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Stories
“The Blacklist”
“Allegiance”
“Fresh Off the Boat”
Profiled
athlete
Rajon Rondo
CELEBRITY
SPOTLIGHTS
Rainn Wilson
Lucy Biggers
Timothy Omundson
Colton Haynes
Alison Victoria
WHAT'S FOR
DINNER
Duff Goldman
JAY Bobbin's
movies to
watch
The story
Super Bowl
XLIX
New England
Patriots
Quarterback
Tom Brady
(left) and
Seattle
Seahawks
Quarterback
Russell Wilson
folio
And
so much more!
Connect to these shows within
this magazine!
Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
C
CONTENTS
What’s Hot This Week
Click to jump to these featured sections!
Super Bowl XLIX
Al Michaels (left) and Cris
Collinsworth call the action for
Super Bowl XLIX Sunday
on NBC
story on pg 3
“Fresh Off the Boat”
The AsianAmerican-family sitcom premieres
Wednesday on ABC.
Story on pg 11
“The Blacklist” Megan Boone stars
in “The Blacklist,” which resumes its
second season Sunday on NBC.
Story on pg 12-13
“Allegiance”
Hope Davis
stars in new drama series
“Allegiance” premiering Thursday
on NBC. Story on pg 14-15
Rajon
Rondo
The move to Dallas
is a big adjustment
for Rondo.
Story on pg 16-17
Rainn
Wilson’s
take on
“Backstrom”
interview on pg 4
Lucy Biggers’
thoughts on
“Breaking Greenville”
interview on pg 5
Timothy
Omundson
of “Galavant”
interview on pg 6
Colton
Haynes
between shows
interview on pg 8
Duff Goldman
takes cake
decorating after
hours
interview on pg 7
Page 2 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
STORY
S
Sunday, Feb. 1, he joins analyst Cris Collinsworth
to call his ninth NFL title game and third for NBC
when the Seattle Seahawks seek to make it two
championships in a row against the New England
Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix
Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Al Michaels
gives the
play-by-play
call for Super
Bowl XLIX
Sunday on
NBC.
As for past Super Bowl thrills, Michaels indicates his
biggest came in 2009, when the Pittsburgh Steelers
came from behind after blowing a big lead late in the
game to defeat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, in Super
Bowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
It was the franchise’s record sixth Vince Lombardi
Trophy.
“(It was) a back-and-forth game that featured two of
the greatest plays in Super Bowl history,” he says.
“James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a
touchdown as the half expired, and Santonio Holmes’
phenomenal catch in the corner of the end zone to
cap a 93-yard, game-winning drive in the final minute.”
NBC’s Michaels
looks back at Super Bowls
and a career
By George Dickie
in broadcasting
Sunday marks something of a milestone for Al Michaels.
It was 30 years ago that the veteran of Olympics,
Monday Night Football telecasts, NFL, NBA and MLB
postseasons and many other high-profile sporting
events took part in his first Super Bowl, doing studio
duties for ABC for its coverage of Super Bowl XIX,
won by Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers,
who defeated Dan Marino’s Miami Dolphins, 38-16, at
Stanford Stadium in Northern California.
Since, he’s gone on to call play-by-play on six more
NFL title games with various booth partners at ABC,
and been “traded” in 2006 for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
to NBC, where he’s done two more.
He’s also seen the game go from championship game
to major TV event to cultural phenomenon. Or, as he
puts it, “They might as well declare it an official national
holiday.”
While many broadcasters fondly remember their first
Super Bowl, Michaels was underwhelmed by his first
as a main play-by-play man for ABC in 1988, when the
Washington Redskins blew out the Denver Broncos,
42-10, in Super Bowl XXII at Jack Murphy Stadium in
San Diego.
“The great thing was the nerves were gone once the
game started,” he says. “It could have been much
more fun, except Washington led Denver 35-10 at the
half.”
In addition to big games, the 70-year-old native of
Brooklyn, N.Y., has worked with his share of largerthan-life personalities over the years, probably none
more so than the man who was the face of ABC
Sports in the 1970s and ’80s, Howard Cosell. He
recounts many of his career memories in his new
book, “You Can’t Make This Up: Miracles, Memories,
and the Perfect Marriage of Sports and Television,” in
which Cosell is a featured player.
“Let’s put it this way,” Michaels says, “it’s worth 1518 pages in my new book. He ran the gamut from
charming to cantankerous.”
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 3
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CELEBRITY
Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
RainnWilson
of ‘Backstrom’ on Fox
Are you a fan of detective shows such as
“Backstrom”?
I always loved them growing up. I never missed
a “Rockford Files” or a “Columbo,” and I think
“Backstrom” is kind of the most messed-up version
of “Columbo.” We solve a crime every week, but it
really is about how the character responds, and the
quirkiness of the whole ensemble.
I love Dennis Haysbert, and he’s become such a
key part of the show; as Det. Sgt. Almond, he’s kind
of Backstrom’s conscience and sounding board.
He struggles with Backstrom’s irascibility and rulebreaking, but he knows the greater good is being
done because Backstrom is solving these crimes.
What do you think sets Backstrom apart from
your “Office” alter ego Dwight?
This is not Dwight as a police detective. This is a
very tortured human being with a deep internal life,
and he actively breaks the rules where Dwight was
all about the rules.
Do you see any creative similarities to working
on “Backstrom” and “The Office”?
I’ve been very lucky to work with Greg Daniels
on “The Office” and Hart Hanson on “Backstrom,”
because the job of a showrunner – as they call
them – is one of the most difficult on the planet in
terms of responsibility. You have to manage a budget and hundreds of people, and you have to be
creative and have a vision for the show, and you have to be able to work with actors and writers, and
be collaborative with both the studio and the network and keep things on schedule.
Most of all, you have to be a great storyteller, and that’s what Hart Hanson is ... a great, great
storyteller.
folio
Page 4 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
Click here for more!
CELEBRITY
Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
LucyBiggers
C
of ‘Breaking Greenville’
on truTV
What was your first thought when you
were told “Breaking Greenville” was
going to showcase the Mississippi
television newsroom where you
worked at the time?
I think there were mixed feelings. I
would go between being excited and
sort of concerned. “Reality TV” is kind
of a hot-button phrase that has a lot
of associations. Some of my friends
were like, “Don’t let them turn you into
a Kardashian!” Others asked me, “Are
you going to be fighting, like a Real
Housewife?”
I don’t do those things in real life, so I
didn’t see why that would happen. From
the beginning, talking to the production
group, I just trusted them. We always
had a great dialogue, and I realized that
they needed us to be on their side. If
they broke that level of trust, I could just
sit with my arms crossed and say, “No.”
How do you feel about having left the
station before “Breaking Greenville’s”
telecasts?
I’m back in Connecticut, where I grew
up, so to be able to watch it from here rather than going into work there every day ... I’m sure that
would be really fierce. It would be like a hall-of-mirrors-type of thing.
Will you use “Breaking Greenville” on your resume to seek another job in news?
There are two types of TV, news and reality, so it’s kind of confusing. It’s a very weird space to be in,
so I’m just going to let it be what it’s going to be and go from there. If “Breaking Greenville” ends up
being an asset, I’ll definitely use it, but I don’t think I’ll necessarily lead with that.
You can’t really plan for something like this to happen to you. It’s like a lottery situation. Of all the
stations in the country they decided to film this at, it happened to be mine.
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 5
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CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Q&A
TimothyOmundson
on ABC and ‘Supernatural’ on The CW
Other cast members have said they had
trouble keeping a straight face while filming
“Galavant.” Did you?
Yeah, I did. We had so much bloody fun on the
show. I blame Darren Evans. He was the first guy.
I was on a show before where I was notorious for
being the first one to crack – you’d just look at me
and I’d crack. I was so good and so professional
on this one until I met Darren, who plays our chef,
and he’s just one of the most innately funny human
beings I’ve ever come across. He was the first one
to break me – truly was, and I’ll never forgive him
for it. Because after that, the horse had left the
barn and we were stuck.
So did you and your cast mates try to break
each other up?
No, we are much more professional than that.
However, I dare say that – once Josh (Sasse)
starts on the giggle train there’s no getting him off
the giggle train. I think the best way to deal with it
is for Vinnie (Jones) to literally just smack him in
the face as hard as he could. Not that he ever did
that but I think we were about to go there one day.
You just have to take him out of the tic. But I will
say there’s nothing funnier than watching Josh try
not to laugh.
With all the singing and dancing on the show,
this must have allowed you to stretch some
muscles you ordinarily wouldn’t get the chance
to, correct?
First of all, you get to do an accent on TV. I mean, Americans never get to play Brits. It’s just such a
rare thing. All my American actor friends – we can never get hired for that. So my friends are very
proud of me, if nothing else for that alone, that I get to be an American playing a Brit on TV.
Page 6 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
Click here for more on
Timothy!
FOOD
George Dickie’s What's for Dinner
F
DuffGoldman
Goldman takes cake decorating after hours on ‘Duff Till Dawn’
Take two professional bakers and their assistants, caffeinate them, keep
them up well past midnight, turn them loose in a kitchen and see what
results. That’s the formula of Duff Goldman’s new Food Network series “Duff
Till Dawn,” airing Thursdays.
The series, which premiered last week, takes place after business hours at
Goldman’s Los Angeles bakery, Duff’s Cakemix, in which cake decorators
do their thing after the sun goes down, with Goldman acting as host and
adviser. The rules are few and emphasis is on creativity as the competition
goes on overnight.
“We wanted this to feel very authentic, very, very real and like these are real
cake decorators going at it head to head,” Goldman explains. “We’re literally
stripping away all the rules because cake decorating is so much different
than cooking. Even cake decorating is very different from most baking
competitions, too. And I think with cake decorating competitions, you really
have to do them right, and one of the things you have to do is you’ve got to
remove a lot of those guidelines from people to allow them to do what they do because cake decorators are
different from bakers and pastry chefs and cooks because they really are truly visual artists and you want to
let them be able to do what they do.”
And the competition ends as the sun comes up – literally.
“We look at like weather.com and it tells you sunrise is at 6:13 a.m.,” Goldman says, “so at 6:13 a.m. hands off
your cakes. It’s different every night.”
What book are you currently reading?
“I am reading ‘The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts’ by Louis de Bernieres.
It’s part of a trilogy. ... And basically it’s kind of magical realism ... .”
What did you have for dinner last night?
“I’m eating raw right now, just because between filming shows I eat so much cake
and stuff I try to stay healthy. So last night I had a watermelon, a green apple,
celery, half of an avocado and carrots and I cheated with a little bit of peanut
butter.”
What is your next project?
“I’m actually writing a book right now that should be out October 2015, and it’s
called ‘Duck Bakes.’ ... We stripped away the stuff that people don’t need to know
and explained in very accessible terms like, ‘This is why a good scone is good and
this is why a bad scone is bad. This is why some pie dough is flaky and this is why
some pie dough is mealy.’ ”
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 7
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CELEBRITY
John Crook's Celebrity ScooP
ColtonHaynes
When Colton Haynes signed on to play Roy Harper on The CW
Wednesday hit “Arrow” in its first season, the show’s creators
still weren’t sure where they were going with the character. After
a punishing yet rewarding story arc, however, Haynes is now a
series regular as the title hero’s (Stephen Amell) principal sidekick,
Arsenal.
“I’m actually very relieved they chose this route, because I got
to wear an amazing costume that isn’t too revealing, so I’m not
freezing my butt off,” he says, laughing. “It’s cool because Roy is a
very emotional character, someone who didn’t want to let anyone in
but then he met Thea (Willa Holland) in a very interesting way. That
relationship blossomed, which only makes it more difficult for him to
continue working with Oliver, which means keeping it a secret from
Thea.”
It’s only logical Haynes would appreciate Arsenal’s costume,
because prior to “Arrow,” he spent a couple of seasons on the MTV
horror comedy “Teen Wolf,” a beefcake-friendly series where he
often did, in fact, freeze his aforementioned butt off.
“We basically did only night shoots. It was in Atlanta, which
believe it or not, it actually got really cold,” the actor says. “We’d
have to go running into 30-degree water with – I’m not kidding – ice
in it and then run around half-naked and wet. I’m so glad we don’t
have to do that on ‘Arrow.’ ”
Haynes knew he wanted to become an actor when he was 7,
and he toured in summer stock through his teen years, while he
also was modeling. After graduating from high school in Texas,
he headed to Los Angeles to try his luck and never has looked
back. He keeps a “Wall of Positivity” in his home, where he puts
affirmative messages on Post-Its and scraps of paper.
Born: July 13, 1988, in Wichita, Kan.
Family ties: His parents
were “awesome hippies” who
encouraged their children to do
whatever they wished. He’s the
youngest of seven siblings.
A model career: Haynes
credits his time as a model
for Abercrombie & Fitch, J.C.
Penney, Ralph Lauren and other
clients with teaching him to feel
at ease in front of a camera.
First stage: His theater roles
include Chip in “Beauty and the
Beast” and Tony in “West Side
Story.”
Trick or treat: Showing off his
big goofy streak, last Halloween
he dressed up as Princess Fiona
from “Shrek,” complete with facial
prostheses and green makeup.
Click here for more on
Colton!
Page 8 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
CELEBRITY
Celebrities profiled
Alis on V ictoria
C
On DIY Network’s “Kitchen Crashers,” Alison hunts in stores across America for weekend warriors
who could definitely use some help bringing style, beauty and simplicity together to create harmony
in their kitchens.
• Homeowners hand over the keys, and what
started as a simple shopping trip turns into the
coolest kitchen on the block, when Alison and her
crew make a total transformation from so-so to
showstopper.
• Alison began designing at the age of 10 when
she tackled the basement in their new house.
• Alison started her professional career as the
youngest designer working for Christopher
Homes in Las Vegas.
• Alison launched her own full-service interior
design firm, Alison Victoria Interiors, Inc., in
Chicago and Las Vegas, where she brings design
and personality together at boutiques, resorts and
private residences.
• She also created her own line of modern luxury
furniture that defines sleek and chic.
• Alison also serves as creative director for the
Silverton Casino Hotel in Las Vegas.
• Her passion for interior architecture has taken
her from the Windy City of Chicago, where
she designed a unit in Trump tower, to the
Entertainment Capital of the World, where she
completed a pavilion for a Las Vegas hotel.
• When Alison isn’t designing a fabulous room
for a client, she is traveling the world to explore
and to find eclectic pieces for her own home
collection.
• In 2011, Alison received the Rising Stars of
Business award by the Las Vegas Business
Press.
• With home bases in two cities, Alison is
still actively involved in donating her time to
community non-profit organizations such as
Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (Nevada SPCA), PAWS Chicago and a
board member for Chicago Children’s Charities.
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 9
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CELEBRITY
Celebs’ favorite shows
Toby
Stephens
Timothy
Omundson
Rob
Lowe
Debbie
Reynolds
Set the DVR
Toby Stephens of “Black Sails” on Starz
“I’m really enjoying ‘House of Cards.’ I’ve just been
watching the second season of that; I remember
watching the original British series, and it’s just
a fantastic new spin on it. And I also really enjoy
‘American Horror Story.’ It’s quite nice to watch
something completely different from what I’m doing at
the time.”
Timothy Omundson of “Galavant” on ABC
Rob Lowe of “Beautiful & Twisted” on
Lifetime
“ ‘Football Night in America’ is my favorite thing to
watch, ever, although the games have been horrible. I
mean, horrible! But I like the way NBC does it. It’s like
an occasion, the way ‘Monday Night Football’ used
to be, and I’m a fan of (Cris) Collinsworth. And I still
watch way too much news, though I’m obsessed with
‘CBS This Morning.’ It’s everything I love – and it’s
actually news.”
“ ‘Game of Thrones’ is going to be on there. ‘Mad Men’
is on there. ‘Masterchef Junior’ is on there because my Debbie Reynolds of the 21st Annual
Screen Actors Guild Awards on TBS and
family is crazy about that. ‘Supernatural’ is on there
TNT
just because I work on that and I have a bunch of
friends on that. Of course, ‘Psych’ is queued up and
“I do go back to Turner Classic Movies and watch the
ready to go. ‘House of Cards.’ ”
old movies there ... and live in the past.”
Page 10 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
STORY
S
Newly relocated family is
‘Fresh Off the Boat’
premiering Wednesday on ABC
By Jay Bobbin
Eddie Huang knows the ins and outs of a culture clash.
The chef and television food-show personality’s AsianAmerican family lived one in the 1990s, when they
relocated from Washington, D.C., to Orlando – each
member dealing with the transition differently, as Huang
recounted in his 2013 memoir. The book becomes a
same-named ABC sitcom when “Fresh Off the Boat”
premieres with two episodes Wednesday, Feb. 4, then
settles into its regular slot the following Tuesday.
Hudson Yang plays the young Huang, whose brothers
are portrayed by Ian Chen and Forrest Wheeler. Their
American-dream-pursuing, steakhouse-running father
and cook-at-home mother (Randall Park, Constance
Wu) have differing views of making the move to a new
locale ... but they won’t hesitate to put up a united front,
threatening to sue the school if one of their sons is
expelled after being taunted by a new classmate.
Yang auditioned on tape to play Huang, and the young
actor says, “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s my first big thing,
and it’s been a great time hanging out with Eddie and
everybody who’s been in the show.” Huang considers his
on-screen counterpart “awesome. This was the toughest
role to cast. What I liked about Hudson is how real he
was. He’s very raw, and he hasn’t been consumed by this
whole process.”
Noting “this is not an easy show to make,” Huang wrote a
recent article in which he deemed the series “pasteurized
network television” while allowing that it still reflects
that “the feeling of being different is universal.” ABC
Entertainment president Paul Lee responds, “We love
Eddie. He’s a firebrand. It’s a comedy, and the show is not
a documentary of his book.”
Huang maintains, “I care the most about the conversation
that’s going to happen because of this show. It’s important
for me that the show stays responsible to the book and the
Asian community, and to people of color in general. And I
believe the show is doing that.”
Clearly, Huang’s parents are barometers of that, but he
says, “My mom never read the book. She could care less.
She just wants the checks. My dad was really proud of me.
I showed him the pilot, and he understood what the show
was doing. And I think the show is strategic and smart in
how it’s easing the viewer into that.”
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 11
S
STORY
“The Blacklist”
resumes
its second
season
Sunday on NBC.
Story on next page
JamesSpader
Page 12 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
MeganBoone
STORY
S
‘The Blacklist’
makes a Super (Bowl) return
By Jay Bobbin
Raymond “Red” Reddington isn’t someone who
ordinarily needs much help, but he’s getting a major
boost anyway.
“The Blacklist” resumes its second NBC season
Sunday, Feb. 1, as the show chosen to follow one of
the biggest events of any television year: the Super
Bowl. The special telecast also serves to promote the
suspense drama’s move to a different night, since the
episode will lead directly into the series’ debut in its
new slot the following Thursday.
“With the sort of landscape for programming
nowadays, we’ve been very lucky in that right from
the jump, we established a fairly faithful audience,”
says James Spader, alias ever-enigmatic informant
Reddington. “The network and the studio, obviously,
are always looking for a way to grow that if they can
... and trying to find ways to do that today is difficult. I
think the Super Bowl is a platform that stands alone,
and you just hope the game is good enough that they
don’t turn their TVs off.”
That doesn’t appear likely for the devotees who
helped make “The Blacklist” last season’s top-rated
new series. Megan Boone, who also stars as FBI
agent Liz Keen – Reddington’s main interest in
supplying information on the list of elusive criminals
and terrorists – promises “more substantial feelings of
friendship and care for Reddington, who has proven to
protect her at all costs, and in a way that no one ever
has before. She steps up to try to protect him when
we come back.”
Spader vows many more mysteries about Reddington
remain to be uncovered, particularly about his link to
Liz – which prompted him to warn her deceptive and
dangerous ex, Tom (Ryan Eggold), to stay away from
her in the closing moments of the series’ November
fall finale.
“I remember when I first read the pilot,” Spader
reflects, “which seems like a decade ago, but was
actually only two years ago. At that time, I remember
thinking that one of the things I responded to was that
possible paths the show could take were limitless.
“You at least had the framework for switched paths
and alternate routes ... and you could find your way
back again. Something that just seems sort of neat
at the time can turn into something much more
significant than that later on.”
On a similar track, Boone is looking forward to
continuing to advance Liz, reasoning the character
has “become more autonomous in her decisionmaking and her actions. Certainly last year, she
was more reactionary because so much that was
happening was overwhelming to her, I think.
“The minute she made the decision to lie to Red
about (capturing and hiding) Tom, rather than him
being dead, everything changed,” adds Boone. “She
became a little nefarious, like some of the Blacklisters.
And like Red himself.”
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 13
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STORY
Torn
‘Allegiance’
A pair of former Russian spies are forced to make
an impossible choice between their family and their
cruel KGB overlords in “Allegiance,” a taut espionage
drama premiering Thursday, Feb. 5, on NBC.
Story on next page
Page 14 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
STORY
By John Crook
Adapted from a hit Israeli program called “The
Gordin Cell,” the new series stars Hope Davis
(“The Newsroom”) and Scott Cohen (“Necessary
Roughness”) as Katya and Mark O’Connor, who have
spent the past 25 years or so living quietly in New
York and raising their three children after leaving her
native Russia.
Of those children, only the eldest, Natalie (Margarita
Levieva, “Revenge”), knows the truth about her
parents: Katya, the daughter of a KGB general, and
Mark, a businessman, have done covert work for the
Russian intelligence agency. Natalie, in fact, has also
done her share of spying, much against her parents’
wishes.
The other two O’Connor children – including middle
child Alex (newcomer Gavin Stenhouse), who is just
starting a career as an analyst for the CIA – have no
idea about their parents’ secret past, however. That
changes dramatically in the series premiere, as Mark
and Katya’s KGB handler, Victor (Morgan Spector),
unexpectedly resurfaces with a startling demand: The
KGB wants Alex turned to become an asset for them.
“Alex is new to the CIA, a ‘baby analyst,’ as Katya
calls him,” Davis explains. “I don’t know whether the
KGB was tracking him previously, but I think when he
is called in for a special assignment, that is what really
puts him on the KGB radar.”
Alex, we quickly learn, falls somewhere on the
spectrum for autism, which makes it challenging for
him to perform some mundane tasks yet also enables
S
Hope
Davis
him to notice patterns “normal” colleagues don’t see.
He also is blessed with eidetic memory, which plays
a key role in the first episode.
“Gavin has done a tremendous amount of research
on the subject (of autism) and was very diligent
about sending us all sorts of things long before we
started shooting,” Davis says. “There is so much
written about this in the press now, about children
with Asperger’s. But in the years when Alex was a
child, that was back before the word ‘spectrum’ (in
this context) was even part of our national language.
It was a much trickier thing 25 years ago. Now there
are so many more resources for parents. I think
Katya and Mark were very much in the dark about
what was going on with Alex.”
As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the
show’s title has multiple levels of meaning.
“For awhile, we had the title ‘Coercion,’ and we
were casting about for a title we felt was more able
to convey some of the complexity of the show,” says
executive producer George Nolfi. “The great thing
about ‘Allegiance’ is that, obviously, it has all of the
national connotations, but there’s also allegiance to
your job and to your family. At its core, this show is
about the dilemma among these people in terms of
their allegiance to their family versus their country.”
Click here for more!
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 15
S
SPORTS
Rajon Rondo
Story on next page
Full Name: Rajon Pierre Rondo
Born: Feb. 22, 1986 (age 28)
Height/Weight: 6 feet 1
inch/188 pounds
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
Position: Point guard
Number: 9
College: Kentucky (2004-06)
Drafted: 2006, Round 1, 21st
pick by Phoenix
Awards and Achievements:
NBA champion, 2008, Boston
Celtics; NBA All-Star, 2010–2013;
NBA assists leader, 2012, 2013;
NBA steals leader, 2010; NBA AllRookie Second Team, 2007
Page 16 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
SPORTS
S
By Dan Ladd
Rajon Rondo
When the Boston Celtics began
the rebuilding process one player
left behind was point guard Rajon
Rondo. That was, until Dec. 18,
2014, when Rondo was traded to
the Dallas Mavericks. Rondo went
from being the lone remnant of
Boston’s most recent glory days
to a role player on a team poised
to make a solid playoff run in the
Western Conference. Rondo and
the Mavs head west to take on the
Golden State Warriors Wednesday,
Feb. 4, on ESPN.
Although it’s not new terrain on
the basketball court, the move
to Dallas is a big adjustment for
Rondo, who is being asked to
again focus on defense and getting
the ball to Dirk Nowitzki and Monta
Ellis. However, a month-and-ahalf after the trade things appear
to be settling in for Rondo and
company. The Mavs remain among
the best in the competitive Western
conference and while their NBA
leading offense has tapered off
slightly, their defense has improved,
which will be paramount down the
stretch and into the postseason.
Another challenge for Rondo will
be to stay healthy. A torn ACL in
early 2013 cost him a year off and
that was followed up with an offcourt injury just prior to this season.
With those injuries now behind
him, the more time he spends on
the court, the more Mavs’ coach
Doug Carlisle can decide where
best to put Rondo’s assists and
ball stealing skills to use, making
the Mavs a tough out in the
postseason.
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 17
M
MOVIES
JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
review
“Unbroken”
A man’s spirit proves ‘Unbroken’
in Jolie’s true drama
It’s a shame Louis Zamperini didn’t live long enough to see “Unbroken.”
Surely, the saga of the many fascinating chapters of his life gets a
certain amount of “Hollywood treatment” from director Angelina Jolie
... but her second dramatic effort at calling the shots still is an assured
and compelling portrait of Olympic runner, prisoner of war and later
inspirational speaker Zamperini, who died last summer (shortly after he
was named Grand Marshal of the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade).
Based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand, “Unbroken” – and Jolie – get
a real boost from star Jack O’Connell, who does a masterful job of
maintaining the spirit and dignity of Zamperini as he survives not one,
but two aerial disasters as a World War II military man.
For those who admire such sequences, Jolie stages a pair of nailbiters
on a par with the king of such depictions, Robert Zemeckis (“Cast Away,”
“Flight”). As much as those scenes dazzle with their technical expertise
and visceral thrills, though, it’s really the human story that’s at the heart
of “Unbroken.”
Zamperini and two colleagues (Domhnall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock)
survive their plane’s in-flight destruction, and after they endure a grueling
time at sea, an intensely challenging internment in a Japanese camp lies
ahead.
The scenes of Zamperini as an athlete unfold as flashbacks, with his
wartime experiences framing the screenplay. The device works well, and
frankly, it would be a surprise if it didn’t given the picture’s all-star team
of screenwriters: Joel and Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese (“Behind
the Candelabra”) and William Nicholson (“Shadowlands”). Throughout,
the film also benefits from the eye of veteran cinematographer Roger
Deakins (“Skyfall”).
For all others involved, though – even including Jolie – the principal
casting of a story such as “Unbroken” has to be right for the movie
to work. In O’Connell, the director certainly has that actor, and he
commendably does much to fuse its parts. Jolie’s name still carries
bountiful star power, for sure, but O’Connell truly holds “Unbroken”
together.
Page 18 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
MOVIES
JAY BOBBIN's movie review
movies to watch
M
“JOHN WICK”
If it seemed Keanu Reeves merely had been
marking time with many of his movies in recent
years, he came back with a vengeance – in
every sense – with this gripping, stunningly
staged melodrama made by two stunt men,
Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. Reeves’
title character is a recent widower and former
hitman who becomes a target of Russian gang
members. Big mistake, guys: Wick uses the
tricks of his trade again on a personal revenge
mission, though one of his new enemies (Alfie
Allen) is the son of Wick’s ex-boss (Michael
Nyqvist). The noteworthy cast also includes
Bridget Moynahan (“Blue Bloods”), Dean
Winters (“Oz”), Adrianne Palicki, Ian McShane,
John Leguizamo and Willem Dafoe. ››› (R:
AS, P, GV) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
Top Pick
DVD
Keanu Reeves
upcoming DVD releases
Coming Soon on DVD...
Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell
“ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD,
VERY BAD DAY” (Feb. 10): As he turns 12, Alexander (Ed
Oxenbould) makes a wish that causes trouble for his whole
family; Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner also star. (PG: AS, P)
“NIGHTCRAWLER” (Feb. 10): Jake Gyllenhaal plays a
videographer who provides graphic crime footage to an eager TVnews producer (Rene Russo). (R: AS, P, GV)
“DUMB AND DUMBER TO” (Feb. 17): Lloyd and Harry (Jim
Carrey, Jeff Daniels) reunite to find the daughter Harry didn’t
know he had. (PG-13: AS, N, P)
“THE HOMESMAN” (Feb. 17): A drifter (Tommy Lee Jones, also
the director here) is recruited by a frontierswoman (Hilary Swank)
to help transport several troubled people. (R: AS, N, P, V)
“LIFE ITSELF” (Feb. 17): The life of movie critic Roger Ebert
is recalled, in his own words and those of others including
filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog. (R: AS, P)
“SONS OF ANARCHY: SEASON SEVEN” (Feb. 24): The saga
concludes as Jax (Charlie Hunnam) realizes how close to home
the source of a personal tragedy is – and weighs his need for
vengeance. (Not rated: AS, N, P, V)
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 19
S
FAVORITE SHOWS
“Kitten Bowl II”
Briga Heelan
stars in
“Ground
Floor”
SUNDAY
12 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m. on
HALLMARK
Kitten Bowl II
North Shore Animal League America
spokesperson Beth Stern returns to
host the championship “game” in this
popular counter-programming stunt for
viewers who don’t give a hoot about
the Super Bowl. New York Yankees
radio veteran John Sterling will provide
color commentary on plays by the 90plus “cat-thletes” participating, all of
which will be adopted out immediately
following the game. New
9 p.m. on SYFY
Movie: Abraham Lincoln vs.
Zombies
While the Civil War rages, President
Abraham Lincoln (Bill Oberst Jr.)
Casey Wilson
stars in
“Marry Me”
undertakes an even tougher task:
destroying the Confederate walking
dead, in this 2012 B-movie knockoff (or
“homage,” if you’re feeling generous) of
the bigger-budgeted “Abraham Lincoln:
Vampire Hunter.” The latter film, oddly
enough, also had tanked at the box
office despite having Tim Burton
among the producers. Jason Vail and
Don McGraw also star. Premiere
MONDAY
9:59 p.m. on CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles
In hopes of identifying the source of
an anthrax poisoning before terrorists
can turn it into a biological weapon,
Sam and Callen (LL Cool J, Chris
O’Donnell) go under cover as food
truck owners in Mexico in the new
episode “Black Wind.” Angelique Cabral
Page 20 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 1 - 7, 2015
Chris
O’Donnell
stars in
“NCIS: Los
Angeles”
and Enrique Castillo guest star; Linda
Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian
Olsen and Barrett Foa also star. New
TUESDAY
9 p.m. on NBC
Marry Me
Although Gil (John Gemberling) vows
to throw best pal Jake (Ken Marino) a
definitively awesome bachelor party,
things do not go as smoothly as he
had hoped (yes, we know, we’re
shocked, too). Meanwhile, Dennah
and Annie (Sarah Wright Olson,
Casey Wilson) take steps to get a
reluctant Myrna (Jobeth Williams)
back in the dating game, despite
Jake’s trepidations. Tim Meadows and
Dan Bucatinsky also star in the new
episode “Date Me.” New
continued on next page
FAVORITE SHOWS
10 p.m. on TBS
Ground Floor
Brody (Skylar Astin) gets yet
another reminder that he is falling
behind in his life plan by the return
of his old flame Heather (guest star
Anna Camp, “Pitch Perfect”), now
a full-fledged company partner.
Meanwhile, Mansfield (John C.
McGinley) is forced to relocate
his daughter’s wedding after his
preferred venue, a tropical island,
sinks in the new episode “The
Proposal: Part 1.” Briga Heelan and
Rory Scovel also star. New
FRIDAY
8 p.m. on NBC
Constantine
A phrase from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”
— “Angels and Ministers of Grace” —
serves as the title of this new episode,
in which John (Matt Ryan) heads to
a hospital to investigate a mysterious
attack, with the unwitting assistance
of Manny (Harold Perrineau). Back
on the homefront, a personal health
scare leads Zed (Angelica Celaya) to
wonder where her visions really come
from. Charles Halford also stars. New
WEDNESDAY
9 p.m. on PBS (check local
listings)
Earth: A New Wild
Dr. M. Sanjayan, a leading
conservation scientist, hosts this
landmark five-part limited series
that explores how humans are
intimately connected with the wild
animals and places of Earth. The
series opener, “Home,” underscores
how humans pose a grave threat
to many of the planet’s animals
and, especially, their habitats, but
also provides powerful, poignant
examples of how humans and
wildlife are able to thrive side by
side. Series Premiere New
THURSDAY
8 p.m. on FOX
American Idol
The culling of the herd continues in
the new episode “Hollywood Week
No. 2,” as the young hopefuls who
arrived in California with visions of
future stardom see their numbers
sharply reduced. Judges Jennifer
Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry
Connick Jr. cast a critical eye over
the contestants to decide which of
the rookies have the right stuff to
move on in the competition. Ryan
Seacrest hosts. New
Matt Ryan
stars in
“Constantine”
S
SATURDAY
8 p.m. on FOX
Red Band Society
This poignant but low-rated hospital
drama, which always has struggled
in the ratings, has what Fox is still
calling a two-hour season (not series)
finale with the new double episode
“We’ll Always Have Paris/Waiting for
a Superman.” As the core group of
characters tries to cope with the loss
of one of its members, another among
them finds new hope. Dr. Naday and
Nurse Jackson (Adrian Lester, Octavia
Spencer) take things to the next level,
but Dash’s (Brian Bradley) new love
object could prove fatal. Season
Finale New
“Red Band
Society”
Harry Connick
Jr. is a judge in
“American Idol”
February 1 - 7, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 21