TONY - TownNewsbloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/northwestsignal.net/...FOLIO All-stars pay tribute to a music giant TONY BENNETT CELEBRATES90 Courtesy of Gracenote December 18

FOLIO

All-stars pay tribute to a music giant

TONY BENNETT

CELEBRATES

90

Courtesy of Gracenote December 18 - 24, 2016

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT

HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR

BRINGS BACK PAST FAVORITES

NEED SOME HELP FOR THE

HOLIDAYS? FEAR NOT:

TERRY CREWS SAVES

CHRISTMAS

HOLIDAY SPECIAL EDITION!

STELLAR CAST HONORS PLAYWRIGHT’S

LEGACY IN

SHAKESPEARE LIVE!

Page 2 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote December 18 - 24, 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!

FOOD

9 Sweets for the sweet as Christmas approaches

18-19 A.J Green, Bengals future Hall of Famer?

16 Be a builder, says Norm Abram

Visit YourTVLINK.com

STAFF FAVES4 Though it officially was in August, Tony Bennett marks his milestone birthday with an evening of musical performances taped at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in September on “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come.” George Dickie talks to the jazz legend about the show and his career.

12-13 “Terry Crews Saves Christmas’’ — really — in a new reality miniseries that begins a four-night run Tuesday on The CW. Jay Bobbin talks with the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-star about his mission to visit people who need tips on staging successful holiday celebrations.

14-15 NBC’s “America’s Got Talent: America’s Got Talent Holiday Spectacular” brings back past fan favorites for a Christmas-themed celebration. George Dickie speaks with two who went on to bigger and better, ventriloquist Terry Fator and singer Jackie Evancho, about what the show means to them.

17 Marking the 400th anniversary year of William Shakespeare’s death, a glittering array of some of Britain’s finest performers assembled for this collection of highlights reflecting the Bard’s influence on a variety of performing arts ranging from theater to music to dance. John Crook previews the lineup and talks with director John Wyver about the daunting logistics that went into pulling off this special, which was telecast live in the UK last April 23, believed to be the date Shakespeare died in 1616.

Here’s where you can find us

REALITY

SPORTS

MOVIES

IN EVERY ISSUE

5 ‘CMA Country Christmas’ is an annual gift for Jennifer Nettles

6 A TV career that’s mostly ‘Mozart’ still pleases Saffron Burrows

7 Johnny Iuzzini wants all competitors to succeed

8 Mrs. Claus: The story of another lovely lady

CELEBRITY

TOP STORIES

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Managing Editor: Michelle Wilson“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

Writer: Jay Bobbin“White Christmas”

Writer: George Dickie“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Writer: John Crook“White Christmas”

Writer: Dan Ladd“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Magazine design: Nicolle Burton“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

Quality: Chris Browne“The Little Drummer Boy”

Check out our special Holiday articles and related programing throughout!

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December 18 - 24, 2016 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 3

Am I the only one thinking about the good ol’ holiday days? Like back (30 years ago – eek!) when we asked Santa for jelly shoes, Pound Puppies and Cabbage Patch Kids? Oh, the memories!

I fondly remember watching the annual holiday specials on our TV that was connected to a satellite dish out back which was almost as big as the house! The commercials were great. For you Millennials out there reeling from the recent clown scares, the rumors are true … Ronald McDonald (you know, the icon from McDonalds) knows how to ice skate! How about when Peter came home to surprise his family for Christmas and everyone in the house awakened to the smell of Folgers coffee? The best part of waking up ... ah! Ironically, I never could stand drinking coffee until last year.

My two children recently discovered a forgotten box of VHS tapes tucked away upstairs. “What are those,” you ask?! Well kids, let’s sit right down and I’ll tell you a tale of the “dark” days without a remote control and rotary dial phones connected to a cord complete with party lines! GASP!

While digging through this treasure trove, I came across the version of DVR back in my day — shows manually recorded off network TV, complete with “vintage” commercials and static lines that can’t be fixed by the “tracking button” on the VCR! I know, Google just probably crashed because the younger generation is trying to look on their smart phone to translate the foreign language I’m using right now.

In the words of Sophia Petrillo, “But I digress.”

I realized that some of my favorite childhood holiday specials are those that don’t seem to get their glittering moment under the yearly TV tree anymore. Sure, I’m thankful “Rudolph,” “Frosty,” “The Grinch” and “Charlie Brown” are still eating up the ratings like Kris Kringle with a plate of Oreo cookies, but there are others we deem “classics” that should also be repeated. So TV-programming Santa, if you’re reading this, we promise we’ve been good all year (except for maybe that one time we tapped the bumper of our boss’s car -- sorry!) so please bring back “Bugs Bunny’s Looney Christmas Tales” and “A Garfield Christmas Special.”

And let’s not forget the “Claymation Christmas Celebration.” Dinosaur co-hosts Rex and Herb cracked me up as they introduced various musical numbers and discussed the origins of each such as “Carol of the Bells,” “We Three Kings,” “Joy to the World” and our personal favorite, “Here We Come a-Waffling” ... err .. “Wassailing.” The headliner here though was none other than The California Raisins singing “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” … If only the kids could find that VHS tape!

I think someone (I’m looking at you, Netflix ...) needs to bring these classics back on the air. Hey, our hearts and choice of music may forever be stuck in the ‘80s but at least our hair is not!

We here at Gracenote wish you all a very happy holiday season and hope you enjoy this special edition of our magazine.

OUR TAKE

Editor’s LetterBY MICHELLE WILSON MANAGING EDITOR

Michelle

Sincerely,

Christmas

FOLIO


BY GEORGE DICKIE Tony Bennett recalls a piece of sage advice from vocal coach Mimi Speer that set the young jazz singer on a path to success: don’t imitate another singer, imitate an instrumentalist.

“Art Tatum was the greatest piano player at that time,” Bennett explains. “In fact, he still is and I loved the way he phrased his recordings. And then (saxophonist) Stan Getz had a beautiful melodic sound that I liked. So I got those two things.

“In other words, she said, ‘If you imitate another singer, you’re just going to be one of the chorus. You’re never going to make it.’ ” he says. “... But if you just be yourself and get influenced by great musicians that are performing well and just be yourself no matter what, she said, by being yourself you’re automatically different from anybody else.”

No one can argue that Bennett isn’t a unique American talent, one whose career spans more than 60 years, multiple gold and platinum records and 19 Grammy Awards. His career and his life is celebrated in “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come.”

Airing Tuesday, Dec. 20, on NBC, the two-hour special that was taped in September at New York’s Radio City Music Hall marks Bennett’s 90th birthday (which was actually on Aug. 3) with an evening of music from an all-star lineup of performers that includes Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Elton John, Diana Krall, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga. Others who appear include Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Steve Buscemi, John Travolta, Bruce Willis and Homer Simpson.

One of the highlights of the evening came from Gaga, his collaborator on the hit 2014 release “Cheek to Cheek,” who wowed the crowd and Bennett with a knockout version of “The Lady Is a Tramp.”

“It couldn’t have been better ... it was so beautiful the way she performed,” Bennett says. “Last year, we did quite a few shows internationally, throughout all of Europe and then America and she did wonderful wherever we went.”

Bennett recalls first meeting Gaga at a benefit concert in New York and being impressed by her talent and the crowd’s reaction to her.

“I never heard an audience adore anybody as much as they adored Lady Gaga ...,” he says. “So I went backstage and she was backstage with her mother and father and we really hit it off. And right from the beginning, she said, ‘Let’s do an album together.’ And I said, ‘Great, that’s terrific.’ And we did.”

The special returned Bennett to his favorite venue, Radio City, the historic Midtown Manhattan theater known for its perfect acoustics. In the birthday show, Bennett put down the microphone to perform “Fly Me to the Moon” without amplification of his voice.

But in a night of tributes, perhaps the most fitting of all for Bennett came courtesy of a quintessentially New York landmark.

“(That was the) moment the Empire State (Building) put up the Italian colors ... celebrating my 90th birthday,” he says. “That was pretty wonderful. It was unbelievable. ... That’s New York.”

Editor's choice

Pictured: Alec Baldwin, Tony Bennett

STORY

A legend marks a milestone on ‘Tony Bennett Celebrates 90’

http://www.nbc.com/

JENNIFERNETTLES

You’re on your seventh year of hosting “CMA Country Christmas.” Is it safe to assume you consider it a holiday tradition for yourself?Yeah, I do love it. It is always such a pleasure every year. It’s an insane day because it’s so long – we shoot it live, with all the artists who are on it – and the opening is always a big, big number with lots of dancing and costumes and all those things. And there’s preparation days ahead with rehearsals, so it’s always a big undertaking, but it’s also a labor of love.It’s so fun for me, not only as an artist to get to go out there and sing different music and celebrate other wonderful artists and what they bring during the Christmas season, but also to get to be part of a tradition for my fans. I hear people say all the time, “We all sit down and watch this together. It marks the holiday season for us.” And I love getting to be a part of that.

You’ve also been doing some holiday concerts in conjunction with your new album, “To Celebrate Christmas.” How has that gone?I’ve never done a holiday show, per se. I’ve toured into December and I might throw a Christmas song in, but never having had a solo Christmas album before, I never planned a specific show around that ... so this is really, really sweet for me.

How was it to make your own Christmas album?I love the sound of it. It’s very much me. I collaborated on it with Julian Raymond, who produced it, and it was so interesting to approach it. I was super-busy at the time it had to be recorded – most of the time, (Christmas albums) are done during the summer because they have to be turned in on time – so I jumped into it in August.Thank goodness for technology, because we could send the tracks back and forth while he was working in the studio. I told him, “You’re the man. Go.” And he did a fantastic job.

JAY BOBBIN’S Q&A


of ‘CMA Country Christmas’ Saturday on ABC

CELEBRITY

http://abc.go.com/

JAY BOBBIN’S Q&A

Though the new Season 3 of “Mozart in the Jungle” takes place partially in Venice, were you disappointed that you weren’t involved in that shoot?I remember speaking to (executive producer) Paul Weitz about the process, and he said, “We’re trying to find a way to get you to Venice, to get (the character) Cynthia to Venice, just because it would be fun for us all to hang out.” Yeah, the story couldn’t quite stretch to get me there.

Even without that trip, have you been satisfied with what you’ve been given to do this season?Well, just this week (at the time of this interview) ... I mean, I’ve just been shooting for the last six days, and it’s been fantastically eventful. Like, I was in the symphony hall and the first day, I was playing a little bass guitar. And some rock cello. And the specific guitar piece I had to learn ... I carried this travel bass with me for the last seven weeks. I actually came to New York from L.A. on a train, so I had this guitar with me for three days and three nights on the train, just strumming this one song.I do love the musical challenges of this (that are) thrown out on a weekly basis. Cynthia begins the season, I would say, in quite a loathing position – feeling very fragmented, and the effects of the strike, the lockout (of the orchestra) and what happened last season (are) sort of weighing heavily on her. So she’s sort of at the foot of a tall mountain, I think.

Now that “Mozart in the Jungle” has won Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, do you notice a difference in the reception to it?It inevitably brings even more of a new audience to our show ... young, middle-aged, all. I love, personally, the response we get to the show from people of all ages.


CELEBRITY

of ‘Mozart in the Jungle’ on AmazonSaffron Burrows


JOHNNY IUZZINI

When you’re watching bakers of this caliber, what are common mistakes you see?

The biggest mistake we see with all the bakers is they second-guess themselves. They have an idea of what they want to do but then something happens and it creates doubt in their own mind. Even though it’s something they’ve done before, even though it’s something that’s tried and true or whatever else and they’ve made it a million times, sometimes something will happen – and a lot of times it comes from the criticism from Mary (Berry, Iuzzini’s fellow judge) and I.And this is the great part, because we see our bakers learn and grow from episode to episode based on what they learned from us, because we make sure they understand why we like or dislike something. We make sure they understand what they did wrong and how they can make it better. So we’re always kind of like mentoring them throughout the whole process because we want everybody to succeed.

So when you’re criticizing a contestant, you must have to carefully choose your words, correct?

One hundred percent, and as much as it’s not live TV you don’t want to re-say things. You want it to be genuine. You want it to be genuine for yourself and you want it to be genuine for the competitors.

GEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A

CELEBRITY

of “The Great American Baking Show” Thursday on ABC

http://abc.go.com/

CELEBRITY SCOOP


“Come in, get out of that cold,” Mrs. Claus says, ushering a visitor into her home. “I can’t imagine why you want to talk with me. Nick is the star of the show. But do sit down.”

She places a platter of gingerbread cookies and a mug of cocoa on a table, settles into a chair, and resumes knitting.

“Since you traveled all this way,” she says, glancing over the wire-rimmed glasses, “I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

Over a few days, as no one without a special sleigh commutes to the top of the world, Mrs. Claus reveals that, while of course she has a first name, it’s been wrongly reported over the years.

She prefers to be addressed as Mrs. Claus.

She dismisses her own background as “pretty typical,” allowing only that she grew up in a large, happy family.

“Nick was my oldest brother’s friend, and we met when I was 17,” she says. “How could you not fall in love with that man? That laugh alone! And, it’s not just for Christmas.”

She declines to say how long ago that was.

CELEBRITY

Checking in with Mrs. Claus

Though the big guy gets the credit, Mrs. Claus doesn’t mind. She’s fine with the occasional appearance.

Everyone around here knows she runs a remarkable amount of the operation. And, this is a huge undertaking. Keeping Santa healthy for the holidays is nothing to be sneezed at either. I think we all remember the close call in 1974 where “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (airing Tuesday, Dec. 20, on Freeform) almost became a reality. Sick days are not allowed!

“Nick does keep track of the kids’ behavior throughout the year,” Mrs. Claus says, “but someone has to keep track of The List. We went high-tech a few years back, and some of the elves are

Hometown: Alert, Canada, the northernmost inhabited place on Earth. “Except for here,” she says.Pets: ReindeerPet peeve: Rogue elvesAlways in refrigerator: Homemade eggnogExercise regimen: “You’re kidding, right?” she says. “My doctor told me to lose weight, lay off the cookies and try jogging. I’d rather not, dear.”What she does in the off-season: “There’s no real off-season,” she says. “I insist Nick rest for a week after his big night, but once you’ve been everywhere, home is best. Of course I wouldn’t refuse a week in Bali or Paris.”

What she does in the off-season “There’s no real off-season,” she says. “I insist Nick rest for a week after his big night, but once you’ve been everywhere, home is best. Of course I wouldn’t refuse a week in Bali or Paris.”


GEORGE DICKIE’S WHAT'S FOR DINNER

Nothing says Christmas like a heaping helping of holiday sweets, which is the subject of a bevy of Food Network and Cooking Channel programming airing this week.

Sunday, Dec. 18, on Food is the season finale of “Holiday Baking Championship,” which finds the final three bakers tasked with making snacks for North Pole characters other than Santa and a North Pole-inspired cake. The best creations, as determined by judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale, wins $50,000 and is crowned Holiday Baking Champion. Bobby Deen is the host.

Also wrapping up its season is Food’s “Cake Wars: Christmas” on Monday, Dec. 19. Here, the battle takes place on two fronts: the kitchen, where the final two teams must create an edible Rudolph’s Christmas card; and in the yard, where they must deck the halls with the ultimate Christmas front yard. Judges Charles Phoenix, Sherry Yard and Kristi Yamaguchi name the winner.

Over on Cooking Channel on Tuesday, Dec. 20, is “Sugar Showdown,” where the elimination round challenges the bakers to incorporate eggnog in a donut, pie or cupcake. A Christmas-themed cake showdown then reveals a Holiday Champion – at least in the opinion of judges Jeff Mahin, Laura Vitale and Pascale.

It’s not Christmas without Grandma, and the Sunday season finale of Food’s “Clash of the Grandmas” tasks the contestants with several unusual challenges, among them making pizza in a waffle iron, turning a frozen daiquiri into a dessert, and combining Hawaiian and Mexican cuisines.

Also on Sunday is Cooking’s “Unique Sweets,” which heads to Dallas/Fort Worth to check out Texas-inspired confections including enormous deep-fried fritters, smoky toffee with bacon and sundaes with ingredients such as goat cheese, honey black pepper and roasted strawberries. And then, of course, there’s the ice cream taco.

On a different note, Cooking’s Saturday, Dec. 24, episode of “UpRooted” finds France-transplanted American chef Sarah Sharratt reveling in local truffle season, preparing a dinner of truffled brie, champagne risotto with truffles, and beef tenderloin with perigord truffle sauce, finishing off with a dessert of chocolate truffles. Yum.

Thursday, Dec. 22, on Cooking, “Cheap Eats” brings host Ali Khan to Bozeman, Mont., where he dines on elk burger, bison pepperoni and farm-to-table fresh benedict and summer sausage. He also discovers a huckleberry bar.

The farm-fresh theme continues on the Sunday episode of Cooking’s “Unwrapped 2.0,” in which host Alfonso Ribeiro showcases ingredients that go into famous foods such as Benton’s bacon, Carolina Foods’ Duchess Pecan Pies and Trinity Frozen Foods’ Southern Sweet Potato Fries.

And if you’re looking ahead to the new year, the Tuesday episode of Food’s “Chopped” holds its first-ever New Year’s party highlighted by ingredients baskets full of pricey items such as caviar.

SWEETENING THE POT

as Christmas approaches

FOOD

Pictured: Nancy Fuller, Bobby Deen, Duff Goldman

http://www.foodnetwork.com/


CELEBRITY

Celebs unwrap stories of their favorite gifts from Yuletide past

“I got my own phone line when I was, like, 13. That was a pretty good one.” – Italia Ricci

“My all-time favorite Christmas gift is a pair of cozy pajamas.” – Lily Aldridge, seen recently on “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” on CBS

“Probably my dollhouse. I remember getting that like it was yesterday. I was so excited about it. I remember my mom saying that I literally wouldn’t stop playing with it. And then about a year and a half ago – of course, my parents kept the dollhouse – I actually redid it and kind of jujjed it up, painted it and put new wallpaper and flooring and that kind of stuff and gave it to my daughter about a year and a half ago for her fifth birthday.” – Tiffani Thiessen

“For me, it’s just anytime I can be at home with my family. Last year was a great Christmas; it was just a small one, just me and my mom and my sister hanging out in the living room, opening up presents. We cooked together, and my mom was the leader in the kitchen, teaching us recipes and showing us what to do. It was a really sweet Christmas.” – Queen Latifah

“When I was a kid, I remember my great-great-aunt asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I kind of blew her off. So she asked, ‘What kind of instrument do you want for Christmas?’ and I said, ‘Oh, I’ll take a flute.’ And my brother said, ‘I’ll take a guitar.’ I didn’t know she was actually going to get this stuff, and there was a flute under the tree, and my brother got a guitar. And I was like, ‘Aaahh! I should have asked for drums!’ But I played the flute for maybe eight or nine years after that, and I was so glad I did. I can still pick it up and play it, and it turned out to be maybe my favorite Christmas gift ever. And when she passed, it made it that much more meaningful for me. She was one of my favorite people in the world.” – Terry Crews of “Terry Crews Saves Christmas”

All they wanted for Christmas was ...


“If you have a live Christmas tree whether it is potted or cut, make sure to keep it well hydrated. If it becomes too dry it can become a fire hazard. We always have a cut tree and install it in a base which holds plenty of water, which I monitor daily. Also make sure all the light strings are in good condition. LED lights are best because they run cool and are more efficient.”

Q: What are you most thankful for this Christmas?A: “It’s my family. We’re having a gathering here at our house with 22 people, you know, kids, grandkids, cousins. It’s just a great time of the year to get together and just be with each other. It’s hard these days with everything going on, with everybody’s schedule being so busy, to connect as much as we would like to. So this is always a momentous moment when we get together. It’s a lot of work putting it together. My wife and I will be working on it today and tomorrow. And then we demand a little from others to bring things along to help with it but it’ll be a great day.”

Q: What is your favorite holiday movie or special?A: “I’m not even sure what to say, to be honest. ... I don’t know.”

Q: What is your all-time favorite Christmas gift?

A: “Well I guess being a craftsperson I never would turn down a tool. A good tool is always nice to have. Or a good book, and I get those frequently. I usually don’t have enough time to read them all because I get two or three of them, but I’ll end up with one that I really like. And that kind of grabs me for a while and I’m really happy when I get one that really connects with me in a way.”

A HOLIDAY TIP from Norm Abram of “This Old House” on PBS

CELEBRITY

http://www.pbs.org/


BY JAY BOBBIN“Terry Crews Saves Christmas” is more than an attention-grabbing title: For several families, he really does.

The “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” co-star and NFL veteran travels to several cities – along with designer Vanessa Deleon and chef Dean Sheremet – to help people who have hit snags in planning holiday celebrations in a new miniseries that The CW will air over four consecutive nights starting Tuesday, Dec. 20. Crews puts his big personality to amusing work for citizens who are quite surprised when he shows up at their doors, sometimes in guises such as a ballet outfit.

“The producers from a group called Electus had an idea to put a series of holiday specials together,” the affable Crews explains, “but they didn’t know who to go after. Someone said, ‘Terry Crews,’ and it got revamped to be me saving holiday disasters. And I was with it, man. I’ve got five kids and I’ve been married 27 years, so I’ve had my share of Christmas disasters and faux pas, big-time problems that I had to solve myself. And I love the holidays, so this was perfect for me.”

Indeed, Crews knows “the holidays are a big deal. I don’t care where you are or who you are, you can’t ignore it. You can try to avoid it, but that Christmas party is coming to your job. For those are intimidated by it, we try to help them get with it or lean into it. We come in and pick out what the problems are, and in 48 hours, we revamp their home and their food and the way they do everything. The families have the love, but a lot of times, they just don’t know what to do.”

Continued on next page

‘Terry Crews Saves Christmas’

over four consecutive nights on The CW

STORY


The situations in different households are quite varied, as Crews has learned anew from making the show: “There are very young families, then there are others who have grown kids who are now out of the house, and how do those empty nesters work Christmas? We’ve been to Chicago, L.A., all over the place. And I want to do more.”

While entertainers are used to making Christmas shows out of season, so that they’ll be ready to air at the appropriate time, the civilians involved in “Terry Crews Saves Christmas” had to make a pact with Crews and his crew to play along. Still, he admits there are telltale signs.

“It’s awesome,” he muses. “We started filming before Halloween, so we were like, ‘What are all these Halloween decorations doing up at Christmas time?’ And we just kept going with it. One good thing is that we break the fourth wall here, and I talk to the camera. It’s like a reality show of a kind you’ve never seen, showing you all the behind-the-scenes things while we’re doing it. It’s just a free-for-all. (Those visited) might have expected a Martha Stewart type, but to see a 250-lb. African American wearing an elf costume ... they take a lot of pictures.”

Not only does Crews maintain he’d be game to do “Terry Crews Saves Christmas” again, he says he’s ready to spread the concept to other holidays, as in “Terry Crews Saves Mother’s Day” or “Terry Crews Saves the Fourth of July.”

“We’re already talking about it,” he reports. “We could just keep doing this. Anytime you have any kind of celebration and you don’t know what to do, we can do it. And the funny thing is that I don’t even know what to do; that’s why we have the professionals along. I’m here to be the spirit, to bring the energy and the joy, because I understand it – but I’ve made all the mistakes. If Christmas has a spirit animal, it’s me.”

Continued from previous page

STORY

http://www.cwtv.com


STORY

Successful alumni return for ‘America’s Got Talent Holiday Spectacular’BY GEORGE DICKIE If ever there was a poster child for overnight “America’s Got Talent”-made success, Terry Fator would be it.

Indeed, the 51-year-old Dallas native had been struggling for 20 years as a ventriloquist, impressionist and comedian back in 2007 when he began giving serious consideration to leaving the business and getting a 9-to-5 job. His family encouraged him to give it one last shot and audition for “AGT.” After trying out, competing and winning the show’s second season, job offers came rolling in, including a contract to headline at The Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip, where he still performs to this day.

He credits his success to “AGT” and he returns to the show this week with other past performers for the “America’s Got Talent Holiday Spectacular.”

Airing Monday, Dec. 19, on NBC, the two-hour special brings together an all-star roster of talent from previous seasons, among them Fator, singers Jackie Evancho, Grace Vanderwaal, Calysta Bevier, Andra Day and Brian Justin Crum; magicians Mat Franco, Jon Dorenbos and Piff the Magic Dragon; gymnastics act AcroArmy; canine act the Olate Dogs; and two acts that require no explanation: Professor Splash and The Regurgitator.

Continued on next pagePictured: Terry Fator


They will perform holiday songs and routines before a judging panel of Heidi Klum, Mel B., Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell. Host Nick Cannon will welcome the performers on stage.

“It’s not a big club,” Fator says of past “AGT” champions. “There are only 10 or 11 of us so it’s actually a pretty phenomenal thing to have done. When you think of all the millions of people who have tried out for the show and to be one of the ones who actually won it is, wow, what an unbelievable honor and an incredible accomplishment. You know, I feel incredibly proud to be one of the ones who did it and we all feel that way.”

Upon returning for the special, Fator was happily reunited with Cowell, then the show’s creator and executive producer who became a judge in 2013.

“He actually came up to me and thanked me for my unwavering support of the show since winning in 2007,” Fator says. “He said, ‘You’ve been such a great ambassador of the show,’ and he just thanked me and was very, very gracious. ...”

“He probably would hate for me to tell people this because of his persona,” Fator adds with a laugh, “but he’s actually a really nice guy.”

Another success story is Evancho. After finishing second in Season 5 at the age of 10, the Pittsburgh native has launched a recording career that has garnered her platinum and gold albums and international acclaim. Having run the “AGT” gauntlet, the now-16-year-old Evancho says she felt an unspoken kinship with the other performers on the special.

“It’s like we look at each other and we all know what it feels like and we all know what it was like but we still all are extremely happy to be where we are,” the successful recording artisrt says. “And so yeah, I think we do all share that kind of understanding.”

STORY

Continued from previous page

Pictured: Jackie Evancho

http://www.nbc.com/

BY GEORGE DICKIE

Anyone who has ever tried to get a decent plumber or electrician to do work on their home knows how difficult it is to track one down, let alone hire them.

And that’s for a very simple reason: There aren’t that many around. And worse, in the future there will be even fewer of them.

That’s a problem people such as master carpenter Norm Abram of PBS’ long-running renovation series “This Old House” are trying to combat through the launch of a new charitable campaign Generation Next, which in partnership with Mike Rowe’s mikeroweWORKS Foundation will support scholarships for students interested in the construction trades.

“In my conversations with various contractors and subcontractors, the first question I usually ask is ‘What’s the most difficult problem you’re facing right now?’ “ Abram says. “And their answer is always, ‘Trying to find good skilled workers and people who want to be involved in the trades.’ And the deficit is getting bigger and bigger and I think it’s kind of gotten to the critical mass where if we don’t really do something serious about it right now, there’ll come a time where people will pick up their phone to call for a plumber or electrician to come and do some work or repairs on their house and they’re just not going to be there.”

The battle, says Abram, is twofold: combating the public perception on the necessity of a four-year college education for a successful life and educating people on what the building trades are all about and how challenging and even cerebral they can be.

“They do take a little while to learn,” Abram says, “but they are very rewarding. I mean, all of us who do work in the

trades who communicate with one another, we love our jobs. You know, it’s not just using your hands, it’s using your mind and solving problems. And the construction industry has gotten more complicated. I mean, the technology is changing, the materials are changing and so you have to get re-educated as well as learn the actual skills themselves.”

Abram and his colleagues have and will continue to address the problem on “This Old House” and even mentor young craftspeople on and off the show. But this outreach isn’t aimed at only the young, says Abram. It’s also open to anyone who might be considering a career change.

“I think people in their thirties and forties who are looking for a career change, if they get exposed to it, they just go, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize how rewarding this occupation can be,’ “ Abram says. “And then it has a financial benefit as well. You know, these things don’t happen on their own. Construction and building of homes and repair of homes is a big thing in this country and we need to keep it going.”


STORY

‘This Old House’s’ Abram spearheads effort to draw more people into building trades

http://www.pbs.org/

BY JOHN CROOKDuring a week when “The Hollow Crown” reaches the midpoint in its second season elsewhere on the PBS schedule, “Great Performances” serves up a starry two-hour special marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death with “Shakespeare Live! From the RSC” premiering Friday, Dec. 23 (check local listings).

Judi Dench, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, David Suchet (“Poirot”), Ian McKellen and Helen Mirren are just a few of the artists appearing during the broadcast, which – as its title reflects – aired live in the United Kingdom last April 23, believed to be the date of Shakespeare’s death in 1616.

The brainchild of Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Gregory Dolan, the program was in the planning stages for about two years, says John Wyver, director of RSC Screen Productions, who collaborated with Dolan during much of that process.

“Greg wanted to do something which was not just a collection of great bits from the plays,” Wyver explains. “He felt it was most appropriate to celebrate Shakespeare’s influence on the performing arts – on music, dance, comedy and musical theater – as well as celebrating the plays themselves.”

Thus the eclectic program includes highlights such as “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate,” adapted from “The Taming of the Shrew,” and a dance number set to Duke Ellington’s “Black and Tan Fantasy,”


Got room for more Bard?

Check out ‘Shakespeare Live!’ on PBS

which the composer created after watching several performances of “Othello.” Joseph Fiennes, who played the title role in the Oscar-winning “Shakespeare in Love,” also contributes a filmed walking tour of locations associated with the playwright.

To slightly paraphrase the Bard, however, the plays are the thing, and in addition to highlights of several Shakespearean scenes, the special also includes a witty comedy sketch in which a rookie actor attempting his first Hamlet gets advice from some lofty veterans of the role about how to approach the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy (needless to say, they all have contradictory suggestions). Capping that skit is a surprisingly deft royal cameo from Prince Charles, who attended the production with the Duchess of Cornwall.

“Prince Charles is the patron of the company and he has come to see a number of performances and productions by Gregory Dolan,” Wyver explains. “I think it’s fair to say the company has a very good relationship with His Royal Highness. When Greg conceived (that sketch), he always hoped he would get an absolutely top-of-the-range cast for it (and that) it could be topped by His Royal Highness contributing at the end.

“In fact, I gather that when Greg suggested it to him, he was quite enthusiastic about it. (Charles) did some acting at school, and I think there’s a little bit of a thespian under the skin there. I believe he and the Duchess of Cornwall had a very good evening. They stayed afterwards and chatted with the cast and the team.”

STORY

http://www.pbs.org/


FULL NAME: Adriel Jeremiah Green

BORN: July 31, 1988

BIRTHPLACE: Summerville, South Carolina

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6 foot 4 inches/210 pounds

TEAM: Cincinnati Bengals

POSITION: Wide Receiver

NO.: 18

COLLEGE: Georgia

DRAFTED: 4th pick in 2011 draft

HONORS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: Pro Bowl, 2011–2015; First-team All-SEC, 2008, 2009; SEC Freshman of the Year, 2008

Story on

SPORTS

BENGALS’ A.J. GREEN ONE FAST CAT


BY DAN LADDThe Cincinnati Bengals host their AFC North division rival the Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Both teams have struggled at times this season, but the Bengals are hoping that All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Green, one of their few bright spots, can return from a Nov. 20 hamstring injury to challenge the Steelers defense.

Since he came into the NFL in 2011, Green and the Bengals have shined only to come up short in the playoffs to end each of Green’s first five seasons. The Bengals have lost in the first round of the playoffs each year, including last year’s season-ending loss to the Steelers on a last-minute field goal in the Wild Card round.

Green continues to stand out in Cincy. That’s a continuation of a Hall-of-Fame type of career that Green started by being the only rookie Pro-Bowl receiver (2011) since 2003, while hauling in more passes in his first three years than any other player. He and Randy Moss are the only two receivers with over 1,000 yards in each of their first five seasons, and before his injury, Green was a few yards short of the thousand-yard mark for this season.

For the Bengals to turn things around this season, they’ll need the offense to continue to be productive, but they could use some help from a defense that is not measuring up to standards set in recent years. If he’s healthy, look for Green, who caught his first postseason touchdown against the Steelers in that playoff loss, to be a prime target for quarterback Andy Dalton.

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ADRIELGREEN

SPORTS


The name Harry Potter may not be attached to it directly, but “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” clearly is in the wheelhouse of novelist J.K. Rowling.

Undoubtedly, it’s good news to many fans that she has more stories where the other wildly popular ones came from – several sequels to the current film already are planned – and she keeps magic in her message, though “message” may be a little formal, as new characters are introduced by a screenplay she wrote herself.

In an enjoyable departure from the more-serious work that has made him an Oscar darling in recent years, Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, a special 1920s writer and zoologist with “beast”-ly charges that are very much out of the ordinary. And that fit conveniently inside his suitcase.

Mischief is in the making, though: Some of them get loose while he’s in New York, and it’s up to him to locate and recapture them. An ex-detective played by Sam Waterston’s daughter Katherine is on his case, in more ways than one ... and she complicates his mission, set against a conflict between those who are wizards and those who aren’t.

Director David Yates also handled a good chunk of the “Harry Potter” movie series, so even with older protagonists, he knows the turf very well. And there still is genuine magic in the stories Rowling weaves, even without a rousing game of Quidditch included. This is a more mature take on the concept, since the characters are older, and it’s intriguing to watch how the story’s makers work that after the long immersion into Harry’s world

(though this technically is a “Potter” prequel).

Of course, the special effects that generate the fantastic beasts go a long way toward the successful result; those who see the picture in 3-D will note how the technique is used to give extra intrigue and liveliness to those creations. Also showing up in the human cast are Dan Fogler, Colin Farrell, Zoe Saldana, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight and (in a role that promises to deliver much more in subsequent editions) Johnny Depp.

At any age, some forms of magic always work for a presenter or a partaker of it – and in this case, a certain author’s variation on many of her earlier themes is genuinely fantastic.

JAY BOBBIN'S THEATRICAL MOVIE REVIEW

A ‘FANTASTIC’ trip into other corners of J.K. Rowling’s imagination

MOVIES

Our Take

Pictured: Eddie Redmayne

“THE DRESSMAKER” (Dec. 27): A stylish woman’s (Kate Winslet) return to her Australian hometown is tinged with a taste for revenge against those who maligned her. (R: AS, P, V)

“SNOWDEN” (Dec. 27): Oliver Stone’s drama casts Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the source of the leak of many classified documents. (R: AS, N, P)

“BLAIR WITCH” (Jan. 3): In a familiar premise, several young people enter a Maryland forest to search for those who vanished in “The Blair Witch Project.” (R: AS, P)

“THE LION GUARD: LIFE IN THE PRIDE LANDS” (Jan. 10): The legend of “The Lion King” continues in episodes from the animated Disney Channel and Disney Junior series. (Not rated)

“MR. ROBOT: SEASON 2.0” (Jan. 10): The sophomore round of the acclaimed USA Network series, starring Emmy winner Rami Malek and Christian Slater, comes to home video. (Not rated: AS, P, V)

“THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS” (Jan. 24): A childless, island-bound couple (Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander) claims an infant they find as their own. (PG-13: AS, P)

UPCOMING DVD RELEASES

JAY BOBBIN'S DVD DIGEST

Top PickDVD

Pictured: Kate Winslet

Pictured: Tom Hanks

“SULLY”Director Clint Eastwood does a typically skillful job as he re-creates the so-called “Miracle on the Hudson,” the 2009 landing of a damaged passenger jet on New York’s Hudson River by pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (well-played by Tom Hanks), in a tightly edited dramatization that should prove compelling even for those very familiar with the true story. The script, based on Sullenberger’s own account of the events, also focuses on the consequent NTSB hearing in which he and his co-pilot (Aaron Eckhart, also excellent) underwent intense questioning that put their careers in peril. The cast also includes Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Jamey Sheridan and – as herself – Katie Couric. DVD extras: three “making-of” documentaries. ››› (PG-13: P) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)


Family Viewing Ratings

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

MOVIES

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18

8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel Sleigh Bells Ring

Given just two weeks to coordinate her town’s Christmas parade, frazzled single mom Laurel Bishop (Erin Cahill, “Saving Grace”) finds a beautiful old sleigh she thinks will be ideal for the Santa Claus float. What she doesn’t realize is that the sleigh is magical and has a single-minded objective: reuniting her with a handsome former high school sweetheart. David Alpay (“Quantico”) also stars in this new 2016 romantic fantasy. PREMIERE

9 p.m. on Food Network Holiday Baking Championship

Everyone knows that Santa Claus favors milk and cookies to keep him going on his Christmas Eve delivery run, but in the season finale “Live From the North Pole,” the final three bakers are challenged to make snacks for Christmas characters other than St. Nick himself. The bakers then are tasked with baking and decorating a cake inspired by the North Pole, to prove which of them deserves the $50,000 grand prize and the title of Holiday Baking Champion. SEASON FINALE

9 p.m. on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

A Christmas to Remember

Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino stars in this new holiday drama as an abrasive TV personality who tries to take a break from the pressures of her career by driving to a rustic mountain retreat. On her way there, however, an unexpected blizzard hits, forcing her car off the road and leaving her with amnesia from a blow to her head. Luckily, a friendly widower (Cameron Mathison) offers her shelter with him and his children. PREMIERE

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White Christmas

Sleigh

Bells

Ring

Can’t miss classics

A Christmas Story

It’s a Wonderful Life

• A Christmas Carol – 1938 (Sunday, 9 a.m. on TCM)• A Christmas Carol – 1984 (Sunday, 1 p.m. on AMC)• Arthur Christmas (Monday, 7:30 p.m. on Disney Channel)• A Christmas Carol – 1999 (Monday 8 p.m. on TNT)• The Holiday (Tuesday, 1:25 p.m. on Freeform)• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (Tuesday, 8 p.m. on Fox)• Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Wednesday, 1:10 p.m. on Freeform)• Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas (Wednesday, 8 p.m. on NBC)• White Christmas (Thursday, 12:15 p.m. on AMC)• Jack Frost (Friday, 7:30 a.m. on Freeform)• Prancer (Saturday, 6 a.m. on AMC)• Home Alone (Saturday, 10 a.m. on HBO)• It’s a Wonderful Life (Saturday, 8 p.m. on NBC)• Christmas in Connecticut (Saturday, 8 p.m. on TCM)• A Christmas Story (Saturday, 8 p.m. on TNT)• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Saturday, 9:45 p.m. on Freeform)

FAVORITE HOLIDAY SHOWS

MONDAY, DECEMBER 19

9 p.m. on PBS

Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Featuring Laura Osnes and Martin Jarvis

The newest edition of the choir’s traditional concert special, recorded last holiday season at Utah’s Salt Lake Conference Center, teams the 360 members of the choir with Broadway star Osnes and British actor and voiceover talent Jarvis. Several soloists from the Metropolitan Opera also participate: Ben Bliss, Erin Morley, Tamara Mumford and Tyler Simpson. Selections include “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Over the River and Through the Wood.” NEW

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20

8 p.m. on NBC Michael Bublé Sings and Swings

The multi-Grammy-winning Canadian crooner returns in his sixth annual NBC special, which was taped before a live audience in Manchester, England. The song list of pop hits and jazz standards featured in this new program hasn’t been released yet, but Bublé brings such effortless charm and elegance to everything he performs that details such as that are practically beside the point. Just relax and enjoy. NEW

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21

10 p.m. on TBS Surprise! Instant Xmas Carol!

Call it a benign ambush of goodwill: This new special finds a diverse lineup of celebrity carolers hitting the road to find people who look as if they could use a dose of comfort and joy. When they find them, the stars regale their surprised audience with a ... let’s say personally distinctive rendering of a Christmas musical favorite. Featured celebrity carolers include Conan O’Brien, Rashida Jones (“Angie Tribeca”), Charles Barkley, Keke Palmer, Shaquille O’Neal, Jane Lynch and Ludacris, among others. NEW

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23

8 p.m. on CBS

A Home for the Holidays

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert headlines the 18th edition of this annual holiday special that advocates adoption by interweaving inspirational stories of American foster families with music from some of today’s most popular artists. In addition to Lambert, Canadian singer-songwriter Alessia Cara and international pop star Rachel Platten are scheduled to perform on this year’s special. The featured families hail from California and Nashville, Tenn. NEW


FAVORITE HOLIDAY SHOWS

Michael Bublé Sings and Swings

National Lampoon’s

Christmas Vacation

Home Alone

Prancer

A Chr

istm

as

Carol

Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas

FOLIO

Documents

TONY - TownNewsbloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/northwestsignal.net/...FOLIO All-stars pay tribute to a music giant TONY BENNETT CELEBRATES90 Courtesy of Gracenote December 18