Local programming on network affiliates is usually news, sports or some sort of midday show on home improvements.
But every Saturday night at 11, My Tucson TV (KTTU, Channel 18 over the air and Channel 2 on Cox and Channel 3 on Comcast), delivers a true alternative — "The Very Bad Movie," hosted by Carrie Moten, of the "Johnjay and Rich" morning show.
"The Very Bad Movie," which started about a year ago, delivers exactly what the name promises — movies that are such unique creative failures that they actually cause a rip in the irony/kitsch continuum and somehow become entertaining.
It's sort of a local version of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," with Moten providing commentary between commercial breaks on just how awesomely bad these flicks are.
"It basically started when we had a whole room full of really crummy movies, and nowhere really to use them," said Brian Baltosiewich, creative services director of KTTU and sister station KMSB (Channel 11) and head writer of the local segments on "The Very Bad Movie." "We wanted to make use of them while we still had the rights to air them."
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Baltosiewich said he didn't want to "sugarcoat" things by calling these movies anything but what they were, thus the rather blunt title. Then the station started looking for a host.
"We had some auditions, and Carrie just had the right sarcasm gene that we were looking for," Baltosiewich said.
"I'm very much attracted to stuff that's not necessarily mainstream," Moten said.
Both Baltosiewich and Moten agree that the first movie featured on the show, 1977's "The Van," about a young man who blows his college money on a van that he hopes will attract the opposite sex, is still the best (or is that worst?) of the bad movies featured thus far.
"Absolutely god-awful," Baltosiewich said. "It had Danny DeVito in it for about three minutes, and it was just really, really bad. Just a great way to start the series."
"I could talk about it forever," Moten said. "It becomes a very funny movie. Because it's so bad, it's actually good."
"The audience that we've gathered is extremely loyal, that goes out of their way on Saturday nights to see the show," said Baltosiewich. "For a very small but ardent fan base, it's become sort of 'can't-miss TV.' "
"Last Fourth Avenue Street Fair," Moten said, "I did not have one radio person (notice me). But I probably had 50 people come up to me for 'The Very Bad Movie.' "
They've gotten so good at being bad that they're now looking for more spectacularly subpar films.
"Midway through the run, we bought the rights to an old package of horror movies, like 'The Giant Gila Monster,' " Baltosiewich said. "It's really kind of grown into its own thing. We are actively seeking bad movies now."
