How to resolve AdBlock issue? Arts & Life
A QUESTION MARK FOR FOX TV AND NETWORKS FOR FALL SEASON
Readers of this column may recall past references to the television press tours that occur during the winter and summer to preview upcoming series in panel discussions with cast and production crew.
The Television Critics Association canceled the 2020 summer tour that was scheduled to start at the end of July due to the uncertainty that attends the public gathering restrictions which remain unabated.
An equal concern is that film and television production of new films and series, which have been on hold during the pandemic, may not be ready for the fall season.
First out of the box, the FOX network has already announced new series for the upcoming season, if such a thing is remotely possible at this moment. Savvier folks are betting that January 2021 is a likelier scenario for the networks.
Nevertheless, FOX may have an opportunity for new series only because some series were expected earlier this year as mid-season replacements or the product was already in the can or in the case of “L.A.’s Finest” it ran elsewhere.
From the universe of the Jerry Bruckheimer “Bad Boys” franchise, the one-hour series “L.A.’s Finest” has been a Spectrum Original, which means it probably hasn’t tapped into the wider audience available on a network.
This series looks to be the female version of “Bad Boys,” with Gabriel Union’s Syd Burnett, moving on from taking down drug cartels in Miami to become an LAPD detective, and then pairing up with Jessica Alba’s Nancy McKenna, a working mom with a complex history.
“Filthy Rich,” a southern Gothic family soap in which wealth, power and religion collide, was thought to be a mid-season replacement. When the patriarch (Gerald McRaney) dies in a plane crash, his wife and family are stunned to learn he fathered three illegitimate children.
A thriller about rogue artificial intelligence, “NeXT” stars John Slattery as a Silicon Valley pioneer, who discovers one of his A.I. creations might spell global catastrophe, leading to teaming up with a cybercrime agent to fight a villain unlike anything seen before.
‘GOLIATH’ ON AMAZON PRIME
Recommendations from friends certainly come in handy to choose a streaming series to fill the void. This is the case with Amazon Prime’s “Goliath,” which is now in its third season. As with “Bosch,” I have some catching up to do with this series.
As a legal drama, “Goliath” may not break any new ground in courtroom scenes, except when you have Billy Bob Thornton’s Billy McBride pulling tricks in a courtroom, where his exchanges startle with a gut punch.
Abundantly clear from the start, McBride is the David of this linear series, a once stellar lawyer who co-founded a major firm before descending to his present status of conducting business from a Santa Monica motel room across from the bar when he spends a great deal of time.
The Goliath is the Cooperman McBride law firm, to which the down-but-not-quite out lawyer’s name is still attached and where his aggressively assertive ex-wife Michelle (Maria Bello) fits perfectly in a toxic corporate culture.
Arranging plea deals for petty criminals, McBride’s low-rent legal practice allows him to spend more time at the Chez Jay bar or parking himself on the beach with a bottle in a paper bag.
The persons closest to McBride’s orbit turn out to be his estranged teenage daughter Denise (Diana Hopper), who now hopes to set him straight, and his off-and-on legal assistant Brittany (Tania Raymonde), an attractive sex worker plying her trade on the side.
A big case comes McBride’s way when the excitable, motor-mouthed Patty Solis-Papagian (Nina Arianda), a defense lawyer for DUI clients and real estate agent in the Valley, seeks to help her neighbor Rachel Kennedy (Ever Carradine) to sue for the wrongful death of her brother.
Not interested at first in the case, McBride changes his tune when learning Rachel’s brother died in a boat explosion and the target for the wrongful death lawsuit is Borns Tech, a major client of the Cooperman McBride firm.
That there is plenty of ill will between McBride and his former partner Daniel Cooperman (William Hurt) turns out to be enough motivation for the David vs. Goliath legal battle to play out for the entire first season.
Cooperman, disfigured from facial burns, is an odd fellow and recluse hiding in his darkened office where he spies on his employees and monitors depositions and courtroom proceedings on surveillance cameras.
Taking a look at the Cooperman firm’s legal team defending Borns Tech is all one needs to know about which side to root for, though that’s hardly a challenge because Thornton’s flawed McBride is the underdog that draws sympathy.
Rooting for McBride is easy when compared to Cooperman’s lead attorney, Callie Senate (Molly Parker), an ice queen yet brilliant lawyer eager to skewer anyone in her path, even fellow colleagues.
“Goliath” rises above the conventional with the basic construct of Thornton and Arianda bringing quirkiness to adversarial courtroom theatrics.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Readers of this column may recall past references to the television press tours that occur during the winter and summer to preview upcoming series in panel discussions with cast and production crew.
The Television Critics Association canceled the 2020 summer tour that was scheduled to start at the end of July due to the uncertainty that attends the public gathering restrictions which remain unabated.
An equal concern is that film and television production of new films and series, which have been on hold during the pandemic, may not be ready for the fall season.
First out of the box, the FOX network has already announced new series for the upcoming season, if such a thing is remotely possible at this moment. Savvier folks are betting that January 2021 is a likelier scenario for the networks.
Nevertheless, FOX may have an opportunity for new series only because some series were expected earlier this year as mid-season replacements or the product was already in the can or in the case of “L.A.’s Finest” it ran elsewhere.
From the universe of the Jerry Bruckheimer “Bad Boys” franchise, the one-hour series “L.A.’s Finest” has been a Spectrum Original, which means it probably hasn’t tapped into the wider audience available on a network.
This series looks to be the female version of “Bad Boys,” with Gabriel Union’s Syd Burnett, moving on from taking down drug cartels in Miami to become an LAPD detective, and then pairing up with Jessica Alba’s Nancy McKenna, a working mom with a complex history.
“Filthy Rich,” a southern Gothic family soap in which wealth, power and religion collide, was thought to be a mid-season replacement. When the patriarch (Gerald McRaney) dies in a plane crash, his wife and family are stunned to learn he fathered three illegitimate children.
A thriller about rogue artificial intelligence, “NeXT” stars John Slattery as a Silicon Valley pioneer, who discovers one of his A.I. creations might spell global catastrophe, leading to teaming up with a cybercrime agent to fight a villain unlike anything seen before.
‘GOLIATH’ ON AMAZON PRIME
Recommendations from friends certainly come in handy to choose a streaming series to fill the void. This is the case with Amazon Prime’s “Goliath,” which is now in its third season. As with “Bosch,” I have some catching up to do with this series.
As a legal drama, “Goliath” may not break any new ground in courtroom scenes, except when you have Billy Bob Thornton’s Billy McBride pulling tricks in a courtroom, where his exchanges startle with a gut punch.
Abundantly clear from the start, McBride is the David of this linear series, a once stellar lawyer who co-founded a major firm before descending to his present status of conducting business from a Santa Monica motel room across from the bar when he spends a great deal of time.
The Goliath is the Cooperman McBride law firm, to which the down-but-not-quite out lawyer’s name is still attached and where his aggressively assertive ex-wife Michelle (Maria Bello) fits perfectly in a toxic corporate culture.
Arranging plea deals for petty criminals, McBride’s low-rent legal practice allows him to spend more time at the Chez Jay bar or parking himself on the beach with a bottle in a paper bag.
The persons closest to McBride’s orbit turn out to be his estranged teenage daughter Denise (Diana Hopper), who now hopes to set him straight, and his off-and-on legal assistant Brittany (Tania Raymonde), an attractive sex worker plying her trade on the side.
A big case comes McBride’s way when the excitable, motor-mouthed Patty Solis-Papagian (Nina Arianda), a defense lawyer for DUI clients and real estate agent in the Valley, seeks to help her neighbor Rachel Kennedy (Ever Carradine) to sue for the wrongful death of her brother.
Not interested at first in the case, McBride changes his tune when learning Rachel’s brother died in a boat explosion and the target for the wrongful death lawsuit is Borns Tech, a major client of the Cooperman McBride firm.
That there is plenty of ill will between McBride and his former partner Daniel Cooperman (William Hurt) turns out to be enough motivation for the David vs. Goliath legal battle to play out for the entire first season.
Cooperman, disfigured from facial burns, is an odd fellow and recluse hiding in his darkened office where he spies on his employees and monitors depositions and courtroom proceedings on surveillance cameras.
Taking a look at the Cooperman firm’s legal team defending Borns Tech is all one needs to know about which side to root for, though that’s hardly a challenge because Thornton’s flawed McBride is the underdog that draws sympathy.
Rooting for McBride is easy when compared to Cooperman’s lead attorney, Callie Senate (Molly Parker), an ice queen yet brilliant lawyer eager to skewer anyone in her path, even fellow colleagues.
“Goliath” rises above the conventional with the basic construct of Thornton and Arianda bringing quirkiness to adversarial courtroom theatrics.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
- Details
- Written by: Tim Riley
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center will kick off its reopening this Saturday, June 13, with a natural woodworking workshop with sculptor Marcus Maria Jung.
The public is invited to join the workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Social distancing will be observed. Bring a mask, work gloves and tools you might have (like chisels and hammers) as well as water. There will be a break for lunch, so plan ahead.
Please sign up in advance at www.middletownartcenter.org/classes to reserve your spot. Registration helps MAC prepare and stay in touch for scheduling. The class is offered by donation $1 to $30.
“I sincerely hope to see you back in the field doing what we all love so much: creating art and learning from each other in this wonderful creative community,” said Jung. “Our tentative plan is to work on Phase II of Vertical Pathways until Tuesday, June 16, then transition to a new piece on the western slope of Rabbit Hill that elicits a dialogue with the EcoArts Sculpture Walk in Trailside Park.”
Work will take place indoors and outdoors on Saturday, with continued work on collaborative sculptural projects on Rabbit Hill over the next two weeks.
The public is invited to join Jung by emailing
“The shelter in place coupled with fall power shutoffs really hindered our ability to continue work on our project LOCUS: A Sense of Place,” said MAC Programs Director Lisa Kaplan. “We are thrilled to have Marcus with us again to restart the project and all of our activities. Please consider joining us in revitalizing the outdoor spaces we share and love by repurposing fallen trees to create something new and inspiring. If you can’t make Saturday’s class, you can lend a hand another day.”
Middletown High School students are also invited to participate in MAC’s beautification efforts for the experience and for Community Service credit.
Projects include Rabbit Hill sculptures and improvements to the MAC Art Garden in town. Email
Jung lost his studio on Cobb in the Valley fire. He has since been living and working in the Los Angeles area, and coming to Lake County to participate in MAC exhibits and fire recovery projects.
He engaged community members in co-creating “Resurrection,” his contribution to the EcoArts Sculpture Walk in 2019, and co-facilitated Phase I of Vertical Pathways on Rabbit Hill.
Both “Resurrection” and current collaborative sculpture making activities are part of “LOCUS: A Sense of Place,” supported in part by a grant awarded to MAC in 2019 by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sculptural projects on Rabbit Hill are made possible through MAC’s partnership with the Lake County Land Trust, stewards of Rabbit Hill.
The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in Middletown. MAC is pleased to reopen to the community while observing social distancing requirements. The MAC gallery will reopen Friday through Sunday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. with expanding hours in the coming weeks.
You can call MAC at 707-809-8118 to arrange for a private viewing of “Dreams” during business hours. Summer Camp will be offered June 22 to 26 and again for two weeks in July.
To find out more about what’s happening at the art center and ways to support MAC’s efforts to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County visit www.middletownartcenter.org .
- Details
- Written by: Middletown Art Center
