Arcade Fire Adapts Well to Arena
Playing in the round isn’t always the best way to take in an arena concert. By definition, a band’s presentation is fractured in different directions, lacking a central, unified focus.…
Tuesday TV: Conan Goes to Jerusalem
I always thought Jay Leno would be the former “Tonight” show host who would travel the world and send back specials. Instead, it’s been Conan O’Brien, whose latest sends him…
Rock Review: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Eighteen years after he started Ted Leo & The Pharmacists here, the band returned to D.C. for a spirited pair of shows this weekend at the Black Cat after a…
Monday TV: Nat Geo Brings ‘The State’
With the success of its Emmy-nominated “Genius,” National Geographic moves further into scripted programming with the four-hour, two-night film “The State” (Nat Geo, 9 p.m.). Partnering with England’s Channel 4,…
A Few Thoughts on the Emmys
You may notice from my lack of Emmy picks, red carpet attention or speculation on how Stephen Colbert will do as host, that the results of the 69th Academy of…
Homework for a Nation: ‘The Vietnam War’
There is something undoubtedly daunting about “The Vietnam War” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings), the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick epic that begins the first of its 10 episodes…
Also on Sunday: Colbert Hosts the Emmys
Stephen Colbert hosts The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.). Oddly, “Westworld” and “Saturday Night Live” come into the competition with the most nominations — 22 each and so…
Saturday TV: Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Interest in Sunday’s actual Emmy Awards are stoked by tonight’s presentation of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards (FXX, 8 p.m.) held last week. While a lot of it is technical…
Friday TV: Vandalism as True Crime
As vital as a genre it’s becoming, the true crime documentary series is also ripe for parody, which it gets today in the Funny or Die-produced send-up “American Vandal” (Netflix,…
McCain and Kerry Agree on Vietnam
There will be scores of community talk-backs associated with the Ken Burns-Lynn Novick opus "The Vietnam War" that starts Sunday on PBS. Perhaps none will be as prestigious as the one…