Day: July 16, 2020

Stories

She’s achieved her shark-filled dreams

Other kids might pester Santa with trivial requests for ponies and unicorns and such.
Kori Garza, however, was more original. At 3, she plunked on his lap and asked for a great white shark.
She didn’t get it, which was probably for the best. It would be odd, she now grants, “to have a great white swimming in the bathtub.”
But it was a fine start for her current life: Garza (shown here) is a shark expert and the central figure in “World’s Biggest Tiger Shark?” That’s at 8 p.m. Sunday (July 19), launching National Geographic’s “Sharkfest.” (See overview under “stories” and schedule under “quick news and comments.) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 16, 2020
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for July 20: Baseball begins, “Blindspot” ends

1) Baseball, Thursday and beyond, Fox and cable. In other years, we might grumble that baseball is too old and slow for TV; this year, we need the diversion – which comes in big bunches. ESPN starts things on Thursday (Yankees, shown here, and Nationals at 7 p.m. ET, Giants-Dodgers at 10) and Friday (Braves-Mets at 4, Brewers-Cubs at 7, Angels-A’s at 10). Then Fox takes over on Saturday – Brewers-Cubs at 1:05 p.m. ET, Giants-Dodgers at 4:10 p.m., Yankees-Nationals at 7:15. There’s much more coming up. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 16, 2020
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 18: A classic hero and a classic movie

1) “Harriet” (2019), 8 p.m., HBO. In this Black Lives Matter summer, it’s a perfect time to catch a great life. Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who kept risking her freedom to go back and rescue others. Cynthia Erivo (shown here) received Academy Award nominations for best actress and for best song, for co-writing “Stand Up.” It’s part of a busy stretch for the British actress/singer. She’ll be Arehta Franklin in the “Genius” mini-series, which was scheduled for this summer, then delayed by the virus shutdown. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 16, 2020