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/20996
My Life, The Train Wreck Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking makes comedy out of catastrophe TV by DEAN ROBBINS Like most people, I developed a crush on Carrie Fisher after seeing her as Princess Leia in Star Wars. My crush faded over the years as Fisher made headlines for bad mar- riages, drug addiction and mental-health problems. Eventually, I stopped read- ing the headlines. In the one-woman show Wishful Drinking (Sunday, 9 p.m., HBO) Fisher tell us what happened to her and why. Most celebrities would deliver such confessions somberly on an episode of E! True Hollywood Story, but Fisher takes a better approach: She turns her pain into cathartic comedy. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Fisher has a way with words, given her career as an author. And I shouldn’t be surprised by her commanding screen pres- ence, given her career as a movie star. Still, Wishful Drinking took me off guard with its wit and power. Fisher enters a stage done up like a living room, kicks off her sandals, and makes hay out of a disaster-prone life that might have killed a lesser mortal. Her screwy celebrity parents, her troubled relationships, her mental- hospital stays — Fisher gains hilarious perspective on all these problems while charming her audience in matronly-girlfriend mode. My crush has returned. Video Game Awards Saturday, 8 pm (Spike) The ceremony honors the year’s game in such categories as Best Shooter and Best Handheld Game, as well as Best Performance by a Human Male and Best Performance by a Human Female. Those last two categories might sound silly, but I personally feel honored that the videogame world still cares enough about hu- mans to include us in its awards show. Private Screenings: Liza Minnelli Saturday, 10 pm (TCM) Just when you thought old-school Hollywood royalty had all but passed from the Earth, here comes Liza Minnelli to provide an authentic link to the glory days. Liza sits down for a chat with Robert Osborne, who doesn’t press too hard for uncomfortable details (Mom Judy Garland’s tragic life, Liza’s own messy his- tory, etc.). That allows his subject to feel comfortable — and a comfortable Liza Minnelli is an entertaining Liza Minnelli. She tells charming stories of growing up on the MGM lot, trick-or-treating at Gene Kelly’s house and getting acting lessons from her famous-director dad for her kindergarten play. Minnelli is moving on the subject of her parents, particularly Garland. When Osborne asks if she’d consider doing a Broadway show devoted to her mom, Liza reveals that she’s trying to conceive of one that’s “not maudlin.” Liza, please, stop trying! We Judy Garland fans would demand our money back if your tribute wasn’t maudlin enough. Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood Monday, 8 pm (TCM) TCM’s excellent series concludes with an analysis of the 1960s, a decade in which all hell broke loose. The original Hollywood moguls had lost their plutocrat- ic control over the industry, and a band of scrappy outsiders rose to challenge such verities as star power and glossy production values. While the studios churned out ex- pensive flops like Cleopatra, audiences were drawn to lower-budget films with an air of experimentation. When the unconventional Easy Rider hit it big, the moguls threw up their hands and admitted that they no longer had any idea what they were doing. My favorite story concerns a mogul who didn’t even live to see the 1960s: that black-hearted tyrant of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn. Apparently, Columbia employees continued to whisper his name with awe and terror: “They were afraid of him still,” says one commentator. “They thought he could reach his hand out of the grave, with some special magic, and could choke them to death if they didn’t do what he thought was right.” Anyone who learned about the ruthless old-style moguls in the series’ previous episodes knows this really could have happened. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 8-14, 2010 UCW 17 *Lunch Buffet M-S 11-3 Closed Sunday Fine Dining Mon - Sat 5-10 Full Service Bar • Large Parties • Catering • Take Out Reservations Accepted • Gift Certifi cates Available “Exquisite Indian cuisine prepared by a world renowned chef.” 3401-A Raeford Rd. (Formerly Pierro’s) Next to All American Freeway 433-4351 • www.shalimarfaync.com DOUBLETREE HOTEL and Marquis Bistro • Full Service Hotel • I-95, Exit 49 • Conference Space • Luxurious Sweet Dreams beds • Flat Panel TV’s • Microwaves and Refrigerators • High-speed Internet • Full Service Spa Marquis Bistro with Fine Dining • Open For Breakfast & Dinner • Karaoke on Friday Evenings • Specializing In Indian Cuisine 1965 Cedar Creek Rd. • Fayetteville • 910.323.8282 • www.doubletree.com Let The Fayetteville Doubletree Hotel Be Your Destination To Remember! adi n n c A i r W e o p x lr E d en C l isi Halal Meat Vegetarian & Non-Vegeta egetarian get ria as s *Items Change Daily! NOW OPEN ms Cha g D ily ms C ms Ch Daily! C u I e n e