Stars Earn Stripes, on NBC
General Wesley Clark (ret.) and Samantha Harris co-host as eight celebrities tackle military-style challenges in "Stars Earn Stripes." Each competitor is paired with a member or former member of the armed forces or law enforcement who acts as a coach.
Q: My husband and I were watching "Spider-Man 3" the other night and a question came up about one of the actors. Who played the editor of the newspaper that Peter Parker worked for? Is he the same man who plays the chief in "The Closer" and also does an i
That is indeed J.K. Simmons in all three cases. And you could've picked a lot more.
He's rapidly emerged as a go-to character actor in Hollywood these days, since he appeared on the scene with his recurring role as Dr. Emil Skoda on the original "Law & Order" series in 1997. He'd only done bit parts before that, such as a nameless federal marshal in "The First Wives Club" (1996) and a coach in the 1994 baseball movie "The Scout."
Chuey's 'Meat': Host snags full-time TV gig with new meat-themed series
Chuey Martinez hosts "All You Can Meat"
Vegetarians hoping for their star turn on the TV food scene might be sorely disappointed this week.
On Sunday, Aug. 12, Travel rolls out the red carpet for its newest food-centered series titled “All You Can Meat” in back-to-back premiere episodes. And as the title implies, it promises to be a celebration of all things meat.
Hell on Wheels, on AMC
Anson Mount returns as Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier still struggling to leave his past behind. Set in post-Civil War America, the drama follows the construction of the country's first transcontinental railroad.
One sweet choice: 'Idol' shakes off losses with new superstar judge
Mariah Carey has signed on as a new “American Idol” judge
Late Laughs for the week of August 12 - 18, 2012
Conan: Conan O'Brien
Katie Holmes’ car was hit by a garbage truck. Cops are still looking for the driver of the truck who is described as Tom Cruise.
Yahoo’s new CEO Marissa Mayer is six months pregnant. Apparently, she was able to hide her pregnancy by only posting it on Yahoo.
New Releases for the week of Aug. 12 - 18
The Hunger Games
The post-apocalyptic American nation of Panem is divided into 12 districts, which are governed by a rich and opulent Capitol. Each year, representatives from the Capitol tour the districts to collect "tributes," children who will compete in a nationally televised fight-to-the-death known as The Hunger Games. When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen from the destitute District 12 volunteers to take her sister’s place in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, the fight is for her life and a win will enable her to provide for her family. While Katniss uses her well-honed hunting skills to make it through the game, the Capitol recognizes her potential and begins to stack the odds against her. It will take true grit and perseverence to get through the Games, but with a little help from the outside and fellow tributes such as Peeta Mellark, Katniss becomes the face of hope for all of the downtrodden citizens of Panam and begins a journey that will change the nation forever.
Director: Gary Ross. Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth. 2012. 142 min. Action/Adventure
Breathless
When a Texas woman reaches her boiling point with her husband’s criminal acts, she enlists her friend to plan a good old-fashioned Texas revenge. But when too much alcohol and the sheriff get involved, the situation deteriorates and the sheriff and the women find themselves thinking about not only revenge, but their very own survival.
Director: Jesse Baget. Stars: Val Kilmer, Ray Liotta, Gina Gershon. 2012. 91 minutes. Thriller
The Raid: Redemption
A Jakartan SWAT team is tasked with accomplishing the impossible: to infiltrate an untouchable criminal safe house that is feared by both criminals and the police. Controlled by crime lord Tama Riyadi, the safe house is a haven for Jakarta’s most dangerous killers and murderers. But when the operation goes sour, the SWAT team survivors find themselves at the mercy of the buildings’ notorious residents, who are all vying for the chance be granted free rent if they kill the intruders.
Director: Gareth Evans. Stars: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy. 2012. 101 min. Action.
August
Two former lovers reunite after years of separation in a seemingly harmless rendezvous. Troy tries to revive former passions with his former partner, but with a new lover in the picture, the affair quickly spirals into a love triangle.
Director: Eldar Rapaport. Stars: Murray Bartlett, Daniel Dugan, Adrian Gonzalez. 2012. 100 min. Drama.
Recaps for the week of Aug. 6 - 10
Bradford Anderson stars as Spinelli on "General Hospital"
The Bold and the Beautiful
Rick supports Hope's decision to move out on Liam and tells her she shouldn't bother giving him any more chances. Hope explains to Liam that the only way she feels she can stay in their marriage is to have another wedding to wash away the pain of what he did with Steffy in Italy. While Liam thinks about Hope's idea he spends a fun summer morning with Steffy and the chemistry between them resurfaces. Later, Katie lets Liam know she disapproves of him spending so much time with Steffy after what happened. Bill regrets having come around to accept Hope when he discovers she's moved out of Liam's house. Steffy tells Brooke that by moving out Hope will likely lose Liam. Hearing of this, Hope warns Steffy to stay out of it while she works on her marriage. Instead, Steffy takes time off work to deal with the love triangle she's in and once again issues Liam an ultimatum to choose between her and Hope once and for all. Dayzee and Marcus celebrate with close friends at the coffeehouse and reminisce about they journey they've taken to get to where they are.
General Hospital
Seasoned police officer John McBain suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Later, one of the women closest to him does something unexpected. Sam bares all to Kristina about her feelings for John and the sad state of her marriage to Jason. Meanwhile, Spinelli pressures Jason into working things out with Sam. Jason and Sam finally talk things out and reach a decision about their marriage. After hearing from Elizabeth about her interest in Ewen, Jason starts to worry about her. Alexis and Shawn can't get each other out of their minds after their night of strip pool. Lulu tries to have an important discussion with Dante. Todd reveals the full force of his dark side to Carly. Sonny's concerns about Trey continue to increase while Johnny tries to wrestle Trey's secret out of Starr. Johnny later receives an interesting offer from Joe Jr. Lulu gets sick, seemingly out of nowhere, and Olivia experiences some mysterious symptoms. It soon becomes apparent that someone is targeting the women of Port Charles.
The Young and the Restless
Phyllis tells Tim that she will simply not have sex with him in exchange for the incriminating tape, so he asks for more money instead. Not wanting to sleep with him but lacking the cash, Phyllis digs into Summer's trust to pay her way out of the mess. A drunk Sharon tells Tucker that Victor abandoned her on their wedding night and insists he's run off with Nikki. Later, Sharon barges in on Nikki, Jack, Billy and Nick while they are celebrating and demands to know where Victor is. Nikki tries to tell her that she doesn't know or care where he is, but Sharon keeps hurling insults, so Nikki pushes her into the pool to help sober her up. The next day, a hung over Sharon apologizes to Tucker and Nikki offers to help her find Victor. Eden freaks out under hypnosis but Christine pushes Dr. Hoffman to keep going regardless of Kyle's repeated protests. She continues to lose control while under the trance and expresses just how afraid of Ricky she is until Kyle puts a stop to it. Out from under, Eden worries if her recovered memories are enough to help Paul.
Please note: Days of Our Lives is pre-empted for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
NYC 22, on CBS
Terry Kinney stars as Daniel (Yoda) Dean, a veteran New York cop. The hard-nosed field-training officer shows the rookies the basics in an effort to keep the city streets safe.
Q: I just read an article about "Casablanca" and it talked a lot about Claude Rains as if I should know who he was outside of that movie, but I don't. Why else is he famous?
Claude Rains is a classic example of a character actor able to disappear so completely in a role that the film's fans can't imagine him as anything else.
It's likely that most people can only picture him as Capt. Renault, with whom Bogart's character was embarking on a "beautiful friendship" at the end of the legendary 1942 film "Casablanca."