“Wayward Pines” “Red Nose Day” “THE PRICE IS RIGHT” “Hotel Hell”
+ JESSI COLTER
Anthony Bourdain DAN HARRIS JoJo Fletcher Clinton Kelly
‘Preacher’
explodes with blood, guts and Cooper stars in dark comedy Dominic this new series premiering Sunday on AMC
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2016
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What’s HOT this Week!
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CELEBRITY
‘WAYWARD PINES’
Season 2 starts with Jason Patric among new residents
4 JESSI COLTER The wife of one of country music’s Highwaymen recalls them
5 ‘Parts Unknown’s’
Bourdain a certified scuba diver
6 DAN HARRIS
ABC newsman is ready to ask ‘500 Questions’
8 JOJO FLETCHER
Bouncing back from ‘The Bachelor’ to be ‘The Bachelorette’
‘RED NOSE DAY’ Curtis pulls out the stops to support children in poverty
9 Getting to know lifestyle guru Clinton Kelly ‘THE PRICE IS RIGHT’ Drew Carey brings games back to prime-time with reality-show alums
17
FOOD
7 ‘Follow Donal to
Europe’ a smorgasbord of European fare
SPORTS
18-19 Serena Williams
hopes to serve up another tennis Grand Slam win
REALITY
the story!
16 Gordon Ramsay
embraces sympathetic role on ‘Hotel Hell’
‘PREACHER’ a passion project for Seth Rogen
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IN EVERY ISSUE MOVIES
20-21 Theatrical
Review and DVD Picks
FAVORITE SHOWS 22-23 Top shows this week!
Editor's choice
The dark comic ‘Preacher’ comes to AMC By George Dickie
The Garth Ennis comic book series “Preacher” was once considered too dark, too profane and too gory to make into a movie or TV series. Leave it to the irreverent minds of executive producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin to bring it to AMC. The hourlong series, which premieres Sunday, May 22, stars Dominic Cooper (“Captain America: The First Avenger”) as the title character, Jesse Custer, who returns to his West Texas hometown of Annville to assume the preaching duties of his father. He’s also on a mission to find God. But what this conflicted cleric finds instead is a mysterious entity that inhabits him and causes him to develop a highly unusual power. And the results aren’t pretty. He’s joined by Tulip (Irish-Ethiopian actress Ruth Negga, “World War Z”), his semi-hostile ex-wife who when she’s not building homemade bazookas is on the run from someone; and Cassidy (British actor Joe Gilgun, “Misfits”), an Irish vampire who literally drops into this bucolic burg from a plane.
STORY shooting star enters Earth’s atmosphere and heads toward Africa, where it lands in the body of a Christian priest. After briefly appearing possessed, the cleric’s body explodes in a shower of bloody chunks all over his congregation. Some variation of that scene is repeated with religious figures around the world, until the entity lands in the body of Custer, who doesn’t explode but rather becomes possessed. Cooper, a Brit who like his cast mates had to adopt a Texas accent for his role, told a recent gathering of TV critics in Pasadena, Calif., that he was excited and nervous about taking on a character that is iconic among comic book fans. “He’s a very complex, conflicted individual,” Cooper says of Custer. “I don’t know whether he’s a good man. He’s trying very hard to be a good man. He’s trying very hard to change his life and to help the people of this sort of crumbling society that he finds himself a part of. But there’s a lot more to do and to find, and ... I was pleased with where we have got to at this present time. I’m very excited at the prospect of where he’s going to go and end up.” The series is a passion project for longtime “Preacher” fans Rogen and Goldberg and the three producers tried to keep the production as true as they could to the original comic book. “I don’t know if you could translate the comic strictly to television,” Rogen says. “I think everyone involved thought we should not do that directly, including Garth ... . But ... we love the comic. There’s tons of stuff in the comic that we hope to include, and again, we also hope to subvert lovers of the comic’s expectations at times, and then, hopefully make them love everything that we deliver in the end, and to have both of those things would be an ideal scenario.” Pictured: Dominic Cooper
The opening scene gives a good idea what to expect. What appears to be a
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CELEBRITY
Q&A with
Jessi Colter
BY Jay Bobbin
Jessi Colter of ‘American Masters – The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End’ Friday on PBS As the wife of the late Waylon Jennings, and having toured with him and his fellow Highwaymen – Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson – what’s your feeling about the new “American Masters” documentary on them (“The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End”)? As I view these projects, I have to work through a veil of melancholy to get into them. Once I did that with this, it seemed that more than ever, Waylon and everybody looked so alive – Johnny, too, but I just knew Waylon so well. They all inspired each other so much. (The program is) beautifully done, and I couldn’t be happier or more appreciative.
What was your own experience like with the Highwaymen collectively? Aside from knowing each and every one of these people for almost as long as they’d known each other ... actually, I knew Waylon before he knew Kris. Johnny and Waylon had known each other a few years, and Waylon and Willie had the longest of the friendships before I came into the picture. That being said, even knowing and appreciating them, the thing that comes clear in this (documentary) is the art and the men who represent that art unfailingly. All of today’s young (country) artists are very respectful and good to me, but sometimes, I just feel sorrow for the generation that has not been in the presence of these men performing with the kind of love and life they put into their art. And the experience; there’s nothing like having years over which you’ve learned.
You’ve had your own musical successes, including the mid1970s crossover hit “I’m Not Lisa.” What are your thoughts about that song now? I caught an article where Tim McGraw was talking about songwriting, and he said, “A really good song should take you back to a time.” And he said that “I’m Not Lisa” takes him back to the bayou, on a day when he was hanging in a hammock or something. I was complimented.
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CELEBRITY George Dickie’s Q&A
AnthonyBourdain
of ‘Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown’ Sunday on CNN You spent the first episode of this season in Manila in the Philippines. What did you find there? ... I kind of wanted to look at the Filipino character a little bit. You know, why so many seem to take care of other people, why that’s such a fundamental and important part of Filipino culture. ... So many have to leave their families and go work abroad. They leave their own kids to take care of other people’s children; that’s both admirable and heartbreaking. There’s that musical tradition that’s so powerful. I know from my own life, the Filipinos who are really part of my own extended family, singing is just such an important, everyday thing; everybody does it. And of course, the famous Filipino cover band phenomenon is endlessly fascinating to me, that’s a constant in my life. Everywhere I travel, whatever hotel I’m in, chances are, there’s a Filipino cover band doing brilliantly perfect versions of just about every song ever recorded. It’s ubiquitous, all over Asia. I mean, any hotel you go into, whether it’s country music, rock and roll, I mean you’ll see a duo doing all of Pink Floyd, Guns ‘N Roses, Shirley Bassey, Happy Birthday in German and Cantonese. I mean, and any song you can think of, they can cover it perfectly. Even Pink Floyd? Oh, I’ve seen one cover band, two people, do like all of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ note for note. Later in the season, you went to the Greek island of Naxos. Why that particular island? I was looking for someplace presumably idyllic, beautiful, low impact and yet not a vacation wonderland, a place with an actual indigenous culture remaining and people making livings doing other than carrying golf bags.
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You also dove on that shipwreck. Yeah, any excuse to go. I just certified a few years ago for scuba so any opportunity to do that, I’m going to do it.
May 22 - 28, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 5
CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
Dan Harris
of ‘500 Questions’ Thursday on ABC When you were asked to host “500 Questions” for its second season, did it seem like an instant fit for you? I feel like it’s in my wheelhouse. I live at home with a doctor, so I’m used to being the dumbest person in the room. And I appreciate sharp wit and keen intelligence, and there’s a lot of that going on in this show. It’s nerd combat. You just have these incredibly smart people trying to take each other out ... and the best is when it devolves into trash talking. These are, like the worst trash talkers in the universe. It’s so bad, it’s hilarious. You also co-anchor “Nightline” weeknights and “Good Morning America” weekends. Were you comfortable right away with the idea of also hosting a quiz show? I was reassured when some in my orbit pointed out that Mike Wallace and Walter Cronkite and a few other huge (news) names did quiz shows. When I learned that, I got pretty comfortable pretty quickly. I have not, in my time at ABC News, done much extracurricular stuff. I wrote one book (“10% Happier”) and a second is coming, but I’ve been pretty conservative, and this just seemed obvious. The pedigree of the creators (including reality-competition-show guru Mark Burnett), the fact that it’s airing on ABC, and the fact that it’s such a smart show made it a very easy choice for me.
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Big-winning “Jeopardy!” alum Ken Jennings is the first new contestant on “500 Questions.” Did that add pressure for you in your new job? It definitely made it more stressful for me, because I knew that Ken would generate a lot of attention. This is not giving anything away: He got a standing ovation when he walked in. The expectations were incredibly high for him, and it was just a very interesting moment.
George Dickie’s What's for Dinner
FOOD
‘Follow Donal to Europe’ and eat as Europeans do
Foodies with a passion for eclectic fare served up in breathtaking European locations would do well to check out Donal Skehan’s entertaining new Cooking Channel series “Follow Donal to Europe.” Combining the perspective of a seasoned traveler and foodie with the feel of a YouTuber’s travelog, the half-hour Sunday morning series brings the 29-year-old food writer and photographer to cities such as Budapest, Istanbul, Stockholm and Amsterdam, where he takes in the sights, checks out the local culture and color, and dines in off-the-beaten-path eateries that only the locals know. “One of my big loves is traveling,” Skehan says. “... So these opportunities to travel always get me excited because as a cook, you’re always looking for new inspiration and I think travel is such a big part of anyone who loves foods. You know, it’s how we expand on our ideas and the sort of recipes we cook. So initially, it was just an opportunity that was exciting and I absolutely loved the chance to see these great places. “But it’s amazing,” he continues. “A lot of Americans come to Europe but don’t go to some of the places we went to, and it’s a lovely opportunity to see something new. It’s one continent but there are so many different places and so many exciting experiences that you can have through food and even from a cultural point of view as well.” In Sunday’s episode, Skehan visits Puglia in southeast Italy, where he samples fresh fish, homemade gelato, street food and something called a burrata, which is rusk bread with olive oil, tomatoes, oregano and a combination or mozzarella and cream. If that sounds delicious, Skehan says eating it was even better. “It was unbelievably creamy,” he says. “And the amazing thing about burrata – you know, you eat these fantastic products when you’re in New York or Dublin or wherever but when you eat it where it’s from, it just tastes so much fresher and so much more delicious. And you could see it on camera. It erupts with the cream and it was fantastic.”
What book are you currently reading? “I’m currently reading Nigel Slater’s ‘Kitchen Diaries 3.’ ”
What did you have for dinner last night? “I had Asianbaked salmon with some sugar snap peas and some steamed rice.”
What is your next project?
When was the last vacation you took, where and why?
“I’m actually currently writing a book at the moment, which is out in October, in the autumn. So I’m actually doing the final writing on that. And I’ve also got some exciting projects coming up with Food Network later this year.”
“The last vacation we took was actually our honeymoon in Revello (Italy). Funny you should ask. We literally just booked a holiday and we’re going to Bali next week. So it’s been long overdue but we are very much looking forward to it. ... One of the girls who works with me, she went last year and she said the food was pretty spectacular. So I have no idea what it’s going to be like and I have no idea foodwise but I think culturally there’s quite a lot to see. I’ve seen ‘Eat Pray Love’ so it looks good from that. If Julia Roberts can make it look good, you know?”
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CELEBRITY
Jay Bobbin’s Celebrity ScooP
’
! ew te
n ret r u o
l Yoche a
‘B
I
t’s the fastest turnaround yet for a former “Bachelor” contestant becoming a “Bachelorette.”
Just over two months – in television time, anyway – after Ben Higgins let her go, runner-up Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher becomes the person who calls the shots as 26 men vie for her affection in Season 12 of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” which starts Monday, May 23. Despite the brevity of the downtime before putting her heart on the line again, for the nation to see, Fletcher maintains she knew what she was getting back into. However, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been surprises along the way. “Overall, it’s been really great, but it’s been a lot more than I expected coming into this,” she says. “When my relationship with Ben ended, ‘The Bachelorette’ was not even in my mind, not on my radar. I just took that time to get over my break-up and spend time with family and friends, then after a couple of months had gone by and I had found closure, it was something I was able to start thinking about and get excited about. I was in a great place to accept that offer.” The big announcement came during the traditional “After the Final Rose” special that followed the “Bachelor” season finale in March, but Fletcher claims knowing she was the new “Bachelorette” didn’t impact her exchanges with Higgins that night. “This is going to sound crazy, but even in that moment when Ben was breaking up with me, I never felt any resentment toward him. I never felt anger. I just think I was more sad and confused.”
JoJo Fletcher On initially becoming “The Bachelorette”: “Nothing’s official until (franchise host) Chris Harrison says it, so even though we’d had all the talks and I was pretty confident that nothing was going to change, just hearing him say it and the reaction of the fans in the (‘After the Final Rose’) audience was overwhelming. I think there was a moment where I was like, ‘What have I gotten myself into?,’ but it was a really exciting time.” Page 8 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote May 22 - 28, 2016
Having been told on “The Bachelor” by Higgins that he loved her – which he also told his eventual final choice, Lauren Bushnell – Texas real-estate developer Fletcher believes she learned lessons from that experience that she has brought into her new one. “When I was on the other side, I was very guarded and had a lot of walls up and was skeptical,” she reflects. “Coming into this season and looking for my husband, I’ve been a lot more open and vulnerable, but I also think I’ve been a lot more careful with the things I’m saying to these guys ... not saying too much too soon, and making sure of my feelings before I address them. That’s something that affected me last season.”
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CelebritY profile
CELEBRITY
C l i n t o n K e l ly Kelly is a writer, designer, style guru and TV personality who co-hosts “The Chew” weekdays on ABC.
Where to get it! His line of clothing for real women, Kelly by Clinton Kelly, is available at QVC, and he has a stationery line through PAPYRUS.
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Background Check - Born on Feb. 22, 1969 in Panama City, Panama, he was raised in Port Jefferson Station, Long Island. - He received a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in communications from Boston College. - Before entering the world of television, he was a New York-based magazine editor and freelance writer. - He currently resides in Manhattan and Connecticut.
Success Story
Big Debut - He made his TV debut in 2003 as one of the resident style gurus of “What Not to Wear,” TLC’s longestrunning primetime reality show, with Stacy Kelly. The show ran for a decade and aired nearly 350 makeovers. - In 2013, he became the celebrity spokesman for the National Mango Board and their campaign to motivate consumers to refresh their dishes and upgrade seasonal favorites with the fresh and delicious taste of mango.
- As a contributing editor for Woman’s Day magazine, he has penned a monthly column, “Clinton Makes Over,” and is also the author of “Freakin’ Fabulous,” “Freakin’ Fabulous on a Budget” and “Oh, No She Didn’t.” - In October of 2015, he returned to TLC co-hosting the show, “Love at First Swipe,” on which he and “Real World: Brooklyn” veteran Devyn Simone teamed up to help unlucky daters identify the mistakes they’re making online. - He is the Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC’s daytime hit “The Chew,” a foodcentric lifestyle show, for which he serves as moderator. In addition to leading cooking and interview segments, he also hosts regular branded segments like the very popular, “Clinton’s Craft Corner.”
May 22 - 28, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 9
CELEBRITY
“If we had lost a life or somebody got hurt, it would have been considered a failed operation. My deputies served over 16,000 warrants. No civilian was reported hurt and no officer got hurt, so I’m proud of that. I like the fact that if you treat people with dignity and respect, you usually get a halfway decent result from that.” – Former Utah lawman William “Dub” Lawrence, seen recently on “Independent Lens: Peace Officer” on PBS
“In a sense, I guess I have marched to the beat of a different drummer throughout my career to some extent. I had a father who helped me, tutored me in how to challenge the status quo and ask difficult questions.” — Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck, seen recently on “Independent Lens: The Armor of Light” on PBS
Page 10 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote May 22 - 28, 2016
“Compromise has become a dirty word. ... Restraint has become a dirty word. So all these things that we truly regard as elements of high character are used derisively now.” – Bryan Cranston, seen recently on “All the Way” on HBO, on American politics
ON DVRs
“
Katie Couric of “Under the Gun” on Epix ‘House of Cards,’ and I’m very excited about ‘Billions’ – I haven’t started it yet; I’m so busy, and all these shows are very time-consuming – and (husband) John and I are obsessed with ‘The Good Wife’ right now. I came home one Saturday, and he was despondent. I said, ‘Are you OK?’ And he said, ‘Will Gardner is dead!’ And shortly after that, he saw Josh Charles (who played Will) at a screening, and I thought he was going to kiss him on the mouth!
”
Richard Curtis of “Red Nose Day” on NBC “I’m watching a lot. We’re in a golden era of TV. So recently I watched ‘Love’ – you know, Judd Apatow and Paul Rust, a fairly new show. I very swiftly got through ‘The Night Manager,’ which I thought was extraordinary, and it keeps getting better.”
Mark Feuerstein of “Royal Pains” on USA Network “ ‘American Crime’ is amazing, honestly one of the first shows I’ve seen where I can say (broadcast) television is giving cable a run for its money. And I’ve watched ‘Billions’ – and ‘The People vs. O.J. Simpson,’ which was water-cooler television at its finest.”
Gordon Ramsay of “Hotel Hell” on Fox “... On my DVR, I’ve got every ‘Deadliest Catch,’ every fishing program and every Ironman (Triathlon) program.”
May 22 - 28, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 11
STORY
Welcome to
‘Wayward Pines,’ Jason Patric
Season 2 of this Fox series starts Wednesday Story on next page
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STORY
Jason Patric moves to ‘Wayward Pines’ as Season 2 begins By Jay Bobbin
By joining “Wayward Pines,” Jason Patric is moving into new territory in multiple ways. The movie and theater actor (“Rush,” “The Lost Boys,” his father Jason Miller’s play “That Championship Season”) – and grandson of television icon Jackie Gleason – makes his series debut in Season 2 of Fox’s eerie, M. Night Shyamalan-produced suspense show based on Blake Crouch’s books when it begins Wednesday, May 25. Succeeding previous star Matt Dillon, Patric plays Dr. Theo Yedlin, a maritally troubled Boston surgeon new to the Idaho town where the young First Generation is in control and threatens the elders ... and the rest of the human race. “Homeland” alum Nimrat Kaur plays Yedlin’s wife Rebecca, and Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”) also joins the cast as CJ Mitchum, a founding resident of Wayward Pines whose thorough knowledge of the locale proves useful. First-season returnees include Terrence Howard (“Empire”), Carla Gugino (who also stars this summer in Showtime’s upcoming “Roadies”), Hope Davis, Toby Jones, Oscar winner Melissa Leo, Shannyn Sossamon, Tom Stevens and Charlie Tahan. “It’s a challenge, there’s no question,” Patric says of his new undertaking. “I’ve spent over 30 years doing stage and screen, where I have a two-hour arc. I understand what that is and where it goes, and how to add things and how to be fresh with it. To do something that goes 10 episodes and 10 hours is different. With a lot of people who have been successful in doing shows, they’re primarily playing an obvious part of themselves, I think. “Because this character in ‘Wayward Pines’ is very cinematic, I really wanted to approach it the same way I would a film,” notes Patric. “When you show up on the set (in Vancouver), the production value is amazing, and it’s indistinguishable from movies I’ve done. You just approach it that way, and as I would with any other role, I’m trying to find the behavioral realism to this man.”
“Wayward Pines” makes that particularly challenging for Patric, given the saga’s surreal nature. He acknowledges his character is “put in an extraordinary situation that strains belief. I also try to look at it as (being) any man. If you or anyone else was just dropped in here, and the last thing you remembered was being on a beach with your wife and someone tried to tell you that you were 2000 years in the future, you would not believe it. No one would. They only believe it on television.” While TV work may be new to him, it certainly runs in the family of Patric, whose other movies have included “Narc,” “Sleepers” and “Speed 2: Cruise Control.” His mother, Linda Miller, starred with Ralph Waite (“The Waltons”) in the early-1980s CBS show “The Mississippi” – and Patric has nothing but respect for Gleason’s legacy, built on the classic sitcom “The Honeymooners” and a long-running CBS variety show. “I’ve always eschewed any form of nepotism, so I never spoke about” that family tie, Patric reflects. “Some of my peers had familial connections that I found they exploited, and that’s fine, but it’s not something I ever wanted. I’ve forged a different path, and it just doesn’t come up, so it’s not as if I hide it. (Gleason) was absolutely a 20thcentury genius, one of a small group in that pantheon of entertainment who went beyond that and became a cultural phenomenon.” Pleased to see his career getting “a rebirth” after several years largely spent away from it, Patric watched only the “Wayward Pines” pilot before starting work on the show, since he wanted the same sense of freshness his alter ego has in the situation. “You’re forced to be on your toes and be present, because every moment is something new and you don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s good in a sense, after all these years, to break out of any leaning on technique that you know you have and that can get you through things.”
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STORY
‘RED NOSE DAY’ Curtis pulls out the stops to support children in poverty
Paul Rudd is among the performers on “Red Nose Day,” airing Thursday on NBC. Story on next page Page 14 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote May 22 - 28, 2016
STORY
Curtis, celebs team up
to help children in poverty on ‘Red Nose Day’ By George Dickie
Get ready to don the red nose. “Red Nose Day” is back. The annual British charitable event crossed the pond in 2015 and made an immediate impact in its inaugural year in the U.S., raising over $23 million to help lift children here and in 15 other countries out of poverty. Now, as it gears up for its second annual telecast on Thursday, May 26, on NBC, its co-creator, acclaimed filmmaker Richard Curtis, is setting the bar even higher: $35 million. And he wants to viewers to know exactly how those funds are used. “I want to explain the fund-raising story a bit closer,” Curtis says. “You know, what we did last year was report that we reached $5 million and $10 million. This time I want to explain to people what difference their money makes so that by the end of the night, they can think, ‘Wow, we bought five-million meals, 100,000 vaccinations, got this number of kids an education.’ I want to try and add a bit of excitement to the fund-raising story.” Airing live from Los Angeles, the two-hour special features an impressive list of celebrities performing in comedy skits, stand-up performances, short films or musical performances, among them Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Julianne Moore, Tracy Morgan, Blake Griffin, Ellie Kemper, Anna Kendrick, Adam Devine, Liam Neeson, Lena Dunham, Emma Thompson, Kristen Bell and Sarah Silverman. Rudd (“I Love You, Man,” “This Is 40”), who appeared in last year’s show and who this year performs in a sketch with Los Angeles Clippers star Griffin, jumped at the chance to again work with the director of such films as “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Notting Hill” on a
Pictured: Anna Kendrick fund-raiser that has raised more than $1 billion in the U.K. since 1988. “He’s the nicest man. I’m such a fan of his,” the actor says. “He’s such a brilliant writer and then a great director, he’s made so many great movies. ... But working with him, he’s just been such a generous, nice, considerate person. And when you’re working with somebody who is in my opinion that esteemed, you want to bring your A-game.” “It’s an amazing thing that has us laughing now so many years,” Rudd continues, “and it’s very cool that in England a lot of people grew up watching it and knowing about it and then only recently coming to this country. ... There’s many other things like this but sometimes these things build on themselves and if you have an idea, each year it can get bigger and bigger until stuff really does make a difference in many people’s lives. And that’s a good thing.”
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S
STORY
Ramsay lends a sympathetic ear to troubled hoteliers in Season 3 of ‘Hotel Hell’ By George Dickie
In bringing back beleaguered family-run hotels from the edge of insolvency on Fox’s “Hotel Hell,” Gordon Ramsay often finds himself addressing a range of issues, from management practices and staff chemistry to cleanliness, food and décor. But sometimes a business’ woes can be traced back to only one individual, the owner – and whatever personal problems they happen to be going through at the time. Which puts the Scottish chef, entrepreneur and author in the role of psychiatrist. A role that he embraces. “I have a side to me that’s very rarely seen,” he says, “when you go that deep in terms of trying to instill that kind of confidence in bringing these people back. And I think that’s something I’m good at doing because of where I came from. “I didn’t walk into this industry because it was inherited from my parents,” he continues. “You know, I worked for every bit of it to get what I have. So I’ve climbed the ladder and part of that journey is experience, and that experience I want to pass on.”
Season 3 of “Hotel Hell” opens Tuesday, May 24, and finds the 49-year-old Ramsay coming to the aid of a hotel owner with a hoarding problem that has spilled over into the guest-room closets; a historic inn that remains empty because of shocking rumors regarding the owners, and in the season premiere, a struggling Idaho fishing lodge run by a family still reeling from a son’s accidental death. “For any family to bounce back from that in general is hard enough,” Ramsay says, “but to bounce back and try and run a business and maintain a position in the community is even harder. “So hospitality – restaurants, catering – is something that never switches off,” he says. “We don’t have a down season. It’s something that you can’t just switch the doors closed to rest. So it was an amazing lodge that had lost its way and the family was devastated on the loss of their young son. But they just fell apart and never bounced back. So it was about reinstalling their, I suppose, confidence in the business and in the lodge and understanding that a pillar of the community is that lodge and don’t underestimate that. So that was a tough one for me ... .”
Click or tap on icon for more! Page 16 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote May 22 - 28, 2016
STORY
Drew Carey
hosts realityshow veterans on primetime ‘Price Is Right’ specials By Jay Bobbin
As “The Price Is Right” returns to primetime, realitycompetition-show alumni are among contestants who get to “Come on down!” On the verge of marking his 10th anniversary as host of the CBS weekday staple – which was named outstanding game show at the most recent Daytime Emmy Awards – Drew Carey puts veterans of several of the network’s other series through their Plinko paces over three consecutive nights starting Monday, May 23. First up is a “Survivor”-themed edition, with that program’s Jeff Probst also appearing; Tuesday’s episode is devoted to “Big Brother,” with Julie Chen stopping by; and the Wednesday show is all about “The Amazing Race,” with Phil Keoghan featured. “They used to put it on primetime almost every season as sort of a fill-in show, when other shows were failing,” Carey recalls of “The Price Is Right’s” history, “but CBS has been so successful, they haven’t needed it. I think pairing up with the reality shows is how we got around the fill-in thing.” The reality alums are teamed with fans of their respective shows in playing for the typical array of prizes “The Price Is Right” offers, which are likely to be even more attractive for primetime purposes. “It was really fun,” Carey says of the recent tapings, noting that such players as “Survivor’s” Rupert Boneham, “Big Brother’s” Will Kirby
and “The Amazing Race’s” Joey Buttitta and Kelsey Gerckens were “all super-personable, and great with the contestants. They’re all natural hams who love to be on TV, so they were great on the show.” Renewed last month for what will be its 45th CBS season – the first 35 of which were hosted by gameshow legend Bob Barker – “The Price Is Right” has proven to be a comfortable base for Carey, previously known for his eponymous sitcom and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” as well as the live stand-up-comedy appearances he plans to resume this summer. “This is the longest I’ve ever had a job, including civilian jobs,” Carey muses, “and it’s way beyond what I ever thought it would be. It’s everything that you could ever want in a job. It’s fun and it’s a little bit different every day, so it never gets boring. And the contestants I interact with are great; every show is like, ’Wow, what a show!’ or, ‘Man, that person!’ There’s always something. “And the staff is wonderful,” adds Carey. “They really go out of their way to take care of me, so I don’t have to worry about anything but just doing the show. I go home every night feeling pretty blessed and lucky. I know that sounds like a line, but this is, like, the greatest thing ever for me.”
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SPORTS
Serena Williams seeks another tennis Grand Slam Story on next page
Full Name: Serena Jameka Williams Born: Sept. 26, 1981 Birthplace: Saginaw, Mich. Height: 5 foot 9 inches Turned Pro: Sept. 24, 1995 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Career Singles Record: 750–126 (85.62 percent)
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Honors & Achievements (singles): Australian Open winner, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015; French Open winner, 2002, 2013, 2015; Wimbledon winner, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015; US Open winner, 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014
SPORTS
By Dan Ladd The 2016 French Open begins Sunday, May 22 on NBC and runs through June 5. While much attention is being focused on the men’s bracket, there will also be a lot of eyes on Serena Williams who is looking to bounce back in Grand Slam events. Williams was on her way to another calendar year “Serena Slam” when she lost to Italian Roberta Vinci in the semifinals at the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam event of 2015. 2016 has not gotten off to a great start for Serena either. She had dominated throughout the Australian Open earlier this year only to fall to Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final; Serena’s first time losing in the final of that tournament, ever. She later lost in the final at Indian Wells and in the fourth round at Miami. Williams remains the top ranked women’s singles player by the WTA. However, speculation is that age (she is now 34) may be catching up to her. Prior to the Australian Open she had dealt with knee problems and the wear and tear of playing into the late rounds of nearly every tournament, year after year, has to take a toll on any athlete.
SerenaWilliams
While no one is counting out Serena Williams, the French Open could prove to be a measuring stick of where she and her competitors stand, since the course at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris is considered to be one of the most physically challenging on the WTA tour.
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MOVIES JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review review
What is “Snow White and the Huntsman” without Snow White? The answer is “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” which is both a prequel and a sequel as it builds its own story around elements from the earlier film, while still remaining another dark take on a fairy tale. Very notably not present is Snow, embodied by Kristen Stewart the last time, so this story tries to up the odds on several counts to cover for her absence. Chris Hemsworth is back as the title huntsman, with Jessica Chastain added as his ally and love interest. And Charlize Theron returns as the evil queen, with Emily Blunt sharing her mantle by playing – and playing to the hilt – her sister, who has her own evil to do by kidnapping children and making them her own huntsman army. In her world, love is banished – giving her natural nemeses in lovebirds Hemsworth and Chastain, who get separated by her for a number of years before they’re able to reunite. A certain magic mirror also is missing, and it’s up to them to find it before the literally icy Blunt does and puts it to her own sinister purposes. Do you get major battle scenes between the forces of good and evil? Of course you do, and the wintry scenes of battle will likely seem a bit cooler in multiple ways as the real world’s warm-weather season begins to kick in.
Pictured: Emily Blunt (left) and Charlize Theron
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“The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is OK if you like this sort of thing, with extra juice added by Theron and Blunt, who appear to have fun showing that sibling rivalry does not necessarily exclude evil rulers. Both clearly are very smart performers, and each seems to relish someone who’s very much her equal to square off against. Frankly, it’s also a novelty to see two strong female villains share the load as Theron and Blunt’s alter egos do here. It’s something of a triumph these days if a film offers one, much less two ... and their effect together places a big task on Hemsworth and Chastain, attractive as they may be, not to get lost between them. The imagery is expectedly fine, especially since “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” was directed by the previous picture’s visual-effects chief, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. However, if that first film has led you to expect a major character who’s missing here, you’re in for a Snow job.
MOVIES
JAY BOBBIN's movie review movies to watch
“ZOOLANDER NO. 2”
Top Pick
DVD
Who is murdering the world’s most beautiful people ... including, in this film’s view, Justin Bieber (who’s commendably game and quite funny here)? It’s up to modeling veterans Derek and Hans (Ben Stiller, also the director and a co-writer, and Owen Wilson) to find out, though their reunion is strained at best, in this much-later sequel being released on home video in a “Magnum Edition.” The plot ultimately isn’t as inspired as might be hoped, but the overall humor is helped immensely by the performances; Penelope Cruz, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig contribute, as do Christine Taylor (Mrs. Stiller in real life), Milla Jovovich and a parade of cameo performers including (as themselves) Kiefer Sutherland and former “Today” partners Matt Lauer and Katie Couric. (PG-13: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand).
Pictured: Ben Stiller
upcoming DVD releases
“GODS OF EGYPT” (May 31): Powerful ancient rivals (Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) vie for nothing less than control of the world; Geoffrey Rush also stars. (PG-13: AS, V) “PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES” (May 31): The classic story gets a major revision involving – you guessed it – the undead; Lily James and Sam Riley star. (PG-13: AS, V)
Pictured: Gerard Butler
“RACE” (May 31): Jesse Owens (Stephan James) faces challenges both on and off the track as he prepares for the 1936 Berlin Olympics. (PG-13: AS, P)
“HAIL, CAESAR!” (June 7): A 1950s Hollywood “fixer” (Josh Brolin) tries to rescue a kidnapped movie star (George Clooney). (PG-13: AS, P) “13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI” (June 7): Directed by Michael Bay, the true drama about the 2012 diplomatic-compound attack stars John Krasinski. (R: P, V) “LONDON HAS FALLEN” (June 14): The U.S. president and his Secret Service man (Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler) are among terrorists’ targets in the “Olympus Has Fallen” sequel. (R: AS, P, V)
Family Viewing Ratings AS Adult situations
P Profanity
V Violence
N Nudity
GV Graphic Violence
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FAVORITE SHOWS
Erin Andrews co-hosts “Dancing With the Stars”
Jon Seda stars in “Chicago P.D.”
Sullivan Stapleton stars in “Blindspot”
SUNDAY 8 p.m. on ABC 2016 Billboard Music Awards Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena is the location as many top stars of song gather at this event, with Ludacris and Ciara as hosts. The Weeknd leads the nominees with 16 bids, followed by Justin Bieber with 11 nods. Britney Spears gets the Millennium Award, and Celine Dion receives the Icon Award. Scheduled performers include Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato (touring together this summer), the aforementioned Bieber and Spears, Shawn Mendes, Pink and the Go-Go’s. New
The Weeknd is among the nominees in the 2016 Billboard Music Awards
MONDAY 10:01 p.m. on NBC Blindspot Several characters reach tipping points — and, more likely than not, cliffhangers — in the show’s firstseason finale, “Why Await Life’s End.” Jane’s (Jaimie Alexander) concerns about Oscar (Francois Arnaud) prompt her to contact a former suspect. Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) agonizes over his feelings regarding an uncertainty, while the rest of the team becomes involved in a personal quest. Whatever is left dangling, it’ll be resolved: The series is getting Season 2. Season Finale New
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TUESDAY 9 p.m. on ABC Dancing With the Stars It’s a given that “Good Morning America’s” Ginger Zee is among the most buff television meteorologists in the country — and the world — given the energy she’s put into her run as a contestant in this show’s Season 22, which airs its finale here. Hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews award the mirrorball trophy to one of the remaining competitors and his or her professional dance partner. The judges are Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli. Season Finale New
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FAVORITE SHOWS WEDNESDAY 10 p.m. on NBC Chicago P.D. Cases don’t get much more personal for Voight (Jason Beghe) than the one in this drama’s Season 4 finale, “Start Digging.” His son (guest star Josh Segarra) has ties to a murdered widow and single mother — and when the son is attacked, colleagues worry that Voight will go on a rampage. The detectives also are concerned that a commander (guest star Barbara Eve Harris) will order procedural changes. Sophia Bush, Jesse Lee Soffer and Jon Seda also star. Season Finale New
FRIDAY 9 p.m. on FOX Rosewood The pursuit of a serial killer has personal impacts on some of the investigators in “Aortic Atresia and Art Installations.” TMI (Anna Konkle) is alarmed when her former fiance (guest star Sam Witwer), an FBI agent, becomes involved in the case. Rosewood (Morris Chestnut) worries about a possible lawsuit plus Villa’s (Jaina Lee Ortiz) potential involvement with Mike (guest star Taye Diggs). Lorraine Toussaint also stars.
SATURDAY 8 p.m. on NBC Movie: King Kong The giant ape who rules Skull Island wreaks havoc on New York again in director Peter Jackson’s vivid 2005 retelling of the fantasy tale, set in the 1930s of the original screen version. Special effects have come far since then, as this film’s Oscar-winning visuals prove at virtually every turn — particularly in the hair-raising middle portion involving many bizarre creatures. Naomi Watts plays the apple of the big simian’s eye. Jack Black and Adrien Brody also star.
THURSDAY 8 p.m. on FOX Bones Though Booth (David Boreanaz) is ready to dive into the probe of a Secret Service agent’s death, the organization appears not to want his help in the rather logically titled new episode “The Secret in the Service.” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is bedridden with the flu, but she’s determined to keep tabs on the investigation anyway. Hodgins (TJ Thyne) risks his life in an experiment. Michael Gaston and Joel David Moore guest star. Michaela Conlin also stars. New 9 p.m. on FOX American Grit The contest is changed up considerably for those still in it in the new episode “Dawn Patrol.” Host John Cena cautions them that their next mission could come at any time, and they have to start it without guidance from the cadre members. A lot of weight is on them — literally — as they maneuver through checkpoints, thanks to heavy items they have to carry. As usual, only one of the teams will fare well enough to avoid having to face “The Circus.” New
“King Kong”
Taye Diggs stars in “Rosewood”
“Bones”
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