Celebration: Who Do You Think You Are

I don't watch a lot of real-time TV. I get my shows online, usually. But every now and then I sit down for some couch-style TV watching and this weekend I saw a show I'd never heard of before but was fascinating. The show Who Do You Think You Are traces the genealogy of a different celebrity every episode. Generally, I find the lives of celebrities only interesting in the gossipy sort of way that loses its intrigue quickly, but in the case of this show the fame of the main subjects adds to the emotional impact of the stories because you feel you know them (or at least a version of them) just a little bit better than some Regular Joe and so you feel just a little bit more invested in the story of their journey to discover their roots.

Watching the show made me think about what really makes up who I am and it reignited my curiosity about my own roots. Unfortunately the only episode on the NBC website is the Vanessa Williams story, which isn't as emotionally engaging because she doesn't seem as genuine as she could be, but if you watch TV on Sunday evenings, you should check this one out.