Year: 2024

Enough dragons; it’s time to face bankers

Kit Harington has sort of been here before – in a sprawling HBO series, filled with ambitious souls straining for power.
This time, however, there are fewer dragons and less danger. Banks are like that.
His first film role, as Jon Snow in “Game of Thrones,” flung him into stardom. Now Harington (shown here, right) joins “Industry,” which is set in the upper-tier world of British banking. It starts its third season at 9 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 11) on HBO and Max.
He’s Sir Henry Muck, CEO of a tech firm. The role is “very much about the British class system,” said Harington, who grew up in upper-class comfort. Read more…

With extra resources, Cameron goes bigger and deeper

Imagine that you suddenly have great gobs of money and resources. What’s next?
Some people buy an island or a movie studio or Twitter or trouble. James Cameron dives deeper (literally and figuratively) into his work.
“They’re going to have to drag me out kicking and screaming,” he told the Television Critics Association.
Cameron turns 70 on Aug.16; two days later, he debuts an ambitious project. For three Sundays (Aug. 18 through Sept. 1), “OceanXplorers” (shown here) will have episodes at 9 and 10 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel, probing unseen parts of the world. Read more…

ABC adds Henson film and Underwood

ABC has come up with two surprises involving superstars, past and present.
The former is the late Jim Henson (shown here). A documentary about his life will air at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 11.
And the latter is Carrie Underwood. This winter, she’ll become a judge on “American Idol,” the show that thrust her to fame 20 years ago. Details include: Read more…

Best-bets for Aug. 3: Hollywood night with Liz and Duke

1) “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes,” 8 p.m., HBO. Taylor (shown here) had a life that was epic in every way – tabloid (widowed once, divorced seven times) … charitable (an early backer of AIDS causes … professional. She won two Oscars and did potent movies adapted from Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams (twice) and Edward Albee. This documentary uses 40 hours of audio tapes. Read more…

Faith-based films begin a Saturday surge

In the midst of TV’s late-summer blahs, the Great American Family cable channel has a new-movie spree.
It will have a new, faith-based film at 8 p.m. ET for six straight Saturdays. That starts Aug. 3, with one starring Carlos and Alexa PenaVega (shown here), a married duo that has made several Hallmark and GAF films..
GAF began after the Hallmark Channel decided to diversify its films. Former Hallmark executives bought and retooled Great American Country. Read more…