Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/155556
Good Morning Fayetteville with Goldy & Jim W Weekday Mornings 6-10 a.m. Talk Line: 910-864-6400 Local News, Weather, Traffic & Sports restaurant Where We Eat & Speak Italian 910.867.8700 1400 Walter Reed Road, Suite 130 Fayetteville, NC 28304 20 UCW AUGUST 21-27, 2013 y y L le I tizzeriatal it p & Meet Wife #4 Escape from Polygamy looks inside a creepy religious sect TV by DEAN ROBBINS You'd expect a TV movie called Escape from Polygamy to be a predictable docudrama. It's true that the title gives away the ending, but this Lifetime production offers plenty of surprises in its story of a teenage girl trapped among religious fundamentalists (Saturday, 8 p.m.). Julina (Haley Lu Richardson) joins a creepy New Mexico sect when her truebeliever mother (Mary McCormack) becomes wife #4 for a dour old man. Julina is smart, playful and inquisitive, and she manages to look good even in a long pioneer dress. Unfortunately, these are considered sinful qualities by the sect's leader (William Mapother), who humbly calls himself the Prophet. Sinfulness is a constant topic of conversation on the Prophet's ranch, with the elders alert to any signs of disobedience. So there's a Romeo and Juliet sense of danger when Julina and the Prophet's skeptical son (Jack Falahee) become attracted to one another. Escape from Polygamy is blessed with skillful actors and a vivid setting. The movie satisfies your curiosity about polygamous communities while also mustering artistic touches. It's undoubtedly sinful to enjoy the story as much as I did. Modern Dads Wednesday, 10:30 pm (A&E) This new reality series focuses on four dads who handle the bulk of the child rearing in suburban Texas. Three of them do it because their wives or girlfriends have high-powered jobs; the other is a single dad. It sounds like an enlightened arrangement — until the dads open their mouths. Though in their late 30s or 40s, they still talk to each other like sniggering frat boys. Their conversations fixate on hot babes and sex, even as the kids play innocently nearby. Indeed, the single dad is not above using his child as a pickup device in the grocery store, to the hooting approval of his friends. Do the stars of Modern Dads feel the need to proclaim their manliness because they feel less than manly in the nurturing role? That doesn't sound very "modern" to me. The Secret Life of Dogs Sunday, 9 pm (National Geographic) Dogs make me feel happy, so I looked forward to this special about their extraordinary abilities. Beautifully produced, it offers the latest scientific insight into canine behavior while introducing us to real dogs who've done remarkable things. At first I smiled at the stories of pets who help the blind and work around the farm. But I grew uneasy as the stories became ever more grandiose. A Labrador named Endel does everything for his disabled owner, from picking out groceries to mailing letters. The owner even gives the dog credit for saving his marriage and repairing his relationship with his kids. When the two of them were hit by a car, Endel limped off to a hospital to get help. For his courage, he won England's Victoria Cross. Well, dogs used to make me feel happy. Now they make me feel inferior. MTV Video Music Awards Sunday, 9 pm (MTV) Last year's Video Music Awards was a snore, despite extravagant attempts at naughtiness by the likes of Rihanna and Pink. Not surprisingly, it was also the leastwatched VMA ceremony in years. With Miley Cyrus up for three awards, I was all set to skip the 2013 show … until word came of a Lady Gaga performance. Gaga, missing from the VMAs last year, will perform the debut single from ARTPOP, and it's sure to be an event. In previous VMA appearances, she has covered herself in blood, worn a meat dress and impersonated a man. No one knows what provocations she has planned this time, but I think it's safe to say that on Monday morning no one will be talking about Miley Cyrus. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM