This is an overview of the career and artistry of Elton John, but it’s not a standard biography. Instead, it’s John himself, holding court to explain the inspirations behind the 20 most popular songs in his catalog, as voted by fans. Considering that his collaborator, Bernie Taupin, wrote the lyrics for virtually all of them, expect a lot of input from him as well.

2018

Jan

WHITE HEAT By David Bianculli

In this 1949 classic, James Cagney revisits the gangster genre that made him famous more than 15 years earlier in 1931’s The Public Enemy, and reclaims it entirely. This time he plays a psycho convict who escapes from prison and resumes his life of crime on the outside, with a woman (Virginia Mayo) by his side and his mother (Margaret Wycherly) always on his mind. “Made it, ma! Top o’ the world!” Another classic, proudly and correctly presented as one of “The Essent

2018

Jan

PLANET EARTH: BLUE PLANET II By David Bianculli

Watch this! Record this! I can’t be more effusive about Blue Planet II, the latest entry in the astounding nature documentary series from the Planet Earth crew. Tonight is episode 2, “The Deep,” which utilizes the latest advances in technology, in both filmmaking and underwater exploration, to send its human filmmakers deeper in the ocean than any human has ever been before. They descend to a world of darkness where you’d expect nothing to be able to survive – and t

2018

Jan

CONAN WITHOUT BORDERS: HAITI By David Bianculli

SPECIAL PREMIERE: Conan O’Brien stamps his passport, once again, to visit a country and have them laugh at him, rather than him laugh in their direction. It’s a goodwill tour to a place that sorely needs a few laughs. And this special, it should be pointed out, was planned and filmed long before the President of the United States, by several accounts, recently described this spot on the globe, among others, as a word that rhymes with pit-hole.

2018

Jan

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli

Returning to the roost, tonight’s guest host is Will Ferrell – who, on this show and on Broadway, famously portrayed the President of the United States. But that was three chief executives ago, when George W. Bush was in the Oval Office. The question is: Tonight, in some sketch within tonight’s SNL, will Ferrell’s Bush meet Alec Baldwin’s President Donald Trump? The musical guest, either way, is Chris Stapleton, pictured here with Ferrell.

2018

Jan

TV IN THE 'VALLEY OF DECISION': WHAT BODES FOR THE SMALL SCREEN’S FUTURE? By Alex Strachan

The end times are nigh. “Oh, there will be a reckoning!” they say. But wait. “Reports of television’s death are greatly exaggerated,” say others...

2018

Jan

FINAL TCA WINTER PRESS TOUR REPORT: PBS WRAPS IT UP By Roger Catlin

The number of reporters dwindled as the TV Critics Association winter press tour came to its final days last week with sessions from PBS...

2018

Jan

MOSAIC By David Bianculli

MINISERIES FINALE: The last two episodes of this Steven Soderbergh series, which has run nightly all week, are shown tonight, with the climactic Episode 6 immediately following tonight’s regularly scheduled Episode 5. So far, I’ve come away from this series relatively unimpressed by the mystery aspects of this series’ plot, and not very stirred or convinced by most of the acting (Sharon Stone and Beau Bridges have been the major exceptions). But every episode, in several scenes

2018

Jan

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. By David Bianculli

In hopes of saving their lives, and lots of others, the S.H.I.E.L.D. crew, stranded in a future time, decide that the only way to right the timeline, and return to their own past, is to take on the alien dictators in charge, and fight the Kree. This means, in short, a battle against Marvel’s baddest Blue Man Group (pictured).

2018

Jan

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW By David Bianculli

My favorite late-night talk show moves on BBC America from Saturday to Friday. If you still haven’t tried it, to see how different and loosely conversational this British import is, tonight’s a good night to dive in. The guests include Tom Hanks and, from Game of Thrones, Maisie Williams, who plays the vindictive Arya.

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