Getting Real

Reality shows—you gotta love them. Many of them are so much more interesting than the sappy sitcoms and soap operas offered by the networks. It seems that May is the month when a lot of finals are held and winners proclaimed. Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice, American Idol, The Amazing Race and Dancing with the Stars all come to an end this month.

My favourite is Dancing with the Stars. The energetic dancers, the colourful costumes and the fabulous band music—all take me back to the great movie musicals of the 40s and 50s when stars like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire ruled the silver screen.

I’ve been watching this program since I first saw Mario Lopez, the dimpled Mexican charmer strut his stuff in Season Three. This year’s semi finalists are probably three of the best contestants ever. French actor, Gilles Marini; gold medal winning Olympic gymnast, Shawn Johnson; and Mellissa Rycroft, the Texas beauty TV’s bachelor so cruelly dumped in front of the viewing audience this last March, are all vying for the top honour—the mirror ball. It’s going to be a very close race since they have all taken top marks at least once or twice.

Speaking of winners—the writing contest that I’m so interested in winds up this month. The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards competition has been narrowed down to the three finalists. These books are: “Bill Warington’s Last Chance” by James King and “In Malice, Quite Close” by Brandi Lynn Ryder—both in General Literature and a fantasy novel by Ian Gibson entitled “Stuff of Legends.” There are excerpts on all three that anyone with an Amazon Account can read and vote for as their favourite. One vote per account.

Whichever book wins will be published by Penguin and sold on Amazon later this year.