Rebirth Brass Band at the 9:30 Club
What I remember about first seeing the Rebirth Brass Band is that they were just kids and they were wholly portable. Unlike most other musical outfits in New Orleans, that…
Thursday TV: Those ’50s Girls
Retro series, from “Mad Men” to “The Hour,” can be inspiring for generations who never got to live the era. Take Dollie: Except for the tattoos, the 24 year old…
Thunderbirds Are Go: Remembering Gerry Anderson, 1929-2012
A third entertainment death to report this week, this one with a face few will be able to remember. But if you’re a TV-raised kid of a certain age, you’ll…
Confiscating Gun Shows
Deaths in Newtown, Conn., have brought some TV programmers to their senses. For example, a new show, “Best Funeral Ever,” a kind of "My Super Sweet 16" about excessive farewell…
Two Great Character Actors Die
A sad note at Christmastime came with news of the deaths of two great character actors, Jack Klugman and Charles Durning. They were 90 and 89 respectively. Both had unforgettable…
Christmas TV: ‘Doctor Who’ Returns
Christmas on U.S television means: Go spend some time with your familym because there’s nothing special on tonight. That’s the opposite of the UK where special episodes are planned for…
Monday TV: More Like Christmas Eve TV
There's no getting around Christmas Eve, which changes just about everything about normal Monday programming, all but wipes out late night and brings to prime time big movies. "It's a…
Sunday TV: ‘Iron Chef’ Finale, Full ‘Sound of Music’
The fifth season winner of "The Next Iron Chef" (Food Network, 9 p.m.) is named by host Alton Brown after a final competition between Alex Appleman, Amanda Freitag and Alex…
Saturday TV: Magoo’s Dickens Special Returns
It made a huge impression on me as a kid: TV’s first animated Christmas special, with a clever approach to the Charles Dickens story that would soon become so overplayed…
Friday TV: ‘Christmas in Washington’ with PSY
The Year of Gangham Style ends with its You Tube proponent PSY performing before the First Family and many others at the annual "Christmas in Washington" (TNT, 8 p.m.) concert…