Mike Hughes

Stories

Hands-off decisions saved “Jaws” and “Titanic”

In Hollywood history, some big moments came when wise souls chose to do nothing.
Consider two blockbusters that almost weren’t:
–In 1974, “Jaws” (shown here) veered wildly over its budget and beyond its schedule. “I was terrified I was going to be fired,” Steven Spielberg recalled. Sid Sheinberg, the head of Universal Pictures, flew to Martha’s Vineyard, had a gentle chat with his young director … and decided to leave him be.
— Two decades later, “Titanic” was in the same sort of trouble. Bill Mechanic, head of Fox, drove to the film site to talk to James Cameron. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 4, 2025
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 6: Christmas joy, island danger

1) “Holidazed” opener, 8 and 9 p.m., Hallmark. Last year, this ambitious mini-series (shown here) helped launch Hallmark+; now it moves to the general channel. The first episode meets families on a cul-de-sac, re-uniting for Christmas. The next ones tell their stories, one family per hour, leading to the overall finale in the eighth episode. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 4, 2025
Weekly Previews

Week’s top-10 for July 7: “Big Brother,” “Paradise” arrive

1) “Big Brother” opener, 8 p.m. Thursday, CBS. This 27th season is the largest yet. Its opener is 90 minutes, to introduce the housemates. After that, it will have an hour each Sunday and Thursday and 90 minutes each Wednesday; Julie Chen Moonves (shown here in the redesigned house) hosts. And starting July 25, there will be “Big Brother Unlocked” hours on alternate Fridays. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 3, 2025
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 4: fiery Friday … and alternatives

1) “A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. Leading into the Washington, D.C., fireworks (shown here), we get tributes (including the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military) and lots of music. That includes the Beach Boys, the Temptations and gospel great Yolanda Adams, plus Josh Turner, LoCash, Lauren Daigle, Abi Carter and the National Symphony. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 2, 2025
News and Quick Comments

“SharkFest” looms; here’s an overview

“SharkFest” starts Saturday (July 5) on National Geographic, 15 days ahead of Discovery’s “Shark Week.”
We’ll see lots of scary-looking creatures, plus experts telling us not to be so scared. Here’s an overview; most shows will also be on Disney+ and Hulu:

RERUNS
— They start at 9 a.m. daily and continue overnight until 6 a.m.

SERIES:
— “Investigation Shark Attack,” 9 p.m. daily (except July 10), rerunning at midnight. In a central control room, four people see tapes of an attack and talk by Zoom to other experts. That starts July 5 with four great white shark encounters in California. Next is Hawaii on July 6, the Bahamas on the 7th, the Gulf on the 8th, Florida on the 9th and Maui on the 11th. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 30, 2025
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 2: ups and downs of “biocontrol”

1) “Human Footprint,” 9 p.m., PBS. The notion of “biocontrol” — one part of nature controls another — can work well: In Thailand, 10,000 ducks are released to gobble up farm pests. And it can fail: In 1935, Australia brought cane toads (shown here) to stop beetles; they soon swarmed everywhere … just as rabbits did earlier. Like last week’s opener, this is a terrific hour. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 30, 2025
Daily Best Bets

Best-bets for July 1: second chance to see dramas

1) “High Potential,” 8-11 p.m., ABC. Here are the first episodes of what became the season’s most-watched new show. Kaitlin Olson (shown here) plays a high-IQ single mom; working as a cleaning lady at a police station, she cracks a case. At 9 p.m., she probes the attempted murder of a tap dancer. At 10, she uses her cleaning knowledge to solve a hotel-room mystery. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 29, 2025
Stories

Bottom-feeding babies stir our fears

Babies can be quirky sometimes. They make odd choices, bite strange things.
And if the baby is eight feet long, with sharp teeth, there’s a problem. We learn that on the first night (July 5) of the National Geographic Channel’s annual “SharkFest.”
“At eight or nine feet, a shark is pretty darn young,” Mike Heithaus said by Zoom. That shark is still learning. “When he sees a surfboard, he’ll think, ‘That might be something I should bite.'”
He soon learns otherwise. Surfboards offer no nourishment; surfers — too much muscle, too little fat — aren’t much better. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 29, 2025