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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Heart Attack TV by DEAN ROBBINS Love in the Wild (Tuesday, 9 p.m., NBC) is a huge improvement over The Bachelor and other dating series that get all dewy-eyed about true love. This one just sets out to have fun, mostly at the expense of its hap- less contestants. The young hotties trudge into the Dominican Republic wilderness and endure absurd challenges, suppos- edly for the purpose of finding a soul mate. We get to laugh at the obnoxious guys as they show off with would-be manly feats. And we get to laugh at the obnoxious gals as they fall for it. "When someone can throw a coconut that well, it's a turn-on!" cries a woman named Yanina. A relationship based on coconut-throwing prowess — how long do you give it? Love in the Wild is boosted immeasurably by host Jenny McCarthy. Now pushing 40, McCarthy is as saucy as ever, setting a mocking tone without being mean-spirited. If I were out there in the wilderness, I'd ditch the contestants and make a play for Jenny. Cajun Justice Thursday, 10 pm (A&E) A&E has discovered a reality-series gold mine deep in Louisiana bayou country. Cajun Justice follows the sheriff's department in colorful Terrebonne Parish. This is a swampy, broken-down place where every deputy has a savory nickname (Funkie Nuts, Catfish) and where almost every police call involves an alligator. Voodoo is a fact of life down here, with the deputies giving credence to reports of the Rougarou — a man who can turn into a wolf or a dog. Cajun Justice distinguishes itself with stylish cinematography, a smoky soundtrack and effortless eccentricity. If it catches on, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rougarou get his own spinoff series. Tia & Tamera Monday, 8 pm (Style) Tia & Tamera broke Style's viewership records when it premiered last year. It's easy to see why. Hollywood twins Tia Mowry Hardrict and Tamera Mowry-Hously are are among TV's most appealing reality subjects, with brilliant smiles and sparkling person- alities. The second-season premiere emphasizes camaraderie over conflict. The only problem is that it's sometimes hard to tell Tia and Tamera apart — and not just because they look alike. They spend a lot of time talking about their different "brands," but it seems like pretty much the same brand to me. The twins finish each other's sentences, underscoring your sense that they're basically a single person. In this week's episode, Tia and Tamera are up for a part in the same movie, with the drama hinging on who will get it. A tip for the casting director: Either one will probably be fine. Love in the Wild makes young romantics suffer Bunheads Monday, 9 pm (ABC Family) It's hard to figure out the target audience for this new series. ABC Family is presum- ably for, you know, families, but Bunheads begins amid talk of boobs and booze in Las Vegas. Showgirl Michelle (Sutton Foster) is a once-promising dancer who's grown too old for musicals. As a result, she's become cynical and debauched, impulsively marry- ing a stranger who promises her a life in paradise. When Michelle gets to paradise — actually, it's her groom's small hometown, named Paradise — we begin to see more characteristic ABC Family elements. Her disapproving mother-in-law runs a dance studio for girls, a.k.a. a shot at redemption for Michelle. You might think the adult-oriented scenes would mix uneasily with the tween-oriented scenes, but Bunheads pulls it off. Sutton, an idiosyncratic Broadway star, is a real find as Michelle. Her comic talent holds this unusual production together. I just figured out the target audience for Bunheads: me. Incredibly Offensive (but it's Supposed to Be) The Dictator (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS Borat was a legitimately funny, intelligent film. Bruno was sort of funny but without the intelligence. The Dictator (83 minutes), Sacha Baron Cohen's first scripted come- dy, was a comedy of excess, better than Bruno at identifying issues of substance, but not quite as adept as Borat in skewering the political realities of the day. Interestingly, Larry Charles of Seinfeld fame di- rected all three. And clearly, Cohen has some sort of credibility with Hollywood, since both Sir Ben Kingsley and John C. Reilly lend their not inconsiderable talents in relatively small roles. face military retaliation. He eventually makes it to America accompanied by his Uncle Tamir (Kingsely) and a double (just like Saddam Hussein had!) to face the crowds when there is a risk of assassination. He and his retinue are greeted by a military type called Clayton (John C. Reilly), who later kidnaps Aladeen so that the more easily manipulated double will sign accords allow- ing the exploitation of Wadiya's natural resources. Aladeen manages to escape and make his way to the UN building, only to realize that no one believes his true identity. He falls in with some crunchy granola types including Zoey (Anna Farris) who immediately offers him a job at her feminist food co-op. He naturally refuses since it is funnier to have him wandering around New York for a bit. He follows a familiar face that catch- es his eye and he ends up in a restaurant full of Wadiyan refugees. There is a comic bit that goes on a bit too long, leading into a plan for his return to power, facilitated by accepting Zoey's job offer. The height of the humor occurs here, with the classic Kelly Clarkson pop hit The film opens with a documen- tary on the birth and accomplish- ments of the future dictator of Wadiya, a North African Republic where they speak heavily accented English since American audiences won't attend a movie with subtitles. Admiral General Hafez Aladeen (Cohen) was thrust into power at an early age, presumably to act as a figurehead for the real power behind the throne. Thanks to the wealth of Wadiya he can have pretty much anything he wants, up to and including a cadre of trained female bodyguards/harem wearing uniforms over lingerie. Much like today's headlines, the United Nations Security Council insists that the leader of this small, oil-rich country submit to their oversight or WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM "A Moment Like This." In fact, most of the best laughs take place in this short section of the film as Aladeen applies the basic principles of dictatorship to reor- ganizing and controlling the co-op for greater efficiency. Also, he hits a couple of people who needed hitting (and they say violence doesn't solve problems). Much like the first two, this latest film focuses on the kind of humor that the audience is ashamed to laugh at. Someone once said that laughter is typically provoked by discomfort, and that is precisely where the best jokes in The Dictator come from, although there are plenty of jokes that don't go far enough and consequently fall flat. Overall, I laughed even though I didn't expect to, and didn't want to, which is the mark of good comedy. Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15. HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. JUNE 6-12, 2012 UCW 21