Loretta Lynn remains one of country music’s top stars – but it wasn’t her idea
Hendricks gets seductive, not
‘Mad’
Have a laugh at family dysfunction on
‘The Real O’Neals’
Duke vs. North Carolina:
Brandon Ingram tries to keep the Dukies mad for March
It’s time for the
Oscars you’ve heard maybe the most about
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HARRY CONNICK JR. AMANDA PEET ROB KAZINSKY Steve Zahn Jamie Hyneman Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos
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YOURTVLINK
“Hap and Leonard” Down and probably out
CELEBRITY
4 Harry Connick Jr.
still treats “American Idol” the same
5 Amanda Peet
conquers her “stage fright” with “Togetherness”
6 Rob Kazinsky grabs his “Second Chance”
8 Steve Zahn
Catching ‘Mad Dogs’ fever “The Family” A ‘Family’ of secrets
9 Jamie Hyneman
“The Real O’Neals” ‘O’Neals’ let it all hang out
17
Getting to know “Mythbuster” extraordinaire Jamie Hyneman
FOOD 7 Debi Mazar
What she loved and hated about the Grand Canyon
the story!
SPORTS
18-19 Brandon Ingram
88th Oscars Oscars face controversy – and Chris Rock
MADNESS!
MOVIES
IN EVERY ISSUE
Review, Our top DVD pick, and Coming Soon on DVD.
suggested programs to watch this week!
20-21 Featuring: Theatrical
22-23 Featuring: Our top
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REALITY 16 “AMERICAN MASTERS”
‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ Loretta Lynn tells her own story
Editor's choice
STORY
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Jacob Tremblay, Kerry Washington, and music’s Sam Smith, The Weeknd and Pharrell Williams. Also, the yearly “In Memoriam” segment should have particular impact this time. Not only did such legends as Maureen O’Hara, Omar Sharif and Christopher Lee pass during the past year, 2016 began with several entertainment-world deaths that stunned many, including those of Alan Rickman and singer-actor David Bowie. Following is a list of nominees in major categories in the 88th Oscars. Best picture: “The Big Short”; “Bridge of Spies”; “Brooklyn”; “Mad Max: Fury Road”; “The Martian”; “The Revenant”; “Room”; “Spotlight.”
Chris Rock returns as host, Sunday on ABC. By Jay Bobbin The annual Oscar ceremony is about who wins the gold statuettes, as usual – but this year, it also is about much more. The lack of nominees of color in the acting categories set off a firestorm, prompting some to call for a boycott of the event ... which, in turn, prompted the leadership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to institute new rules regarding Oscar voters. And the 2002 winner for best actress, Halle Berry, has deemed it “heartbreaking” that “another woman of color has not walked through that door” for that specific honor since. It’ll be hard for the telecast to ignore the situation when ABC televises the 88th Academy Awards from Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on Sunday, Feb. 28. One guarantee of the matter’s mention is who the host is: Chris Rock, filling that role for the second time 11 years after he first did it. If anyone might have wondered about his still having relevance to the occasion, that ended with the uproar that followed last month’s announcement of the nominations. There are feelings that no one is better-suited for the job than Rock this year, given his trademark of frank humor that skewers society. Even if it happens to be Hollywood society. It’s also notable that the first presenters announced for the broadcast included fellow comics Whoopi Goldberg and Kevin Hart, both of whom easily could reference the nominee controversy. Among others set to take the Oscar stage to help hand out the honors or perform: past winners (along with Goldberg) Benicio Del Toro, Jared Leto, Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, Charlize Theron and Reese Witherspoon – plus Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Ryan Gosling, Lady Gaga, young “Room” co-star
Best actor: Bryan Cranston, “Trumbo”; Matt Damon, “The Martian”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”; Michael Fassbender, “Steve Jobs”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Danish Girl.” Best actress: Cate Blanchett, “Carol”; Brie Larson, “Room”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Joy”; Charlotte Rampling, “45 Years”; Saoirse Ronan, “Brooklyn.” Best supporting actor: Christian Bale, “The Big Short”; Tom Hardy, “The Revenant”; Mark Ruffalo, “Spotlight”; Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”; Sylvester Stallone, “Creed.” Best supporting actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh, “The Hateful Eight”; Rooney Mara, “Carol”; Rachel McAdams, “Spotlight”; Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl”; Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs.” Best director: Lenny Abrahamson, “Room”; Alejandro G. Inárritu,“The Revenant”; Tom McCarthy, “Spotlight”; Adam McKay, “The Big Short”; George Miller, “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
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CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
Harry
Connick Jr. of ‘American Idol’ Wednesday and Thursday on Fox Have you had any different criteria for judging the contestants for what is the “farewell season” of “American Idol”? The way we treat everybody this year is exactly the same as the other years. I’m not thinking of this as the farewell season at all in terms of what my job is, and I think I can speak for (the other judges), too, on that. We are looking at people. We see who they are, look at their talent, assess their talent, and try to figure out whether they would be a valuable part of the show and base it on that. So it has nothing to do with anything else. We are just completely focused on the task at hand. Do you consider yourself softer in judging contestants than you have been in previous seasons? To say that I’ve softened, I’m not sure that that’s particularly accurate. “American Idol” has found an incredible balance of a competition show and an entertainment show. If I were to judge in a competition that was not being televised, I probably wouldn’t do some of the goofy things that I do, only because it wouldn’t be appropriate for that context. But this is about half entertainment, too. That’s probably why they got three entertainers to be judges. If you compare the toughness – which I would define as a combination of honesty and specificity – if you compare that to the environment in which I grew up, this is “Romper Room.” I mean, this is not tough.
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Are you thinking about “American Idol” history as the show heads toward the finish line? I don’t think about last year, the first year. For me, it’s who’s singing and what kind of shot do they have to really make an impact and make a connection with people.
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CELEBRITY
5 JUICY QUESTIONS FOR Amanda Peet of ‘Togetherness’ Sunday on HBO
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Your fiery character Tina was so well-defined in the first season of “Togetherness,” did you have any concerns about how writerdirectors Jay and Mark Duplass would treat her in Season 2? I think if they were first time writer-directors, I would have been more scared that they didn’t have that kind of stamina. Clearly, as a team, they’re a well-oiled machine. They were already talking about ideas for Season 2 when we were just shooting the pilot, so they had a long view in their heads.
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Since you’re now a writer yourself, do you contribute story or character ideas for “Togetherness”? I think it’s hard to wear both hats. I know a lot of people do it and are really good at it, but I don’t think I’m one of those people.
Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
3
Your comment last year that you would divorce your husband – “Game of Thrones” writer and executive producer David Benioff – if he killed off the character Jon Snow got lots of play. Did that surprise you?
I’m not on social media, but ... yes. And the feeling is still true.
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After writing your first play (“The Commons of Pensacola”) and seeing it staged, are you working on another?
It’s just a nightmare! I’m really trying, but it’s very, very hard. The conversation (at home) is still, “David, is this a good idea? David, is this a good idea?”
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You’ve done other work as a series star, including the romantic comedy-drama “Jack & Jill.” Do you have good memories of that?
Yeah. I think that was sort of one of my first breaks, and it’s really good for someone like me to be able to play a character over and over again. I have terrible stage fright, so it takes me a while to feel comfortable. TV is a very good medium for me, because you can get used to it.
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CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
Rob Kazinsky
You split your role with veteran actor Philip Baker Hall, who plays the older incarnation of the character. How did you go about trying to match him convincingly? I watched most of Philip Baker Hall’s backlog of work – which takes about eight years to do – and I tried to take as much from him as possible whilst remembering at the same time that eventually this character would have to evolve from him. I didn’t want to do an impression. So there was this kind of coagulation of Philip and my own father, who I based the majority of this on. In the pilot, I would speak to these guys and I would say, “How it was working with Philip? Does it feel similar, the way that I’m doing the scene?” And (it was about) trying to find some kind of through line that would feel like the same guy.
of Second Chance’ Friday on Fox
“Second Chance” is the saga of someone who gets to live his life over again, a concept that’s been tried in other series. What do you feel your show’s approach to it is? There’s the saying that there are six stories (and) that the trick is to tell them in an original way and to tell them in a way that is surprising and engaging ... and that’s what we tried to do, to put our spin on what is a story that might have similarly been done in the past. That was what we tried to do, to take a concept and make it original. Page 6 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 28 - March 5, 2016
If you had the chance to live your own life over, what would you change? I wouldn’t do over a thing. I have enjoyed most of my mistakes in life, and I would say that even the very worst things that have happened to me in my life have formed the person I am now, and I wouldn’t be here (otherwise). I look back at some of the incredible pain I might have suffered in my life or caused in my life, and as long as you make amends for those mistakes, there’s no reason to try and redo them because they are formative and important parts of the psyche.
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FOOD George Dickie’s What's for Dinner
F
Mazar and Corcos
travel the U.S. highways and byways in ‘Extra Virgin Americana’ debuting on Cooking Channel For five seasons, actress Debi Mazar and her chef husband Gabriele Corcos shared with viewers their love of Tuscan cuisine on “Extra Virgin.” This week, they take their show on the road in a series debuting on Cooking Channel. In “Extra Virgin Americana,” premiering Wednesday, March 2, the husbandand-wife foodies hit the highway to explore the country through its food, iconic destinations and local culture. In eight 30-minute episodes, the duo source local ingredients at the Grand Canyon, hit the famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, prepare a Tuscan feast at a winery in Napa Valley, and check out the merchandise at the Portland (Maine) Lobster Company, among other locations. For both, filming the series was an eye-opening experience, especially for the Italian-born Corcos, who had not seen a lot of this country.
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“It was a good opportunity to say, ‘Alright, it’s time for Debs now to show me what this country is about,’ ” he says. “So we did everything from Dollywood, which is a nice, fun Dolly Parton moment, to whale watching in Seattle. And then I had a wonderful Napa Valley (segment) that is more of a culinary approach. And then cowboy school in Texas. So it was a little bit of a tour de force but it was really nice because I’ve seen eight states in six weeks ... .” In Wednesday’s opener, the couple and their two daughters head to the Grand Canyon in an RV and prepare meals made from local, fresh ingredients outdoors on a grill. As first-time visitors, all came away impressed by one of this country’s true natural wonders, though Mazar was less than thrilled with the motor coach. “I hate RVs,” Mazar says. “... But we use an RV as a background prop at the Grand Canyon and we cooked on a grill outside regardless. Basically what this show is doing is taking locally sourced food and somewhat Tuscanizing it – or not, but I mean that’s sort of what we were doing. Like, kind of keeping to our brand but locally sourcing food around (the country) and cooking what it is we cook.”
What book are you currently reading? (Mazar) “I’m reading a book called ‘The Westies’ and another book called ‘I Heard You Paint Houses.’ ”
What did you have for dinner last night?
(Mazar) “Last night, we barbecued. It was a typical Sunday. We had a lot of kids here so we made a bunch of appetizers, wonderful cheeses and olives and I made a big, big, fresh guacamole.” (Corcos) “We mix the California guacamole with Italian cold cuts with the traditional American burger, and we drink chianti with it. It’s just like a big mix of a lot of flavors but it was interesting. Everybody had a good time.”
What is your next project?
(Mazar) “Well, we are writing a cookbook, our second cookbook. ... My husband has his food business, so we’re branding. He’s got his restaurants and I’m about to shoot Season 3 of a TV series called ‘Younger’ that’s written by Darren Star. ...”
When was the last vacation you took, where and why?
(Mazar) “We were in Italy for Christmas/New Year, in Florence. That was the last vacation but we never go to like the beach or places like, ‘Oh my God! We went sailing.’ Or ‘We went snorkeling.’ We’re always working and we have kids and then we always book at the last minute and it’s too expensive and then we’re like, ‘Oh well.’ ”
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CELEBRITY George Dickie’s Celebrity ScooP
Zahn takes one for the team in Puerto Rico
t may look like paradise on screen but the shooting location of Amazon’s drama series “Mad Dogs” turned out to be anything but for one member of the cast.
Steve Zahn, who plays Cobi – one of a group of middle-aged friends gathered in Belize to celebrate one’s early retirement – endured heat, humidity and all manner of creepy crawlies while shooting the 10-episode first season on the show’s Puerto Rico set. And worse, he contracted Dengue fever from a mosquito bite. “That was a hard deal,” the 48-year-old Minnesota native says. “... I could barely walk ... the bottoms of my feet hurt so bad. And in my head and my state, I thought, ‘Oh, I ran like five miles yesterday on the beach and I was jumping over stuff.’ ... And then cut to 15 hours later and I was in the hospital. And I had two days off. You have a high fever and you’re just absolutely drained but your joints just hurt like they’re busted. Really painful. Hard gig. That pilot week, really hard.” After months of symptoms, Zahn was finally over the malady. The star of such films as “That Thing You Do!,” “Saving Silverman” and “Dallas Buyers Club” takes pride in being a working actor, and he’s currently shooting the feature film “War for the Planet of the Apes,” which is due out next year. And when he’s not on set, Zahn can be found on his Kentucky farm, where he raises horses and clears trails for his two children. “There’s always something to fix or something to mow or cut. I just cut things – trees, weeds, lawn, fields,” he says with a laugh. “It’s amazing how many things you just kind of like cut. You’re always cutting something. You’re always knocking something down.”
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CELEBRITY CelebritY profile
JamieHyneman
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- Born on September 25, 1956, in Marshall, Michigan, and raised in Indiana farm country. His full name is James Franklin Hyneman. - He hitchhiked around the country for a number of months by himself at the age of 14. This prompted his parents to insist he take formal survival training, which he went through in the wilderness in Wyoming. - Graduating from Indiana University with a degree in Russian, and having worked as a cook on a cattle farm, as a pet-store owner, a building inspector, and a Slavic collection librarian at the United Nations in Geneva, he decided to go to the Caribbean and work on a charter sailboat. Six months later he owned his own boat, obtained his captain’s license and divemaster rating, and was running his own diving and sailing charter business. - About four years later, he sailed back to the States and decided to try his hand at special effects, so he methodically went about acquiring the required skills, starting as a simple shop assistant.
Jamie Hyneman is a special effects expert, producer and TV personality who can be seen on the final season of “Mythbusters” on Discovery Channel. - He was an uncredited special effects crew member on the Tom Cruise classic “Top Gun,” and eventually founded his own special effects company, M5 Industries. - In the mid 1990’s, he and future “Mythbusters” co-host Adam Savage collaborated on the combat robot Blendo which appeared on “Robot Wars” and its US spinoff “BattleBots.” - Years later, when he was approached by Beyond Productions of Sydney to host “MythBusters,” he reached out to Savage to join him. - He has produced a steady flow of innovative products at M5 Industries, as well as in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Army and several universities.
- He holds two honorary doctorates and several patents. - Over his career, he has worked on more than 800 commercials and several movies. - In 2010, he and Savage received the outstanding lifetime achievement award in cultural humanism from the Harvard Secular Society. - He lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife, Eileen, who is a high school science teacher.
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CELEBRITY
“
“For me, I’m 57, and I just feel I want to do as much as I can do. I want to try to do as much good work as I can while I’ve still got my s... together.” – Megan Mullally of “You, Me and the Apocalypse” on NBC, about working frequently in a variety of series, also including (lately) “Bob’s Burgers” and “Childrens Hospital”
“I’ve never had a show go for a second season … well, I guess ‘Jack & Jill’ went for six more episodes, but I’ve never had the opportunity to see something through. (The character Tina) has a real potty-mouth, and I do, too. In that way, we’re very similar.” – Amanda Peet of “Togetherness” on HBO, about continuing her role on the show
“I think what it did is it made me understand aspects of myself, really, moments in life where I have made decisions good or bad, and just helped me understand them, I think. So yeah, it was a lot of that kind of self-discovery you go through when you lend yourself to a character and you get surprised by what that character teaches you.” – Bradley James, on his role as the title character in A&E Network’s “Damien”
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CELEBRITY
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ON DVRs
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Craig Ferguson of “Join or Die With Craig Ferguson” on History
‘House Hunters International.’ That’s kind of my guilty pleasure. I really ... love that show, especially because it’s so odd. Like you see, ‘Karen and Bob are tired of their busy life in Toronto and they’re looking to settle down in busy wartorn Kosovo.’ You know, there’s always these people who are going from these perfectly civilized environments to, like, ‘Are you ... sure you really want to do this?’ I love that show. I find it fascinating.
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Andrée Vermeulen of “Angie Tribeca” on TBS “I tend to watch either things like ‘The Voice’ ... ‘True Detective,’ ‘Hannibal,’ which is also canceled. I watch ‘Scandal.’ I watch ‘Last Man on Earth.’ In my DVR right now I have to get through the ‘Kroll Show,’ ‘Key & Peele’ – like all of them in there. ‘Crazy ExGirlfriend.’ ... And then my guilty pleasures are definitely ‘The Voice,’ ‘The Bachelor,’ ‘The Bachelorette.’ ”
NASCAR driver Chase Elliott of the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Fox “I guess anything. I guess the occasional TV show ... sports games that are on late or if it’s a program on the news that I missed or something like that probably more than anything.”
Sam Hunt, seen recently on The 58th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS “ ‘Game of Thrones’ is something I’ve just gotten into in the last few months. That’s the only one I can think of.”
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STORY
Flirting with
danger James Purefoy stars in “Hap and Leonard,” premiering Wednesday on Sundance Channel. Story on next page
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STORY
Fans
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of “Mad Men” may find themselves doing a double-take this week when they spot a blond, tight-jeans-clad Christina Hendricks in a role that is in sharp contrast to the buttoned-down redhead she played on the landmark 2007-15 series. In the film noir-ish late-1980s-set “Hap and Leonard,” a six-episode dark comedy series based on the Joe R. Lonsdale novels and premiering Wednesday, March 2, on Sundance Channel, Hendricks takes on the role of femme fatale as Trudy, an East Texas divorcee with a wiggle in her walk and a get-rich-quick scheme her ex can’t refuse. And Hap (James Purefoy), a working class guy for whom life hasn’t exactly panned out, is vulnerable to her charms and the temptation for fast money. Soon the couple are planning and plotting with the help of his friend Leonard (Michael Kenneth Williams), a gay, black Vietnam vet with a hot temper. But what starts out as a simple plan to find some stolen loot turns ugly as blood is shed and people die. And in the middle of it all are Hap and Trudy, whose relationship Hendricks calls “an unresolved, long, quite dangerous flirtation. I think she does know how to wrap him around her finger but I also think that there is a lot of love and respect there. I think that she can’t help herself. I think that she goes into dubious mode no matter what. But I do think that she really respects him and I think that she has a lot of love for him.” Purefoy, a Brit from working-class environs who adopts a Texas drawl to play Hap, understood his character as soon as he read the script. “I went, ‘Oh, I know these guys.’ I know these guys because when I was growing up in rural West Country England, our local pub was full of people like Hap and Leonard,” he says. “People who were in their mid-40s, life hadn’t really happened to them in the way they might have expected and they’re always trying to get scams or pyramid-selling schemes or get rich quick, some way of getting themselves out of the rut that they found themselves in.” Purefoy was also attracted to a theme that has become all-toouniversal in the wake of the Great Recession. “A lot of people are told from a very early age that if you worked hard, if you pulled yourself up by your bootstraps, that you can achieve anything in America,” he says. “A lot of people are realizing, ‘Hey, I do work hard, I work long hours but now for less money, I’ve pulled myself up by my bootstraps, and yet I’m 48. When is this f... thing going to happen? When is this reward going to happen?’ ... “So I think a lot of people really will empathize with Hap and Leonard.”
Losers get sucked into a get-rich-quick scheme in
‘Hap and Leonard’ By George Dickie
Premiering Wednesday on Sundance Channel Click or tap on icon for more!
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STORY
‘Family’ of secrets “The Family” premieres Thursday on ABC.
Story on next page
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STORY
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Skeletons surface
after a politician’s son returns from the dead in ABC’s ‘The Family’
By George Dickie
A politician’s presumed-dead son resurfaces after 10 years, throwing the lives of his family and those around them into turmoil in an addictive mystery series debuting this week on ABC. In “The Family,” premiering Thursday, March 3, three-time Oscar nominee Joan Allen (“The Contender,” “Nixon”) stars as Claire Warren, mayor of Red Pines, Maine, who has ambitions of running for governor. Ten years earlier, her son Adam vanished without a trace and suspicion fell on neighbor Hank Asher (Andrew McCarthy, “Weekend at Bernie’s,” in his return to acting after a five-year hiatus), who was eventually convicted of the crime. But when the now-19-year-old Adam (Liam James, “The Way, Way Back”) turns up with minor injuries and deep psychological scars from 10 years of sexual abuse, the questions begin, the biggest being whether this is this really Adam. Yes, his DNA matches but he doesn’t remember things he should. And if Hank didn’t abduct him, who did? And what of the detective (Margot Bingham, “Boardwalk Empire”) who won Hank’s conviction in a career-making case? His exoneration all but discredits her reputation as an investigator. And worse, she’s getting a little too close to Claire’s husband John (Rupert Graves, “A Room With a View”) as they pursue the reopened case. Also in the ensemble cast are Alison Pill (“Midnight in Paris”) as Willa, Claire’s daughter and political adviser;
and Zach Gilford (“Friday Night Lights”) as Danny, Claire’s cynical alcoholic son. In an eye-opening turn as a pedophile, McCarthy takes a marked departure from roles that made him famous in films such as “Bernie’s,” “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “Pretty in Pink” to play what he calls a “wounded animal.” “The worst thing that anyone could be in our society is someone who would prey on young children,” he says to a recent gathering of TV critics in Pasadena, Calif., “and that’s a complicated thing in the sense that we just want to label those people as evil. You know, I have three small kids. If someone tried to go near my kids, I’d be in jail for killing them. And yet they’re complicated people. And so we all have a nature and then we sort of fight against our nature at certain points and everyone has a secret.” “Some people have asked me why I would do a role like this,” he continues. “Why would you play someone and really, the answer is I just didn’t care, in the sense that I had nothing to protect as in acting. Well, is this a good choice for a career move? Because I had been directing ... and I hadn’t acted in years, about five years or so. And I had no ... intention of acting in the near future. But when it came up, I thought it was so compelling that I wanted to do it. And so I was liberated by the fact that I just didn’t care how it was perceived, so I was able to just go do it.”
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STORY
‘American Masters’
goes country with profile of icon Loretta Lynn By Jay Bobbin
Click or tap on icon for more! It’s well-known that she was raised as a coal miner’s daughter, but there’s a lot more to the life of Loretta Lynn.
writing my own songs, and it just took off. God must have been behind all this, because I don’t know how I did it.”
“American Masters” knows it, thus the PBS series is offering a new profile of one of the true icons of country music Friday, March 4 (check local listings) with the subtitle “Still a Mountain Girl.” Lynn largely tells her own story – as rare home movies and performance clips illustrate many of her comments – with additional remarks by such friends and peers as Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow, Jack White (producer of Lynn’s Grammywinning 2004 album “Van Lear Rose”) and Sissy Spacek (who won an Oscar for portraying Lynn in the 1980 movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter”).
Noting that everyone asked “wanted to participate” in the Lynn program, Elizabeth Trojian – one of its executive producers – reflects, “It was really important to us to talk to Sissy and Jack. Miranda really was amazing; she is an inspiration who really follows in Loretta’s footsteps and loves her. I think some of our favorite moments are with Garth and Tricia and their banter, because they have a personal relationship with Loretta. You just sort of throw out a wish list, and really, every single person said ‘Yes.’ ”
Helping to mark Women’s History Month on “American Masters,” the episode isn’t premiering on a random date: It’s the same day as the release of “Full Circle,” the first studio album Lynn has recorded in more than a decade, combining new songs and fresh takes on several Lynn standards. “I didn’t start singing until I was 27,” the unfiltered star recalled in a January interview with television writers, “and the first time I was ever on stage, I was 27 years old. It wasn’t the first time I sang, but it the first time I was ever on stage.” Wed to Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn at age 15, Lynn relocated to Washington State from Kentucky to pursue her music career, and taught herself to play the guitar. “When we got out there, I really didn’t like the state of Washington that well because it rained so much,” she says. “We lived back there 15 years. I had four kids in school when I was 21, so I came to Nashville. My husband pushed me out on stage and made me sing, so I started singing and started
With four Grammys among her many honors, Lynn is doing a number of concert dates to support “Full Circle.” She has made classics of such tunes as “You Ain’t Woman Enough (to Take My Man),” “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” “Trouble in Paradise,” “Somebody Somewhere (Don’t Know What He’s Missin’ Tonight),” “She’s Got You” and of course, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” “It’s usually something that I’m going through that day, or that week, or that month, or somebody that I know that’s going through that problem,” she says of the subjects of her songs. “When I wrote ‘You Ain’t Woman Enough,’ this little woman came backstage, and she said, ‘Loretta, my husband didn’t bring me to the show tonight. He has got a girlfriend, and he brought her. She’s sitting out in that second row with my husband.’ “And we kind of pulled the curtain back and looked at him, and I looked at that lady that came backstage and I said, ‘Honey, she ain’t woman enough to take your man.’ I went in the dressing room right then and wrote that song before the show ever started.”
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STORY
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A family gets all too ‘Real’ in new ABC sitcom By George Dickie
An all-American family’s picture-perfect facade is shattered to comedic effect when a few secrets come to the surface in a series debuting this week on ABC. In “The Real O’Neals,” premiering with two episodes on Wednesday, March 2 (before settling into its regular Tuesday time slot on March 8), Jay R. Ferguson (“Mad Men,” “The Lucky One”) and Martha Plimpton (“Raising Hope,” “Beautiful Girls”) star as Pat and Eileen O’Neal, a cop and his socially active wife who are the heads of a middle-class Irish Catholic clan that is practiced at concealing its various secrets and problems from one another and their suburban Chicago community. That is, until Mom and Dad announce to their three children during an impromptu family meeting at a church fundraiser that they’re getting a divorce. That begets a round of truth-telling during which eldest son Jimmy (Matt Shively, “True Jackson, VP”), a high-school wrestler trying to make weight, admits he has an eating disorder; middle child Kenny (newcomer Noah Galvin) reveals that he’s gay; and the youngest, Shannon (Bebe Wood, “The New Normal”), fesses up that she’s skimmed enough funds from her charity work to buy a car. And to the O’Neals’ further chagrin, everyone at the function overheard them. The truth, as the Bible says, shall set you free, and that’s something this family takes to heart as the O’Neals decide to let it all hang out and face their issues.
And playing the head of a dysfunctional family is nothing new for Plimpton, having starred for four seasons as Virginia Chance on Fox’s “Raising Hope.” But that, she told a recent gathering of TV critics in Pasadena, Calif, is where the similarity between the two characters ends. “ ‘Raising Hope’ was kind of a zanier, kind of wackier show from the mind of Greg Garcia,” the actress says. “And, actually, it was really well put to me by one of our directors, Rebecca Asher, who said, ‘You know, Virginia Chance lives in her body. She’s most confident living in her body, and Eileen O’Neal is most confident living in her faith.’ Right? So ... Eileen’s world is, sort of, more in her head, and she gets into her head a lot more, whereas Virginia was a much more physical person, much more visceral kind of person.” As for Ferguson, his turn here is a complete 180 from his “Mad Men” role, having exchanged bearded, swinging 1960s ad man Stan Rizzo for clean-shaven, conservative present-day cop Pat on “The Real O’Neals.” But at least one part of Stan lives on, he reports, if only off camera. “The last time I shaved was the last day we shot,” he says. “Yeah, after having it for so long, doing ‘Mad Men,’ it just really became my happy place. And so, you know, I’ve just made the decision that whenever I’m not working, that this is what I’m going to look like. So there you go.”
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SPORTS
BrandonIngram
Duke’s flashy freshman
Story on next page Full Name: Brandon Xavier Ingram Born: Sept. 2, 1997 Birthplace: Las Vegas Size: 6 foot 9 inches, 190-pounds Team: Duke Blue Devils
Year: Freshman No.: 14 Position: Forward Honors and Achievements: NCHSAA Class 2A champion (2012-2015); First-team Parade All-American (2015); McDonald’s All-American (2015)
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SPORTS
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By Dan Ladd It’s hard to believe that a team can win a collegiate national championship one year and at one time be considered a bubble team for the NCAA tournament the next. However, that’s exactly where freshman forward Brandon Ingram and the Duke Blue Devils were at one point in this season. Things are looking up as they take the court against their arch-rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday, March 5, on ESPN. Always a big game, the regular season finale traditionally against UNC could have huge ramifications for the Dukes, who got off to a good start this season, but have stumbled down the stretch in conference play. Ingram has certainly been a bright spot for Duke, averaging around 17points and 6 rebounds per game while seeing plenty of minutes on the court. The McDonald’s All-American could use some help in the form of senior forward Amile Jefferson, who missed a number of mid-season games due to injury. With Jefferson on the bench Duke suffered a series of losses and dropped out of the Top 25 rankings for the first time since 2007. Rumors began to surface that Duke could be a bubble team; meaning their participation in the NCAA Tournament was in jeopardy. That won’t happen if Ingram and (hopefully) Jefferson have anything to say about it. A solid stretch run, and the always possible upset of the highranked Tar Heels could put Duke back in the top 25, set them up for a solid ACC Tournament and as is usually the case, find them right smack in the middle of March Madness. February 28 - March 5, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 19
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MOVIES JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
review
‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ remains quite bearable
By the time a movie franchise has reached its third round, it had better have something new to put forth and not just retread its past.
“Whiplash” Oscar winner J.K. Simmons – who is targeting kung fu masters. Uh-oh, Po: Of course, without doing anything but just being himself, the panda lands directly in the villain’s sights.
That’s the magic of “Kung Fu Panda 3,” which smartly advances the story arc while also paying enough attention In this situation, it’s a big factor to have a good story, to its heritage to keep those who already are in the house but the animation also has to be solid, and “Kung Fu for it satisfied. Panda 3” comes through with visuals that are all the more stunning when seen in 3-D. The exploits of Po and his Furious Five comrades look simply great, and it’s no small Just as he’s about to succeed his teacher Shifu – voiced feat to continue to stand out when so many animated again by Dustin Hoffman – as a martial-arts instructor movies are in the marketplace these days. to other animals, Po (still with the voice of Jack Black) has a surprising reunion with his biological father Li, whose words are spoken by “Breaking Bad” alum Bryan Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and Cranston. David Cross also are back in the voice cast, and there’s a great consistency when virtually all of the principals return. Youngsters can be quite perceptive when it comes Those blood ties generate an almost immediate bonding to such things, so parents can be grateful they won’t be ... and almost immediate trouble with Po’s adoptive dad, getting questions on the order of, “Why does Tigress voiced by returnee James Hong, the wonderful character sound different this time?” actor perhaps best-known as the Chinese-restaurant maitre ‘d who gave “Seinfeld” and company a long wait for their table. That said, enough is different this time around to ensure “Kung Fu Panda 3” provides enough freshness plus enough familiarity – and, in sum, the sort of all-ages fun As if that parental dilemma isn’t distracting enough for you can still bear. Po, he also has to deal with a new enemy – voiced by Page 20 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 28 - March 5, 2016
MOVIES
This Week’s Top New DVD Releases we couldn’t wait to share! THE
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MUST SEE LIST
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BY JAY BOBBIN
“CREED”
The “Rocky” saga continues with a surprising degree of impact and re-energizing continuation of the franchise, focusing on the boxinghopeful son (Michael B. Jordan) of Apollo Creed ... but the film also is trained on Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) who faces new challenges of his own as he becomes the younger man’s trainer. (Rated PG-13)
3“THE DANISH GIRL”
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“ROOM”
A mother and son (Brie Larson and young Jacob Tremblay) are held captive in one room for years, and after such a long stretch of isolation from the rest of the world, they map out a strategy for their escape, setting up the powerful second half of the film. (Rated R)
Eddie Redmayne took on another challenging role in the true drama of one of the first men to undergo sexreassignment surgery. Landscape artist Einar Wegener becomes Lili Elbe, necessitating changes in her relationship with wife and fellow painter Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander) – who finds herself on the verge of a romance with an art-dealer friend (Matthias Schoenaerts). (Rated R)
4“YOUTH”
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, play entertainment talents vacationing at a resort in the Alps and viewing their careers different – with the filmmaker played by Caine still very active, and the musician portrayed by Keitel considering himself retired, though he’s still in demand. (Rated R)
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FAVORITE SHOWS
Check Out The Top Shows We Love This Week!
Alex Ovechkin
Megan Fox
CAhgruiisletinraa Martha Plimpton
SUNDAY 12:30 p.m. on NBC NHL Hockey
MONDAY 8 p.m. on NBC The Voice
TUESDAY 8 p.m. on FOX New Girl
Stanley Cup Finals preview, anyone? The teams with the best records in their respective conferences lock horns this afternoon in Chicago, where Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks defend home ice from Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. The Caps got the better of the Hawks in their first meeting back in October, as Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots and Ovechkin scored a goal to lead Washington to a 4-1 triumph in the nation’s capital.
Christina Aguilera rejoins the coachingjudging panel as a new season of the singing competition starts with “The Blind Auditions Premiere.” She, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams assess a new field of talent, ultimately choosing vocalists for their respective teams. Anyone who knows this show, though, knows that the lineups can change — with other coaches having chances to add someone a coach has dismissed. Another episode airs Tuesday. Season Premiere New
Megan Fox continues her guest run on the show in the new episode “Heat Wave,” as her character Reagan and Nick (Jake Johnson) vie to provide the most effective air-conditioning for the loft. Cece’s (Hannah Simone) prospect of landing a newscasting job inspires Schmidt and Winston (Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris) to help her get ready for the audition. New
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FAVORITE SHOWS WEDNESDAY 8:30 p.m. on ABC The Real O’Neals
FRIDAY 8 p.m. on FOX Sleepy Hollow
Getting real takes major turns for relatives whose series of revelations inspires them to drop their “perfect family” facade and live how they really want in this new sitcom. Martha Plimpton and Jay R. Ferguson star as the heads of the clan, with Noah Galvin, Matt Shively and Bebe Wood as the offspring with their own surprises in the “Pilot.” Todd Holland, a major creative factor of “Malcolm in the Middle,” is a director and executive producer here. New
A New Jersey Devil isn’t only a hockey player, but also a literal monster in one instance — and a creature (played by guest star Charles Aitken) whose doppelganger plagues Sleepy Hollow in the new episode “Dark Mirror.” Ichabod (Tom Mison) has to delve into his own past in order to fight the invader effectively. Jenny and Joe (Lyndie Greenwood, Zach Appelman) try to get used to their new status with each other. Nicole Beharie and Nikki Reed also star. New
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SATURDAY 3 p.m. on ABC Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular You want “athletic”? You’ve got “athletic” in the case of this special, which not only displays the stamina of figure skaters, but also the physical acumen of those who show their skills on such equipment as parallel bars. Kristi Yamaguchi, Michael Weiss and spouses Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci serve as hosts of the program, featuring such noted skaters as Meryl Davis & Charlie White, and Naomi Lang & Peter Tchernyshev — plus gymnast Sandra Izbasa.
THURSDAY 9 p.m. on ABC The Family Since series creator Jenna Bans is a longtime associate of Shonda Rhimes, it’s logical that her new series launches on the night the producer “owns.” Normally to be seen on Sundays, the drama casts Joan Allen as the mayor of a Maine town where her kidnapped son (Liam James) returns, just as she declares her gubernatorial bid. Rupert Graves and Alison Pill (“The Newsroom”) play other family members in the “Pilot,” with Andrew McCarthy in an imagebusting role. New
Zach Appelman
9 p.m. on WE Mary Mary Season 5 opens with sisters Erica and Tina Campbell both enjoying solo career success, which brings with it an unfamiliar sense of rivalry between these two erstwhile performing partners. Erica is at the top of her game, having copped Grammy, Dove and Soul Train awards. Tina’s solo career is also on the rise, but in the season premiere, Sony Records is leaning on Warryn Campbell to deliver a long-awaited Mary Mary album. It’s up to Erica to convince her sister the time is right for them to reunite. Season Premiere New
Andrerwthy McCa
Kristi Yamaguchi
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