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THURSDAY
DECEMBER 27
2012

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 
THE MINDY PROJECT MARATHON

Fox, 8:00 p.m. ET

Mindy Kaling’s Fox sitcom didn’t really click with me – though I liked its sensibility, and its comic generosity with familiar guest stars. But for those who do like it, or for those who have yet to sample it, Fox is using the “dead week” between Christmas and New Year’s to showcase it prominently. Four repeat episodes occupy all of Fox’s prime time tonight – so the network hasn’t given up on its latest Project quite yet.
 
  
 
 
THE BIG LEBOWSKI

Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET

One of the most compelling examples of what I call “spider-web movies” is shown tonight – and if any of my film students from last term are watching, I hope they pay particular attention to, and get particular enjoyment from, the druggy dream sequence – or dreamy drug sequence – based on Busby Berkeley choreography from the 1930s. Jeff Bridges stars in this 1998 Coen Brothers comedy, a pop-culture touchstone for the new generation.
 
  
 
 
MEL BROOKS STRIKES BACK

HBO2, 8:00 p.m. ET

With tonight’s broadcast and cable schedules dominated by reruns, here’s one repeat that stands out above the rest. It’s a replay of the recent Mel Brooks special, in which the true king of all media – most of them, anyway – is interviewed, with generous clips supplied. For my exclusive two-part TVWW Interview with Mel Brooks, see Bianculli’s Blog, Part 1 and Part 2.
 
  
 
 
BLACK WIDOW

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

The resume of Ginger Rogers is loaded with movies about Broadway babes and hopeful stars and starlets – but though this 1954 film shares a similar plot, it’s not a comedy or a musical, but a drama. In this case, a future Broadway star has that future taken away, by murder. Van Heflin, George Raft, Gene Tierney co-star.
 
  
 
 
ROCK CENTER WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

Perhaps because NBC has announced plans to shift this newsmagazine to a less popular Friday night time slot next year, Rock Center is filling tonight's show with a rerun. But it's a good one -- a recap of President Obama's successful targeting of Osama bin Laden. With the film Zero Dark Thirty about to hit theaters nationwide, it's a well-timed primer. And the Julian Fellows Downton Abbey feature I wrote about earlier is available on the Rock Center website.
 
  
 
 
 
 
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Dave Bianculli
Hey sweetie-pie,

WTF does this have to do with the greatest invention known to mankind: TV?????

Go away.

Warmly,

Dave
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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.
 
 
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