In the episode of Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch” airing Tuesday, June 16, a 9 p.m. ET/PT, deckhand Jake Anderson of the F/V Northwestern, part of the Bering Sea crab fleet, marks two milestones — he becomes a new dad, and he finally gets a wheelhouse of his own. It’s the culmination of a maturation process for Anderson, who began his adult life mired in drugs and alcohol. Then he had to maintain his cool and his sobriety through the early death of one... Read more
There’s no way the real encyclical on the environment, due out June 18, will be this much fun. Holy Ground, indeed. Created by Observatório do Clima, a nonprofit based in Brazil, that advocates for action on climate change. I suspect they’ll ultimately be disappointed when Pope Francis turns out to be, once again, Catholic. But thanks for the chuckle, guys. Image: YouTube screenshot Don’t miss a thing: head over to my other home at CatholicVote and like my Facebook page. Read more
After a long parade of only Protestant and Evangelical pastors as guests, the 10th episode of “Beyond A.D.” — the Web companion talk show to NBC’s New Testament drama “A.D.: The Bible Continues” — available online at NBC.com on Sunday, June 14, finally features a Catholic priest (about time, since we all know what Church is being founded before our eyes). Father Edward Benioff has an unusual background. The son of a Jewish father and a Latina Catholic mother, Benioff, 44,... Read more
Released today, “Jurassic World,” the fourth installment in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, features a “transgenic” dinosaur. Dubbed Indominus Rex, it’s a T. Rex hybrid composed of DNA from several dinosaur species and from some other animals (the film’s trailers are reluctant to show the whole thing, so draw your own conclusions). Speaking earlier this week in the Dinosaur Hall of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, 68-year-old paleontologist Jack Horner, also one of the franchise’s technical advisers, insisted that such a thing... Read more
Syfy has teamed up with actor Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper”), and producers Graham King (“The Departed,” “Argo”) and Todd Phillips (“The Hangover,” “Old School”) to develop “Hyperion,” the Hugo Award-winning 1989 science-fiction novel by Dan Simmons, into an event series. At this point, it looks like Cooper is only an executive producer, not a cast member, but we’ll see how that turns out. Playwright and TV writer Itamar Moses, the Berkeley-raised son of Israeli immigrants, is to be a co-executive... Read more
With the success of Fox’s hip-hop-centric primetime soap “Empire,” it’s not surprising somebody thinks a real rapper’s family life should be on TV. A few years ago, New Orleans-raised Master P, a k a Percy Miller, went through a nasty separation from his longtime wife, Sonya (near as I can tell, they’re still separated but not divorced). The rap mogul hasn’t forgotten his origins. In 1999, he quietly donated $500,ooo to save St. Monica, the Catholic elementary school he attended, and... Read more
After taking on the Son of God in “Killing Jesus,” National Geographic Channel is now turning to the Father. In 2016, the channel plans to air “The Story of God,” a new global series from host and producer Morgan Freeman. The veteran actor played God in the feature films “Bruce Almighty” and its sequel, “Evan Almighty,” but he has some odd views on the actual Almighty. From 2012: After God, I think I should play Satan. Remember when Al Pacino... Read more
Mired in muck, TLC may be looking for “Answered Prayers” to turn its image around. With two of its reality hits, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and now “19 Kids and Counting,” blowing up with accusations of child abuse and molestation, the cablenet formerly known as The Learning Channel — which says it is “offering remarkably relatable real-life stories without judgment” — turns to an “Angel” for a shot of respectability. Starting on Sunday, July 26, Roma Downey — raised... Read more
Because it’s not all Duggars and Kardashians. There’s a lot of really good stuff out there. And, since most scripted shows now target either specifically a teen audience (meaning adults might not find them compelling) or far too adult for kids, much of unscripted TV has become today’s family viewing. Over at my other home, CatholicVote, I previously recommended three scripted shows — “The Flash,” “Daredevil” and “Silicon Valley” — which are definitely NOT for the whole family but have... Read more
Many minority groups complain — and often rightfully so — that they are underrepresented on TV. At this moment in time, self-identified transgender people don’t appear to be among them. But how many of these folks are there? According to LiveScience.com: The most frequently cited estimate is that 700,000 people in the United States, or about 0.2 to 0.3 percent of the population, are transgender, though some experts say the true number is probably greater than that. However, there aren’t... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In