SEASON FINALE: Most of the episodes in this inaugural season have ended with some sort of cliffhanger, so I can’t even imagine what sort of cliffs, and hangers, will be used to wrap up the season tonight. If you're a Banshee fan, you'll want to read Eric Gould's The Cold Light Reader, which talks about the season finale and the show in general.

2013

Mar

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER By David Bianculli

TV Chef Tom Collichio is tonight’s midshow guest, which makes him the live TV equivalent of an amuse bouche. And the main course? For my money, that’s an easy call: returning guest Rachel Maddow.

2013

Mar

A LIMP LOOK AT A TOUGH SUBJECT By Ed Bark

The World According to Dick Cheney is nuts-and-bolts bland and overly deferential...

2013

Mar

AMERICAN IDOL By David Bianculli

In the dozen years of this show’s often tempestuous history, no judge has ever missed the start of a live show. Not until last night, that is, when host Nicki Minaj was absent for the beginning of Wednesday’s live edition of American Idol, represented only by an empty chair nestled between Keith Urban and Randy Jackson. She did show up after the first contestant had sung and been judged, and slipped into her seat during the commercial break – trying to look cool and unobtrusive

2013

Mar

THE BIG BANG THEORY By David Bianculli

On tonight’s episode, Howard comes across a letter written to him by his long-gone father – and agonizes over whether to read it. Admittedly, Howard has it tough in the parenting department. Not only is his father absent, but his mother, though present in a big way, has never been seen. At least not by us viewers.

2013

Mar

THE WALKING DEAD By David Bianculli

On Thursdays, AMC has begun repeating The Walking Dead in sequence, but with a difference: with the color drained from the image, so that it’s presented in old-school black and white. That gimmick alone may not be enough reason to revisit the show, but here’s a better reason: Tonight’s episode is the one set at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, where Rick and his band of desperate survivors beg for answers, and help, from a barricaded scientist played by Noah Emmerich

2013

Mar

BOOGIE NIGHTS By David Bianculli

This 1997 Paul Thomas Anderson movie has a ridiculously talented cast – many of whom were much smaller stars when this period movie about the porn industry was filmed. Mark Wahlberg stars as a young man with a natural gift for that particular film genre, Burt Reynolds plays the producer who discovers him, and the supporting cast includes – ready? – William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham and more.

2013

Mar

NATHAN FOR YOU By David Bianculli

This daily feature is called Bianculli’s Best Bets, so this particular recommendation is fair, even though it comes from my 29-year-old son, Mark, who asked last night if I had seen this odd new show co-created by and starring Nathan Fielder. I hadn’t, but based on Mark’s enthusiastic description, I’ll tune in tonight, and urge you to do the same. In this reality-show spoof (well, he’s spoofing, but his guests are serious, like a Daily Show report), Fielder plays an

2013

Mar

GETTING READY FOR 'MEL BROOKS: MAKE A NOISE' By Christy Slewinski

Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming American Masters special, Mel Brooks: Make a Noise...

2013

Mar

THE FIGHTER By David Bianculli

This 2010 movie is directed by David O. Russell, who also showed how well he worked with actors in the subsequent Silver Linings Playbook. Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams star as a determined Boston pugilist and his equally tough girlfriend. They were nominated for Oscars, but didn't win — though two supporting actors in The Fighter did: Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, as Wahlberg's brother and mother, respectively.

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