News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

The night soared with Grammy moments

People used to talk about “Grammy moments” – the bits that made Grammy-night special.
But this time? The entire night — concluding with album-of-the-year for Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” (shown here) felt like one mega-moment. Each song seemed like the curtain-closer for a Broadway show or an epic party.
It helped, of course, that the new generation of performers can do much more than sing. There was Benson Boone, doing two back-flips; there was Sabrina Carpenter somehow channeling Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball and a pop diva. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 3, 2025
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Black History Month begins; here’s a sampling

(This slightly updates a previous story)
Black History Month arrives today (Feb. 1) and TV is ready.
Well … some of TV, anyway. PBS will have lots of documentaries and a Wynton Marsalis (shown here) concert. CBS has a special that celebrates Blacks on TV (mostly, on CBS). Streamers load up.
In the four-and-a-half years since the death of George Floyd, separate Black departments have been created at ABC, Hulu, Hallmark and more. Still, it’s uneven. Some focus on Black History Month, some don’t. Here’s a sampling: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / February 1, 2025
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Oscars bring a cinema treasure hunt

Oscar season often feels like a weird-but-worthy treasure hunt.
Often enough, it brings surprising gems. I was reminded of that now, when I saw “Emilia Perez” and “Conclave” (shown here) almost back-to-back.
Both are up for best-picture Academy Awards, but they’re wildly different.
One is in Spanish, with some English; the other in English, with some Latin and Italian. One sprawls across Mexico and beyond; the other is confined to two buildings. One is mostly female, the other mostly male. But the difference goes much deeper. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 28, 2025
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At 50, “Nova” goes ancient and modern

At the age of 50, “Nova” seems to be doing fine.
It passed the half-century mark on March 26 and kept going. Coming up are two terrific hours and several fairly good ones, including a fresh view of Pompeii (shown here).
This is a PBS science – 9 p.m. Wednesdays –that ranges afar. Viewers are happy whenever it returns to UFO’s (as it did Jan. 22), dinosaurs, or ancient worlds; still, it also tackles fresh issues, as it did with the Flint water crisis. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 26, 2025
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It’s one of them comedies

In movie theaters, the previews can be sort of an early warning system.
The goal is to choose ones that appeal to the people who came to see this feature. Classy previews? You’re probably getting an arty movie.
So there I was, ready for “One of Them Days,” a comedy. One preview had guys stranded underwater … One had a ballerina learning to be a fierce fighter. (That gives an ominous feel to “The Nutcracker” ballet) … One had a killer slaying couple’s on Valentine’s Day … And one topped that by having the same youths being killed over and over and … Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 26, 2025
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It’s quiet, Canadian … and sort of eternal

In the transient TV world, “Murdoch Mysteries” (shown here) seems almost eternal.
The show is quiet, clean, Canadian. People rob and kill, but they rarely are impolite or unkempt.
And now it reaches a landmark: Its 300th episode is at 8 p.m. ET Monday (Jan. 20) on the Ovation channel, with earlier ones streaming on Acorn, Amazon, Hulu and more.
Yes, 300. That ‘s seven more than “Blue Bloods” or “Beverly Hills, 90210,” 25 more than “Cheers,” 36 more than “Frasier” or “Murder, She Wrote.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 18, 2025
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The Globes: great host, obscure films, kinda fun

Fresh from the Golden Globes, I’m confused about life itself.
One person said “Baby Reindeer” is a success because it shows “the painful inconsistencies of being human.” Another said “Wicked” scored because it’s “a radical act of optimism.”
Which is it, pain or optimism? Several of the winners said we’re in dark times; the final one said “light always overcomes darkness.” Perhaps, but you usually have to wait four years for that.
Whatever we make of that, the Globes were a mixed bag as usual. The winners were obscure, the host (Nikki Glaser, shown here pre-show) was brilliant and the acceptance speeches were … Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 6, 2025
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Lifetime sets three more music movies

The Lifetime network is returning to one of its specialties – movies that are by or about music stars.
That starts at 8 p.m. Jan. 25, with a sequel produced by Mary J. Blige. The next two Saturdays will profile the lives of Lisa Valez and Gloria Gaynor (shown here).
Lifetime has scored with movies about female singers (Whitney Houston, Mahalia Jackson, Keyshia Cole) or groups (TLC, Salt N Pepa). It has also had films produced by Blige; now it does both, with: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / January 3, 2025