1) “The Big Bang Theory,” 8 p.m., CBS. With only four episodes left, TV’s best comedy points to a big possibility: Sheldon and Amy might win the Nobel Prize he’s always assumed he would get. Tonight, they face a temptation: Their prime competition is a duo played by Kal Penn and Sean Astin (shown here); now Kripke has proof that the latter plagiarized his college thesis. Read more…
John Singleton burst onto the movie world with a revolutionary fervor. His first Oscar nominations — for writing and directing “Boyz n the Hood” — came when he was just 24; he was reportedly the youngest person and the first African American nominated as director.
Oddly, those were also his last nominations. In the years that followed, he said, Hollywood was sometimes frustrating. But lately, Singleton — who died today (April 29) at 51 — had found a place known for supporting creative talent: cable’s FX network. Read more…
Pat Sajak is about to become a college board president. Really. The news came this Read more…
(Updated May 6)
The transition is complete: Like Russian dictators of old, Lori Loughlin has become a non-person.Scenes were re-edited, re-shot, re-written. After seven weeks in limbo, Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” returned Sunday and continues Monday (May 5-6).
The feel-good show centers on Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), who left her privileged background in 1910, to teach on the Canadian frontier. Devastated by a mining tragedy, the town was held together by sturdy women, especially Abigail (Loughlin). Read more…
1) “Billboard Music Awards,” 8-11 p.m., NBC. Taylor Swift opens the night by premiering “Me!” She’s joined by Brandon Urie, whose group (Panic! At the Disco) also performs. This night – which has way too many exclamation marks! — has Halsey alone and with BTS (shown here at last year’s event). Other combos include Madonna and Maluma, Tori Kelly with Dan + Shay. Also performing are Kelly Clarkson (who hosts), Mariah Carey (who gets the Icon Award), Paula Abdul, the Jonas Brothers, Ciara, Khalid and Lauren Daigle. Read more…
It was a moment when someone offered an irrrefutable truth.
And it had the bonus of showing I’m not so bad, after all. There was more such proof this week.
In the 1998 cable movie “Floating Away,” Paul Hogan (shown here in his crocodile days) said this to Rosanna Arquette: “Sometimes, a bad parent is better than a good parent who leaves the baby on top of the car.” Read more…
1) “The 100” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. A nice nap is helpful, but this goes too far: Clarke (Eliza Taylor, shown here) and friends were in a sleep state for 125 years. Now they’re awake (and, one assumes, refreshed), with a task: Colleagues feel they’ve found a planet that can support life. “The 100” began with 100 people trying Earth; this hour, a good one, has a landing party of eight, including Clarke, Bellamy and the relentlessly annoying Murphy. In the ship are Clarke’s mom and the relentlessly annoyed Octavia and Raven. Read more…
In their latest burst of TV fame, the Estefans have familiar duties.
Gloria is out-front, doing most of the talking; she’s the people person, the fan favorite. Emilio says a little, then returns to the background.
It all seems natural, during PBS’ “Gershwin Prize” special. But in the old days, it was flip-flopped. Read more…
We can quit worrying now: Shannen Doherty has been added to Fox’s summer series, “BH90210.”
That’s the show that has the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” cast getting together, to plan a reboot. It’s scripted, with the actors playing exaggerated versions of themselves … something these producers (Mike Chessler and Chris Alberghini) did quite well with Tori Spelling’s “So NoTORIous.” Read more…
1) “The Show Must Go On,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. “American Idol” has vacated Mondays; now it’s Sundays-only. And tonight, its spot goes to one of its most famous losers: Nine years ago, Adam Lambert finished second to Kris Allen. He’s one of many – Katharine McPhee (2nd), Chris Daughtry (4th), Jennifer Hudson (7th) – who surpassed the winners. In 2014, Lambert started touring with Queen; they’ve drawn big crowds and even opened the Oscars telecast. This documentary traces their stories. Read more…
