YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote February 8 - 14, 2015

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Meghan Trainor is a nominee for record of the year and song of the year in The 57th Annual Grammy Awards, airing Sunday on CBS.story on pg 3

What’s HoT This Week Click to jump to these featured sections!

“The Jinx” “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” premieres Sunday on HBO. Story on pg 11

“The Slap” Zachary Quinto stars in the drama series “The Slap,” premiering Thursday on NBC. Story on pg 14-15

Mikaela Shiffrin The 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Story on pg 16-17

“Better Call Saul” Michael McKean stars in “Better Call Saul,” premiering Sunday on AMC. Story on pg 12-13

James Spader His reaction to the ‘The Blacklist’ pilot

interview on pg 4

Tom Cavanagh on the different sides

of Dr. Harrison Wells on “The Flash”

interview on pg 5

Jonathan Banks

on the challenges as an actor

interview on pg 6

Retta Checking in!

interview on pg 8

Alfonso Ribeiro

Explores food origins interview on pg 7

Jack Maxwell Profile on pg 9

SSTORY

February 8 - 14, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote

Editor's choice

Recently, Meghan Trainor checked Instagram to remember what her life was like a year ago.

That’s understandable for someone whose meteoric success gave her one of 2014’s top music hits – “All About That Bass” – and now has her in the running for two of the industry’s main honors. As performer and (with Kevin Kadish) co-writer, she’s nominated for record of the year and song of the year in The 57th Annual Grammy Awards, which CBS televises from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 8. LL Cool J returns as host for the fourth consecutive year.

“I remember asking my manager, ‘Is this how every new artist starts? Very, very busy?,’ ” the unaffected, friendly Trainor recalls. “He was like, ‘No. You work 10 years, then you get a hit song ... maybe. This is very fast, but all your dreams are coming true right now.’ And I was like, ‘Wow. This is amazing.’ I mean, it’s only been a few months.”

The 21-year-old Trainor has been singing since she was 6 and writing songs since 11, but her performance of “All About That Bass” for L.A. Reid – on the ukulele – got her signed to Epic Records and placed on a career fast track last year.

Trainor claims her Grammy bids are “the last things I didn’t have. I had the No. 1 song in the world, and everybody knows me as an artist now. And my parents, we’re all just buggin’ out! They’re actually handling it very well. I’ve never

seen them happier. I think all their dreams are coming true, too. They were always very supportive, but my mom told me, ‘I didn’t know if it was just because I love you so much that I thought you were really good.’ ”

Apart from the catchy melody that has earned it countless plays since its release last June, “All About That Bass” contains messages about body image and self-acceptance that Trainor rejects criticisms of.

“All the people saying I wrote it to bash skinny people and all that other stuff, that only helped it,” she reasons, “because then, people were actually talking. At first, it all seemed like only hate, and I wondered if there was anything positive. Then, my friends said, ‘Meghan, they’re talking about you. That’s huge!’ I thought, ‘Yeah,’ and then I started retweeting: ‘Everyone, discuss.’ ”

“All About That Bass” and Trainor’s follow-up single, “Lips Are Movin’,” are on her recently released debut album “Title.” She’s proud to be part of a musical Class of 2014 that also saw big marks made by such talents as Sam Smith and Iggy Azalea, both up for best new artist at the Grammys.

Trainor also is happy to get news about her achievements from close to home. “My mom always tells me the records I break,” she muses. “Not even my label. My mom. She’ll tell me, ‘You beat a Michael Jackson thing. Do you understand what’s happening?’ And I’m like, ‘Nah. No way.’ ”

Meghan Trainor is now all

about those Grammys

BY JAY BOBBIN

Click here for more!

http://www.cbs.com/

folio

JamesSpADeR ‘The Blacklist’ on NBC

Has Raymond “Red” Reddington developed the way you hoped he would from the time you began “The Blacklist”?

When I first spoke to the writers and gave them my reactions to the pilot, I think all of us were very excited. This character was very enigmatic, and yet I saw the opportunity for letting the prism through which he saw the world play out in a tangible way ... in every episode, to different degrees.

Certainly, the character’s irreverence has been able to flourish. He’s living, and has lived, a life that seems incomprehensible – and one of the things I have thought, and have continued to think, is that a life lived in the extremes is one that he finds comforting. And how do you find peace in the most dire of circumstances, or calm in chaos? Or humor wrapped up in fear and threat?

Has it been a challenge for you to keep Red from dipping into caricature as the series has gone on?

I think it’s just a matter of staying true. As odd and singular as the prism through which he sees the world is, it’s very specific to him, and I think he’s very convicted to who he is. He takes ownership and responsibility for that, and it allows for erratic behavior because it’s all within the context of who he is.

I do my due diligence in terms of that, but the writers have a very strong sense of that as well. They spend a lot of time talking through a lot of this, and they know Reddington very well.

JAY BOBBIN’S Q&A

CELEBRITYC



http://www.nbc.com/

folio


TomCAvANAGH ‘The Flash’ on The CW

Are you enjoying playing both the benevolent and scheming sides of Dr. Harrison Wells on “The Flash”?

Since we were children, getting a chance to do this stuff is actually fun for me, personally. And Grant (Gustin, who plays Barry Allen/The Flash), we have a lot of fun. And how could you kind of not, when you look at what we get to do?

And so that carries most of the battle, I think, in terms of keeping things loose. And we’re proceeding from gratitude. We know it’s a good job and a fun job, and we’re grateful for it. Which I think, probably, there’s some ephemeral translation to that on the screen.

What’s the biggest challenge of playing a character who is two people at once, especially when the audience is in on it?

When you’ve got sort of a dual purpose for everything you say, dual goals, all those kinds of things – all that duality, as an actor, it’s a joy to play, because you’re trying to approach it from different levels. And sometimes you succeed, and sometimes you don’t.

But one of the tremendous things is to have lines that go, “I look forward to seeing you soon.” You know, like stuff like that, which is layered with all sorts of different things, because he’s also ... he’s the Reverse Flash, but also Harrison Wells. And his agendas don’t necessarily make him a bad guy, in the way that (he’s) not a mustache-twirling bad guy. He needs Barry to do well,

and essentially, Barry needs him to further his own powers. And so the fact that he’s got certain complications, for me, is a joy to play.

JAY BOBBIN’S Q&A

CELEBRITY C


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JoNaThaNBANKSof ‘Better Call saul’ on amC

How different a guy is your character in “Better Call Saul,” Mike Ehrmantraut, from the one at the end of “Breaking Bad”?

Not much. You saw him meet Jimmy, and very soon you will go back further. You will learn more and more about Mike.

How much of a challenge is it as an actor to peel away the layers?

I love the character, so where we go with it and what we do, I enjoy it because the writers know the character and they take good care of it. And they also pay attention to some of my opinions about who Mike is. But like I say, I always defer to them. I come out of their pen.

Actors always say that to create a character, one has to find common ground with it. Is that true for you?

You’d like to believe that. You know, I’ve played some real hard asses over the course of my life. I’ve certainly backed down from fights and fled instead of fight. I’m just a guy. I draw on a lot of things throughout my life. I draw on people that I have known. And I’ve been broken up pretty good a few times. So I’ll just leave it at that. And that’s to say, listen, you know what? I ain’t so tough. ... I guess it’s fair enough to say at my age, I’ve seen a bit. I’ve seen a bit. I’ll leave it at that.

GEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A

CELEBRITYC



http://www.amctv.com/

FOOD F

alFoNsoRIBeIROAlfonso Ribeiro doesn’t consider himself a foodie, but rather a guy who loves American food.

Which makes his hosting the Monday Cooking Channel series “Unwrapped 2.0” something of an ideal assignment.

“I am the quintessential American eater,” declares the 43-year-old former star of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and Season 19 co-champion (with Witney Carson) of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” “I’m not super fancy. I’m not super creative. I love heartland-of-America-type foods. So I wouldn’t consider myself a full foodie because of just simply the fact that I’m not like a big sushi eater and the weird foods. I’m not into that. But if you make me some basic, fundamental foods ... I’m into all of that.”

The series, which premiered last week, is basically a reboot of Food Network’s “Unwrapped” that was hosted for years by Marc Summers. Like its predecessor, the new show takes viewers across the country to explore the origin, creation and secrets behind such legendary foods as caramel apples, honey barbecue potato chips and the subject of the premiere episode, honey buns.

“I loved the honey buns,” says Ribeiro, who is currently touring the country with Carson with the “Dancing With the Stars Live” show. “Like I just love that. I mean, it’s not really a surprising thing about how it’s made. It’s a lot of sugar (laughs) – a lot of sugar on a lot of different stuff. But ... how they do the honey buns, was kind of cool to me.”

In Monday’s episode, Ribeiro learns about the origins of sweet and sour. Other episodes delve into pork rinds, the pecan log roll and something called a chocolate salami.

“It is all-American stuff,” Ribeiro says, “so it’s the treat, rather than it be about burgers and those types of things. It’s ultimately about the treats that we love.

“It’s when you go to a football game, what do you have there? What comes with the meal? You know, the fun stuff, the stuff that kids love to eat. This is what this show is about. And that’s really what attracted me to it, simply that I love all those treats. So it’s a perfect marriage.”

What book are you currently reading? “Right now, I don’t have time to really sit down and read a book, so I don’t have one.”What did you have for dinner last night? “I had a filet mignon steak.”What is your next project? “That’s still to be determined. The next one that I

have on the books, I’m directing a TV show for ABC Family.”When was your last vacation, where and why? “My last vacation was right after the season of ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ where my wife and I went to the Andaz Hotel in Maui, Hawaii.”

GEORGE DICKIE’S WHAT'S FOR DINNER


Ribeiro explores food origins on ‘Unwrapped 2.0’


http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/<200E>

C CELEBRITY

For the past seven seasons, Retta has provided one of the few voices of reason as Donna Meagle on the madcap NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” currently in its final weeks Tuesdays on NBC.

If you look at her high school record, however, the actress looks more like a real-life embodiment of Amy Poehler’s over-achieving main character, Leslie Knope.

“There were people in my group who were way more enthusiastic go-getters than I was,” Retta explains. “I did do a lot of things because I was, first, a little bit popular, and second, I didn’t want to miss stuff. So I was on the student council, the yearbook staff, I managed wrestling, I was a cheerleader and I did track. I did win the Spirit Award one year on my cheerleading team.”

As an avid student in honors math and science, Retta started college in North Carolina as a pre-med candidate, but away from home, she began to discover other career options. Her parents had not pressured her into her career path, but they weren’t especially thrilled when she told them she wanted to try comedy as an alternative. (They changed their minds after seeing her onstage.)

Actually, she embarked on stand-up as a means to an acting career, since this was when Roseanne, Tim Allen and Brett Butler all were translating their club acts into hit ABC sitcoms. She just didn’t realize every other comic in Los Angeles was adopting the same strategy.

As for her “Parks and Recreation” character, “Temperamentally, yes, Donna and I are alike,” she says. “I tend not to be able to hide my feelings when I find something to be ‘off,’ or just stupid. I really used to think I was really good at it until one of my roommates said to me, ‘We can read everything on your face.’ We are different in that Donna is way more confident than I am. She has no qualms about going after what she wants.”

JOHN CROOK'S CELEBRITY SCOOP

Born: Marietta Sirleaf, April 12, 1970Family ties: Her parents are immigrants from Liberia, and she’s related to the country’s first female president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; has two younger brothers.Her moniker: Retta dropped her surname when she started

doing stand-up comedy to avoid potentially embarrassing her father (who only urged her to “get health insurance”). Her family is fully supportive now.

ReTTa


CELEBRITIES PROFILED CCELEBRITY

JaCkMAxWeLLJack maxwell is a professional actor, producer and adventurer.

• He was born in Boston, Mass.• At a young age, Maxwell made himself an entrepreneur by shining shoes in neighborhood pubs and gin mills. This early experience awakened his awareness of alcohol’s magical socializing effect.• In Travel Channel’s new original series “Booze Traveler,” Maxwell ventures the globe to get a taste of a country’s alcohol, and also to find out what people drink, why they drink it and the stories they tell when they do.• He connects with locals, immerses himself in regional activities, learns about the country’s unique relationship with liquor and sometimes even participates in the alcohol-making process.• He became a lifetime member of the Actors Studio in 2003.• He won best actor in a lead role at the 2012 Pan Pacific Film Festival and was presented with both the Emerald Star and Golden Halo award from the Southern California Motion Picture Council.• Additionally, he has shared stage time with Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain in Oscar Wilde’s “Salome” as well as the movie, “Wilde Salome,” about the making of the play.• Jack is currently touring the United States with Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor doing their play “Lovers and Other Strangers.” He plays three different characters in this production.• His recent credits include “Franklin and Bash,” “Without a Trace,” “24,” “Lost,” “House M.D.,” “Ugly Betty” and “The Unit.”• He also won kudos for his turn as Rocco in Rogue Machine Theatre’s production of “Razorback” and as Granger Sims in the Actors Studio presentation of George Furth’s “Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex and Sex” at both the Tiffany Theatre and the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles.• As a host, Jack Maxwell was hand-picked by the President of MGM Television to front “National Enquirer’s Uncovered.”• Jack has appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” and ended up on the pages of Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, US Weekly, Stuff Magazine, L.A. Times, New York Post and Playgirl (interview only).• He has also hosted “Movie Showcase” on DirecTV and “Winner Take All” for ABC



www.imdb.com/name/nm0561717/

James Spader of “The Blacklist” on NBC“When I’m disseminating large volumes of fictional material, I lean toward nonfiction. When I view something at home, I really want to see a documentary. And I’m a member of the film academy, so I try to see as many of the (Oscar) entries as I can, so that I can vote with some sort of knowledge – but I can safely say that I don’t watch much scripted television at all.”

Lauren Graham of “Parenthood” on NBC“I am a big ‘Homeland’ fan, I really love ‘The Americans,’ and I also love ‘Louie’ and ‘Veep.’ Those would be my top four – and then, also ‘Shark Tank’ and ‘The Voice.’ ‘Shark Tank’ makes me think I can invent something.”

Aarón Sánchez of “Taco Trip” on Cooking Channel“A lot of history shows, like the history of Rome, archaeology shows. I watch that kind of stuff. I like pirates (laughs), stuff like that. Vikings are pretty cool.”

Jeff Mauro of “The Kitchen” on Food Network“I watch a lot of HBO stuff, Showtime stuff. I’m a big fan of ‘Homeland,’ ‘Walking Dead,’ ‘Key & Peele.’ ... Of course, all my shows, which we have to start erasing because (laughs) it’s taking up the DVR space.”

C CELEBRITY

CELEBS’ FAVORITE SHOWS

James Spader

Lauren Graham

Jeff Mauro

Aarón Sánchez

set the DVr


Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki says there was a point when he knew New York real estate heir and twice-acquitted murder suspect Robert Durst would be completely candid with him in the making of his HBO documentary series “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst.”

Jarecki was filming the director’s commentary for the DVD of his 2010 theatrical release “All Good Things” – which was inspired by the 1982 disappearance of Durst’s wife Kathie – and the two sat and watched the film together. In a pivotal scene, the Durst character played by Ryan Gosling bursts into a party being thrown for his wife (played by Kirsten Dunst), grabs her by the hair and drags her out in front of shocked family and friends. Jarecki was braced for the worst.

“Bob immediately says, totally calmly, ‘Yes, I’ve heard this scene described two ways,’ ” Jarecki says. “And I said, ‘What were those?’ And he said, ‘Well, some people said I just came back in the house and I grabbed her by the hair and I dragged her out of the house by her hair. And then the other way is I yanked her by the hair and a big chunk came out.’ ... There’s a long pause and he says, ‘Either one of those is pretty close.’ ”

SSTORY


The six-part series, which premieres Sunday, Feb. 8, delves into the strange history of Durst, the son of privilege who was suspected in the still-unsolved disappearance of his wife as well as the murders of family friend Susan Berman and neighbor Morris Black, whose dismembered corpse was found floating in Galveston Bay, Texas. Durst actually reached out to Jarecki and granted him unprecedented access for the project, which uncovers long-buried information and includes interviews with Durst kin and many who were part of the original investigations.

Still one has to wonder why Durst, now 71 and with his legal troubles seemingly behind him, would want to rehash the past and possibly invite trouble.

“One of the things he says,” Jarecki says, “is, ‘For 30 years, people have been telling my story, assuming that I would never respond and they can say anything they want because I’m never going to give an interview, so it’s never going to be disputed. And I see that a lot and that has bothered me, and I felt like I was not able to tell my story my way. And at the very least, there’s going to be something out there from me.’ ... So I think it sort of comes down to him wanting to be able to tell his side of the story.”

BY GEORGE DICKIE

Robert Durst tells his

side of the story

in HBO’s ‘The Jinx’


http://www.hbo.com/html/error/browser_message_a.html?return=http://www.hbo.com/

STORYS

BoBoDenkirk

Before there was

‘BaD’


Story on next page

“Better Call Saul,” the prequel to “Breaking Bad,” premieres Sunday

on AMC.

BY GEORGE DICKIE

‘Breaking Bad’

shysTerfinds his less-than-

honest voice on amC’s ‘Better Call saul’


SSTORY

Walter White may be dead and (presumably) buried, but “Breaking Bad” fans won’t be totally left out in the cold with the premiere of its prequel, “Better Call Saul,” Sunday on AMC.

The hourlong drama series follows the exploits and evolution of the character who became popular during the latter years of “Bad’s” 2008-13 run, Saul Goodman – aka Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) – as he morphs from struggling lawyer to the sleazy strip-mall shyster who would become White’s attorney.

Joining Odenkirk from the previous series are Jonathan Banks as future fixer Mike Ehrmantraut, along with Michael McKean (“Laverne & Shirley,” “This Is Spinal Tap”) as Saul’s more legitimate lawyer brother Chuck; Rhea Seehorn (“Whitney,” “I’m With Her”) as Saul’s law colleague Kim Wexler; Patrick Fabian (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Newsroom”) as Chuck’s law partner Howard Hamlin; and Michael Mando (“Orphan Black,” “The Bridge”) as calculating career criminal Nacho Varga.

“I had to rethink him,” says Odenkirk of his character at a recent gathering of TV critics in Pasadena, Calif. “He’s a different guy. The guy you’re going to meet in this show is a far more dimensional character than Saul Goodman was on ‘Breaking Bad,’ a much richer character, but by necessity, he’s on screen a lot more and the story’s about him, and so I had to do the job of acting and reading the script and talking to (co-creators) Vince (Gilligan) and Peter (Gould) about the character and figuring out ... these new sides of the character.”

Standing in sharp contrast to shady Saul is brother Chuck, an honest attorney with an as-yet-undisclosed rare illness and a deep and abiding respect for the law.

“I’m the one who has done very well sticking by the law,” says McKean in a separate interview. “... I’m the one who says, ‘Well you could do that except it’s wrong and against the law.’ Now that doesn’t mean that lawyers always make the right choice or that lawyers always do something that’s going to be for the good of humanity. They’re going to do what’s good for their clients.

“The law is Chuck’s deity,” McKean continues. “If there is an absolute, religious people, they say God is the absolute. That’s who we go to. The word. Well, this is the word to Chuck, the law, and it’s something that escapes Jimmy because what Chuck knows about the law is a lot more than what Jimmy knows. And their roles are not exactly reversed now, but Jimmy is the one who is kind of taking care of creature comforts for Chuck, whereas Chuck used to be the guy who’d fly to Chicago to bail him out of jail or who’d get him a job in the mailroom of my firm, to do things for him like that. But I guess you could say he’s sort of the conscience, yeah.”

Michael mckean


http://www.amctv.com/

S STORY


nBc DeliVers

resounding ‘slap’

UMaThurman

Don’t miss this new drama series “The Slap,” premiering Thursday on NBC.

Story on next page

SSTORY


Bill” actress reasons “The Slap” is “a very interesting cultural exploration of the changing face of how to treat a human being, of compassion, of family, what’s acceptable, what’s not acceptable. I think (Baitz) explores this in the old world ... like, who can blame their parent who was lashed in the woodshed if they slapped you a few times, and they think they did nothing to you because they were brutalized? So they’re blinded by their own trauma from how they may have behaved.”

The slap itself clearly is “a big scene,” Quinto confirms, especially being the central person who executes it. “There were a lot of technical elements to it because there were so many of us in it. The thing that was the most important for everybody was the well-being and the safety of the kids, and so I was really impressed with how our team handled that. Obviously, we had to do it repetitively, but we isolated the moment of the slap.”

Known for work on film (“Garden State”) and stage (“The Seagull”), Sarsgaard – whose wife, Maggie Gyllenhaal, recently won a Golden Globe Award for the miniseries “The Honourable Woman” – also makes a rare move into TV with “The Slap.” It brings him full circle in a way, since he explains, “When I first came to New York, I really wanted to be in this Jon Robin Baitz play, and I auditioned. I really thought I was the guy. I didn’t get the job. So, this sort of felt like I’d always wanted to work with him.”

All it takes is one moment, and one action, to alter relationships forever.

For proof, there’s “The Slap,” NBC’s new limited-run series adapted by playwright Jon Robin Baitz (“The Substance of Fire”) from a Christos Tsiolkas novel that also inspired a 2011 Australian television drama.

Premiering Thursday, Feb. 12, the saga is launched at a birthday party where tensions erupt when the guest of honor’s (Peter Sarsgaard) cousin (Zachary Quinto, “Star Trek”) delivers a rough slap to the face of a misbehaving child (Dylan Schombing) ... who isn’t his, setting off a wave of overt anger, accusations of neglectful parenting and looming lawsuits.

Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton, Thomas Sadoski (“The Newsroom”), Penn Badgley (“Gossip Girl”), Marin Ireland and Brian Cox also are in the ensemble cast of “The Slap.” Co-star Melissa George (“In Treatment”) gets to revisit the role she played in the original version, the mother of the slapped youngster.

Each of the eight episodes of “The Slap” largely takes the perspective of one of the people who are party to the title incident. Also an executive producer of the show, Baitz believes the American retelling is “far more psychological, actually, and is about sort of the ramifications of our moral and internal lives.”

Thurman agrees. Making a rare television appearance after her 2012 guest stint on NBC’s “Smash,” the “Kill

ZacharyQuinToBY JAY BOBBIN

‘The slap’ lingers on for

several people


http://www.nbc.com/

SPORTSS


FuLL NAME: Mikaela Pauline ShiffrinBoRN: March 13, 1995 (age 19)RESIDES: Vail, Colo.HEIGHT: 5 feet 7 inchesDISCIPLINES: slalom, giant slalom

HoNoRS & ACHIEvEMENTS: gold medal, 2014 Winter Olympic Games; gold medal, 2013 World Championships; bronze medal, 2011 Junior World Ski Championships

Story on next page

Mikaelashiffrinyoung and

fast


SPORTSS

She’s not even 20 yet and already Mikaela Shiffrin is paving her own way in her sport of downhill slalom ski racing. The 2014 Olympic gold medalist will once again race down the mountain, this time in her hometown, when she competes in the ladies slalom at the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colo., airing Saturday, Feb. 14, on NBC.

Shiffrin has literally grown up in the world of skiing. Originally from New Hampshire, her family moved west to Colorado when she was just 8 and by the time she was old enough to compete at age 15, there was no stopping her. In 2011, she became the youngest American to claim a national title when she won the U.S. National Championships shortly after turning 16. For Shiffrin, titles continued to fall to her like dominoes, leading all the way up to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. There, less than a month before her 19th birthday, she became the youngest slalom winner in history and also went on to finish fifth in the giant slalom.

Viewers who tune in on Saturday will likely get a peek at Shiffrin during the second run of the ladies slalom in Beaver Creek. The race takes place on the Raptor racecourse, constructed in 2012-13 specifically for this event, giant slalom races and training. It’s safe to say that Shiffrin has the home-slope advantage.

The 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships run through Feb. 15.

BY DAN LADD

Mikaelashiffrin

JAY BOBBIN'S THEATRICAL MOVIE REVIEW

review

MOVIES

“TAKEN3”

If Bryan Mills had known at the time what else was in store for his supposed retirement from espionage, he might have thought rescuing his kidnapped daughter was a walk in the park.

Liam Neeson had such an enormous hit with the original “Taken,” it launched a major new career chapter for him as an action star, fortified by such additional films as “Non-Stop” and “A Walk Among the Tombstones.” You know what success breeds, and since “Taken 2” also fared well, there’s now – you guessed it – “Taken 3.”

Mills’ family life always has been the basis of his troubles in these movies, and that’s the crux of his problems again. He still wants his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) back, but there’s a new man in her life (Dougray Scott) ... and, probably no surprise, a man with a questionable past.

The suspicions Mills naturally has about his rival for his former spouse leads to a murder that the ex-spy is framed for. While he’s trying to clear himself, he also has to continue to keep watch over daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), who’s threatened again; the stakes actually are higher, since she’s expecting her first child.

In “Die Hard 2,” Bruce Willis’ John McClane wonders, “How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?” For sure, “Taken 3” cements Neeson’s Mills as a member of the same club, but it’s to the actor’s credit that he still makes it work without slipping into caricature.

Director Olivier Megaton has built a reputation for this sort of fast-paced festival of mayhem, and he delivers for those who already are in the “Taken” house. At the same time, those who are just getting their first dose of the franchise will immediately get a sense of what they’ve missed. It’s the same commanding Neeson, even more confident (if that’s possible) in the role.

A certain suspension of disbelief is a requirement when you get to the third chapter of a franchise such as “Taken,” but there’s still undeniable fun in watching Neeson mop up the screen with various bad guys. The third time may not be the charm, but at the same time, “Taken 3” does no real harm ... unless you happen to be on the receiving end as one of its villains.


M

Liam Neeson gets ‘Taken’ again in third

round

“DuMB AND DuMBER To” (Feb. 17): Lloyd and Harry (Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels) reunite to find the daughter Harry didn’t know he had. (PG-13: AS, N, P)

“THE INTERvIEW” (Feb. 17): The controversial Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy makes its home-video debut. (R: AS, P, V)

“THE THEoRY oF EvERYTHING” (Feb. 17): Current Oscar nominees Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones star in the personal story of astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. (PG-13: AS)

“THE HoMESMAN” (Feb. 17): A drifter (Tommy Lee Jones, also the director here) is recruited by a frontierswoman (Hilary Swank) to help transport several troubled people. (R: AS, N, P, V)

“LIFE ITSELF” (Feb. 17): The life of movie critic Roger Ebert is recalled, in his own words and those of others including filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog. (R: AS, P)

“SoNS oF ANARCHY: SEASoN SEvEN” (Feb. 24): The saga concludes as Jax (Charlie Hunnam) realizes how close to home the source of a personal tragedy is – and weighs his need for vengeance. (Not rated: AS, N, P, V)

UPCOMING DVD RELEASES

coming soon on DVD...

JAY BOBBIN'S MOVIE REVIEW MOVIES TO WATCH

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Jeff Daniels (left) and Jim Carrey

“NIGHTCRAWLER”Jake Gyllenhaal rightfully has received much attention for his man-on-the-fringes performance as a free-lance videographer who provides graphic crime footage to an eager TV-news producer (Rene Russo, whose husband – Dan Gilroy – wrote and directed the film). Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed also appear in the drama that makes salient, and unnerving, points about what makes much of the media tick these days. Several veterans of local Los Angeles newscasting turn up here, and Robert Elswit’s evocative cinematography also merits note. DVD extras: “making-of” documentary; audio commentary by Gilroy, producer Tony Gilroy and editor John Gilroy (they’re all brothers). ››› (R: AS, P, GV) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)


Jake Gyllenhaal

S FAVORITE SHOWS

SuNDAY 8 p.m. on CBSThe 57th Annual Grammy AwardsTwo-time Grammy winner LL Cool J (“NCIS: Los Angeles”) is host for the festivities at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring excellence in the recording industry. Artists scheduled to perform during the three-and-a-half-hour special include Eric Church, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Madonna, AC/DC, Common, Miranda Lambert, John Legend, Sam Smith, Usher and Pharrell Williams. New

9 p.m. on AMC

The Walking DeadAs new episodes resume for one of cable TV’s hottest series, things are looking — wait for it — bleak

for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his plucky band of survivors, as they find themselves on the road in the aftermath of the tragic events that occurred in the mid-season finale. Worse, perhaps, is that they now know their hopes that a cure for the plague is waiting for them in Washington, D.C., are nothing but a pipe dream. Not surprisingly, some in the party are nearing their breaking point. New

MoNDAY 10 p.m. on NBC

State of AffairsIn a new episode called “Here and Now,” Charlie and President Payton (Katherine Heigl, Alfre Woodard)

must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to apprehend the world’s most-wanted terrorist when Nick (guest star Chris L. McKenna) finally gets Sheikh Hakam (guest star Yousuf Azami) in his sights. Unfortunately, Sen. Burke (guest star Rex Linn) releases sensitive intel for his own ends that could jeopardize the entire mission. Adam Kaufman and David Harbour also star. New

TuESDAY 9 p.m. on ABC

Marvel’s Agent CarterIn a new episode called “A Sin to Err,” Peggy (Hayley Atwell) is shocked to discover the truth about Leviathan, but she doesn’t realize her real

“the Walking dead”

ll Cool J hosts the 57th annual Grammy awards

Katherine heigl stars in “State of affairs”


hayley atwell stars in “marvel’s agent Carter”

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Senemies are even closer than she thinks. Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) may inadvertently put Peggy in the crosshairs of the SSR as he draws closer and closer to learning the truth about her. Meagan Fay and Bridget Regan guest star. New

9 p.m. on CBSNCIS: New orleansThe murder of an NCIS agent during a security detail for the Vice Chief of Naval Operations leaves Pride (Scott Bakula) and his team wondering whether the incident was a failed assassination attempt or a foe’s attack on one of their own in the new episode “Careful What You Wish For.” Agent Brody’s (Zoe McLellan) somewhat mysterious history becomes a matter of interest when she is placed under investigation. Lucas Black also stars. New

WEDNESDAY 8 p.m. on NBCThe Mysteries of LauraLaura (Debra Messing) and her team find themselves exploring the raucous drag world of New York as they investigate the murder of a female impersonator in the new episode “The Mystery of the Popped Pugilist.” Their preconceptions are turned on their heads when they discover the victim was a member of an underground fight club. On a personal note, Laura’s wild night on the town with an old pal (guest star Kelly Rutherford, “Gossip Girl”) leads to a surprise encounter. Josh Lucas also stars. New

THuRSDAY 10 p.m. on NBC

AllegianceIn the new episode ironically called “Teamwork,” Alex’s (Gavin Stenhouse) grave suspicions that his parents are spies forces Katya (Hope Davis) into a lie that deflects her son’s concerns but drives

FAVORITE SHOWS

the first of many wedges between Katya, Alex and Mark (Scott Cohen). Elsewhere, Alex starts working on a CIA-FBI task force on which his unique perspective is vital to unmasking the identity of a new defector. New

FRIDAY 9 p.m. on CBS

Hawaii Five-0Former Academy Award nominee Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips”) guest stars in a new episode called “E ’Imi Pono” (Hawaiian for “Searching for the Truth”), in which the murder of a journalist sends McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and the rest of Five-0 in pursuit of a Congolese warlord who had been presumed dead but may be living in Oahu. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Danny (Scott Caan)

overreacts when Grace’s (Teilor Grubbs) texts to a boy start showing up on his phone. New

SATuRDAY 8 p.m. on FoX

NASCAR RacingOne of the first signs of spring is the smell of race-car exhaust in the air, as provided by the first Sprint Cup preseason race, the Sprint Unlimited, from Daytona International Speedway. Denny Hamlin won this contest a year ago on the 2.5-mile Florida oval. The likes of Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and defending Cup champion Kevin Harvick will challenge him.

hope davis stars in “allegiance”


Jimmie Johnson competes in the Sprint unlimited

alex o’loughlin stars in “hawaii Five-0”

your tv link for feb. 8-14, 2015

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