December 10, 2007
All the residents of an apartment complex in the 2000 block of West Grace Street secretly believe to themselves that their lives resemble the main characters of popular television situation comedies, dramas and at least two HBO Original Series.
“I thought I recognized the plot-lines when ‘Entourage’ first started coming on TV a few years back,” tenant Eric Schuller said of the completely fictional HBO series about a young A-list actor supporting his three friends and dealing with an eccentric manager. “Then I got it – that’s totally my life.”
Despite Schuller’s $47,300 annual salary that prohibits him from picking up the tabs for pals or holding anything close to an extravagant lifestyle, the public-relations account executive maintains his friends and personal adventures mimic those of the Emmy Award-winning series, now approaching its fifth season.
“Mark [Fuller] is all stocky and thinks he’s cool, totally like Turtle. And Andrew [Raissi] is all goofy like Drama. I’m probably the Vincent or E character, definitely. And probably both since it’s just the three of us,” Schuller said. ”You should see us when we roll in to Bank or Tobacco [Company] downtown. Heads turn, I’m fairly sure.”
When friends aren’t around, however, Schuller, who lives alone and loves Cap’n Crunch cereal, broke up with two girlfriends for inane reasons and has seen all the “Superman” movies, believes those four similarities and his everyday comings and goings resemble those found in the Jerry character in “Seinfeld.”
Schuller isn’t alone in his thoughts. An estimated 157 million Americans strongly connect to their favorite TV shows, a report last year from Nielsen//NetRatings found.
“Connecting to these shows - specifically sitcoms, dramas and most anything on HBO besides ‘Rome’ - is a pretty common trait among all races, sexes and creeds,” said Virginia Tech sociology professor Barbara Schultz, who admits that her picturesque Roanoke neighborhood and fact that she is having an affair with her Hispanic lawn-care boy has her pegged for the Eva Longoria character in “Desperate Housewives.”
But nowhere in Virginia, Schultz said of her own findings, is the need to relate to TV characters stronger than in the Fan District row house.
Down the hall from Schuller’s three-room apartment that is nearly 50 times smaller than the mansion in “Entourage,” is Maryn Davis and her three roommates, all of whom believe they live the lives of the cast of “Sex and the City.”
Despite Richmond being located roughly 400 miles due south of New York – where the show is set – Davis and friends may be on to something. Each of the four love martinis and shoes and believe Davis holds the Carrie Bradshaw role. The other young women, when asked by Tobacco Avenue, agreed on who plays the role of the conservative but attractive Charlotte, the not-as-good-looking but still pretty yet cynical redhead Miranda and the overly-provocative and much older Samantha.
Still, all are “bigtime” into men, they say. “Another major similarity,” Davis said.
Up the stairs from Schuller are four students in their residencies at the VCU Medical Center. They, too, are living lives in which they on some level believe – however insurmounbtable – that cameras are filming their every move, and editors then piece together the clips into a dramatic format for viewing on ABC, Thursdays at 9/8 central.
“‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – totally us,” said Tony Branson, who despite Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd’s role as head of neurosurgery, is interested in orthopedics. “This chick at work is totally like Katherine Heigl, even blond and hot like her and all in to neo-natal surgery. Her name is even Karen, which is pretty close to Katherine, even though the name in the show is Izzie.”
“Whatever, close enough,” said Branson, who, unlike the Patrick Dempsey character, is not considered attractive by close female friends.
Among the other tenants who believe their lives resemble TV shows are a group of four cavemen, a cartoon family of five with a talking, psychotic baby and 22 people whose plane crashed in Richmond, have no clue where they are and solve puzzles together every Wednesday at 8 p.m., depending on where you live.
Comments
Guy Who Lives Above 3 Monkeys Tired Of Asking Everyone To Keep It Down
Nick Cavalieri, who has lived in the apartment directly above 3 Monkeys Bar and Grill since November, is getting "more than fed up" with having to continuously tell his neighbors to be quiet, the 30-year-old said today.
"Monday through Sunday, I hear those guys partying pretty much every night," Cavalieri said. The University ...
