TV’s Most Famous Homes

There’s no place like home. But for some square eyes there are some TV homes that are just, well, more like home than home.

The Waltons

Just think of The Walton house on top of Walton Mountain. It’s hard, if you’re a fan, not to be filled with nostalgia and a warm, fuzzy glow. Frankly, some TV homes are just more homely than your own bricks and mortar. And the Walton’s home has a cultural resonance that is still felt today.

A few years ago the house of the Hamners, the real family who inspired the Waltons, was auctioned off. The three-roomed place was frankly in need of a bit of redecorating, but that didn’t matter. It symbolised American values and was hailed as part of the country’s very cultural fabric - although it only sold for a snip at $123,000. Maybe if they’d put in a new kitchen?

Everybody needs good neighbours

Just as some TV homes seem more like home than your own pad, TV neighbours can be more neighbourly too. The majority of us don’t know who we live next door to. A nod in the street from a neighbour is considered the height of drama; forget the rampant affairs, comas and kidnappings. For many Brits, the residents half a world away in Australia’s Ramsay Street are far more familiar.

In fact, the families and friends who live in this Melbourne cul-de-sac are neighbours to viewers in 50 countries around the world.

Famous TV Homes

The fact TV homes are such a part of our culture says a lot about the importance of our houses. Even if they’re not as grand as, say the Dynasty mansions or as luxurious as the Californian beach homes in The O.C. We all like to make ourselves at home with them – even if it is just for an hour a week in the comfort of our own homes.

Here’s a quick tour round some favourite TV homes…

The Carrington Mansion
Dynasty – a family built on oil and shoulder pads. The Carrington mansion was built by tycoon Blake Carrington and his family lived there not so peacefully during the 1980s in this most dramatic of soaps. Set in Colorado, the house was actually in California.

The O.C. Mansion
The O.C is the modern day version of Dynasty for teenagers. The Cohen's red-tile-roof mansion is supposed to be set in Newport Beach, although it is actually in Malibu and that fabulous pool house is a studio set. It’s not real you know!

Beverly Hills 90210 Home
The predecessor to The O.C, in this 1990’s series, the Walsh family lived in one of the nation's most affluent ZIP codes – 90210. But in reality the home is located in the 91001 ZIP code of Altadena, a town north of Pasadena.

The Osbourne’s MTV House
Just to confuse matters even more, you are sat in the comfort of your own home, watching a TV sitcom about somebody else’s home, which in fact turns out to be real! The Osborne’s was the first reality sitcom where we had the joy of watching other people’s pets doing their business on the carpet.

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Related Information of Interest:

Curb The TV Habit In 3 Easy Steps
So you're not quite ready to throw the TV away, but you're limiting the time spent viewing television in your home? Here are some easy tips that have worked for me.

1) Identify when and why you watch and change your habits

Do you usually turn the tube on when you get home from work? Why? Do you turn it on in the late afternoon when the kids get home? Why?

Sometimes the TV goes on when we're tired or bored. If you're tired, you either need to: get more sleep or get more exercise. So instead of automatically flipping on the television, why not go for a 10 minute walk to refresh yourself? Or, take a nap!

If you're turning on the TV to "zone out" and decompress after a busy day, try developing a new, healthier habit.

Some examples:

Brew a nice cup of hot tea and drink it slowly.
Write in a journal.
Put your feet up on the couch and listen to music.
Do crossword puzzles (a recent study showed that people who do crosswords on a regular basis are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease.)

2) Make TV watching inconvenient.

A TV does not belong in the bedroom! Keeping one there is bad for a marriage and bad for your love life! It also contributes to insomnia. Put the television in an inconvenient place like the basement. Unplug it. Cover it with a blanket.

3) Give up cable.

I decided a long time ago that I would never have cable. I can think of about a thousand other ways to spend $50 a month (Starbucks, anyone?) plus my husband would probably spend all his time watching the Discovery channel instead of talking to me!

If you live in a semi-rural area, you might not even get any channels if you cancel your cable service. But that would be a good thing if you're trying to limit TV! You can use the TV as a "movie machine" and rent DVDs so that you can at least control the content better.

Here's to turning off the TV and turning on life!

InsteadofTV.com is a valuable resource for families wanting to kick the TV habit. Sign up for your free "101 Things To Do Instead of TV" at www.InsteadofTV.com

The Untimely Death of Music Videos On TV
In 1986 music was forever changed with the debut of MTV. In the twenty years
since, music videos have become a way for the artists to express themselves
visually. When music videos first came out, it was mostly just the musician or
band playing the song--today music videos are more akin to mini movies featuring famous actors and actresses. The very
first music video played on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles,
and in a sense it was true. Most bands have a music video before the ink has
even dried on the recording contract. MTV may have been the first music videos
channel, but definitely not the last. There are now several channels that show
music videos like MTV, VH1, GAC and Fuse TV just to name a few.

MTV now offers 4 different music video channels--MTV, MTV2, MTV hits, and MTVu.
MTV also has its own awards show just for music videos. VH1 caters to adult
contemporary music videos, GAC is the MTV for country music videos. Fuse TV is a
relatively new channel and focuses more on rock and metal music videos. The
newest kid on the block is The Tube Music Network, it features mostly mainstream
rock and indie rock videos. It is a throwback to the early days of MTV, a video
channel that actually plays music videos.

One of the most notorious musicians known for her controversial music videos is
Madonna. Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer” in the late 80’s caused an uproar
with the Christian community over the depiction of an African-American Jesus who
kisses Madonna and featured Madonna dancing in front of a field of burning
crosses. Her music video of “Justify my Love” in the early 90’s was so
controversial that MTV banned the music video from the lineup. Perhaps the most
controversial genre of music videos currently are the rap and hip-hop music
videos, which typically feature scantily clad women, sexual situations,
violence, and drugs. It seems as though musicians are constantly competing for
the most extreme of music videos, whether it is sexual content, special effects,
obscurity or violence there are always music videos who push the envelope just a
little bit further.

John Fair is a noted producer and author. He resides in the United States and contributes to www.CampusRights.net

Watching TV Has Never Been More Fun
Have you ever found yourself yelling at the TV after your team just made a boneheaded play and realize there is no one else to share your pain? Or, overcome with emotion when your favorite character died on the O.C., Lost, or 24 and realize there’s not another soul in the room that cares? Have you ever been so engrossed in a show that you would have given anything to be able to interact with the producers, writers, or even the actors? For the past 70 years, television has primarily been an anti-social, one-way device, without an outlet for social interactivity. Well, now that’s changed. Meet BuddyTV.

As more and more people get broadband Internet connections and put computers in their TV rooms (or laptops on their, well, laps) the notion of television as a one-way street is no longer reasonable. While you watch your favorite show, celebrities, experts, friends, family or (possibly) mortal enemies may be providing live commentary at BuddyTV. Everything imaginable is available; live video, live audio, live text, and interactive polls are all part of the BuddyTV experience. In fact, you can broadcast your own, private, live commentary to all your friends and neighbors. The television experience is now a communal one, where people can interact and socialize with both their friends and celebrities.

Television is never going away and it still draws enormous worldwide audiences; the most popular shows in the US drive over 30MM viewers per show. As the world becomes smaller and the global community continues to effortlessly reach across borders and oceans, television must adapt and become a community hub whose programming brings people closer together. It is happening today and it’s exciting, with BuddyTV leading the charge. Watching TV has never been more fun and exciting. Try BuddyTV out and ask youself this: Is this the next evolution of TV?

So, if you want to find our more about The OC or especially about 24, please visit this website BuddyTV Television