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Hollywood dunked by Punk’d Punk’d
The Osbournes are fast becoming as obsolete – ratings for the 2nd season are dipping – as an Arnold Schwarzenegger terminator, so the MTV producers needed to find a replacement fast. And to their credit, they did. Creators of MTV’s Punk’d have thrown out the old-school trick book, updated the passe Candid Camera and recreated a brand new practical joke of a show with a celebrity punch. It’s fun enough to watch an innocent stranger turn victim in the merciless hands of a prankster, but to watch a celebrity outwitted, outplayed and outlasted on Punk’d – hosted by Ashton Kutcher (That 70’s Show) – now that’s entertainment reaching new Titanic proportions. In the pilot, teen star Frankie Muniz almost pees in his pants when he naively believes a valet impostor has stolen his US$250,000 (S$438,000) Porsche Speedster. Incidentally, Muniz’s classy car happens to be a good steal (no pun intended) because it’s 1 of the 200 limited editions available worldwide. Muniz, who’s known for his obsession with the 4 wheels, promised the “thief” a fully paid trip to Hawaii with the best accommodation if he returns the automobile. Could it be that the wise Malcolm In The Middle star doesn’t realise a paid vacation in Hawaii doesn’t even amount to the cost of a Porsche hub cap, especially when you can expect jail to go with that? Well, we did say he was naïve… The other victim is Justin Timberlake, formerly known as Mr Britney Spears. The gag is classic trickster material. Kutcher and company set up a phony organisation called the Tax Enforcement Agency and Timberlake returns home to find countless uniformed personnel, trucks and large brown boxes littering his front yard. The “officers” demand to collect Timberlake’s outstanding “tax debts” of about US$900,000 (S$1.5 million) and eventually repossess his estate, cars, and even personal properties.
Wrapping up the hilarious Punk’d circus act is the ‘Red Carpet‘ segment where 8-year-old unknown Ryan Pinkston plays a reporter at red carpet events asking celebrities awkward, unpredictable and totally embarrassing questions just to see how they’ll trip up. It’s hard not to laugh at the stars’ bemused expressions when Ryan’s done putting them through the wringer of his inappropriate questions. He asked Denise Richards how it felt to play someone smart (as Dr Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough), and only seconds after informing her that Halle Berry has been hailed the Best Bond Girl ever. Punk’d is voyeuristically engaging, much like peeping into celebrities’ private moments and witnessing tantrums that aren’t ever on cue. There’s something comforting about knowing that given the right crises, these smooth-as-silk heroes crumble like the rest of us. As an indication of its popularity and successful concept, the show has just been signed for a 2nd season. Shouldn’t there be some concern for Kutcher’s fast evaporating social circle while he’s still the master ‘Punker’? “I’m not gonna have any friends when it’s done,” laments Kutcher on the show. Indeed, but there’s always Demi Moore. Rating:
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When
he realises everything he’s ever owned (even his dogs!) is taken
by the government, his distress is painfully obvious as the poor little
rich boy bunches his fists tightly by his side. Timberlake’s near-tears
turn to high pitched indignant shrieks when he spots Kutcher casually
strolling towards his front door, concluding in an instant that the
worst has happened – he’d been punk’d.
