On this day in 1970, television viewers heard the famous signoff, "'Good night, Chet.' 'Good night, David. And good night, for NBC News,'" for the final time, when news anchor Chet Huntley said farewell to his long-time co-anchor David Brinkley...

2020

Jul

BLACK IS KING By David Bianculli

SPECIAL PREMIERE: Beyoncé is the queen of sudden, unexpected drops of songs, albums, videos and movies – and here she comes again, slipping onto Disney Plus with an album, and an accompanying “video album,” inspired by a Disney musical, The Lion King. Beyoncé’s Black Is King takes the message and spirit of the young cub’s journey in The Lion King and reimagines it as a story for today’s youth – the future kings

2020

Jul

MUPPETS NOW By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: This new series aims to revive the spirit of the classic The Muppet Show series from the mid-Seventies: a frenetic stage manager (in this case Scooter) trying to herd cats (and pigs and chickens and other Muppet creatures) and put on a show. The show, this time, is streamed on the Internet, not staged in a theater, but there are spoofs of TV shows, special guest stars (RuPaul, Linda Cardellini, Danny Trejo), and appearances by such beloved Muppets as the Swedish Chef,

2020

Jul

MARLEY By David Bianculli

As part of this year-long salute to honor Bob Marley on what would have been his 75th birthday, Kevin Macdonald’s 2012 documentary Marley is being re-released, on both Movies on Demand and in some actual movie theaters. My advice: stay home and order it on TV, in the safety of your own home.

2020

Jul

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: Season 2 of this series has the supernaturally gifted siblings dealing with a new set of problems. Actually, an old set of problems, as they’ve found themselves transplanted back to Dallas in the 1960s. When in the 1960s, exactly? Well, I haven’t peeked that far ahead – but if you’re traveling in time to Dallas in the Sixties, I’m guessing it’s at a time when one of the stops should logically be, say, Dealey Plaza.

2020

Jul

GREAT PERFORMANCES: "NOEL COWARD'S PRESENT LAUGHTER" By David Bianculli

The PBS summer series “Broadway at Home” continues this week with a rebroadcast of Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, a 2017 Great Performances telecast of the classic comedy farce. Kevin Kline is a riot, and obviously has a blast, playing a ham actor, and his co-stars include Kate Burton and Cobie Smulders. Check local listings.

2020

Jul

THE GO-GO'S By David Bianculli

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: Here’s a new documentary about the most successful female rock band of all time. (Take that, Runaways!) For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.

2020

Jul

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER By David Bianculli

SERIES RETURN: Even though he wasn’t going anywhere, Bill Maher took the month of July off – until today, July 31, when he returns with a more Hollywood-centric lineup than usual. Kerry Washington and Jim Carrey lead tonight’s socially distanced guest lineup, with Maher presiding, as he has since the beginning of the pandemic, from his home.

2020

Jul

FROM TROUBLED TO TRIUMPHANT: 'THE GO-GO'S' By David Hinckley

The Go-Go's set out to show that an all-female band could do all the things an all-male band could do, and they pretty much succeeded. That included making catchy records that became big hits...It also included serious internal friction..

2020

Jul

FAKE NEWS AND REAL TRUTHS (ABOUT WOMEN) ON 'THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW' By Ed Martin

Gender equality in the workplace is a hot-button topic today. So is the concept of "fake news." Interestingly, they were co-mingled five decades ago in an episode of a beloved sitcom from the '70s that holds up to this day...

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