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      In ‘Little Birds,’ Anaïs Nin Erotica Gets a Revolutionary New Context

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      Created by the artist Sophia Al-Maria, the new series resituates Nin’s erotic short story collection in 1955 Morocco, a year before the country threw off its colonialist yoke.The French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” can resonate differently in an on-screen Moroccan setting. Most famous, perhaps, is the “Casablanca” version, in which the clientele of Rick’s Café sing it loud and proud to drown out the voices of the occupying Germans. More

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      ‘Party Down,’ a Cult Hit, Is Getting a Revival on Starz

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeBest Netflix DocumentariesNew on NetflixAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘Party Down,’ a Cult Hit, Is Getting a Revival on StarzThe short-lived but beloved sitcom about a team of misanthropic cater-waiters will be revived with a six-episode limited series.Adam Scott in “Party Down,” which is being brought back for a six-episode limited series.Credit…StarzMarch 4, 2021The short-lived Starz sitcom “Party Down,” about a team of misanthropic cater-waiters in Los Angeles, aired in 2009 and 2010 in relative obscurity, then turned into a cult hit in the years since its cancellation. Now, the show will be revived with a six-episode limited series, Starz said on Thursday.Created by John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, Paul Rudd and Rob Thomas, the ensemble comedy lasted only two seasons in its original run. Now it is available to stream on Starz and Hulu, and in recent years, the popularity grew to such an extent that there started to be talk of a possible movie or a reunion.The network has decided to give fans what they’ve been asking for.All four creators are returning for the revival series, with Enbom as showrunner. It is unclear how many of the cast members will return.Part of the show’s allure is the chemistry of its comedic ensemble, all costumed in white collared shirts and pink bow ties: Lizzy Caplan, Ryan Hansen, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, Adam Scott and Martin Starr. (Lynch left the show for “Glee” and was replaced by Jennifer Coolidge and then Megan Mullally.) They all play cater-waiters with Hollywood dreams who are instead spending their days passing out hors d’oeuvres and schlepping cases of wine and cheese from one party to the next.Thomas said in a news release that after the cast reunited in 2019 for a panel hosted by Vulture, they were determined to get the team back together again.“The cast is so busy these days that finding a window where we can do it may require trigonometry,” he said, “but we’re determined to make it happen.”Writing for The New York Times last month, Alexis Soloski said of the sitcom: “It has the DNA of a workplace comedy in that it brings together people who would never know each other otherwise. But it’s also a hangout comedy in that the waiters work as little as possible.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      ‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan Wants You to Love Scotland, Too

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeBest Netflix DocumentariesNew on NetflixAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan Wants You to Love Scotland, TooBest known as Jamie in the Starz historical fantasy series, the actor and his former co-star Graham McTavish provide a crash course on Scottish culture in “Men in Kilts.”In “Men in Kilts,” Graham McTavish, left, and Sam Heughan explore the culture of their native Scotland. “It’s not just whisky and haggis,” Heughan said.Credit…StarzFeb. 17, 2021, 7:00 a.m. ETThis time last year, Sam Heughan was in Los Angeles promoting the fifth season of his Starz hit “Outlander.” Heughan plays Jamie Fraser, a righteous “king of all men” archetype and the beloved husband of Claire (Caitríona Balfe), in the fantastical period drama, an ode to 18th century Scottish history, culture and diaspora that eventually takes the characters to colonial America.Like many people in early 2020, Heughan soon found himself stuck in place — as Covid-19 lockdowns went into effect around the world, the Glasgow resident remained in Los Angeles because of uncertainty over gathering and travel safety.But he was dreaming of Scotland. Heughan (pronounced HEW-an) spent much of his time in quarantine remotely collaborating with his former “Outlander” co-star and fellow Scot, Graham McTavish, on a book called “Clanlands,” based on a road trip they had taken through Scotland to shoot footage for a TV pilot about the country’s culture. Released in November, the book became a best seller; now viewers can watch the show that resulted.“Men in Kilts,” which premiered this week on Starz, might surprise viewers who know Heughan only as the noble Jamie, showcasing his lighter, more mischievous side as he and McTavish travel the countryside, bonding and occasionally bickering as they dive into Scottish food, drink, sports, dance and much more.“‘Outlander’ made me realize how much I love Scotland, how much I didn’t know about Scotland,” Heughan said. “But also how much I knew and learned as a child, but wasn’t really aware of.”In a video call last week, Heughan talked about how “Men in Kilts” came to life, his passion for all things Scottish and his surprisingly busy pandemic year. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.The authors wrote their best-selling book, “Clanlands,” during quarantine.How did the idea for “Men in Kilts” come about?Working on “Outlander,” I saw that people were really interested — as was I — in Scotland and in these Highland characters, especially during Seasons 1 and 2. And then, by chance, I was having a coffee and a beer with Graham McTavish in Los Angeles and he mentioned that he had an idea for a documentary show about Scotland. Two years ago, I just started thinking, why don’t we just do it? So while shooting “Outlander,” we managed to organize a crew and some locations and got it all together. We produced a sort of pilot episode that we could pitch to Starz and [Sony Pictures Television, the producing studio], and it progressed from there.The book is the story of the initial road trip and material we shot before we’d sold the show. We wrote it remotely during lockdown while I was in America and Graham was in New Zealand. It was a really quick process — we started writing it in March and delivered it by summer.What were some new things you learned about Scotland and your relationship to the country while making the show?We just touch the surface of it, but for example, the seafood that we have is the best in the world. Even Scottish fruit is amazing. It’s not just whisky and haggis, though of course we do look at that on the show.I really just wanted to share my love of Scotland and its landscape, culture and music. Like Ceilidh dancing — Scottish dancing — is just part of my heritage, but people don’t know about it. And I wish everyone could go to a Ceilidh because they’re the best fun ever.You and McTavish come across as having a humorous, almost familial relationship. What was it like working on this together?We’re two almost middle-aged white males trying to prove to the other one that we’ve got what it takes, and we really don’t. We do get on and there’s no one else in the world who I like to wind up as much. Our banter or humor is like a dysfunctional married couple.The process of creating a TV show is very different to what I was used to — to really be in control of the content and the scheduling and the edit. So we were involved along the way and it was really good fun to work with Graham. Difficult, because of different time zones and Covid, but we’re really lucky that we managed to get it all together.Heughan, Caitriona Balfe and the rest of the “Outlander” cast and crew are currently shooting Season 6 after a pandemic delay.Credit…Mark Mainz/StarzYou recently started filming the sixth season of “Outlander” after months of pandemic delays. How did you spend your time off?It’s been strangely busy for me. We went into the lockdown, and I was initially in America, and we were writing the book — I don’t know if the book would have happened without the lockdown because I had so much time. Then we were working on “Men in Kilts” as well, the preproduction, and after that first lockdown, we went into shooting. Then I went to London, and I shot a movie called “Text for You,” with Priyanka Chopra Jonas.Part of me was like, it’d be quite nice to just take a bit of time out. But I’m so fortunate that we’re working and also making sure that everyone is safe with the Covid protocols.What has it been like shooting with these new rules?It’s not so much the protocols that are difficult — you have to wear a mask, you have to social distance where you can — it’s more the psychology of it. Certainly when you first start a job, everyone’s very tense, very aware. Of course the protocols are there for your own good, but everyone struggles with feeling like you’re being repressed or not being yourself, or going against your own instincts as a human being. When you see somebody you haven’t seen for a while, you want to give them a hug or touch them or get closer to them. You’re having to go against your instincts as an actor on set, where you’re supposed to use your instincts to portray a character. So it is a really weird situation, but you get used to it.In October, you shared a phone number that fans in America and Canada can use to send you text messages. Why did you choose to make yourself available like that?I’m pretty private in my personal life. But I was having a lot of problems with scammers, people pretending to be me or my company. So this felt like a way I can say, look, if it’s not verified, it’s not me. So hopefully it should make things clearer. It’s not something I use much, but occasionally if I want to reach out directly to fans or ask their opinion about something, I can do that. But it is pretty overwhelming, to be honest.Given the affection many “Outlander” fans have for you, specifically, have you received any shocking messages?I don’t really see anything untoward — there might be the odd one, but I just ignore it. I suppose that’s surprising, but it goes to show that this fan group is quite unique and very supportive. Even with their response to My Peak Challenge, my charity, we now have over 14,000 members and have raised $5.5 million. The positivity around it is amazing and it comes from the fans.You also have a whisky called Sassenach, the name of which will be familiar to “Outlander” fans. How did you get into that, and why did you choose that name?I’d been approached by a number of distilleries to white label something, and I just didn’t want to do that. I wanted to create it myself. So it’s self-financed, and I did a big tour with my business partner in Scotland, tasting lots of whiskey — it’s a hard job.Sassenach is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning outsider — originally it meant English person, and it was quite derogatory. But “Outlander” changed the meaning, and people started calling each other “Sassenach” as a term of endearment. That’s what I liked: It’s about the outsider, and we all feel like outsiders at some point.Now that Brexit is officially here, Britain is once again an outsider in relation to the rest of Europe. Has it affected your businesses or other projects in any way?Asking an actor about politics is probably never the best thing. The times I’ve mentioned politics or Tweeted or Instagrammed something, and the abuse you get, especially about American politics — people telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about because it’s not my country. But it’s wrong to think that what happens in another country doesn’t affect the rest of the world.Brexit has been a complete mess, complete shambles to my mind, totally ridiculous. This insular kind of jingoism that’s been going on — I love Britain, and I’m also proud to be Scottish, but I don’t want to be a backward country that thinks it’s better than everyone else. And I also think working with Europe is really important. With my partners, we had a lot of business with Europe, and it’s cost us a lot of money and time just trying to navigate that. I’m thinking, too, about the Scottish fishermen, for example, who are having to dump their catch [because of export delays caused by new regulations]. It’s all going to waste due to Brexit, and they’re losing their livelihoods. It infuriates me.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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      What’s on TV This Week: Documentaries on David Driskell and Abraham Lincoln

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      #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }What to WatchBest Movies on NetflixBest of Disney PlusBest of Amazon PrimeBest Netflix DocumentariesNew on NetflixAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyWhat’s on TV This Week: Documentaries on David Driskell and Abraham Lincoln“Black Art: In the Absence of Light” looks at the impact of an influential 1970s exhibition by the curator David Driskell. And a CNN debuts a series about Lincoln.Gabriel Chytry in “Lincoln: Divided We Stand,” a new six-part CNN documentary.Credit…CNNFeb. 8, 2021, 1:00 a.m. ETBetween network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, Feb. 8-14. Details and times are subject to change.MondayBLACK LIGHTNING 9 p.m. on the CW. When “Black Lightning” premiered in 2018, it delivered a jolt of real-world relevance to the superhero genre, exploring race and social justice issues in no uncertain terms even as its titular hero, played by Cress Williams, delivered the obligatory zaps and zings to bad guys. The fourth season, which debuts Monday night, will be the series’s last; it begins with Black Lightning (alter ego: Jefferson Pierce) mourning the death of a major character, which happened at the end of the third season.TuesdayTheaster Gates in a scene from “Black Art: In the Absence of Light.”Credit…HBOBLACK ART: IN THE ABSENCE OF LIGHT 9 p.m. on HBO. The filmmaker Sam Pollard, whose acclaimed new documentary “MLK/FBI” was released widely last month, returns with another sharp, historically-minded feature doc, this time about David Driskell, the artist, art historian and curator who was a vital champion of African-American artists. “Black Art” looks at the enduring impact of “Two Centuries of Black American Art,” Driskell’s 1976 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, through interviews with artists including Theaster Gates, Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, Amy Sherald and Carrie Mae Weems. The film comes less than a year after Driskell’s death; it shows the fundamental role he played in efforts to get Black American artists space on museum walls. “I was looking for a body of work which showed first of all that Blacks had been stable participants in American visual culture for more than 200 years,” Driskell said of the exhibition in a 1977 interview with The New York Times. “And by stable participants I simply mean that in many cases they had been the backbone.”WednesdayTUSKEGEE AIRMEN: LEGACY OF COURAGE 8 p.m. on History. Ted Lumpkin Jr., one of the oldest surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, died last month at 100. His legacy — and those of the other members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the country’s first Black aviation combat unit, which fought in World War II — live on through the generations that came after them. This hourlong documentary, narrated by the news anchor Robin Roberts, revisits the history of the unit, whose members fought the Axis powers outside of the United States and discrimination inside of it.ThursdayCLARICE 10 p.m. on CBS. This ambitious new horror series is the latest show based on Thomas Harris’s suspense novels, which most famously include “The Silence of the Lambs.” It’s also the latest to revolve around Clarice Starling, the F.B.I. agent famously played by Jodie Foster in the 1991 film. The new show picks up months after the events of “Silence of the Lambs,” with Clarice (Rebecca Breeds) taking on new cases while working through lingering trauma.FridayBeanie Feldstein in “How to Build a Girl.”Credit…IFC FilmsHOW TO BUILD A GIRL (2020) 9 p.m. on Showtime. Beanie Feldstein plays an awkward British teenager who becomes an acid-penned, love-struck rock critic in this coming-of-age comedy, which was adapted from Caitlin Moran’s novel of the same name. The movie version “leaps from raunchy to charming, vulgar to sweet, earthy to airy-fairy without allowing any one to settle,” Jeannette Catsoulis wrote in her review for The Times. Yet, she added, “it’s so wonderfully funny and deeply embedded in class-consciousness — ‘We must never forget it’s a miracle when anyone gets anywhere from a bad postcode,’ says one character — that its tonal incontinence is easily forgiven.” Showtime is airing “How to Build a Girl” alongside Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade,” another sweet and sour coming-of-age comedy about a teenage misfit, which starts at 7:25 p.m.MILES AHEAD (2016) 6:15 p.m. on Starz. In “Miles Ahead,” Ewan McGregor plays a rock journalist whose subject punches him in the face. That subject would be Miles Davis, portrayed here by a devastatingly cool Don Cheadle. The film takes after Davis’s music, bringing an unusual, impressionistic approach to its storytelling; it drops Davis into a fictional story that involves a bender, a stolen tape and a car chase. Cheadle, who also directed, cooks up a version of Davis who is both soft-spoken and supremely self-assured.IN CONCERT AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). This pandemic-era series, which has showcased a variety of archival performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its guests at the Hollywood Bowl, comes to a close on Friday night with an episode built around Latin music. It includes footage of the orchestra performing alongside the Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives, the Mexican rock band Café Tacvba and performers from Siudy Flamenco Dance Theater in Miami.SaturdayROMAN HOLIDAY (1953) 8 p.m. on TCM. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck star in this romantic comedy about a princess (Hepburn) who falls in love with a reporter (Peck) during a trip to Rome. Viewers who raised children in the early 2000s (or who were children in the early 2000s) might find the image of Hepburn and Peck piloting a Vespa through Roman traffic familiar: It was copied a half-century later in “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.”SundayWinona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Age of Innocence.”Credit…Columbia PicturesTHE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993) 8 p.m. on TCM. Daniel Day-Lewis has worn many top hats. There’s the big one he wore in “Lincoln,” for example, and the memorable blue-banded number that was perched on his head in “Gangs of New York.” In “The Age of Innocence,” Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel, Day-Lewis plays a fancy high hat-wearing wealthy lawyer in 19th-century New York who, after courting and marrying one woman (Winona Ryder), has affair with a countess (Michelle Pfeiffer).LINCOLN: DIVIDED WE STAND 10 p.m. on CNN. The actor Sterling K. Brown narrates this new, six-part documentary series about Abraham Lincoln, which looks at the 16th president’s personal and political lives, and how each affected the other. The first episode tends toward the personal: It focuses on the early years of Lincoln’s life.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More