I can send you a copy if you like. It's currently on my hard drive, 'cause a friend wants it.

They do the singing to the radio bit, yes. The best way to think of it, I feel is to remember the times in your life when a song seemed to sum up that was in your head at that moment. Thus, when Ripley's daughter marries the man twice her age, the musical number is the Communards "Don't Leave Me This Way".

Posted by Chrissy | October 31, 2007 10:13 AM
5

I haven't pronounced Versace correctly since about 1997.

Posted by monkey | October 31, 2007 10:13 AM
6

I had the same reaction to the monumentally craptacular movie, The English Patient that your friend Mindy had to Forrest Gump. I still can't figure out how The English Patient won any Oscars at all.

Posted by Michael | October 31, 2007 10:23 AM
7

Brit accent, slow motion, class undertones they couldn't hear: MADE for the Oscars. Ditto "Chariots of Fire", my own pick for worst piece of shit to win an Oscar. Or any Merchant Ivory production. Ugh.

Chrissy, I'm on my way to Scarecrow for "Viva Blackpool", it sounds fantastic. EVERYBODY should get an all-region DVD player.

Posted by Fnarf | October 31, 2007 10:33 AM
8

Monkey, you are the greatest.

Posted by Amelia | October 31, 2007 10:35 AM
9

Reassure your friend she was completely right about Forrest Gump.

Posted by anna | October 31, 2007 10:35 AM
10

Fnarf, if you get this!!!! Viva Blackpool was the US title; the DVDs from the UK will be found (in the British TV section) under "B". It was just called Blackpool over there.

Posted by Chrissy | October 31, 2007 10:56 AM
11

David Tennant? I'm so getting that.

Posted by wench | October 31, 2007 10:59 AM
12

No Wolverine? Moonves is a dead man.

Posted by WenG | October 31, 2007 11:01 AM
13

Chrissy! First, thanks for the Jon Stewart stuff. And yes, I would love to see some of the original Blackpool, thanks for the offer.

Posted by David Schmader | October 31, 2007 11:09 AM
14

I saw a clip from Viva Blackpool and it was incredible. Choreography, slightly hammy acting, David Tennant, more choreography, The Smiths...it just makes me sad about what could have been. I mean, in the episode of Viva Laughlin I made myself sit through, they only sang twice in the whole hour. If you're going to make a terrible musical, make it as over-the-top as possible since that's the only way you'll get people to care.

Posted by Abby | October 31, 2007 11:23 AM
15

Oh yes, I was gonna mention that Viva Blackpool has much, much more singing.

David, I'll bung a copy in the mail to you. It was recorded off air, but the quality is still very good.

Posted by Chrissy | October 31, 2007 12:13 PM
16

I'll find it, Chrissy. I know the Scarecrow Brit TV section pretty well. I was just in Blackpool recently, and it was probably the greatest place I've ever been. Ten miles of pure tat. Can't wait to see the show.

Posted by Fnarf | October 31, 2007 12:23 PM
17

I've been to Blackpool too, but years ago. Need to get there again if our dollar ever recovers.

As you watch the series you'll wonder, as did I, whether David Tennant had a special rider on his contract in case he developed Type 1 Diabetes during the shoot. He was never without some sugary, greasy, salty snack in his hand or mouth.

Posted by Chrissy | October 31, 2007 1:30 PM
18

That sounds like Blackpool all right. I think the average life expectancy there is about 49 years. I ate some things there that defy description.

Posted by Fnarf | October 31, 2007 1:41 PM
19

A CENSORED Sympathy for the Devil. "I was 'round when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain" is nowhere. Die, Laughlin.

Posted by Algernon | October 31, 2007 2:04 PM
20

This reminds me of the line in Ghost World, when Enid comments that the band at their graduation party is "so bad they go beyond good and back to bad again."

Posted by Princess Sparkle Pony | October 31, 2007 2:34 PM
21

Blackpool is amazing.

Viva Blackpool, which I haven't seen yet, is the sequel.

Posted by Fawkes | October 31, 2007 7:59 PM

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