First, an important public-service announcement: Tonight on The War, we relive D-Day, a momentous turning point in military history brought to vivid life by those who lived through it, courtesy of Ken Burns' masterful way with documentary narrative. I know this is premiere week, and Wednesday is the most competitive night for new shows this season, but I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't remind everyone that this is TV you not only shouldn't miss, but it's an experience you'll never forget. (The reality, though, is that PBS is giving viewers multiple opportunities to see these episodes, and I can't think of a better gift DVD for holiday season.) Back to the network game, where only one of the nine new series being launched on Wednesdays is MIA: ABC’s marvelous Pushing Daisies, its premiere pushed back a week by the tsunami-like launch of Dancing with the Stars, which once again is turning out to be the ratings monster everyone expected. (And the men, by and large, had a bla...
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As long as I live, I will never forget the sound of my friend's voice on the phone, or the two words he managed, through tears, to blurt out: "He's back."
Before I explain what he meant, some background: It had only been a few days since I'd reluctantly sent him an unfinished version of my documentary series on the American experience during World War II, titled simply The War. In it, we had tried to gain a fresh perspective by focusing on the experiences of so-called ordinary people, most of whom came from four geographically diverse towns: Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and Luverne, Minnesota. Our labor of love, a seven-part, 15-hour series, puts you smack-dab in the middle of World War II.
After we had finished The Civil War, we vowed we would never take on the subject of war again. It was just to
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This week’s crackling finale of TNT's The Closer was a splendid reminder of why Kyra Sedgwick is so deserving of the best-actress Emmy this year (yes, she'll be getting it for last season, but the character was just as strong a year ago). Being on basic cable, it's possible she'll once again by upstaged in what is one of the more crowded categories — her five other nominees include Sally Field (my second pick), Minnie Driver and past winners (in order of preference) Edie Falco, Mariska Hargitay and Patricia Arquette. But if for whatever reason she fails to score, this season's finale once again puts her at the top of my list for next year's competition.It was a great two-parter, with Brenda really on the ropes both professionally and personally. First, her case is in tatters after she fails to get a confession from her suspect. Then, midway through the high-profile trial, the defendant’s alibi turns up out of nowhere with rock-solid video evidence that he couldn’...
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Responding to activists' complaints that Ken Burns' The War doesn't give proportionate due to Latino WWII vets, PBS has promised to hire a Latino producer to create additional content for the 14-hour documentary, which is set to unspool in September. The head of the New York chapter of the National Hispanic Media Coalition tells the AP the tweak is a "big victory for the Latino community."
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Question: Between your preview of Ken Burns' The War and all of his previous work, I'm very much looking forward to it. My one concern is that I don't know the latest as far as PBS' battle with the FCC over "profanity" in the piece, and I'm worried that it may suffer due to some idiot's narrow-minded view of what I should be able to watch. I know that Burns was pretty adamant about airing it uncut, but is that going to happen? Thanks for all your views, and have a great day.
Answer: Same to you. I asked Ken Burns about that when he was in the office, and the impression I got was that this issue has perhaps been overstated. There will be some salty language used by his first-person witnesses, but not (from what I gathered) an overwhelming amount, and Burns didn't seem unduly concerned that either that or any of the more graphic war footage would be altered to fit FCC guidelines, such as they are. If Americans were asked to pick sides between Burns and the FCC, you know who would win tha ...
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