Culture

“American Idol” Wednesday-Thursday 9pm, FOX Simon is gone. Last season was a disaster. A slew of new singing competitions are set to launch in the next 12 months. “Idol” needed […]

When Blue Valentine comes to a theater near you, it will be preceded by its reputation. Given the automatic buzz of indie golden-boy director Derek Cianfrance returning from documentaries to […]

“Off the Map” Wednesday 10pm, ABC Shonda Rhimes, the producer behind “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice,” goes for a hat trick with another drama about sexy doctors having sex with […]

What were you doing when we called? I was working on an essay for an artist book that Lydia Moyer, a local experimental video artist, is doing. It’s a collection […]

Having grown up with a strict father (Michael Gambon) and a prominent older brother (Guy Pearce), an otherwise capable and courtly fellow (Colin Firth) finds himself with a problem. He […]

“Live to Dance” Tuesday-Wednesday 8pm, CBS I’m all for the resurgence of dance in pop culture, but I wonder if we haven’t hit the saturation point with televised dance competitions. […]

Of what does true grit consist? Grit, presumably. But also something else, something that makes it easy to distinguish from false grit. True Grit the film consists of a young […]

“Kennedy Center Honors” Tuesday 9pm, CBS The year is nearly over, and a new one is on the way (unless the mad serpent god Quetzalcoatl devours us all first, but […]

Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, premiered locally at the Virginia Film Festival in early November, but returns in wide release to Vinegar Hill Theatre this week.

Scrooged Saturday 10am-6pm, AMC If your family is as sarcastic yet sentimental as mine, this 1988 masterpiece—aired all day by AMC—should provide appropriate background viewing as you unwrap presents and […]