On TV, Anyway, Texas Is the New New Jersey
Categories: From the RTF Dept., Media
 |
| Bravo |
| One week from tonight, these people will take over your television sets. If you watch Bravo at 9. |
With the current surge, Texas may have just shoved New Jersey off its perch as one of TV's most popular backdrops for scripted and reality shows.On the other side, meet the cast. Hard. Not sure which is worse -- this or this.
Rather than attribute the interest to the emergence of the "tea party" or other vocal conservative movements, industry watchers said it's likely that the generous tax breaks for filming and the state's romantic history, à la Giant, John Wayne flicks and sweeping James Michener epics, have Hollywood roped and tied. In 2009, the state tripled its annual budget from roughly $20 million to $60 million for filming incentives - a move that ultimately saved production companies between 5% and 15%.
"The vastness, the opulence, the wealth and the grandiloquent way it's often expressed are kind of hard to resist," said Joshua Gunn, associate professor of communication studies at the University of Texas at Austin. "The regional mythology has been rooted deep into popular culture for generations."
Write Comment
Email to Friend
Print Article
