New Releases for the week of December 23 - 29
The Words
Author Clayton Hammond reads an excerpt from his new book to an eager audience. He tells the story of Rory, an aspiring young author working in the mail room of a literary agency. When Rory’s girlfriend, Dora, gifts him with an antique suitcase, their lives are suddenly changed forever. Inside the suitcase is a manuscript, which Rory ultimately submits to a publisher, claiming it as his own work. The book is a huge hit, and Rory is showered with praise and accolades that he didn’t earn. As he struggles with the guilt and shame his actions have caused him, he finds the man who really wrote the manuscript. As Clayton Hammond describes how Rory’s life is beginning to fall apart, a beautiful journalist is digging into the truth of Hammond’s inspiration.
Directors: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal. Stars: Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes, John Hannah, J.K. Simmons. 2012. 37 min. Drama.
The Well Digger's Daughter
Pascal, a widowed well-digger, lives in the Provence countryside with his six daughters. As the Second World War begins, his eldest daughter, Patricia, returns home to help him with the other children. Pascal has big plans for Patricia, hoping to marry her to his loyal and loving assistant, but Patricia has other ideas. She's in love. When her beloved suddenly marches off to the front line, he leaves her pregnant and alone. Now Pascal must swallow his pride, pick up the pieces, and keep his family safe and together.
Director: Daniel Auteuil. Stars: Daniel Auteuil, Kad Merad, Sabine Azema, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Jean-Pierre Darroussin. 2011. 107 min. Drama.
Cinderella 3D
In this adaptation of the classic story, Cinderella is a tough cowgirl living in a town named after her mean old stepmother, Felicity. When Felicity throws a ball to celebrate the arrival of Prince Vladimir and his mother the Duchess, Cinderella sneaks in unrecognized, thanks to the help of a shaman named Little Cloud. Just as Cinderella and her prince begin to hit it off, the party is crashed by gorilla pirates who kidnap the prince's mother. Now Cinderella, Little Cloud and Prince Vladimir must set off on a quest to find and rescue the Duchess.
Director: Pascal Herold. Stars: Alexandra Lamy, Yolande Moreau, Isabelle Nanty, Antoine de Caunes. 2012. 81 min. Animated.
On their honors: Annual gala recognizes cultural contributions
The recipients of the 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors
To say that American culture is prevalent around the world wouldn't be an exaggeration. On practically every corner of the planet, one can find signs of American music, movies, books and celebrities.
Familiar ground: Upcoming 'CSI' tactics are tried and true
Ted Danson stars in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
FAMILIAR GROUND: CBS's "CSI" franchise is proving that even after 13 years, it can still keep things fresh with new guest stars and special crossover events.
Have a Seuss holiday: The Grinch and Horton entertain and delight this Christmas
Jim Carrey stars in “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
When Santa's come and gone, and the holiday feast is nothing but a mountain of leftovers, it's time to relax.
From coast to coast, millions will be turning on the television in search of some Christmas Day entertainment, and two major networks are banking on the magic of Dr. Seuss to keep TV audiences amused.
Recaps for the week of December 17 - 21
Hunter Tylo stars as Taylor in "The Bold and the Beautiful"
The Bold and the Beautiful
Rick's guilt gets the better of him when he sees how his scheming turned Hope's life upside down. He tells Brooke he intends to make things right with his sister, and Hope is shocked when she learns of the conspiracy to destroy her relationship with Liam. Later, Hope finds Liam to reveal what she's learned and to offer a sincere apology for putting all the blame on him. Meanwhile, the rivalry between Brooke and Taylor reignites as accusations are made and old grudges resurface. Katie confronts Brooke about her feelings for her husband and later becomes suspicious of Bill when he insults Caroline. Caroline warns Steffy against crossing a Spencer while dating one. Eric and Pam prepare for their first Christmas without Stephanie.
Days of Our Lives
When asked for advice regarding Brady and Kristen's secret romance, Hope tells Marlena it's only a matter of time before John finds out. Brady convinces Jennifer not to tell anyone after she sees him kissing Kristen, while Kristen suspects Hope knows what's going on. Jennifer is outraged when Lucas questions her respect for Jack's memory by getting involved with Daniel. Sami is impressed with EJ when he arranges for Johnny and Sydney to donate their overabundance of presents to charity. Meanwhile, Nick and Gabi have conversations with Eric, John and Marlena about their upcoming nuptials. Will and Sonny get over their fight and look forward to spending their first Christmas together. EJ and Chad run into Abe and Theo at Lexie's grave and they bond over their shared loss.
General Hospital
After Sabrina and Felix travel to New York City to enlist her help in resurrecting the Nurses' Ball, Lucy Coe returns to Port Charles and finds herself in a powerful position among the Quartermaines. Patrick sees Robin again and she tells him to move on with his life. After AJ mocks him for being so predictable, Sonny tells Carly he thinks AJ planned to make him look bad to Michael. Alexis is in for a shock when she reads Molly's manuscript, and Ellie gets jealous when she sees Spinelli and Maxie together. In order to keep their freedom, Todd and Connie are forced to work together. Later, Starr questions Todd about his involvement with Johnny. Todd and Carly enjoy a fun and spontaneous Christmas Eve together, while Maxie is rushed to the hospital.
The Young and the Restless
Victor blackmails Adam into helping him by vowing to bring Sharon down for the ranch fire if he doesn't. When Sharon asks Adam to stop helping her for the sake of his marriage, Adam reveals that Chelsea has asked him for a divorce. Tyler gives his pitch to the Jabot team and when he directs most of it at Lily, he explains her opinion carries more weight because she's the one using their products. Meanwhile, Jack's addiction to pain pills comes to light, but he is unable to quit taking them. After sharing a romantic anniversary, Michael and Lauren offer to let Jamie stay with them when he's faced with being sent to a group home. Nick buys a new nightclub called The Underground and looks forward to having Noah work with him. Katherine blames Jill and Tucker for her health problems when she collapses.
Prep and Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice, on ABC
When top-secret North Pole technology falls into the hands of a computer-hacking Naughty Kid, Wayne and Lanny are on the case in this sequel. The case forces Wayne to seek out the foremost Naughty Kid expert: his estranged brother, Noel.
Haven, on Syfy
All of the cases Audrey has been investigating seem to converge at the same place and time as the season comes to a close. Faced with some hard truths, she must make a difficult decision that could affect the very future of the town.
Q: We were watching "Home Alone 3" the other day (it's a Christmas tradition) and I thought I recognized the young girl who plays Molly. Who is she?
When she landed the supporting role in such a high-profile franchise, the virtually unknown young actress was likely thrilled. However, six years later, her leading role in "Lost in Translation" would make her a superstar, and Scarlett Johansson's humble beginnings would be all but forgotten.
Prior to appearing in "Home Alone 3," the future megastar played a role small enough to not even get a name -- she was "Little Girl" in the low-budget 1997 drama "Fall."
The X Factor, on Fox
The stakes are high as the talented performers left in the competition discover their fate in the season finale. Featuring judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears, the series offers the winner a $5 million recording contract.
Q: Could you tell me if and when the show "Merlin" will return to television? I really like that show but haven't seen it in a while.
Stay strong, you're almost there.
Season 5 of the cult-popular adventure series premieres in North America in the first week of January, specifically Jan. 4 on Syfy.
Why "North America"? Because technically it's already returned to television, just not here. The Brits are spoiled in that they've been watching the fifth season since the beginning of October. Fair enough, though, since it's the BBC network that produces the series and then just sells it afterward to the rest of the world.