Summer Lovin'

It's summer! Well...not officially, but as far as my brain is concerned--it's summer! Now is the time to enjoy the outdoors, to sip lemonade, to wear flowy dresses (or for you guys out there, flowy linen shorts) and sandals. Now is the time to buy new moon boots, to see Saturday matinees, to swim with manatees, to make a crown out of daises, to go spelunking in uncharted caves and fight off the half-man-half-bat carnivorous creatures that live there, to "accidentally" run over someone's pet marmoset. These are all things I do each and every summer--along with a few road trips to Niagra and three weeks at mime camp.

But THIS summer, I've decided to forgo all that craziness in favor of three months of...lying in my bed and watching summer programming. So without further ado, the TOP FIVE REASONS I'M EXCITED FOR THE SUMMER OF 2009:

1. Big Brother: Season 11

I know all you haters out there think Big Brother is trashy. And maybe it is, but who ever said reality TV had to be classy? I'll tell you who: nobody. Strangers locked in a house, forced to compete at life-sized Tic-Tac-Toe and eat slop? That's a recipe for entertainment, my friends. And if you're too cool for that, I pity you.

2. The Bachelorette: Jillian Harris

Wow. The Buzzhunters are really special--they kinda remind me of the characters on that PBS show "Ghostwriter." You know? Ghostwriter?? The series that features a group of New York City teenagers who solve mysteries with the help of an invisible ghost who can communicate with the kids only by manipulating whatever text and letters he can find and using them to form words and sentences?? Tell me you've seen it! Well, I guess it doesn't matter. The Buzzhunters can get the buzz on all our favorite shows even without an invisible ghost who helps them by manipulating text and letters. And this time, they got the buzz on the new Bachelorette, Jillian Harris!! Huzzah! Yes. I do watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. No, I won't apologize for it.

3. So You Think You Can Dance (Otherwise known as: SYTYCD)

I don't give a shit about Dancing With The Stars. Newsflash: stars aren't good at dancing. But the kids on SYTYCD are FAN-bloody-TASTIC dancers! I watched this show for the first time last season, and it consistently took my breath away. I particularly love when the contestants dance lyrical hip-hop numbers.

4. Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood

People love to hate on Tori Spelling, but I just love to love her! What can I say? Donna is my homegirl. Of all the celebrity reality shows (Dina Lohan? Puke. Denise Richards? So you've got a lot of pets--who the fuck cares?), this is the one I can stand.

5. HawthoRNe

"Jada Pinkett Smith is the latest actress to bring her talent to TNT’s arsenal of strong, complex female characters, following in the footsteps of Kyra Sedgwick on The Closer and Holly Hunter of Saving Grace. This summer, Pinkett Smith executive-produces and stars in HAWTHORNE, a character-driven drama series about a nurse who is a true everyday hero.

Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, a compassionate and headstrong Chief Nursing Officer heading up a group of dedicated nurses at Richmond Trinity Hospital who spend long days and nights on the hospital’s front lines. Hawthorne is the kind of nurse you want on your side when you or someone you love is in the hospital. She is the kind of nurse who fights for her patients and doesn’t let them slip through the cracks. When necessary, she takes on doctors and administrators who are overworked, distracted or just unable to see the human being behind the hospital chart."

As I future nurse, I think this sounds interesting!! Who's with me? Come on, who's with me??