The Philanthropist is an online journal addressing issues facing the sector. The current issue includes: 

An editorial by Don Bourgeois talking about the engagement strategy and the role The Philanthropist will play in the initiative. Don also states “the purpose of these articles is not to define the future but rather to stimulate thought and discussion of the matters at stake.”

Martin Garber-Conrad sets the stage for this relationship with his article, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste,” which talks about the importance of the sector coming together on issues and the engagement strategy. 

Lynn Eakin’s article “The Invisible Public Benefit Economy – Implications for the Non Profit Sector” describes the nonprofit sector as part of a public benefit economy that operates in Canadian communities on principles that are fundamentally different from those of the commerce economy.

Bob Wyatt reminds us of the changing environment for charities in his article “Overview from Canada: Modernizing Charity Law”

Future issues will focus on many of the themes that we heard on the ground during our Community Conversations. Stay tuned!

~Brenda

I recently read an article on the Huffington Post written by Deborah Richardson, about NBC’s TV show, The Philanthropist.  The show followed the adventures of millionaire philanthropist Teddy Rist, and was inspired by the real life story of Bobby Sager.  I’d like to share with you the thoughts this post inspired for me, and which I emailed to Deborah:

Dear Deborah,
 
I recently saw your writing on the Huffington Post about NBC’s show, The Philanthropist.  Thank you for an insightful article.  So much can be learned from Bobby Sager’s work which extends beyond The Philanthropist. I am glad such a TV show made it so that we begin thinking more about philanthropy in our lives, even if the show was considered controversial by some.  I am glad it got the word out, and the discussions flowing!
 
For me, I am saddened to see philanthropy mean ‘money.’ It’s the love of people; I think you’ve stated something similar. And what I love about this definition is that it is accessible to anyone, at anytime. We can all be philanthropists. Whether you are getting the drycleaning, having a conversation with your boss or coworker, or saying a kind hello to a homeless person.
 
Philanthropy should be, and is, accessible to all.  I love that we can start loving others now!  You can read more about that on my blog Living and Giving (http://pamelahawley.wordpress.com).
 
Bobby Sager’s work continues, as he is launching a book and a worldwide tour.  The Sager Foundation has chosen UniversalGiving to be its premiere provider of qualified, vetted volunteer opportunities.  Bobby Sager believes as we do, that much of philanthropy and giving has to do with giving of oneself. One of the best ways to do this is to volunteer! 
 
Thank you again for an insightful article and wonderful questions. Let’s keep the positive dialogue of giving — in so many wonderful forms — going!
 
All my best!
Pamela Hawley
Founder and CEO
UniversalGiving™

There is a terrific piece in THE CHRONICLE   OF PHILANTHROPY today about that NBC show, The Philanthropist. This show has drawn mixed reviews from our industry. Some think it’s a great way to make the idea of philanthropy less elite and more mainstream. Others murmur that “this is simply not how philanthropy is done.” This article addresses how the main character faces down the notion that fundraising is a profession, not merely the action that results from a charitable urge. 

A few excerpts to stir the pot:

“Instead of scoffing at The Philanthropist, establishment philanthropy might pay attention to its underlying message. For all our insistence that giving has become ever more complex, demanding, sophisticated, and professionalized, simply hiring experts to do it for us may not be enough to satisfy the human charitable impulse.”

“Perhaps the elaborate institutional edifice of modern philanthropy ultimately rests upon this most personal and intimate of human bonds.”

“American philanthropy can heap contempt upon The Philanthropist’s short-sighted, sentimentalized, amateurish understanding of charity. Or philanthropy can pause long enough to consider that, in its determined and single-minded drive toward professionalization, it may in fact be systematically cutting itself off from its own deepest wellsprings.”

What do you think? Have you seen the show? Do you agree with the writer of this piece? For the complete article, visit: 

http://philanthropy.com/premium/articles/v21/i19/19003102.htm

Pinchad en las fotos para ir a la pagina del oso hormiguero, donde se contienen las descargas directas. No hace falta registrarse, pero no estaria de mas

DEXTER Temporada 4

TRUE BLOOD Temporada 2

GLEE Temporada 1

THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER Temporada 2

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU Temporada 1

WEEDS Temporada 5

THE CLEANER Temporada 2

THE PHILANTHROPIST Temporada 1

The Philanthropist est inspirée de l’histoire vraie d’un milliardaire utilisant sa richesse et ses compétences pour aider les gens tout autour du monde.
Si la série nouvelle série de Tom Fontana n’est pas indispensable, The Philanthropist est très agréable à suivre, notamment grâce au dépaysement qu’elle offre, son rythme et son casting très classe.

Philanthrope : nom singulier invariant en genre. Personne aimant le genre humain, personne généreuse et désintéressée cherchant à aider les autres à travers des dons, des œuvres etc.

The Philanthropist, l’histoire :

Teddy Rist est milliardaire et vit à New-York, où il dirige sa petite entreprise devenue une multinationale avec son meilleur ami, Philip Maidstone. Comme leur activité est d’exploiter des ressources naturelles, tous deux parcourent fréquemment le monde pour conclure des deals.
Obsédé par la mort de son fils, la vie de Teddy se trouve profondément bouleversée le jour où il sauve un enfant au Nigéria lors d’un violent ouragan.
Il décide alors d’utiliser sa richesse et ses compétences pour aider des gens tout autour du globe, quitte à parfois se mettre dans des situations très tendues, voir risquées…

The Philanthropist : les personnages et les acteurs

On sent que NBC croit au potentiel commercial de The Philanthropist et y à mis les moyens adéquats, tout d’abord en embauchant Mister Tom Fontana himself (Oz), accompagné d’un casting très classe. Plus que le thème, c’est d’ailleurs cet assemblage de talents qui nous amène à regarder la série.

Teddy Rist est donc un nouvel héros télévisuel, milliardaire charismatique, couillu et à la forte répartie. A l’aise dans ses baskets de businessman, on le sent davantage dans son élément lorsqu’il s’agit de vadrouiller pour rencontrer et aider les gens. Teddy Rist est incarné par James Purefroy, formidable Marc Antoine de Rome.

Teddy est toujours accompagné par Dax, son garde du corps ancien Marine. Homme à tout faire, il est très loyal à son maitre. Si le rôle en lui-même est peu intéressant, il nous donne au moins le plaisir de revoir Michael K. Williams, tout simplement fascinant en Omar dans The Wire.

Philip Maidstone, l’associé Teddy est le contraire de ce dernier et les deux hommes sont complémentaires, Philip est plus posé, moins impulsif et meilleur stratège. Il est incarné par Jesse L. Martin, qui jouait le Detective Ed Green dans New York Police Judiciaire (Law & Order).
Olivia Maidstone, sa femme, s’occupe de la fondation Rist / Maidstone. Elle est incarnée par Neve Campbell, l’héroïne de la trilogie Scream et du nanard Sexcrime avec Denis Richards.

The Philanthropist :

Le thème de The Philanthropist est original et bien exploité, la série amène comme convenu son lot d’aventures et de paysages grandioses. Mais si The Philanthropist à le mérite de s’attarder sur des pays et de conflits oubliés de nos actualités, le traitement est quand à lui un peu simpliste et on atteint ici une des limites du show.
La série et son personnage s’emparent en effet de sujets graves et complexes, mais The Philanthropist tombe souvent dans le cliché ou la facilité. Rassurez vous, la série n’oublie pas les nuances pour autant et reste toujours dans une veine plus humaniste que misérabiliste.
Mais on sent donc que le public visé est très large, tout doit être réglé en 45 minutes pour sauver un autre pays au prochain épisode, et pour dynamiser tout ça le héros se met toujours dans des situations impossibles desquelles il se sortira par une ou deux cascades et quelques bons mots…
Ne boudez pas votre plaisir pour autant, la série prend quand même moins le spectateur pour un con que la plupart des productions actuelles, et le divertissement est assuré. Pour être franc on attendait quand même un peu plus de la part de Fontana.

Série blockbuster au casting de luxe qui nous fait visiter des paysages grandioses, héros charismatique qui à le gout de l’aventure, bons sentiments…
On imagine sans problème que The Philanthropist devrait trouver son public. Peut-être le prochain carton de TF1, qui a acheté les droits avant même que la diffusion US n’ait commencée.

Trailer de The Philanthropist

Quelques liens :

• The Philanthropist sur IMDB
• Site officiel
• Toutes les Critiques de séries TV
  

Tocmai ce am terminat de văzut primul sezon din serialul The Philanthropist, pe care îl recomand cu căldură celor care caută în divertisment ceva mai stimulant intelectual decât doi bărbaţi şi jumătate, şi mi-am amintit o melodie, dintr-o scenă incredibilă pe care am văzut-o în primul episod pe care o mai auzisem într-o scenă epică din filmul The Constant Gardener, cu Ralph Fiennes şi Rachel Weisz, al regizorului Fernando Meirelles.

Şi mă gândeam numai la cât de bine ar merge snippets din piesa asta într-o reclamă la o companie ca Petrom sau Rompetrol, cu pescăruşi în prim plan, la mare LOOL ca dovadă a asocierilor şi importanţei date de sunet în advertising.

Am găsit soundtrackul showului pe pagina dedicată serialului de pe siteul NBC, muzică pe care v-o recomand dacă v-aţi săturat de artificiile populare pe la noi zilele acestea.

P.S.

& probably more to come despre the philanthropist pentru că e un serial de comentart

James Purefoy stars as Teddy Rist, a billionaire and playboy who turns into a philanthropist after witnessing a severe flood in Nigeria. From now on, Teddy travels the world and uses his power, his money and his passion to help those who are in need. Haunted by his past, by the young son he lost, Teddy seeks the danger and risks his life to fight his inner demons.

Episode 01: Nigeria, Part 1
After all the problems NBC had with this show and after some bad critics I was quite surprised, how good it actually was. The idea is not really the best and for a TV show more than boring and really unusual. But let’s face it: James Purefoy does a great job and the pictures are just great. The setting looks more than unusual for a TV show and if the writers are good enough to write some interesting stories and can deliver character developments (especially for the people behind Rist, like his colleagues), this could be a really good series.
Sure, the vaccine story wasn’t new, told better in hundreds of films and that Rist found the boy at the end was stereotype, but all in all I liked what I saw. I just don’t think that the writers can pull it off that way for the whole season. Like I said: The premise is not interesting enough, it may be okay for two, three episodes, but then? 7,5/10

Episode 02: Myanmar
Yeah, the episode was totally alright. And now the series looks more like a procedural than a characterized drama. It is nice to know that thew writers give Rist much opportunities to travel around the whole world and give him one problem at a country – but it could be boring real fast. And it looks like that the stories of the episode are told in flashbacks (or storytelling, whatever) every time. In the pilot Rist tells his story to a bartender, here Philip (Jesse L. Martin) tells the story to Rist’s colleagues to save his job. The story of the episode was alright, but it doesn’t really show some characters, except Rist a bit. But I still love the look of the series. That way it is more authentic and gives a real view to some problem filled and poor countries. 6,5/10

Episode 03: Paris
Another totally alright episode. And this episode should make clear how the rest of the season will be: Somebody tells Rist’s story (or he does), what he did in the country he was, who he helped and so on. And it is completely procedural. The writers didn’t bring one single second of story from the previous episodes to the next one. Hopefully this gets better in the next episodes, because I don’t like that fact; it is more worse than simple procedural crimes like Cold Case or The Mentalist – there you have some character development. But here you don’t. Which makes the series to eight little 40 minute movies about a guy trying to be a superhero.
The topic was interesting, but didn’t have any emotional points. I couldn’t get Rist’s feelings, because he hasn’t any (or the writers forgot to write some into the screenplay), but I liked how the story was handled: like a crime procedural. And even Olivia (Neve Campbell) had a little side plot, a nice development. Just the dead girl needed some blood on her face. She falls down for like 50 meters, directly on her face and she doesn’t have one drop of blood on her face, or even a scratch? 6,5/10

Episode 04: Nigeria, Part 2
I actually didn’t think that the writers would bring back characters from a previous episode. The love story of Teddy and the doctor from the pilot has its sequel, which I really liked. This episode makes the series to a real series and not just a series of short films about a guy, saving lives.
The episode itself was pretty okay; I was hoping more of the face-off between Teddy and the hero slash killer slash kidnapper – it began great, but was just a simple meeting, so it was boring after all.With the death of the kidnapper the story could come back in one of the later episodes, because this story doesn’t seem finished now.
The b story in New York was interesting, but way too short (maybe a topic for two episodes?) – the story was over, shortly after it was revealed that the father beat his kid. At least the writers are having some stories for the supporting characters, now they just should be more involved into the story or with Teddy or anything else. 6/10

Episode 05: Kosovo
A lame episode with uninteresting characters and an uninteresting story. The series is an its point, where it can’t tell anymore real stories about a philanthropist, this episode was just the search for a terrorist – simple crime story; told better in lots of real crime shows. And the characters become uninteresting with every episode. Philip being hurt and fighting for his life? I didn’t feel anything, I didn’t feel the sadness for Olivia and I didn’t feel the emotions of the guest characters. Maybe the episode was too filled with the actual story, that character drama had to lose its place.
The ending was nice though. 4/10

Episode 06: San Diego
An interesting and good episode. The whole “saving the world one person at a time” was stopped for this episode, instead Teddy chased a doppelganger. And I liked it that way, because at the end it was the same than in all the other episodes.
The b story was interesting, too, but like in episode 4 it was a topic for more than one episode and maybe there is something coming in the next one, but I don’t think so.
And I am missing the private storylines. 7,5/10

Episode 07: Kashmir
A boring episode. Nothing much happened (except Teddy almost being killed again, like in almost every other episode), and what happened was uninteresting. The interview with the radio host was interesting, but the radio guy was a character full of cliches and boring from the beginning. And the water story hadn’t even a bit thrill, even though the last quarter of the episode was interesting, because it concentrated only on the main story and didn’t make some detours into other stories like in the rest of the episode. And I kind of miss the second row characters. Jesse L. Martin gets all the screentime, even though he is just a special guest star; but the other main characters don’t get a story. Pretty lame in my opinion. 4/10

Episode 08: Haiti
And interesting and good episode, but not much of a season finale. But it is a proper series finale, even though nothing was special, everything was philanthropist standard and highlights were completely missing again.
The story about kids being held for slaves wasn’t really new, even for The Philanthropist. The Paris episode had a similar story. And how the story changed from the girl being rescued by Teddy in the beginning to a boy being being reunited with his real mother in the rest of the episode wasn’t really good – the story changed all of a sudden and became uninteresting. Some characters were stereotype again and there were some twists I didn’t like. But I liked Teddy back in New York, where he served four ounces of rice to his fellows – kind of funny, and with a big subtext (the writers should have written earlier into the series, it is to late when it’s coming in the final episode). 7/10

Season average is 6,13. I don’t think NBC will renew this show. First good ratings were missing, second good critics were missing. And third: I think this show is too expensive for an airing in the summer months. I don’t care if a second season is coming, but when NBC renews I will watch it.

Maybe it’s because I don’t watch much TV anymore now that I spend time, you know, reading for pleasure, for work and to prep for my show. Maybe it’s because I was wasting time watching crappy reality shows on VH1 or trying to put my 40 year-old self in a bubble bath to recuperate from chasing a brilliant, energetic toddler around for hours. I just don’t know. But tonight I happened upon the finale of The Philanthropist and I was shocked that a show with this premise even made it to the small screen.

It’s about a billionaire philanthropist named Teddy Rist played by James Purefoy– think James Bond meets Bill Gates– who goes around the world helping people. Tonight’s episode took place in Haiti and, you guessed it, it was a tear-jerker wrapped up in some real life information about the plight of slave children, as well as a history lesson on how America screwed the Haitians out of sustainable rice farming to export and feed their people. As an action drama (there was a car chase, semi-automatic weapons and some sexy stuff too) the two story archs consisted of battling brothers, and a mother’s fight to save her son.

Neve Campbell is also part of the cast and she had all of two lines in the whole episode. That was puzzling. I’ll have to check out the other shows to see if that’s the whole story of her kooky cameo-like position on the show. There was also a stellar performance by Jesse L. Martin who plays Philip Maidstone (Rist’s partner). Martin made his TV debut as Ally McBeal’s boyfriend, Dr. Greg Butters. Let’s just say, his new role is a monumental step up in the awesome department.

So I am intrigued. A primetime network show dealing with a man who actually wants to change people’s lives for the better while letting us clueless Americans get a glimpse at how good really have it. God help this show succeed. I’ll watch it.

You can see all past full episodes here…

It’s a been pretty dynamic summer when it comes to television. Both premium and basic cable networks have packed nearly every night of the week with some great, quality programming.

At DVR Life headquarters, it’s be a season rather thick with sci-fi.  The brits have been rocking the genre this year.  We managed to cram the first two seasons of BBC’s Torchwood in just in time to catch Torchwood: Children of Earth, we’re also digging BBC’s latest sci-fi series, Being Human, and caught up with Doctor Who in time for the new movie BBC America treated us to in July and mourned the cliff hanger ending to final season of ITV’s Primeval.  Syfy’s newest scripted offering Warehouse 13, is a quirky fun time and the return of their much beloved Eureka have given us our dose of stateside sci-fi while Defying Gravity is a sci-fi lite multi-national effort between ABC, the brits and Canada’s CTV.

For our teen drama fix, we’ve been turning to ABC Family’s (I know, right? Who would have thought) shows Make It Or Break It, while their new comedy 10 Things I Hate About You has given us a few good laughs.  Looking for action, adventure and smart talk?  USA’s been ruling the ratings with In Plain Sight, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Burn Notice.  Newbie Royal Pains has been tearing it up on the Nielsen charts, too.

We’ll stop here.  We could keep going on and on – there’s plenty to say about HBO’s new Sunday lineup, as well TNT’s wins and misses.  There’s just way too much great summer fare this year.

Update 08/13/2009 1:11am:

Nurse Jackie, 10 Things I Hate About You & Leverage have each recieved one vote under the ‘other’ category.

P.S.  When voting for ‘other’, please make sure you enter a show title!

Gillian Anderson

Gillian Leigh Anderson (born August 9, 1968) is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG winning American actress, best known for her roles as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the American TV series The X-Files, Moro in the English dub of Princess Mononoke, Lily Bart in The House of Mirth and Lady Dedlock in the BBC TV series Bleak House.

27"x40" Poster Buy Now!

Anderson moved to New York when she was 20 years old. To support herself when she started her career, Anderson worked as a waitress. She began her career in Alan Ayckbourn’s play, Absent Friends at the Manhattan Theatre Club alongside Brenda Blethyn; she won the 1990-91 Theatre World “Newcomer” Award for her role. Her next theatrical role was in Christopher Hampton’s The Philanthropist at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut.

Anderson moved to Los Angeles in 1992, spending a year auditioning. Although she had once vowed she would never do TV, being out of work for a year changed her mind. Anderson did Home Fires Burning for a cable station, as well as the audio book version of Exit to Eden. She broke into mainstream television in 1993, with a guest appearance on the collegiate drama, Class of ‘96, on the fledgling Fox Network.

As a result of her guest appearance in Class of 96, Anderson was sent the script for The X Files at the age of 24. She decided to audition because “for the first time in a long time, the script involved a strong, independent, intelligent woman as a lead character.” Producer Chris Carter wanted to employ her, but Fox wanted someone with previous TV exposure and greater sex appeal.  Fox sent in more actresses, but Carter stood by Anderson, and she was eventually cast as Special Agent Dana Scully. Anderson got the part assuming it would run for 13 episodes, the standard minimum order for American TV networks. Filmed in Vancouver and then in Los Angeles, the series would run for nine seasons, and included two films, released in 1998 and 2008. During her time on The X Files, Anderson won several awards for her portrayal of Special Agent Scully, including an Emmy Award, Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for “Best Actress in a Drama Series.” While filming, Anderson met assistant art director Clyde Klotz, whom she would eventually marry.

Anderson had roles in a handful of films during the run of The X-Files and starred in The House of Mirth, an adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel of the same name.

In 1999, Anderson had a supporting role in the English-language release of Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, where she voiced the character of Moro. Anderson is a proclaimed lover of Miyazaki’s work. She also took part in Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues.

When The X-Files ended, Anderson performed in several stage productions and worked on various film projects. She has participated in narrative work for documentaries on scientific topics. In 2005, she appeared as Lady Dedlock in the BBC television adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel Bleak House, had a starring role in the Irish film The Mighty Celt (for which she won an IFTA award for Best International Actress) and performed in A Cock and Bull Story, a film version of the novel Tristram Shandy.

In 2006, Anderson was nominated for a British Academy Television Award (BAFTA) for Best Actress and won the Broadcasting Press Guild Television and Radio Award for Best Actress for her role in Bleak House. Anderson also received an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie” for her performance as Lady Dedlock. Furthermore, she was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Bleak House and came in second place in the Best Actress category of the 2005 BBC Drama website poll for her performance as Lady Dedlock (Billie Piper came in first and Anna Maxwell Martin came in third).

During 2006 and 2007, Anderson appeared in two British films: The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Straightheads (2007).

In December 2007, it was announced that Anderson will host PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre during the Jane Austen series.

On December 10, 2007, Anderson began filming for The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Filming concluded on March 11, 2008. The movie was released on July 25, 2008, with a DVD released on December 2, 2008.

Gillian will portray Nora in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End for a limited engagement running from May 14, 2009 until July 18, 2009.

Trivia:

Chosen by “People” magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. [1997]

27"x40" Gillian Anderson Posing in Bed

Says her favorite film is Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (1993). [1996]

Was voted “Most Likely to be Arrested” by her classmates in high school, and was, in fact, arrested on graduation night for trying to glue the locks shut at her high school.

In high school, was voted “Class Clown” and “Most Bizarre Girl”.

Lived in London, England, from age 2 to age 11, then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she was teased for her English accent.

Went to the Goodman Theater School of Drama at DePaul University in Chicago, where she earned a degree in fine arts. One of her classmates was Nina Siemaszko.

Gained her first real break when she replaced Mary-Louise Parker in the play “The Philanthropist.”

Told “The X Files” (1993) executives that she was 27 so that she would appear more credible as an FBI agent with a medical degree.

“The X Files” (1993) writer, Chris Carter, is the godfather of her daughter, Piper Maru.

Kept her daughter, Piper, completely hidden from the public until they both appeared in Joan Ostin’s book, “Celebrity Moms” and the April 2001 issue of “In Style Magazine”.

Graduated from City High School, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Piper Maru, her daughter, was the inspiration for the title of an “The X Files” (1993) episode introducing the famous black oil in the series.

Standing at just 5′ 3″, she has to stand on an apple box to shoot many scenes in “The X Files” (1993).

As a teen, her favorite bands included Skinny Puppy and Dead Kennedys.

In 2003, she won the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Best Actress Award for her West End debut in Michael Weller’s two-hander, What the Night Is For.

Presented the best designer award at the 51st Evening Standard Theatre Awards (2005).

Is an avid art collector. Her collection includes work from such artists as Diane Arbus, Francesco Clemente and Kiki Smith.

Parents left US for London when she was 2. The family moved back to the US when she was 11. She relocated to London again, as an adult, in 2002. As of May 2006, she still lives there with her daughter.

Of the 5 actresses nominated for an Emmy as “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie” in 2006, she was the only one who hasn’t been nominated for an Oscar

Chosen by Australian men magazine Zoo weekly as one of the “Top 50 Hottest Babes Ever”. [March 2006]

Youngest actress – at the age of 29 years old in 1997 – to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Primetime Drama Series Emmy Award since Lindsay Wagner won at the age of 28 in 1977.

Was the first woman to host Masterpiece which began in 1971.

Ranked #23 on Wizard magazine’s Sexiest Women of TV list (March 2008).

In 1996, Anderson was voted the “Sexiest Woman in the World” by FHM’s “100 Sexiest Women” poll.

August 4, 2009 – Recently, I did a bunch of voice-overs for an episode of NBC’s The Philanthropist.  I played everything from a village sheep herder to a Pakistani diplomat, a Mumbai street chaiwalla to a Kashmiri terrorist, an Indian politician to a Bengali news reporter.

It will be airing tomorrow, Wednesday, August 5th 10/9c on NBC.  In this week’s episode, Teddy and Phillip’s college friend asks for their help to negotiate with the Indian and Pakistani governments to rebuild the region’s water system.

If you miss the episode, you can catch it anytime on The Philanthropist’s website at http://www.nbc.com/the-philanthropist/.

An article written by William Schambra (recently appearing in the Chronicle of Philanthropy) discusses philanthropy’s move toward becoming a profession.  Schambra does it in the context of The Philanthropist, an eight-part NBC summer series.

To give you a quick overview of the show, corporate mogul Teddy Rist (played by James Purefoy) is the series’ main character who, after completing a Nigerian oil deal, sees a small boy huddled in a corner and feels compelled to help.  After Rist returns to his New York headquarters, the corporation’s foundation takes on the task of helping the kid.  Not convinced enough is being done, Rist embarks on philanthropic adventures and engages in arguments with the corporate giving staff on just what things should be done and when.

Through Rist’s interactions with the foundation’s staff, viewers are presented with two perspectives on philanthropy: one is from the gut and taps into the simplicity of “those who have” helping “those who don’t,” and the other involves time, research, skill, and the ability to deliver results.  This brings us to the main question: is philanthropy as simple as giving money to a problem or does it involve certain skills and education in order to be done effectively?

The answer seems evident based on the increase of nonprofit staff members seeking degrees in the management of social programs (there is actually a Ph.D. in Philanthropy) and the emergence of institutions providing that training and education.

I don’t pretend to know what the future holds but what I do know is that many nonprofits are closing their doors as the economy struggles to recover.  So, I would “bet the farm,” so to speak, that philanthropy will become a new profession as people try to create dogma, best practices, and strategies to standardize a skill set that so many organizations desperately need.  It will be an exciting time in the philanthropic world as we watch a new profession emerge.

-Erin Doohan

So…  Jon and Kate Plus 8 is coming back on Aug 3^rd.  I cannot wait.  I don’t care what anyone says I love her, I always have this is not just sympathy because she was married to a jack-a$$.  I will watch and support her till she decides that TV is not where she wants to be.

 BUT…

 I found a site that has announced the premier dates for the Fall Season and well I had to call Rogers and order a few channels!  James is gonna kill me!

 So on September 8^th, the new 90210 is coming back but believe it or not the new MELROSE PLACE is starting!  Yeahaw!  Had to order the CW, CTV just pre-empted 90210 too many times last season!  

 September 9^th, the new cycle of America’s Next Top Model is starting! 

 September 10^th the Vampire Diaries starts, which is based on a series of books along the lines of the Twilight saga again on The CW….

 What the hell is this ABC Family and WHY CAN I NOT GET IT!  I WANT IT!

 September 16^th So You Think You Can Dance starts for another season.  As well as The Beautiful Life on CW… This is new starring Mischa Barton based on the life of a model….  I’ll give it a try.

 September 17^th Survivor and Bones are BAAAACKKK!  As is Fringe!

 September 21^st Dancing With the Stars starts and House (OMG I cannot wait for this) is coming back with a two hour special.

 September 22^nd NCIS is coming back and Ohhh I think I just wet myself….  NCIS Los Angeles starts.  The Good Wife with Juliana Margulies where she has to go back to work after years out of the work force because her Politian husband is embroiled in a sex scandal.  The Forgotten starts this day too! 

 September 23^rd DWTS, Mercy a new hospital drama, Criminal Minds (Oh I could not be happier,) Law and Order SVU, both come back.  Cougar Town about a single Mother (Courtney Cox) and her teenaged son starts!

 September 24^th The Mentalist

 September 25^th Ghost Whisperer, Doll House and Southland

 September 27^th Brothers and Sisters

 September 28^th Trauma

 September 29^th Hell’s Kitchen….  Oh Gordon!

 October 4^th Three Rivers another hospital drama

 October 16^th SuperNanny!  Gotta Love it!

 Now Amongst that I have to fit Denise Richards, Parking Wars, Obsessed,

Tori and Dean, about four fugitive shows from A&E, Gene Simmons, The Real Housewives as many as they show of the five series, Hammertime, Ice Road Truckers, Sandhogs, Lemur Street, Meerkat Manor, Miami Ink, LA Ink, Texas Cheerleader Moms, Tuckerville, Table for 12, Toddlers in Tiaras, 18 Kids and Counting, Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Exterminators, The Hills, The Apprentice (Celebrity and other,) The Closer, The Dog Whisperer, Dog Town, At the end of my Leash. 

 I noticed that Mental, Psych, The Listener, The Philanthropist, In Plain Sight were not listed at this time.

 On top of that we KNOW that, American Idol will have new shows and then there will be other tantalizing shows I know I will have to watch that have not been added. 

 Why do they do this to me?  I am getting anxious as we speak!  How in the hell am I ever gonna see all of this?  Oh I love my TV….  Thank-you Mr. Philo Taylor Farnsworth for inventing it….. 

I’m a tiny blue dot in the midst of the reddest county in one of the reddest states in the US of A (thanks for overtaking us, Oklahoma!). I’m also a TV lover who is crazy about much of the oeuvres of both Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson (oh, how I miss Homicide: Life on the Street, for example). So I’m pretty much smack on the nose the target audience for The Philanthropist, a combination of action-adventure stories set in exotic climes and the tale of naive rich people (lead character Teddy [Rome's James Purefoy] and his friends/co-workers) coming to realize they could use their power and money for good. As Sam Seaborn once said in that great liberal wish-fulfillment show The West Wing, “Let’s forget the fact that you’re coming a little late to the party and embrace the fact that you showed up at all.”

And I’ve tried to be their audience–I’ve been trying for over a month now, because a show with that pedigree and that subject matter that also features Jesse L. Martin (best known for Law and Order: Original Flavor, but also much loved for being a baseball-playing alien on The X-Files) and Michael K. Williams (the great Omar Little on The Wire) should be pretty much my favorite thing in the world. Instead, watching The Philanthropist is like having someone read hectoring op-ed pieces at you. Since the show inexplicably uses a voiceover narration framework to explain the story as it unfolds, it is like having someone literally read hectoring op-ed pieces at you.

And these op-ed pieces are the worst flavor of the genre, as they combine the indignance of someone who, as an educated adult, ought to have known better discovering a social problem and screaming at everyone around them about it with the arrogance of someone who thinks their recent discovery of a social problem makes them superior to everyone else. A recent episode’s in-show commercial for sponsor Bing had Williams’ problem-solver Dax make the following astonishing statment when asked about troubles in Burma:

“Hellish. I’ll tell you, that place needs more help than what Teddy and I can give.”

Really. A rich guy and his muscle can’t waltz in and set straight in a week a country with a history of warring kingdoms, of being a British colony, and of being ruled by a military junta for nearly fifty years? Really? I’m shocked and disappointed at this failure–surely men of your poise and talents could have expected to unroll centuries of complicated political machinations. Why didn’t you just stay another week? The characters reflect the show–it certainly means well, but its own high opinion of itself is undercut by its slapdash approach. If this is what my neighbors think liberals are like, no wonder they dislike the whole crew. If only we could introduce them to Sam Seaborn instead.

This show was perhaps more highly anticipated by the network than the audience. Which is to say, there was a lot of talk about it but it seemed to get pushed off or have complications often enough that people were wary.

The Philanthropist has the odd format of always having a sort of narration, which is usually one character telling someone else about what happened in whatever country Teddy tries to save that week. In the first episode we learn that Teddy’s son died, leaving him devastated and with a broken marriage. While in Nigeria there is a flood and he saves a little boy. He comes back looking for this boy to fulfill his promise to make sure the kid gets home. This inspires the string of heroic and usually dangerous acts that Teddy decides he must accomplish at all costs, even if it may hurt his company.

The Show

Teddy is an arrogant, wreckless billionaire with a compulsion to fix everyone’s problems while dealing with none of his own. (He also has a tendency to lecture other people about right and wrong.) What I find with the show is it lacks substance. Having a dead son is very sad, but it just isn’t enough. Three out of the first five episodes have been something about children in need that Teddy decides he must save. In another episode it is helpless young girls. Each episode it the same: he finds a cause often related to children, it’s dangerous, there are some problems, it all works out in the end.

Product Placement moment: they look up cholera on Bing.com. (I feel like I’ve heard so much about Bing and yet have no idea what it is, which tells me the advertising needs to be stepped up a notch.)

His friend and business associates are all involved to some degree or other in each of his crazy schemes, yet they are all secondary characters who are more there to say “we believe in you” or “stop being stupid” without much personality or story for themselves. Last week’s episode gave a small story to Teddy’s partner, Philip Maidstone (Jessie L. Martin) who is married to Olivia (Neve Campbell). They are all morally grounded, dependable people.

A couple pluses to the show are the superb cast (though it has not been used to its full potential–Neve Campbell has hardly been onscreen for example) and the strong cinematography. The special effects and scenery are well done, which is always important in action based shows.

According to the ratings, the show has been steadily decreasing in viewers, nearly losing half the audience it had at its premiere. If the show wants to succeed, it needs to become less predictable and more character-driven. With the season half over (there have only been eight episodes ordered for this summer show) it’s hard to say if they will have time to recover.