Uglies on TV

Posted on by scott

I stumbled across something interesting today. It’s a review of Uglies by something called the Deabeat Club. But it’s not a “text-based” review; it’s internet TV!

The Deadbeat Club is a Vermont public access show made available on the internet by a TV network called Chantz TV.

To see their video-collage homage to Uglies, click here.

It’s gloriously lo-fi (thank you, YouTube compression), but you can see that a lot of care and intelligence has gone into choosing the images. I especially love the way they use current-day footage to evoke the cultural and emotional terrain of Uglies and Pretties. (Which means you’ll see lots of, ahem, Paris Hilton. And some bonus strains of Mad Max!)

Like all home-grown media, it takes a minute to get used to the grainy video and uneven sound. But really, you’d never see anything this interesting on regular TV. Not about some book, anyway.

Now I’m going to poke around and check out more of their stuff.
Here’s their blog.

32 thoughts on “Uglies on TV”

  1. Were you not aware that teens adore your books? My language arts classes are sharing two copies of Uglies and Pretties. They are getting pretty tattered, but they are reading them as if they were eating candy. I appreciate that you were able to create two great plots and very memorable characters. Thanks for writing for our teens.

  3. Lol kha. Yea that was a really cool video, but i didnt like that they said the books were for kids. I happen to think that these books are actually above the average 10 year old (my bro is 10, and he had a majorly hard time reading them, but i made him, lol), Other than that i really liked the way they set up the plot, they did better than i normally do when i set up the story for my friends (yes scott, i have been advertising your books like crazy! and just like jfloteaches, my copies are getting torn up. But i still luv them to death!), Thanks for posting that scott!

  4. The Deadbeat Club makes an excellent portayal of how very real a future the world of Uglies could become for us if we continue along the superficial path to outer beauty.

    There’s a second part to the video at this link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mljNWD9UeRc

    Remember Adriana from yesterday’s book signing? She finished reading Uglies in seven hours (through the night) without even stopping to eat or sleep. I have successfully gotten one person addicted to your books: I must now put my skills to use on others. (Perhaps for now I shall introduce Adriana to Peeps—although it might give her nightmares about being manipulated by toxoplasma, considering that she owns a cat.)

  5. HEY there!

    Thanks so much for the mention! My sister and I are BIG fans of your books! She gave them to me for Xmas and I could NOT put them down – I know you hear this all the time but they are tasty and addictive like candy and go down smooth with a thought provoking aftertaste. We are really excited about Specials – oh goodie!

    what i particularly dig about your books, besides the fact that they are a really good read, is that you don’t make any definitive pronouncements about which way of life is best – the way of the pretty or the way of the ugly. sure, being a empty-headed pretty sounds bland and repulsive in many ways and yet…no war, hunger, menial labor jobs or envy…hmmmm..not so bad. of course, at the core of things, i would rather be an ugly and live in a real world with other uglies who raise their voices and feel passionately, but your books really force me to ponder WHY i am drawn to the world of the pretties.

    after all, don’t we spend most of our young and adult lives (especially women) trying to be more perfect and beautiful and live up to these ridiculous beauty standards? thusly, if we were given the option to become perfect, many of us would (and do with some surgical aid) say “HELL YEAH!” your books make one really wonder what would happen if pretty was the norm (or is it already?) and they force you to really reevaluate what you want and who you want to be inside this world of pretty wannabes. it helps that your main character is similarly conflicted and that she initially wants to be a pretty – she is the conflicted representative of many of us.

    also, i respect that you don’t dismiss pop culture completely. we do a lot of pop culture pieces because it is such a prominent part of our lives and we both love it and hate it. yes, we try to be critical and pick it apart, but i wouldn’t take the time to do this if i didn’t also enjoy my doses of Sex and the City, What Not to Wear and The Real World. Pop culture critics who shoot it down without even admitting to any interest or fascination with the unruly beast, seem a bit out of touch to me. pop culture is a spiderweb of issues, insecurities, influences and images – it affects us from birth to death and if we are gonna fight it, work at it and try to adapt it – i think we need to be able to exist within it as well and fit it to our “ugly” purposes. so that is how i justify watching tv and enjoying it. and we really dug your books so thank you for bringing that intelligent pop culture critique to the kids and adults who are starved for this sort of refreshing perspective.

    we anxiously await your next book!

    ROCK on!!

    Eva and The Deadbeat Club!

    PS just to clarify, we do a cable access show in Northern VT but Chanz does show some of the episodes in their entirety. We are low-fi but the quality on YouTube is particularly bad cause they compress it a bunch! I’d be happy to mail you some dvds (which are good quality!) if you have a PO. They are chock full o’ pop culture goodness/badness!

    PPS also, if you like good cemeteries, may i recommend Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA? it is HUGE, run down, lots of twisted paths, strange trees, empty vistas, amazing views of SF AND the infamous, soon to be portrayed on the big screen, Black Dahlia (!!?) in buried there!

  7. Thanks all for kind words and tales of war-torn copies of Uglies and Pretties. And thanks for coming to the signing, Hezza. Glad your friend Adriana has joined the tribe.

    And a special thanks to Eva and her sister for making the Uglies video review. (Forgot to say THANKS in my post. How rude!) And for taking the time to review it in a way that shows the complicated stuff I was trying to do. I mean, I think it’s fairly complicated, anyway.

    And, yes, I figured YouTube was making it compressia-licious. But I actually like that look and feel, like an old song squished through a car radio.

  9. haha that is a funny video, sorry,it really is. but anywho… -well this off topic but- i just finished reading magic or madness, it was really good. now i need to go get the next one…

  10. Wait…wait…wait…Vermont?
    Vermont?
    I’m having a hard time taking this in. And a few comments ago they said something about NORTHERN Vermont?
    o_O
    I thought I was the only one in this state that actually reads for fun…
    Well, either way, that was pretty cool. 🙂

  11. THANK YOU GUYS for looking at our videos and SUPER big thank you to Scott for writing the books, referencing our video AND recognizing the Mad Max 2 references. Good call! I was a little stumped trying to think of footage that would best represent the Smoke but Mad Max (despite the desert element) seemed my best bet. But I don’t think the Thunderdome town would have worked so well (MAd MAx 3). Although perhaps the Smokies would have eventually developed some sort of a game like the Thunderdome to allieviate boredom….hmmm…

    Just saw “V” for Vendetta tonight and am curious what other people thought of it? Definitely has some interesting, Brazil-like ideas about the future and what madness is to come – but had that slick, perfect skin, perfectly lit, composed and shot, expertly set dressed feel to it (yes, I realize it is a comic book) and that made it harder for me to take the serious message, well, seriously. Plus, all the blood squirting made it a little silly (yes, I am aware it is a comic booK!). some parts had me in stitches like Evey getting tortured for weeks and reacting to this by whinging, “You cut my hair!!” jeez. but there were some thought provoking sentiments as well like: “ideas are bulletproof.” in general, a good film i thought.

    made me start to wonder what the movies for Uglies might be like and who they might star? jena malone might make a good Tally Youngblood and someone like Keira Knightley could play the post-op Shay. they are probably too old now but some young, unknown kids might be good fits – especially if there were some truly awkward and “ugly” actors. i love seeing some uglies on the big screen, i really do (sorry Natalie Portman but you and your perky nipples are just TOO DAMN post-op pretty!) And will there be copious blood shed in the Uglies movies? red gushes squirting out all over the place? the hoverboard scenes would be super cool but hopefully cooler than the quidditch scenes in Harry Potter. man, I wish I had a hoverboard! Hmm. it would be tough to capture the complexity of the books in films but i think it would be worth a try!

    That is my two cents. thanks again for watching the videos!

    rock!

    eva of the deadbeats

    PS YES bailey! we read in Northern VT, please!!! it is cold so we have a lot of time indoors by fireplaces to flip through the contents of one’s book shelves (note: did you notice the room of books Evey woke up in? ie: books = good people)

    PPS another good pop culture sound bite/video out there is Pink’s Stupid Girls current track:

    What happened to the dreams of a girl president
    She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent
    They travel in packs of two or three
    With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees
    Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?
    Oh where, oh where could they be?

    Maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back
    What a paparazzi girl, I don’t wanna be a stupid girl
    Baby if I act like that, flipping my blonde hair back
    Push up my bra like that, I don’t wanna be a stupid girl

    (Break it down now)
    Disease’s growing, it’s epidemic
    I’m scared that there ain’t a cure
    The world believes it and I’m going crazy
    I cannot take any more
    I’m so glad that I’ll never fit in
    That will never be me
    Outcasts and girls with ambition
    That’s what I wanna see
    Disasters all around
    World despaired
    Their only concern
    Will they **** up my hair

    http://www.lyricstop.com/s/stupidgirls-pink.html

  13. yeah was that movie good?? it looked wierd but wierd is good somtimes. like the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (but the books are way better)

  14. Thanks so much to the deadbeat club! I loved the video. I also think that the “stupid girl” song totally fits. Definate kudos to you guys. Thanks Scott for posting that video (if it wasnt for that, i wouldnt have found it). I definately want to see “V” for vendeta, it looks great. I agree (yes i know the plot, my friends have told me unfortunately) that the hair thing was a little imature. lol. So yea. That is all i have to say. thanks to all! luv ya! ^.^

  16. Hey Scott. Are you sure you’re not just a tiny bit bias (or is it biased?) about this show because they were talking about your book? I mean, yeah, it is a great show, but come on. You have to admit that it was nice to see you book talked about in a public forum. Well, not really public. You get what I’m saying, don’t you? AAAAARGH! I can’t get anything to sound right these days!

  17. Thanks again guys for watching the video! I do think Vendetta is worth a see. it is really beautifully shot and it’s a fun action movie with some politics thrown in here and there. big explosions!!!

    i wonder if jessica simpson, paris and lindsey are all mad at Pink for her song? i dig it that Pink always follows her own path, sort of like christina. they are all still pretty pretty though. imagine what would happen if they were all at a pretty party together?

    ugly forever!

    xoxo eva xoxo

  18. Hey, did anyone see the announcement in Variety that they are making a movie called “Black Monday” about a race to stop a virus that will destroy the world’s oil supply?!?!??!?

    Great minds think alike…

  19. Ahh, I hope that if Uglies gets made into a movie they do a better job than HP4, it was basically all action.

  20. A TON of my friends are reading your books now……..but only the ugly’s series, not midnighters, (my personal favourite,) so i havent seen my copies of pretties in like…..2 months. Or something like that…….i dunno. All I know is, ever since I finished reading it, someone else has been reading it. Even my sister who usually hates fantasy/science fiction read them and really liked them. One of my friend says she has a whole library of my books at her house…..lol. This lovely library has uglies, and she’s next in line for my pretties. I think she’ll be the fifth………And I know I’m brobably on the wrong blog (and already bored you too death with all my tother crap), but your wife’s book, ( i just read it,) was REALLY REALLY good!

  21. Julie: No worries! I’m just as happy to read praise here as there. I’m delighted you liked my book. So you know there’s a sequel, right?

  23. Ok please Scott telll me what u think about this: having someone make 13 pointed stars for people to buy on the site . Seriously me and Korbe must not be the only ones to think that is a cool idea right?????????? Just ploease answer.

  27. Is the oil book any good? If midnighters became a popular tv show there could be a company that makes things to do with 13, like t-shirts and necklaces, though that could be bad because they wouldn’t have to pay to use it because they could get around mentioning the books. Hmm that made no sense, which means I should stop posting. Bye for now.

  28. um scott, r u trying to get us killed, cause um….the only jewelry on that site has 12 pointed stars, and um, i dunno if u forgot, but that is a BAD NUMBER! so yea, sorry, i just value my life. But thanks for trying, lol. seriously, it means alot that you are getting involved, you are by far the best author i have ever read or talked to (i have a habit of emailing and blogging with authors whos books i have enjoyed). so really, thanks

  31. Korbe, check out the text under the 12-pointed star. It says:

    “We have actually made 13 Pointed stars, but that is probably the limit for stars with internal cuts, depending, of course, on the size.”

    Hah! You have to read the fine print. So write those guys and see if they’ll do it for you.

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