Best-bets for May 18: A night for music and (maybe) lust

1) “The Voice” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. The final five singers have one more shot at our votes, before the winner is announced Tuesday. Performing from home, they’re a varied bunch. Toneisha Harris, in Georgia, is 44; Todd Tilghman, a Mississippi pastor, is 41 and a father of eight. Others are from South Carolina (CammWeiss, 21), Hawaii (Thunderstorm Artis, 23, shown here) and Japan (Micah Iverson, 25). Read more…

1) “The Voice” finale, 8-10 p.m., NBC. The final five singers have one more shot at our votes, before the winner is announced Tuesday. Performing from home, they’re a varied bunch. Toneisha Harris, in Georgia, is 44; Todd Tilghman, a Mississippi pastor, is 41 and a father of eight. Others are from South Carolina (CammWeiss, 21), Hawaii (Thunderstorm Artis, 23, shown here) and Japan (Micah Iverson, 25).

2) “Listen to Your Heart” finale, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Hey, can’t two singers just make good music together? That worked for the Judds and for Donny and Marie and even for Nancy Sinatra and her dad. But this show is from the “Bachelor” people, so there’s more – including the “fantasy suite.” Before going onstage in Nashville, the three couples are supposed to spend the night together.

3) “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. In public, Thomas’ words are scarce. He’s had stretches of one, three and 10 years without speaking during a Supreme Court session. But in this film, beautifully directed by Michael Pack, he uses them well, especially in passages from his memoir. He describes a tough childhood (rural poverty was “very livable,” compared to “urban squalor”), a stern and wise grandfather and the firestorm after Anita Hill’s accusations.

4) “Dead Still,” any time, www.acorn.tv. In 1880s Dublin, Brock Biennerhasset is a master of a fading artform – carefully posed photos of the deceased. Joined by an eager assistant, an uneager driver and a quick-witted niece, he stumbles across mysteries. The result is beautifully crafted, but extremely slow and droll – even by British standards and even for a show about dead stillness.

5) ALSO: At 10 p.m., there are new episodes of NBC’s “Songland” (this time with Florida Georgia Line) and ABC’s “The Baker and the Beauty” (Daniel’s ex-girlfriend ignites a scandal). Also, some viewers (check www.decades.com) get the Decades channel, via digital or cable. At 4:30 p.m. ET weekdays, it has “Bosom Buddies.” That starts today, with the 1980 pilot film, offering a fairly funny script and two promising newcomers, Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *