Laughs for the week July 6-12, 2014
The Late, Late Show: Craig Ferguson
The Los Angeles Kings are up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup finals. Everyone in L.A. is pretending to like hockey now. They say things like: "Oh, this is so awesome. Hockey is the new kale!"
Donald Sterling is trying to back out of selling the Clippers. If that weren't enough, he's suing the NBA for $1 billion. I haven't seen a senile old man fight like this since the last "Expendables" movie.
New Releases for the week of July 6-12
Bad Words
Forty-year-old Guy Trilby (Bateman) is a middle school dropout who never had the chance to meet his biological father -- the man who left his mother upon learning of her pregnancy. When he discovers his father runs one of the largest spelling bees in America, he aims to seek revenge on the man he never knew. In order to do so, he attempts to win the Golden Quill spelling bee to ensure his father forever remembers his name.
Director: Jason Bateman. Stars: Jason Bateman, Rohan Chand, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Philip Baker Hall, Judith Hoag, Beth Grant. 2013. 89 min. Comedy.
Nymphomaniac Volumes I & II
On a cold night in winter, Seligman (Skarsgård), an aging bachelor, finds a woman badly beaten in an alley and takes her into his home to tend to her wounds. The woman, Joe (Gainsbourg/Martin), is a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac and has long struggled with an obsession with sex. As Seligman listens on, she tells him the story of her highly erotic life, recounted from adolescence through to young adulthood.
Director: Lars von Trier. Stars: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård, Shia LaBeouf, Stacy Martin, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Michael Pas, Connie Nielsen. 2014. 118 min. Drama.
Wings: Sky Force Heroes
An egotistical firefighter named Ace (Duhamel) is forced to resign and work in the coal mines after resisting his colonel’s (Skerritt) orders in an attempt to carry out a reckless solo mission -- an act that had tremendous consequences for himself and his team. But when a fire breaks out in the mines, Ace may still prove that he is destined to be a hero.
Directors: Tony Tang, Mychal Simka. Stars: Josh Duhamel, Rob Schneider, Tom Skerritt, Jesse McCartney, Hilary Duff, Dallas Lovato, Russell Peters. 2014. 84 min. Animation.
Kid Cannabis
This true story centers on Idaho dropout Nate Norman (Brown), whose world is forever altered after he builds a multimillion-dollar marijuana trafficking business that reaches across the border of Canada in order to earn a life he never knew existed.
Director: John Stockwell. Stars: Jonathan Daniel Brown, Kenny Wormald, Ron Perlman, John C. McGinley, Aaron Yoo, Corey Large, Bryce Hodgson, Lochlyn Munro. 2014. 110 min. Drama.
Out of this world: CBS shoots for the stars with sci-fi thriller 'Extant'
Halle Berry and Pierce Gagnon star in “Extant”
What defines us as humans? What is it that powers emotions and consciousness? Are there other beings out there in the universe that are cognizant? Are we alone in the universe?
Axe Cop, on Fox
Don't miss the new episodes featured in this late hour of animated fun on Fox. Comedic giants Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Zosia Mamet, Jake Johnson and many more lend their voices to these hilarious short cartoons.
Recaps for the week of June 30 - July 4
Scott Clifton stars in “The Bold and the Beautiful”
The Bold and the Beautiful
Oliver and Aly join Pam and Charlie for an evening of medieval festivities filled with fun, food and even jousting. Falling faster for Oliver after their magical night together, Aly writes a love letter to him. Meanwhile, Hope starts to wonder if Quinn had anything to do with Liam's accident and resulting injury, and later, she confronts her over it. Later, Wyatt reassures Hope that Quinn is manipulative, but she isn't dangerous. Meanwhile, Liam reacts with panic at every noise he hears during the night and awakens to a terrifying encounter with Quinn in his home. Wyatt begins to suspect his mother, and he confronts her about the serious allegations being made by Liam and Hope. Bill comes face to face with Deacon for the first time in many years.
Days of Our Lives
Nicole pulls out all the stops in an attempt to clear Eric's name. Kate is completely shocked when she learns of Clyde's connection to Jordan. Meanwhile, Jordan and Ben discuss have a conversation about the past and why they've been running all these years. Later, Clyde gets in touch with Kate about his plans for the future. Sami and EJ's wedding gets going, but Rafe learns some information that could throw a hitch into their big day. Chaos breaks out at the wedding, and EJ suspects that Stefano is to blame. Marlena and Roman rush to Sami's side to support their daughter. Meanwhile, Eve learns something new when she visits her sister and later makes Theresa angry when she flirts with Brady. JJ's graduation day is besmirched by Eve's lawsuit against Jennifer. Hope asks Aiden about his late wife. The residents of Salem gather together to celebrate Independence Day with a barbecue by the lake. Theresa shares a moment with Caroline, while Eve tries to get her hooks into Daniel.
General Hospital
Franco decides that he will tell Michael the truth about AJ. Rafe finds himself deep in trouble, and he soon makes a discovery about Nina. Later, Rafe and Molly are placed in jeopardy. Sam and Patrick find out the identity of the owner of the car involved in the accident. Later, Sam, Patrick and Silas pinpoint the person they believe caused the accident. Meanwhile, Nathan responds when he receives a call from Maxie and Levi's waterfront protest. Soon thereafter, Maxie and Levi wind up in a compromising position. Ava seeks out her mother, Delia, for help. Alice considers telling Michael when she catches Tracy red-handed at ELQ. Nina keeps up her deception with Silas, while Britt continues to try to woo Nikolas.
The Young and the Restless
Nikki becomes upset when Christine insists that she not reveal to Paul that Dylan is actually his son. Nikki wonders if she would have kept Dylan if she had known all along that Paul was his father. Meanwhile, Avery smacks Ian across the face when he arrives at the hospital asking what happened to his son. Summer tells Austin she loves him and will never leave him. Sharon invites Mariah to have dinner with her, Nick, Noah and Faith, but Nick warns Mariah not to get too close to his family. Devon shows up at Hilary and Neil's wedding party after having had a few drinks and later gets an offer from Abby to help him with his problems. Kevin reveals to Billy and Chelsea that he may have found something on Stitch.
Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular, on NBC
NBC teams up with Macy's to celebrate Independence Day with this 35th annual event. Ariana Grande, Miranda Lambert, Lionel Richie and more will perform and Nick Cannon will host as dazzling fireworks are ignited from the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Q: Every now and then I pick up a hint of an accent from Phil, the host of "The Amazing Race." What's his background?
Phil Keoghan claims to have visited more than 100 foreign countries in his life, and he counts the United States among them, since he was born in New Zealand.
He also did some of his growing up in Canada, Australia and the Caribbean, though, which he says is the reason for his tough-to-pin-down accent. It also served as pretty good training for a life on the road.
Rookie Blue, on ABC
A shooting in a tenement building uncovers the slaying of a gang leader in this new episode. Fearing the breakout of a gang war, 15-Division races to solve the murder and stop future bloodshed. Meanwhile, Andy (Missy Peregrym) and Duncan (Matthew Owen Murray) are put to the ultimate test.
Motive, on ABC
Homicide detectives Angie Flynn (Kristin Lehman) and Oscar Vega (Louis Ferreira) look into the case of a suspected suicide victim in this rebroadcast. As they conduct their investigation, they begin to suspect that the man had some help ending his life.
Q: Grace Gummer from HBO's "The Newsroom" looks a lot like Meryl Streep when she was younger. Are they related?
You have an eye for faces, because they are indeed quite closely related: Grace Gummer is Meryl Streep's daughter. (Her last name comes from her father, and Streep's longtime husband, sculptor Don Gummer.)
Acting seems to be a tradition in the family -- Grace's elder sister, Mamie, has a number of TV and film credits, including her own short-lived CW series, "Emily Owens, M.D." But despite the impeccable acting pedigree, Gummer said she wasn't pressured into joining the family business.