My new TV boyfriend....

I have one (or two). Do you? I also have a movie star boyfriend. My husband has movie star girlfriends. It is something that we laugh about. It is funny how the girls that I think are really pretty are not the ones he does, and vice versa. All the guys that he thinks girls would like remind me of child molesters (and they will remain nameless on this blog...the stars, not the child molesters... if I knew any I would let you know...).

AnyHOOOO, back to my new TV boyfriend. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to Dr. Drew.

I know, I know. You have seen him on MTV and on (horror) The Tyra Banks show and other MTV Generation type places. I thought the same thing: "Dr. Drew, you are a sell out, what can you do for me?" Well, he has brought us the little nugget called Celebrity Rehab. I had no desire to watch this show. I didn't need to see a show that was all about watching the train wreck similar to what we are watching with Britney Spears on a daily basis (seriously, how is it possible to NOT know what she is doing? It is everywhere). A friend told me that she watched it and it was surprisingly real, interesting and touching. With the writers strike and all, I decided to try it. I recorded it and watched it one night while folding one trillion loads of laundry (it really was one trillion). It was gripping. It was sad. I was ENTHRALLED. I was impressed with the process. Dr. Drew has a nice combo of being empathetic and compassionate, but still tough and realistic.

The "celebrities" are in varying stages of denial and readiness to be sober. I have been in front of my fair share of therapists. I have been in situations with myself and loved ones where change needs to happen and sometimes we are ready and sometimes we are not. It is a process and frankly, I saw a lot of real reactions there. I know that much of it is in the editing, but it was great. So, if you are looking for a pretty decent show, try this one. It isn't the run of the mill celebrity rehab show. But, remember that I feed my kids McDonalds and read US Weekly and People. If you are holy, you might want to skip it. Plus, tell me that he isn't a handsome silver haired man with wicked guns. I think of Dr. Drew as the icing on the cake....

Escape to Chimp Eden's Eugene Cussons aka "The new Crocodile Hunter"

The other show that I am strangely obsessed with is the new Animal Planet show "Escape to Chimp Eden". Again, I know. I am not an animal person, at ALL. I have always had a soft spot for chimps though. I recorded this one on a whim and loved it. He is the new Steve Irwin. This crazy guy lives in South Africa and goes around Africa saving and rehabilitating chimps. He is a lot like the crocodile hunter in the sense that he is a guy with an accent that is INSANE, but you can see that he feels strongly about what he does. It is also slightly more interesting to watch him wrestle with the chimps than crocs for some reason. It's another one to check out, and this coming from me... the non animal person.

A few other shows that I have been watching (and to be honest, haven't really noticed the writers strike because I haven't been watching network shows) are No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. You might have seen him as a judge on Top Chef or read one of his books. His shows are on the Travel Channel. He goes to different cities and countries and checks out the local cuisine and customs and filters it all for you through his 51 year old, New Yorker, slightly alcoholic eyes. It is a riot and always interesting. There is also a really great blog on the Travel Channel site about this show too. Some of you are already fans, so you can back me up on this one.

Last, I love the other Travel Channel show called Bizarre Eats with Andrew Zimmerman. He goes to other countries and shows you all the things that they eat that would make most of us gag here in our peanut butter and fast food world. It is strangely compelling and off putting at the same time. I can say that I get a new appreciation for other cultures and foods, even if I never want to eat Nigerian hot pot made with singed cow skin. You don't have to pay too much attention and you might get the added benefit of your kids seeing it and being just a tiny bit more grateful for the meal they are getting.

So there you have it. This is the TV that I watch when I have a minute. I actually end up watching most of this stuff in the middle of the night. I am in that phase of pregnancy where I am up a lot at night and I catch up on all my shows then. I have a feeling that this will continue when I have a little one wanting to eat at night.

What other shows am I missing? What are you watching? Inspire me.