I have recently discovered this great British comic and decided to share a short video of him, talking about how having children changes your life.
I constantly tell you how it's important to read and to listen to something at the same time. It's especially true with videos, since we are used to reading subtitles so it's almost zero effort and plenty of improvement. Of course, the subtitles should be in English, otherwise, it's completely useless because the brain cannot link any written word to their pronounced equivalent. It's easy to do with your DVDs at home, or even on the BBC (teletext page 888), but a bit more difficult with youTube videos like this one. I therefore decided to make the subtitles myself. I hope you will enjoy it, and, if you do have children, I'm almost sure you'll get a good laugh!
Here is a poem from the Victorian Era that every English-speaking bride knows by heart: the list of all the things that she needs on her wedding day to follow the tradition and be lucky. And today, we are going to discover what they mean.
There are indeed many interesting facts about weddings that many people don't know about. To have something old on your wedding represents the continuity between the bride and her family and community: her maiden name is going to change but it doesn't mean that she'll lose her identity and family history. There is a variety of objects that could work as her "something old", such as a vintage garter, her grandmother's veil, a locket with a family picture, a brooch, etc.
The "something new" represents the future of the new bride and groom. It symbolizes new beginnings and living together forever happily married. It can be a wedding dress, new makeup, new shoes, fresh flowers, or even the key to a new house.
"Something borrowed" means the everlastingsupport of family and friends for the new couple. Normally, the borrowing is supposed to be between the bride and a happily married woman. Examples of borrowed things are a grandmother's cake recipe, a sister's shoes, a mother's earrings, etc.
"Something blue" is symbolic of purity, loyalty, faithfulness, everlasting love and fidelity in the new marriage. Traditionally, all English-fashioned wedding dresses have a hidden blue thread. However, it could also be blue flowers, blue polish-nail, blue shoes, a blue garter, blue jewelry or even blue bridesmaids dresses.
Finally, the sixpence in your shoe is a wish for good fortune and prosperity throughout the marriage. This one is mainly a British custom.
That's it: now you know a bit more about English traditions!
What about you? What are the wedding good luck charms in your country?
Did the Duchess of Cambridge have a blue garter under her wedding dress?
Adapted from http://castlecatering.net/vintage-traditions-for-the-modern-wedding-infographic/#.UpO8NKW-z9K
I've recently discovered a website that I think could help you with your English skills. It's called English Central and it publishes short videos, subtitled in English, with vocabulary input, memory training and pronunciation exercises. Yes, pronunciation exercises: you can talk to the program and it gives you a note on how good (or how bad) your were. In a nutshell, everything you need to practise every day.
This week, with my afternoon students (pre-intermediate), we were talking about songs and artists we liked and one of them mentioned REM, which reminded me of this great song I wanted to share with you today.
For those of you who don't know REM, they are an American band from Georgia created in 1980 by 4 artists: Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry. Their music was labeled as "alternative rock" and they were one of the firsts in that genre. Today, we are going to study the song "Losing my religion", which is one of my favorite ones.
1) Listen to the song
2) Read the lyrics and listen at the same time to find the missing words.
5) Play the song again and sing at the same time. If you don't know why you have to sing, check my previous post on the subject here.
6) Comment with your answer to this question: What is the song about?
Life is ________________ It's ________________ And you, you are not me The lengths that I will go to The ________________ in your eyes Oh no, I've said too much I set it up
That's me in the ________________ That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion________________ to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no I've said too much I haven't said ________________
I thought that I heard you ________________ I thought that I heard you ________________ I think I thought I saw you ________________
Every whisper Of every waking hour I'm choosing my ________________ Trying to keep an eye on you Like a hurt lost and blinded fool Oh no, I've said too much I set it up
Consider this The hint of the________________ Consider this The slip that brought me To my knees failed What if all these ________________ Come flailing around Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you ________________ I thought that I heard you ________________ I think I thought I saw you ________________
But that was just a ________________ That was just a ________________
That's me in the ________________ That's me in the spotlight Losing my religion________________ to keep up with you And I don't know if I can do it Oh no I've said too much I haven't said ________________
I thought that I heard you ________________ I thought that I heard you ________________ I think I thought I saw you ________________
But that was just a dream, try, cry, why, try That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream Dream
This week, I want to make an article about Nina Simone. I introduced one of her songs in my classes and discovered that she was unknown to my students. It was therefore necessary for me to present her life and work as the legendary artists she was.
- The "difficult" words are underlined, and you are free to find their meanings in your dictionary (www.wordreference.org)
- Listen to the podcast here:
- Read the text
- Listen and read at the same time for your brain to develop and improve your listening skills.
Enjoy!
***
Nina Simone was one of the most extraordinary artists of the 20th century and an icon of American music. She used her talent to create a sense of liberation, empowerment, passion and love through wonderful songs. She was nicknamed "High Priestess of Soul" because she could cast a spell on people, and they would lose track of time and space as they became absorbed in the moment.
Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon. She was born in North Carolina on February 21st, 1933. She started playing the piano by ear at the age of 3. She was raised in a strictly religious family and she played the piano in her mother's church. When she was 12, she made a concert in the local church. Her parents, who were sitting in the front row, were forced to move to the back to leave their seats to white people. She refused to play until her parents moved back to the front.
After graduating from high school, she wanted to go to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the school rejected her because of her race. Eunice moved to New York City and studied at the Julliard School of Music.
To survive, she began teaching music to local students. One day, in 1954, she started to sing at the Midtown Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She transformed popular tunes unto a synthesis of jazz, blues and classical music, and people started talking about her. Her rich, deep velvet voice combined with her wonderful keyboardskills soon attracted an audience. Eunice didn't want her mother to know she was singing in bars, she became "Nina Simone", after the actress Simone Signoret.
When she was 24, Nina Simone came to the attention of the record industry and signed a contract with Bethlehem Records, and her interpretation of "I Loves you Porgy" was a big success in 1958. Nina Simone recorded more than 40 albums between 1958 and 1974. Her musical style is a mixture between gospel and pop songs, with a bit of classical music and jazz singing.
In the early 1960s, she became involved in the civil rights movement and that gave a new direction to her life. Her music had a big influence on the fight for equal rights in the United States. Nina Simone always included songs about her African-American origins, but it was the first time she openly sang about the racial inequalities in the United States with "Mississippi Goddam". From then on, there was always a civil rights message in her songs. The most powerful performance, to me, is her interpretation of "Strange Fruit", a song originally by Billie Holiday.
Her last album, A Single Woman, was recorded in 1993. She had suffered from breast cancer for several years when she died in her sleep on April 21st, 2003. Elton John sent flowers with the message "You were the greatest and I love you." Simone's ashes were scattered in several African countries. She leaves a daughter, Lisa Celeste Stroud, actress and singer with the stage name Simone.
Hi everyone. This week, I suggest you an adapted news article about the infamous Abercrombie & Fitch brand. Follow the instructions and enjoy!
1) Listen to the podcast - DON'T READ
2) Listen again and take notes of what you understand.
3) Read the text and look for the underlined words in a dictionary
4) Read again and listen to the podcast at the same time.
5) Answer the questions at the end of this note, as well as the opinion questions. You can comment the article with your answers.
This week, a mother from Washington DC took her three daugthers’ Abercrombie & Fitch clothes and returned them to the firm’s chief executive, Mike Jeffries, with a note explaining that she wouldn’t let her kids shop at his stores anymore.
Why was she so angry?
Last week, Business Insider reported that Abercrombie refuses to make large-sized clothing, because Jeffries wants «thin and beautiful» people shopping in his store. «He doesn’t want his customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothes». «As far as Jeffries is concerned, America’s unattractive, overweight or otherwise undesirable teens can shop elsewhere.»
Jeffries is quoted as saying « In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-America kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong in our clothes, and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody either.»
However, nowadays, fast fashion retailers such as H&M and Forever 21 do a pretty good job of exciting fashion customers of all ages and sizes. And - no big surprise - they have been stealing market share from Abercrombie & Fitch.
From a fashion point of view, Abercrombie is a lame label. Although it sounds vaguely English, Abercrombie is a reinvented hunting and fishing creator based in Ohio. It is not what you can call a design house. It is just a retailer of relatively boring overpriced clothes tarted up for teens.
The company always seems to be in the middle of some scandal or controversy: Its catalog photos are too suggestive, it’s selling thong underwear to pre-teens, and they are in court for forcing less attractive and minority employees to work behind the scenes rather than on the floor.
So, while there is nothing particularly original going on style-wise at Abercrombie, there is a certain genius for developing the anxiety of youngsters who want to be considered cool by their peers.
Supposedly, it’s an anxiety that CEO Jeffries, now in his late 60’s, never outgrew. «Jeffries wants desperately to look like his target customers, and in that pursuit he has aggressively transformed hismelf from a classically handsome man into a cartoonish physical specimen: dyed hair, perfectly white teeth, golden tan, building biceps, wrinkle-free face, and big Angelina Jolie lips.»
Still trying to be one of the cool kids, I guess.
Adapted from L.A. Now, article by Robin Abcarian, May 11th, 2013
Questions:
1) Why was the mother so angry?
2) Why does Abercrombie exclude non-attractive people?
3) Why does the journalist think that Abercrombie is a lame label?
4) What kind of controversy or scandal is the company in the middle of?
5) What does Jeffries look like?
Opinion questions:
1) Did you know Abercrombie & Fitch? Have you ever been to one of their shops?
2) Is this company the reflection of today's world?
6) Listen one last time and sing along with the lyrics.
FAQ
Do I have to sing?
Yes, it's an absolute obligation
How will you know, you can't see me.
Oh, but I can...
Why?
Now, that's the interesting part. Not only is it fun, but it's actually important for your pronunciation and rhythm. It doesn't matter if you have a nice singing voice or the voice of an old and terrible witch. What matters is that as you sing, your pronounce words the way you believe they are pronounced and at the same time, you hear them the way they should be pronounced. So that's a perfect way for your brain to pick up any pronunciation mistake you make, on your own, without me telling you. Isn't that amazing?
I don't like Adele
I don't believe you. But if it's true then just wait for my next musical article. If you think I have horrible musical tastes, you can suggest songs to me via my contact form :)
Lyrics
There's a fire starting in my heart, Reaching a fever pitch and it's __________ me out the dark. Finally, I can see you __________ clear, Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare,
See how I'll leave with __________piece of you, Don't underestimate the __________ that I will do.
There's a fire starting in my heart, Reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark.
The scars of your love __________me of us, They keep me thinking that we __________ had it all.
The scars of your love, they __________ me breathless, I can't help feeling,
We could have had it all, Rolling in the deep, You had my heart __________ your hand, And you played it to the beat.
Baby, I have no __________ to be told, But I've heard one on you and I'm gonna __________ your head burn, Think of me in the depths of your despair, Making a home down there as mine sure won't be shared?
The scars of your love __________me of us, They keep me thinking that we __________ had it all. The scars of your love, they __________ me breathless, I can't help feeling,
We could have had it all, Rolling in the deep. You had my heart __________ your hand, And you played it to the beat.
Throw your soul through __________ open door, Count your blessings to __________ what you look for. Turn my sorrow into treasured gold, You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown.
We could have had it all, We could have had it all. It all, it all, it all.
We could have had it all, Rolling in the deep. You had my heart __________ of your hand, And you played it to the beat.
September is back and so is school. I don't know about you, but I've always been inspired by September. Autumn is coming, which is one of my favourite seasons ever with its beautiful red-orange leaves falling and the last rays of sunlight shining through them.
Also, there is something about summer that rhymes with being lazy. I don't know about other teachers, but summer always equates with "I have no energy" for me; which of course bothers me because there are always a million things I would love to do. So, September is always welcome as it gives me that "kick in the pants" that I need at some point. And the result is this blog having a brand new design! Tadaam. I don't know about you guys, but I love it.
So, for those of you who have followed the hesitating debuts of this blog this summer, worry no more, for I will publish one article a week on various subjects according to my inspiration: that is my "september resolution", it's a promise! And to the others, welcome welcome!
If, like me and the students I am going to meet next week, you are "going back to school", here are a couple of tips to help you manage efficiently and peacefully.
1) Set realistic goals: it's important to have ambition and to know where you want to be next year, but it has to be realistic. Sometimes, I see students who start a level 3 with me and feel discouraged when they learn there are 12 levels in the school system. You don't need to do 12 levels to be able to speak English. I would say that most people speak acceptable English around level 5, which you can reach at your own pace. So, the first thing would be to know what you want and to see in how long that goal is achievable.
2) Make an appointment with yourself to study: If you go to a school, if you come to my classes or if you just follow this blog, it doesn't matter: you need to study. Of course, most of you have a job and lives full of important things and it is sometimes difficult to find the time to do homework. Going to school, to classes or following a blog, is already a good start. Unfortunately, if there is no background work, your new knowledge is not going to last. Pick a day, any day, where you can spend 60 minutes revising what you have learned that week, to make all your efforts worth it.
3) Sleep: yes, sleep. Apprenticeship needs sleep. It is during your sleep that your brain registers what has happened during the day. If you lack sleep, you won't remember as much.
That's it for now! I'm off to work on your next subject, which promises to be... musical!
Here are the answers to the latest article questions as well as the long awaited related crosswords : when the weekending has to stop. The downloadable and printable version of the crossword is available here. 1) Answers
Because the last time they left their teenagers at home, it was a disaster and they had to pay an expensive plumber to fix the house.
They broke the heated towel rail and tried to repair with Polyfilla.
All the teenagers will know that the house is free and they will come and have a party
Because she discovered that her sons spent a day sitting on the roof of their house. She thought they were doing dangerous things when they were left alone and needed adult supervision.
The boomerang generation is the generation of young people who leave their parents to go live their lives, but then come back after a separation or a divorce or because they don’t find a job after university. Since this is becoming more and more frequent, Michelle thinks she needs to trust them if they are going to stay at her house forever.
They were watching TV.
Because the tap handle was broken. It means they couldn’t be trusted with the house.
2) Crossword
Across
5. the covering that forms the top of a building
6. to have an argument over something that is not important
11. unwise, stupid or not showing good judgment
12. life at home taking care of your house or family 14. a container for boiling water 15. a strong wish, difficult or impossible to control 16. bad luck 17. a level of building 20. something that makes you feel better or more energetic 22. wauter faucet 24. to make the same journey regularly between work and home 26. to see or become conscious of something or someone 27. a part of an object designed for holding, moving or carrying the object easily 29. having everything ordered and arranged in the right place
Down
1. take hold of something or someone suddenly and roughly
2. to begin a discussion of something difficult
3. to pull and twist something or violently away from a fixed position
4. a party or a meeting 7. recently 8. for a reason that is not clear 9. to fill something in untidy or badly organized way 10. the front part of your leg, between your knee and your foot 12. give all of something, especially your time, effort or love 13. one or more reasons for believing that something is or is not true 17. to laugh at someone or something in a silly and often unkind way 18. to make a sudden, short high sound 19. a complaining noise or phrase 21. to repair 23. shaped into a point 25. to show or experience great surprise or admiration 28. the fact that something is not available or that there is not enough of it 30. silly or stupid
Dear followers, summer has brought its heat and its wave of laziness. The rhythm on this blog will be a bit slower in until the end of August. But worry not, as from September, feeds will come every week. So gently rest before giving it your best ;-)
Today, we are working on an article from a magazine called Good Housekeeping, and I chose an article by Michelle Hather about family life. For once I didn't change anything in the article, leaving it in its original language. That's why I labelled this input as "upper-intermediate". You can still try to work on it if your level is lower, but don't get frustrated if it's too difficult, it's completely normal.
I suggest the following steps to discover it:
1) Read once without paying attention to the words you don't understand 2) Read again and try to make sense of the underlined words with context
4) Check the vocabulary input herewhile reading so you make better sense of the article
5) Read again
6) Answer the questions at the end of the article
7) Stay tuned for the crossword that will be published shortly together with the questions' answers.
Here we go!
There's nothing teenagers love more than a free house uncluttered by parental supervision. But Michelle Hather really, really wants to go away on that mini-break...
Summer is here and I suddenly have the urge to see the sea. "Let's go away for the weekend," I say to my husband. He looks up from his newspaper crossword and groans. "You know what happened last time," he says. "It took an expensive plumber two weeks to put the house back together again."
He's right. Last summer we grabbed a couple of days to ourselves and went to Guernsey. While we were away, there was a disaster in our newly-decorated bathroom. One of the boys somehowwrenched the heated towel rail off its fittings, and in their panic, the youngest two bought a packet of Polyfilla and tried to stick the radiator back in place. "I'm surprised you even noticed," said the sarcastic plumber who came to prise it off and mendthe pipework.
Dare we risk it again? Son Number One is back from university and used to fending for himself. I think about leaving him in charge, then remember the state of his student flat and shudder.
It's not just my three I worry about. Even before our car's out of the street, Facebook will light up with the news of a free house. Teenagers live for a free house. They hunt in packs until they find someone whose parents have been foolish enough to go away for the weekend and... You see the problem.
"We don't even want a party," Son Number Two says, when I broach the subject over dinner that night. "It'll just be a gathering."Son Number Three sniggers into his spaghetti bolognese. "Yeah, like mad shubs." (Teenspeak: a shubs is a house party, as in "I'm gonna have a shubs on Friday.") He yelps as his brother's Doc Marten boot connects with his shin.
"The thing is," my husband says later, "it doesn't matter whether it's a party or a gathering or even just the three of them left alone. They don't need an excuse to get into trouble."
He's right again. I gave up working full time after I discovered they had spent a day sitting on the roof of our house. God only knows what else they got up to that year, when they were too big for childcare but too daft not to have high jinx on the pointy end of a three-storey building.
But we do need a break. We spend our time commuting, working, cooking and moaning at the boys. I can't remember the last time we saw a film together or discussed a book; squabbling over the cooker's instruction manual doesn't count, I've decided. We also need to trust the boys to be home alone - the boomerang generation being what it is, they are likely to be hanging around for some time.
So we find a seaside B&B, only an hour or so drive away, and leave our three just for one night. We walk on the beach, watch a film in the afternoon and in the evening have oysters and a good bottle of wine. I marvel at the restorative power of the sea air and the lack of domesticity, and we promise we'll devote more time to each other.
I do, of course, spend every spare moment texting home and checking the boys' Facebook pages for evidence of a party. But there's nothing. It's all quiet on the Western Front. We arrive home to find the house still standing and (suspiciously) tidy, the three of them watching television in a heap in the living room.
"I'm so pleased we trusted them," I say to my husband as he fills the kettle in the kitchen. "We can go away again without worrying so much." He looks at me, his lips pulled in and clamped between his teeth, which means he is very, very angry. In his hand sits the sheared-offhandle of the cold tap.
Questions:
Michelle wants to go to the beach for the weekend, but her husband doesn’t want to. Why?
What happened when they went away last time?
What is going to happen on Facebook when they go away?
Why did Michelle give up working full time?
Why does she say she needs to trust her boys home alone? What’s the boomerang generation?
How did they find their children when they came back from their weekend to the beach?
Why was her husband very angry?
Check your answers in next article, together with the crossword to check your vocabulary improvement!
Once again, it's time to check your vocabulary improvement after the last "lesson". Here is a crossword, that you can also download and print here
Enjoy!
Across
2. a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group 3. in an earlier time
5. to tell someone that you will kill or hurt them, or cause problems for them of they do not do what you want 8. seeming not to need any effort 9. working or operating quickly and effectively 11. further away in the distance 13. to do an action or piece of work 17. happening after something else 20. to pull or be pulled apart 21. difficult or unpleasant conditions of life 23. to win against someone in a fight, war or competition 24. the fact that someone or something disappears 28. different from what is usual or from the way most people do things 29. a list of planned activities or things to be done, showing the times or dates when they are intended to happen or to be done 30. to persuade someone to work for a company or become a new member of an organization, especially the army
Down
1. to represent or describe someone or something in a painting, film, book or other artistic work 2. someone who was found guilty of a crime 4. use manipulation 6. usually or to a large degree 7. a drug that makes your mind and body more active 10. to be public for the first time, for a play or any other time of entertainment 11. place where a battle is being fought 12. (fig) fulfill a commitment, keep a promise 14. the occasion when someone performs or presents something to the public for the first time = premiere 15. lawyer 16. to move or cause something to move around a central point or line 18. to keep a group of people interested or enjoying themselves 19. testicle 22. the offense of breaking a religious or moral law 25. permission for a prisoner to be released before their period in prison is finished, with the agreement that they will behave well 26. to develop gradually 27. conspire
Those of you who have followed my classes know how many times I have said that doing something we like in the language we want to learn is the best way to learn quickly and effortlessly. In my case, watching series proved to be very efficient as you get entertained at the same time as you train your brain. So here are the 12 series, according to Entertainment Weekly, that can't be missed this summer. Note that if you decide to watch them, you should watch them with English subtitles, as your brain will magically pick up new words, expressions, spellings, and, most importantly, develop your listening skills. For that matter, don't hesitate reading the article while listening the its audio version below.
Here is an American teen drama mystery-thriller series based on the novels by Sara Shepard. The story is about the lives of four girls whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee: Alison DiLaurentis. A year later, they start receiving messages from a mysterious person using the name 'A'. This 'A' threatens to expose their secrets. At first, they think it's Alison herself, until her body is found. Because of the major success of the 10 first episodes of the TV show, the book series was extended beyond the initial eight novels. The 4th season premiered on June 11th, 2013 on ABC Family.
2. True Blood
This one is also an American television drama series and it was created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels written by Charlaine Harries. The story is about the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a small town in northwestern Louisiana. The main character is Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress. The show has been broadcast on HBO since September 7, 2008 and the first 5 seasons received mainly favorable reviews. They also won several awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
The sixth season premiered on June 16th, 2013.
3. Franklin & Bash
This is more of a drama-comedy television series, with the two main characters, Jared Franklin and Peter Bash portrayed as unconventional lawyers and longtime friends. In the UK, it was compared to Allie McBeal, but "with balls". It premiered in June 2011 on TNT. After defeating Damien Karp of the prestigious law firm Infeld & Daniels, Jared and Peter are recruited by Stanton Infeld, where they work with their assistant Carmen Phillips, an ex-convict out on parole, and Pindar Singh, a brilliant but agoraphobic attorney and classmate of theirs. The third season began on June 19, 2013.
4. Under the dome
Under the Dome is an American science fiction horror television series based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. The series premiered on June 24, 2013 on CBS. Set in the near future, Under the Dome tells the story of all the residents of the small town of Chester’s Mill, who suddenly find themselves cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious, impenetrable barrier that surrounds the town. As the town begins to tear itself apart through panic, a small group of people try to keep peace and order, while also trying to find the truth about the barrier and how to escape from it. 5. Dexter
Is it Dexter’s turn to die? For the show’s 8th and final season, all bets are off. Dexter is an Ameican television drama series which debuted on October 1, 2006 on CBS. The series centers on Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for Miami Metro Police Department, who also leads a secret life as a serial killer. The show’s first season was largely based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the first of the Dexter series novels by Jeff Lindsay. However, the subsequent seasons have evolved independantly of Lindsay’s work. For this last season, we can expect Miami Metro’s killer to fight with his siter Debra, the arrival of a psychiatrist from his past, the return of his poisonous lover Hanna McKay, and a new Big Bad who steals pieces of victim’s brains. All that leads Dexter to a finale that the producers promise will deliver. «We want to go out as strongly as we came in. It will be scary and thrilling and very touching all at the same time.»
Showtime: June 30, 2013
6. Ray Donovan
This one is a new American television drama series, created by Ann Biderman and its twelve-episode first season is going to debut on June 30, 2013. The story takes place in Los Angeles, California, where Ray Donovan is a «fixer» for the rich and famous. However, he experiences his own problems when his father is unexpectedly released from prison.
7. Get out alive with Bear Grylls
Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls is a new American reality competition hosted by adventurer and survivalist Bear Grylls. The series made of eight episodes is scheduled to start on NBC on July 8th, 2013. Ten teams of 2 people will compete to survive in the wild of New Zealand while performing various tasks and missions. Each week, one team will be eliminated, and the last team remaining will win $500,000.
8. The Bridge
A Texas detective and a charming Mexican detective team up when a dead body is dropped on the bridge connecting El Paso (Tex.) to Juares (Mexico). But the producers promise the series will be about more than just the hunt for a killer. It’s an American police drama that will debut on FX on July 10th, 2013.
9. Orange is the new black
Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange is The New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, the original comedy-drama series will premiere on July 11, 2013. It revolves around Piper Chapman, a New York woman, who is sent to a women’s federal prison for possessing a suitcase full of drug money for Alex Vause, an international drug smuggler and a previous lover. She has to serve a 15-month sentence and she must survive the hardships of prison life.
10. Suits
This series is set at the law firm Pearson Hardman in New York City. Specter is looking for an associate and interviews Ross, who is the best candidate for the position and obtains it without having a law degree, and being on the run from a drug deal gone bad... The third season is about to premiere on July 16, 2013
11. The White Queen
Based on a series of best-selling historical novels by Philippa Gregory, this War of the Roses drama centers around King Edward who disobeyed his advisers to marry Elizabeth in 1464 and the rebellion that follows. It focuses on 3 ladies who want the throne. «It’s about how they plot and they maneuver, not on the battlefield but in their homes.» It is a British television drama and it was launched on BBC One on June 16th, 2013.
12. Breaking Bad
Set and produced in Abluquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, in order to secure his family’s financial future before he dies. In this third and last season it’s time to find out if Walter will pay for all the sins he has committed over five dark seasons. It will be aired starting August 11th, 2013.
