TV Link - Big Spring Herald

Pablo
Escobar’s
reign heads
toward
its end in
Season 2 of
Netflix’s
‘Narcos,’
starting
Friday
‘The Strain’
How Eph takes aim at
the strigoi
folio
“WE Day” • “You’re the Worst”
• “Moveable Feast” • VMAs
Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
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contents
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TOP STORIES
3 The rest of the story of cocaine kingpin Pablo
Escobar is traced in Season 2 of the Netflix drama
series “Narcos,” which debuts in full Friday. Star Wagner
Moura and executive producer Eric Newman tell Jay
Bobbin about the show’s progression and impact.
12-13 Among those who try to inspire youths to
serve others through “WE Day” is veteran actor Martin
Sheen, who takes part in Sunday’s ABC special about the
initiative. He talks with Jay Bobbin about its background
and the reasons he stays involved in it.
FOOD
7 Pigging out in L.A. on ‘Moveable Feast’
REALITY
14-15 “You’re the Worst” is one of the best current
shows at depicting modern relationships, in the view
of many critics. As its third season starts Wednesday
on FXX, stars Chris Geere and Aya Cash and creatorexecutive producer Stephen Falk tell Jay Bobbin about
what’s ahead.
16 VMAs head to the Garden
SPORTS
18-19 McCaffrey running wild at Stanford
MOVIES
20-21 Theatrical Review, and Our top DVD
releases
IN EVERY ISSUE
22-23 Our top suggested programs to watch
this week!
Visit YourTVLINK.com
for more stories!
Our Staff
Writers: Jay Bobbin, George Dickie, Dan Ladd, John Crook
Graphic Design: Nicolle Burton
Quality Team: Michelle Wilson, Lisa Webster, Chris Browne
17 As Season 3 of “The Strain” opens, Eph (Corey
Stoll) has lost the two women in his life and his son is
missing while the heroes are left to fend for themselves.
George Dickie speaks with Stoll and executive producer
Carlton Cuse about where the storylines are going this
season.
CELEBRITY
4 The job never stops for ‘PBS
NewsHour’s’ Judy Woodruff
5 Riz Ahmed immersed himself in
Queens culture for ‘The Night Of’
6 Valerie Bertinelli needs to can her hard
work
8 Capt. Greg sells the fishing experience
9 Getting to know Milwaukee Blacksmith
Kent Knapp
Page 2 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
Editor's choice
STORY
‘Narcos’
Season 2 continues
Netflix’s true drama of
the drug trade
Wagner Moura stars in Season 2
premiering Friday on Netflix
By Jay Bobbin
While the freshman round of the fact-inspired Netfiix
drama series played out on a large canvas that covered
a 10-year span, the 10-episode Season 2 – which begins
streaming in its entirety Friday, Sept. 2 – gets more
personal in the case of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian
cocaine kingpin played by Wagner Moura, who earned
a Golden Globe Award nomination for his first-year
portrayal (along with the show’s bid for best television
series, drama). Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal return
as DEA agents on Escobar’s trail, but political and military
factions also continue their bids to get a grip on the drug
trade.
Holding to the facts of the saga it depicts, the second
“Narcos” season ultimately deals with Escobar’s downfall,
and actor Moura cites his alter ego as having “a very
inner world. I think that Pablo was a genius of the criminal
world. And these people, they have their particular world.
I’m sure he has a lot of doubts, but he keeps it to himself
because he can’t share much of what he’s thinking.
What he thinks is pretty much ahead of people that are
surrounding him. He has a lot of confidence.”
Even so, Moura admits to “a very bad energy when I’m
working with (playing) Pablo, and with what he is doing in
the show. I’ve been learning to take care and to protect
myself because of this inner world that is pretty much
inside his head ... and, of course, inside mine.”
Co-star Pascal adds his belief that “a huge appeal of
the show is actually how clinical it is about history, and
how respectful it is to every perspective. And I don’t think
that there’s anything wrong in terms of examining the
grayness of all of it.
“There is a moment,” Pascal notes, “where (Escobar) is
pretty sort of sensational, and there are moments where
he is a monster – and there are moments where he is a
human. There are moments where all of us seem kind of
capable of anything, and that line that divides good and
bad and villain versus hero becomes more and more
blurry. And I think that our show is particularly dedicated
to that.”
“Narcos” executive producer Eric Newman has
experienced perhaps the ultimate seal of approval. “I think
the thing that’s really made us happy is the response
that we’ve gotten to the show in Colombia,” he says,
“people who have lived through this story and, I think,
were slightly skeptical about how we were going to tell it
and how we were going to frame it and whether this was
going to be a pro-American look at the campaign against
Escobar. And overwhelmingly, the response that we’ve
gotten in Colombia has been incredibly positive.”
For any success “Narcos” has had, Newman maintains
he never loses sight of the nature of the story being
told: “I think we’re successful in not glorifying these
people. I think that as much as we may enjoy watching
Wagner play Pablo Escobar – and it is certainly worthy of
enjoyment – he’s a murderer, so I don’t think the show in
any way glorifies the narcotics business.”
Click or tap on icon for more!
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 3
CELEBRITY
Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
Judy Woodruff
of ‘PBS NewsHour’ weeknights on PBS
Have the conversations
at home with your
husband, political
columnist Al Hunt,
been especially
interesting this election
season?
Though “PBS NewsHour” typically is seen
early in the evening, how late does your work
day usually run?
Well, it can end anywhere from 7 or 7:30 up until ... I mean,
the honest truth was that (the night before this interview) it
ended at 1:15 in the morning, because I was up watching
the House of Representatives on television. It really ends
whenever the news stops, which is never.
We are working all the time. From the moment we get up
in the morning, we’ve got to be paying attention to what’s
going on, and it’s the same thing at night. I don’t want to
pretend that I work in some unusual way; everybody here at
the “NewsHour” puts in long hours. We may be at the office
for 10 or 12 hours a day, but then we’re working when we’re
folio
at home or in our cars.
Page 4 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
Well, you know what? We
have three children who are
now grown but when they
were growing up, people
would ask, “Don’t you go
home and talk about whatever
happened in the news, or on
the Hill or at the White House,
that day?” And our answer
was that we’d go home and
we’d be talking about the kids
all the time, and I would argue
that’s still much of what we do.
But sure, this election has
been extraordinary, and it
occupies a lot of what we do.
I’ll tell you, he’s been working
so many late nights for
Bloomberg (Media), we don’t
see each other as much as
we would like to.
Click or tap on icon
for more!
CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Q&A
RizAhmed
of ‘The Night Of’ Sunday
on HBO
What did you draw on to create your
character of Nasir “Naz” Khan for HBO’s
“The Night Of”?
It was quite a lot of work I had to do to
kind of get into that world. I’m a born and
raised Londoner, so I had to kind of first
and foremost get into cracking New York,
like a New Yorker and Queens. So I spent
a lot of time in Queens and I visited high
schools in Queens and in the Bronx. I
visited community colleges in Queens and
(spent) a lot of time in Jackson Heights in
the South Asian community there. I met
with and gave workshops for South Asian
youth clubs and charities there to kind of
get a flavor of the kind of community and
the kids there and aspirations. I visited
Rikers Island prison. I spoke to people who
had been in the prison system. I spoke to
criminal defense attorneys.
I just really did quite a lot of research, just
did hours and hours of interviews with
people and recordings with people and just
tried to really immerse myself in the world
that character is from and then just try to
equate myself as much as possible with
the world that he then goes in to enter.
How was working with John Turturro,
who plays Naz’s attorney John Stone?
It was a real joy, to be honest. It was a
beautiful learning experience. He’s just
a profound artist. I think he’s just a really
cool guy as well. He’s a lot of fun. He’s
got a great sense of humor. We became
friends. And it was great kind of having his
experience and his wisdom in my corner as
I tried to take on this role, and I’m grateful
to him for that, for sure.
Click or tap on icon for more!
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 5
CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Q&A
t
u
o
b
a
All
Valerie Bertinelli of ‘Valerie’s Home
Cooking’ Saturday on Food Network
What bottled sauces do you
use?
Mario Batali makes a really good
pasta sauce. There’s a really great
Italian import store down in Santa
Monica that I like to go visit and they
have great pasta sauces straight
from Italy. But really I love making
my own because I know exactly
what’s going into it. And depending
on the kind of pasta sauce I’m
making, if I really want that Sunday
sauce, it’s going to take me a while
so I’m going to definitely make it
myself.
Do you can your own
tomatoes?
No but my tomato bushes are telling
me to do it because I’m running out
of things to do so you’ve just given
me a great idea. I really should can
my own tomatoes. My tomato plants
are going crazy. And I’m done with
making salsa. I’ve made enough
salsa in the last week, I don’t think
anybody wants it anymore. I’ve
roasted them, I’ve made them into
salsa but I have not canned them. I
think that’s a great idea.
You obviously make your own pasta sauces,
correct?
Yes, yes, yes, yes. But I’m not averse to using good
pasta sauces that are out there if I’m looking for a
shortcut for something else. But if I’m going to make
spaghetti and meatballs, I’m making my own pasta
sauce.
Click or tap on icon for more!
Page 6 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
TASTY
George Dickie’s What's for Dinner
Stone in
pig
heaven
in L.A. on PBS’ ‘Moveable
Curtis
Stone
Feast’
PBS’ foodie/travel series “Moveable Feast With Fine Cooking” returns for its
fourth season this week with a visit to one of the nation’s richest and most
exciting new culinary destinations.
In the episode premiering Saturday, Sept. 3 (check local listings), host
Pete Evans joins chefs/restaurateurs Curtis Stone and Francis Derby
for an exploration of the culinary mecca of Los Angeles. In creating an
extravagant pig roast, Stone and Derby stop in at the Santa Monica
Farmer’s Market and Logan’s Gardens in Silver Lake to gather ingredients.
Stone then whips up a fresh peach mustard for his fennel-rubbed pig,
while Derby prepares a spread of mixed charcuterie, raw vegetables and
Held at a scenic location in Silver Lake, it’s a feast fit for a director’s level
Click or tap on icon for more!
duck rillettes.
supporter.
And all ingredients – pig included – were locally sourced, Stone says.
“We go ... straight to the people who grow the stuff,” he says. “I’ve got a pretty big garden myself so we grow a lot of our
own vegetables. And I’ve got a buddy, Jimmy Williams, who has an incredible little nursery in Silver Lake and he grows
seedlings and sells them at the farmer’s market, so we went down to see him at his nursery and got a bunch of really
unique leaves ... . So he’s helped me with my gardening endeavors at home for the restaurant and yeah, we got some
stuff from his nursery.”
Of course, with a year-round growing season, Southern California produce has always been plentiful and of top quality.
But it’s only recently, Stone explains, that the rest of the region’s food scene has caught up.
“I think it was one of the most boring cities in the country until 15 years ago and now I think it’s probably the most
exciting,” he says. “We, of course, have the best ingredients when it comes to produce and I think maybe where we were
lacking a little was the protein side of things here in L.A. and we’ve sort of endeavored to change some of that with the
new butcher shop we’ve opened in Hollywood and opening up different lines of direct farmer relationships that we can
get good quality stuff.”
What book are you
currently reading?
What did you have for dinner
last night?
What is your next
project?
“I’m reading ‘Raising Boys.’
(Laughs) I’ve got two little
kids so it doesn’t leave a
lot of time for reading but
that’s sort of something
that I’m definitely reading
and catching up on. ... It’s
good fun being a parent
but sometimes you need a
bit of guidance and help.”
“Last night, I ate family meal
at the restaurant. I have that at
five o’clock before the service
kicks off, so we made Bolognese
sauce with penne pasta, beautiful
garlic bread and a salad. Pretty
simple but pretty delicious.”
“Well, I’m pretty
neck-deep in this
new restaurant,
Gwen, so we’re just
sort of getting in
there. We’ve only
been open for three
weeks, so we’re sort
of just continuing to
try and refine and
evolve what we do.”
When was the last
vacation you took, where
and why?
“We went to a place called
Sayulita in Mexico and that
was over the New Year break.
It’s sort of an hour (north)
of Puerto Vallarta. You fly in
there and then drive (north) to
this beautiful little sort of surfy,
hippy town.”
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 7
CELEBRITY
George Dickie’s Celebrity ScooP
Greg Mayer
Most fishing charter captains will tell you that their
business is dependent on word of mouth. If clients
have a good time and/or catch a lot of fish, they’ll
tell others and come back again.
But Greg Mayer, captain of the Oregon Inlet, N.C.,
fishing boat Fishin’ Frenzy, has another “in” – being
one of the competitors on National Geographic
Channel’s “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.” So the
increased visibility from being on the show (now in
its third season) has brought him many new clients.
And those clients, Mayer says, aren’t necessarily
interested in catching a freezer full of fish.
“A lot of my new customers are similar to my
summertime tourists,” Mayer explains. “You know,
they’re down here on vacation, they’re looking for
something to do, and the last thing they want to
do at the end of their vacation is try and pack up a
hundred pounds of tuna. So what they’re looking for
is the experience and that’s more of what we sell.
We sell the experience.”
So as long as they can say they went fishing with
Captain Greg and sailed on the boat on the show,
some clients find that to be enough.
“I don’t have to worry about catching a box full of
fish to make these people happy,” Mayer says. “I
just need to show them a good day and work hard
for them and try to catch some fish.
“And they can see that,” he continues. “They can
see if you’re not getting the bite, you change things
around, you pick up and run somewhere else, and
most people understand that. If they have enough
fish for dinner or a couple of dinners, then they’re
happy.”
Click or tap on icon for more!
Full name: Gregory Alexander Mayer
Date of birth: Nov. 1, 1965
Birthplace: Nepture, N.J. (raised in Point Pleasant)
Residence: Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
Education: B.S. in biology from Bates College in Lewiston,
Maine
Biggest fish: A nearly 900-pound bluefin
When he started working on fishing boats: At age 14
What he finds most challenging about the Outer Banks
fishery: “Oregon Inlet ... is a challenge unto itself. The way the
currents are here and the sandbars shift around quite a bit,
you never really know exactly where the channel’s going to
be.”
What he’d be doing if he wasn’t a boat captain: “I’d
probably be building boats.”
Page 8 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
CELEBRITY
CelebritY profile
KentKnapp
- He was born and raised in Milwaukee. He is a sixth generation
Milwaukeean.
- As a musician, he began playing in local bars at age 17.
- His nickname is The Colonel.
- At the age of 19, at a Cedarburg, Wisc., gig with his band,
he quickly became smitten with smithin’. The owner of the club
where the band was playing was a musician and a blacksmith,
and he asked the blacksmith to teach him the basics of the trade.
- In 1996, after several years as an apprentice blacksmith, he
moved to New Orleans with his family and returned to his music.
He played with the best of the local scene including John Carey
and Jack Cole as well as with some great national acts including
Bo Diddley.
Kent Knapp is a musician and blacksmith
who can be seen with his family on the
new History reality show “Milwaukee
Blacksmith.”
- In 2004, he moved back to Milwaukee with his family and
resumed blacksmithing, he eventually opened up his own
shop, called Milwaukee Blacksmith, at 518 E. Erie St. in the
Third Ward.
- He started teaching classes when a group of guys were
looking for something interesting to do for a bachelor party.
Word got around, and he soon began offering four-hour
beginners’ classes.
- He spent time in an iron factory in Beijing, where he says
working conditions for the Chinese were comparable to
those experienced by American workers at the dawn of the
industrial age.
- In 2014, Milwaukee Blacksmith was a finalist for The
2014 Martha Stewart American Made Awards.
- He works with his three sons, Miles, Birdie and Ozzie,
in the shop. His eldest daughter, Zoey, does design work,
and his wife of more than 25 years, Shannon, does the
books and promo in between wrangling their two youngest,
Dharma and Tashi.
- Much of his work emulates the style of famed Milwaukee
blacksmith Cyril Colnik, who lived and worked in Milwaukee
from 1894 to 1958.
- He is a member of The Carpetbaggers, a four-piece
honky tonk band from Milwaukee. They have been playing
bars and festivals in and out of Milwaukee and the Virgin
Islands for several years. He plays stand-up bass and
provides backing vocals.
- This month, he and his family premiered their new reality
show “Milwaukee Blacksmith” on History.
Click or tap on icon for more!
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 9
CELEBRITY
“As you’re younger
and you’re coming
up in the business,
you’re taught that
you have to do
anything in the name
of promotion. A
cigarette company
wants to sponsor
your tour, and you’re
against smoking?
You’re just supposed
to suck it up. And
as you get older
and you’re in the
business longer,
you realize you
don’t have to say
‘Yes’ to everything.”
— Deborah Gibson,
seen recently
in “Summer of
Dreams” on
Hallmark Channel
“I wouldn’t be anywhere
without my parents, so
if they’re happy, I’m very
happy. And my friends
have been fantastic.
I couldn’t ask for a
better situation with the
support system I have.
And my co-workers at
my full-time job, too.”
– Tiffany Vazquez of
Turner Classic Movies,
about the backing
from her inner circle
as she deals with
her new fame as the
channel’s Saturdayafternoon host
“My character is not that kind of character
that’s going to last that way, but it was fun to
be part of it. It’s not going to be one of those
that people embrace. He’s a peripheral guy.” —
Jon Voight of “Ray Donovan” on Showtime,
about appearing in this fall’s movie of the
J.K. Rowling story “Fantastic Beasts and
Where to Find Them”
Page 10 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
CELEBRITY
ON DVRs
“
Martin Sheen of “WE Day” on ABC
The Smithsonian Channel, I watch a lot ... and Discovery
Channel, I’m watching endlessly. I also watch MSNBC for
political commentary and news; I love Rachel Maddow,
frankly, I just adore her. And I love watching some of the
competition shows, like ‘America’s Got Talent.’ They’re so
courageous, some of these people coming from all ages
and backgrounds to do these things.
”
Jazz Smollett of
“Smollett Eats”
on Cooking
Channel
“ I record
‘Underground,’
‘Empire’ and
Anthony
Bourdain. Oh
yeah, ‘Shark
Tank.’ And
‘Anthony
Bourdain: Parts
Unknown.’ ”
Captain Greg Mayer of “Wicked Tuna: Outer
Banks” on National Geographic Channel
“ Of course, I record ‘Wicked Tuna’ (laughs).
I started recording ‘America’s Got Talent’ a
couple of years ago because Howard Stern was
a judge. So that’s a show that I never would
have watched and when Howard was on it I
really enjoyed him a lot, I listened to him so I
definitely record that. ... ‘Dexter’ and ‘Breaking
Bad’ were two of my favorites that after they
came out on Netflix, I had to catch up on them.”
Treat Williams of “Chesapeake Shores” on
Hallmark Channel
“I am addicted to ‘Game of Thrones,’ and a
couple of shows we fell in love with this past
year were ‘Broadchurch’ and ‘Happy Valley.’ If
somebody’s wearing costumes and it’s set before
1920, I’m watching. I’m sort of addicted to period
pieces.”
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 11
STORY
By Jay Bobbin
Since he’s a longtime, very active
proponent of social causes, Martin
Sheen’s role in the youth-oriented WE
Day isn’t a surprise.
Lately a co-star of Netflix’s “Grace
and Frankie,” the former “president”
of television’s “The West Wing” is
among celebrity participants in the
initiative, which gets its second annual
ABC showcase Sunday, Aug. 28. The
commercial-free hour is built around an
event staged in April at The Forum in
Inglewood, Calif., at which Sheen and
many others including Charlize Theron,
Joe Jonas, Demi Lovato, Seth Rogen,
Zooey Deschanel, Rico Rodriguez
(“Modern Family”) and the Muppets
advised young attendees to go out and
do good in the world.
Martin Sheen
is one of
the celebrity
‘me’s’ of
WE Day
Page 12 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
“Craig Kielburger is the young man who
started the whole thing,” Sheen reports.
“About 25 years ago, a 12-year-old
child who had been sold into slavery
in Pakistan revolted and led a strike of
his fellow workers in a carpet factory.
He founded a union called Free the
Children and became an internationally
known and revered figure. He was
invited to come to the United States
and did, and he toured some eastern
cities and was greeted as a hero
– and he went back home and was
assassinated almost immediately.
“A young boy in Canada, Craig
Kielburger, heard about him ... and
decided to pick up the mantle of Free
the Children, and that’s how WE Day
started. What Craig did was to use the
inspiration of this boy from Pakistan
to try to lift up the consciousness of
children in his own community about
what was going on in the world,
particularly with Third World, and to get
them involved in creative ways to help
solve the problems.”
Continued on next page
STORY
Martin Sheen
participates in
ABC’s “WE Day”
special Sunday
Continued from previous page
While Canada is the home base for WE Day,
one sign of its expansion to other countries
is Sheen’s participation, which he says
began “almost 10 years ago” and eventually
led to his work with the first WE Day rallies
staged in the U.S. He cites sports icon
Magic Johnson as a major promoter of the
movement in America.
“What this does,” Sheen explains, “is to
offer all these school children a opportunity
to serve their communities. Whether it’s
with the homeless or the aged or with the
environment, in some way, they make a
contribution that costs them in time or money
or experience. They have to go outside
themselves and challenge peer pressure.”
The resulting WE Day gatherings can draw
as many as 25,000 attendees, with “rock
bands and athletes” also involved, per Sheen.
He’s somewhat bemused that generally,
those he tries to inspire at such events have
little knowledge of the breadth of his acting
career.
“They don’t have a clue,” he admits with a
hearty laugh. “They start around sixth grade
and don’t go beyond high-school age. They
know me most from ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ and sometimes I’m introduced as ‘Uncle Ben.’ Then they’re like, ‘Oh,
yeah, he’s that old guy!’ That’s all I’ve got, or that I’m Charlie’s (Sheen) father or Emilio’s (Estevez) father. And you
know what? That’s OK, because I’ve been around far too long for any of them to be expected to remember me.”
As long as they remember the purpose of WE Day, Sheen is satisfied. “It encourages children to follow and trust
their instincts,” he reflects, “that the motivation they feel inside to serve their neighbors – and people they don’t know
and may never know – is what allows us to become our true selves, and that’s compassion. That’s really what it’s all
about.”
Click or tap on icon for more!
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 13
STORY
By Jay Bobbin
It frequently goes to the dark side, but to
many critics, “You’re the Worst” is among
the best.
The term “dramedy” isn’t used as
frequently as it once was, but that’s
what the FXX show – starting its third
season Wednesday, Aug. 31 – has been
established as, especially after its study
last year of clinical depression through
the caustic character Gretchen, played
by Aya Cash. Her confession of, and
struggle with, her condition pushed her
seemingly toxic relationship with the
often insensitive Jimmy (Chris Geere)
to another level ... and the reception to
the series has been confirmed by its
nominations for Critics’ Choice Awards
and Television Critics Association Awards.
Season 3 of
‘You’re the Worst’
aims to be
the best
Page 14 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
“We have a very complex chart on
the board,” says creator and executive
producer Stephen Falk, a “Weeds” and
“Orange Is the New Black” alum. “I don’t
really know if all shows do it like that, but
we like to make sure we’re telling one
cohesive story per season that certainly
continues from the last season. It doesn’t
just exist in a random space. We’re going
to see a condition of continuum from
Season 2.
“We’re sort of trying hard not to top (last)
season, in terms of some issue that we’re
dealing with, like we did with depression.
I think it’s a very seductive idea, but I
feel like it would feel like we’re trying too
hard.”
Continued on next page
STORY
Chris Geere and Aya Cash return
in Season 3 of “You’re the Worst”
Wednesday on FXX.
Continued from previous page
That’s just as well for actress Cash, who reports that Falk “sort of gave me a heads-up on the arc of Season 2. I like
to know – Chris doesn’t – so I sort of was like, ‘What’s happening?’ And when I read Episode 4 and she’s in the car
crying, I was like, ‘Wait, wait, wait. Where is she going? What is she doing?’
“But I think what’s so great,” Cash adds, “is just like in life, you get to know people and you sort of judge them on a
surface level, and they’re fun and they’re funny. And they’re f–-ed up and drinking too much, but it’s part of like their
charm. There’s usually something rooted in that, so even though I didn’t know (Gretchen) was clinically depressed for a
season, it made perfect sense to me when we discovered that. Obviously, people don’t behave that way without some
something else going on.”
British actor Geere notes, “It worked for Jimmy, trying to deal with it, as well. It was interesting for me to play that
person who is living with someone who has depression, running away from it, meeting someone else, you know. I
enjoyed (that) I never predicted anything that was going to happen, getting those scripts, and then I would lock myself
away for two days and learn four episodes so I had them in my head. And then I’d just wait until we got to set, and
(Cash) gives me gold, and I can just stand there and do my weird faces. Of which I have about eight.”
While the saga of Gretchen and Jimmy – which left off with the enormous-for-them confession “I love you” – is at
the heart of “You’re the Worst,” the show also involves two other major characters: Jimmy’s pal and roommate Edgar
(Desmin Borges), who has PTSD from his Iraq War service and is on the verge of moving out to pursue an uncertain
romance; and Lindsay (Kether Donohue), Gretchen’s now-pregnant free-spirit friend who married not for love but for
money.
“We’re just kind of continuing with the fallout from last season,” Falk concludes of the series’ third round, “always
moving the characters forward, and maybe some of them will fall. We’ll see.”
Click or tap on icon for more!
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 15
STORY
The VMAs takes its act back to the Big Apple
By George Dickie
In its long history, New York City’s Madison Square Garden has
seen many of the greatest music acts of all time grace its stage,
including the Rolling Stones, the Jackson 5, Led Zeppelin, Simon
& Garfunkel, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.
Now, it plays host to another major event when the 2016 MTV
Video Music Awards air live for the first time from the “World’s
Most Famous Arena” on Sunday, Aug. 28. And a pair of divas
could be in for banner nights as well.
Topping the list is Beyoncé, who leads all artists with 11
nominations for her visual album “Lemonade,” which has drawn
praise from critics and love from fans, who have purchased more
than 1 million units to date, making it her sixth release to surpass
that mark.
Adele fans will also see their favorite artist well represented
on this evening, as the British singer counts eight nods for her
global smash “25,” aptly titled since sales of that effort are sure
to surpass 25 million in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps more
importantly, it has encouraged many consumers to purchase
physical albums again rather than downloading or streaming.
Also bagging multiple nominations are Drake with six for his hit
“Hotline Bling,” which has drawn fire from critics for what they felt
was its sexist content; Ariana Grande with five, four for her hit “Into
You,” the second single from her third album “Dangerous Woman”;
and Rihanna with four, two each in collaboration with male artists
Drake (“Work”) and Calvin Harris (“This is What You Came For”).
As for the night’s big prize, Video of the Year, five artists are up
for that honor: Adele for “Hello,” Beyoncé for “Formation,” Drake
for “Hotline Bling,” Justin Bieber for “Sorry” and Kanye West for
“Famous.” Of course, only one will be taking home the signature
MTV Moonman trophy.
But no matter who wins, viewers will likely count themselves as
winners as these awards have supplied their share of memorable
and unpredictable antics over its 33-year history, from Madonna’s
emergence from a wedding cake to perform “Like a Virgin” in 1984
and her kisses with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2003,
to West’s stage crashing during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech
in ‘09.
PICTURED: Beyoncé
Click or tap on icon for more!
There is always a VMA headline to be had the next day and this
year’s show will surely be no exception.
Page 16 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
STORY
Eph locked
and – ahem – loaded
in Season 3 of
‘The Strain’
Corey Stoll stars in “The Strain,” which begins its third
season Sunday on FX
By George Dickie
As Season 3 of FX’s “The Strain” opens Sunday, Aug. 28,
former CDC epidemiologist Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather
appears to be fighting a losing battle in the fight to save
New York City from a strain of vampire virus that’s spreading
around the globe.
He’s lost the two women in his life – wife Kelly (Natalie
Brown), who has been turned into a strigoi; and colleague
Nora, who electrocuted herself on subway tracks at the end
of Season 2 after being infected with the vampire virus – as
well as his son, Zack (Max Charles), who also was turned.
Add to that the fact that the strigoi appear to be winning the
battle for Manhattan and the bioweapon doesn’t appear to
be having much effect and it’s easy to see why the character
played by Corey Stoll might be tempted to fall off the wagon.
“Yeah, he’s sort of handling things about as well as you can
when there’s a vampire apocalypse, I think,” the actor says
with a laugh. “They’ve sort of thrown everything they can
at The Master and he’s very resilient but there was sort of
a moment in Season 2 where it seemed like Eph had sort
of given up on a sort of a science-based approach and
sort of feeling that the sort of mythological world view that
Setrakian (David Bradley) has is really the way to go and
that doesn’t work either. So it’s sort of a return to biology for
Eph in this season.”
As the battle rages on in New York, Eph has gone back
to the drawing board with a vodka bottle by his side,
to find a way to stop the strigoi and The Master (Robin
Atkin Downes). The loss of Nora, a popular character
played by Mia Maestro, was widely bemoaned by fans,
but showrunner Carlton Cuse explains that her demise
was necessary to set up this season’s arc.
“It was really painful to have to kill Nora,” Cuse says.
“She was a wonderful character and Mia Maestro was
really a great person and we really enjoyed having her
on the show. But the death of this character was a big,
pivotal turn to take Eph to this sort of darker place and
kind of set him in motion for this kind of pivotal role he
has in this season’s development and it both affects this
season and ultimately the whole downstream story.”
It also removes a sense of safety for fans.
“That’s something we did on ‘Lost’ and it’s something
that they do very effectively on ‘Game of Thrones,’ ”
Cuse says. “And I think it’s important that you feel like in
a show that none of the characters are inviolable, that
there has to be a sense that characters, when they’re in
danger, you have to feel that something bad can happen
to them.”
Click or tap on icon for more!
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 17
SPORTS
Heisman
Trophy
favorite
Christian
McCaffrey
is back
and ready
to win
Full Name: Christian Jackson McCaffrey
Born: June 7, 1996
Birthplace: Castle Rock, Colorado
Height/Weight: 6-foot/201-pounds
Team: Stanford Cardinal
Position: Running Back, return specialist
No.: 5
Honors & Achievements: Associated Press
Player of the Year, 2015; Pac-12 Offensive Player of the
Year, 2015
Page 18 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
SPORTS
By Dan Ladd
College football is back and what
better way to kick off a new season
than showcasing a player that many
think will win the Heisman Trophy.
That player, junior running back
Christian McCaffrey, along with
the Stanford Cardinal will host the
Wildcats of Kansas State, Friday,
Sept. 2, on FS1.
McCaffrey, who is also an
electrifying return specialist,
enjoyed a record breaking and
award winning season in 2015 as
a sophomore when he broke Barry
Sanders record for all purpose
yardage with 3,864 total yards. Just
over 2,000 of those were rushing
yards with the rest being receiving
yardage as well as from returning
punts and kickoffs. Along the way he
scored eight rushing touchdowns,
another five as a receiver and one
each on kickoff and punt returns.
With the Cardinal again being a
stand-out Pac-12 team and often
having their games broadcast late
on Saturday evenings, especially on
the East Coast, many fans did not
get a real good look at McCaffrey
until the Jan. 1, 2016 Rose Bowl, a
game in which he dominated and
was the MVP. In a 45-16 route of
Iowa McCaffrey set a Rose Bowl
record with 368 total offensive yards.
He also became the first player to
earn both 100 rushing yards (172)
and 100 receiving yards (105) in the
Rose Bowl.
ChristianMcCaffrey
If he stays healthy and remains
productive there’s little doubt he’ll
have a shot at the Heisman, for
which he was the 2015 runner-up,
and be a top pick in the 2017 NFL
Draft.
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 19
MOVIES
Our Take
JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
Matt Damon
is re-‘Bourne’ in a familiar way
With apologies
to Lady Gaga,
it’s clearer than
ever that a certain
action hero is
simply Bourne this
way.
In fairness, certain
things have to
be expected
from any story
about novelist
Robert Ludlum’s
character who’s
never let amnesia
stand in the way
of instinctively
cleaning the clocks
of his enemies.
Especially since
Matt Damon and
Paul Greengrass
are back as star
and director, you
know you’ll get that
from the sequel
simply titled “Jason
Bourne.”
also determined
his father’s fate.
Tommy Lee
Jones is the CIA
chief who knows
Bourne knows
too much and
targets him, along
with crafty deputy
Alicia Vikander
and sleek
assassin Vincent
Cassel.
Pictured: Matt Damon
That’s not necessarily a bad thing ... but if you’ve seen
even one of Damon’s previous Bourne films (leaving
out the non-Damon “Bourne Legacy”), it’s inevitable that
you’ll feel more than a twinge of deja vu. It could be just
what fans want, since the actor hasn’t been matched
with the role in a while, and familiarity is absolute comfort
food in summer movies. The gamble is real, though,
when it seems you simply could have put in a DVD of
one of the older films at home and seen a very similar
scene.
As the new story opens, Bourne has been out of the
spy game for a while – using his skills un another way
– but Julia Stiles’ returning character draws him back in
with hijacked information on what made him a spy and
Playing a
surrogate for the
earlier chapters’
David Strathairn,
Jones can do this
type of part in
his sleep, but it’s
still fun to watch
for the express
reason that it is
Tommy Lee Jones.
And had Vikander
not moved to
another level with
her Oscar win for “The Danish Girl,” she clearly could
ride her career strictly in femme-fatale mode.
As for other, fully anticipated elements of the picture:
Brutal physical combat? Check. (And you have to hand it
to Damon for being back in top physical condition almost
15 years after starting the series.) Frantic car chases?
Check. Great locations from Iceland to Las Vegas?
Quadruple check.
That’s the thing about “Jason Bourne.” It does seem to
go down a checklist of everything that’s come before in
the series. If that’s good enough for you, fine. Otherwise,
you’ll likely leave hoping for Damon to be Bourne yet
again.
Page 20 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
MOVIES
JAY BOBBIN's movie review
movies to watch
“THE JUNGLE BOOK”
Definitely not your parents’ – nor your
grandparents’ – movie version of the
classic Rudyard Kipling story, this Disneymade, Jon Favreau-directed revision
creates a remarkable environment from
computer-generated visuals executed
entirely within a Los Angeles studio,
though you absolutely can’t tell. Neel
Sethi plays Mowgli, the wolf-raised
youngster interacting with talking animals
– who have the voices of Bill Murray,
Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley, Lupita
Nyong’o, Christopher Walken and the late
Garry Shandling – while focusing a threat
from the sinister Shere Khan (voice of
Idris Elba). Though musical numbers held
over from the animated 1960s edition
seem a bit out of place in this treatment,
there’s no lasting harm to what truly is a
magical piece of entertainment. ››› (PG:
V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
Top Pick
DVD
Pictured: Neel Sethi
upcoming DVD releases
Pictured: Bryan Cranston
“ALL THE WAY” (Sept. 6): Bryan
Cranston reprises his Tony-winning
stage performance in the drama about
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s first
year in office. (Not rated: AS, P)
“CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR”
(Sept. 13): Captain America (Chris
Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey
Jr.) lead opposing factions of Marvel
superheroes. (PG-13: P, V)
“MONEY MONSTER” (Sept. 6): A
televised financial adviser (George
Clooney) is held captive by a vengeful
investor (Jack O’Connell); Julia
Roberts also stars. (R: AS, P, V)
“FREE STATE OF JONES” (Sept.
20): A fugitive (Mathew McConaughey)
from the Confederate Army returns to
Mississippi and forms his own force in
a secession bid. (R: AS, V)
“NOW YOU SEE ME 2” (Sept. 6):
The magicians known as the Four
Horsemen are coerced into helping a
corrupt tech wizard (Daniel Radcliffe);
Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson
return.
(PG-13: P, V)
“MIAMI VICE: THE COMPLETE
SERIES” (Oct. 4): Don Johnson
and Philip Michael Thomas star as
detective partners Crockett and Tubbs
in the Blu-ray debut of the trendsetting
drama. (Not rated: AS, P, V)
Family Viewing Ratings
AS Adult situations
P Profanity
V Violence
N Nudity
GV Graphic Violence
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 21
FAVORITE SHOWS
Shaquille
O’Neal
Nick
Cannon
2016 Little
League
World Series
SUNDAY
3 p.m. on ABC
2016 Little League World Series
They’ve been playing baseball
all summer long and after weeks
of regional play followed by the
international competition that
began on Aug. 18, the Little League
World Series culminates today. The
Championship game takes place at
Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South
Williamsport, Pa., between one U.S.
team and one international team.
Japan has dominated the LLWS in
recent years wining three of the last
four tournaments while a U.S team
hasn’t won since 2011. New
MONDAY
10 p.m. on NBC
Running Wild With Bear Grylls
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and
Jill
Flint
his host, Bear Grylls, are lifted from a
freight train via helicopter and whisked
away to a dense forest in the remote
Adirondacks in this new episode.
There they must contend with bloodsucking leeches and a sheer 200-foot
rock face while trying to reach their
extraction point. Along the way, O’Neal
shares some favorite stories from his
fabled career, and talks about what
drives his desire to help others. New
TUESDAY
8 p.m. on NBC
America’s Got Talent
The competition to see which
entertainer winds up with a cool
million dollars, plus bragging rights
as the most talented act in America
(2016 edition), enters its next phase
as round one of the live “Semi Finals’’
kicks off at the Dolby Theatre in
Page 22 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016
Los Angeles. After the first group of
semifinalists performs tonight, the
lucky five who will advance to the
finals will be revealed in Wednesday’s
live show. Viewers also will have one
last chance to send a favorite act to
the finals by using Google Instant
Save. Nick Cannon is the host. New
WEDNESDAY
10 p.m. on NBC
The Night Shift
In the new “Burned,’’ the conclusion of
a two-part season finale, the wildfire
outside San Antonio advances, putting
Scott and Jordan (Scott Wolf, Jill Flint)
directly in the line of peril. Over on
the border between Syria and Turkey,
TC (Eoin Macken) resorts to extreme
measures to obtain medication for
hundreds of typhus patients, including
Syd (guest star Jennifer Beals).
Drew and Rick (Brendan Fehr, Luke
continued on next page
FAVORITE SHOWS
Macfarlane) fight to retain custody
of Brianna (guest star Kyla Kenedy).
New
THURSDAY
9:59 p.m. on CBS
Code Black
The hospital’s medical team goes
through an intensive interrogation in
the aftermath of a violent incident
that left two doctors gravely injured
in “Diagnosis of Exclusion.’’ On
a lighter note, after disclosing
their relationship to the human
resources department, Christa and
Neal (Bonnie Somerville, Raza
Jaffrey) take things to the next level.
Boris Kodjoe joins the cast in the
recurring role of Dr. Will Campbell,
a new surgeon.
10 p.m. on FX
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll
The band at the heart of this
acerbic sitcom always seems to be
one spat away from breaking up
permanently – again – but after all
the individual triumphs and trials
the characters have experienced
over the course of this sophomore
season, the prospect seems more
likely than ever in “Bang Bang,’’ the
season finale. Having built her clout
and cred to formidable new levels,
Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies) declares
she’s taking the group in a new
direction. Johnny (Denis Leary),
however, decides it’s time for him to
pursue a solo project. New
FRIDAY
8 p.m. on ABC
Shark Tank
Can anything keep people from
being attached to their cell
phones? New York veterans of the
advertising world think they have
the answer in this episode. A toy
designed to educate youngsters
in math and science is pitched
by inventors from Orlando, Fla. - also the location of a trade show
to which Lori Greiner takes 10 of
the people whose ideas she has
bankrolled.
10 p.m. on FREEFORM
Cheer Squad
In the Season 1 finale, “Threepeat?!,’’ the Sharks are in Orlando,
Fla., where they hope to win
a third world title. Before, that,
though, Knoxy has to face some
consequences with her mother. After
the twins work their way through a
bucket list of all that theme parkheavy Orlando has to offer, the
squad turns its attention to their final
performance on which all their hopes
are riding. New
SATURDAY
8 p.m. on ABC
College Football
The Crimson Tide of Alabama
begin defense of their 2015 College
Football Championship against the
USC Trojans. The Tide’s defense is
again expected to be solid thanks
Bonnie
Somerville
to top recruit linebackers but their
biggest question is at quarterback
where redshirt freshman Blake
Barnett and junior Cooper Bateman
have battled for the starting job.
Southern Cal seeks to improve
on an 8-6 season in 2015 that
ended with a Holiday Bowl loss to
Wisconsin.
2:30 p.m. on GOLF
PGA Tour Golf
Labor Day weekend means a
shift in tournament days for the
PGA Tour with the Deutsche Bank
Championship, which is played
in Norton, Mass., beginning on a
Friday rather than a Thursday and
culminating on Labor Day. This event
is also the second of the FedEx Cup
Playoffs with 100 players qualifying
for this tournament. Only 70 will
survive to play the next round.
Lori
Greiner
Cooper
Bateman
August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 23