David Bianculli
Stories
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HBO documentary offers an unflinching take on Billy Joel's life and music
Billy Joel: And So It Goes reveals the inspiration and process behind certain songs. But it also digs into Joel's alcoholism, multiple marriages and divorces, and his conflicts with fellow musicians.
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Remembering composer and musical satirist Tom Lehrer
Lehrer, who died July 26, wrote numerous satirical songs, including "Pollution" and "The Vatican Rag." In the latter half of his life, he also taught math at Harvard and MIT.
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Why ending 'The Late Show' is a Paramount error
CBS canceled Stephen Colbert's late night show last week. By not appreciating, defending and nurturing The Late Show Paramount is muzzling its best voices, and diluting its own broadcast future.
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'Outrageous' period drama showcases a political division that hits close to home
Set in the 1930s, a new six-part BritBox series tells of the infamously non-conformist Mitford sisters, whose involvement in various political causes roiled their aristocratic parents.
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'Always Sunny' and 'Abbott Elementary' mash-up in a unique network crossover
In January, the characters of the FX series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia showed up as court-appointed volunteers on an episode of the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary. The crossover continues July 9.
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'Dear Ms.' documentary tells the story of the groundbreaking feminist magazine
HBO's new documentary is divided into three parts, each focusing on a different aspect of Ms. Taken together, the film captures what made the magazine and its contents so unusual and meaningful.
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Why 'The Bear' is the best series on television right now
Hulu's Emmy Award-winning series about a restaurant in Chicago returns for Season 4, with a cast of emotionally real characters and a set of writers determined to defy expectations.
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'Law & Order' star investigates her own family's tragic car crash in 'My Mom Jayne'
Mariska Hargitay has only the vaguest memories of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, the sex-symbol movie star who died in the 1967 crash. Now, Hargitay examines her family history in a new documentary.
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'Good Night, and Good Luck' brings its knock-out punch to CNN from Broadway
On Jun 7, CNN is presenting a live telecast of George Clooney starring on Broadway as the pioneering CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow. TV critic David Bianculli calls it the TV event of the season.
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'Succession' creator takes on tech -- and revolution -- in 'Mountainhead'
Jesse Armstrong's new HBO film is set in a Utah retreat where four rich techno-wizards scheme while playing poker. Mountainhead is an unpredictable drama about powerful men vying for control.
