Day: May 13, 2019

Doris Day: With the right script (or song), she was great

In her long career and longer life, Doris Day was many things. She was a big-band singer with an incredibly gorgeous voice.
She was a serious actress who boosted films like “Midnight Lace” (1960). She was an animal-rights advocate.
But mostly, Day – who died today, at 97 – was known for her comedies, some good and some awful. We can sample them on June 9, with a Turner Classic Movies marathon. Read more…

Fox in the fall: Scripted shows are scarce

When the new TV season starts next fall, something will be missing (almost) from Fox: Scripted, live-action (not animated) shows
.Indeed, the network will only have five of them, all wedged into a Monday-through-Wednesday stretch. The rest of the week has football, wrestling, “The Masked Singer” and Sunday’s animation.
Gone are “Star,” “Lethal Weapon,” “The Cool Kids,” “Rel,” “The Gifted” and more. In addition, this will be the final season of “Empire” (shown here), which Fox is painting as a positive. “We are turning the last season of ‘Empire’ into a large event,” said programmer Michael Thorn. “We really want to go out with a bang.” Read more…

Best bets for May 15: “Survivor” finale

1) “Survivor” finale, 8-11 p.m., CBS. The show has its final five now – with one more emerging from the “Edge of Extinction.” And newcomers have prevailed. Four people (including Kelley Wentworth, shown here) had each done two previous editions; all were sent to the Edge. The finalists are: Lauren O’Connell, 21, a Baylor student; Victoria Baamonde, 23, a Bronx waitress; Gavin Whitson, 23, a YMCA program director in Erwin, Tenn; Rick Devens, 33, a morning TV anchor in Macon; and Julie Rosenberg, 46, a New York City toymaker. Read more…