Best TV Show of the Fall: The Roosevelts on PBS

Posted on September 8, 2014 at 3:25 pm

Passion, betrayal, unprecedented power, triumph, failure, devastating loss, personal and professional turmoil, and triumph again, played out against the most tumultuous events of the 20th century — that is the real-life story of the Roosevelts, especially the two who served as President, Theodore and Franklin, and Franklin’s cousin, wife, and first lady, Eleanor.  Ken Burns, the foremost documentary historian of all time, has produced “The Roosevelts,” premiering on PBS September 14, 2014, featuring the voices of Meryl Streep, Edward Herrmann (who memorably played Franklin Roosevelt in two made-for TV movies),Paul Giamatti, and Peter Coyote.  Three fascinating personalities who shaped our era are portrayed in seven mesmerizing episodes, covering the creation of National Parks, the digging of the Panama Canal, the passage of innovative New Deal programs, the defeat of Hitler, and the postwar struggles for civil rights at home and human rights abroad. 

A sickly boy became the essence of vigor and energy.  No one ever engaged in the world with more passionate, joyous intensity.

A brash young father struggles to recover from the devastating effects of polio.

These were three aristocrats who fought for the people.

Make time to watch this with your family.  It’s the best series of the fall. Next week, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History will also be available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Documentary Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families Television

Sit Down — Friends is 20 Years Old

Posted on September 6, 2014 at 3:30 pm

Copyright Warner Brothers 1994, All rights reserved
Copyright Warner Brothers 1994, All rights reserved
Can it really be two decades since we first met Friends? The beloved television series about the six 20-somethings who were all there for each other premiered 20 years ago, and in honor of that anniversary, a real-life version of Central Perk, the friends’ favorite hangout, will open up for a month in New York City at 199 Lafayette St., at the corner of Broome Street from Sept. 17-Oct. 18. You’ll be able to stop by for a free cup of coffee and sit on the very same orange sofa used on the show, surrounded by some of the original props from the iconic set. You might even run into Gunther, the long-suffering barista played by James Michael Tyler, who will be making appearances.

ICYMI: Jimmy Kimmel surprised Jennifer Aniston with a fan-fiction script for her to perform, complete with a re-creation of one of the show’s other sets and a couple of the other original cast members, too.

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Television

Schoolhouse Rock is Coming Back to TV!

Posted on September 4, 2014 at 8:00 am

Copyright Schoolhouse Rock 1993
Copyright Schoolhouse Rock 1993

ABC will be airing a tribute to the classic educational series “Schoolhouse Rock” on September 7.  Now parents can sing along to “I’m Just a Bill” and “Conjunction Junction” and share with their kids these delightful and remarkably informative gems.

Victoria Miller wrote for The Examiner:

According to CNN, the man behind the show’s iconic soundtrack was jazz pianist and vocalist Bob Dorough, who was approached in 1971 by a New York advertising exec whose sons could not multiply. After setting the multiplication tables to music with the song “Three’s a Magic Number,” the musician knew he had a hit.

Last year, Dorough, who is now 90, said he still performs and still gets requests from adults to sing some of the “Schoolhouse Rock” bits when they recognize his voice.

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Sonic Highways: Making Music With Dave Grohl

Posted on September 3, 2014 at 3:46 pm

I’m really looking forward to “Sonic Highways,” a new HBO series premiering in October.  Dave Grohl crosses the country with the Foo Fighters to make music, recording a different track in each studio, and talks to a wide range of musicians and studio technicians along the way, including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Joan Jett, and Bonnie Raitt.

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