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The Summer TV Blues
Raise your hand if you are already bored this summer? Ok wait, technically Summer doesn't even start until June 21st. Now I'm really down in the dumps. Where has all the good TV gone? Maybe it's because I live in California, where the sun is always shining, that it's harder for me to deal with the loss of my favorite shows. There is only so much outdoor activities us couch potatoes can take. I don't mind that shows like "Lost", "Heroes" or "24" take a few months off. I'd just like something to replace them instead of being forced to tune into mediocre talent shows. Don't get me wrong I'm still watching them but more so out of necessity than actual interest.
"So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox has kept me interested this year by featuring some inspiring stories like the young girl who dances with a prosthetic arm after losing her arm in car accident. There is also a girl who nearly lost her life in a bombing in Israel. The footage is heartbreaking and fascinating all at the same time. It's no "Dancing with the Stars" though by the time they get the to live dance shows. Frankly, I'd rather watch has-been stars dance than amateurs trying to be professionals but it at least fills the Dancing void.
To fill the void left by "American Idol" there is "America's Got Talent" which is returning for season two tonight on NBC. Brought to us by Simon Cowell, the show is a hodgepodge of bizarre variety acts and a few talented folks. The show did decent ratings for summer with Regis Philbin hosting. Now, Jerry Springer has stepped in and Sharon Osbourne is replacing Brandy. I think the most entertaining part of the show is seeing what bizarre behavior will come out of David Hasselhoff though. Let's hope now that he is in AA we still get a few moments of out him.
Last year I was pretty disappointed that the winner, 11-year-old Bianca Ryan, won on her singing talent. Personally, I don't think they should allow singers in the competition, as then it just becomes a copycat of Idol. Having worked with Sharon on her talk show, I actually have higher hopes for AGT this season. She's a loose cannon (in a great way) and I think the fact that she and cranky British judge Piers Morgan have admitted they dislike one another will make for some good dustups.
Somehow I also got sucked into watching ABC's celebrity impersonator show, "The Next Best Thing." The weakest link by far in the show is the three judges. Actually I take that back. Two of three judges need to go. The one in the middle, Elon Gold has potential. What makes the show slightly entertaining is the actual impersonators. It's like watching the Idol auditions if they were attended by has-been celebrities.
The networks need to get hip to the fact that viewers don't need reality shows shoved down their throats all summer long. Just look at the cable outlets for example. They get pretty high ratings for summer runs on shows like F/X's "Nip/Tuck" and "Rescue Me", USA's "The 4400", TNT's "The Closer" and Sci-Fi's "Battlestar Galactica."
Viewers are sophisticated enough to know a good drama or comedy when we see one no matter when it airs. So, instead of waiting until mid-season why not test out some new comedies or dramas on us during the summer.
You are NUTS!!!!! "So You Think You Can Dance" is much better than "Dancing With The Stars". The latter is kind of cheesy.
I am there with you! I miss my TV also. I am bored out of my mind. and I live in NY.
I got a lot of laughs from "America's Got Talent" last night, even if the show itself was a little more dramatic than last season's opener was, plus I feel that the show is a lot more interesting than D. Hasselhoff's divorce, too.
Actually, I feel that "America's Got Talent" is more like what Jerry Springer should be doing as a host, not his slugfest TV show, which sorely needs to be cancelled.
I'm thankful that the dumb TV show "Big Brother" isn't on TV this summer; I personally don't miss that show at all.