White House wonder woman: Téa Leoni shines in 'Madam Secretary'
Téa Leoni stars in “Madam Secretary”
Alicia Florrick, Olivia Pope, Carrie Mathison -- prime time has become a popular place for strong female characters.
Parenthood, on NBC
Kristina (Monica Potter) and Adam (Peter Krause) are surprised at how much Max’s (Max Burkholder) new friend means to him in a new episode. Also, Sarah (Lauren Graham) tries to understand how important Sandy (Betsy Brandt) is to Ruby (Courtney Grosbeck).
Q: I remember an episode of "The Twilight Zone" or another show like that. A woman (Shelley Winters, maybe?) had killed her husband with a frozen leg of lamb. When the police showed up, she had cooked the meat, and she asked the officers to sit and eat di
Wrong show and wrong actress, but you've got the plot details spot-on.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" was an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (which is the other anthology show people think of after "The Twilight Zone") that aired April 13, 1958. It starred Barbara Bel Geddes, not Shelley Winters -- Geddes is best remembered now as Ewing family matriarch Ellie on "Dallas."
Stalker, on CBS
Lt. Beth Davis (Maggie Q) protects victims from voyeurism, cyber harassment, romantic fixation and more as she and her partner Det. Jack Larsen (Dylan McDermott) work in the Threat Assessment Unit of the LAPD. Larsen’s past behavior provides valuable insight in his new job.
About a Boy, on NBC
Will (David Walton) must decide whether to stay in New York to be with his new love, or return to San Francisco to be closer to Fiona (Minnie Driver) and Marcus (Benjamin Stockham). This series is based on the best-selling Nick Hornby novel.
Jane the Virgin, on The CW
When a devoutly religious woman (Gina Rodriguez) is accidentally artificially inseminated at a doctor's office, she faces some difficult choices. As Jane faces her new reality, her mother Xo (Andrea Navedo) struggles with her own life-altering decision.
Q: In the early 1980s, Andy Griffith had a series that didn't last long, and I can't remember the name of it. The plot was that he had built a space ship out of a cement mixer. I thought it was a good family program.
The show you're looking for was called "Salvage 1," and as a small and sad point of fact, it actually didn't make it to the '80s.
The show premiered with a two-hour pilot in January 1979. It aired a full 13-episode season that ended in May, then returned the following fall. However, its second season was only given two episodes (a two-parter, in fact) before being canceled. Four more episodes were produced but never aired.
New season, New England: 'Top Chef' is heading to Boston
Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio star in “Top Chef”
New Releases for the week of October 12 - 18
X-Men: Days of Future Past
In an alternate future, the war against humans and mutants has reached a desperate point. Surviving mutants have been segregated into concentration camps, enormous and lethal Sentinel robots patrol the country, and the majority of the X-Men have been killed. In a last-ditch attempt to change history, the X-Men send Wolverine (Jackman) back in time to track down the team's younger selves in order to prevent a key event from happening. A battle ensues that spans two time periods and will ultimately determine the fate of humans and mutants alike.
Director: Bryan Singer. Stars: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Omar Sy, Anna Paquin. 2014. 131 min. Action.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
The "Rocky and Bullwinkle" time-traveling team is hitting the big screen. Mr. Peabody (Burrell) is an inventor, scientist and the smartest "person" in the world, though he’s actually a talking dog. When his adopted boy Sherman (Charles) takes the WABAC time machine for a ride to impress his friend Penny (Winter), they accidentally tear a hole in the universe, disastrously altering history. Mr. Peabody must come to their rescue before the future is rewritten forever.
Director: Rob Minkoff. Stars: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Patrick Warburton, Allison Janney. 2014. 92 min. Animation.
Throwdown
While battling a bad drinking habit, a young criminal defense attorney (Woodward Jr.) finds himself bound to a homicide case involving the mob that is much more intricate than it appears. In order to salvage the life of his client, as well as his own, he soon realizes that he must take drastic measures that go against the law.
Director: Timothy Woodward Jr. Stars: Timothy Woodward Jr., Vinnie Jones, Mischa Barton, Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Matt Cinquanta. 2014. 90 min. Action.
Mystery Road
After the body of a teenage girl is discovered, cowboy detective Jay Swan (Pedersen) returns to his hometown in the Australian outback in order to uncover secrets and solve the murder.
Director: Ivan Sen. Stars: Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Kwanten, Jack Thompson, Tony Barry, Tasma Walton, Robert Mammone. 2013. 121 min. Mystery.
Cat's out of the bag: Internet's feline sensation heads to the TV screen
Aubrey Plaza voices Grumpy Cat in “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever”
Cat's out of the bag: Sometimes grumpy people are great for a laugh. Granted, the grumpy folks probably aren't the ones laughing, but as film classics like "Grumpy Old Men" (1993) show, other people's surliness sure can be a rib tickler.