ALMOST FAMOUS
The Movie Channel, 8:00 p.m. ET
Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this 2000 movie, a semi-autobiographical account of his days as one of the youngest writers ever to report for Rolling Stone magazine. It won him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, but it’s gotten even more fun to watch over the years as its various cast members have enjoyed additional success of their own. Patrick Fugit, who plays Crowe’s cinematic stand-in William Miller, hasn’t done much since then, but oh my, so many others have. Frances McDormand, as William's mother, has been great ever since (and, as the star of 1996’s movie Fargo, was great before, as well). Zooey Deschanel plays William's rebellious and influential older sister, long before starring on Fox in New Girl. Jason Lee played a member of Stillwater, one of the bands William profiled in Almost Famous, before starring in NBC’s My Name Is Earl. Kate Hudson became a star thanks to her role as groupie Penny Lane here, and other memorable groupies are portrayed by Anna Paquin and Fairuza Balk. Billy Crudup plays Russell Hammond, the charismatic star of Stillwater – a character Crowe based on Glenn Frey of The Eagles, though Russell’s rooftop dive into the swimming pool was a move Crowe saw Duane Allman do on tour once. And in a small role, as Rolling Stones rock critic Lester Bangs, Philip Seymour Hoffman (pictured) steals the show. Clearly, I love this movie, and love its love of rock music most of all. The scene on the bus, when everyone starts singing alone to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” captures everything you need to know about the joy of rock and roll.