Mike Hughes

Stories

Juneteenth is packed with music, movies, more

As a very old – and very new – holiday, Juneteenth is becoming a TV event.
Hit your remote Monday (June 19) and you’ll find documentaries, movies (LOTS of movies) and a mega-concert.
The concert, simulcast by CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Network, will have rap, pop and R&B stars, old and new. It will also have a Tina Turner tribute by Chloe Bailey (shown here), who’s best known for teaming with her sister (Halle Bailey, the “Little Mermaid” star) in Chloe + Halle.
It’s set for 8-11 p.m. ET … which crosses over lots of other events, including music documentaries on E (8 p.m.) and ABC (10). Then there are all those movies, ranging from the classics (“In the Heat of the Night,” “Do the Right Thing”) to the more-recent “Black Panther,” “Till” and “Respect.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 16, 2023
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for June 19: Celebrate firefighters and Black music

1) “LA Fire & Rescue” debut, 8 p.m. Wednesday, NBC. The sprawling Los Angeles County ranges from a desert to an ocean; one firehouse is in the tough Compton area, at another, there’s talk of Kardashians or a Schwarzenegger. Producer Dick Wolf (“Chicago Fire”) offers a non-fiction view. (The photo here is of an L.A. firefighters, but not the ones in this show.) We get personal stories – this week, a cancer survivor – plus action. Most of it is medical, but the opener closes with a giant blaze that continues next week. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 15, 2023
News and Quick Comments

Blige’s songs, with love and pain, guide two movies

For an actor, it can be imposing to step inside a Mary J. Blige production … and inside a Blige song.
“It reminds me of my mom,” Ajioba Alexus said. “Because we would dance to Mary J. Blige’s songs in the kitchen.” Now she stars in two Lifetime movies (shown here, with co-star Da’Vinchi), produced by Blige, that use titles of those songs
— “Real Love” was Blige’s first hit back in 1992 – four years before Alexus was born. It was No. 7 on Billboard’s overall chart and No. 1 on its rhythm & bluyes chart. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 14, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 15: a big night for comedy reruns

1) “Animal Control,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., Fox. During its first season, this show offered an agreeable mix of big sight gags and solid character humor. It will be back next season, but now it wraps up a stretch of reruns. Both episodes deal with the triangle of three sweet-spirited souls – Emily (the terrific Vella Lovell), Shred (shown here, right) and Rick. Also, Frank (Joel McHale, left) struggles with his macho self-image. First, he’s benched in basketball; then he resists mourning. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 13, 2023
News and Quick Comments

Tony telecast: Yes, TV can still be fun

For three splendid hours, we were reminded how much fun TV can be.
These were the Tony Awards that almost didn’t happen. Only a compromise allowed the show to go on (scriptless) during the Writers Guild strike; flaws and all, it was terrific.
And yes, there were flaws. It was a mostly humorless night … the acceptance speeches were repetitious … a “tribute” to John Kander and Joel Grey was bizarre … and host Ariana DeBose didn’t sing.
But the big moments overwhelmed all of that. We were reminded that musicals – Broadway (shown here with a previous performance of “New York, New York”) and beyond – can be spectacular, and that TV can do a great job of showing them off. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 12, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 14: laughs, temptation and brutality

1) “The Full Monty” debut, Hulu. The 1997 movie showed a British town where the blue-collar jobs had vanished; desperate, the guys did a one-night strip show. Now, 26 years later, we meet the same guys (and same actors), in delightful sorts of disarray. Brilliantly co-written by Simon Beaufoy (who did the original and “Slumdog Millionaire”), this gives the best moments to Gaz’s daughter Destiny (she and her dad are shown here), a smart rogue who sparks a hilarious plot twist. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 12, 2023
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for June 12: basketball, Bob, buffalo soldiers

1) “Buffalo Soldiers: Fighting on Two Fronts,” 10 p.m., PBS. In their 85-year history, the all-Black units (dubbed “buffalo soldiers”) saw extremes. They were a symbol of freedom – guarding the transcontinental railroad, being the first park rangers at Yosemite (shown here), fighting in world wars. Still, this film says, they also fought against freedom – in Cuba, Mexico, the Philippines … and at home, in the “Indian Wars” and suppressing striking miners in Idaho. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 10, 2023