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DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

Bianculli's Blog

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

The Cold Light Reader

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Dateline Donovan
Contributors

DAVID HINCKLEY

All Along the Watchtower

ED BARK

Uncle Barky's Bytes

ALEX STRACHAN

TV That Matters

MIKE HUGHES

Open Mike

ED MARTIN

Ed Martin's TV Mix

KIM AKASS

Aerial View

MONIQUE NAZARETH

MNtv

BILL BRIOUX

TV Feeds My Family

ROGER CATLIN

TV Eye

GARY EDGERTON

Must-Click TV

TOM BRINKMOELLER

Raised On MTM

GERALD JORDAN

Crossing Jordan

NOEL HOLSTON

The Grassy Noel

TVWW ARCHIVE

Contributors Archive
 
 
2015
Apr
4
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli
 
 
One of the best things Saturday Night Live has done so far this year was a sketch in which Taran Killam, as Rudy Giuliani, did a full-out parody of Birdman. Tonight, we get the real deal, thanks to that movie’s star, Michael Keaton. And the musical guest for tonight’s show is Carly Rae Jepsen. So watch it, maybe…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
3
DEREK SPECIAL By David Bianculli
 
 
British audiences got to see this latest entry in Ricky Gervais’ Derek canon last December, but today marks its U.S. debut, streamed on Netflix. It’s a continuation of the two-season Derek series, also available on Netflix, starring Gervais as a somewhat simple-minded, or at least unusually innocent and unguarded, helper at a nursing home. This is a stand-alone telemovie-length special, so if you’ve yet to meet Derek, this is a fine place to start. Stream it any time.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
3
THE WIZARD OF OZ By David Bianculli
 
 
On the start of a holiday weekend, with family around, what better use of your TV set could there possibly be? Tune in to this 1939 classic and enjoy it all over again – and watch, with particular interest, the eyes of the youngest viewers in the room.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
3
DJANGO UNCHAINED By David Bianculli
 
 
Quentin Tarantino won the Oscar for Original Screenplay for this stylistic 2012 period action film, set in the plantation deep south in the years just before the Civil War. Only Tarantino could concoct a film that makes room for such disparate actors as Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington, and uses them all well. Quite a film.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
3
GREAT PERFORMANCES: “ANNIE LENNOX: NOSTALGIA LIVE IN CONCERT” By David Bianculli
 
 
You have to see this, and hear it. That’s the only way to appreciate fully the emotional power Lennox brings to her set list here – a list that includes “I Put a Spell on You,” “Summertime,” “God Bless the Child” and “Strange Fruit.” Check local listings.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
3
LIP SYNC BATTLE By David Bianculli
 
 
SERIES PREMIERE: This series premiered earlier this week on Spike, but the producers, who include Jimmy Fallon, are hedging their bets and spreading the wealth. As a result, the same nothing-but-fun lip-sync series that was seen on Spike is shown here on BET, starting with the premiere, featuring Fallon vs. Dwayne Johnson. Immediately following that is a second episode, featuring Common vs. John Legend.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
3
IN NEW HBO BIO, FRANK SINATRA SINGS OF HIS LIFE - BEAUTIFULLY By David Bianculli
 
 

HBO is on an amazing run right now with its documentaries. First Jinxed about Robert Durst, then the Scientology report Going Clear, and now, a new, excellent Frank Sinatra bio…

 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
2
THE BIG BANG THEORY By David Bianculli
 
 
Sheldon and Leonard take a road trip that finds them on the grounds of Skywalker Ranch, the northern California home base of their Star Wars creator-hero, George Lucas. This may or may not result in a Lucas cameo appearance, because these guys might not get anywhere near the actual owner of the Ranch. In fact, even in the promos, Sheldon gets tasered as Leonard watches from the car, so it’s even money…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
2
AMERICAN CRIME By David Bianculli
 
 
Carter and Aubry reunite in tonight’s episode, but it’s not exactly a smooth reunion for the down-and-out lovers. He’s out on recognizance, with an electronic ankle-bracelet monitor – and while he’s sleeping, she cuts it off. (The bracelet, not the ankle, but it’s still a bold, bad move.)
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Apr
2
THE SLAP By David Bianculli
 
 
SERIES FINALE: If you’ve stayed with this American remake of the Australian miniseries throughout, this is your final reward. Well, it’s the final episode, anyway.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
New From TVWW

PBS' 'Frontline’ Examines Pension Promises and — Spoiler Alert — Finds the Math Doesn’t Add Up
By Alex Strachan
 
 
 
 
The Decadence of ‘Versailles’ Comes to Ovation
By David Hinckley
 
 
 
 
Prescribing Mamie Gummer in 'Emily Owens, M.D.'
By Ed Bark
 
 
 
 
Looking for a Free Ride? HBO Can Deliver
By Christy Slewinski
 
 
 
 
'Pass the Biscuits' Part of the Hatfield-McCoy Pop-Culture Legacy
By Noel Holston
 
 
 
 

Dispatches From TVWW

'Extinction: The Facts' is a Sobering Call to Action
By David Hinckley
 
 
 
 
How 'Mayans' Has Been Influenced by the Show's Creator Elgin James
By Mike Hughes
 
 
 
 
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Take on Ernest Hemingway, the Man and the Myth
By Alex Strachan
 
 
 
 
In the Final Season, Sutton Foster's Liza is Now the Genuine Version of Her 'Younger' Self
By Monique Nazareth
 
 
 
 
Season 2 of 'City on a Hill' Returns with Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, and Boston Corruption
By David Hinckley