Guest blogger Marisa O’Neill tells us what she’s watching…
After my period of mourning of ‘no more new episodes of LOST on television’, I had to pick myself up and figure out what to program next on my DVR. I must say there are several shows I’m looking forward to. And in my quest to bring you summer entertainment that’s free, I pass on to you the shows I think you shouldn’t pass on. Below, part one.
1. What I’ll Be Watching:
I’ll be watching So You Think You Can Dance every Wednesday and Thursday this summer on Fox TV. The dancers have been chosen but the dancing has just begun. So if you like to watch fiercely competitive, creative, talented young people who love to dance, then tune in. This Wednesday begins the first show where the top 20 dancers will be competing for the audience’s votes. They’ll have partners to dance with, have learned one dance in a specific sub-genre (contemporary, ball room, hip hop, jazz) and will be dancing in front of an audience and cameras for the first time.
Why I’ll Be Watching:
What compels me to keep watching this show, now in it’s 5th cycle, is the talent. My goodness, as a dancer (in my former life), watching these young people not only tackle a new dance every week – and trust me when I say this is no easy feat – with a choreographer they have never worked with before – again, no easy feat – fascinates the heck out of me. On top of that, these dancers are solo artists and yet they have to dance with a partner every week. Speaking from experience, partnering is very hard to do. To be in sync with your partner, to have chemistry with them and to dance together as if you’ve been doing it your whole life? Well quite frankly that takes years of rehearsal and they only have 4 or 5 days to make it look easy, and for the most part, they do.
Secondly, while I have no love lost for the judges, I do have a great deal of respect for Cat Deely. She’s the Brit who is not only beautiful but in my estimation one of the best reality show hosts on television today. She has a rapport with all five entities that comprise the show – the dancers, the judges, the choreographers, the studio audience and the viewers at home. Her personality and vivaciousness are infectious; and I’m always curious to see what she’ll be wearing next. So, yes, I’ll be watching week after week to see some of the most talented and creative dancers in America dancing for my viewing pleasure.
2. What I’ll be Watching:
I’m definitely celebrating on Thursday nights when you’ll find me tuning into USA Network to watch the 3rd season of Burn Notice – I love this show and I try to pass the love on every chance I get. Michael Westsen is a spy turned out in the cold, in other words, he’s been burned. No agency to protect him and too many bad guys after him to count. While he’s trying to figure out who burned him and reinstate his good name he spends his time doing good deeds for others. He gets help from his ex-girlfriend, his mother and a former SEAL.
Why I’ll Be Watching:
The best part? Jeffrey Donovan the actor who plays Michael Westen. If you saw him on the bus or at the supermarket you’d think, hmmm… accountant. And that’s not to
say accountants aren’t all that and more, it’s just that accountants aren’t necessarily synonymous with spies. Here’s this guy who is not very tall with pretty unassuming looks. I think if he stopped you at the local watering hole and asked you what your sign was, you’d most likely keep walking. And yet, he sells it. He is all that and more. Jeffrey Donovan is an actor who makes you believe he’s part Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) all rolled into one. As an actor he makes you believe he is tough, intelligent, dangerous, compassionate, sexy, tender, cunning and very good at what he does. The second reason I love this show… Sharon Gless. She plays Michael’s chain smoking tough talking mother. And she is magnificent in the role. Third reason, the writing. In a word, well done.
Like any good continuing series (and we all know about series) if you missed the first two seasons, the third season stands alone. But if you want to know how it all started you can also get the 1st season free from your local library, ask your local librarian about their cooperative system. If your library doesn’t have it you can rent DVD’s of Season 1 and 2 from Netflix or any video store. If you missed the first episode of Season 3 go to usanetworks.com to watch or watch on hulu.tv.
Stay tuned, tomorrow I give you 2 more reasons I’m celebrating after the LOST season finale.
