Other Things I’ve Written Lately
Here are some other things I've written elsewhere lately: A story for Smithsonian Magazine on the restored Landsdowne portrait of George Washington at the National Portrait Gallery that rejected my headline:…
Saturday TV: A Stuffed ‘Spielberg’ Salute
Steven Spielberg has probably made too many movies by now to try and squeeze his entire life and work into a single movie. But the filmmaker seems expansive on his…
Friday TV: Hispanic Awards, ‘Suburra’
Gael Garcia Bernal of “Mozart in the Jungle” and Lusi Fonsi, singer of the hit “Despacito,” are among honorees on the 30th “The Hispanic Heritage Awards” (PBS, 10 p.m., check…
Secret Sisters Harmonize at The Hamilton
The Secret Sisters come off like a classic duo from the golden age of country music, or maybe before that: the string band era of the Depression days. Existing in…
Thursday TV: Olivia Pope and All That
“Scandal” (ABC, 9 p.m.) returns for its seventh and last season. Preposterous when it debuted, now it has the problem of being not quite as crazy as the real thing.…
A Stop on Daniel Johnston’s Final Tour
To the devoted fans of Daniel Johnston, the troubled outsider songwriter behind “Speeding Motorcycle” and other indie favorites, an introduction would certainly not be necessary. But what’s being billed at…
Wednesday TV: A Look Inside North Korea
Things change so quickly these days it must be hard for “Frontline” (PBS, 10 p.m., check local listings) to keep fully up to date. In covering the escalating tensions with…
Tuesday TV: New Shows (Probably) Fail
On the new comedy “The Mayor” (ABC, 9:30 p.m.), a brash young rapper (Brandon Michael Hall) runs for office to boost his music career, but ends up getting elected. Somehow…
Monday TV: Old Schtick in Apartments
The eye-rolling new sitcom “9JKL” (CBS, 8:30 p.m.), whose title refers to adjoining apartment numbers, is from “Royal Pains” star Mark Feuerstein and his wife, about the time that he…
After a Long Wait, More ‘Curb’
In the six years since “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO, 10 p.m.) has been on the air, any number of shows have followed, aiming for the same cringe factor. And Larry…