Mike Hughes on TV

Yes, cable is still wrapping up its big week. Tonight (Sunday, April 14), National Geographic starts its richly detailed "The '80s" (see previous blog) and Showtime starts a new season for its lush "The Borgias."

Soon, however, it will be PBS' turn. "Central Park Five" on Tuesday is a compelling portait of a rush to judgment. Here's the story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

In one of New York's darkest moments, a
single mindset seemed universal.

Five teens, people said, had beaten and
raped a Central Park jogger. These five were brutal.

Police, prosecutors and politicians all
said so in 1989. So did news media and the public. “It's a mess and
it doesn't speak very well about us,” said filmmaker Ken Burns.

He includes himself and other adults in
that condemnation; the next generation didn't notice. “I was 6, so
I was totally unaware of this case at the time,” said his daughter
Sarah.

Years later, as a Yale student, she
took a fresh look. The result became her senior thesis ... then a
book … and now “The Central Park Five,” a PBS film she made
with her dad and David McMahon.

The story shows society rushing to
judgment against black and Latino teens, only to learn 13 years later
that they hadn't done the crime. The convictions drew huge attention;
the follow-up didn't.

“We were exonerated and (did) not
receive that much” attention, said Raymond Santana Jr.

Ken Burns blames everyone, from
officials to reporters to regular people like him.

Back in '89, he had spent many of his
36 years in peaceful places – Ann Arbor, Mich., (where his dad was
an anthropology professor), Amherst, Mass. (where he studied at
Hampshire College), then doing documentaries, some on sweet subjects
– the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Shakers.

Now he was in New York, editing his
acclaimed “The Civil War.” The Central Park case stunned him.
“I, too, bought the story, wrung my hands at what I thought was the
complete collapse of our society.”

Mayor Ed Koch called it the crime of
the century; Gov. Mario Cuomo called it “the ultimate shriek of
alarm that says none of us is safe.” Donald Trump took out
full-page ads calling for the death penalty. People overlooked flaws
in the story, such as:

– There was no DNA evidence against
them. “This is an incredibly bloody crime scene,” Ken Burns said.
“There is nothing of the crime scene on the boys and nothing of the
boys on the crime scene.”

– A path in the woods indicated one
person – not five – dragging the body.

– With one exception, these five,
ages 14 to 16, didn't even seem to know each other.

– They had confessed after long
sessions with the police, Ken Burns said, but the confessions made no
logistical sense. “Frightened kids recite an unbelievable litany
(with) so many inconsistencies.”

All of that was ignored by officials, he said. “Once they
decided that the five had done it, they plowed toward that.” They
didn't even check the DNA of a man arrested for a similar rape; 13
years later, he confessed to the Central Park attack; DNA verified
that.

The five men had already completed their sentences, but those were
vacated. There was some attention, Santana said, but nothing like the
crescendo when they were convicted. “That made us more skeptical.”

One exception, he said, was his lawyers' intern. “She did the
research. She became so outraged.”

And she changed her life. Sarah Burns said she made her senior
thesis “about this case, about the racism and the media coverage in
sort of historical context.” She scuttled her law-school plans and
turned it into a book (Random House and Vintage, 2011 and 2012) and
then a documentary.

After their sentences were vacated, the five men began a civil
suit (still pending) and were finally able to get steady work.
Santana became a personal trainer and assistant gym manager; he also
went with the movie to film festivals.

“There are people upset and people crying,” he said, “and
they just want to talk to us and they want to apologize. And overall,
the response has been very healing.”

– “The Central Park Five,” 9-11 p.m. Tuesday, most PBS stations

This is a busy time for cable networks. Coming first are a reality show tonight (Thurday, April 11) on USA and the epic series "Da Vinci's Demons" on Friday. (See previous blogs.)

Then comes the Sunday rush -- season-openers for "The Borgias" and "Nurse Jackie" on Showime and "Veep" on HBO. And alongside them, National Geographic starts a surprisingly good three-night documentary series, "The '80s." Here's the story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

The 1980s arrived in a grey, grim
cloak.

A few months earlier, Jimmy Carter had
spoken of “a crisis of confidence … that strikes at the very
heart and soul of the national will.” Inflation was high, spirits
were low. Then came hockey.

Less than two months into the '80s, a
ragged bunch of American amateurs beat Russian pros in the Olympics;
ABC's Al Michaels proclaimed it a miracle. “It wasn't a miracle,”
said Jim Craig, the U.S. goalie. “It was a lot of hard work by
people who believed in a shared dream.”

That game launches “'The 80s,” a
documentary mini-series. Over three nights, the National Geographic
Channel sees Americans go from malaise to giddiness. “There's a
sense of excitement and originality that ran through the decade,”
said producer Jane Root.

It was a decade for outsiders – from
Ben & Jerry's ice cream to Steve Jobs' computer companies,
Run-DMC's rap music and everyone's music videos.

“The mantra that Michael (Jackson)
and I always had … was, 'Let's give the world something they've
never seen before,” said video choreographer-director Vincent
Paterson.

That's the same approach rappers had,
said Darryl “DMC” McDaniels. “We said, 'What is it that
everybody else ain't doing?'”

This was a decade between major wars.
The Soviet Union was weakening (the Berlin Wall would fall in '89),
the Iran crisis had ended the new threats hadn't yet emeged.

It was a free-form decade, McDaniels
said. “We didn't want to sell records. We didn't want to be on MTV
….We wanted to impress our black kids on the corner.”

But they did make money and did reach
MTV, at a time for wild imaginations. “We had no rules,” Paterson
recalled. “We had no boundaries. It was like being a kid in Santa's
workshop.”

Jackson had a couple 1980 videos, but
scored in 1983 with “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.”
Paterson, the “Thriller”assistant choreographer, saw ambitions
soar. For Jackson's “Smooth Criminal” in 1988,”I had a
million-dollar budget …. That was insane.”

It was a fun insanity. “We brought
men back into the dance world,” said Paterson, who molded videos
and tours for Jackson, Madonna and more. “(It was) a huge cultural
change.”

Guys were dancing, street-corner music
was selling. People were optimistic, McDaniels said. They “woke up
every day and took their destinies into their own hands.”

– “The '80s,” 8-10 p.m. Sunday, April 14
(rerunning twice, to 2 a.m.), 9-11 p.m. Monday and Tuesday (rerunning
to 3 a.m.), National Geographic Channel

– Rerun of the previous night, 7-9
p.m. Monday and Tuesday

– Six-hour series reruns three times
Saturday, April 20, starting at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Talk about extremes, this was an "American Idol" of startling contrasts.

At the bottom was Lazaro Arbos. Even if he had hit all the notes -- a big "if" -- these were still flat, limp performances.

Near the top was everyone else. And at the very top was Candice Glover, with that amazing final song. Somehow, a 23-year-old kid from an island off South Carolina had transformed herself into the world's best jazz singer. I'm assuming magic was involved.

That helped overcome what could have been a tough night. The songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David tend to be simple, straight and melodic, but not in a way that shows off the singer. Angie Miller got trapped in that, accused of not inserting enough emotion.

The others -- Janelle Arthur, Amber Holcomb, Glover and (especially) Kree Harrison -- added emotion to Bacharach-David songs, then scored with the category of "a song I wish I'd written." Until now, my all-time favorite "Idol" moment was Fantasia doing "Summertime"; now it's Candice Glover, morphing into the soul of a jazz great.

TV sometimes tells us there are second chances in life. And now it proves it: "The Moment" is hosted by Kurt Warner, whose life has been awash in fresh chances. The show starts Thursday (April 11) and reruns often; here's the story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

Life seems to have this inevitable arc.

We start with exotic plans; we'll be a
cowboy or a quarterback, a spy or a supermodel or such. Then reality
intervenes; we become Third Assistant Junior Whatever.

But what if someone offered a second
chance? In “The Moment,” Kurt Warner does that.

“They have no idea this is
happening,” Warner said. “It's fun to see the wheels turn in
their minds. They're thinking, 'Is this for real?'”

It is. A former Super Bowl quarterback
has arrived with camera crew. A reality show will offer a week-long
tryout at the top, for such jobs as NASCAR driver, orchestra
conductor and deep-sea diver.

For the opener, Warner followed Tracie
Marcum, an Alabama mom and office administrator who had an instant
try-out as Sports Illustrated photographer. As things seemed
overwhelming, he told her not to stress; he felt that same
frustration, the first time he tried to learn a pro playbook.

He wasn't an exaggerating to her,
Warner said; those playbooks are imposing. “It's like learning a
different language. They hand you a book and say, 'By tomorrow, you
have to learn it.'”

At a Green Bay Packers try-out, he told
a coach that he wasn't ready to go in. That was a mistake, Warner
said; he was soon cut. And it was part of a life filled with second
and third chances and beyond. “After I sat for four years, I could
easily have quit football.”

Yes, he had four years of watching
other guys play at Northern Iowa. Warner was a “red shirt” (not
in games) for one year and a reserve for three more; when he finally
became a starter, he was named the conference's player of the year.
He wasn't drafted, however, and promptly flubbed his Packer try-out.

That was another good time to quit.
Instead, he joined the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football
League. Then came another break; Warner has been told it was created
by an opposing coach. “He was so eager to get me out of the league
that he called the Chicago Bears.”

Warner agreed to a Bear try-out …
then was reminded that he couldn't make it then; he was getting
married. He scheduled one for two weeks later, but had an elbow
injury – apparently caused by a spider bite during his honeymoon.

And then it all worked out. The St.
Louis Rams signed him, sent him to play European football, then
plunked him on the bench. In all of 1998, he completed four passes
(in 11 attempts) for 39 yards.

The next year, two quarterbacks were
dropped, their replacement (Trent Green) was injured and Warner
finally became an NFL starter at 28. He took the Rams to a Super Bowl
championship.

When he retired, a decade later, he had
the third-highest career completion percentage and seventh-highest
career quarterback rating in NFL history. He'd twice been named most
valuable player.

And now? “I enjoy my life,” Warner
said. “I'm very busy, but these are things I love to do.”

He spends time with his seven kids –
ages 24, 21, 14, 12, 9 and 7-year-old twins – and is a studio
commentator for the NFL Network. And he sometimes sees people get
their second-chance moments.

– “The Moment,” 10 p.m.
Thursdays, USA Network

– Each episodes repeats at 11 p.m.
Friday, 9 a.m. Sunday, 6 a.m. the following Thursday

– First episodes have a sports
photographer (April 11) and NASCAR driver (April 18); a try-out
episode, with an America's Cup sailor, aired in February

The best thing about the Starz cable channel is its epic approach.

"Boss" was an underappreciated gem. "Spartacus" -- which ends Friday -- is way too bloody and brutal, but richly crafted. And now "Da Vinci's Demons" is, despite occasional excess, well worth catching. It starts Friday and reruns often; here's the story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

David Goyer grew up in a world of
superheroes and super stories. He went on to write screenplays about
Batman and Superman and da Vinci and …

Wait ... Leonardo da Vinci? “There
are some parallels to Batman,” Goyer said.

There are also differences, including
da Vinci being an artist … and long ago … and real. But Goyer
found connections, while creating the epic cable series “Da Vinci's
Demons.”

He's been into superheroes since his
boyhood days, when he went up two two flights of stairs to Eye of
Agamotto, a comic-book store run by a Vietnam veteran in Ann Arbor,
Mich.

Goyer, 47, went on to write comics and
to put their heroes onto the movie screen. He wrote “Batman
Begins,” planned the stories for the next two Batman films and
wrote three “Blade” movies, plus Superman's upcoming “Man of
Steel.” Along the way, he said, producers “approached me with the
idea of doing something historical, which I hadn't done before.”

When he settled on da Vinci, he began
to notice the links with Batman. Both grew up without a dad. “Both
obsessed with flight,” Goyer said. “Both had these sort of
formative, horrific incidents where they were trapped in caves –
or, in Batman's case, a well.” And when Bob Kane created the comic,
he “based Batman's cape on da Vinci's glider.”

There were reports of da Vinci as a
master swordsman and lover and more. “He really was ambidextrous
and had a lot of amazing skills,” Goyer said.

Clearly, this guy had TV potential.
Carmi Zlotnik, head of programming for the Starz channel, says the
series is a “portrait of an artist as a 25-year-old inventor,
swordsman, dreamer, idealist.”

This was an outsider among the wealthy
of Florence. He “wasn't going to be constrained by he society he
was in,” said Tom Riley, who plays him. He “bordered on being a
savant (and) had a big mouth.”

Goyer can relate to some of that. He
was raised by his mother, a special-education teacher, and says he
faced anti-Semitism from classmates. Still, he sees Ann Arbor as “a
great place to grow up” – especially with all its comic stores,
book stores and movie theaters.

Next came his the University of
Southern California film school. For writers, that's usually followed
by long, barren stretches; Goyer skipped that. Four months after his
1988 graduation, he sold his “Death Warrant” screenplay, promptly
getting an old Toyota and his first tattoo. Many tattoos would
follow, along with bigger films and better cars. His one shortfall
has been in making a TV series that lasts.

“FlashForward” lasted only one
season, despite raves from some critics; “Threshold” and “Blade:
The Series” managed 13 episodes apiece. But “Da Vinci's Demons”
is an international epic, for a cable channel that scored big with
“Spartacus.”

It's filmed in South Wales, with
British talent and ancient backdrops. “You're right next to
abbeys,” Goyer said. There are castles and more, “with everything
looking like the 14^th century.”

Then there's the studio and the special
effects. Those are important for a superhero from any century.

– “Da Vinci's Demons,” debuts 10
p.m. Friday (April 12) on Starz, after the “Spartacus” series finale,
repeating at 12:10 a,m.

– Opener reruns twice nightly –
Saturday (9 p.m. and 1:25 a.m.), Sunday (8 and 11:40 p.m.), Monday, 9
p.m. and 1:20 a.m. Those are doing a stretch (April 11-15)when Starz
and Encore are free on many cable systems.

– Also: 9 p.m. Saturday on Encore,
7:30 and 11 p.m. April 18 on Starz