Author Archives: Roger Catlin

Thursday TV: Chasing Dreams on Track and in Song

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 22, 2012
From all the reality competition shows, it’s all about following your dream, no matter what. Despite the proliferation of singing shows, though, some kids dream of actually doing something different. “Racing Dreams,” as it name may suggest, follows three tweens whose dream is to become NASCAR drivers. Too young for a drivers’ license they cut [...]
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Wednesday TV: ‘American Weed,’ ‘Raising Renee,’ Another Debate

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 22, 2012
The rise of medical marijuana dispensaries has been a natural subject for TV series, from reality (“Weed Wars”) to fiction (“Weeds”). Now there’s a new entry in the field that has been growing like a, well, you know. “American Weed” (National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.) looks into the rise of the commercial pot centers in [...]
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Good Blues at the White House for Once

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 21, 2012
I love the fact that just down a couple miles down street from my house tonight, Mick Jagger will be jamming with B.B. King, Booker T. Jones, Jeff Beck, Keb Mo and Trombone Shorty. Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks will also be there. And with any luck, Barak Obama will [...]
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Tuesday TV: Fat Tuesday and Clinton Too

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 21, 2012
Just like the rabid press and his Republican foes at the time, the makers of the bloated four-hour “Clinton” on “American Experience” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) can’t resist the Oval office dalliances of Bill Clinton and let it outweigh everything else in his administration. After the outrageous investigations of a special prosecutor fishing [...]
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Colbert Explains His Absence, Sort Of

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 21, 2012
Even before he let loose with his regular theme, Stephen Colbert spent a few minutes Monday debunking the rumors that had cropped up since his show’s sudden absence last week. “As the hub around which the republic turns, I can understand why the machinery of this great nation ground to a halt last week when [...]
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Why the Scandal Dominates ‘Clinton’

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 21, 2012
If you wrote a book about Bill Clinton and his presidency, would you spend fully a fourth of it discussing his affair with a White House intern? That’s what happens in “Clinton,” the two night presentation on “American Experince” that uses one of its four hours dealing with the fallout. Filmmaker Barak Goodman defended the [...]
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Monday TV: Long Look at Clintons, ‘Bachelor’ Home Visits

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 20, 2012
It’s been 20 years since he was first running for president but Bill and Hillary Clinton are still so much with us that it seems odd now to look back at their accomplishments on “American Experience” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings). It’s a fascinating story, of course, that begins with the Lewinsky scandal and [...]
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Diminutive David Brent

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 20, 2012
In the new “Life’s Too Short,” the actor Warwick Davis plays a conceited version of himself, who looks at the camera in a fake documentary style, bullies other people and has no idea how annoying he’s being. Kind of like David Brent in “The Office” except with a short person. But it’s more than that, [...]
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Sunday TV: ‘Dowton’ Finale, New ‘Race’

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 19, 2012
A lavish, sometimes shaky but overall glorious second season of “Downton Abbey” ends on “Masterpiece Classic” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) with a remarkable two hour “Christmas episode” that first aired in the U.K. during the holidays (odd, they bask in special episodes at a time when the U.S. mostly has reruns). Storylines are [...]
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Many Guests Join Maya Rudolph on ‘SNL’

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 19, 2012
Maya Rudolph’s return to “Saturday Night Live” as host means old home week. Not since Betty White hosted last season and several seasons of female former cast members came to support her has there been so many stars jammed into the show. That meant Amy Poehler in three different sketches (“Bronx Beat,” Weekend Update including [...]
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