Back in 1999, the writer Arthur Bradford made a documentary called How's Your News, in which he and a group of mentally disabled people traveled the country, conducting man-on-the-street interviews. For years, Bradford had been working at a summer camp for the mentally disabled, teaching a video production course, which turned into this. Now it's going to be a show on MTV, and it looks great.
The How's Your News? team will easily be the most charming and lovable people on television. In your face, cast of Bones. The How's Your News? team do not play games, and they do not care about your bullshit. They just want the facts. What's obvious in the original documentary, and looks like it will be obvious here, is the fact that everyone is having so much fun, and how much Arthur Bradford and the rest of the crew love everyone involved, so that what could easily be the most exploitative thing ever made becomes the exact opposite. Nice. This looks so good that I only barely mind that Kathy Griffin is in it. Of course she uses an unpretentious, heartfelt show about stripping away our preconceptions and keeping everything in perspective as an opportunity to perpetuate her D-List schtick, because, you know, always got to be on. Hollywood. A tiny drop of UGH in an ocean of YES!
How's Your News? premieres this Sunday, February 8th, at 10:30 PM on MTV.
