Kenny Powers Vs. Celebrity

Show: Eastbound & Down

Season, Episode: S01E01 - So1E03

With quotes like the following two:

"I play real sports.  I ain't trying to be the best at exercising"

"Today we're going to cover the virtues of real masculine strength.  And ladies you can learn something too. So don't be sexist"

One wouldn't expect much more than "dick and fart" jokes from HBO's new series Eastbound and Down. And at first glance, Eastbound and Down doesn't stray too far from the successful winning formula of movies like Stepbrothers, Anchorman, and The 40 Year Old Virgin.  With a firm grasp on the tastes of Middle America they successfully interject enough mullet jokes, drunken foolishness, and loose women to keep the masses happy.  This formula alone, is usually enough to keep ratings high.  So, what else should we want or need?

The main character, Kenny Powers is a narcissistic, drunk, washed up former major league baseball player who has yet to realize his stardom is gone. In what could be a 30 minute Will Ferrell movie, the writers instead treat us to moments where we start to understand that actually Kenny can't control his actions. His faults, aren't actually his faults. Because he has been idolized and worshipped his whole life, Kenny hasn't learned how to interact with other humans as his equal.  This social ineptitude is the driving force behind Kenny's desire to return to the majors.  Instead of an actual training regimen, Kenny takes shortcuts with steroids, attempts to sale old memorabilia (not realizing how little demand there is), and makes a jackass out of himself with every opportunity.  Unlike Brett Favre, who just can't quit, Kenny isn't in it for competition, he just wants his fame back.   People like Kenny Powers are the reason we have shows like The Two Coreys, Rock of Love, and Celebrity Rehab.  While they are mind numbingly bad shows, they offer a better glimpse of what "celebrity" is like.  I'm not talking about the rock star perspective Cribs gives you, instead I'd rather focus on what it's like to have "celebrity' and then to lose it.  Just as Brett Michaels has no idea his glory days are behind him...Kenny Powers wanders through life with the idea that there are still autographs to be signed, hotels to smash, and groupies to pillage.  With each episode, we get a bigger glimpse of Kenny vs. "celebrity".  Unfortunately for Kenny, there is no VH1 to offer one more chance at "celebrity".  And this paradox is what truly drives the show.

I know many will come for the "dick and fart" jokes and those people will not leave unsatisfied.  I just hope enough stick around to see the true Main Event....Kenny vs. Celebrity!