Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Person Of The Week: Rexella Van Impe!
If you find yourself mindlessly watching TV late at night on the weekend, you may have stumbled across the demented magic that is “Jack Van Impe Presents.” Together with her Bible-passage spewing husband Jack, Rexella Van Impe tries to bring the flock closer to Jesus as they try to tie the weeks events to the End Times. The show is oddly mesmerizing. I can never bring myself to change the channel when I come across it. The whole crew couldn't be more entertaining. There is Jack, his hands flailing as he manically gesticulates and flashes his Cheshire cat-like grin, rattling off Bible passage after Bible passage (which he claims to have completely memorized… no cuecards). And that cheesy haircut! And then there is announcer Chuck Ohman, imploring viewers to send in that money in exchange for the week's crudely assembled & horribly acted video that better illustrates the weeks apocolyptically related content. With his deep voice and completely cheesy delivery (and equally cheesy haircut), Chuck is the last of a dying breed of thoroughly inauthentic pitchmen.
But it’s Rexella's aww shucks delivery and Home Shopping Network looks that keep my hand off the remote. She reads (as well as she can) headlines of the week and spins them so they all tie into the coming of Christ and then lobs things over to Jack who explains that every item in these articles is in the Bible and how they prove the end is just around the corner. Unbenounced to Jack, Chuck & Rexella, it's comedic genius. But I often find unintentional humor to be the very best kind.
I also love how Rexxy calls the viewers 'friends' and begs them to call or write her because she'd "love to send you, absolutely free, this little booklet for steps in a new direction." I have to admit to never even entertaining contacting her, but man oh man, I love watching this show! It's absolutely addicting. It's absolutely entertaining. And I thank Rexella (as well as Jack and Chuck) for making late night weekend TV a whole lot better.
I also think the folks at AquaNet have to be thanking their lucky stars that Rexella, Jack and Chuck are keeping them in business.
