Tabloid Frenzy

"Reincarnated Elvis Presley Gives Birth to 500 Lb. Alien on White House Lawn." Oh, you already knew that. Two things are unavoidable in a supermarket check-out line: 1) children who loudly make a last ditch effort to get mom or dad to buy something ("please, can I have that automatic nose hair remover? I need it!), and 2) tasteless tabloid headlines, which we religiously scan (except for those of us who have personal subscriptions). Tabloid Frenzy, originally made for Canadian television, takes viewers behind the scenes of The Globe, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. Here, journalists track incredibly weird leads, put interviewees on polygraph tests, and each week print the straight skinny on celebrities' weight problems, spouse problems, drug-addicted kid problems, and so on. Documenting a week-in-the-sleazoid-life, the program follows photographers to Alan Thicke's wedding; the story of "Jimmy," a male prostitute who claims Ron Goldman worked as a gigolo for Heidi Fleiss; and the quest for substantiating photos of a slimmed-down Della Burke. Like Frontline: Tabloid Truth--The Michael Jackson Scandal (VL-5/94), this program takes the easy road by showing the circus rather than truly exploring it. Still, most people will be more than happy to gawk at this. Recommended, with reservations. (R. Pitman)