Up & Coming Weekly

22 UCW MARCH 10 - 16, 2010 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg collab- orated on Band of Brothers, a miniseries about U.S. soldiers fighting in Europe during World War II. They follow up with The Pacific (Sunday, 9 p.m., HBO), another miniseries following the action in the Pacific the- ater. I'll always love Hanks and Spielberg for Saving Private Ryan, arguably the best World War II movie ever, but The Pacific is a blot on their record. It wallows in war-movie clichés, with inspirational music oozing through each scene like syrup. We meet a group of soldiers (James Badge Dale, Joe Mazello, Jon Seda) who enter the war with gung-ho innocence, indulging in clean-cut mischief on their way to Guadalcanal. On cue, they become disillusioned during their first chaotic battle with the Japanese. It's the horror of war moment you've seen in countless bad army pictures, with dialogue so lame you begin to doubt the filmmakers' sanity. The most annoying character is a writer who can't stop looking at the war through sensitive eyes. We have to suffer through his philosophical letters home, containing pearls of wisdom like this: "There are things men can do to each other that are sobering to the soul." In fact, The Pacific is anything but "sobering." It's an unintentional laugh riot. First Love, Second Chance Wednesday, 10 pm (TV Land) For years, I've derided dating series in which callow young people fall for good-looking strangers while the cameras roll. Many of these love- starved airheads are willing to marry the stranger on the spot, making them seem less romantic than disturbed. I guess First Love, Second Chance is the dating series I've been wait- ing for. Mature, graying people reconnect with their first loves a couple decades later and realistically assess their chances for rekindling the spark. I know I should be thrilled, but it turns out that caution and cir- cumspection aren't terribly exciting in the context of TV dating. For example, a 46-year-old American woman meets the Australian exchange student — now balding and living in Sydney — with whom she had a forbidden affair as a teenager. They're still crazy about each other but are all too aware of the obstacles. "How would the logistics of this work out long term?" she wonders. " We still live worlds apart, and we also have minor children. That's something you have to think seriously about." Enough for seriously — and boringly — thinking about things. Bring back the love-starved airheads, please! Who Is Clark Rockefeller? Saturday, 9 pm (Lifetime) This TV movie dramatizes the real-life story of a con man (Eric McCormack) who pretended to be a rich, well-educated Rockefeller, fooling high-society Boston and the millionaire businesswoman (Sherry Stringfield) he married. It's a fascinating tale, though if the real Clark Rockefeller talked with the same stilted patrician accent as McCormack, I'm surprised he wasn't caught sooner. The Celebrity Apprentice Sunday, 9 pm (NBC) Donald Trump finally gives disgraced Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich the reality show spotlight he's been craving. This horror show also includes Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne, Sinbad and a bunch of "celebrities" I've never heard of, all striving to be picked as Trump's busi- ness lackey for the first couple fiscal quarters of 2010. I'm baffled by Lauper's presence. The appealing bohemian singer once told us that Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Does she really believe that hanging out with Trump and Blagojevich will achieve this goal? When Taste Goes AWOL The Pacifi c recycles World War II clichés TV by DEAN ROBBINS MARCH 13 • RUN FOR THE GREEN Legends Pub, 867-2634 APRIL 24 • HOGS & RAGS 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., $50 per entry, $30 per additional rider. www.hogsandrags.com. JUNE 5 • AARON'S RIDE FOR SHRINER'S HOSPITAL 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. $35 per entry, $15 per additional rider. www.aaronsRide.com or 536 - 08969 for more info. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www. patriotguard.org for more info. THE MAJORS 2010 Daytona Bike Week • Feb. 26- Mar. 27 Hogs & Rags • April 24 Myrtle Beach Bike Week • May 7-16 Laconia Bike Week • June 12-20 *Sturgis Black Hills Rally • Aug. 9-15* * Want to go? Call 910-391-3859. Have a motorcycle ride or event coming up? Let us know! Call Joy at 910-484-6200, e-mail to editor@upandcomingweekly.com Fax to 910-484-9218. Run for the GREEN March 13 For more information call LEGENDS at

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