It's a bird! It's a plane! No..it's SUPERNANNY!

Ok, I've never been a big fan of reality television...seriously...and aside from American Idol and an occasional episode of Queer Eye, I've never really understood all the hoopla about this new television phenomenon that has taken over and seems to be here to stay (well, at least for the next 2-5 years or so-as trends go), so you can imagine my surprise when I found myself completely addicted to not one, but TWO reality shows that are currently making their rounds on the network and cable channels.

First, let me start with the program that I feel is most useful to our society at large, even if it's not my first in enjoyment--that's the new ABC reality show called SUPERNANNY which airs on Monday nights at 10pm. (why so late for a family show?)

My god! Finally! A reality show that parents EVERYWHERE should be watching! Basically, it's parenting 101, something that is never taught in schools, but should be. How many times have you suffered because other people didn't know how to discipline their children? How many spoiled dinners at restaurants, screech-filled flights cross country or chatter-filled movies have we all had to sit through because other people simply couldn't control their "little ones"?

Well, now they can. As the ABC website states:

This miracle worker is Jo Frost, a.k.a. Supernanny, Britain's hottest new TV star and godsend to desperate parents across the U.K. who were dazzled by her amazing results when her series debuted this summer, as she showed families the tools for transforming their children's wild ways. Her practical, no-nonsense style was honed over 15 years of nannying in the U.K. and the U.S. Now American families can tap into the secrets of this modern-day Mary Poppins.

In each episode, Jo watches the parents and kids in their "natural habitats" (usually some typical beige carpeted suburban townhome in some form of disarray) for one full day before getting to work. Then, when the next day starts, she assesses the way the parents handle their kids and gives them tips/pointers on how to change unwanted behavior. She demonstrates the methods for 1 day and then leaves the parents on their own to try to harness their offspring.

All of the Supernanny's methods make sense to me--instilling discipline, confidence, self-reliance and manners in the children, without any form of physical or verbal abuse or game-playing. Perfect! My favorite of her methods involves a time out period on the "Naughty Stool" or "Naughty Rug"..or some other object/area that is imbued with "naughtiness", so whenever the child misbehaves, they are put on this object/in this room to "cool down" and think about their poor behavior. You go Supernanny!

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to put other people's children on the "Naughty Rug", and I confess, I've often wanted to put the parents on there too!

How many of us know adults--say, our co-workers or certain annoying/spoiled family members-- that we'd love to plop right on that "Naughty Rug"?

Oh, look? You ALL raised your hands! Big surprise! : ) These were kids that didn't have the benefit of Supernanny (or parents who knew what they were doing) when growing up.

So, my hat (Mary Poppins style!) goes off to Jo, the SUPERNANNY and ABC for airing reality programming that not only has a conscious, but also, is incredibly useful! Maybe, in a generation or so, we will start seeing the benefits of good parenting!

Ok, now on to my guilty pleasure! This reality show is certainly nowhere near as socially useful as ABC's Supernanny, but it is perhaps one of the most entertaining shows to watch if you have any sort of creative/artistic streak in you. It's called PROJECT RUNWAY and it airs Wednesdays at 9pm on Bravo.

What makes this show so fantastic, is that it pits 12 aspiring fashion designers against each other, competing to win week-to-week on design challenges. Designers are eliminated on a weekly basis based on their execution of design challenges until only three remain to face-off on the catwalk at New York's Fall Fashion Week in February 2005. The winner's designs will be photographed for Elle magazine. The winning designer will also receive $100,000 in seed money too help them launch their own line.

What a concept! First of all...this is all hosted by the fabulous Heidi Klum.

What makes Heidi so wonderful is that she's a really really bad actress. She's horribly wooden and has no expression or even a glimpse of varying inflection in her speech. She sounds like a german automaton. And it's wonderful! She can say lines as varied as "That was truly an amazing dress" or "That was the worst design I've ever seen" and use the exact same vocal tone and facial expression-which usually is something like a cross between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the voice of Hal from 2001.

And as each designer is eliminated, each week, Heidi bids each of them farewell with a steely.."Aufeidersein"!! I can almost picture her in full SS regalia as she utters--no--barks, this proclamation. It's sheer heaven!

Aside from Klum's "She-Bitch of the SS" routine, the show also offers lots of entertainment because each week the designers are given a different challenge, ranging from designing a swimsuit to designing a wedding dress, with often mixed (and hilarious) results.

The one solitary thing I hate about the show, is the same thing I hate in lots of other reality shows like this...somehow, the producers think the competition itself is not enough to keep us interested (it is! it is!), so they feel the need to "amp" up the "conflict" between the contestants. I honestly don't care if Wendy wants to bitch slap Austin Scarlett, or if the contestants secretly hate each other or get along...who cares? Just design the stupid dresses you idiots and may the best of you win!

My advice to Bravo execs...let the competition speak for itself...that, combined with Heidi's icy-cold demeanor are enough to keep me hooked for years!

So, who says Reality TV is all bad? I am learning to embrace the more interesting ventures in Reality programming...and now shut up while I suffer through another season of American Idol.

Ok, I'll admit it--maybe I am a masochist!