The real treasure of the Pirates of the Caribbean isn’t Johnny Depp (although it wouldn’t have been a box office hit in the first place without him) the real gem is how the story came to be.  A lot of movies that become big hits were first great novels.  The literary fans usually bawk at the watered down version of the story that played out so fully in their mind as they turned the pages of their favorite book.  But, since many movie-goers don’t read the book (why should you, they made a movie) the film becomes a success and sells millions.  The movie industry banks on this even if it breaks the heart of the novels fans as they realize that the ending has changed or their main characters don’t look as they were described.

I have always made it a rule that if a movie comes out after the popularity of the book, I will read the book first.  But how the Pirates of the Caribbean with Pirates came to be a movie unfolded differently.  The idea wasn’t born from a novel or a creative screenplay, it was born as a ride at Disneyland.  Yes, Walt Disney himself was fascinated by pirates and learning the secret charades of the evil sailors of the sea.

The ride first debuted at Disneyland in 1967 three months after Walt passed away.  Even more interesting is that the ride is one of a few that have survived the parks many revitalization’s -the Flying Dumbo ride and It’s a Small World boat ride are still big sellers too.  With the success of the ride, another version was created for Disney World in 1973.

This past spring my family made its way to the magical land that Disney created and we set forth to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.  My five year old got on skeptically with lots of tears and my two year old loved it and has since learned how to sing “Yo Ho! Yo Ho! A pirates life for me!”  As we traveled the river boat ride it felt that the movie had taken over the ride.  Like many sequels the Magic Kingdom’s ride isn’t as thrilling as Disneyland’s.  I learned later in a “behind the scenes tour” this is because of the water levels under the park- they couldn’t dig deep for the drops so they had to build the ride up or they would hit water.

Pirates of the Caribbean is the only ride that I know of that warranted its own four part movie series to be built around it.  The ride would still be marketable without the movie but it has taken on the look of the films since they have come out and it has lost its luster.  I wonder if there are nostalgic Disney fans (like myself) that wonder where did the magic of this epic ride go? I guess I will never know since I will always give some of my money to see Johnny stumble onto the screen as Captain Jack Sparrow.

The Hangover Part 2 didn’t disappoint me, but you really have to understand what you are going to see. A bachelor brunch that turns into one beer on a Thailand beach, which turns into the “wolf pack” sans Doug (Justin Bartha)  waking up in a seedy motel in Bangkok complete with a monkey and the self-proclaimed  international criminal, Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong). The writers took the easy way out and recycled the storyline from the original, except filming the movie in Bangkok instead of Las Vegas. With one outrageous and shocking line after line, it kept me laughing and sometimes screaming through the movie and even the credits. The car chases were stellar and surprising. I often wonder how in the world they (Hollywood) rehearse and film those scenes – especially jumping over a river.  Ed Helms (Stu, the Dentist), Bradley Cooper (Phil: the “wolf pack leader”) and Zack Galifianakis (Alan: the self-proclaimed, “stay at home son”) work perfectly together.

Now, for the record, The Hangover Part 2 is rated “R” and should not be seen by anyone that it is not intended for. Not kidding. Really. Don’t bring anyone to see it under the age of 18. In fact, the theater I went to, was asking for identification from everyone.

This is a sequel and should be watched with that in mind. If you enjoyed the first and understand that the second is a similar script, you will enjoy Part 2 with the over-the-top lines that are simply there to shock and awe. While there aren’t any rumors of a Part 3 and I certainly don’t mean to start any, there is still one person to get married and suffer a hangover – Alan (Zack Galifianakis). We’ll see what the studios do with that one.

ABC Family

• The Nine Lives of Chloe King premieres June 14.   Chloe King is a teenager who discovers she has special powers.  When she realizes a mysterious figure is shadowing her, she goes on to uncover that she is a descendant of an ancient race and learns she may be the key to protecting the race from human assassins, which have hunted them for thousands of years.
• Melissa & Joey returns on June 29
• State of Georgia premieres June 29.  This new show is based on a feature film of the same name.  It stars Raven-Symoné, Majandra Delfino and Brock Cuchna.

FX

• Rescue Me returns July 12.

Food Network

• Great Food Truck Race returns August 16

HBO

• True Blood - returns June 26
• Curb Your Enthusiasm returns July 10
• Entourage returns July 24

HGTV

• Design Star returns July 11

Showtime

• Weeds and The Big C both return June 27

Starz

• Torchwood returns July 9

SyFy

• Eureka and Warehouse 13 return July 11
• Alphas premieres July 11.  This is the story of four people who discover they have superhuman abilities which they use to maintain justice.  The Alphas discover they are not alone, and that the otherss with those abilities aren’t going to use them for good.
• Haven returns July 15

TBS

• Are We There Yet returns July 27

TNT

• Memphis Beat and Hawthorne both return June 14
• Falling Skies premieres June 19.  This show the story of the aftermath of an alien invasion. It follows a group of survivors who band together to fight back against the invading aliens.  Steven Spielberg is the co-creator.
• Leverage returns June 26
• The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles return July 11

USA

• Royal Pains returns June 29
• Necessary Roughness premieres June 29.  This show is based on the true story of a female psychologist who worked for the New York Jets

To see what channels these networks are on in your area, click here.

Happy Viewing!

How about we start with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton, if you haven’t been following)?!  I don’t know about many of the Buzz Entertainment followers out there but I can say that I was not up at the crack of dawn to watch the pomp and circumstance.  Although, I did turn CNN on once I woke up to see their first kiss (scandalous as they had not one but two chaste kisses!).  They made a very cute couple but still having a hard time understanding what the big deal is.  I guess we all love a modern day fairytale.

Next on the docket is my newest reality TV addition, Extreme Couponing on TLC.  Who doesn’t love a glance into the psyche of the extreme couponers featured on the show who love to confess that their stockpiles are nothing like those of typical hoarders.  Interesting…  I am all for saving money and paying as little as possible for my monthly grocery bill but stocking up on items that I don’t need, I don’t think so.  However, my husband has challenged me to put this extreme couponing knowledge I am accumulating to the test.  Look for future posts about my training on becoming a wannabe extreme couponer.

And finally, to wrap up this week’s welcome back to Entertainment blog, how about the upcoming American Idol finale or the launch of X Factor.  On the American Idol front, although Haley R. is from Chicago, my votes will be going to Lauren who is an absolute cutie pie and has really matured throughout the season.  I am not a fan of Scotty especially with his mic flute holding position.  It really detracts from his singing.  Let’s see what happens this week.

I think X Factor is going to give American Idol a run for its money.  However, I am going to reserve judgement until after I go to the Chicago audition taping this Friday.  I’ll let you know what to expect and if it is going to be worth the watch over the summer.

If there’s anything you want to hear us chat about on the Entertainment blog, leave a comment after the article.

The premise of Secret Millionaire is to place, obviously a millionaire, in a community that is stricken either by poverty, violence or both.  They are given an opportunity to meet community members who are helping to turn the tide.  Both of the episodes that I have watched thus far have had me close to tears.  The generosity of the millionaires is second to none and those organizations that are trying to make a change, I salute them.  With so many different charitable organizations vying for donations, to find these rare gems in these communities was amazing.  To see how humble they were and giving because it was for a greater cause just makes you want to get out there and do the same.

Here at WOW! one of our core values is Servanthood.  This year we are encouraging our employees to give back to the communities we serve through our new program called WIN (WOW! in the Neighborhood).  I am sure you’ll hear more about this program in a blog post in our Voices of WOW! section.  I just wanted to share with all of you that we truly believe that giving back is part of our culture.  Through food drives, raising money for causes close to our hearts or giving time to an organization, we believe that giving back is just another extension of who we are here at WOW!

I would love to hear from you on which community organizations are making a difference in your neighborhood.

• The Biggest Loser (NBC)

• Celebrity Fit Club (VH1)

• Ruby (Style Network)

• Heavy (A&E)

• I Used to Be Fat (MTV)

• Dance Your A** Off (Oxygen)

Most of the shows listed above I have watched at one point or another.  But are they truly motivating to the point that you want to get up and start to make a lifestyle change?

About a year and a half ago, I saw the Broadway production of Burn The Floor.  From the title, you can assume that there is dancing  involved in the show, but what type is the question?  Fans of Dancing With The Stars or So You Think You Can Dance will definitely love the show.  But this blog isn’t about the show itself but the opportunity to witness some of the best dancing that I have ever seen.  It was such a hit that they took the show on the road and are currently touring the nation spreading the dancing bug to all those who want to experience something different.  I just happened to have another opportunity to experience the show for a second time when it stopped in Chicago for a two week stint.  All I could say is AMAZING!

So many different genres – drama, comedy, musical or dance, to choose from.  I believe that live theater is forgotten in today’s entertainment world but it shouldn’t be.  If you have never experienced it, what are you waiting for?

In one week millions of viewers will be glued to their televisions for an event that can almost be considered a national holiday.  The Super Bowl is like Thanksgiving but in February.  Friends and families get together for a day that is filled with food and watching the game.  If you aren’t watching the game, you are probably tuned in to watch a new batch of  commercials.  Advertisers are banking on this especially with the average cost of a 30 second commercial this year in the range of $2.5 million.  This is probably the one day out of the entire year were they know you aren’t recording the game to watch later.  I personally like watching the commercials than I do the half-time show especially these  last couple of years.

Here are some of my all-time favorite commercials:

• McDonald\’s Showdown: Bird vs. Jordan
  • I’m biased because I grew up in Chicago during the Jordan era.  I love this commercial not only because it had two of the biggest stars in the NBA at that time but it put an interesting twist on my favorite playground game of HORSE.
• Budweiser Frogs
  • How could you not love these adorable frogs?  It was different at the time and created a buzz.
• Pepsi Kid In Bottle
  • Even though I am not a fan of Pepsi, this is a very cute commercial.  The kid is drinking his Pepsi and trying to get the last drop that he ends up getting sucked into the Pepsi bottle.  Love at the end of the commercial when his sister says, “Mom, he did it again!”
• Blockbuster\’s Carl and Ray
  • I am a sucker for commercials with cute animals.  Blockbuster used these two pets, Carl and Ray, who were excited about movies since the Blockbuster was across the street (of course).  Loved the Flashdance sequence.

What are some of your favorite Super Bowl commercials?

It is interesting though that last week only had three hours worth of episodes – two hours on Wednesday and one hour on Thursday.  With the episodes not being as long, I also noticed that they are not focusing so much on the critiques, especially the bad ones.  Is that because there is not much content to their comments or is it not as much fun watching Simon break them down?

So far, I am pleasantly surprised with last week’s episodes and will be watching this week’s upcoming shows to see if I am still hooked.

For all you American Idol fans out there, what do you think?