TCM And The Oscar Goes To

TCM is airing an Oscar's documentary, And The Oscar Goes To, February 1st to kick off it's 31 Days of Oscar.

I was invited to the premiere last week at The Academy and it really is a great education of the Oscars from the beginning. I wish I could see all the old Oscar telecasts they show parts of. The film has interviews with many nominees and winners including Cher, George Clooney, Whoopie Goldberg, Steven Speilberg, etc..



TCM will further celebrate the Oscar all February and beyond with their 31 days of Oscar I love their new format of airing the nominees in one category for one year. It will be really interesting to see the films of one year all together and get a sense of the zeitgeist of that year.

Feb. 1: Best Picture nominees from 1939

Feb. 2: Best Picture nominees from 1945

Feb. 3: Best Costume Design, Color nominees from 1954

Feb. 4: Best Director nominees from 1932-33

Feb. 5: Best Supporting Actor nominees from 1946

Feb. 6: Best Actress nominees from 1966

Feb. 7: Best Actor nominees from 1953

Feb. 8: Best Picture nominees from 1949

Feb. 9: Best Picture nominees from 1936

Feb. 10: Best Original Screenplay nominees from 1940

Feb. 11: Best Adapted Screenplay nominees from 1956

Feb. 12: Best Supporting Actress nominees from 1963

Feb. 13: Best Actress nominees from 1942

Feb. 14: Best Actor nominees from 1955

Feb. 15: Best Picture nominees from 1929-30

Feb. 16: Best Picture nominees from 1951

Feb. 17: Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment nominees from 1962

Feb. 18: Best Film Editing nominees from 1959

Feb. 19: Best Supporting Actor nominees from 1937

Feb. 20: Best Actress nominees from 1934

Feb. 21: Best Actor nominees from 1944

Feb. 22: Best Picture nominees from 1948

Feb. 23: Best Picture nominees from 1938

Feb. 24: Best B/W Art Direction – Set Decoration nominees from 1965

Feb. 25: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White nominees from 1947

Feb. 26: Best Actress nominees from 1931-32

Feb. 27: Best Actor nominees from 1943

March 1: Best Picture nominees from 1967

March 2: Best Picture nominees from 1935

March 3: Best Special Effects nominees from 1958

PBS Sherlock returns Tonight

Sherlock returns to PBS tonight with the first of three episodes, right after Downton Abbey. “The Empty Hearse” Sunday, January 19, “The Sign of Three” – Sunday, January 26, and “His Last Vow” – Sunday, February 2. I continue my lament that someone needs to tell England that rationing is over and they can make more than 3 episodes of this at a time. Go crazy give us 6. At least each episode is 90 minutes.

Creator Moffat has said that he already has planned out season 4 and 5 and there are rumblings of Matt Smith (our dearly departed Doctor Who) being cast in a supporting role. So even though we will just get these three now, we can rest assured there is more to come. Phew!



Please don't tell Elementary Sherlock I am cheating on him with Sherlock Sherlock.

PBS Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers Adventure Camp

Here's some great TV for the Kids! When my daughter was younger it was so great to know I could put on PBS and know that she was being entertained and learning something. I wish there was a channel like that for her (and me) now that she is edging ever closer to those dreaded teen years.

PBS KIDS is premiering an all-new special on January 20^th called DINOSAUR TRAIN “Nature Trackers Adventure Camp!” PBS KIDS and everyone’s favorite Pteranodon family are taking kids and parents on an excursion in– an all new one-hour special featuring four new stories about nature and adventures in varying geographic locations. Kids are invited to learn about geography and paleontology during the on-air special.

The Spoils Of Babylon On IFC

I haven't seen The Spoils Of Babylon, that begins airing on IFC tomorrow, but based on the ads it looks like good ridiculous fun. It's a spoof of the epic novel TV movies we grew up watching in the 1980s. A multi generational tale of ill gotten goods and, I'm guessing, a touch of incest. All that and expansive panoramic shots with equally epic over acting.

It has an all star cast, including the hysterical Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen, Tobey Maguire, and Haley Joel Osment (Who I don't think I've seen in anything since that little ghost movie he was in).

I have high hopes for this one. I think it's a pretty safe bet.

HBO True Detective Sunday Jan 12

HBO has a new series premiering January 12th, starring Mathew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, TRUE DETECTIVES. When I first heard about it I pictured a buddy cop show with lots of witty repartee. Boy, was I wrong. This is a really dark story of two police detectives investigating a serial killer. McConnaughey's character is an exceptional cop with a painful history. While Harrelson character is just a mess of contradictions. The tempo of the show is extremely moody and somber. After watching the first few episodes I definitely had a feeling that something was about to jump out at me any minute.

The story is told from two different times, with the action jumping back and forth between them. First there is the time where the two detectives are investigating the killer. Then there is a time in the future when two other police officers are questioning Harrelson and McConaugheys characters about the investigation. I'm not a huge fan of this type of story telling, as it can be a bit jarring, but it is done well here and develops the story.

I'm definitely going to watch this one. While the pacing is slow, it does build an insane amount of anxiety about the characters and the case. I would not recommend watching this one alone at night. I think it goes without saying the cast is fantastic. Both these actors and the supporting cast do a stellar job of completely creeping you out.

Antiques Roadshow Season 18 Jan 6th PBS

Antiques Roadshow premieres it's 18th season this Monday January 6th!!

Last June I was invited to attend the Anaheim Antiques Roadshow for season 18, that's right THE PBS Antique Roadshow. I love me some Roadshow and having the opportunity to be at one live and in person is the most fun! Every time their anywhere near LA I do my best to get in. So far I'm Two for Two.

  My fake Introducing The Beatles appraisal

I was really surprised to learn that the appraisers are not compensated in any way for their appearance on the Roadshow. They even pay for their own travel and hotel. Even the Keno brothers aren't paid. I assume it is a great promotion for their businesses. Sadly none of my treasures were worth much, but it's always fun hearing from the experts about them.

The Keno Brothers checking out a possible million dollar antique

The day I was there the Keno brother thought they might have found an interesting picture. They were rushing around to all the appraisers for different experts, to verify authenticity. I never did find out how it came out, so I'll be watching to see what became of the little paint of a man in a workshop.

For the season premiere, the 11-time Emmy® nominated series traveled to Boise, Idaho, yielding one of the highest-valued finds of the season: an inherited oil painting of an Italian landscape by important Hudson River artist Sanford Robinson Gifford, which was appraised for $300,000 and had previously languished in the owner's basement.

EPISODES 2014 PBS AIRDATES (check local listings)
Boise, Idaho January 6, 13, 20
Detroit, Michigan January 27, February 3, 10
Baton Rouge, Louisiana February 17, 24, March 24
Kansas City, Missouri March 31, April 7, 14
Anaheim, California April 21, 28, May 5
Richmond, Virginia May 12, 19, 26
Jacksonville, Florida Fall 2014
Knoxville, Tennessee Fall 2014

There are some great tid bits for all the classic film fans too. Check out the Antiques Roadshow Season 18 trailer for all the scoop.

Downton Abbey PBS January 5th

Downton Abbey returns to PBS for it's 4th season this Sunday, Jan. 5th. If you follow my twitter feed you know PBS was kind enough to send me an advance copy, so I have had the opportunity to see the entire season with the exception of the Christmas special. I can tell you this season is a humdinger! After several seasons some shows get a little tired but Downton has managed to come up with some truly surprising plot twists and I loved it and am dying to get my hands on the Christmas special, which has been promised some time in January. Though it won't air until late February. Sorry.

Will Lady Edith ever be lucky in love??

How will Lady Mary deal with widowhood?

I won't reveal any spoilers but as I mentioned on my podcast, Agents of Zeitgeist, before the holidays if you want to be up on some of the back story to the season you may want to bone up on the Teapot Dome Scandal of the early 1920s.

I've also heard that season 5 is already in the works, so rest assured we'll have plenty more adventures with the whole Downton gang. I still have my fingers crossed that they all have to move to America to live with Shirley Maclaine's character. It would be SO good.

Here's a sneak peak at some of the goings on this season. Spoiler free of course! But you do get a look at some of the new characters introduced this season.