Hail Mary – how the times changed
MARY McALEESE’S MODERN FAMILY RTÉ ONE, TONIGHT, 9.35
IN TONIGHT’S Mary McAleese’s Modern Family, the former president joins the cast of American sit-com Modern Family.
While there, she lectures the Pritchett clan on ever y thing they’re doing wrong and how they’re guilty of thought crimes, while offering helpful though unsolicited advice to gay couple Mitchell and Cameron on the best ways to bring up their feisty daughter Lily, before accusing Jay of being right-wing.
Oh, the larks they have! Sadly, that’s not the case – although I shall demand a royalty if she ever makes an admittedly unlikely cameo on the sitcom.
No, this version of Mary McAlesse’s Modern Family is timed to coincide with the World Meeting of Families and the Pope’s visit (you may have heard something about it on the news) and sees her exploring how the nature of the traditional Irish family has changed since a Pope popped in back in 1979.
Along the way, she meets a family who have 11 kids, a woman who lef t the Catholic Church to become an Anglican dean, and a gay couple who have been fostering a child for the last 13 years.
She also explores how the laws have changed in Ireland in the near-40 years since the last visit and it is, as you would expect, all very worthy and well intentioned.
Can’t imagine it being a barrel of laughs, though.
Of course, the chances are you’ll be too busy watching Celebrity Big Brother (3E, tonight, 9pm), which has returned once more to remind us that the word ‘celebrity’ now has absolutely no meaning whatsoever.
There was an initial f lurr y of attention when it looked like Trump-linked porn star Stormy Daniels was going to make an appearance, but apparently she got as far as the studio then freaked out or, according to some sources, she was hoping to pocket the money and run.
Either way, the show now seems to exist purely to mock and then condemn people who are obviously suffering from genuine psychiatric problems.
Rodrigo Alves, who delights under the nickname ‘The Human Ken Doll’ has long been a minor fixture on the tabloid scene and is known, such as it is, for his addiction to plastic surger y and craving attention and affection.
An obviously vulnerable sort, he provoked thousands of complaints when he used the ‘N’ word.
This prompted a mass f it of the inevitable vapours, but you have to ask yourself why anyone would watch a bunch of has-beens, wannabes and never-weres being exploited for public gratification and then freaking out when they say something stupid.
Isn’t that the whole point of the show?