Day: March 23, 2022

Stories

“Halo” makes its “massive” leap to TV

For streaming networks, the impulse is clear: Go big and go fantasy.
It’s “Star Wars” on Disney+, “Star Trek” on Paramount+, the DC crowd on HBO Max and more, There’s Marvel on Disney+, “Game of Thrones” on HBO Max … and now “Halo” (shown here) on Paramount+.
Yes, the “Halo” videogame is a weekly series, starting Thursday (March 24). “It’s a daunting task,” producer Kiki Wolfkill said in a Television Critics Association virtual press conference.
And one that took forever. “You have such massive scale and scope,” said producer Justin Falvey. “It takes some time to get it right.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2022
Stories

Oscar Sunday: Here’s a quick overview

It took a while, but the details of this year’s Academy Award telecast are finally in place.
ne key detail – performances of the Oscar-nominated songs – wasn’t announced until Tuesday night. What emerges is a ceremony that will work hard to entertain us … unlike recent years. Details include:
WHEN: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) Sunday, March 27, on ABC.
HOSTS: Comedians Amy Schumer (see separate piece, under “Stories”) and Wanda Sykes, actress Regina Hall. Expect to be amused. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2022
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for March 25: Music and basketball abound

1) “Great Performances: Conductor,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. “I’ve never been good with a lot of rules,” Marin Alsop (shown here) says. She quit a stern music school and created String Fever – 14 women doing swing music on orchestral instruments. She resisted the idea that conductors must be men; at one point, she led orchestras in three cities (Baltimore, Vienna, Sao Paolo), on three continents, in three languages. It’s a great story, told with surges of soaring music. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 23, 2022