the philanthropist

for the past eight weeks i have been glued to a new show on NBC called The Philanthropist. it caught my interest because the title character is played by james purefoy who i enjoyed as marc antony on the HBO series Rome. i was hooked by the second episode, which centered around the turmoil in myanmar (or burma) where many of the refugees in okc are from. i’m very impressed with this international drama, which was filmed everywhere from south africa to mozambique to prague. each installment is exciting and engaging, with its spectacular location footage, high action, sensationalistic characters, and emotionally charged circumstances, but the story lines are based on very real conditions in the countries it features. once you’re drawn in by the allure of the good-looking billionaire playboy Teddy Rist and his vigilante heroics, and the heart-tugging people he encounters, the show offers practical ways to make a difference. pretty sneaky…glamorize outreach with a hollywood polish then give people easy ways to jump in while they’re motivated. i love it.

while Teddy’s impulsive actions, impossible connections, and affinity for throwing around huge wads of money are hardly realistic, much less feasible for the average volunteer, anything that promotes awareness to people who are not usually exposed to the reality of global unrest is good in my opinion. the eight-part series is complete now, and i don’t believe there are plans to air any new episodes, but you can watch all of the previously aired shows here.

if you’d like ideas for simple ways to get involved on a variety of levels, check out the links in the “do some good” section of my WHERE I BROWSE page.

*interestingly, the drama is inspired by real life entrepreneur-turned-full-time philanthropist Bobby Sager.