Day: April 15, 2024

The octopus becomes an Earth Day star

It’s easy to fall for something that’s cute, cuddly and koala-like. An octopus might be a bigger challenge.
Almost 2,000 years ago, Pliny, a Roman commander/philosopher. said: “No animal is more savage.” As recently as 20 years ago, writer Sy Montgomery told the Television Critics Association, people “thought: ‘Aren’t they monsters? Aren’t they gross?’”
They do look odd, but they also have remarkable skills and personalities And now, as researcher Christine Huffard put it: “Octopuses are having a moment.”
There was the fictional Hank in “Finding Dory” and real-life creatures in PBS’ “Octopus: Making Contact” (2019) and the Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher” (2020). Next is an Earth Day documentary mini-series from James Cameron. Read more…

Best-bets for April 17: quirky comedies and triple “Pyramid”

1) “Animal Control,” 9:02 p.m., Fox. The network’s only non-cartoon comedy has become a pleasant surprise, mixing brief animal sight gags and some solid character humor. Now we’re back to the dating woes of Frank (Joel McHale, shown here). Having flubbed the apps, he asks Emily to set him up. Also, Patel and Shred try to do the remodeling work on their investment property. Read more…