CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Podtalk: Dr. Michelle Oakley, ‘Yukon Vet,’ Reflects on Season Seven
CHICAGO – The rumors of a series stoppage were just rumors, as Dr. Michelle Oakley is in the midst of production on Season Seven of her popular “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet,” which airs on the Nat Geo Wild Channel. Soon the continuing story of an animal enthusiast turned Canadian Yukon veterinarian will have new adventures.
Michelle Oakley grew up in Munster, Indiana (of all places), and loved animals at an early age, which crystalized when she worked on her uncle’s dairy farm. She focused her interests during her undergrad years at the University of Michigan while studying zoology, and first visited the Yukon through a program at UM. After college, she married her husband Shane and pursued her doctorate in veterinary medicine.
Dr. Michelle Oakley and Friend in ‘Dr Oakley, Yukon Vet’
Photo credit: Nat Geo Wild
In 2014, “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet” was launched on the Nat Geo Wild Channel, and its unique combination of animal care adventure and family – Michelle’s daughters Sierra, Maya and Willow participate in the show – has made it popular programming. Dr. Oakley is known for her swashbuckling approach to her mission. Her characteristics, like utilizing a tranquilizer dart gun in various ways to pacify her animal clients, got her named to the women’s “Badass 50” for InStyle Magazine in January.
In Part One of a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Dr. Michelle Oakley talks about Season Seven, her early background and what she learned about herself while becoming a TV personality.
In Part Two, Dr. Oakley reflects on the particulars of being a vet with the variety of species she encounters, and which animals she considers the most intelligent.
In Part Three, the vet observes the most memorable moments on her long-running TV series.
By PATRICK McDONALD |