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Leigh H. EdwardsReviews
Modern Family: Series PremiereIn Modern Family, the several families comprise one big multicultural "Circle of Life." [30 September 2009] 
Bones: Season Five PremiereThe new season of Bones brings Cyndi Lauper guesting as a psychic, the return of Seeley Booth's funky socks, as well as the best screwball romantic team on TV. [17 September 2009] 
HawthoRNe: Series PremiereHawthoRNe offers a bracing combination of fast-paced professional crises and personal tensions. [16 June 2009] Saving Grace: Season Three PremiereSaving Grace looks close to becoming Twilight for the 40something set. 
HammertimeHammertime, another celebreality show about the family behind a star, is both good-natured and manipulative. [14 June 2009] 
The Closer: Season Five PremiereAs The Closer evolves both formally and thematically, Brenda and her team are forced to reflect on their own assumptions and actions. [8 June 2009] Hitched or Ditched: Series PremiereHitched or Ditched, the latest brainchild of The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss, ups the stakes of the dating game show. [26 May 2009] Nitro CircusNitro Circus could make you hurl. And question gravity, mortality, and the meaning of existence. [4 March 2009] Saving Grace: Season Two ReturnSaving Grace mixes a familiar detective procedural structure with psychosexual drama, featuring large doses of metaphysical questioning for good measure. [2 March 2009] 
The Closer: Season Four ReturnThe fourth season return of The Closer finds fresh ways to mine the tensions between work and private life endured by LAPD Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick). [26 January 2009] Rock of Love Charm School: ReunionPart of VH1’s suite of finishing school programs, Sharon Osbourne's pledges to transform these “rocker chicks" into proper women. [12 January 2009] Confessions of a Teen IdolMost of the cast members on Confessions of a Teen Idol are either unrecognizable now or were never really "idols" to begin with. [8 January 2009] Family Guy: Season 7 PremiereSeth MacFarlane's Family Guy features gross-out humor with a mean-spirited kick. [26 September 2008] The Simpsons: Season 20 PremiereFor its 20th season premiere, The Simpsons takes aim at all the big targets: bounty hunting, the IRA, and erotic baking. The CloserIn The Closer, Kyra Sedgwick's Brenda Johnson often walks a fine line between complex and irritating. [21 July 2008] Saving GraceIn the second season premiere of TNT's Saving Grace, Grace's pursuit of drama took forms that were both overt and effectively repressed. [16 July 2008] Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-ListKathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List is hilarious -- and the very mixed reactions to Kathy Griffin reveal how well "Hollywood" takes the heat. [18 June 2008] 
The Selling Sound by Diane PecknoldUnderstanding the 'hillbilly' image of country music: how the industry created a glamorous ideal the larger music community could identify with -- and finance. [23 May 2008] 
Cary Grant 4-Disc Collector’s SetAll these films reflect the gendered assumptions of their era. But Grant emerges victorious, no matter the role. His coat of armor is his charm, and he inhabits it seamlessly. [28 March 2008] 
The Riches: Season 1This show has a fizzy, gothic atmosphere and a biting insider-outsider critique of society. [20 March 2008] 
Various Artists: Opry Video Classics [DVD]A must-have for serious country fans, many of these performances never before available on DVD, are knock-outs. [11 March 2008] 
And Baby Makes TwoAs this documentary about women who choose to be single mothers asserts, the promises and perils of the biological clock are resonating more loudly than ever with some in today's society. [12 February 2008] 
Celebrity Detox by Rosie ODonnellO'Donnell assesses the process whereby individual artists become celebrities, and what it's like when they and their audiences start to lose their sense of perspective in the midst of such intense, superficial media scrutiny. [8 February 2008] 
Genre in Popular Music by Fabian HoltHolt discusses the all-importance of 'genre' in music studies, yet argues that no one knows what 'genre' really means. [15 January 2008] 
SchmelvisWas Elvis Jewish? If he was, what would that mean? Why would it matter? Does it matter? Why are we making this movie? [12 December 2007] 
Johnny Cash: Christmas Special: 1976 [DVD]These two hour-long specials area must-have for Cash loyalists, as well as more casual fans looking for something special with a holiday touch. [3 December 2007] 
Judgment and Grace in Dixie: Southern Faiths from Faulkner to Elvis by Charles Reagan WilsonWilson engagingly details a mass expression of spirituality in key Southern popular culture artifacts and practices. [3 October 2007] 
The Closer - The Complete Second SeasonDeputy Police Chief Brenda Lee Johnson cracks cases because she knows what makes cracked people tick. [19 June 2007] 
Runs House - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2Run does Father Knows Best with an edge, but the edge is ultimately a sweet one. [26 April 2007] 
Bob Dylan: World Tour 1966: The Home Movies [DVD]We learn perhaps too much about Jones's background, musical influences, and career. Obviously, we want more Dylan. [15 March 2007] 
Waylon Jennings: Nashville Rebel [DVD]Waylon's a cult fave for the young, hipster country rock set, and it's easy to see why: not just because his son Shooter is keeping his memory alive but also because the big daddy knew how to rock it. [2 March 2007] 
Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash - Live From Austin TX [DVD]Both of these DVDs of concert performances showcase Cash in all his rough-hewn glory. [7 February 2007] 
Various Artists: The Best Of Hootenanny [DVD]Any DVD collection that can show you the roots of popular music forms like country music and the blues, played by some of the key musicians in the genres, is well worth the price of admission. [5 February 2007] 
Best of Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters ShowCountry barn dance meets Southern California cosmopolitanism on the NBC variety show starring Barbara Mandrell and her two younger sisters. [31 January 2007] 
Gene Simmons - Family Jewels - Season OneGene Simmons thinks he's a rock god. But his girlfriend and kids just laugh at him. Therein lies the charm of this series. [30 January 2007] 
Misc. Artists: Outlaw Country: Live From Austin, TX [DVD]The effort to share music with fellow travelers and the appreciative Austin audience is a key part of that painful, uncertain effort to reach insight and express meaning through the music. [7 December 2006] 
The Big Valley: Season OneTensions caused by the growth of urbanization and industrialization and the dying out of the frontier, the excesses of the robber barons and the risk they pose to democracy, and the angst of Civil War veterans trying to find their place in the world, again, set the stage for this virtuous, wealthy, 19th century family. [26 July 2006] 
American Masters - Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the SeaThe documentary argues that Hemingway tried to answer Ezra Pound's call to 'make it new'. His version of new was compressed: his language -- so precise, so alienated -- formed infamously short, tough sentences. [24 April 2006] 
Wonder Showzen: Season OneWonder Showzen's signature mix of the disturbing and the absurd makes for searing satire and whipsmart TV. [12 April 2006] 
Charmed: The Complete Fourth SeasonCharmed is a sci fi-fantasy inquiry into female gender roles, pondering women's agency and their twin capacities for kicking ass and playing sex objects. [6 March 2006] 
Survivor Pearl Islands - The Complete SeasonSo open and genuine-seeming, Rupert had America at 'Argh'. [27 February 2006] 
Significant Others: The Complete SeriesWe see them from the point of view of an unseen, unheard therapist. Here, the series invites us to be Dr. Phil. [13 February 2006] 
Get This Party StartedTakes insipid voyeurism to new heights, proffering pseudo-celebrity culture as a panacea for whatever ails you, whether that's being displaced by hurricane Katrina, recovering from cancer, or wondering what to do for your birthday. [7 February 2006] 
Benjamin Franklin / John & Abigail Adams (American Experience)While the self-improvement rhetoric starts to sound a little too much like Dr. Phil, the program does convey the excitement of Franklin's ideas. 
Eleanor Roosevelt (American Experience)The documentary illustrates how she galvanized others and made common cause for women's rights and civil rights in particular. [6 February 2006] 
The Amazing Race: The Seventh SeasonThe Amazing Race focuses on couples, sometimes sensationalizing 'negative' interactions, then absolves itself of ethical responsibilities by asserting its 'documentary' status. [9 January 2006] 
That ‘70s Show: Season ThreeThe show cleverly picks up on the aftermath of '60s revolutions and the Vietnam war, as well as the new decade's kitschy playfulness. [20 December 2005] 
Pioneers of PrimetimeCombining personal stories with some historical commentary, Pioneers of Primetime covers both the personal and the epic sides of a media evolution. [13 December 2005] 
Jackass: The Box SetThe sketches designed to shock innocent passers-by on the street often suggest a destructive hostility beneath all the smirking. Candid Camera with a punch in the face. [6 December 2005] 
The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be UnbrokenA.P. Carter and his friend, black musician Lesley 'Esley' Riddle, would go door to door looking for examples of traditional music, a bold act in Jim Crow America. [10 November 2005] 
Ken Burns: American LivesKen Burns is both goofy and deep. He even laughs about wearing people out with the interminable length of his films. [24 October 2005] 
Power Rangers S.P.D. Vol. 2: Stakeout / Power Rangers S.P.D. Vol. 3: WiredThe problem: invading aliens. The solution: precocious teenagers. Isn't that always how we save the universe? [19 October 2005] 
Drawn Together - Season OneThe roommates are dysfunctional, narcissistic wrecks who fall in and out of fake love, toasty hot tubs, and bottomless Jack Daniels bottles (literally, since this is a cartoon). [10 October 2005] 
The Red Tent (1971)The 1971 Sean Connery film recounts the true story of an ill-fated 1928 expedition to the North Pole. In a dirigible. [22 August 2005] 
Tying the KnotTying the Knot makes a passionate plea for same-sex marriage rights. [19 August 2005] 
The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Second SeasonWhile Barney's marginality reinforces Andy's norm by contrast, their coupledom is consistent. [10 August 2005] 
Sacred Planet (2004) - PopMatters Film Review )This gorgeous IMAX film turns very different groups of people into a noble primitive mass. [5 August 2005] 
Meet Mister MomHere's a good one. Take the moms away from two households for a week and watch the dads freak out while trying to manage the kids and domestic duties. [2 August 2005] 
The Law FirmDavid E. Kelley used to rail against reality television. He argued that it was putting writers out of work and played to viewers' basest instincts. So much for that high road. [28 July 2005] 
The Brady Bunch: The Complete Second SeasonHere again, you'll experience the split-level ranch house, beaded vests, Astroturf, and 'groovy' vocabulary. [26 July 2005] 
Laguna Beach: The Complete First SeasonComing after The O.C., and before that, Beverly Hills, 90210, Laguna Beach seems all too familiar. [18 July 2005] 
Average Joe: The Joes Strike BackNow, there are no average Joes. Only Joes who haven't had facelifts yet. [20 June 2005] 
Noam Chomsky: Rebel Without a Pause: Noam Chomsky, Carol Chomsky - PopMatters Film Review )Noam Chomsky is also a walking primer on how to be a public intellectual. [5 May 2005] 
Trippin’Isn't it fun to go see lions? To save the rain forest? C'mon, let's hop on a private jet and go! [11 April 2005] 
SupernannyJo Frost is light on the British bluster, heavy on the Mary Poppins charm. [28 March 2005] 
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Complete First SeasonEmbracing NASCAR, stunt driving, and short shorts, the series had such a good time being ridiculous that it was often fun to tag along. [23 March 2005] 
Paul Robeson - James Earl Jones One Man ShowWe learn that racial discrimination drove Robeson into his performance career, which he thought of as a form of resistance. [7 March 2005] 
Reba: The Complete First SeasonReba happily infuses the character 'Reba Hart' with the star's own perkiness and sweet spirit. [3 January 2005] 
The Untouchables: Special Collector’s Edition (1987)It's a story of a (nearly lone) lawman standing up against the bad guys, replete with a High Noon type showdown. [1 November 2004] 
Wife SwapWife Swap lets particpants make these decisions rather than turning to experts who preach updated versions of 19th century domestic science (good homes make good families). [11 October 2004] 
Death: A Love Story (1999)Le Brun's voiceover catalogues her own reactions: anger at the doctors' indifference, frustration, and at last, acceptance. [23 February 2004] 
World IdolAs 'Australia's Idol' or 'Canada's Idol' gyrated onstage, we could picture what the U.N. would look like if it were run by singing waiters. [26 January 2004] BlogsConsuming Consumables: The Best of Hootenanny [$44.98] [12 December 2007]Consuming Consumables: The Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1976 / 1977 [$14.98 each] [6 December 2007] |
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