News and Quick Comments

News and Quick Comments

Welcome to Earth Day

This is Earth Day (Friday, April 22) and the streaming networks and PBS are busy. A separate piece (see Stories) looks at three new Disney+ shows; meanwhile, here’s a round-up:
ARRIVING TODAY (April 22)
— Three films on Disney+. “Polar Bear” (shown here) is from the DisneyNature people, whose lush films are usually in theaters the week of Earth Day. The others are from National Geographic: “Explorer: The Last Tepui” follows Alex Honnold (the climber of “Free Solo” fame), as he leads a climb up a 1,000-foot cliff, so a botanist can study an “island in the sky.” Also, “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return” revisits John and Molly Chester, city people creating an eco-friendly farm in California.
— A two-day marathon of BBC America reruns. “Planet Earth” is 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, followed by the marine-world “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” from 5-11 p.m. They then rerun – “Planet Earth” from 11 p.m. to Saturday at 9 a.m., “Blue Planet II from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, then “Africa” from 3-8 p.m. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 22, 2022
News and Quick Comments

A very short story

While watching the “Nature” season-finale, I learned an important fact: Storks like cork trees.
There are a lot of those trees in Portugal, with the cork bark harvested every eight years. Its branches often hold giant stork nests. I learned this while catching an advance version of the episode that airs at 8 p.m. April 27 on PBS.
Then I considered writing an epic poem. It would have a stork sitting on cork with a friend from York, brandishing a fork and studying a quark. I decided not to; it would make me seem like a dork.
(The end) Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 20, 2022
News and Quick Comments

Here’s the schedule for Earth Day TV

As Earth Day arrives (Friday, April 22), the streaming networks and PBS are piling up specials. Here’s a round-up.
COMING UP
–Wednesday (April 20), then at pbs.org and the PBS Video app: PBS has “Changing Planet” at 8 p.m., launching a seven-year effort to study key areas. “Earth Emergency” follows at 10.
— Friday: Three films debut on Disney+ (see separate story). “Polar Bear” (shown here) is from the DisneyNature people, whose lush films are usually in theaters the week of Earth Day. The others are from National Geographic: “Explorer: The Last Tepui” follows Alex Honnold (the climber of “Free Solo” fame), as he leads a climb up a 1,000-foot cliff, so a botanist can study an “island in the sky.” Also, “The Biggest Little Farm: The Return” revisits John and Molly Chester, city people creating an eco-friendly farm in California. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 18, 2022
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“Password” joins summer spree of game shows

There will be another new game show this summer – except this one is also very old. It’s “Password,” which began 61 years ago.
NBC’s summer version – hosted by Keke Palmer — will continue the basic plan of pairing celebrities with regular folks. But Jimmy Fallon (shown here playing with Jim Parsons), who is also the producer, will be one of the celebrities in each hour; the last of the eight episodes will be all-celebrity. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 13, 2022
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ABC plans a playful summer

ABC is planning another game-stuffed summer, but with a difference:
This time, it will have three new games, alongside the vintage ones.
The network’s summer success has been built on pieces of the “Bachelor” franchise (also returning this summer, with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, shown her), plus games from way back. This summer – starting in July, after the pro-basketball playoffs — that continues: “Press Your Luck” goes back to 1983, “Family Feud” (now with celebrities) to 1976 and “$100,000 Pyramid” to 1973 (when it was merely $10,000).
But joining them will be the new shows. “Generation Gap,” hosted by Kelly Ripa, has kids and grandparents answering trivia about the others’ generation. “The Final Straw” has people trying to remove objects from a tower, without making it fall. And “Claim to Fame” is more of a reality show, involving people who, at first, don’t reveal their link to more-famous relatives; it’s hosted by Kevin Jonas, 33, of the Jonas Brothers and his not-famous brother Frankie, 21. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 8, 2022
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NBC’s summer: from dancing to “Ninja”

Like many of us, NBC is eager for the endless winter to conclude.
For summer, it has a safe collection of reality shows. That includes two returning ones (“America’s Got Talent” and “American Ninja Warrior”), one new one (“Dancing With Myself”) that has people trying to match the moves of Shakira (shown here) and others … and one that’s returning to the network after a decade elsewhere, “Who Do You Think You Are?”
The schedule: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 1, 2022
News and Quick Comments

The Oscars show was a success … no, really

Surveying the glittery chaos of Oscar night, ABC took a common approach: Declare victory.
The ratings “skyrocketed,” the network said. So did the social-media responses; this was the biggest entertainment special in two years.
That’s true … sort of. I’d also add that the show was an overall success; sucker-punch aside, it had clever hosts (shown here), strong music and, as usual, a few flaws. But first, those numbers: Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 30, 2022