“The Mark Twain Prize” (PBS, 9 p.m.) seems to be less and less about Samuel Clemens and more about who’s available. Hence this year’s 14th annual winner, Will Ferrell, who has the ability to be a very funny fellow, but has just as often been unfunny, or stuck in some terrible movies. Still, he’s better […]
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Sunday TV: ‘Allen Gregory,’ Simpson’s ‘Treehouse’
The latest addition to Fox’s Sunday night animation lineup doesn’t look like the others. “Allen Gregory” (Fox, 8:30 p.m.) is the stylishly drawn saga of a super precocious turned pretentious, spoiled 7-year-old who finds himself in a strange new world when he is forced to go to elementary school with the 99 percent. It’s amusing […]
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Saturday TV: U2, Zombies and Witches Among Original Movies
It’s the 20th anniversary of “Achtung Baby,” U2’s big album that produced such songs as “One” and “Mysterious Ways.” A new documentary about its making, “From the Sky Down” (Showtime, 8 p.m.) tells the tale. Rebecca Romijn stars as an adoptive mother whose new adoptee is full of problems on the new TV movie “Possessing […]
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Friday TV: ‘Grimm’ vs. Game 7
It would seem suddenly that storybook characters are all the rage, as a second new network drama based on them begins. The first of them, “Once Upon a Time,” actually did pretty well for ABC on Sunday. But the new one, “Grimm” (NBC, 9 p.m.), is destined to do poorly on an underperforming night of […]
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‘Project Runway’ Picks a Winner
Anya Ayoung-Chee, who was already Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe in 2008 added another crown of achievement Thursday, winning the ninth season of “Project Runway” in its finale. Ayoung-Chee, 29, who only learned to sew months before the competition began was praised by judges for a revamped final project full of flowy gowns with vibrant […]
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Thursday TV: Beavis and Butt-head Return
I may be a little too excited about the return of “Beavis and Butt-head” (MTV, 10 p.m.) to television. The two antisocial dorks were perfect in their era to mock MTV music videos. But it turns out they are also best equipped to make fun of the network’s current dim fare from “Jersey Shore,” to […]
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Wednesday TV: New ‘Whitechapel,’ ‘Top Chef: Just Desserts’ Finale
BBC America has had a knack for putting in some pretty strong dramas on Wednesday night, following “The Hour” and the second season of “Luther” now with “Whitechapel” (BBC America, 10 p.m.) about a police team that tends to follow crimes that are recreations of historical murders. The first is the London Strangler, as tough […]
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‘X Factor’ Judges Trim Five in Marathon-Length Show
The American version of “The X Factor” finally got to a live program Tuesday and it seemed harder on the judges than it was on the acts. Seventeen were to perform in an almost record breaking 2 ½ hour episode; five of them had to be cut. The judges could have done it on their […]
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Gender Issues for Chaz Bono, Ousted from ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Having already lasted longer than most lowest-averaging dancers have in the past Chaz Bono was eliminated from “Dancing with the Stars” Tuesday. The show’s first transgender contestant had consistently had the lowest score of the week for three of the show’s six weeks, including Monday when a dance from “Phantom of the Opera” for Broadway […]
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‘Barney Miller’ in a Box
Amid the hundreds of police shows on TV over the years, “Barney Miller” stood out for having the perfect mix of humor and seriousness. Considered a comedy – it was a half hour and had a laugh track — the run from 1975-82 worked chiefly because of its well drawn characters, solidly acted. Beloved in […]
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