By Polly Gammei
True Dork Times Extramarital Affairs
Editor
BEVERLY
HILLS, California (TDT). Concerned
that voters in his district may not recognize his name on 2002 ballots,
California Congressman Gary Condit has secured a starring role in FOX television's
sequel to the critically lauded Temptation Island series.
Condit sought a means by which voters can familiarize themselves with his
strong family values and conservative, "Blue Dog" Democrat political positions.
"With redistricting coming up before my next election, as many as half of my constituents may be new to my district," Condit explained. "I think the wholesome, family-oriented entertainment offered by this series will vastly improve my image with the voting public."
Speaking before an excited mix of Washington and Hollywood reporters, FOX officials admitted that they were somewhat taken aback when they received an application from a sitting U.S. Representative. Producer Chris Cowan stressed, however, that as soon as Condit auditioned, "We knew we had our guy." Confessing that they initially had some trepidations about casting a man Condit's age, the production team nonetheless expressed "complete confidence" with the way Condit's clean-cut image comes across on the screen, and noted that he "interacted well" with the young female contestants, many of whom were close to half his age.
The first Tempation Island series, while massively popular, was widely praised by critics, who loved the show's strong character development, scintillating dialogue, and affirmation of traditional American values. Parents' groups expressed pleasure at the show's continuous endorsement of stable romantic relationships, and its concentration on deep psychological profiles of its male and female contestants. "You really felt like you knew those folks inside and out," noted Betty Harper, founder of Parents for Religious Intolerance in Culture for our Kids, a TV watchdog group. "You just wanted to invite each and every one of them home for Sunday dinner, or maybe even take them along to church with you. Every one of them was an outstanding positive role model for our youth."
Cowan predicts the second season will generate even more enthusiasm than the first. "Without giving too much away, I can say that the Congressman is featured in a lot of the action, and it makes for some great TV. It's the kind of stuff everyone will be talking about around the water cooler the next day."
Condit appeared pleased by this assessment, contending that this was exactly his reason for joining the show, and not just to "Get with a bunch of frisky young women." Pointing to polls conducted by his House office, he said the top response in his district to the question "What do you think of Gary Condit?" was "Isn't he that short kid from Diff'rent Strokes?" With a nod to Cowan, Condit beamed "Hopefully, this show will change that."
Back to the True Dork Times