Last week, the selection of the final competitors had the judges – Jennifer Lopez, at least – fighting back tears. Tonight, the 13 finalists begin live competition in the elimination rounds – and they couldn’t have come sooner for this long-dominant reality competition show, which suddenly is in a fierce Battle Round, for viewers and media attention, with NBC’s The Voice. Tonight and tomorrow, the boys and girls take on, respectively, the music of Stevie Wonder and

2012

Mar

GASLAND By David Bianculli

This 2010 documentary is all about “fracking,” the increasingly common term for hydraulic fracturing, the practice of forcibly extracting natural gas from deep underground. There’s much debate about the safety and possible side effects of this method of energy cultivation, and some of that debate started with this film. When you see a local resident, whose ground water has been contaminated by local fracking efforts, turn on his tap water, light a match and have the water burst

2012

Mar

ROCK CENTER WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS By David Bianculli

From the beginning, this newsmagazine has made it a point to highlight individuals who have made an impact on the Internet, through either their videos and performances or their viral journalism. This hasn’t resulted in any measurable increase in the ratings – perhaps the YouTube generation just isn’t watching network TV in real time any more – but it has resulted in many solid stories. Tonight, Jamie Gangel visits Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker, the Internet site tha

2012

Mar

MUHAMMAD ALI: MADE IN MIAMI By David Bianculli

(Check Local Listings) This documentary captures a dizzying, whirlwind moment in time, when the brilliantly talented, boastfully poetic boxer known as Cassius Clay took a stand outside of the ring as well, changing his name, and his direction and fate, as he embraced a new identity and sensibility. In Miami, he rubbed shoulders with everyone from Malcolm X (pictured) to the Beatles, but it was the man of Clay, reshaped as Muhammad Ali, whose fame eventually outshone them all. This documentary ex

2012

Mar

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS By David Bianculli

This 2011 movie, the latest in the X-Men cinematic franchise, has a lot to offer, and, as a prequel, is quite entertaining. But in the context of TV WORTH WATCHING, I’d like to focus in particular on one very small, quality-TV–related supporting role. It’s Emma Frost, the evil, mind-controlling mutant, played here by January Jones. Jones plays Don Draper’s ex-wife, the cold and brittle Betty, on AMC’s Mad Men – and getting her to play a literal Ice Queen (she

2012

Mar

ED O'NEILL: WALK IN THE FRONT DOOR By Diane Werts

You wouldn't necessarily expect to connect Modern Family patriarch Ed O'Neill to late martial arts icon Bruce Lee. But surprise! There's an impact. All is explained in the film I Am Bruce Lee (Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, Spike), also featuring Kobe Bryant, Manny Pacquiao, Mickey Rourke, Taboo, Jon Jones, Gina Carano, Paul Rodriguez (the skateboarder), and more. - DW

2012

Mar

RAISING HOPE By David Bianculli

NEW TIME: Fox is shuffling its Tuesday schedule beginning tonight, and the new night starts off with a transplanted Raising Hope, now the network’s leadoff sitcom. To do so, this funny series has booked a big special guest star: Katy Perry, who happens to be good friends with Shannon Woodward, who stars as Sabrina. But Perry, playing a prison guard who torments the temporarily incarcerated Sabrina, isn’t exactly playing the glamour rock star card. That’s her in the photo at lef

2012

Mar

HANNA By David Bianculli

This 2011 movie, half action thriller and half psychological character study, ends as abruptly as it begins, and with the same punctuating visual. But in between is an impressively, unusually involving drama about a teen girl raised in isolation to be a very effective offensive weapon. Saoirse Ronan stars in the title role, and the photography, especially in the remote winter lands, is stunning. That's her, behind the tree, in the photo at left.

2012

Mar

BREAKING IN By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: For this return season (and its return is itself a surprise, since the show had been canceled), the producers have retooled the show significantly – and not necessarily for the better. The biggest change, one that may or may not pay off in terms of cast chemistry, is the addition of Megan Mullally as the firm’s super-quirky new boss. Almost instantly, it becomes her show – which may not work well, or sit well, with series star Christian Slater.

2012

Mar

DECISION 2012 By David Bianculli

It’s Super Tuesday, and a lot is at stake for the Republican presidential contenders in the primaries being held today. Yet only NBC, of all the broadcast networks, is devoting an hour of prime time to reporting and assessing the results. It’s a very smart way to distance yourself from the rest of the broadcast news pack: be there when the others aren’t. Brian Williams anchors the live coverage.

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