Just ducky: Robertsons entertain millions in 'Duck Dynasty'
Jep Robertson stars in "Duck Dynasty"
From the Osbournes to the Kardashians, reality TV has churned out its fair share of famous families, but not all of them are created equal. While some make headlines for their outrageous spats or questionable fashion sense, another family has been staying humble in Louisiana.
Crime, times three: Three actors return for a third season of 'American Crime'
Richard Cabral as seen in "American Crime"
The $100,000 Pyramid, on ABC
Michael Strahan hosts as actor Steve Schirripa takes on comedian Melissa Peterman in this new episode. After their battle, actors Teri Polo and Zachary Levi play the legendary word play game, which features six increasingly difficult categories.
New Releases for the week of August 7 - 13
A Hologram for the King
The Great Recession has hit technology sales consultant Alan Clay (Hanks) hard. He's lost his home, his wife has left him and he's desperate to secure a large contract so that he can start getting his life back together. He flies to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, where he hopes to interest the government, which is laying the groundwork for a major new urban development, in the holographic teleconferencing system that he's selling, with the dream of pulling his once-successful life back together.
Director: Tom Tykwer. Stars: Tom Hanks, Alexander Black, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Sarita Choudhury. 2016. 98 min. Comedy.
Fathers & Daughters
After losing his wife in a car accident and getting seriously injured himself, Jake Davis (Crowe), an award-winning novelist, agrees to let his sister-in-law (Kruger) adopt his young daughter, Katie (Rogers). Years later, a grown-up Katie (Seyfried) is a psychology student working on her PhD, and struggles to make connections with the men in her life. When she meets Cameron (Paul), a fan of her father's work, she tries to drive him away despite her developing feelings for him, but their new relationship may be the catalyst she needs to right things with her father.
Director: Gabriele Muccino. Stars: Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Kylie Rogers, Aaron Paul, Diane Kruger, Bruce Greenwood. 2015. 116 min. Drama.
Addicted to Fresno
Shannon (Greer) is an addict. She's lost her job, checked herself into rehab and watched her life crumble around her. Luckily, her always-sunny sister, Martha (Lyonne), is a maid at a local hotel and manages to secure Shannon a new job. Everything starts to fall apart, though, when Shannon accidentally kills one of the hotel guests. She convinces Martha to help her ditch the body and cover up the accidental killing, but when the owners of a nearby pet cemetery catch the sisters in the act of disposing of the body, they blackmail them for money that they do not have. Shannon and Martha are forced to go on a crime spree to come up with the cash they need to keep the cemetery owners from talking.
Director: Jamie Babbit. Stars: Judy Greer, Natasha Lyonne, Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Ron Livingston. 2015. 85 min. Comedy.
Fan the flames: Roger Mooking explores cooking with fire
Roger Mooking stars in "Man Fire Food"
Fire. It fascinates us, it enraptures us and it defines us as humans. The scene of a group of cave men (and women!) smashing rocks or rubbing sticks together to get a few sparks is a classic in science fiction. Even the plot of this year's "The Jungle Book" was about how fire set the humans apart from the animals of the jungle.
Movie: My Summer Prince, on Hallmark Channel
After a prince's (Jack Turner) partying ways land him in hot water, the royal family hires a PR consultant (Lauren Holly) to do damage control in this premiere movie. When the consultant falls ill, her assistant (Taylor Cole) steps in.
Q: I loved the movie "Gorky Park." Did they ever make a sequel to it? I thought Renko was a great character.
No one made a sequel to the 1983 film version of "Gorky Park," but author Martin Cruz Smith wrote quite a few.
The film was based on the first in his series of novels featuring world-weary policeman Arkady Renko, set in communist Russia. Seven more books followed in the series, most recently 2013's "Tatiana."
Hit the road: Cameron Crowe brings his love of music to the small screen in 'Roadies'
Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino star in "Roadies"
They say you should write what you know, which is just what writer/director Cameron Crowe did when he penned the Oscar-winning screenplay for the 2000 film "Almost Famous." The semi-autobiographical drama draws from Crowe's time working as a journalist for Rolling Stone in his teens and has gained considerable acclaim.
Q: I heard that they are planning a "homecoming" of the series of "The Gilmore Girls." Is that true? If so, when will it air? Are most of the originals going to star in it?
It was confirmed this past winter that a revival of "The Gilmore Girls" would be produced for Netflix, which will be available later this year (no firm date has been set).
Q: I have enjoyed watching "Bates Motel," and thought it was an excellent prequel. However, the last two episodes of this past season seemed like a series finale rather than a season finale. It feels like we have seen all that we need to see for this preq
It's rare to get a viewer writing in to ask that a favorite show be taken off the air, but I see your point.
For those yet to check in to this series, "Bates Motel" has, for its four seasons on A&E, explored the events that occurred in the life of fictional killer Norman Bates prior to his appearance in the classic 1960 horror film "Psycho." But in its upcoming fifth season, the timelines will cross. As you suspect, the prequel element is more or less done.