Mike Hughes

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Wild Wednesdays inside Corman’s world

Imagine being trapped in a drive-in theater for three days.
The popcorn and Raisinets would be be fine, the movies would be mercifully brief and this would be kind of fun in a monster-mash way.
That’s roughly what Turner Classic Movies plans: On three Wednesdays, it has films by Roger Corman, the micro-budgeter who died last month, at 98.
The first two nights (July 3 and 10), go from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., In a combined 20 hours, they show 13 films (yes, mercifully short), all directed by Corman, concluding with the surprisngly gppd “Wild Angels” (shown here). Then the final night (July 17) switches to Corman productions directed by his underling – including Martin Scorcese, Francis Coppola, Joe Dante and Jonathan Demme. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 26, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 27: frantic “Bear,” frenzied debaters

1) “The Bear,” Hulu. It’s the first full day for “Bear.”. (Hulu originally planned to release the entire third season today; then it nudgged that up to 9 p.m. Wednesday.) The first season won 10 Emmys, including best comedy, actor (Jeremy Allen White, shown here) and supporting actor and actress (Ebon Moss-Bacharach, Ayo Edebiri). The second will be up for Emmys in September. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 25, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 26; one show ends, another begins

1) “Walker” series-finale, 8 p.m,, CW. After 13 seasons – nine as “Walker, Texas Ranger” and four as this prequel (shown here) – this ends. “You can’t kill it with a stick,” co-creator Paul Haggis used to say. But you can with economics: The new CW owners want lower-budget shows. The finale brings people together for Walker’s son’s graduation. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 24, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 22: much ado about Ayo

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. On Thursday, the entire third season of the Emmy-winning “The Bear” will debut on Hulu. Now “SNL” reruns the hour hosted by Ayo Edebiri, who has already won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for “Bear.” Jennifer Lopez (left, with Edebiri and Heidi Gardner) is the music guest.

Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 20, 2024
Stories

It’s a sunny tale with Spanish flavor

At times, the streaming world seems full of sad souls and crumbling kingdoms. Eva Longoria decided to go another way.
“We’ve had a wave of dystopian shows and I’m always, ‘Ugh, I’m so depressed,” she told the Television Critics Associatdion.
So she stars in “Land of Women,” a six-parter (the poster is shown here) that starts Wednesday (June 26) on Apple TV+. “This show is so blue-skies, it’s so escapism,” she said, inspiring viewers to think: “I want to go to Spain and drink wine.”
Which is what she did. She went to Peralada, a winemaking village of 1,860 people, in Spain’s Catelonia region. There, the film crew dictated the pace. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 19, 2024
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 21: cooks, comics and Olympians

1) Olympic track-and-field trials begin, 6:30 p.m., USA Network, 9 p.m., NBC, both also on Peacock. This is what used to dominate the Olympics, filled with running and leaping (shown here). It continues through Monday, pauses, then returns June 27, Also today: swimming at 5:30 p.m. on USA and 8 on NBC, swimming and diving in the daytime on Peacock. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 19, 2024