Mona Haydar keeps finding joy in surprising places.
She does that in “The Great American Muslim Road Trip” (10 p.m. Tuesdays on PBS), ranging from tiny towns to Las Vegas and beyond. She did it long before that, growing up in Michigan.
There’s “amazing artistry coming out of Detroit, Flint, Lansing,” Haydar, 34, told the Television Critics Association. “The Michigan art scene is just really, really beautiful right now.” Read more…
The world may be full of overblown names – “Riverview” apartments that can’t view a river, “Pleasant Valley” subdivisions with no valley and few pleasantries.
But Baratunde Thurston (shown here) – whose new “America Outdoors” is 9 p.m. Tuesdays on PBS — has seen the opposite, places far better than their names:
— Death Valley, in California. “That name is pretty unfortunate,” Thurston said in a Television Critics Association press conference. It was coined by “some colonists who fared badly” in the searing sun.
— The Great Dismal Swamp, in Virginia and North Carolina. The “name does not imply happiness,” but for some people, the swamp was a place to escape to. It “became a refuge for people freeing from slavery, for maroon communities …. I got to visit that swamp and feel the presence of my ancestors.” Read more…
In her heart – and in her teen bedroom – Loren Allred (shown here) was the next Mariah Carey.
And in real life? For a while, she was the next Marni Nixon … or Kasey Cisyk … or someone else we keep hearing and liking, without knowing her name.
Now that’s changing, one continent at a time, as people recognize her as the soaring voice doing “Never Enough,” in the 2017 film, “The Greatest Showman.” First, she reached the finals of “Britain’s Got Talent”; now she’ll sing at PBS’ annual 4th-of-July mega-concert, at 8 and 9:30 p.m. July 4. Read more…
Somewhere inside us, Catherine Bell says, is a dormant delinquent.
“There’s always that idea of: ‘Ooh, what if I broke the rules and did something wild for a moment?!’”
No one would have expected that from Toby Young, the real-life person Bell (shown here) portrays (loosely) in “Jailbreak Lovers,” at 8 p.m. Saturday (July 2) on Lifetime, rerunning at midnight. Read more…
For decades, Black comedy has kept changing.
It went from “chitlin’ circuit” obscurity to a cable spotlight, from minstrel-show clamor to Chappelle sophistication. It went from the triumphs of Bill Cosby to the tragedy of Bill Cosby; it also went from the rage of Dick Gregory to the joy of Eddie Murphy (shown here) … and then back to rage.
Now a documentary tries to sum it up in four crowded hours. “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution” debuts from 9-11 p.m. June 29 on A&E; that part repeats from 7-9 p.m. June 30, leading into the conclusion from 9-11 p.m. Read more…
It was almost 60 years ago that public-TV learned that food can provide good television.
At first, that was just Julia Child booming about French food. Now there’s “The Great American Recipe,” which covers … well, almost everything.
The show – 9 p.m. Fridays on most PBS stations, starting June 24 — has 10 home cooks. Their roots reflect Syria, Vietnam, Hungary, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Italy and more, including Southern soul food.
Some types of food showed up often during auditions. “I have never seen so many types of tacos,” said producer Jilly Pearce. Added Alejandra Ramos (shown here), the host: “We had taco Tuesday every day.” Read more…
A couple years ago, the holiday known as Juneteenth had a mixed existence.
To some people, it was big and festive. Others – including a president – had never heard of it.
Not any more. For the first time, Juneteenth (June 19) is officially recognized in all 50 states. And this year – falling on a Sunday, a prime day for TV specials – it’s a major television event.
That peaks with a concert (8-11 p.m., CNN) that is stuffed with gospel talent (including Yolanda Adams, shown here), plus dancers, storytellers, and Earth Wind & Fire. Other cable channels will rerun movies. BET even has a two shows with Juneteenth themes – its “The Recipe” food show at 1 p.m. and the new movie “Block Party” at 5. Read more…
When Jeff Bridges was offered a chance to be “The Old Man,” he took his usual stance: He said no.
“I resist everything, you know,” Bridges told the Television Critics Association. “Resist, resist.”
Especially this one (shown here). It’s a series (10 p.m. Thursdays on FX, starting June 16, for seven weeks), something he’d never done. And he’s seen, close-up, that this can be demanding.
“My father, Lloyd Bridges, did six series, and I saw what hard work” it was, Bridges said. “He (was) a very joyous cat, but also a really hard worker.” Read more…
Hollywood is clearly not a hurry-up world. Projects linger for a year or two … or for decades.
Now we finally have “Dark Winds,” a mini-series starring Zahn McClarnon (shown here), on AMC (9 p.m. Sundays) and on AMC+. “It’s been 35 years in the making,” producer-director Chris Eyre told the Television Critics Association.
And that’s with A-listers involved. George R.R. Martin, of “Game of Thrones” fame, is a producer … So is Robert Redford, of Robert Redford fame; he optioned the Tony Hillerman novels in 1988 … And so is Eyre, whose “Smoke Signals” drew raves and awards at the Sundance Film Festival (founded by Redford), setting a new standard Native American filmmakers. Read more…
Weeks after announcing its fall shows, the Fox network has finally said when they’ll air.
Its big plunge will be with “Monarch,” a series awash in country music. That will arrive early (Sept. 11), after a football doubleheader; nine days later, it will get its regular slot behind “The Resident” on Tuesdays – an easier night for new dramas, now that NBC’s “This Is Us” is gone.
Also aiming for a schedule break are Fox’s comedies. “Welcome to Flatch” and “Call Me Kat” (shown here). They’ll be 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursdays … an open spot, now that CBS will only have comedies at 8 and 8:30. Read more…
