Summer Replacement Shows

As many of you know, I love country music. I'm a big fan of groups like Rascal Flatts and Brooks and Dunn. My favorite artists are Tim McGraw, Josh Turner, Faith, Martina, Toby Keith and Carrie Underwood. So for me, I love seeing the new young talent make their way on stage.

I can't really say I LOVE the judges though. I find them self indulgent at times on this show. But overall, for a summer replacement, when there's virtually nothing else on television, I find this show really refreshing and enjoyable. Billy Ray does a decent job of anchoring the show.



Okay, so I like Joey Fatone. Ever since I saw him on Dancing With Stars, I thought he was a great personality. I still do. But I watched this show last night, honestly, because I was tired and lazy and just didn't want to bother seeing what else was on. (I tend to veg after 8PM, because my eyes get so tired working on the computer all day - gone are the days of me writing until 2 AM, but that's an entirely different blog!)

I digress. I watched this show grudgingly and with reluctance. I thought it was a foolish premise. Who are these supposed "stars" anyway? Other than the Olympians, I didn't know them all to well. And why would anyone want to tackle circus antics? I guess when your expectations are low, you can be pleasantly surprised. Because I WAS. I enjoyed this show. I'm amazed at the depth of training and the precision in which they perform very dangerous circus acts. I loved the silks. A beautiful form of expression! And I enjoyed watching Antonio Saboto strain his muscles in his act. I have to say ... this was premise I didn't think I'd like, but then the kid in me said, CIRCUS and it was really intriguing to see how circus acts have changed over the years.

Next is America's Got Talent. This show is mind-boggling. They put on some weird stuff, but just like, American Idol, they only show you quick clips of the weirdos. Thankfully. I'm not a fan of people making fools of themselves. But once they get down to brass tacks, it's worth the hour of your time.

Neil Boyd, (hoping I'm getting the name right here) gave me chills. I thought, how has this man NOT been discovered yet? He's got an amazing range and depth, a true opera performer if I ever heard one. Then there's the adorable four-year-old girl who was too cute for words and had a very nice voice. Anyone X'ing her would need their head examined!

America's Got Talent got it right last year, with ventriloquist Terry Fator. This man's truly the real thing. I voted for him last year. He reminded me of the Howdy Dowdy Show, Paul Winchell and Sheri Lewis and Lambchop combined! It's an art that I hope is resurrected now that Terry has made a name for himself.

Neil Boyd



Terry Fator

So aside from some snarky judging, I have to say these reality shows in the form of variety shows are pretty entertaining. For me, I still rather see Lost, Desperate Housewives and Medium, but for summer replacement shows, they aren't bad.