Year: 2023

News and Quick Comments

Quiet comedy and zesty action blend neatly

As “Murder Mystery 2” unfolds, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler (shown here) become action heroes.
She’s dangling from the Eiffel Tower, he’s fighting a muscular villain, both are battling bad guys inside a speeding van.
But the strength of this film – which debuted Friday (March 31) on Netflix – involves their quieter bits.
They play a husband and wife who can’t help questioning and correcting each other – even when there are bigger things to focus on. That provides the fun, as we wait for the next big moment. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2023
News and Quick Comments

“FBI” event: no place for the timid (or the subtle)

Let’s assume you’re a fan of pregnant pauses, subtle shrugs and mixed emotions.
If so, you’ll want to avoid CBS this Tuesday (April 4). Until the final moments, there’s not a hint of subtlety, not a moment of mixed anything.
Then again, if you prefer rampant rage, I have a show for you.
It’s three shows, actually – “FBI: International,” “FBI” and “FBI: Most Wanted,” all in a seamless story (shown here), from 8-11 p.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for April 3: Brooke, basketball and Bill T.

1) “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” Hulu. Shields’ career started quickly. She did a TV commercial before she was 1, portrayed a prostitute at 12, was on the cover of Vogue at 14, did infamous jeans commercials and sensual movies at 15 (shown here) and 16. “I’m amazed that I survived,” she says at 57. Beyond survival, she’s been a Princeton grad and a busy actress; she’s been married for 23 years, with two kids. She’s told her story in books, but this adds visuals. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for April 2: Lots of drama, lots of Nashville

1) “CMT Music Awards,” 8-11 p.m, CBS. One married couple (Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani) will perform separately; another (Kane and Katelyn Brown, shown here) will perform together. Other pairings include Wynonna Judd with Ashley McBryde, Darius Rucker with the Black Crowes, and Alanis Morissette with past “Next Women” winners. Also performing: Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini (who hosts with Kane Brown), Carly Pearce and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 31, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for April 3: CBS has surf sounds, FBI, more

1) “A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys,” 8-10 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Nine days after PBS’ Joni Mitchell tribute, here’s another nod to great songwriting. It again has Brandi Carlile (doing “In My Room” and, with John Legend, “God Only Knows”) and many more The music of the Beach Boys (shown here) is sung by people from country (Lady A, LeAnn Rimes, Little Big Town) and pop (Beck, Weezer, My Morning Jacket, Fall Out Boy, Norah Joneas, Mumford & Sons, etc.) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 30, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for April 1: Quinta, Moses, more

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. As a triple threat (writer-producer-star), Quinta Brunson (shown here) is sweeping up the awards. Last fall, she won an Emmy for her “Abbott Elementary” pilot script; in January, she won Golden Globes for best comedy series and best comedy actress. Now Brunson, 33, is scheduled for her first time hosting “SNL”; Lil Yachty is the music guest. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 30, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 31: a splendid night of sight and sound

1) Gershwin Prize, 9 p.m., PBS. Joni Mitchell has created immense depth and beauty; now she’s the focus of a gorgeous event: With her paintings as a backdrop, Mitchell (shown here early in her career), 79, is serenaded by her contemporaries (James Taylor, Graham Nash, Cyndi Lauper) and others. Ledisi links with Herbie Hancock for “River,” Annie Lennox sings a beautiful “Both Sides Now” and Brandi Cartlisle offers a stunning version of the more-recent (2007) “Shine.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 29, 2023
Stories

Joni’s artful, musical world gets tribute

In her first 79 years, Joni Mitchell has done approximately everything.
She survived polio when she was young and an aneurysm when she was old. She lived in tiny towns in Canada and big cities in the U.S. She smoked, drank, partied. And she became the 13th winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Music; the show – 9 p.m. Friday (March 31) on PBS – highlights her as:
— A painter. “The visual side of Joni Mitchell is incredible,” said Ken Ehrlich, the show’s producer. As a backdrop to the performances (James Taylor, Lennox, Ledisi, Herbie Hancock, Brandi Carlile, more), he’s using Mitchell’s paintings; a self-portrait is shown here. “She’s a world-class artist.”
— A songwriter. This is music that “came into my soul …. It’s poetry that is embodied with music,” Lennox told the Television Critics Association. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 28, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 30: CBS’ shows return; ABC’s leaves

1) “CSI: Vegas,” 10 p.m., CBS. After a two-week basketball break, this returns with a deeply moving episode. There’s great work from Paula Newsome, as the CSI chief, and Regina Taylor, as a vicitm who has retained anger (and a bullet) for decades. (They’re shown here, right and centr.) She rages, justifiably, about past police who seemed to give Black victims less attention. Now she has people on her side. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 28, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 29: Archie time-treks,Ted prospers

1) “Riverdale” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. The Archie comics offered sweet Americana – a cheery chap and his pals at the soda shop. This series, however, has rippled with murder and despair. Now a comet has transported everyone to 1955, when teens (including Cheryl, shown here) can focus on fun, not murder. Only Jughead remembers anything. It’s a clever idea that wobbles a bit in the opener, but works well. We see ‘50s sunniness, darkened by a world that seemed to ignore racism and more. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 27, 2023