TELEVISION

During the 2000’s, Survivor started a Reality TV revolution. It spurred on countless other Reality Shows with topics ranging from ‘Home Remodeling’ to’ Talent Shows,’ from ‘Normal People Living in a Big House’ to ‘Dating Shows,’ and from ‘Plastic Surgery’ to ‘Dumb Celebrities Living in Small Town America.’

The 2000’s saw the complete and total destruction of MTV as it transitioned from being a cool channel that showed music videos all the time, into being a channel that showed trashy Reality TV about teens living very abnormally wealthy lives and grown men hitting each other in the crotch with hockey sticks – on purpose.

But there were some amazing things that happened to television in the 2000’s: flat screen TVs and the DVR.

Big screens became affordable, packed amazing high definition pictures, and could now easily be hung on the wall as their weight radically decreased.

And no longer would you be forced to watch commercials or be a slave to the time slot your show was on. All you now have to do is tell your cable box to record the shows of your choice, watch them on your schedule, and fast forward through all the Snuggie commercials.

CELEBRITIES

The 2000’s were a decade of celebrity obsession. The masses waited with baited breath to find out the status of Brad and Jennifer, Brad and Angelina, Nick and Jessica, and John and Kate. It was big news when a young starlet thought that ‘Chicken of the Sea’ was chicken, not tuna. And everyone stood in awe whenever a celebrity came out of the closet. But probably the most tragic example of America’s celebrity worship over the past decade was the rise and fall, and rise again of Brittany Spears.

MUSIC

This past decade saw the total evolution of the music industry as people stopped buying CDs and starting listening to music on the mega successful iPod. The iPod hands-down was THE gadget of the decade. This meant complete acceptance of illegally downloading music instead of paying for it at all. And now instead of relying on millions of dollars in revenue from record sales, artists have to be creative in their money making, heavily relying on concert ticket and merchandise sales in order to make a buck.

And sadly, an overall snapshot of the world of music during the 2000’s cannot be given without mentioning the death of music’s biggest superstar, Michael Jackson.

FLIM

Batman movies are cool again. Enough said.

This is the 4th in a series of 5 articles to be posted this week.

Part 1: Random Thoughts on the First Decade of the New Millennium: September 11th
Part 2: Random Thoughts on the First Decade of the New Millennium: Communication
Part 3: Random Thoughts on the First Decade of the New Millennium: Money and Environmentalism
Part 4: Random Thoughts on the First Decade of the New Millennium: Entertainment

Anthony Trask is blessed with an incredible wife and two awesome kids. He currently co-pastors Fellowship Church in NE Salem. You can listen to his weekly messages at www.fellowshipsalem.com or read his blog at www.anthonytrask.com.