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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
 
 
2012
May
21
IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE: BURT BACHARACH AND HAL DAVID: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE By David Bianculli
 
 
President Barack Obama bestows America’s highest honor for popular song on the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, whose catalog includes such classics as “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “What the World Needs Now is Love,”  “Walk on By” and “Alfie,” during the latest In Performance at the White House program. Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall, Lyle Lovett, Rumer, Michael Feinstein, Arturo Sandoval, Stevie Wonder, Shel&eac
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
21
EUREKA By David Bianculli
 
 
I can relate to tonight’s Eureka, since planning for the “Worst Case Scenario” is part of my daily modus operandi. It’s an understatement to say Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) has a sinking feeling while inspecting a communications tower. And when the Global Dynamics computer begins playing War Games during a company disaster-preparedness drill, one has to wonder if things could possibly get any worse.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
21
NBA PLAYOFFS: 76ERS AT CELTICS; LAKERS AT THUNDER By David Bianculli
 
 
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers each have two wins going into tonight’s Eastern Conference semifinal Game 5, so the ball is, literally, in either team’s court. During the Western Conference semifinal game that follows at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Lakers are in a more precarious position. Their opponent, the Oklahoma City Thunder, are leading the series 3-1, thanks to a 3-pointer by Kevin Durant just 13.7 seconds before the end of Game 4. There’s so much hoops ac
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
21
THE SOCIAL NETWORK By David Bianculli
 
 
Facebook went public Friday in the largest tech IPO in U.S. history, and founder Mark Zuckerberg married long-time girlfriend Priscilla Chan in an off-the-radar backyard ceremony on Saturday. Is there a better time to scroll back the Timeline and reminisce about the social network’s awkward beginnings? Jesse Eisenberg stars in the Aaron Sorkin-scripted account of Facebook’s humble beginning and rocky rise to dominate the social networking landscape.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
21
BILL BRIOUX: DEVELOPING A COMPLEX ABOUT TV GUEST SPOTS By Bill Brioux
 
 
Meet Our TV Critic Worth Watching, Bill Brioux, who guests on this week's The L.A. Complex, and takes credit for jinxing it and other shows, including Puppets Who Kill...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
21
ENCOUNTERS WITH 'HOUSE' STAR HUGH LAURIE By Bill Brioux
 
 
TVWW Contributor Bill Brioux reminisces about his various encounters with House star Hugh Laurie.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
21
SNL: KRISTIN WIIG FAREWELL By Eric Gould
 
 
Kristin Wiig signed off of Saturday Night Live last weekend -- and it's hard to think of the show being as good without her. SNL has had a resurgence beginning with her becoming a cast member seven years ago, and you could even say has triumphed since Seth Meyers took over as head writer...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
20
THE SIMPSONS By David Bianculli
 
 
SEASON FINALE: Lady Gaga comes to Springfield tonight, with a wardrobe even more animated than her usual onstage attire. Shoes that tower over even her own skyscraper heels. Designs that defy conformity and logic even more so than usual. Dresses made of, among other things, bird feathers – all of which are still attached to birds. Live birds…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
20
JESSE STONE: BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT By David Bianculli
 
 
This is the eighth movie in Tom Selleck’s series of Jesse Stone mystery movies, based on the books by Spenser: for Hire creator Robert B. Parker – and just the fact that these movies still exist, at a time when telemovies on the broadcast networks appear about as often as Westerns, is enough reason to applaud and support their presence. But there’s more, as well, including a Selleck portrayal that, quite intentionally, makes no concessions to younger viewers or modern trends.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2012
May
20
MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!: "SHERLOCK" By David Bianculli
 
 
SEASON FINALE: When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the Sherlock Holmes story The Final Problem in 1893, it was to do away with the character of his popular detective, whom the author felt was, by that time, a burden. So at the end of the story, Holmes and his evil nemesis, Professor Moriarty, were sent over Reichenbach Falls in a locked, battling embrace to the death. Popular demand forced the resurrection of the character – and since we know the TV Sherlock series is continuing past tonig
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
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