The story
“Girls”
CELEBRITY
SPOTLIGHTS
Mallory Jansen
Will Estes
Ivana Milicevic
Zach Grenier
Vanilla Ice
WHAT'S FOR
DINNER
Tim Love
Featured
Stories
“Whitney”
The 72nd Annual Golden
Globe Awards
Profiled
COACH
Michael Krzyzewski
The ‘Girls’
return
Allison Williams stars in the fourthseason premiere of “Girls” Sunday
on HBO.
JAY Bobbin's
movies to
watch
And so much more!
Connect to these shows within
this magazine!
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
S
STORY
Editor's choice
Lena Dunham
resumes her ‘Girls’ life
By Jay Bobbin
For all the highs and lows her series character Hannah goes
through, Lena Dunham still enjoys being one of the “Girls.”
Small wonder, since she’s a frequent writer and director of
the Emmy-winning HBO show as well as one of its stars and
executive producers. The seriocomic saga begins its fourth
season Sunday, Jan. 11, as Hannah steels herself to leave New
York for a writing workshop in Iowa ... prompting emotional
encounters with sullen boyfriend Adam (Adam Driver) and
soulmates Marnie, Shoshanna and Jessa (Allison Williams,
Zosia Mamet, Jemima Kirke), all of whom are going through
their own trials as usual.
Making Season 4 was “really fun,” reports Dunham, a Golden
Globe Award winner now nominated again along with the show.
“Although we didn’t go to real, live Iowa, it was pretty thrilling.
Afterward, I went on my book tour (for ‘Not That Kind of Girl:
A Young Woman Tells You What She’s ‘Learned’) and thought,
‘We didn’t do such a bad job.’ ”
Dunham and “Girls” have become icons, and often polarizing
ones, of certain mindsets and lifestyles. She maintains that
starting the show anew typically “seems impossible: ‘How
are we going to write this again? How are we going to shoot
this again?’ I‘m always excited to hear people’s perspectives,
because this isn’t your typical sitcom. So much new stuff is
happening every season, I just love getting impressions of it.”
Still, Dunham allows the first episode of each season “has
always been the hardest. We’re coming back in and we want to
re-set everyone, so this year, we decided to make an episode
Page 2 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
where people were really all together in one spot. It all centers
around this big event of Hannah leaving, and getting everybody
into one room was a real pleasure.”
That includes Williams, who displays her singing talents again
on “Girls” after her recent starring role in NBC’s “Peter Pan
Live!” Her Marnie has a wordless, very telling moment with
Hannah early in the new season, and Dunham believes “it’s
important for us to remind people that despite everything
Hannah and Marnie have been through, they still love each
other and are still best friends. Little moments like that help
keep that alive.”
Wearing so many creative hats on “Girls,” Dunham
acknowledges that balancing them can be tricky. “Sometimes,
we’ve written something I really like, but it’s not something
I personally could do. The actor gets a little bit caught by the
writer, and I suddenly can’t perform the thing we’ve written, so
it has to be revised or shifted in some way – but I have amazing
support around me. (Fellow executive producer and writer)
Jenni Konner is on the set all the time, so I don’t have to be
monitoring myself as closely. I know I have people I can trust.”
Lena Dunham
stars in the
fourth-season
premiere
of “Girls”
Sunday on
HBO.
In the first new scene of “Girls,” Hannah’s father (guest star
Peter Scolari) opines that she’s “slow to grow.” While she
notes “that’s the most offensive thing he could say in the least
offensive voice,” Dunham reflects, “Here’s what I’ll say about
Hannah: She may not always be the best friend, but at least
she’s around. And you can’t accuse her of not trying.”
Click here for more on this hit show!
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 3
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CELEBRITY
CELEBRITY
George Dickie's Q&A
MalloryJansen
of ‘Galavant’ on ABC
How do you keep a straight face saying some
of the things you have to say on “Galavant”?
(Laughs) That’s a very good question. Not very
well, half the time. It’s really hard, particularly,
with some of my scenes with Vinnie Jones and
Timothy Omundson. Sometimes we are just in
hysterics laughing, and it’s almost – we call it
corpsing, where you ... don’t want to laugh but
you just can’t stop yourself. And so we did have
those moments sometimes where you just can’t
get through a take but you eventually get there.
The script is so hilarious that (it’s) inevitable.
The relationship between Madalena and
Galavant is what you would describe as your
pure love, correct?
Yes, he was my pure love at the very beginning.
But then she kind of grows up a little and she
sees, OK, what he really was, and I think she
knows he was just a bit of a toy boy and just
a fling. And you know, Madalena is a little bit
of a nymphomaniac. ... So any opportunities I
think that Galavant would present himself in the
future, she would still be up for it. But nothing
in terms of a relationship.
One of the scenes indicates she’s clearly
repulsed by the man she married, King
Richard.
(Laughs) They have a very interesting
relationship and it’s hilarious. I think they do
like each other but they definitely don’t love
each other. She gets frustrated by him and she
can’t stand him, and then she really just knows
that he has to be around. But she just doesn’t
want him in the picture.
Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
Will Este s
of ‘Blue Bloods’ on CBS
With “Blue Bloods” having just reached its
100th episode, how do you assess the series’
ratings success and staying power?
We have elements of a procedural, but I think
that at our best, we’re a combination of that and
character-driven drama. There aren’t a lot of
scripted one-hour dramas about heroes now that
are doing this well, so I think we’re a little bit
unique in that way.
Did you know from the start that the weekly
Reagan family-dinner scene would be such a
major part of the series?
I don’t think that initially, I realized what a
centerpiece it is for the show and the drama
of how their work affects their lives and their
lives affect their work. A lot of times, it’s the
only time we’ll be in the episode with another
Reagan, so it definitely binds the show together
in a way that a lot of the other scenes aren’t
capable of doing.
How would you define the relationship of
Jamie and his patrol partner Eddie Janko
(Vanessa Ray)?
They’re great friends and great work partners,
and they genuinely care about each other
and would go out on a limb for each other.
That’s independent of anything else, so it’s an
interesting relationship in that way. If people are
wondering where it may or may not go, that’s a
good thing.
I don’t do any social-media stuff – I probably
should – but I saw something on someone else’s
phone once where they called us “Jamko.” I
don’t know if that means something good or
something bad at this point.
Click here for more!
folio
Page 4 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
C
Click here for more
“Blue Bloods”
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 5
C
FOOD
Celebrity
John Crook's Q&A
F
George Dickie's What's for Dinner
TimLove
IvanaMilicevic
of ‘Banshee’ on Cinemax
Attitude is everything for Love on CNBC’s ‘Restaurant Startup’
Anyone can cook a great steak or roasted
chicken, but it’s the people who have thought
things through and have a business plan that
works who ultimately get the backing of
investors Tim Love and Joe Bastianich on
CNBC’s “Restaurant Startup.”
What do you love most about this job?
Well, I love that there’s a wonderful physical
aspect to Carrie, on top of all the emotional
depths. But also, I love that we have a very
tight-knit girl group on “Banshee.” There are a
lot of pretty girls, but there’s no cattiness at all.
There’s no time for prima donnas on our show.
You have to bond so you can bring life to this
world.
And for Love, who with Bastianich begins
Season 2 of the unscripted series on Tuesday,
Jan. 13, there is a certain intangible.
“There’s certainly an attitude in the
pitch, for me, that I look for – a humbled
confidence, I guess, is the best way to put it,”
says Love, a 43-year-old Texan who is owner
and executive chef of several Fort Wortharea eateries. “You can tell when somebody
knows what they’re doing and at the same
time doesn’t want to sit there and show off
but they’re going to show enough of it and
say, ‘Hey look, you need to pick me because
I’m really going to show you the reason why
you want to give me some money.’
“Banshee” defies pigeonholing. How do you
describe it?
The first year even we actors were a little
confused about what exactly this show was. It
was (as if) Quentin Tarantino’s son had tried his
hand at a TV show. It was tongue-in-cheek and
we were winking at the camera. We knew we
were being ridiculous, and it was like we were
telling the audience, “I know this is silly, but
come on, go on this ride with us.” If you start
going, “Well, that could never happen,” you’re
critiquing us for being a show that we’re not.
We are definitely not being a straight drama.
Have we ever found out what Lucas Hood’s
real name is?
No. Job and Carrie are the only two people
who would know that and, within the world
of the show, we would never blow his cover.
In the real world, the writers want to keep
that mystery going. I think they’re going to do
something with that, I just don’t know when.
Click here for more!
“And it’s a very fine line and I think it’s a
very personal thing,” Love continues. “I
mean, Joe sees that in some people and I
don’t and vice versa, and you’ll see that on
the show because it gets really difficult that
we actually have to agree on at the top of
the show, which always makes it interesting.
It also makes us vet each other out on what
we’re thinking. It’s great for Joe and I just as
much for the people on the show.”
This season, more teams of would-be
restaurateurs pitch their ideas to Love and
Bastianich, with one getting the keys to a
working restaurant on Melrose Ave. in Los
Angeles, where they get 36 hours and $7,500
to get things up and running. This trial by
fire is often these folks’ introduction to
running an eatery.
“The thing about the restaurant business
is this,” Love says, “It is a business that is
a marriage of commerce and art. And when
you marry commerce and art, it’s probably
one of the hardest marriages there is and
therefore experience is the one that can do
that the best. So that is what really you start
seeing come across on the show, I think. That
is a very important statement, in my opinion.
The art of marrying art and commerce itself
is probably the hardest thing, and once you
figure out how to do that the right way,
that’s when you start seeing success in the
restaurant business.”
What book are you currently reading?
“ ‘Downtown Italian’ by Jerry Campanale, Gabe Thompson and Katherine Thompson.”
What did you have for dinner last night?
“Last night, I had chicken enchiladas with some fresh guacamole that I made for me and
my kids.”
What is your next project?
“I’m opening up a restaurant in Austin, Texas.”
Click here for more of
‘Banshee’
Page 6 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
When was the last vacation you took, where and why?
“The last vacation I took was in London for Thanksgiving. I took my family over there to
celebrate Thanksgiving and obviously take in all the sights.”
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 7
C
CELEBRITY
CELEBRITY
Celebrities profiled
John Crook’s Celebrity ScooP
Va n i l laIc e
ZachGrenier
Pop icon and knock-out home renovator Vanilla Ice ditches his high tech power tools and moves to Amish country to
learn the lost art of hand craftsmanship.
Two legal firms now are jockeying for focus on CBS’ Emmy-winning
Sunday drama “The Good Wife,” and inevitably, some favorite characters
– chief among them, mercurial divorce attorney David Lee (Zach Grenier)
– have been in temporary exile for much of the current season so far.
Thanks to some new developments in the Jan. 11 episode, however,
there’s a good chance we’re going to see more of the scene-stealing Lee in
weeks to come.
•Go inside the largest Amish settlement
in the U.S. as a group of young men and
women help him tackle construction
projects ranging from kitchen additions
to traditional barn raisings – all without
nails and screws.
“Yeah, I think you might see him more frequently,” Grenier says. “In
episode 6, I think, Michael J. Fox and I were evicted from the offices and
I have been sent to Elba, so to speak. But I am very, very pleased with
the way they are having me come back. It plays into his strengths. We’re
shooting it right now, and we’re having a lot of fun on the set.”
•He’ll earn his keep working on the
farm as he learns to embrace the simpler
life and become fully immersed in the
unique culture that has been isolated from
the rest of the world.
The actor says his character has evolved as executive producers Robert
and Michelle King watched him in the role, but at heart, David Lee is just
the soul of practicality.
•Pop icon Vanilla Ice sold 11 million
copies of his debut album, “To the
Extreme,” which featured the hit “Ice, Ice
Baby.”
“He has his share of greed and ego and is just not afraid to tell it like it
is,” Grenier says. “I think one of the reasons he has that kind of bravery
is that he’s just a very complete person. I adore him. He’s wonderfully
outrageous and if someone’s got a fly on their nose, David Lee is going to
tell them it’s there.”
Click here for more!
Although Grenier is the son of an electrical engineer, his paternal
grandfather wrote and directed a Broadway play in the early 1900s and
his grandmother was a coloratura soprano. All of his paternal uncles
worked in the technical side of television. He credits a high-school
English teacher with giving him the acting bug back when he was in the
eighth grade.
Born: Feb. 12, 1954, in Englewood, N.J.
Education: Degree in Fine Arts from Boston
University
Honors: 2009 Tony Award nomination for
playing Beethoven in “33 Variations”; 2013
Lucille Lortel Award for “Storefront Church” by
John Patrick Shanley (“Doubt”)
Got Milch?: “Deadwood” writer-producer
David Milch hired Grenier to play a dying man
who brought the plague to the frontier town,
but kept him alive as a recurring character after
•Although he’s best known for his
‘90s music, Rob VanWinkle is also a
successful real-estate entrepreneur and
a remodeling expert with more than 15
years of hands-on home improvement
experience.
•He began in his late teens with a series
of smart property purchases, including
his first remodeling project, his very
own 15,000-square-foot mansion on Star
Island in Miami Beach, and continued
over the years.
•For two decades, he’s been flipping
houses – basically buying at low cost,
fixing up the property and selling for a
worthwhile profit.
•On DIY Network’s series “The Vanilla
Ice Project,” Rob and his crew of talented
contractors get down to business and
renovate every room of a 7,000-squarefoot Palm Beach mansion.
Celebs’ favorite shows
watching his work. Grenier, who earlier worked
with Milch on “NYPD Blue,” reveres him as “a
true genius and visionary.”
Other TV series roles: Include “24,”
“Touching Evil” and the shortlived “C-16: FBI”
Click here for more
on Zach!
Page 8 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
C
Joshua Sasse of “Galavant” on ABC
“I’m a huge ‘The Newsroom’ fan at the moment,
and I’m watching a couple of interesting Amazon
shows. And I don’t know if you know a show
called ‘Peaky Blinders,’ which is a British show.
I enjoy content for its worth. I’m not big on
vegging out in front of the television. I can’t bear
watching something that the content isn’t worthy
of my attention.”
Lindsay Czarniak of “SportsCenter” on ESPN
“Right now, the show ‘Nashville’ and
‘Homeland’ and ‘Mad Men.’ And definitely some
MSNBC is on there because my husband does
a lot of work for them. And ESPN, my show,
‘SportsCenter.’ And there is right now ‘Peter Pan
Live!’ and ‘CMA Country Christmas.’ I could go
on and on. So mostly stuff like that.”
Marcus Samuelsson of “The Taste” on NBC
“I’m very nerdy. Like I like English soccer, and
then I like to watch really good food docs that
teach me something about tomato growers. ...
I’m very nerdy. I like food and I like soccer and I
like art.”
Josh Gates of “Expedition Unknown” on Travel
Channel
“I’m a big AMC guy these days, so up until
recently I had a lot of ‘Breaking Bad’ on
there, and it has ‘Mad Men’ on there when it’s
showing, and it has ‘Walking Dead.’ My wife
is a big ‘Parenthood’ fan and I’ve become a big
‘Parenthood’ fan because of that, so we DVR
that every week. I DVR, of course ... all different
stuff from the Travel Channel.”
Lindsay
Czarniak
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 9
S
STORY
Title star Yaya
DaCosta (left)
is guided
by debuting
director Angela
Bassett in the
new movie
“Whitney”
Saturday
on Lifetime.
Yaya DaCosta stars as
Whitney Houston in the new
movie “Whitney” Saturday
on Lifetime.
By Jay Bobbin
Not only did Angela Bassett know Whitney Houston, she
knows what it’s like to play a music icon.
Houston’s family and Brown did not assist with the production
of “Whitney” – quite the opposite, in the cases of some
relatives who have denounced the project – but Bassett was
touched that Vance considered her “the perfect person” to be
the TV movie’s director, as were “a lot of people who were
(Houston’s) friends and acquaintances,” she says. “That went a
long way toward being the wind beneath my wings and giving
me confidence.”
Those two factors work in the “American Horror Story” costar’s favor as she makes her directing debut with the Lifetime
movie “Whitney” Saturday, Jan. 17. The teleplay focuses
largely on the passionate, sometimes stormy relationship the
late Houston (played by Yaya DaCosta, of “The Kids Are All
Right,” with singing vocals by Bassett friend Deborah Cox)
had with fellow husband-to-be Bobby Brown (Arlen Escarpeta, Given the performance sequences, the elaborate wedding scene
“American Dreams”), framed by Houston’s career trajectory as and the more intimate moments “Whitney” spans, Bassett had
her work cut out for her. She said she had “no idea whatsoever”
a star of records and movies.
the movie would be her first calling-the-shots venture before
executive producer Larry Sanitsky, a friend for whom she
One of those films, 1995’s “Waiting to Exhale,” acquainted
Bassett with co-worker Houston. “I had such regard for her and starred in 2013’s “Betty & Coretta,” told her he was planning a
such respect, love and adoration, from the first time I met her,” Houston film.
Bassett says. “I always thought that if I ever got to direct, that’s
“I suppose two years later (after Houston’s 2012 death), it
the way I should feel about the story. It takes staying up all
wasn’t as offensive to me,” Bassett reflects, adding that she
night and never tiring. I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to age me,
this entire process,’ but it gave me more energy and enthusiasm already believed such a film “was a foregone conclusion. I
thought, ‘This woman meant so much to the world – and, in
than I could have imagined.”
particular, to the African American community – maybe a
Bassett’s husband, Courtney B. Vance, acted opposite Houston black director would have more sensitivity to her.”’
in 1996’s “The Preacher’s Wife.” Bassett embodied a music
legend herself in her Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning Bassett suggested others including Ava DuVernay (“Selma”)
for the job, though she admits she had “a wistful longing”
portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 film “What’s Love Got
to Do With It.” That gave her a feel for working with DaCosta that she could do it. Now that she has, she says of Houston,
to capture Houston’s essence: “I couldn’t have done it without “I worked with her, I love her and as a ‘celebrity,’ I think have
her, absolutely not. She was the first choice, that vision I had in a little bit of insight. I don’t have the popularity she had, of
course, but I get some love.”
my mind.”
Page 10 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 11
S
STORY
George
Clooney
gets more Golden Globes love
By Jay Bobbin
Before there were “ER” and “Gravity” for George Clooney, there were “Baby Talk” and “Return of the Killer Tomatoes!”
Every performer’s work has to start somewhere, even one who eventually gets the career-honoring Cecil B. DeMille
Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Clooney becomes the latest recipient when Tina Fey and Amy
Poehler return to host The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards as NBC televises the annual event Sunday, Jan. 11, from
Beverly Hills’ (Calif.) Beverly Hilton Hotel.
A winner of three competitive Golden Globes – for the movies “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Syriana” (which also
brought him an Oscar) and “The Descendants” – Clooney follows such other DeMille honorees of recent years as Woody
Allen, Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Named for the legendary filmmaker behind such epics as “The Ten Commandments” and “The Greatest Show on Earth,”
the award salutes the efforts both on and off the screen of the person it’s given to. The ever-charismatic Clooney clearly
has a track record to support that.
The son of former newscaster and AMC host Nick Clooney, and nephew of the late singer (and “White Christmas” costar) Rosemary Clooney, started out on an Elliott Gould-starring CBS sitcom that happened to bear the name “E/R.” After
that came stints on “The Facts of Life” (visible again in a new DVD set) and “Roseanne,” and guest shots on such shows
as “Murder, She Wrote” and “The Golden Girls.”
Two series runs as police detectives – on “Bodies of Evidence” and, more notably, “Sisters” – built Clooney’s television
appeal to the point where he was hired as skilled but roguish Dr. Doug Ross on NBC’s “ER,” the credit that cemented his
stardom. His movie work during his run on that show, including the critically acclaimed “Out of Sight,” gave him a base
to move almost totally into films with “The Perfect Storm” and “Ocean’s Eleven” among other titles.
As he’s continued his acting, as well as producing (“Argo”) and directing (“Good Night, and Good Luck.”), Clooney has
gained additional renown as a true citizen of the world. He has undertaken such social causes as global peacekeeping and
humanitarian relief, encompassing his efforts on behalf of the United Nations.
Another aspect of Clooney’s presence at this year’s Golden Globes is the first substantial spotlight it’s likely to place on
someone else ... his new wife. It’s hard to think that lawyer Amal Alamuddin, recently named by Barbara Walters as the
“Most Fascinating Person” of 2014, won’t be at Clooney’s side on such a big night for him. She’s generally been seen
only in photos or at a distance since becoming Mrs. Clooney, but the Golden Globes should change that.
Married or not, George Clooney has been watched by the world for a long time, and that’s destined to continue with the
latest accolade he’s adding to his many others.
Page 12 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler host The 72nd
Annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday on NBC.
Click here for more
on this!
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
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S
SPORTS
1
K
By Dan Ladd
When the Duke Blue Devils opened the 2014-15 men’s NCAA basketball season, Coach Mike
Krzyzewski had 983 wins under his belt. Seeing as they began this season with a winning streak, win
No. 1,000 could come as soon as this week. Should the Blue Devils remain undefeated, the earliest that
could happen would be Saturday, Jan. 17, when Duke visits Louisville in a game televised on ESPN.
Winning 1,000 games will just be another feather in the cap of one of the most iconic coaches in all of
sports. Krzyzewski, or Coach K as he is known, has lived a basketball life. At Army he played under
Bob Knight from 1966-69 and would later serve as an assistant for Knight at Indiana after fulfilling
his active duty requirement. By 1975 he was back at West Point as head coach of the Cadets, where he
remained until Duke came calling in 1980. The rest, as they say, is history.
Krzyzewski won the first of his four national titles in 1991 and has turned Duke into one of the
premiere basketball programs in the country. In his spare time he’s managed to lead the U.S.
Olympic team to two gold medals as well a pair of gold and bronze medals each at the FIBA World
Championships. Whether the milestone win comes this week or in the very near future, it will just be
another notch in his gun as he’ll be focused on the big prize, which is a fifth NCAA title.
Full Name:
Michael William Krzyzewski
Born:
Feb. 13, 1947 (age 67)
Hometown:
Chicago
College:
U.S. Military Academy at
West Point
NCAA Head Coaching
Career:
Army (1975-80); Duke
(1981-present)
Page 14 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
Honors and
Achievements:
4 NCAA championships,
(1991, 1992, 2001, 2010);
11 Final Fours (regional
championships); 13 ACC
Tournament championships;
12 ACC regular season
championships, NCAA Coach
of the Year (1989, 1992, 1999);
Olympic gold medals in 2008
(Beijing) and 2012 (London)
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 15
M
MOVIES
MOVIES
JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
review
“Top Five”
Chris Rock is on ‘Top’
with his latest writerdirector-star turn
It’s hard not to admire someone who hangs in there and keeps trying
until he gets it right.
Chris Rock now can be added to that list. His candid, bigger-than-life
personality always has been a dicey proposition for movies ... not only
those that others have cast him in (such as “Lethal Weapon 4”), but
even those he’s written and directed himself (“Head of State”).
JAY BOBBIN's movie review
movies to watch
DVD
Played previously by Jeff Bridges in “8 Million Ways to Die,”
novelist Lawrence Block’s cop-turned-detective character Matt
Scudder is assumed by Liam Neeson, who effectively stays
in “Taken” mode in this expectedly grim melodrama. The
personally troubled New York sleuth is recruited to help a drug
dealer (Dan Stevens, “Downton Abbey”) by finding the killers
of the pusher’s wife. Directed by screenwriter Scott Frank
(“Get Shorty”), the film also features David Harbour (“State of
Affairs”), Adam David Thompson, Sebastian Roche and Mark
Consuelos. DVD extra: “making-of” documentary. ››› (R:
AS, N, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
Liam
Neeson
upcoming DVD releases
Coming Soon on DVD...
He trades on that to make a project close to his heart, a drama about
the Haitian revolution – and critics do not respond well to it, making
him wary about having agreed to spend its opening day in the
company of a reporter (a charming Rosario Dawson).
The encounter turns into an extensive trip into the past and present of
Rock’s alter ego, and some of the flashbacks are quite raunchy. At the
same time, there’s a gentility to other segments; when you take both ends of the spectrum together, it’s dazzling that Rock has
the confidence to attempt them in one project to such great effect overall.
Hollywood gets satirized big-time along the way, with celebrity reality shows and the pressure of mass popularity among the
subjects touched upon. Cameos by such familiar faces as Adam Sandler and Whoopi Goldberg add to the sense of reality that
Rock generates in “Top Five,” and he uses his famous friends to fine effect.
Page 16 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
Top Pick
“A WALK AMONG
THE TOMBSTONES”
In “Top Five,” he actually addresses that dilemma, just one of
the elements that makes it such a smart movie while also being
enormously entertaining. Mirroring his own experience, Rock plays a
stand-up comedian turned film star, but the vehicle that’s brought him
success is the “Hammy the Bear” franchise. Yes, he portrays the bear.
When you’ve had only a lukewarm screen career, it can be easy to give up ... but Chris Rock never has given the impression
of being a quitter. If anything, he only comes roaring back stronger, and “Top Five” is excellent proof. Truth be told, with pun
intended, it’s Rock-solid.
M
Annabelle
Wallis
“ANNABELLE” (Jan. 20): The spirit within a vintage doll makes things
tough for the cultists who invade its new owners’ (Annabelle Wallis, John
Gordon) home. (R: AS, P, V)
“THE BOXTROLLS” (Jan. 20): An orphan tries to protect the trash
collectors who raised him from an exterminator in this animated fantasy;
Ben Kingsley and Tracy Morgan are in the voice cast. (PG: AS)
“LUCY” (Jan. 20): A innocent (Scarlett Johansson) is transformed into a
furious warrior by an untested drug in writer-director Luc Besson’s sci-fiadventure; Morgan Freeman also stars. (R: AS, P, V)
“THE JUDGE” (Jan. 27): An attorney (Robert Downey Jr.) represents
his estranged father (Robert Duvall), the title judge, against a murder
charge. (R: AS, P)
“DRACULA UNTOLD” (Feb. 3): The roots of the vampire (Luke
Evans) are traced as he tries to protect his family and kingdom. (PG-13:
AS, P, V)
“ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD,
VERY BAD DAY” (Feb. 10): As he turns 12, Alexander makes a wish
that causes trouble (Ed Oxenbould) for his whole family; Steve Carell and
Jennifer Garner also star. (PG: AS, P)
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 17
S
FAVORITE SHOWS
FAVORITE SHOWS
(Keegan Allen) is torn between divided
loyalties to his position at the Rosewood
Police Department and his relationship with
Spencer (Troian Bellisario) when a surprising
bit of evidence turns up. Elsewhere, Emily
and Aria (Shay Mitchell, Lucy Hale) struggle
with situations that are out of their hands but
may have a profound effect on their futures.
New
WEDNESDAY
9:30 p.m. on A&E
Duck Dynasty
In a new episode called “Mo Math, Mo
Problems,” Will enlists the guys to help Sadie
with her math homework by creating a reallife version of a math problem. Predictably,
though, the experiment soon devolves into
settling an old argument over whether Jase
could outrun a truck by taking the scenario to
the streets. Meanwhile, Si tries to help Kay
overcome her compulsive hoarding.
“The Celebrity
Apprentice”
Melissa
Fumero
stars in
“Brooklyn
Nine-Nine”
Lucy Hale stars in
“Pretty Little Liars”
SUNDAY
8:30 p.m. on FOX
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Jake (Andy Samberg) may have to cash out,
big-time, in the new episode “Payback.” His
colleagues unite to retrieve the money he’s
long owed them — and while he might be
able to accommodate one or even two of them,
compensating them all at once is a tall order.
Amy (Melissa Fumero) partners with Holt
(Andre Braugher) to start a new probe of a
case. Terry Crews and Stephanie Beatriz also
star. New
9:30 p.m. on HBO
Togetherness
Sibling filmmakers Mark and Jay Duplass
make their TV writing debut together with this
new bittersweet series that charts the complex
emotional dynamics of modern marriage
and family. In the premiere, “Family Day,”
struggling actor Alex (Steve Zissis, also a
series co-creator) loses his apartment, but his
best friend, Brett (Mark Duplass), urges him
to stay in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Brett’s
wife, Michelle (Melanie Lynskey, “Two and a
Half Men”), gets a visit from her older sister
(Amanda Peet). Series Premiere New
MONDAY
8 p.m. on NBC
The Celebrity Apprentice
There’s trouble among both the male and
female contestants in the new episode “A
Family Affair,” which concerns a fitnessrelated photo shoot. The women differ —
strongly — over who the model for it should
be. Then, wedding dresses are the items for
sale in a competition to earn the most money.
One of the contestants becomes unnerved
Page 18 YOUR TV LINK JANUARY 11-17, 2015
Kelly Osbourne
is a panelist in
“Fashion Police”
enough to simply vanish, which is certain to
be a factor in Donald Trump’s boardroom
decision on who leaves the contest. New
10 p.m. on NBC
Chicago PD
Lindsay (Sophia Bush) may have a new job,
but as she and the task force try to break up a
drug cartel, she finds she still can use Voight’s
(Jason Beghe) help ... despite the title of
this new episode, “We Don’t Work Together
Anymore.” With Burgess (Marina Squerciati)
assigned to the desk, Platt (Amy Morton)
becomes Roman’s (Brian Geraghty) new
partner. Jon Seda, Jesse Lee Soffer and Elias
Koteas also star.
9 p.m. on E!
Fashion Police
Loose-cannon comic Kathy Griffin takes over
as host of this style-related snarkfest, a gig
formerly held by her dearly departed old friend
Joan Rivers. Joining Griffin are a new panelist,
celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, and returning
stars Kelly Osbourne and Giuliana Rancic
for what is sure to be a lively post-mortem
of celebrity style at the 2015 Golden Globe
Awards. New
THURSDAY
9 p.m. on A&E
The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards
From the Hollywood Palladium in Los
Angeles, Michael Strahan (“Live With
Kelly and Michael”) hosts the 20th annual
ceremony honoring the finest in cinematic
achievement as selected by the Broadcast
Film Critics Association. Special awards
will be presented to Kevin Costner, Ron
Howard and Jessica Chastain. In competition,
“Birdman” leads the pack of nominees with
13 nods, followed closely by Wes Anderson’s
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” with 11. New
TUESDAY
8 p.m. on ABC FAMILY
Pretty Little Liars
In the new episode “Fresh Meat,” Toby
10 p.m. on BRAVO
The Millionaire Matchmaker
In a new episode, Spencer Pratt and Heidi
Montag (“The Hills”) turn to Patti for help in
setting up Spencer’s sister, Stephanie, preferably
with a guy who will break Stephanie’s sad cycle
of dating only bad boys who treat her poorly.
Elsewhere, former Playboy Playmate Kari
Whitman, now a successful interior designer,
gets a mind, body and attitude workout to get
ready for Patti’s efforts to help Kari let go of past
romantic failures and make a new start. New
FRIDAY
8 p.m. on FOX
World’s Funniest Fails
Not that he isn’t busy enough these days, thanks
to “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire,” but Terry Crews adds yet
another series to his current credits as host of this
new show. It showcases so-called “epic fails”
among blunders and bungles that have gone
Patti Stanger helps the
well-off find love in “The
Millionaire Matchmaker”
S
viral, as seen primarily on the YouTube channel
FailArmy. A panel of celebrities and comedians
judges which of the offerings is the fail of the
week. Series Premiere New
SATURDAY
8 p.m. on NICKELODEON
Bella and the Bulldogs
In this new series, middle-school student Bella
Dawson (Brec Bassinger) gets a chance to live
a long-held dream when she hangs up her pompoms as head cheerleader and joins the football
team as their new star quarterback. Her decision,
however, doesn’t sit well with either her
teammates or her old friends on the cheerleading
squad. Buddy Handleson, Lilimar Hernandez,
Jackie Radinsky and Coy Stewart also star.
Series Premiere New
Sophia Bush
stars in
“Chicago PD”
Terry Crews hosts
“World’s Funniest
Fails”
JANUARY 11-17, 2015
YOUR TV LINK Page 19