If I Can Dream

For a while now I've been seeing advertisements for this thing on Hulu called "If I Can Dream." It's a reality show about 5 Hollywood hopefuls pursuing their dreams. There are no competitions, no voting people off the island, no lame "made for TV" jobs they have to hold and no jarring personalities to put up with, all of which makes for a highly unusual reality show.

What makes this show even more unusual, however, is the fact that there are 60 cameras in the house which are on at all times, streaming live video onto the internet for the whole world to see. When you go to the web site you can view any one of these cameras and their feeds 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These cameras watch everything (decent): the pool, the kitchen, the bedrooms, and even the entry and the hallway.

Occasionally this is quite entertaining. For example, tonight when I checked out the kitchen they had their cook there preparing dinner and I was able to hear about what she was preparing and how to do it myself! I also saw someone organizing pillows, and another person asking viewers to Tweet in their opinion about their clothing choice for a party later that evening.

Other times, this can be duller than watching paint dry. This afternoon when I went there for the first time ever, I saw a girl sitting on her bed reading a book. I wasn't sure that the video was even working, but then I saw her turn the page... what intrigue!

The concept reminds me a lot of the Truman Show (remember that movie?), the only difference being that this time, the characters know they are being watched. Despite the fact that they agreed to be filmed constantly, I still feel like a creep watching their every move. Having said that, though, I am not sure I'll be able to resist checking in now and again to see what these people are up to (even though occasionally it may be more dull than life in my apartment).

I think in general the concept is truly interesting. For the first time EVER you can watch a reality show that is exactly that: reality. Also, you can interact in a variety of ways with the people living in the house (in real time!) if you catch them at the right moment, which is definitely a unique plus. I'm interested to see if this will catch on and become a phenomenon. Will people tune in to see what our fame-searching hopefuls are up to? Or will viewers discover that the reason reality shows don't usually depict reality is because the truth is not really that interesting?

Check it out for yourself: http://ificandream.com/