Real TV - Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes

I've watched Oprah sporadically throughout the years but, since this is the final, highly-anticipated last season,  I decided to tape the shows and watch them after the kids have gone to bed.  I have to say Season 25 continues to be fantastic-- showstopping guests, great topics, and over-the-top viewer love. 



Even more fascinating to watch is Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes, which airs on Oprah's OWN network.  What goes on behind the camera, and all the work that goes into producing a show is, for lack of better words, simply a-m-a-z-i-n-g.  Oprah isn't kidding when she says she has the hardest working team on television.  I literally feel their stress... and relief when everything works out.  I enjoy watching Oprah interact with her team as well as seeing all the efforts that go into the making of a single show. I don't blame Oprah for retiring... what an exhausting, neverending routine that she's been doing for the last 25 years. 

And, of course, of course, of course, it's interesting to see the celebrities as they prep for a show (Liza Minnelli rehearsing in her little black hoodie was just adorable-- think what you may, but that tiny woman has spunk!).  They also include some interesting tidbits that aren't addressed on air (the Judd episode and why Ashley didn't appear... hmmmm....).  Fun stuff!

Between Oprah's shows, Top Chef, Glee and American Idol, I'll have enough shows to watch to last me through Fall! 

p.s. I haven't started watching American Idol yet... hope those judges are good!

Gleek



It's official... I'm a Gleek.  I've been DVR-ing Glee since April and a couple of weeks ago decided it was time to find out what the hype is all about.  I'm always the last one to jump on the bandwagon.

The show is just plain FUN!  Singing, dancing, musical numbers, fun and crazy plotlines, nutty characters, witty dialogue-- L-O-V-E!

And the music is awesome.  To embrace my new gleekiness, I bought the Glee soundtracks-- volume 1 & volume 2 and have been playing them in my car nonstop.  Now the boys are starting to sing along too-- Thank goodness they're too young to "Oh, Mom..." me.

I also like how the fashions reflect the characters.  Some is crazy bad, but there's also a lot of stuff that I would wear-- even though I left high school a few eons ago :)

emma pillsbury

the always prim & proper guidance counselor

Finn & Quinn

finn - football player, nice guy, male lead for glee club, oft confused (and abused) guy

quinn - head cheerio (aka cheerleader), glee-clubber, soon to be baby's mama

Rachel

amazing voice, neurotic, quirky, queen of the gleeks.  she looks great when she's not wearing the argyle sweaters and those short, plaid schoolgirl skirts.

Santana & Brittany

the other two cheerios in glee.  they're annoying but entertaining.  wonder if they'll ever tire of wearing those polyester uniforms every.single.day?  Probably not... Quinn's outfit is cute though.

Kurt Hummel

The biggest diva-- Love him.  And the scene where he's dancing to Beyonce in a unitard... had to watch it twice.

Will Schuester

I love Mr. Schue... he's cute, can sing & dance and honestly cares about the kids... Although he is a bit misguided at times... Oh well, about as close to a renaissance man as we're gonna get! :)

Sue Sylvester

Will's bullying archrival.  Although she is all kinds of crazy, I love her character... and only she could rock a track suit.  I crack up every time she gets angry with Will, then starts tossing students around... And the hair jokes are pretty funny too. 

So I have 8 more episodes to watch before the new season starts on September 21st... Eh, I probably won't have a problem catching up before then.

all photos via coolspotters

Non-Crazy Reality Shows - Spain: On the Road Again

This is a relaxing show that I DVR and watch when the kids are napping.  It's almost like going on vacation-- except your new best friends are Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, Mark Bittman and Claudia Bassols.  They take you to some amazing sites, eat wonderful food and let you listen in on their somewhat unscripted conversations.  I especially love the banter between Gwyneth and Mario... I'd love to hang with him.

If you love food and travel, then this may just be the show for you.

Spain:  On the Road Again

~♥♥♥~

Non-Crazy Reality Shows - Life

Have you been watching Life, the new series on the Discovery Channel?  It's another show that I've added to my DVR list.  The camera work is beautiful, it's very informative, and what they do to get the shots is simply A-mazing.  Of course it doesn't hurt that Oprah narrates the series either.

I grew up watching and loving Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, but I don't watch too many "nature" shows these days.  It seems like a lot of these types of shows seem to focus on the gore of survival of the fittest, and there's definitely more to life than that!  The final show, "The Making of Life", airs on April 18th and should be very interesting.

~♥♥♥~

Non-Crazy Reality Shows - Who Do You Think You Are?

I don't watch much TV- I tend to "DVR" stuff I like, then watch it in my spare time... which is very spare and therefore, priceless. So basically, no time for fluff, cheese or "fake" reality drama.

But if you search around, THERE IS good stuff out there. I've been filling my DVR with some interesting and thought provoking shows.  Here's my latest find~

 

Who Do You Think You Are?

If you're interested in geneology, then this is the show for you.  Each week, the show tracks a well-known celebrity as they journey into their family's past. Not only is it interesting to see where each celebrity "came from", but the emotional journey is touching.  Most people's ancestral past is not all wine and roses, and I think it's empowering to see what our/their ancestors went through to shape our own current existence. If you're like me, this show will  peak your interest into your own family's past.  Ancestry.com, an online family history resource, is a sponsor and is  mentioned often on the show-- I'm a little tempted... maybe in my spare time.

~♥♥♥~