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“The Undefeated” director Stephen K. Bannon talks Sarah Palin, “Game Change”

March 9, 2012 StayTuned Staff

By Stacey Harrison For the most part, my conversation with Stephen K. Bannon is civil and friendly. This might surprise folks who expect the director of the unabashedly pro-Sarah Palin documentary The Undefeated — which airs on ReelzChannel Sunday at 8pm — to be a firebrand mouthpiece of the Tea Party movement. But Bannon is among those who says he seeks a friendlier discourse in the political landscape. Still, he couldn’t resist lobbing a few snark-laden bombs in the direction of Game Change, the HBO film that dramatizes Palin’s unlikely and meteoric rise to prominence during the 2008 presidential campaign. It […]

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“First Week In” not exactly filled with TLC

March 9, 2012 StayTuned Staff

Earlier this week I posted about a series focusing on people on death row. Now, thanks to TLC — the same people who bring you series like Cake Boss — I get to post about a series describing something of the other extreme. First Week In premieres on TLC Thursday, March 15 at 9pm ET/PT, and, as the title suggests, is a show about the first week inmates spend incarcerated for their crimes. There’s a certain “scared straight” dynamic at work in this series, without question. No matter how tough you are — or think you are — out in […]

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“The Announcement” Magic Johnson documentary Sunday on ESPN

March 8, 2012 Ryan Berenz

On Sunday, March 11, at 9pm ET, ESPN premieres the documentary The Announcement, a look back at the day in 1991 when NBA star Magic Johnson revealed to the world that he was HIV positive. Directed by Nelson George and narrated by Johnson himself, the documentary not only looks at the reactions to the news more than 20 years ago, it looks at how Johnson is still living life to the fullest to this day. Press release with video preview and quotes from ESPN below: ESPN Films and NBA Entertainment Present The Announcement Premiering March 11 on ESPN Documentary Focuses […]

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Preppers movement, underground shelters focus of “Doomsday Bunkers” on Discovery

March 7, 2012 Barb Oates

Fueled by devastating news headlines that range from nuclear disasters to the failing economy, shooting sprees, suicide bombers and/or horrific weather, a growing group of Americans are taking their worst fears and are planning for it. They are known as preppers, and they are preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. Discovery Channel casts light on their world by exploring the advanced and secretive underground bunkers they are installing in Doomsday Bunkers. The three-episode series premieres tonight (March 7) at 10pm ET/PT and will air March 14 and 21. The series follows Scott Bales, owner of Deep Earth […]

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Werner Herzog’s “On Death Row” for ID explores humanity’s despair

March 7, 2012 StayTuned Staff

The name Werner Herzog conjures so much awe and mythology that it’s almost hard to believe he has a four-part series on Investigation Discovery. But then you find out that the series is called On Death Row and is a companion to his recent film, Into the Abyss, that debuted to rave reviews with its exploration of prison life and the crushing ramifications of the death penalty. Premiering Friday, March 9 at 10pm ET/PT, the Academy Award-nominated Herzog uses On Death Row to take viewers still deeper into the heart of darkness. German-born, Herzog respectfully disagrees with the concept of […]

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ID’s “Deadly Sins” plumbs the depths of depravity

March 2, 2012 StayTuned Staff

Investigation Discovery takes a slightly different angle from its usual focus on violation of criminal law starting tomorrow, with the premiere of its new series Deadly Sins. Examining the moral dimension of the law, Deadly Sins uses the well-known seven — gluttony, avarice, sloth, pride, lust, wrath and envy — to illustrate how everyday people can find themselves caught up in situations that lead them to violate their own laws as well as society’s. Guiding viewers through each scenario is attorney Darren Kavinoky, a criminal behavior expert, who offers insight into the subjects’ motivations and the legal ramifications of their […]

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“Wilt 100” on NBA TV Friday

March 2, 2012 Ryan Berenz

NBA TV celebrates the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game with a documentary special Wilt 100, airing Friday, March 2, at 7pm ET. On March 2, 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 victory over the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pa. The 100-point plateau is a feat that has gone unmatched. There’s no video footage of the game, and there were only 4,000 spectators (though I’m sure you’ll find 25,000 who said they were there.) NBA legend and Chamberlain rival Bill Russell narrates the documentary, with long-told stories, new insights, and original […]

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“Planet Earth” filmmakers impress again with Discovery Channel’s “Frozen Planet”

February 28, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

As I post this article from my office in Wisconsin, it’s a cloudy, late February day, with temperatures in the low 30s and a chance for a cold rain later today. Certainly not the most pleasant of conditions, but also hardly worth complaining about after seeing what the Arctic and Antarctic creatures chronicled in Discovery Channel’s new series Frozen Planet endure on a daily basis. The seven-part Frozen Planet, premiering March 18 and narrated by Alec Baldwin, is another coproduction with the BBC, from the same filmmakers who brought us the astounding Planet Earth a few years back. This time, […]

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Clooney, Pitt, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer part of “Actors Unscripted”

February 22, 2012 Barb Oates

E! Entertainment announced the airing of an intimate special with some of Hollywood’s top talent in The Hollywood Reporter Presents: Actors Unscripted, a half-hour special airing this Friday, February 24 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. It’s a joint project between E! and The Hollywood Reporter. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are just a few of the stars featured in round-table interviews where they discuss their innermost thoughts on their craft, as well as the highs and lows of their careers. Highlights from the show include: >> George Clooney: “I remember I was selling women’s shoes […]