Television Cul-de-Sac Mystery: Why Was Reality Show Killed?

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AUSTIN, Tex. - A year ago, Stephen Wright and his partner, John Wright, embarked on a sociology experiment that only a reality show producer could concoct: theirs was one of seven families competing to persuade the residents of a cul-de-sac here to award them a red-brick McMansion purchased on their behalf by the ABC television network.
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As it turned out, the Wrights did win - beating families cast, at least partly, for being African-American, Hispanic, Korean, tattooed or even Wiccan - but outside of a few hundred neighbors (who attended private screenings last summer) and a handful of journalists, almost no one has been able to see them do so.

Ten days before the first episode was to be shown, ABC executives canceled "Welcome to the Neighborhood," saying that they were concerned that viewers who might have been appalled at some early statements made in the show - including homophobic barbs - might not hang in for the sixth episode, when several of those same neighbors pronounced themselves newly open-minded about gays and other groups.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/21/arts/television/21welc.html

ABC has really been catering to the fundies for the last couple years. I may stop watching "Lost" if they don't cut it out. Then I wouldn't ever be watching ABC for anything.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. 20/20 and John Stossel may as well be living in the White House

If you watched 20/20 today you would have seen a program on how the entire society is lying, and they showed a newspaper on Abramoff along with all manner of unrelated lying or deception, however, they not once mentioned the White House. I have a feeling they were trying to seem the admministration's constant lying as no big deal.

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2. Perceptive of you, and no doubt correct!

Stossel seems like a GOP shill, most all the time. I remember the piece he did on personal responsibility - that was it, for me.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. If Stossel were any further up the administration's arse...

We'd start seeing his legs sticking out from under the back of Rove's size XXXXX jacket.