This one-hour documentary was released a decade ago, and is somewhat superficial – but it contains enough behind-the-scenes footage, vintage interviews, and clips from the old NBC series The Monkees to explain how this fabricated music group, the Pre-Fab Four, not only copied the Beatles, but rivaled them. And, at one point in the 1960s, outsold them.

2017

Jan

CNN TOWN HALL: BERNIE SANDERS By David Bianculli

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo will moderate this political discussion featuring one of the former candidates for president in the 2016 election cycle. Televised live from George Washington University.

2017

Jan

BIG FAN By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: We already have one TV game-show series based on a late-night TV segment: Spike TV’s Lip Sync Battle, which originated on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Now we have another, courtesy of Jimmy Kimmel Live. The ABC host has authorized and overseen this spinoff of his “Who Knows?” segments, in which celebrities are pitted against fans to see who knows more about that celebrity’s work, and other things. For this new ABC version, Conan TBS sidekick

2017

Jan

SOME LIKE IT HOT By David Bianculli

This 1959 comedy classic, directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, is treasured by the American Film Institute and other institutions as one of the funniest comedy movies ever made. And it’s tough to argue against them, because of its trio of charming central performances. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon play musicians who go on the lam with an all-girl orchestra, masquerading as women to avoid the mobsters whom they saw murder some rival gangsters. Marilyn Monroe completes the central trio, p

2017

Jan

TWO UPCOMING PBS DOCUMENTARIES GO NUCLEAR By David Hinckley

We’ve been dating seriously for more than 70 years, but mankind still hasn’t figured out its relationship with nuclear energy...

2017

Jan

NFL FOOTBALL WILD-CARD PLAYOFFS By David Bianculli

The weekend’s remaining two wild-card games are played today. The first, at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, features the 10-6 Miami Dolphins visiting the 11-5 Pittsburgh Steelers (pictured), and playing in the sort of weather that doesn’t exactly favor the Dolphins. Then, at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox, the 11-5 New York Giants go to an even colder-weather site, to face the surging 10-6 Green Bay Packers.

2017

Jan

THE 74TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS By David Bianculli

Jimmy Fallon is the host of the Golden Globes this year, Meryl Streep is the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and, as always, it’s the combo of celebrities and alcohol that promises to make this a watchable, or at least quotable, awards show. The awards themselves? Meaningless.

2017

Jan

ANNIE HALL By David Bianculli

Any opportunity to watch this 1977 Woody Allen masterpiece – especially in cases such as tonight’s, when it’s presented unedited, uninterrupted and in its proper screen ratio – should be taken, and savored. Each viewing, I find myself paying attention to different little details. Last time it was Diane Keaton’s unbroken, heart-wrenching cabaret singing. This time, I think it’ll be Christopher Walken’s cold-eyed, straight-ahead spooky stares. Especially b

2017

Jan

SHERLOCK ON MASTERPIECE By David Bianculli

Last week’s season opener of Sherlock ended with a sad stunner of an unexpected death. And tonight, we learn how the surviving characters cope in the wake of that… wake. Also, looming on the horizon, is Sherlock’s greatest nemesis, Moriarty. Benedict Cumberbatch stars. Check local listings.

2017

Jan

THE REAL MAD MEN OF ADVERTISING By David Bianculli

MINISERIES PREMIERE: This four-part documentary series is a decade-by-decade history not only of advertising, but of television itself – and, as such, is valuable as well as impressive. Syracuse University pop-culture expert Robert J. Thompson is all over this thing, and makes great use of his screen time – and Matthew Weiner is all over the opening episode, too, bringing clips from his Mad Men series and revealing just who, on the real Madison Avenue, inspired what. Expect plenty of

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