Choose a blog

What to Watch on Monday: 'Bunheads' tragedy and the 'Bachelorette' in Croatia

The Bachelorette (8pm, ABC) - Emily and her eight remaining suitors visit Dubrovnik, Croatia, where one man gets to enjoy dinner with Charlotte's Emily Maynard (left) at an ancient fort. On the group date, the men get to enjoy some crossover-synergy sizzle with the screening of a Disney/Pixar film. ABC says Emily makes some "surprising moves" at the rose ceremony.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (8pm, ABC Family) - Amy and Ricky return from their secret adventure and Grace continues to shut out Adrian.

Bunheads (9pm, ABC Family) - A tragedy puts Fanny and Michelle's lives in chaos, so Michelle reaches out to help Fanny, despite the antagonistic nature of their relationship.

One Nation Under Dog: Stories of Fear, Loss and Betrayal (9pm, HBO) - An examination of the complex relationship between humans and dogs includes a look at people's fears of otherwise domesticated animals, a support group for owners of deceased dogs, and efforts to rescue canines from inhumane treatment at shelters and breeding facilities. And most importantly -- how OUR behavior directly contributes to the misery of many of these dogs.

The Glass House (10pm, ABC) - This is the "Big Brother" ripoff show CBS has sued ABC to block. If you're reading this, it means CBS failed to block it. What's it about? Well, you know "Big Brother?" It's exactly that.

Lost Girl (10pm, Syfy) - Bo has an out-of-body experience after a trickster spikes the beer at the Dal.

Miss Advised (10pm, Bravo) - A new reality series that charts the uneven romantic lives of three female relationship experts: Julia Allison, Amy Laurent and Emily Morse. In the premiere, Julia moves to Los Angeles to find her romantic match and Amy is challenged by an old flame.

'One Nation Under Dog' documentary is grim, inspiring

Warning: This review contains several passages in which the reviewer (me) gets preachy.

Don't expect 73 straight minutes of the warm and fuzzies when you sit down to watch the new HBO documentary "One Nation Under Dog."

The documentary debuting Monday night, subtitled "Stories of Fear, Loss & Betrayal," is quite often painful to watch, but there are some uplifting moments to save you from total despair. And it should be required viewing for anyone who owns dogs or aspires to own dogs.

The film is sobering and fairly depressing, but it's the wake-up call about dog ownership that Americans need (and I'd argue the same themes touched on here apply just as strongly to cats).

Movie about Tokyo's sushi master opens in the Triangle

Go HERE to read my review of "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," about Jiro Ono - the oldest chef to earn three stars from the Michelin Guides.

Two North Carolina wrongful conviction cases examined in TV specials

Two North Carolina murder cases, both most famous for their wrongful convictions and for the long prison terms served by those convicted, are examined tonight on Investigation Discovery and on WRAL.

The Investigation Discovery channel will devote tonight's episode of "Cold Blood" to the 1982 murder of Deborah Sykes in Winston-Salem. Darryl Hunt (right) was charged and convicted of the brutal murder in 1984, but Hunt didn't commit the crime. He served nearly 20 years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him in 2004.

Tonight's episode features interviews with Hunt, a friend of Sykes, Sgt. Chuck Byrom of the Winston-Salem Police Department, attorney Mark Rabil, and former Winston-Salem Journal reporter Phoebe Zerwick.

"God is the Bigger Elvis" documentary tells story of Hollywood actress-turned-nun

"God is the Bigger Elvis," a documentary debuting tonight on HBO, tells the fascinating story of Dolores Hart, a movie star from the late 1950s and early 1960s who abruptly left Hollywood behind to become a cloistered Benedictine nun.

Hart, who now goes by Mother Prioress Dolores Hart of the Abbey of Regina Laudisas, starred in movies opposite Elvis Presley, Anthony Quinn and Montgomery Clift.

I first read her story last year in an Entertainment Weekly article, "Mother Dolores Hart: The Nun Who Kissed Elvis Presley." If the documentary is half as interesting as the EW article, it should be pretty great.

Hart's finance at the time she joined the monastery, architect Don Robinson, speaks candidly on the film about his heartbreak, saying that he never got over her. The two are still friends.

Click below for more information and to watch the trailer for the film.

Oscar-winning 'Saving Face' to debut tonight on HBO

The winner of this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary Short will debut on HBO tonight.

"Saving Face" is about a plastic surgeon, London-based Dr. Mohammad Jawad, who volunteers his services to help Pakistani women in his home country who have been permanently disfigured by acid attacks. This type of brutal attack is not uncommon in Pakistan, and those responsible (usually a husband or someone close to the victim) are typically given only minimal punishment for their crime.

The film focuses on the stories of two women: 39-year-old Zakia, whose husband threw acid on her after she filed for divorce, and 25-year-old Rukhsana, whose husband and in-laws threw acid and gasoline on her and set her on fire. 

Directors Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy follow Dr. Jawad as he helps these victims, who would otherwise have little or not access to reconstructive surgery, and also follows the push to enact new legislation that imposes stricter sentencing of perpetrators of acid attacks.

"Saving Face" will debut tonight at 8:30 p.m. on HBO.

Watch the trailer for the film below.

'Clinton': Understanding the Comeback Kid

The American Experience documentary on Bill Clinton, which starts tonight on UNC-TV, opens on the darkest days of the Clinton presidency: in the thick of the Monica Lewinsky scandal as the president sheepishly admits to the American people that he lied about his relationship with the White House intern.

The Lewinsky scandal should have been the knockout blow for Clinton, both personally and professionally. And for most anyone else, it would have been. But not Bill Clinton.

The scandal is touched on briefly at the opening of "Clinton" (and revisited later) because it's the obvious place to emphasize an important recurring theme in Clinton's life -- loss and recovery -- and ask the question, where does Bill Clinton's capacity for Lazarus-like resurrections come from?

What to Watch on Tuesday: 'Cougar Town' returns

Glee (8pm, Fox) - The kids find and perform the world's greatest love songs. Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell, who play Rachel's two dads, visit McKinley High.

Cougar Town (8:30pm, ABC) - Grab a big ole glass of wine and settle in for the third season of "Cougar Town." In tonight's premiere, Grayson irks Jules by labeling her predictable. Also, Travis settles into his new off-campus housing, but he's not sure he wants his dad's dog as a roommate.

The River (9pm, ABC) - A.J. must confront his demons to find a cure when the rest of the Magnus crew are temporarily blinded by spores from a tree. Meanwhile, the Morcego tribe follows the interlopers to decide if they are worthy to remain in the jungle or if they should die.

The Loving Story (9pm, HBO) - A profile of Richard and Mildred Loving, a married, interracial couple who challenged anti-miscegenation laws in Virginia after being arrested in 1958, and fought a legal battle that resulted in a landmark 1967 case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Loving v. Virginia. Directed by Nancy Buirski, founder of Durham's Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, who co-wrote the script with former NCCU professor Susie Powell. Adrienne reviews.

Frontline: The Interrupters (9pm, UNC-TV) - A two-hour profile of three Chicago activists with CeaseFire working to end gang violence. Directed by Steve James ("Hoop Dreams").  A great, great film, Adrienne says.

New Girl (9pm, Fox) - Schmidt agrees to be Jess' wingman when she sets out to have a one-night stand on Valentine's Day.

Southland (10pm, TNT) - A case turns personal for John when he tries to save a suicidal teen and Sammy's attempt to transform a former drug addict into an informant comes back to haunt him. Also, a person from Tang's past arrives.

Parenthood (10pm, NBC) - Drew learns that Sarah and Mark plan to have a baby, and Julia tries to put distance between herself and Zoe.

Justified (10pm, FX) - Raylan is in hot pursuit of Dewey Crowe, who's staging a one-man crime spree after an encounter with an organ-harvesting ring. Meanwhile, Boyd squares off against a new foe.

New documentary shows rare MLK assassination footage

The Smithsonian Channel debuts a new documentary tonight on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that includes rare footage of the days leading up to the iconic Civil Rights leader's murder in Memphis in April 1968.

"MLK: The Assassination Tapes" relies solely on archival films, photographs and recordings from television and radio news coverage, as well as audio recordings of local police scrambling to secure the Lorraine Hotel minutes after King's shooting was reported.

Cameron Crowe documentary on Elton John tonight on HBO

The Cameron Crowe / T-Bone Burnett documentary chronicling the critically acclaimed 2010 musical collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell debuts tonight on HBO.

In "The Union" (9 p.m. ET), Crowe ("Jerry Maguire," "Almost Famous," "Pearl Jam Twenty") shows a candid Elton John during his composing process, something never filmed before.

Filming for "The Union" began in 2009, covering the entire writing and recording process of John's album with Russell.

Sounds good to me. Check out a clip of an interview with Elton John below.

Cars View All
Find a Car
Go
Jobs View All
Find a Job
Go
Homes View All
Find a Home
Go

Want to post a comment?

In order to join the conversation, you must be a member of newsobserver.com. Click here to register or to log in.
Advertisements