MovieChat Forums > The Insider (2004) Discussion > Glamorizing Prostitution

Glamorizing Prostitution

posted 16 years ago by Aimless_Small_Potatoes
3 replies | jump to latest

While online tonight I had the TV on in the background and I really wasn't paying attention to the channel. It happened to be The Insider.

They had this entire segment about the new Showtime series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" and then talked about some woman who was a "successful" prostitute who went to jail and is now out of a job because her "business" went bad.

First - since when did prostitutes become celebrities?

Second - I've seen The Insider before and I don't ever remember seeing them promote a TV show on a premium channel like Showtime (maybe the Sopranos near the end) but suddenly they are ALL ABOUT this "call girl" show.

What is up with the obsession with prostitution in the media? It has certainly gotten worse since that NY Governor (Spitzer?) was busted - right after that happened there were endless "call girls" on radio and talk shows being interviewed. I just don't get it.

Killing sounds so permanent

[–] thepennyshowman 16 years ago

Secret Diary of a Call Girl is based on a true story and if it's the same as the UK version (with Billy Piper, yummy!) then it's actually quite entertaining.

As for famous prostitutes, look at Heidi Fleiss and Christine Keeler...plus there's this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_prostitutes

there was also a famous book back in the 18th Century called Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies which was basically ... well... the only way to describe it is like TV Guide but for ye olde hookers!

I've got a reprint if you fancy hearing some excerpts?

WARRIORS! Come out to PLAY-AY!

[–] FourKingTwenty 16 years ago

I don't know if you've noticed, but "The Insider" is produced by CBS Paramount Television. They shamelessly promote CBS shows all the time, like "NCIS" and the "CSI" franchise.

Showtime is owned by CBS Corporation. The have "Big Brother: After Dark" and CBS aired the first season of "Dexter" during the WGA strike. In addition, Showtime runs little five-minute "The Insider on Showtime" segments between movies.

I think the prostitue was "New York's most epensive call girl." "The Insider" ran a series of stories about her ages ago. She's one of the folks they made a big deal about, like "the world's smallest prgnant woman" and "the anorexic twins."

[–] Aimless_Small_Potatoes 16 years ago

Showtime runs little five-minute "The Insider on Showtime" segments between movies.

You learn something new every day! I only watch Showtime for Dexter and even then, I tivo it so I don't see any segments between shows/movies. I'm glad I know to avoid that.

I guess that is also why I don't know about the CBS connection (except that I did know they aired a censored version of Dexter). I cancel Showtime after Dexter is done...which means I need to order it again soon because Dexter season 3 is coming back.

Killing sounds so permanent