Who Do You Think You Are?

[Flashy]

Has anyone seen this show? basically they follow "Seven of the world's most beloved celebrities" (as the show calls them) who trace their ancestry...

while i certainly would not call Brooke Shields and Spike Lee to be among " the world's most beloved celebrities", the show was interesting, once you eliminated the melodramatic TV mumbo jumbo...

so anyway, they have seven episodes, apparently, in this its first season
Lisa Kudrow (she is the producer apparently it was a show in the UK this is the american version)
Emmitt Smith
Matthew Broderick
Sarah Jessica Parker
Spike Lee
Susan Sarandon
Brooke Shields


I saw the Emmitt Smith episode, since i am a big fan of Emmitt Smith and he has always been very likable, not to mention a great football player.

The episode was incredibly interesting, and dark, as it focused on the aspects of slavery in his family, also a mixed race great great great grandmother, through a slaveowner, also, other things...TV nonsense aside, it was really very interesting and poignant...

i would recommend the Emmitt Smith episode:

(this is the full video, with only tiny 30 second ads, so you do not have to put up with the network version)

Who Do You Think You Are - Emmitt Smith - Video - NBC.com


i am going to watch the Lisa Kudrow one, since it deals with her ancestors and the holocaust, which is interesting to me as a jew...

i do not know if i could handle 45 minutes of Sarah Jessica Parker though...


anyone else seen the Emmitt Smith or Lisa Kudrow (or Parker) one?

i think this week is matthew broderick, maybe ole' Ferris will be an interesting one.

 

[superbot]

Has anyone seen this show? basically they follow "Seven of the world's most beloved celebrities" (as the show calls them) who trace their ancestry...

while i certainly would not call Brooke Shields and Spike Lee to be among " the world's most beloved celebrities", the show was interesting, once you eliminated the melodramatic TV mumbo jumbo...

so anyway, they have seven episodes, apparently, in this its first season
Lisa Kudrow (she is the producer apparently it was a show in the UK this is the american version)
Emmitt Smith
Matthew Broderick
Sarah Jessica Parker
Spike Lee
Susan Sarandon
Brooke Shields


I saw the Emmitt Smith episode, since i am a big fan of Emmitt Smith and he has always been very likable, not to mention a great football player.

The episode was incredibly interesting, and dark, as it focused on the aspects of slavery in his family, also a mixed race great great great grandmother, through a slaveowner, also, other things...TV nonsense aside, it was really very interesting and poignant...

i would recommend the Emmitt Smith episode:

(this is the full video, with only tiny 30 second ads, so you do not have to put up with the network version)

Who Do You Think You Are - Emmitt Smith - Video - NBC.com


i am going to watch the Lisa Kudrow one, since it deals with her ancestors and the holocaust, which is interesting to me as a jew...

i do not know if i could handle 45 minutes of Sarah Jessica Parker though...


anyone else seen the Emmitt Smith or Lisa Kudrow (or Parker) one?

i think this week is matthew broderick, maybe ole' Ferris will be an interesting one.

Has been going in the UK for a number of years now.It's a great programme.I'll be surprised if it doesn't catch on in the States!...

 

[ManlyBanisters]

Yeah - I've enjoyed the UK one a lot too - didn't know they were bringing it to the States.

The ones I particularly remember were Bill Oddie (the very first one), Ian Hislop, Moira Stewart, Jeremy Paxman, Colin Jackson, David Tennant and Nigella Lawson. They did Jerry Springer in 2008 and from the blurb it looked interesting, but I missed the actual show.

And others I have watched were good too, just not as memorable. I would say it doesn't actually matter who the celeb is, or even if it were an unknown, because every family has an interesting story somewhere and that's what I liked about the show - not watching the celeb and how he/she reacts.

If it's anywhere near as good as the BBC production they'll all be worth watching - even ol' horse face.

 

[nudeyorker]

I'll have to check it out. I saw a couple of the Faces In America program on PBS and really enjoyed the Meryl Streep and Stephen Colbert episode.

 

[Flashy]

Has been going in the UK for a number of years now.It's a great programme.I'll be surprised if it doesn't catch on in the States!...

interesting...were there any really interesting folks on other than the minor celeb types? I saw they had Jeremy Irons on there, and he is one of my favorite actors and it would seem maybe he has a rather interesting history.

it has been on for many many seasons in the UK, right?

 

[Northland]

I saw the first one with Parker, I had nothing else to do apparently. I like her, she's pleasant and well mannered- she lives around the corner (Unless she moved recently) and blends into the area nicely, I've even spotted her walking her son off to school.

She went from Ohio to California- where the trail went dead, then off to Massachusetts and a familial history connected to the Witch Trials. It was almost creepy peering into her life, but saved me from having to ask her all these things directly- which might have seemed prying.

In the episode I viewed, she seemed genuinely interested and stunned and worried and upset and concerned and happy as information was given her.



I missed the other episodes (was there more than just Parker and Smith? Friday is the night of Super Nanny the Briitsh Brutalitarian, and I can't survive without seeing that yeah, a neat sedative). Not sure really why I missed the Smith episode, since I have an interest in him. Of the upcoming episodes, Spike Lee and Brooke Shields are of interest, even Broderick, if only to satisfy my curiosity about his late father, who I loved as an actor.


Thanks also for the NBC link to the Smith episode.

 

[Flashy]

Yeah - I've enjoyed the UK one a lot too - didn't know they were bringing it to the States.

The ones I particularly remember were Bill Oddie (the very first one), Ian Hislop, Moira Stewart, Jeremy Paxman, Colin Jackson, David Tennant and Nigella Lawson. They did Jerry Springer in 2008 and from the blurb it looked interesting, but I missed the actual show.

And others I have watched were good too, just not as memorable. I would say it doesn't actually matter who the celeb is, or even if it were an unknown, because every family has an interesting story somewhere and that's what I liked about the show - not watching the celeb and how he/she reacts.

If it's anywhere near as good as the BBC production they'll all be worth watching - even ol' horse face.

interesting MB...i really like Nigella...i think i shall look for her episode

good points about not really mattering who, but obviously everyone has an interesting tale in some way...turns out, ol' horse face's great great great great great great (not sure if there are more greats) grandmother was accused as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials!!! How is that for odd? Considering she has played a witch in the movies and has that sort of witch wart...LOL

 

[Flashy]

I'll have to check it out. I saw a couple of the Faces In America program on PBS and really enjoyed the Meryl Streep and Stephen Colbert episode.

well worth it IMO...i watched the Lisa Kudrow episode, and i hate to admit i got tears in my eyes, as she went to Belarus to find out what happened to her great grandmother during the holocaust, for her dad who was very emotional...but there was a wonderful surprise waiting, and it is the one reality show i am ever glad i watched.

i advise following the link to the full episode i posted if you want to see a nice story, (and it is only 42 minutes, and does not subject you to the commercials, except for a 30 second ad, about 5 times instead of long commercial breaks)

highly recommend the Kudrow one, and the Emmitt Smith one.

 

[nudeyorker]

Thanks Flashy I'll watch it. I tend to get a tad emotional about the subject matter but I'm traveling tomorrow and that will help kill some time.

 

[Flashy]

I saw the first one with Parker, I had nothing else to do apparently. I like her, she's pleasant and well mannered- she lives around the corner (Unless she moved recently) and blends into the area nicely, I've even spotted her walking her son off to school.

She went from Ohio to California- where the trail went dead, then off to Massachusetts and a familial history connected to the Witch Trials. It was almost creepy peering into her life, but saved me from having to ask her all these things directly- which might have seemed prying.

In the episode I viewed, she seemed genuinely interested and stunned and worried and upset and concerned and happy as information was given her.

yeah i saw the previews for it...i guess i was kind of put off by her overdramatic reactions...probably a little unfair on my part, but i will give the episode a chance

I missed the other episodes (was there more than just Parker and Smith? Friday is the night of Super Nanny the Briitsh Brutalitarian, and I can't survive without seeing that yeah, a neat sedative). Not sure really why

so far the only others were Smith and Kudrow, and this Friday coming up is Matthew Broderick

I missed the Smith episode, since I have an interest in him. Of the upcoming episodes, Spike Lee and Brooke Shields are of interest, even Broderick, if only to satisfy my curiosity about his late father, who I loved as an actor.

yes, Friday is Broderick...seems cool...he traces his great grandfather to where he died (i believe) on the exact spot at the Battle of Gettysburg, which is very fascinating to me, personally as i enjoy the study of the Civil War.

I highly highly recommend the Emmitt Smith episode...i found it very moving, and the slave narrative was incredibly powerful, and him finding the graves of the family who owned his great great grandmother, and learning the story behind how the family stayed together was, i have to say, incredibly, not to mention, the surprise about how this happened.

I cannot recommend that episode enough and you can check it out at the link i provided! Definitely well worth it Northy, imo...and as a big Emmitt fan myself, i was very happy for him

Thanks also for the NBC link to the Smith episode.

no problem...enjoy! let me know what you think (post in this thread after you get a chance) i found his to be an incredible story, especially that of his great great great great grandmother. (Mariah IIRC was her name)

 

[Flashy]

Thanks Flashy I'll watch it. I tend to get a tad emotional about the subject matter but I'm traveling tomorrow and that will help kill some time.

no problem nudey...check out the Emmitt Smith one as well....normally i hate reality TV, but i found the Smith episode and the Kudrow episodes to be really moving...after you watch the Smith one, with one or two clicks, it will take you directly to the Kudrow one, since they were back to back (or maybe the Kudrow one is first, but they are easy to see back to back) pay no mind to the "get HD" type of ads that appear, just close them, and you watch on the full screen mode, and the commercials are only 30 seconds long.

definitely a good travel/time killer.

 

[Novaboy]

We had a Canadian version of this show as well. It's always interesting even if the person being profiled doesn't immediately strike a chord with you. I do wonder though how much research is done before the program is filled. Do they weed people out if they can not find anything interesting in their past?

 

[Flashy]

We had a Canadian version of this show as well. It's always interesting even if the person being profiled doesn't immediately strike a chord with you. I do wonder though how much research is done before the program is filled. Do they weed people out if they can not find anything interesting in their past?

I am sure you are right to some degree, but my guess is for the american version, since its primary appeal is the actual "celebrity guest", that they do all the research, and while most is probably a surprise, and the reactions are original, you will notice that they only follow one particular line of heritage...

for example, with Lisa Kudrow, they only followed her patrilineal grandmothers line, to find a certain answer, because, i guess much more was known about the other sides of the family, and they really wanted an answer to this particular question.

with Emmitt Smith, they followed his patrilineal side (IIRC), to try and trace his roots back to Africa, and they did hit a dead end on one side of the Patrilineal tree, so that ended right there. But where they did follow was very fascinating, and since the show is only one hour, it is very likely they could have done a great deal on his mothers side...and let's face it, if you have alot of time and money, and you do not really care about the time constraints of TV, i am sure you could find lots of incredible other stuff in all our families, from the most mundane to the very interesting to the incredible going back several generations...

i would assume that they follow a couple of paths, and then follow the most interesting, since after all, it is TV and supposed to be dramatic :wink:

 

[superbot]

Yeah - I've enjoyed the UK one a lot too - didn't know they were bringing it to the States.

The ones I particularly remember were Bill Oddie (the very first one), Ian Hislop, Moira Stewart, Jeremy Paxman, Colin Jackson, David Tennant and Nigella Lawson. They did Jerry Springer in 2008 and from the blurb it looked interesting, but I missed the actual show.

And others I have watched were good too, just not as memorable. I would say it doesn't actually matter who the celeb is, or even if it were an unknown, because every family has an interesting story somewhere and that's what I liked about the show - not watching the celeb and how he/she reacts.

If it's anywhere near as good as the BBC production they'll all be worth watching - even ol' horse face.

Others they did,that would be known in America,were Stephen Fry Jeremy Clarkson and Joanna Lumley.Don't know what format its been shown over there,but hope it's not too syrupy,as that would ruin it.

 

[superbot]

interesting...were there any really interesting folks on other than the minor celeb types? I saw they had Jeremy Irons on there, and he is one of my favorite actors and it would seem maybe he has a rather interesting history.

it has been on for many many seasons in the UK, right?

Not sure how long,maybe as long as ten years.I think the Beeb deliberately didn't chose the big celebrities cos they don't necessarily make the most interesting people and lets face it their ego's are big enough without more publicity.The programme on the actress Barbara Windsor was most interesting for me,cos it turned out she was a direct descendant of the painter Constable!! and she's lovely!...

 

[Flashy]

I am embarrassed to say i have no clue who Barbara Windsor is :redface:

 

[ManlyBanisters]

I am embarrassed to say i have no clue who Barbara Windsor is :redface:

She's an actress and former gangster's moll from East London.

Best known for her cheeky laugh and tits in the 'Carry On' films and her more recent soap opera role as an Eastend matriarch.

Not everyone's cup of tea but most popular when like this:

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01131/arts-graphics-2008_1131725a.jpg

http://www.censorwatch.co.uk/images/nebwinds.jpg

 

[D_Relentless Original]

The Kim Cattrall was a great one, i always thought she was born and bred American, turns out she is from Liverpool UK. Kim a Scouser, who would have thought. Great interesting episode though.

 

[Flashy]

She's an actress and former gangster's moll from East London.

Best known for her cheeky laugh and tits in the 'Carry On' films and her more recent soap opera role as an Eastend matriarch.

Not everyone's cup of tea but most popular when like this:

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01131/arts-graphics-2008_1131725a.jpg

http://www.censorwatch.co.uk/images/nebwinds.jpg

hmmmm ...she reminds of the sort of B-movie actresses here in the US in the 60s/70s...i know she reminds me of someone, but i cannot place it, and now it will bother me for a week :wink:

 

[superbot]

......and Jeremy Clarkson's fore-fathers invented the Kilner Jar!!!