Best-bets for July 25: stars of “SNL,” WNBA 
Best-bets for July 24: moon, movies and murder 
Best-bets for July 23: adventures on Earth and beyond 
Sajak heads college board (really)
Pat Sajak is about to become a college board president. Really. The news came this Read more…
A Lori-less “Heart” finally returns
(Updated May 6)
The transition is complete: Like Russian dictators of old, Lori Loughlin has become a non-person.Scenes were re-edited, re-shot, re-written. After seven weeks in limbo, Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” returned Sunday and continues Monday (May 5-6).
The feel-good show centers on Elizabeth (Erin Krakow), who left her privileged background in 1910, to teach on the Canadian frontier. Devastated by a mining tragedy, the town was held together by sturdy women, especially Abigail (Loughlin). Read more…
Best bets for May 1: Lot of music, lots of hyphens
1) “Billboard Music Awards,” 8-11 p.m., NBC. Taylor Swift opens the night by premiering “Me!” She’s joined by Brandon Urie, whose group (Panic! At the Disco) also performs. This night – which has way too many exclamation marks! — has Halsey alone and with BTS (shown here at last year’s event). Other combos include Madonna and Maluma, Tori Kelly with Dan + Shay. Also performing are Kelly Clarkson (who hosts), Mariah Carey (who gets the Icon Award), Paula Abdul, the Jonas Brothers, Ciara, Khalid and Lauren Daigle. Read more…
A life lesson about babies, books and cash
It was a moment when someone offered an irrrefutable truth.
And it had the bonus of showing I’m not so bad, after all. There was more such proof this week.
In the 1998 cable movie “Floating Away,” Paul Hogan (shown here in his crocodile days) said this to Rosanna Arquette: “Sometimes, a bad parent is better than a good parent who leaves the baby on top of the car.” Read more…
Best bets for April 30: ‘The 100’ is sort of ‘The 8’
1) “The 100” season-opener, 9 p.m., CW. A nice nap is helpful, but this goes too far: Clarke (Eliza Taylor, shown here) and friends were in a sleep state for 125 years. Now they’re awake (and, one assumes, refreshed), with a task: Colleagues feel they’ve found a planet that can support life. “The 100” began with 100 people trying Earth; this hour, a good one, has a landing party of eight, including Clarke, Bellamy and the relentlessly annoying Murphy. In the ship are Clarke’s mom and the relentlessly annoyed Octavia and Raven. Read more…
Gloria’s glory time: A power couple celebrates
In their latest burst of TV fame, the Estefans have familiar duties.
Gloria is out-front, doing most of the talking; she’s the people person, the fan favorite. Emilio says a little, then returns to the background.
It all seems natural, during PBS’ “Gershwin Prize” special. But in the old days, it was flip-flopped. Read more…
Don’t worry: Shannen will rejoin her (sorta) friends
We can quit worrying now: Shannen Doherty has been added to Fox’s summer series, “BH90210.”
That’s the show that has the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” cast getting together, to plan a reboot. It’s scripted, with the actors playing exaggerated versions of themselves … something these producers (Mike Chessler and Chris Alberghini) did quite well with Tori Spelling’s “So NoTORIous.” Read more…
Best bets for April 29: Lambert reigns with Queen
1) “The Show Must Go On,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. “American Idol” has vacated Mondays; now it’s Sundays-only. And tonight, its spot goes to one of its most famous losers: Nine years ago, Adam Lambert finished second to Kris Allen. He’s one of many – Katharine McPhee (2nd), Chris Daughtry (4th), Jennifer Hudson (7th) – who surpassed the winners. In 2014, Lambert started touring with Queen; they’ve drawn big crowds and even opened the Oscars telecast. This documentary traces their stories. Read more…
Growing up Fosse: Surrounded by sunshine and despair
Maybe this was a fantasy for many of us:
The teacher expects us to parrot his or her theories about what some author – Shakespeare or such – meant. We wish we could grab Shakespeare and get a second opinion.
Nicole Fosse – a producer and consultant for the “Fosse/Verdon” mini-series — did that as a teen-ager. Read more…
Best Bets for April 28: A bold detour on the Red Line
1) “The Red Line” opener, 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. The CBS formula has worked well – lots of dramas in the “CSI/NCIS” mode, with a happy ending for each hour. But now comes a bold detour – a complex story, spread over eight hours on four Sundays. This starts with a tragic error and follows its impact on politics, race and humanity. There are flaws: The incident is too clear-cut; a key admission (late in the first hour) is unmotivated. Still, it’s beautifully done and Noah Wyle — shown here with Aliyah Royale, who plays his adopted daughter — delivers a deeply moving speech. Read more…