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/92111
Music to Get Married by Wedding Band charts the pathetic path of aging rockers TV by DEAN ROBBINS Wedding Band (Saturday, 10 p.m., TBS) is a wonderful new comedy series that combines Spinal Tap and School of Rock in a satire of the wedding-band biz. The band in question is made up of four aging musicians with day jobs and, in one case, a family, but the wedding circuit allows them to keep their rock-n-roll dreams alive. Their goal is to "make sure everybody has a good time," which basically means playing "I Will Survive" at every gig — even country- western style, if need be. Still, the guitarist (Peter Cambor) gets to do scissor kicks; the drummer (Derek Miller) twirls the sticks to his heart's content; and the lead singer (Brian Austin Green) has his pick of bridesmaids. Wedding Band finds laughs in the gap between their swagger and the sad reality of their place in the musical food chain. Aside from a few dumb breast-job jokes, the sitcom is as sophisticated as The Mindy Project, Parks and Recreation and other single-camera gems. Green's character is an appealing con man with Jack Black bluster, and Miller shines as a bare- ly civilized drummer à la Keith Moon (though it's hard to imagine Moon playing in a yarmulke at a Bar Mitzvah party). If the goal is to make sure everybody has a good time, then Wedding Band has accomplished its mission. The Christmas Consultant Saturday, 8 pm (Lifetime) I admit to feeling grumpy about watching a Christmas movie before the Halloween pumpkin has even rotted on my front porch. A harried couple (Caroline Rhea, Barclay Hope) reluctantly hire a "Christmas consultant" named Owen (David Hasselhoff) to keep their holiday from descending into chaos. Dressed in a red-and-green bowtie, Owen is the personification of crazed Christmas cheer, marching the skeptical family through drills of shopping, carol- ing and decorating. Ultimately they can't resist his over-the- top commitment to holiday happiness. This is kind of embarrassing for a cynical TV critic the "very compelling evidence." When evidence fails to add up, our guys aren't inclined to conclude that Bigfoot wasn't in the area. They tend to conclude that he was, but just acted in a way that no other bipedal primate would. As one of them says during an investi- gation, "This Sasquatch ain't a rocket scientist." Look who's talking. I wouldn't mind seeking Owen's advice on how to survive the much drearier holiday programming that's sure to come during the next month and a half. Finding Bigfoot Sunday, 10 pm (Animal Planet) A better title for this reality series would be Finding Something That Might Possibly Be Bigfoot, But Probably Isn't. The four-member Bigfoot Research Team races across the country at the merest hint of a sighting — for exam- ple, high-school kids catching a distant "ape-like" figure in the woods on their camcorder. The team members, God bless them, are the only ones who don't entertain the possibility that the kids are pranking them to get on TV. Instead, they throw themselves into a full-blown investigation, tramping through the woods to check out (around this time of year I answer to "Grinch"), but ulti- mately I couldn't resist Hasseslhoff's over-the-top commit- ment to his role. As we know, the Baywatch mastermind has no fear of looking like an idiot, and as a result he's willing to give the sort of shamelessly hammy performance that puts over the material. The Antique Bakery & Cafe It is our mission to provide you with a homemade product made with the fi nest quality ingredients and the best possible care. It is our hope to back that up with a comforting and personable environment! Magically, the entire café can be yours to host a special event. Holiday Pies •We are more than just coffee and pastries. Monday Magic Sweet Potato, Praline or traditional Pumpkin Pies Available with 24 hour notice. Thanksgiving Day Buffet 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. • $14.95 per person. Dine In • Take Out • Outdoor Seating Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner specials 253 Westwood Shopping Center (next to the cinema behind the tree) 910.920.4231 20 UCW NOVEMBER 7-13, 2012 Closed Monday Tues., Wed., Thurs. 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Fri., Sat., 9 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM