Part 2 of 2. If you saw Part 1, you’ll definitely be back to watch tonight’s concluding installment of Alex Gibney’s musical biography of Frank Sinatra. But even if you missed the first half, you can jump in at this point and still be thoroughly entertained – especially by such astounding archival clips as Sinatra and Elvis Presley singing a duet, and singing each other’s hit songs. For my full review of this Sinatra documentary, which concludes tomorrow night, see

2015

Apr

THE VOICE By David Bianculli

This is the start of the Playoff Round, when the broadcasts are live, and the intensity increases. The auditions remain the best part of The Voice, but this round is a close second.

2015

Apr

2015 MEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP By David Bianculli

What a year for men’s college basketball. Saturday night’s second Final Four game, in which No. 1 seed Wisconsin fought its way past another No. 1 seed, heavily favored and previously undefeated Kentucky, was a thriller all the way. The earlier game began just as thrillingly, with No. 7 seed Michigan State jumping ahead of No. 1 seed Duke, but Duke took command thereafter and kept on dominating. So tonight, coaches Bo Ryan of Wisconsin and Mike Krzyzewski (pictured) square off for th

2015

Apr

BETTER CALL SAUL By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: What a remarkable thing Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould have done with Better Call Saul. Last week’s episode was so emotionally resonant, and so true to its characters, that this Breaking Bad prequel/sequel stands on its own as another excellent TV series – the best series to beget another great series since Cheers handed off to Frasier. And tonight, expect even more evidence that Bob Odenkirk, showing the evolution of Jimmy McGill into the show’s titular shyster,

2015

Apr

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES By David Bianculli

MTV, in the Eighties, was buoyed enormously by the sight of Madonna, adorned in jewels and satin, crooning “Material Girl” to a gaggle of well-dressed, unsuccessful suitors. The visual imagery was inspired directly by this 1953 movie musical, in which Marilyn Monroe sang “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend" with playful perfection. Jane Russell co-stars – and in the finale, she gets to imitate Monroe, blonde hair and all, in another very smart comic sequence.

2015

Apr

SINATRA: ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL By David Bianculli

Part 1 of 2. Frank Sinatra was only 55 when he decided to pack it all in, leave the music-making to a new generation, and stage a retirement concert in 1971, personally selecting 11 songs he felt summarized his life. That concert, in footage recently discovered in daughter Nancy’s possession, forms the spine of this captivating documentary by Alex Gibney, who last week gave us another powerful documentary premiere on HBO, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. For my full revie

2015

Apr

THE GOOD WIFE By David Bianculli

I’m often amazed at the issues this series chooses to dramatize as part of its court cases and interpersonal relationships. Tonight’s episode offers another example of almost prescient serendipity: the plot revolves around a legal argument over gay rights. This isn’t ripped from the headlines, Law & Order style – it was written and produced before the current headlines. So be impressed, as Diane (Christine Baranski) defends gay marriage, with both the argument and its

2015

Apr

MASTERPIECE: "WOLF HALL" By David Bianculli

MINISERIES PREMIERE: This new, superlative six-hour adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novels, about intrigue in and around the court of King Henry VIII, finds a fascinating new way into that often-dramatized court. It centers its drama around Thomas Cromwell, usually perceived as the Machiavellian villain of the era, and humanizes him – with British stage actor Mark Rylance, who won a Tony for Twelfth Night, playing the scheming, quick-thinking advisor to the king. Oh, and King Henry VII

2015

Apr

MAD MEN By David Bianculli

SERIES RETURN: It’s back, for the final seven episodes of its final season. What else do you need to know? And it doesn’t matter, because creator Matt Weiner is so secretive about plot details, he makes the CIA look like the gossiping biddies from The Music Man. Just watch Mad Men, and enjoy…

2015

Apr

SALEM By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: This often (intentionally) creepy WGN America series begins Season 2 with a key addition. As if Janet Montgomery, as the scheming Salem witch controlling so much of the terrified populace, wasn’t enough to drive this period drama, tonight’s episode presents a new supernatural alpha female about to hit town – and played by genre queen Lucy Lawless. We meet her as she soaks in, and emerges from, a bathtub, casting a spell on the man watching her – but not n

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