Innholdsfortegnelse for Dec-21-15 i TV Guide Magazine

FOLLOW US TV Guide Magazine @TVGuideMagazine @tvguidemagazine Write to us: Letters, TV Guide Magazine, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10020, or email letters@tvgm.com Facebook poll: What did you think of The Wiz Live? A star has been born in Shanice Williams! ELIZABETH ALVAREZ This was an amazing production, and the music was phenomenal. TAMARA ADAMS IVAN These live shows need a live audience. The casts do their best, but something just falls flat. JACKIE CRAIG It may have been the strongest of the three live musicals we’ve seen, and this is coming from someone who’s never been a fan of The Wiz and loves Peter Pan. ROBIN COLLINS Pleasantly surprised. The singing and arrangements were better than the original. NAOMI CONOVER TV GUIDE MAGAZINE CUSTOMER SERVICE: TVMCustServ@cdsfulfillment.com…

The winter awards season isn’t just for movies anymore. TV now has a much larger presence at the Golden Globes (airing January 10) and Screen Actors Guild Awards (January 30). The Critics Choice Awards, which formerly consisted of two ceremonies—one for film in winter and one for TV in late spring—has been consolidated into a single show (January 17). And film-centric honors like the Gotham Awards have added TV categories. These prizes, as well as those given by the Writers, Directors and Producers Guilds, have prompted networks and studios to boost their campaigns during late fall and early winter. Many marketing and publicity executives, who are used to launching their Emmy campaigns in February, prior to the July nominations, are grumbling about the extra work and cost. But awards shows…

JEERS to Miley Cyrus on MTV’s Video Music Awards. Miley, honey, what’s good? You were supposed to host the show, not give it a twohour bad touch. Go put on some clothes, remember that you have real talent, and for the love of all things holy, please stop sticking out your tongue. CHEERS to Cameron Monaghan for two mind-blowing turns. We’re still trying to get our heads around the fact that the kid who stole every scene as the Joker-y Jerome on Fox’s Gotham is the same guy stealing our hearts (and breaking them) as struggling bipolar Gallagher sib Ian on Showtime’s Shameless. CHEERS and hail to the Queen— Latifah, that is—for bringing blues legend Bessie Smith to life in an Emmy-worthy performance of lusty ferocity in HBO’s Bessie. It…

The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) isn’t feeling merry or bright when this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special begins. Still reeling from the loss of his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) in the Season 9 finale, he’s sitting out the holidays on a remote human space colony. That is, until a distress call forces him out of his rut—and reunites him with his intergalactic swashbuckling wife, River Song (Alex Kingston). The pair team up to battle megalomaniacal alien cyborg King Hydroflax (Greg Davies), whose robotic body has gone rogue from his human head. They end up on a frantic chase through the universe that lands them inside a swanky starliner loaded with even more supervillains. That’s not the biggest obstacle the two will face: River, who hasn’t seen her husband since he physically…

Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) are getting all tarted up in Victorian tweeds for Sherlock’s first special. When cocreators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss learned that the cast’s schedules allowed only a standalone episode (Season 4 films in 2016), they thought it would be fun to set the story when creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did: at the end of the 19th century. “It’s a proper Gothic horror/ghost story/mystery with fog and the pipe and the deerstalker,” says Gatiss, who also plays Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft. “We did press, and several journalists actually asked, ‘How can Sherlock Holmes exist in a world without iPhones?’ and I said ‘Well, there is some precedent, you know.’ ” The special, titled The Abominable Bride, is loosely based on Conan Doyle’s 1892 short…

EXCLUSIVE! GRANDFATHERED It’s a full house on the January 12 episode of the Fox comedy as John Stamos reunites with former costar Bob Saget. After Jimmy (Stamos, right) fears he’s lost his edge since becoming a grandpa, he reconnects with his old friend Ronnie (Saget) to recapture his youthful energy. “It’s certainly not like Jesse and Danny,” says Stamos, referencing their Full House characters. “There were a lot of grown-up [conversations]. And it felt like we were acting versus just goofing off.” ASH VS. EVIL DEAD Are two Bruce Campbells better than one? You bet your sweet Ash! “I am so excited about the last episodes of the season,” says the actor, who faces off with himself in the horror-com’s penultimate outing on December 26 after his demon hunter’s severed…

AMERICA’S MOST WATCHED Linda Ellerbee marvels at how she went from being an “irreverent, sarcastic journalist” to hosting Nickelodeon’s Nick News for 25 years. “All of a sudden I turned around and I’m this raggedy-ass Big Bird trying to explain the world to children in a very sincere way,” she says. “When you look at the longestrunning program on Nickelodeon, it’s not SpongeBob SquarePants, it’s not Rugrats. It’s a news show!” Ellerbee announced that she is retiring from TV later this month and closing her production company, which she started in 1987 after a lengthy career at NBC and ABC. Nick News, launched in 1991 as a special to help kids understand the Persian Gulf War, tackled issues such as AIDS, alcoholism and autism. It won 10 Emmys, three Peabody…

@TVGMLogan BEST SOAP The Bold and the Beautiful Long delinquent when it comes to diversity, this CBS soap made fast and massive strides in 2015 by revealing that gorgeous African-American fashion model Maya Avant (star of the year Karla Mosley) was born male and introducing us to her vibrant, marvelously messy family. The drama was trans-cendent! BEST ACTRESS Finola Hughes, General Hospital Watching her kickass character, Anna Devane, driven to the brink of madness—and murder— by the death of her lover has been a breathtaking experience. Hughes deep-dives into her role with nuance and complexity rarely seen in soaps. She is every bit as gifted as our greatest movie stars. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Kin Shriner, General Hospital He’s played wily rat terrier Scott Baldwin on and off since 1977, never…

Half the battle is that Mary is not accepting of herself and her flaws —MICHELLE DOCKERY BLACKMAIL, IMPERILED JOBS, surprising returns, marital struggles, feminist triumph and a marriage or two—that’s a taste of the high drama, romance and touching moments to come in Downton Abbey’s sixth and final season. Gareth Neame, who executive produces with creator Julian Fellowes, promises: “The char acters will all have a proper ending. A number of relationship issues will be resolved.” In the premiere, butler Carson (Jim Carter) and head housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) contemplate moving forward with their wedding plans, and Bates (Brendan Coyle) and Anna (Joanne Froggatt) continue to struggle with the aftermath of Mr. Green’s death. As for the ladies Crawley, Neame notes that the “possible prospects” Edith (Laura Carmichael) and…

OVER THE YEARS, we’ve been introduced to plenty of women on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills who could be described as twofaced. But new addition Erika Girardi is perhaps the first one who actually has dual personas. By day, the 44-year-old is a well-heeled homemaker and the wife of L.A. trial lawyer Tom Girardi, 76. By night, she hits the club circuit to perform chart-topping dance numbers as her larger-than-life alter ego, Erika Jayne. Here, she offers a preview of the double trouble. —Ingela Ratledge How different are Erika Girardi and Erika Jayne? I’m like everyone else during the day. I try to keep my house running smoothly. You’ll see me taking care of the dog, putting my husband’s clothes together—we recently lost a big tree in our garden,…

HE PLAYS Mad genius Paul Grayson, bipolar artistic director of the fictional American Ballet Company. Nothing gets in the way of Paul’s success: not his mental illness (he skips his meds to stay sharp), not his troubled dancers and certainly not the nest of tweeting baby birds on the studio windowsill, which he tosses right into the street. “That’s a true story!” Daniels says. “Some ballet director did that. When I read it in the script, I thought, ‘OK, I cannot underplay this man.’ ” WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HIM On BBC America in Dick Wolf’s London-set Law & Order: UK as the aptly named prosecutor James Steel. And as soon-to-be First Lady Claire Underwood’s (Robin Wright) publicly shamed hipster lover, photographer Adam Galloway, in Seasons 1 and 2 of House…

It’s been a momentous year for 84-year-old Rita Moreno, one of the five legendary figures recognized at this year’s Stephen Colbert–hosted Kennedy Center Honors. (The West Side Story and The Electric Company vet shares the evening with fellow actress Cicely Tyson, Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, songwriter Carole King and Star Wars creator George Lucas.) In addition to this ceremony, Moreno has filmed upcoming appearances for Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and The CW’s Jane the Virgin, contributed voice work on the animated Sprout series Nina’s World and recently released her first all-Spanish album, Una Vez Mas. “My life is filled with magic moments,” the versatile EGOT recipient gushes, “but this award is really the pinnacle of all of them. It’s about acknowledging not only a life’s work but also the heartbreak—all…

THE NEW ACTION comedy Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life follows the high jinks of a group of postgrads navigating what it means to be an adult in 2016. That’s something star Jack Cutmore-Scott knows well—the 28-year-old Harvard alum spent his fair share of time waiting tables and wondering where his path would lead. Now the headliner of a hot new TV show, Cutmore-Scott reveals his tips to surviving life as a modern twentysomething. —Gregory E. Miller How to survive living in a crappy apartment: “Make best friends with your super and your landlord,” Cutmore-Scott says. “Kill them with kindness so that they want to do you favors when something goes wrong.” How to get your vices in check: “[You can’t] drink every day and expect to be able to…

ACROSS 1 Baseball job 7 People like Felix on The Odd Couple 12 Ally McBeal’s assistant 13 Spencer’s _____ 15 Camp _____ 16 Martin of SCTV 17 _____ Crawford, Private Eye 18 James’s private secretary on Lime Street 20 The Lyon’s _____ 21 _____ Tin Tin 22 Long of Roots: The Next Generations 23 Now It Can Be _____ 24 Consume food 25 Goofball member of the Shasta McNasty band 26 Buttram on Green Acres 27 A word-guessing game 29 Sound heard (and seen) on Batman 32 Buttons of Knots Landing 33 Robert Mitchum on War and Remembrance 36 _____ to the Chief 37 Beavis pal _____-Head 38 The Bionic Woman employer 39 Mork’s home planet 40 Ken of McCloud 41 I _____ Three Lives 42 State setting for McKenna 44 Nick _____ 46 One Life _____ (2 wds.)…

@TVGMMattRoush 1 Fargo Could they pull it off a second time? (Unlike, say, True Detective.) You betcha! FX’s impeccably cast —often against type—perfectly paced and insanely entertaining tragicomic thriller follows warring Midwest factions in 1979, led by the brilliant Jean Smart as the boss of a doomed Fargo crime family, and the bumbling not-so-innocents caught in their violent wake, including a remarkable Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. The show uses retro devices like split screens and freeze frames to heighten tension and magnify the juxtaposition between quirky whimsy and whiteknuckle suspense. The shocks never stop coming, leading to a legendary massacre in Sioux Falls upstaged by a close encounter with a Coen Brothers–inspired UFO motif. Fargo truly is out of this world. 2 Mr. Robot The first chance I get…

LEONARD NIMOY March 26, 1931–February 27, 2015 Star Trek’s George Takei, currently headlining the Broadway musical Allegiance, pays tribute to his close friend and costar. I first met Leonard as, simply, a brilliant actor. He was starring in a small stage production of Jean Genet’s Deathwatch in Los Angeles in 1960. He played a political prisoner—a man who was scholarly and wise—and he was absolutely compelling. Then, a few years later, we were cast on Star Trek and I got a whole new appreciation of him: Leonard was also an activist. We would sit side by side on set and talk politics. When Star Trek was turned into an animated series, he refused to voice Spock unless Nichelle Nichols [pictured at right with Nimoy and Takei] and I were also hired…

DON’T CALL IT a comeback—Judith Light’s been here for years. And she’s got Emmy and Tony awards to prove it (two of each, in fact). After fame-making turns on One Life to Live and Who’s the Boss?, she landed her true knockout role—as Shelly Pfefferman, ex-wife of transgender woman Maura (Jeffrey Tambor)— on Transparent. It’s also recently proved to be her most risqué: In Season 2, now available in full, Shelly takes a, let’s say, orgasmic bubble bath not typical for sixtysomething women on TV. The Golden Globe–nominated actress sheds light on that unique moment and her tireless activism. —Aubry D’Arminio Why did you want to do that scene? We just don’t talk enough about mature women and their sexuality. It’s not as much a part of our culture now…

After winning two NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, LeBron James had one goal last season: deliver a championship to his original (and hometown) team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. But that quest ended in resounding defeat last June, thanks to the dominance of the Golden State Warriors. (Injuries to James’s All-Star teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving didn’t help.) James and his teammates will look for regular-season redemption courtesy of a Finals rematch, part of a five-game Christmas Day slate on ABC and ESPN. But it won’t be easy, considering they’re facing a team with 23 straight victories and counting at press time that broke the record (15–0) for consecutive wins to start a season. Oh, and the Warriors happen to have a guy named Stephen Curry,…

For ABC’s lavish musical comedy Galavant, getting a second season is truly something to sing about. “We joked that we didn’t have a chance,” says executive producer Kat Likkel of the ratings-challenged fairy tale, which features original tunes from lyricist Glenn Slater and Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken. “But we knew in our hearts that it’s a fantastic show.” Fittingly, the premiere is titled “A New Season, aka Suck It, Cancellation Bear”—and there’s plenty of ground to cover. To refresh: Noble-ish knight Galavant (Joshua Sasse) had been tasked with returning King Richard (Timothy Omundson) to the safety of his original kingdom. Meanwhile, in Valencia, Madalena (Mallory Jansen) had seized the throne and was ruling alongside ex-henchman Gareth (Vinnie Jones). And Gal’s unlucky soulmate, Princess Isabella (Karen David), was being held captive…