With Chapter 22 of Trapped in the Closet now live at ifctv.com, each episode of the hip-hopera commissioned by the Independent Film Channel has been released into the ether, and our long national ironic nightmare/guilty obsession is, for the time being, over. Watch it here — it’s a lot like Pillow Talk, except instead of Rock Hudson and Doris Day, there’s a philandering bisexual pastor and a midget. And, if you just can’t get enough of Sylvester, Twan, the lesbian waitresses, Rosey the nosey neighbor and the rest of the crew, you can watch this preview of IFC’s “exclusive interview” with R. Kelly, in which the maestro explains his creative process (”I always tell people, Trapped in the Closet is an alien,” he says, “Because it’s something I’ve never seen, since I’ve been on the Earth”) and hints that you haven’t seen the last of the Closet gang.
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Hey K,
Thanks again for the attention you’ve given “Trapped In The Closet”.
However, what’s with the “ironic nightmare” dig?
In the past two weeks, “Trapped” has moved from online curiosity, to tv’s first hit online series. In doing so, it’s helped change the programming paradigm - proving that truly entertaining, original content DOES NOT have to come from the Hollywood machine.
The emails we’ve received, and the posts made on our message boards, show that many, many avid followers of the series feel no guilt whatsoever over their obsession, nor do they consider it a bad dream. In fact, they eagerly await a next season.
In a summer chock full o’ hyped-up, enormously expensive, star-studded summer programming, this well-made, independently produced, hip-hop soap opera, has given the entertainment industry a bit of a wake up call. You don’t need a blockbuster budget or a truckload of special effects to capture people’s attention - just an original voice, an independent platform… and a midget.
Is R Kelly the next Bertolt Brecht? No. But “Trapped” is uniquely original content, shown in an innovative way. IFC is proud to have given the world this new season of “Trapped In The Closet”, and to have played a part in the cultural phenomena it has created.
evan shapiro
ifc tv
Evan, that phrase honestly wasn’t meant as a dig at Trapped itself — if anything, it was a dig at people like myself who have spent time agonizing over where to place it on the irony meter. It’s not worth arguing about, so I’ve crossed it out.
and i used it as an excuse to pontificate. you shouldn’t feel bad about it - the irony card has been used by numerous journalists - most recently the village voice in two different pieces.
it is funny how the discussion around trapped always centers on whether or not we’re laughing with Kelly. I guess I don’t know why people don’t enjoy it, guilt free.
evan