FRIDAY
JANUARY 3
2014

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

Fox, 7:30 p.m. ET

This particular postseason college contest used to be called the Cotton Bowl. Now, in part of America’s corporate takeover, it’s called the AT&T Cotton Bowl, as though the best brand of cotton is the type that comes from fiberoptics as well as fibers. The teams tonight are Oklahoma State (10-2) and Missouri (11-2), who are playing in this bowl, rather than an even more prestigious one, because of unexpected losses late in the season. But at least they get a prime-time broadcast network showcase, televised live from Arlington, TX.

 
  
 
 

Flix, 8:00 p.m. ET

Susan Stroman, Mel Brook’s collaborator on the musical stage version of his 1967 movie The Producers, directed this 2005 film version of their Tony-winning Broadway triumph. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their stage roles, but Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman are imported to add some Hollywood sales clout – Ferrell as Franz Liebkind, and Thurman as the ultra-shapely Ulla.

 
  
 
 

ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET

This particular postseason college contest used to be called the Orange Bowl. Now, in part of America’s corporate takeover, it’s called the Discover Orange Bowl, as though we will all be witness to a bright new color. The teams playing tonight are Clemson (10-2) and Ohio State (12-1), live from Miami’s Sun Life stadium.

 
  
 
 

Showtime 2, 10:00 p.m. ET

Sorry if I seem to be pushing this particular concert special a bit too often, but T Bone Burnett’s assemblage of talent, tied to the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis movie, delivers in a way that makes me tune in almost every time it’s televised. You may not know most of the music, or even most of the players, as this concert begins – but by the time it’s over, I suspect you’ll be thrilled, and impressed, by the folk music canon of the early 1960s and before.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 10:15 p.m. ET

Ron Howard directed this 2001 psychological drama, which gave Russell Crowe his breakout role as a troubled mathematician. Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Paul Bettany co-star, and the plot is clever enough to reward return viewers and first-timers alike.

 
  
 
 
 
 
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4030 Comments
 
 
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Dave Bianculli
Howdy pardner,

Did you pass out on your keyboard after getting drunk, and then just kept bouncing your head over and over and over???

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Seriously dude, watch more TV, drink less alcohol!!!!

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.