Do Good Intentions Get Buried on MTV?

I got an Email the other day from a publicist who wanted me to know about an unusual way MTV was promoting one of its new series, The Buried Life.
The promotion involved taking over a storefront at 43d Street and Fifth Av. in New York. Passersby will be able to watch videos from the show and to answer the series’ central question: “What do you want to do before you die.”
The Email said a huge number of people interacted with the storefront: 500 videos were shown the first day. In a week, video clips were played 7,000 times. And MTV received more than 2,000 responses to its question.
Last year, MTV was talking about becoming more aspirational and inspirational to meet what it said were the changing attitudes of the young people it expects to make up its core audience.
The Buried Life is about four friends who make a list of things they want to accomplish in their lives and set off in a bus across America to get them done. In addition to crossing items off their own list, each time the bus stops the guys look for people they can help. They ask strangers what they want to do before they die, then help them achieve their goals.
The series was one of the cornerstones of the new MTV at the upfronts, but at this point you’ve probably heard a whole lot more about Jersey Shore in recent months. Most people would say Jersey Shore doesn’t qualify as aspirational, but it got great ratings and the Snookie, the Situation and the rest of cast of that show is coming back for a second season. So much for the plan.
Anyway, we checked out some episodes of The Buried Life.
In last week’s episode, they tackled No. 41 on their list: to make a toast at a stranger’s wedding, sort of like in Wedding Crashers. Despite tighter-the-expected security at Dallas catering halls, eventually one of the guys is able to go in and grab a mike, quote the Beatles, and tell the happy couple how much he loves them. After he finishes, and the band strikes up “Shout,” the bride and groom thank the toastmaster. But soon you can tell by their puzzled faces neither one knows who jumped into their special day.
The more meaningful moment comes when the guys encounter an artist who signs his painting with both his own name and the name of his son, who he hasn’t seen since he was two. The guys track down the son’s number and fade out as a father, in silhouette, enjoys a reunion over the phone.
This week, the guys crossed No. 59 off their bucket list: Ask out the girl of your dreams.
The girl was Megan Fox, so the guys headed to L.A. where the actress would appear on the red carpet for the premiere of Transformers 2. Three of the guys scored media passes for the Red Carpet and got up close and personal with Megan, but no date. The fourth snuck into the building a day before the premiere and spent his time hiding in the men’s room.
In their spare time, the guys helped a teenager overcome a fear of heights and roller coasters, accompanying her on the Silver Bullet at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Doing good is less controversial than being a Guido, so The Buried Life might never achieve the notoriety of Jersey Shore. But who would you rather have coming to your town?

While I was checking out MTV, I stumbled across a strange show called Silent Library. Based on a Japanese game show, a group of six friends must endure a series of odd physical challenges. To win cash, they must do it quietly.
Singers have been featured in recent episodes, including Justin Bieber (who threw up) and Jesse James. This week James, her sister, her agent, her bass player and two friends had to try to eat gross snacks and spend time with their head inside an arcade claw game. My favorite stunt came when one of the gang had to take a 20-second butt kicking from a bunch of boots mounted on a wheel straight out of a cartoon. James was a great sport, too, enduring a surprise cannon burst of powder.
While the stunts themselves are odd, what makes the show very different is silence. On MTV. Maybe that was the best part.