THIS
SUMMER
THERE
are
plenty
of
shows
you
don’t
want
to
admit
you’re
watching,
but
you
won’t
be
able
to
ignore.
Fox,
the
former
home
of
“Melrose
Place,”
“Beverly
Hills,
90210”
and
“Joe
Millionaire,”
is
the
undisputed
king
of
guilty
pleasure.
On
Mondays
at
8
p.m.,
it’s
the
place
for
“North
Shore,”
the
new
undisputed
king
of
the
bad
and
the
beautiful.
This
show,
which
premiered
June
14,
concerns
the
staff
and
guests
of
the
Grand
Waimea
Hotel,
a
Hawaiian
resort
for
the
rich
and
famous.
“North
Shore”
is
like
“Fantasy
Island,”
but
Tattoo
(the
late
Hervé
Villechaize)
has
been
traded
for
a
stable
of
hotties.
The
action
centers
around
Jason
(Kristoffer
Polaha),
the
general
manager,
and
Nicole(Brooke
Burns),
his
rich
ex-girlfriend
and
new
co-worker.
The
staff
includes
MJ
(Nikki
DeLoach),
the
sassy
waitress;
Frankie
(Jason
Momoa),
the
wise
bartender;
and
Gabriel
(Corey
Sevier),
the
impossibly
hot
lifeguard.
And
hotel
owner
Vincent
(James
Remar)
portrays
the
gruff
boss.
The
stories,
usually
involving
the
various
guests
who
stay
in
the
hotel,
are
mindless
and
predictable.
The
show
gets
bonus
points,
however,
for
the
surprise
closeted
lesbians
in
the
first
episode.
But
the
acting
is
more
reminiscent
of
a
high
school
play
than
high
drama.
Nevertheless,
“North
Shore”
has
a
secret
weapon:
bathing
suits.
This
show
is
an
excuse
to
see
sexy,
half-naked
people
on
your
television
set
once
a
week.
Mute
the
dialogue
and
you’ll
double
your
pleasure.
IF
“NORTH
SHORE”
is
“Fantasy
Island,”
then
NBC’s
“Las
Vegas”
has
to
be
“The
Love
Boat,”
except
this
ship
never
sails.
One
of
last
season’s
highest-rated
new
shows,
“Las
Vegas”
has
been
moved
(in
reruns)
from
its
normal
Monday
night
time
slot
to
Fridays
at
10
p.m.,
for
the
summer.
“Las
Vegas”
shares
a
premise
with
“North
Shore,”
except
the
sexy
staff
works
at
the
Montecito
Resort
&
Casino.
The
stories
concern
the
staff
and
the
bevy
of
guests
who
travel
through
the
hotel.
The
biggest
draw
for
gay
men
is
the
head
of
security,
Danny
(Josh
Duhamel),
but
there
also
are
a
number
of
temptations
for
the
ladies.
No
matter
your
type,
you’ll
fall
in
love
with
bubbly
special
events
coordinator
Mary
(Nikki
Cox),
icy
pit
boss
Nessa
(Marsha
Thomason)
or
sassy
VIP
liaison
Sam
(Vanessa
Marcil).
Yes,
there’s
even
a
gruff
boss
by
the
name
of
“Big
Ed”
(longtime
actor
James
Caan).
Of
course,
being
set
in
a
casino,
there
aren’t
nearly
enough
bathing
suits
for
“Vegas”
to
come
close
to
the
skanky
sizzle
of
“North
Shore,”
but
it
has
more
than
its
fair
share
of
wacky
stories
and
sexy
situations,
and
the
acting
is
believable.
SUMMER
ALSO
IS
THE
season
for
reality
television,
and
TBS
has
the
best
new
reality
show
going:
“Outback
Jack,”
Tuesdays
at
9
p.m.
The
premise
of
this
show
is
similar
to
ABC’s
“The
Bachelor,”
except
the
titular
bachelor
is
a
hunky
adventurer
who
is
looking
for
a
woman
to
share
his
life
in
the
Australian
outback.
He
has
12
women
from
which
to
choose,
and
these
aren’t
just
any
ladies.
They
are
the
most
prissy,
primping
princesses
that
casting
agents
could
find.
These
girls
wear
lots
of
pink,
and
squeal
when
they
see
bugs.
The
pleasure
of
the
show
presumably
comes
from
watching
how
these
women
adapt
(or
try
to
adapt)
to
their
unfamiliar
surroundings.
Also
a
pleasure
is
Jack,
who
is
nice
and
handsome
and
seems
to
have
a
problem
with
shirts,
because
he
never
keeps
one
on
long.
Watching
Jack
bathe
in
a
waterfall
might
just
be
the
most
refreshing
thing
you’ll
see
on
television
all
summer
long.
