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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Hit One for Fidel TV by DEAN ROBBINS Showtime's The Franchise (Wednesday, 10 p.m.) takes us behind the scenes of a sports franchise, right in the middle of a season. This year it's the Miami Marlins, who were expecting big things for 2012. They have a new stadium, a new name, new uniforms, new stars and a new manager in the foul-mouthed Ozzie Guillen. Owner Jeff Loria hoped the Marlins would be the talk of baseball. They have been, but for all the wrong reasons. In April, Guillen lived up to his unfiltered image by bluntly expressing his love for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. As a commentator points out, "He said the one thing you can't say in this market." We get to watch all hell break loose, with Guillen suspended, management losing its mind and Florida fans picketing the ballpark. Guillen is the sort of blowhard you'd avoid like the plague in real life. As the central figure in a TV series, however, he's fascinating. I can't wait to hear his views on Stalin and Mao as the season progresses. Leverage Sunday, 8 pm (TNT) return from their various vacations, ready to con a new season's worth of cartoonish bad guys on behalf of their innocent victims. While on break, gad- get guru Hardison (Aldis Hodge) and master burglar Parker (Beth Riesgraf) made plans to open a brew pub, which will sell beer called Thief Juice in honor of their profession. But in the meantime, the crew members get to work foiling a corrupt air- At the start of season five, Timothy Hutton's irresistible team of grifters line owner (Carey Elwes) with an elaborate plan that involves stealing the fa- mous Spruce Goose airplane. Throughout season five, they'll also work their scams against a nefarious hockey team owner (Treat Williams) and a money- laundering businessman (Matthew Lillard). I'd watch any con these guys care to try. Hell, I'd even drink Thief Juice if it ever comes on the market. Political Animals Sunday, 10 pm (USA) I was excited about Political Animals. The short- run series features Sigourney Weaver as a Hillary Clinton-style Secretary of State married to a Bill Clinton-style former President (Ciarán Hinds) and hounded by a Maureen Dowd-style journalist (Carla Gugino) in search of family secrets. After HBO's brilliant Game Change, I hoped it would offer even more insight into the power plays behind D.C.'s re- spectable façade. Philanderer — and none of those notes are in the right key. In the absence of believable characters and plotlines, Political Animals tries to shock us with the profane language politicians use behind closed doors. But, of course, we've been pretty unshockable in this regard since the profane Nixon White House tapes came to light almost 40 years ago. Come to think of it, listening to those stomach-turning Nixon tapes would be more enjoyable than watching Political Animals. Yep, it's that bad. If only. The series turns out to be crudely writ- ten and acted, with no more insight into D.C. than you or I have. The characters are reduced to one note apiece — the Cynical Harridan, the Clownish Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen puts his foot in his mouth in The Franchise Mon-Wed 11am-12am | Thu-Sat 11am-2am | Sun 12pm-12am 411 Hay St. | Fayetteville, NC 28301 | 910.426.5654 www.wetwillies.com 20 UCW JULY 11-17, 2012 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM