PABLO ESCOBAR’S REIGN HEADS TOWARD ITS END IN …bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/northwestsignal.net/content/tncms/assets/v3/...personal in the case of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian

FOLIO

Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016

“WE DAy” • “you’rE thE WorSt” • “MovEAblE FEASt” • vMAS

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

Page 2 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016

C

contentsYOURTVLINK

What’s HOT this

Week!

20-21 Theatrical Review, and Our top DVD releases

22-23 Our top suggested programs to watch this week!

CELEBRITY

FOOD

MOVIES

IN EVERY ISSUE

SPORTS

7 Pigging out in L.A. on ‘Moveable Feast’

18-19 McCaffrey running wild at Stanford

REALITY16 VMAs head to the Garden

TOP STORIES

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

OUR STAFFWriters: Jay Bobbin, George Dickie, Dan Ladd, John CrookGraphic Design: Nicolle BurtonQuality Team: Michelle Wilson, Lisa Webster, Chris Browne

Visit YourTVLINK.com for more stories!

thE Story!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.

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 creator-executive producer Stephen Falk tell Jay Bobbin about what’s ahead.

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.

http://www.yourtvlink.com/

August 28 - September 3, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 3

Click or tap on icon for more!

BY JAY BOBBINWhile 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.”

Editor's choice

Wagner Moura stars in Season 2 premiering Friday on Netflix

STORY

‘Narcos’ Season 2 continues Netflix’s true drama of the drug trade

https://www.netflix.com/

FOLIO

Judy WoodruffJAY BOBBIN’S Q&A

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 at home or in our cars.


of ‘PBS NewsHour’ weeknights on PBS

CELEBRITY

Have the conversations at home with your husband, political columnist Al Hunt, been especially interesting this election season?

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.


http://www.pbs.org/

RIZAHMED

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.

GEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A



of ‘The Night Of’ Sunday on HBO

CELEBRITY

http://www.hbo.com/

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.


CELEBRITY

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.

Valerie Bertinelli of ‘Valerie’s Home Cooking’ Saturday on Food Network

All aboutGEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A


http://www.foodnetwork.com/


TASTY

GEORGE DICKIE’S WHAT'S FOR DINNER

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.”

What book are you currently reading?

“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.”

What did you have for dinner last night?

“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.”

What is your next project?

“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.”

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 duck rillettes. Held at a scenic location in Silver Lake, it’s a feast fit for a director’s level 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.”

STONE IN PIG HEAVEN in L.A. on PBS’ ‘Moveable Feast’


Curtis Stone

http://www.pbs.org/

GEORGE DICKIE’S CELEBRITY SCOOP


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.”

CELEBRITY

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.”

GREG MAYER


http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ultimate-survival-alaska/?gclid=CLuYneG-xsMCFYcDaQodW4cAUg


CELEBRITYCELEBRITY 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.

- 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 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.

- 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 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.

- In 2014, Milwaukee Blacksmith was a finalist for The 2014 Martha Stewart American Made Awards.

- 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.

Kent Knapp is a musician and blacksmith who can be seen with his family on the

new History reality show “Milwaukee Blacksmith.”


http://www.history.com/


“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 Saturday-afternoon 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”

“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

CELEBRITY


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.”

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.”

ON DVRs

Martin Sheen of “WE Day” on ABCThe 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.

”

“

CELEBRITY


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.

“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.”

Martin Sheen is one of the celebrity ‘me’s’ of WE Day

Continued on next 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.”

STORY

Martin Sheen participates in ABC’s “WE Day” special Sunday

Continued from previous page


http://abc.go.com/


STORY

BY JAY BOBBINIt 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.

“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.”

Season 3 of ‘You’re the Worst’

aims to be the best

Continued on next 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.”

STORY

Continued from previous page

Chris Geere and Aya Cash return in Season 3 of “You’re the Worst”

Wednesday on FXX.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/fxx

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.

There is always a VMA headline to be had the next day and this year’s show will surely be no exception.



STORY

The VMAs takes its act back to the Big Apple

PICTURED: Beyoncé

http://www.mtv.com/

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.”


Eph locked and – ahem – loaded

in Season 3 of ‘The Strain’

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.”


STORY

Corey Stoll stars in “The Strain,” which begins its third season Sunday on FX

http://www.fxnetworks.com/network-landing/fx


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

SPORTS

Heisman Trophy favorite

Christian McCaffrey

is back and ready

to win


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.

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.

BY DAN LADD

CHRISTIANMCCAFFREY

SPORTS


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.”

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

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.

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.

JAY BOBBIN'S THEATRICAL MOVIE REVIEW

MATT DAMON is re-‘Bourne’ in a familiar way

MOVIES

Our Take

Pictured: Matt Damon

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

“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)

UPCOMING DVD RELEASES

JAY BOBBIN'S MOVIE REVIEW MOVIES TO WATCH

Top PickDVD

Pictured: Bryan Cranston

“THE JUNGLE BOOK”Definitely not your parents’ – nor your grandparents’ – movie version of the classic Rudyard Kipling story, this Disney-made, 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)


Family Viewing Ratings

AS Adult situations P Profanity V Violence N Nudity GV Graphic Violence

MOVIES

Pictured: Neel Sethi

Page 22 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote August 28 - September 3, 2016 continued on next page

FAVORITE SHOWS

SUNDAY 3 p.m. on ABC 2016 Little League World SeriesThey’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 GryllsNBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and

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 blood-

sucking 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 TalentThe 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

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 ShiftIn 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

2016 little league World Series

Shaquille o’Neal

Nick Cannon

Jill Flint


FAVORITE SHOWS

Macfarlane) fight to retain custody of Brianna (guest star Kyla Kenedy). New

THURSDAY 9:59 p.m. on CBS Code BlackThe 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&RollThe 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.

bonnie Somerville

lori Greiner

10 p.m. on FREEFORM Cheer SquadIn the Season 1 finale, “Three-peat?!,’’ 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 park-heavy 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 FootballThe 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

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 GolfLabor 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.

Cooper bateman

Documents

PABLO ESCOBAR’S REIGN HEADS TOWARD ITS END IN …bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/northwestsignal.net/content/tncms/assets/v3/...personal in the case of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian