Aimee Mann and Ted Leo Do Christmas
Like a gauzy, deadpan version of an old holiday TV special, the Aimee Mann-Ted Leo Christmas show that landed at the Birchmere in Alexandria Monday had all the traditional elements:…
Tuesday TV: Terror Talk in Debates
The last Republican Presidential Debate (CNN, 8:45 p.m.) of the calendar year and the first since the recent terror attacks takes place in Las Vegas, with Donald Trump and Ted…
Monday TV: Behind Those Cartoons
A cultural constant that’s adapted with the times are the cartoons of The New Yorker, which largely reflect the oddball taste of one man, a cartoonist there himself, Bob Mankoff.…
Opera Review: WNO’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’
Every artistic company wishes it could come up with a seasonal title that could be come a holiday tradition — their own “Nutcracker,” “Messiah” or “Christmas Carol” to rely on…
Sunday TV: ‘Getting On’ Getting Off
The great underrated dark comedy “Getting On” (HBO, 10 p.m.) ends its run with its hospital workplace threatened with shut-down. Actually it was shuttered at the end of the last…
Saturday TV: Christmas Movies Galore
It’s Yuletide movie overload by now, starting with “On the Twelfth Day of Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.), in which a woman goes all Secret Santa to create 12 gifts to…
Playlist 12-11-15
Started with a big old Hanukkah Party, then marked the 51st anniversary of the death of Sam Cooke with a lot of his songs. The other big anniversary this weekend…
Friday TV: Finally, ‘Transparent’ Season 2
The one show that wholly justifies an Amazon Prime subscription (besides the free shipping), the brazenly original "Transparent" (Amazon Prime, streaming) unleashes its long-awaited second season today. It begins at…
‘Downton’ Demise Draws Near
The new year brings with it the final season of "Downton Abbey," the PBS moneymaker that is also the biggest hit ever for the public broadcasting service. So there is…
Thursday TV: A Dolly Parton TV Movie
Networks are by and large out of the movie business, but here's the exception: "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors" (NBC, 9 p.m.), based on the singer's early hit about…