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.
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Gambling Problem Luck struggles to be a good show about bad people TV by DEAN ROBBINS HBO specializes in making appealing shows about unappealing men, like Tony in The Sopranos or Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire. Luck (Sunday, 9 p.m.) is the latest at- tempt — a racetrack tale of crooks (Dustin Hoffman), horse owners (Nick Nolte) and as- sorted gamblers. The talent on board is impressive, from Hoffman and Nolte to filmmakers Michael Mann (The Insider) and David Milch (Hill Street Blues). But in the pilot, they can't get us to care about these awful people. The large cast of character actors don't do much other than coarsely insult one another, while Nolte and Hoffman compete to see who can deliver their lines in the gruffest voice. Director Mann and writer Milch concern themselves more with the show's look and mood than with a compelling narrative. So when the big races come, we couldn't care less about who wins. Here's hoping Luck can find better ways to be unappealing over the course of its nine-episode season. Are You There, Chelsea? Wednesday, 8:30 pm (NBC) This sitcom is based on the autobiographical musings of cable TV host Chelsea Handler, who wears her love of sex, drugs and drink like a badge of honor. In the series, Chelsea (Laura Prepon) is a hot-to-trot barmaid with a straitlaced sister (Handler, in a bit of cutesy stunt casting) who's perpetually shocked by her behavior. Are You There, Chelsea? is the kind of series that expects us to snigger just because a woman says the words "hash brownies" or "dry humping." Apparently, the film- makers are unaware that lady comedians have been saying "unladylike" things since Joan Rivers in the 1960s. To make an impression in the age of Sarah Silverman, it's not enough simply to be naughty; you have to be naughty in a unique or witty way. Here, the jokes are pitched to the small audience that would be mildly scandalized when Chelsea says "I am very influential in the drunk community!" That's right — for all its strenuous attempts to be raunchy, Are You There, Chelsea? is a show for prudes. Face Off Wednesday, 10 pm (SyFy) Face Off is a refreshing change of pace from Project Runway, Top Chef and other reality series where contestants try to make beautiful things. Here, special-effects makeup artists compete to make the sickest mutant or the grossest vampire. When asked to "show us who you really are as an artist," one guy wows the judges by creating a zombie biker chick with icky green skin, bloody teeth and her boyfriend's skull in her helmet. I'm glad the character wasn't created in response to "show us who you really are as a person." Because that would be frightening. The Pregnancy Project Saturday, 8 pm (Lifetime) The real-life Gaby Rodriguez had an experience so similar to a Lifetime TV movie that the network couldn't help but dramatize it. Gaby (Alexa Vega) was a high school honor student who hated seeing fellow classmates treated like dirt if they happened to get pregnant. So she convinced a teacher to let her fake a preg- nancy and gauge people's reactions for her senior thesis. As a piano tinkles con- templatively, she tells him, "I want to prove that even if I did get pregnant, I'd still be able to go after my dreams — that pregnant girls don't have to be statistics!" I wonder if a piano tinkled in the background when Gaby delivered that speech in real life. Cumberland County Republican Party Ronald Reagan Day Dinner February 4, 2012 6:00 p.m. Hotel Bordeaux Fayetteville Hotel Bordeaux yetteville, North Carolina rth Carolina Featuring as Master of Ceremonies ack Hawke, US Dan Forest, Ilario P Pantano, Candidate or US Congress, D State Senator David Rouzer, S Congresswoman Renee Ellmersgresswoman R enee t, Candidate for Lt Ge for Lt. f e for US Cong f Candidate for US Congress, Dist. 7 NC GOP Chair Robin Hayes For ticket information contact Mikele Haywood: 910.489.2055 or Andrew Gillis: 910.850.3859 20 UCW JANUARY 25-31, 2012 rmer NC GOP Chair e Ellmers t. Governor Governor eaturing as Master of Ceremonies Jack Hawke, Former NC GOP Chair US Cong an Forest Night Only NOW, The Classic Film With Subtitles So Everyone Can Sing Along! One " Irresistible fun! A new favorite thing!" New York Daily News o , Dist.i 7 Saturday, February 4 - 7:00 pm Tickets: $15 / $10 Family Four Pack Special $40 *Groups Welcome* P GIVENSERFORMING ARTS CENTER 910.521.6361 • www.uncp.edu/gpac WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM