Category: Television

History and the “Hatfields & McCoys” (Review)

hatfields & mccoys kevin costner

If you missed the History Channel’s first showing of Hatfields & McCoys, starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, make sure to catch it in another showing or on-demand or on video or online. The three-part miniseries, which also features an excellent almost unrecognizable performance by Tom Berenger, tells a compelling American story. Like the best miniseries, it may take you awhile to get drawn into the story as you get to know the characters in the early going. But I found that by the second episode I could not stop watching and could not wait for the third chapter.

Chimesfreedom has discussed the use of violence in movies, and one of the impressive aspects of Hatfields & McCoys is that it tells a violent story in a realistic way. Unlike many movies, the miniseries — directed by Kevin Reynolds and written by Ted Mann and Ronald Parker — portrays the tragic consequences of violence without ever manipulating the viewer into rooting for people to be killed.

I was not alone in enjoying the miniseries, which became the second-most watched entertainment program on basic cable ever (first is last year’s MTV Video Music Awards). There are a number of theories about why the miniseries did so well, including the attraction of a big-name star like Kevin Costner. But at least part of the reason is that the series is a compelling human historical story done well.

How accurate is the miniseries? Various historians indicate that the miniseries got a lot of the story right, with some adjustments for dramatic license. For example, some note that the feud had a lot to do with economics because the Hatfields were doing so well with their lumber business while the McCoys were struggling. The miniseries hints at that aspect with a few scenes devoted to the dispute over land that was part of the Hatfield’s lumber business, but much of the miniseries focuses on the Civil War and romantic roots of the feud. One big difference from the true story is that the movie was not filmed in West Virginia and Kentucky but in Romania, which had more undeveloped wild space. Also, some descendants of the Hatfields and McCoys have pointed out changes to the real story. Still, the miniseries is an excellent combination of history, fine acting, and a compelling story. Below is a short summary of the real-life story, featuring images of the real-life main characters.

Conclusion? If you like history, family drama, Civil War era stories, and have a little patience to get wrapped up in a compelling story, check out the Hatfields & McCoys.

Why do you think Hatfields & McCoys was such a hit? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Phillip Phillips Sings “Home”

    phillip phillips home

    Last night on American Idol, the finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips made the case for taking home the crown. This season of American Idol had a number of strong contestants, but these two are certainly great talents, with Sanchez having a great singing voice and Phillips having a unique style. Phillips showed off that style on the final song of the night, “Home.”

    Often, the new song that American Idolists sing is the weakest of the songs, because it is hard for an unfamiliar song to compete with classics familiar to the audience. For example, Sanchez received a tepid reaction to her new song, “Change Nothing.” But last night, Phillips’ rendition of “Home” was the highlight of the show.

    I thought the song might go over the top when the drummers came on stage, but Phillips kept it restrained throughout, leaving the audience wanting more. Randy Jackson noted that the song reminded him of Mumford & Sons, and I can see the connection too. It is not surprising that the writer of “Home,” Drew Pearson, is a fan of Mumford & Sons. Pearson originally wrote the song for British singer Greg Holden, but Pearson’s publisher submitted it to American Idol for consideration, and Jimmy Iovine loved the song.

    Recently, Pearson participated in Phillips’ recording of “Home.” Win or lose tonight, it looks like we will be hearing a lot more of Phillip Phillips.

    May 24 Update: Phillip Phillips won American Idol.

    What did you think of the new songs on American Idol, including “Home”? Leave your two cents in the comments.


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    Saturday Night Live’s Farewell to Kristen Wiig (video)

    Kristen Wiig Saturday Night Live farewell

    Although there had been speculation that Kristen Wiig would be leaving Saturday Night Live at the end of this season, up until last night’s season finale, there had been no official announcement. Watching the episode, one might have noticed that there were a number of sketches where Wiig performed some of her regular characters. But it was not until the very end, when host Mick Jagger addressed a graduating class and noted one very special person was going off to be a nun, where viewers slowly began to realize that the payoff was not a big laugh but an emotional goodbye to a beloved cast member. Check it out. [Update May 2015: Unfortunately, the official NBC video that was posted here is no longer available, so below is a video about the Wiig farewell.]

    Especially when Lorne Michaels came on for a brief dance, we knew it was a goodbye. There are rumors that Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis may be leaving the show too, but those are just rumors at this point (although perhaps Samberg’s goodbye was a sequel to “Lazy Sunday”).

    As for Wiig, the music of “She’s a Rainbow” and “Ruby Tuesday” were quite appropriate. How cool is it to get sent off with Rolling Stones songs with Mick Jagger right there? The show has big shoes to fill now that we no longer will see Wiig every Saturday night like we have for the last seven years. But considering Wiig’s big hit with Bridesmaids and that she has a number of projects in the works, we still will be seeing a lot of her. So, it is not goodbye, it is “see you later.”

    What was your favorite Kristen Wiig Saturday Night Live character? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Happy Days on Love, American Style

    Did you know that the series “Happy Days” started out as a segment on the ensemble show “Love, American Style”?

    Fonzi Happy Days
    “Aaaay! Why wasn’t I on this Love show?”

    Television producer Garry Marshall recently wrote a book, My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir (2012). In promoting the book he has talked about how his work on Happy Days was his favorite favorite work (as opposed to the often contentious work on Laverne & Shirley).

    Some of Marshall’s revelations include that Fonzie was based on a friend of his from summer camp.  Also, Nathan Lane auditioned for the show. Recently, I discovered something else interesting about the origin of Happy Days.

    Do you remember the television show Love, American Style that ran on ABC from 1969-1974? The hour-long show featured different stories and casts each week.  For awhile Love, American Style was on the same nights as The Brady Brunch, The Partridge Family, The Odd Couple, and Room 222. While reading about some of these shows recently, I was surprised to discover that the series Happy Days got its start on Love, American Style.

    According to Wikipedia, in 1971 producer Garry Marshall had the idea for a sitcom featuring teenagers growing up in the 1950s. He created a pilot called New Family in Town, featuring many of the characters and several of the stars that would later appear in the Happy Days series.  There were a few exceptions.  In the pilot, Harold Gould played the father Howard Cunningham and Susan Neher played sister Joanie.

    But no network was interested in the pilot, so Marshall sold the show to the producers of Love, American Style.  That ensemble series then ran the pilot as a segment. The segment was retitled for the show as “Love and the Happy Days” and ran in early 1972.

    After the network saw the success of the Broadway play Grease and the movie American Graffiti (1974), they remembered the Happy Days pilot and bought the rights. Happy Days ran on television from 1974-1984. One of the reasons Ron Howard got the part in American Graffiti was because George Lucas saw him in the original pilot.

    If you are interested in seeing how it all began, below is the opening of “Love and the Happy Days” from Love, American Style. If you have never seen Love, American Style, though, I should warn you that if you view the opening you might have the song going through your head the rest of the day.

    What is your favorite episode of Happy Days? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Pres. Obama Slow Jams the News with Jimmy Fallon

    Last night, Pres. Barack Obama joined Jimmy Fallon to slow jam the news on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In the periodic segment on the show, someone reads the news while Fallon and his band The Roots riff on the straight news. So for our funny video of the week, check out Pres. Obama, Jimmy Fallon, and The Roots slow jammin’ the news.

    For the most part Pres. Obama played it straight delivering campaign lines addressed to the college crowd at the show’s taping at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Still, “the Preezy of the United Steezy” was a good sport for participating in the funny segment. “Oh yeah.”

    What did you think of the President going on the late night talk show? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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