HOME > ENTERTAINMENT > TELEVISION
By: Brian Moylan COMMENTS
 
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.
| 
