One day, not too long ago, I had the television on while working on Hollywood the Write Way and I kept getting distracted by the TV…so none of my work was getting completed. So I thought to myself, “Let me turn to something that I won’t pay attention to.” While flipping through the channels, I settled on Gene Simmons Family Jewels which I had heard about but had never seen before.
A&E was airing a marathon. Long story short, I only got 2 things done that day that I had planned to get done because I was sucked into this reality show quicker than I had anytime to realize it. Ever since that day, I have been anticipating more marathons of the show…to no luck due to my erratic schedule. Thankfully, I was sent The Complete Seasons 4 and 5 and have been loving every minute of it.
One of the things that intrigues me so much about this show is that it follows a functional family for once. That probably has something to do with everyone being an adult in the house (including Sophie, who though still young and in high school at the time, has a lot of good things going on in her busy life). Everyone in the family has their own positive thing going on. They know how to get down to business and they know how to have fun with it and just take advantage of life. This family is living the life and living it responsibly and respectfully and that’s what’s so great about this show. Of course they have their playful sarcastic moments and moments where they are in questionable and scary situations but doesn’t every family? It’s so much fun to see how this rock and roll family deals and I really don’t know why. Perhaps I am so fascinated at how normal this rock and roll family deals overall. A really sweet addition to the show are snippets of home videos shot by mom, Shannon all the way back to the late 80s. This is such an intriguing and entertaining reality show and I definitely recommend that you watch, whether you watch much reality TV or not.
Release Date: December 21, 2010
Rating: N/A
Running Time: 7 hours, 40 minutes
Legendary rock god and multi-hyphenate Gene Simmons and his unconventional family are back and better than ever for season four of the hit A&E unscripted series Gene Simmons Family Jewels. This season kicks off with Sophie s sweet sixteen party, giving viewers an all-access pass to the landmark celebration. From Gene s appearance on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and his filming of a Japanese monster flick, to Shannon preparing for a role in a roller derby exploitation film, to Nick getting his own apartment, to Sophie fending off ill-intentioned teenaged boys, follow the Simmons-Tweed clan as they set out to prove, yet again, why they are the most non-traditional, traditional family in America.
Bonus Feature:
Additional Footage (45:30 minutes) – There are a number of unaired scenes to watch on this DVD, including the scenes titled, “Gene Simmons: Thespian,” “Gene’s Guide for Girls: Never Trust Boys,” “Jammin With Nick,” “Souvenir Romping,” “Pink’s Wieners,” “Sun Studio Legends,” “Nick’s Beverly Hills Blues,” “Gene Vs. Sophie: The SAT Challenge,” “Sporty Gene?,” “Simmons-Tweed Family Time,” “Two Doctors and a Little Pepper,” “Who’s the Old Fart?,” “Gesha KISSes,” “The Secret Life of Tracy,” “Gene’s StratosFEARS,” “Gene’s Secret to Success,” and “Tricks and Treats.” My favorite moments have to be Gene discussing makeup overseas with Geishas, the family mistakenly conducting an intervention for Tracy and eating dog treats, and Gene bringing a dog to a business meeting to butter up the female executive. Lastly, my favorite part of the additional footage is “The Couch Potato and the Meatball,” which shows outtakes from one of the opening sequences for the show. You will laugh out loud!
Release Date: December 21, 2010
Rating: N/A
Running Time: 7 hours, 40 minutes
Legendary rock god Gene Simmons returns with his unconventional family for another wildly entertaining season of Gene Simmons Family Jewels. From a major health scare for Shannon, to Gene’s 60th birthday, to Gene and Nick’s first adult fight, season five gives fans an unprecedented look at the many adventures and milestone moments that make this family so special. As if that wasn’t enough, Gene is in the midst of a sold-out world tour and you get to come along for the ride. This season also features Nick playing with Gene’s bandmates Tommy Thayer (lead guitar), Eric Singer (drums) and dad on bass; Sophie babysitting kids from hell; and Gene touring his roots in New York City.
Bonus Feature:
Additional Footage (32:34 minutes) – There are a number of unaired scenes to watch on this DVD, including the scenes titled, “Shannon Gets a Mammogram,” “Breast Cancer Awareness,” “Shannon and Nick Make Sushi,” “The Case of Mis-Cake-En Identity,” “Gene the Tourist,” “The Demon Visits the Dead,” “Shannon & Tracy’s Big Adventure,” “Gene Loves Kids,” “Grandma’s Boyfriend,” “and Gene Goes Bald.” These additional scenes are longer than the additional scenes from Season 4, so there are less of them. And these scenes are more intriguing and entertaining I would say as well. The first two scenes are very important for everyone to watch and will hopefully encourage you to get checked out yourselves. The rest are scenes that will make your jaw drop and laugh out loud for quite some time, even after viewing. If you’re going to watch additional footage from one of the two DVDs, I would suggest this footage.
Own Gene Simmons Family Jewels The Complete Season Four and The Complete Season Five on DVD December 21, 2010.