dolly parton’s christmas of many...

FOLIO

How powerful is too powerful for a company? INCORPORATEDhas the answer

WOW! 50 and 70

never looked so good for

these two ICONIC

HOLIDAY SPECIALS

JENNIFER NETTLES ‘CIRCLES’ BACK TO TV IN NEW

DOLLY PARTON’S CHRISTMAS OF MANY

COLORS

FEED THE BEAST Mobsters and food - together again

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22-23 Our top suggested programs to watch this week!

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7 Why Johnny Luzzini weighs his words carefully

18-19 Carson Wentz: Philly’s All-American QB

16 Why Graham Elliot digs Charleston

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STAFF PICK

Country music’s Jennifer Nettles reprises her role — and, appropriately, gets to sing a bit — in Wednesday’s new NBC movie sequel “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.’’ She talks with Jay Bobbin about reuniting with most of the key players from last year’s film, and also about helping to create a blizzard in conditions vastly different from an actual one.

12-13 Working for a corporation can be hazardous to your health in the Syfy drama series “Incorporated,” premiering Wednesday. Stars Sean Teale (“Reign”) and Dennis Haysbert (“24”) and executive producer and co-creator Alex Pastor tell Jay Bobbin about amping up the possible dangers of being a “company man.”

14-15 Seven decades later, most fans of holiday movies still deem it a wonderful film - and “It’s a Wonderful Life” marks its 70th anniversary in the first of its two annual NBC airings Saturday. Jay Bobbin looks at the television history of the James Stewart-starring classic, and also at that of another seasonal TV favorite, the 1966 version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” that marks its own milestone this season.

17 When the Rams relocated back to Los Angeles from St. Louis for the 2016 season, it meant culture shock for players and their families as they had to adjust to traffic, celebrity culture and life in the nation’s second-largest city, as chronicled in the new E! unscripted series “Hollywood & Football.” George Dickie speaks with one of the players’ wives’, Sabrina Britt, about the series and her new life in Lala Land with husband Kenny.

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CONTRIBUTING STAFFManaging Editor: Michelle Wilson

Writers: Jay Bobbin, George Dickie, John Crook, Dan LaddMagazine Design: Nicolle Burton

Quality: Chris Browne

4 Mets or Yankees: Sarah Jessica Parker likes them both

5 ‘CMT Crossroads’ teams country star Maren Morris with Alicia Keys

6 Why Dan Abrams likes cameras on police and in the courtroom

8 ‘Divorce’ Talia Balsam had early role opposite dad

9 Fonut co-creator and ‘Cake Wars’ judge Waylynn Lucas

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If you could play anyone, who would it be?

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Editor's choice

D olly Parton and her music are gifts that keep

giving for Jennifer Nettles.

Not only does the Grammy-winning Sugarland veteran turned solo artist cite Parton as one of her prime career influences, she also is in the Tennessee icon’s more-direct debt in terms of both singing and acting ventures. On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Nettles reunites with Ricky Schroder, Gerald McRaney and (as the young Dolly) Alyvia Alyn Lind in “Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love,” a new NBC sequel to last year’s “Coat of Many Colors” TV-movie that scored impressive ratings.

“I thought when I did it that it felt special,” the ever-friendly Nettles reflects of the first film, “but sometimes when you’re involved in a project, it might feel special to you but you don’t know how it’s going to be received. Then, when the response was so overwhelmingly positive and it performed so well for the network, it definitely allowed me to raise an eyebrow and wonder. And sure enough, they were very quickly saying, ‘OK, this felt really good. Can we do another one?”’

In the new story – again written by Pamela K. Long and directed by Stephen Herek –- the Parton family’s yuletide has both uplift and peril as the patriarch (Schroder) tries to gather the money to buy his wife a proper wedding ring, but an approaching blizzard may dash that plan and more. Also, Dolly gets the inspiration and support to consider taking her vocal talent beyond her immediate surroundings.

“It was a lovely little fit to already know everybody and to come back into that family,” Nettles says, “and to just jump right back in and further the story. I thought it was just as special, but in a different way. There weren’t all those moment of figuring each other out, so to speak, but to know how our characters fit together in the past and to be able to use that information for the new story.”

That was particularly helpful while approximating the blizzard ... a big acting lesson for Nettles, who became a Broadway star in the musical “Chicago” in 2015, and had

a guest role on the WGN America series “Underground” earlier this year.

“We shot this in Atlanta in July,” she reports, “so with all the outdoor shooting we did, we were in overcoats and

everybody was ‘freezing,’ except we were all dying from the heat! There were cooling vests

underneath. You were working in dangerous temperatures already, and that worked well

for the first movie because it was set in the summer. But this, with overcoats in 100-degree heat, that was an adventure.”

“Christmas of Many Colors” also is slated for a Dec. 20 home-video release, and Nettles gets to sing in the film, thanks to the Parton-written tune “Circle of Love” ... which never has been recorded before, even by Parton herself, whom Nettles helped honor with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th Annual CMA Awards recently.

“It follows part of the storyline, so it makes a quick appearance in the movie,” Nettles explains. “I obviously had to hear the song, and when I did, I fell in love with it. I said to Sam Haskell, the producer of these movies, ‘Can

you get me in touch with her? I want to ask her if she would let me

record this for my Christmas album.’ She reached back out and said,

‘Absolutely,’ and I was just blown away.”

As in previous years, the holidays again constitute a busy season for Nettles.

Beyond the Parton movie, that seasonal album – “To Celebrate Christmas” – was

released recently; in support of it, she’ll perform several concerts in December, in cities including Las

Vegas and Nashville; and for the seventh year (including 2012, when she very clearly was about to give birth to son Magnus), she hosts ABC’s “CMA Country Christmas” special Monday, Nov. 28.

“You know what? I feel really lucky,” Nettles says of her current activities. “I love all of these projects, and the fact that they all come around the holiday season, that feels special to me and significant. Don’t get me wrong: From a craft perspective, I would love all of it at any time of year, but the fact that it’s at the holidays, that adds to it.”

Jennifer Nettles helps bring more of the

young Dolly Parton’s life to NBC

STORY

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BY JAY BOBBIN

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FOLIO

SARAH JESSICA

GEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A


CELEBRITY

As a baseball fan and a resident of New York City, do you consider yourself a Mets or a Yankees fan?

I’m kind of both. I mean, I came to New York in the late ‘70s, so Reggie Jackson and all those great players and the Yankees were crazy. And so my father is a Mets fan. I’m in a divided household growing up and I’m in a slightly divided house. But then the whole Yankees team in ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99, I was at every game if I could be, or watched every game or taped every game. And then I’m a New Yorker, so how do I not like my hometown team? I don’t understand this division, this emotional division we can make. But I get it, borough-wise, and I get the sort of generational connection. But I love the Mets. ...We were just in Spain and it’s the same thing with Barcelona/Real Madrid. There’s like two clubs in (Spain) that are like the Mets and the Yankees.

And you have to be in one camp or the other.

And you know football, as they call it in Europe, we can’t imagine the level of passion. We’re like a high school junior varsity compared to the (European soccer fans).

PARKEROF ‘DIVORCE’ SUNDAY ON HBO


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CELEBRITY

MAREN MORRIS‘CMT Crossroads’ Friday on Country Music Television

JAY BOBBIN’S Q&A

How was it to team

up with Alicia Keys for the latest installment

of the genre-crossing “CMT Crossroads”?

It was amazing. I have goosebumps thinking about it, because it was such a whirlwind two-day period. We had rehearsals, then we taped the ACM Honors that night, then the CMA Award nominations were announced the next day – and the night of that was the filming of the “Crossroads” performance. It was the craziest 48 hours, but we got it done.I feel really transcendent about the (“Crossroads”) show itself. It was two different worlds that ... “collided” isn’t the right word, but I feel like they blended so seamlessly. There are a lot of her

hits in there, but it’s a really well-rounded show. I can’t wait for people to see it.

You’ve written songs for the series

“Nashville” in its past seasons. What do you think

about CMT picking up the show for new episodes, starting in January?

That show has really done a lot for our town. I know people were left wondering what was going to happen with the storylines, but the show has given such a spotlight to

songwriters and the way that we function. I’ve been really lucky to have a few of

my songs get in there.

While you perform some of Alicia Keys’

music in the program, how was it for you to hear her

sing songs you’ve written?

I mean, I’ve grown up listening to her and have been so inspired by her as a songwriter, and by the fact that she released her first album so young. I feel like we’re kindred spirits in a lot of ways,

so her singing lyrics that I’ve written, and her connecting to them on

a personal level – it was the coolest thing.


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GEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A

As someone who comes from a legal background, how would a lawyer feel about trying a case that has appeared on A&E Network’s “Live PD”?Totally depends on what happens, right? ... Some people say, “Why do we allow cameras in our courtrooms? This is just turning our legal system into entertainment.” And my position is that it’s actually a very good thing for our legal system to be under the microscope and there’s a reason that galleries are built in courtrooms since the founding of our republic. And the reason was so people could watch the justice system in action. And I view this as another check on our justice system.Look, are there going to be people who are going to have questions? Sure. But I think a lot of them are the same people who would say that trials shouldn’t be televised ... . I’m in support of trials being televised and I think that the vast majority of people now believe that police officers having body cams is a good thing for both the police officers and those who are potentially being arrested.

And just like the body cam, police will forget the TV camera is there after a while.I think it’s a very good point and I think that you see that happening in courtroom cameras as well, which is that people tend to forget after a while that the camera is there. And again, I think that having an eye on this aspect of our justice system is a good thing and I think it’s a tough argument to make that somehow being able to observe what our police officers are doing with cameras is somehow a bad thing for our society.


of ‘Live PD’ Friday on A&E Network

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CELEBRITY

DAN ABRAMS

http://www.aetv.com/


TASTY

GEORGE DICKIE’S WHAT'S FOR DINNER

Talk to any food professional working as a judge on a culinary competition series and they’ll tell you that it’s always an educational experience.

Johnny Iuzzini, James Beard Award-winning pastry chef and a judge on ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show” is no exception. In fact, he keeps a notebook by his side when something a contestant does piques his curiosity.

“When I see something interesting or if they do a technique very different from anything I’ve ever (done),” he says, “I’ll jot it down or research it. Or an ingredient that I don’t understand why they use that, you’ll see in one of the episodes I speak to it. Or if someone uses an acid for some reason, I (will ask), ‘Why do you do that?’ ”

“There are so many ways to make the same thing,” he continues, “so to be the best chef you can be you have to be able to make something not just one way but a bunch of different ways because ... you never know what equipment you’ll have, you never know what kind of ingredients you’ll have, you never know where you’ll be in the world. So the most well-rounded, strongest chefs are the ones that can make the same thing a lot of different ways.”

Season 2 of the series that is based on the wildly successful British program “The Great British Bake-Off” gets going Thursday, Dec. 1, with Iuzzini and Mary Berry (who until recently was pulling double duty with the U.K. series) returning to judge the work of some of the nation’s best bakers in a series of themed challenges and eliminations. Husband-and-wife actors Ian Gomez and Nia Vardalos are once again the hosts.

Working on the American series, which last season aired as “The Great Holiday Baking Championship,” has proven to be a positive experience for Iuzzini, not just because of the tips and techniques he picks up from other pastry chefs but also for the collegial atmosphere it exudes.

“American competition shows tend to be, nowadays, very dramatic and kind of pitting people against each other and this and that,” he says. “And there’s none of that. This is such a sweet, light-hearted show, you see all the competitors become like family. There’s no animosity between anybody. When we judge, we judge solely based on what (the dishes) were. We’re not looking to hurt their feelings or zing them in any way. It’s such a positive show.”

And it’s why Iuzzini chooses his words carefully when it’s time to criticize another chef’s work.

“I come over from a totally different skill set plus being a professional chef but I’m a bit aggressive at times,” he says. “And I had to really think about what I wanted to say, how I wanted to say it, what’s a more encouraging way to give criticism. So it encouraged me to be a more positive person in general just being on the show.”

IUZZINI is judge and student on ABC’s ‘The Great American Baking Show’

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GEORGE DICKIE’S CELEBRITY SCOOP


TALIA BALSAM


Talia Balsam’s lengthy television resume reads like a list of all-time landmark series.

In addition to her current role as Dallas on HBO’s Sunday dramedy “Divorce,” the 57-year-old New York City native had a recurring role in “Mad Men,” in addition to guest spots on everything from “Hill Street Blues,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “Law & Order” and “Homeland” to “Taxi,” Family Ties,“ ”Happy Days“ and ”Archie Bunker’s Place.“

In fact, one of her earliest roles was on that 1979-83 CBS sequel to “All in the Family,” in which she played opposite father Martin Balsam in a January 1980 episode titled “Murray’s Daughter.” Ironically, in playing the estranged daughter of her father’s character, Queens bar co-owner Murray Klein, she says she became closer to her real-life dad.

“I think when that happened I was really nervous,” she recalls. “... Like it ran full circle. I was nervous. I didn’t grow up with my father, so I was coming at him as an actress and not as a daughter, and I think that was really actually helpful to our future relationship doing that show. We got to know each other in a different way.

“I mean, of course it was a little nerve-wracking, not because of him,” she continues. “He was so easy and comfortable and I think just because I was a young actress and it was my dad and all those things at the end of it – Carroll O’Connor. I just sort of feel like that was a great thing to be able to do with him.”

These days, Balsam is enjoying playing a woman feeling betrayed by life as the divorced, widowed friend and confidant of Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Frances in “Divorce.”

“Dallas has her own sort of anger and is managing her own expectations of her life ...,” Balsam says, “I think also Frances probably realizes that maybe you take some of her advice but not all of it.”

CELEBRITY

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CELEBRITY

WHERE SHE WAS FROM, HOW SHE BEGAN, THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

CELEBRITY PROFILE

WAYLYNNLUCAS- Born March 15, 1982 in Los Angeles, CA.

- Her mother was a seasoned cook and had many connections to high profile chefs in Los Angeles. Her exposure at a young age to the restaurant business, as well as her mother’s constant entertaining of friends and family, was an integral part of her culinary development and appreciation for good food.

- College was a good experience, but she wasn’t satisfied with her current path and tried many new ones. She worked in restaurants, pursued a writing career, then spent time in the competitive world of modeling, but still nothing satisfied her. Until she went to Costa Rica on vacation, and stayed.

- She opened her first restaurant early on, while living in Costa Rica. She ran it successfully for years until she decided to sell it to move back to the States and further her culinary career.

- She served as the executive pastry chef for two highly-rated restaurants–José Andrés’ Bazaar and Michelin-rated Patina. She

received four-star reviews from the Los Angeles Times for her work at both, making her the first pastry chef ever to earn two four-star reviews from the publication.

- In 2011, she and her friend, gluten-free baking wiz Nancy Truman, opened the West Hollywood-based bakery, Fonuts, which specializes in faux donuts, baked or steamed but never fried.

- In 2013 she appeared on Bravo’s “Eat. Drink. Love.,” which showcased the lives of five successful businesswomen in Los Angeles all working and making their way in the predominantly male-run food industry.

- In 2014, she was a permanent adviser on the first season of CNBC’s “Restaurant Startup,” consulting with new entrepreneurs who wanted to start their own business within the food world and hoped to win an investment from two culinary experts, Joe Bastianich and Tim Love.

- She is a permanent judge on “Cake Wars” alongside Richard Ruskell, and host Jonathan Bennett.

- She’s currently working on growing her business by adding new locations and stretching into other realms of the food industry.

Waylynn Lucas is a TV personality, chef and entrepreneur who can currently be

seen as a judge on Food Network’s “Cake Wars.”


http://www.foodnetwork.com/


“It felt really like we survived a really intense project but I have such deep respect for astronauts and what they go through to do what they do and what a sacrifice it is for them to be doing this. So no, I don’t feel like an astronaut. I feel like a hardworking actor (laughs).” – Jihae on undergoing some astronaut training for “Mars” on National Geographic

“Hallmark, and what they like to produce and put on their channel, is very much in my wheelhouse. I do respond to their material, and I think my image fits really well with their image, and I think my audience is the audience that’s watching Hallmark Channel. On many levels, it’s a win-win, a really good fit for me and for Hallmark.” – Lori Loughlin, seen recently in “Every Christmas Tells a Story” on Hallmark Channel, on her plentiful work for the channel lately

“I didn’t see the twist coming at all, but even before that, I was just really compelled by who Jack and Rebecca were and what they were going through … and the journey they were going to go on, fundamentally, being parents raising three kids at the same time. That was exciting to me as an actress. It felt like it was rife with opportunities to really dig in.” – Mandy Moore of “This Is Us” on NBC, on the first time she read the pilot script

CELEBRITY


CELEBRITY

Do you ever wonder what the Celebs DVR?If you could play anyone

on Game of Thrones,

who would it be?

Sarah Sharratt of “UpRooted” on Cooking Channel“Someone had recommended ‘Game of Thrones’ to (my husband). ... So we’ve just gotten into ‘Game of Thrones,’ which is a bit shocking. ... But it’s quite a rich story so I find I try to make it through the parts that are a bit shocking (laughs) to kind of stick with the other story. But yeah, I do that and I watch some of the food television from British TV. A friend of mine works on the Saturday and Sunday morning shows, so I would try to catch up with those ... ”

Mario Batali of “The Chew” on ABC“I watch ‘CBS Sunday Morning.’ I watch almost anything on NatGeo. Every now and then I spin by the Food Network to see what they’re doing. And right now, I’m loving the World Series but I tend to watch more NFL football than anything else.”

Scott Patterson of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” on Netflix“Music concerts. There’s a channel that plays all kinds of festivals and concerts, and I DVR all those, then go through and watch those.”

Martin Sheen, recently of “Anne of Green Gables” on PBS“I watch a lot of news and documentaries, and I love (MSNBC’s) Rachel Maddow. She’s just my favorite journalist. And I’m a big college football fan, particularly Notre Dame.”

CELEBSDVR

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STORY

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ONE

MAN fights

a

POWERFUL

COMPANY in Syfy’s

‘Incorporated’Sean Teale and

Dennis Haysbert star in the Syfy drama series “Incorporated,”

premiering Wednesday.

BY JAY BOBBINFor a taste of how dangerous the business world could become, “Incorporated” is as far as one needs to go.

With Oscar winners and close pals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck among its executive producers, the Syfy series – premiering Wednesday, Nov. 30 – pictures a near future in which standing out to get ahead can prove hazardous to your health. Sean Teale (“Reign”) stars as Ben Larson, a seemingly obedient employee with a very specific agenda for rising through the ranks at Spiga Biotech, where security chief Julian (Dennis Haysbert, “24”) is determined not to let anyone bring harm to the firm. Allison Miller plays

Ben’s wife Laura, the daughter of Spiga’s demanding U.S. chief (Emmy-winning “Mad Men” veteran Julia Ormond).

Also executive-produced by Damon and Affleck’s associate Jennifer Todd (“Jason Bourne”) and “The Good Wife” alum Ted Humphrey, “Incorporated” was created by siblings Alex and David Pastor (“Self/less”). “We always envisioned this show as an extreme version of our reality,” Alex explains. “We like the science fiction that holds a mirror to our society and shows the things that are going on right now in a distorted, satirical way. In this case, corporations in our show have the right to make their own laws and treat their employees however they see fit ... and even to torture


them or execute them if they see fit. I hope that we haven’t gotten to that point just yet.”

In playing someone who isn’t as he seems, Teale relates the themes of “Incorporated” to current times in his native England, particularly where the controversial Brexit movement is concerned. “Hopefully, humanity wins, and that’s the benefit of a show like this,” he reasons, “(to depict) that within that power, within that danger and with that sort of gross injustice from the 99 percent losing out to the one, there’s humanity within there. And there are tales of honor and justice and love and care, and real human moments, that sort of overpower and outweigh (others).”

Similarly, Haysbert sees real-world relevance in the saga that “Incorporated” weaves: “I have children, so I am constantly worried about what kind of world they’re going to inherit. And the things I’ve seen over the last six months to a year, it seems that the intolerance of people against other people is growing and growing. And the thing is, this is not anything that’s changed. This has been going on for

years. And what we’re doing now is (that) we’re just sort of pulling back the veil.”

“Incorporated” initially was developed with an eye toward the big screen. “Suddenly, having ten hours ahead of you – hopefully, multiple seasons, fingers

crossed – it allows you to explore this world that you’re creating much more in-depth and go for the little details, the side stories that a movie doesn’t allow you to tell,” Alex Pastor notes. “When we wrote it for the first time, we had a treatment where the first three or four pages were just world description about rules and about how the corporations work, and the division between Green Zones and Red Zones, and how people go from one side to the other.

“Our manager said, ‘You’re never going to be able to (fit) this into a movie. Have you thought about turning it into a TV show?’ And that’s when it clicked, so we’re very excited that this medium allows us to get to the nitty-gritty, the details of the world-building that we find fascinating. And hopefully, (viewers) will, too.”

STORY

Continued from previous page

Hopefully, humanity wins, and that’s the benefit of a

show like this


http://www.syfy.com/


BY JAY BOBBINThis holiday season is offering its television traditions, and two of them are marking milestones.

The movie classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” will get its two traditional NBC airings – the first on Saturday, Dec. 3, and the other in its long-familiar slot on Christmas Eve – and this year marks the 70th anniversary of its theatrical release. The animated “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” falls a few years short of that, but its still-very-significant 50th “birthday” will continue to be celebrated when NBC (its current network, though it’s moved around) shows it again Friday, Dec. 23.

Countless people cite director Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” as their favorite Christmas movie ever, but a major irony is that Capra reportedly was disappointed by the initial response from critics and audiences at the end of 1946 into 1947. Many reviewers seemed to sneer at its sentimentality, and though its box-office gross was reasonable for the time ($3.3 million), original distributor RKO ended up taking a loss on it. And though it received six Oscar nominations, it won only one of the awards, for its technical simulation of falling snow; however, Capra did receive a Golden Globe for it as best director.

STORY

Continued on next page

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘The Grinch’

mark BIG birthdays


Television would play a huge role in cementing the legend of ne’er-do-well George Bailey (played, of course, by James Stewart) and the assist he gets from novice angel Clarence (Henry Travers) in seeing how life would have been for his loved ones and neighbors in Bedford Falls if he’d never existed. The picture fell out of copyright in the mid-1970s, and for the ensuing 20 years, any TV outlet could show it without having to pay for the rights to do so. Thus, virtually every hour on the hour from Christmas Eve into Christmas Day, “It’s a Wonderful Life” was starting somewhere on the dial.

That changed in 1993, when Republic Pictures proved it had the screen rights to “The Greatest Gift,” the Philip Van Doren Stern short story on which the movie was based. Through that, the studio got ownership of “It’s a Wonderful Life“ and struck a deal with NBC for yearly airings, which sometimes have involved testimonials by current network stars about the film, though it often is allowed to speak for itself by being aired without any embellishment.

As for that “mean one, Mr. Grinch,” the popular Dr. Seuss story made its 1966 television debut on CBS, with horror-movie icon Boris Karloff supplying the voice of the title character. Since then, it has made the television rounds, going to TNT and TBS, then to what was the WB Network, then to ABC ... and having landed there in

2015, NBC remains its home for at least this year and next, per a deal with Warner Bros. Television (which has the rights to most of the library of MGM, the studio that originated the special).

Directed by celebrated animator Chuck Jones, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas“–which director Ron Howard would turn into a live-action, Jim Carrey-starring 2000 movie – tells of the Grinch’s plan to steal the holiday and its inherent joy from the residents of Whoville, including young Cindy Lou (voiced by another cartoon veteran, June Foray), until they show him it’s not material gifts but the spirit of Christmas that matters most.

One “Grinch” aspect cherished by those in the television know involves one of its composers: Albert Hague, who later would gain fame as an actor as music teacher Mr. Shorofsky in the movie and series versions of ... well, “Fame.” Thanks to his efforts and those of his fellow “Grinch” talents, the program endures a half-century later, and the same goes for those who first gave the world a “Wonderful Life” seven decades ago.

Continued from previous page

STORY

BY GEORGE DICKIEIt’s a battle of old versus new as Bravo’s “Top Chef” returns for its 14th season this week in the culinary hotspot of Charleston, S.C.

Kicking off Thursday, Dec. 1, the series returns eight chefs from seasons past who didn’t win to vie against eight newcomers in a series of challenges. In addition to the Sudden Death Quickfire challenge, the chef-testants will be tasked with cooking for barbecue master Rodney Scott to the tunes of country music’s Darius Rucker, cooking for a room full of culinary experts, and preparing a holiday-themed Feast of Seven Fishes dinner.

In the end, their creations are evaluated by judges Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and first-timer Graham Elliot, with the winner receiving $125,000, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo., and the title of Top Chef. Padma Lakshmi returns as host.

“Charleston is such a high-energy spot right now that everybody is really looking at, kind of like Nashville,” Elliot says. “It’s really exciting to be there to capture the zeitgeist and the style, and ... it’s really important to find something that represents the culture, the style, the fact that there’s a lot of ethnic influence of low country, just all those things coming together to make the cuisine what it is is very exciting as a chef and also just as a person that loves food to come down there and try all that stuff.”

Low country is a cuisine native to coastal South Carolina and Georgia that is not unlike Southern but with a heavy reliance on local seafood, and it plays a significant role this season. In Thursday’s opener, Elliot tasks the group with preparing shrimp and grits.

“You see things like that,” he says of the challenges, “but the Feast of Seven Fishes, where they go out and they’re catching these things that are generally not utilized in restaurants and finding ways to cook them in unique ways. Just a lot of that idea. Doing roasted oysters over a wood-fired grill out on a plantation and seeing what they come with in a short amount of time. I think it’s really fun

to break out of the kitchen and kind of put them in their element.”

It’s also educational for Elliot, as he gets to observe and pick up techniques from professionals at the top of their game.

“Everyone has their own story based on travels, upbringing, things that they’ve done and finding their own voice, so I love being able to see those things” he says. “And I think cooking is so subjective like any kind of creative art, that it’s not black and white, so it’s difficult to say this is good, this is bad, that’s right, that’s wrong. So it’s fun to have a panel with Tom, Padma, Gail and visiting chefs to really discuss back and forth the pros and cons of dishes.”



STORY

heads to the low country of Charleston for Season 14

‘Top Chef’

Pictured: Padma Lakshmi

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BY GEORGE DICKIE When the Rams announced in January that they would be moving back to Los Angeles after 21 seasons in St. Louis, it meant not only the NFL returning to the nation’s second-largest city but also culture shock for the players, coaches, team personnel and their families forced to relocate.

Traffic, celebrity culture, insanely expensive real estate – it’s all part of everyday life in L.A., and it’s what six Rams players, their mates and, in some cases, children must acclimate to in their new surroundings, as chronicled in the new E! Entertainment Television unscripted series “Hollywood & Football.”

Premiering Wednesday, Nov. 30, the series follows the six couples as they shop for houses, attend parties and movie premieres, and try to find their way in and around the sprawling metropolis that is home to the nation’s entertainment industry. In the first few episodes, viewers will get to know wide receiver Kenny Britt and his wife, Sabrina; guard Rodger Saffold and his wife, Asia; tight end Lance and wife Danielle Kendricks; running back Chase and Kila Reynolds; tight end Cory and Bianca Harkey, and wide receiver Bradley Marquez and his fiancée, Melissa Hernandez.

“When you’re living in L.A. there are so many social events and just socially so many things to do and movie premieres you can go to,” Sabrina Britt explains. “And I feel like you just kind of have to step your game up a little bit. No (disrespect) to St. Louis or Tennessee, but it’s like when you’re going to the supermarket you kind of want


L.A. Rams players and

families experience

culture shock in ‘Hollywood &

Football’to just make sure you look a little bit better than you would have usually. I feel like everybody just ups their game on a daily basis, especially around the Beverly Hills area.”

And it’s in Beverly Hills in Wednesday’s premiere that the Britts go house shopping and come away with a case of sticker shock when they find out the home they like costs $9 million.

“We were in (Nashville) Tennessee and St. Louis, and there $9 million can get you a compound,” Britt says of the two cities where her husband previously played. “Like you can have a whole block, basically, of homes and put a gate around it and call it your estate. But here it’s like, ‘Oh my Lord and Taylor!’ $9 million for a house that really isn’t even that ginormous, you know what I mean?”

Stuck in their new environs and in most cases away from their families, the couples come together to form a support system. And as Britt explains, the “Ram-Ily” is a very important part of their lives.

“We’re not blessed to have our moms and dads living next door like many families do,” she says. “We have to lean on each other to get through hard times, good times. For Thanksgiving, we’ll pick a person’s house and we’ll all go over there and we’ll celebrate and give thanks, and it’s just a way for us to feel safe and secure in the new environment that being in this league puts you in. ... Like we’re like a family and we’re the Rams so we call it a ‘Ram-ily.’ ”


STORY

Kenny and Sabrina Britt

http://www.eonline.com/


FULL NAME: Carson Wentz

BORN: Dec. 30, 1992

BIRTHPLACE: Raleigh, N.C.

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6 foot 5 inches/237 pounds

TEAM: Philadelphia Eagles

POSITION: Quarterback

COLLEGE: North Dakota State

DRAFT: Round 1, pick 2 in 2016

HONORS & ACHIEVEMENTS: NFL player of the month, Sept. 2016; NCAA FCS national champion, 2011–2015

SPORTS

Eagles fly high with Carson Wentz

Story on next page


BY DAN LADDIt didn’t take long for the Philadelphia Eagles to realize they had something special in Carson Wentz. After all, they nearly sold the farm to move up to the No. 2 spot in the 2016 NFL Draft and decided just before the season began to make him the starter. The results have been positive and will be on display when the Eagles host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers Monday, Nov. 28, on ESPN.

The Eagles aimed to draft either Wentz or Jared Goff, who eventually was picked first by the Los Angeles Rams. Goff has been regulated to the sidelines thus far in LA and Wentz looked to suffer the same fate. Then, the Eagles parted ways with the whining Sam Bradford, sending him to Minnesota and getting back much of what they gave up in the Wentz trade. Wentz has been the starter ever since and by Week 8 had already broken Donovan McNabb’s franchise rookie record for passing touchdowns.

A 4.0 student majoring in health and physical education at North Dakota State, Wentz played on five NCAA FCS (formerly I-AA) national championship teams and was the starter and team captain for the last two. Although he didn’t play in a big time FBS program, scouts took notice of Wentz’s blue-collar approach, that, along with his statistics, helped his stock rise in the draft. For the time being it appears that not only do the Eagles have their quarterback of the future, but the NFL has a positive role model.CARSONWENTZ

SPORTS


In a way, Tom Hanks has evolved into an ultra-cerebral James Bond in his multiple movies as Robert Langdon.

Novelist Dan Brown’s symbiologist character returns to the screen for the third time – still under Ron Howard’s direction – in “Inferno,” and if anything, the movie shows how well Hanks has adapted to the role and vice versa. Still, you may not think consciously of “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons” while watching this latest adventure in the series, mainly because it’s more stripped down to the genre’s basics.

Ten years after we first saw him on the screen, Langdon is having a bout with amnesia in Italy when we meet him again, but mankind needs him to collect his memory and wits quickly.

A billionaire (Ben Foster) wants to narrow down the globe’s population substantially by releasing a virus, and to make sure that doesn’t happen, Langdon is soon on the run with the doctor who was treating him (Felicity Jones, making quite a good comrade) to find artifacts with necessary clues to stop the threat. A certain Dante work also figures in strongly.

As usual, the scenery is exotic and fascinating as Langdon’s trek unfolds. An essential element of these

movies has been Hanks’ familiar and relatable persona, which frees Howard – also working again here with screenwriter David Koepp, who helped adapt “Angels & Demons” – to pretty much go wherever he wants with them, since Hanks is there to keep the audience rooted.

Like the earlier stories, “Inferno” has a lofty overlay of subjects like the Roman Catholic Church and the World Health Organization, but

in the end, the story is as simple as that of countless past thrillers: Stop the bad guy from wiping out the world, or at least a good chunk of it.

That said, “Inferno” adds its own complexities of a sort now expected from Brown’s tales. For anyone who shares Langdon’s fascination with art history, that’s a big attraction of this franchise. Conversely, it can be frustrating for those who want the more physical action to keep going, but a dose of education comes with the territory here.

If you’re willing to delve into that, Hanks certainly is as likable a teacher as you’ll find. He may not be able to make “Inferno” catch fire, but he also keeps it from falling into the ashes.

JAY BOBBIN'S THEATRICAL MOVIE REVIEW

TOM HANKS does his best to light up ‘Inferno’

MOVIES

Our Take

“JASON BOURNE” (Dec. 6): Matt Damon returns as the former CIA operative, enlisted to help expose questionable agency initiatives. (PG-13: AS, P, V)

“THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS” (Dec. 6): Two dogs (voices of Louis C.K. and Eric Stonestreet) run away and find a society of abandoned pets in New York City in this animated hit. (PG: AS)

“BEN-HUR” (Dec. 13): Jack Huston has the title role in this remake of the classic saga of a prince who returns from slavery to reclaim his birthright. (PG-13: V)

“BRIDGET JONES’S BABY” (Dec. 13): Indeed, the Englishwoman (Renee Zellweger) is expecting a child, but she’s not completely sure who the father is. (R: AS, N, P)

“FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS” (Dec. 13): Meryl Streep plays a socialite who aspires to a singing career ... though she can’t sing; Hugh Grant also stars as her hugely supportive husband. (PG-13: AS, P)

“SUICIDE SQUAD” (Dec. 13): Criminals are sent on a government mission in this DC Comics-inspired adventure; stars include Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto. (PG-13: AS, P, V)

UPCOMING DVD RELEASES

JAY BOBBIN'S DVD DIGEST

Top PickDVD

Pictured: Matt Damon


Family Viewing Ratings

AS Adult situations P Profanity V Violence N Nudity GV Graphic Violence

MOVIES

“THE BFG”The king of them for some time, Steven Spielberg had been away from fantasy stories for a while when he tackled Roald Dahl’s story – adapted by the late Melissa Mathison, also Spielberg’s “E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial” writer – about an orphan (Ruby Barnhill) who’s taken to Giant Country by a really tall fellow who’s friendlier than most others of his kind. He’s played in a motion-capture performance by Mark Rylance, who won an Oscar for Spielberg’s preceding film, “Bridge of Spies.” The child attracts the attention of the more sinister giants, leading her and her sizable new pal to seek help from no one less than Queen Elizabeth (Penelope Wilton). Jemaine Clement and Bill Hader also lend the talents needed to generate some of the other characters in the tale, which isn’t as magical as other Spielberg projects but still unique. ››› (PG: AS, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)

SUNDAY 7 p.m. on NICKELODEON Nickelodeon HALO Awards 2016

Nick Cannon returns to host this annual awards ceremony, which salutes four teenage community leaders who have changed the world around them by “Helping and Leading Others” (hence, HALO). The special includes performances by Jason Derulo, Hailee Steinfeld, Zedd, Alessia Cara, Daya and JoJo Siwa; Jake Miller and Jacob Whitesides also are set to appear. New

8 p.m. on TLCSister WivesDetails are skimpy for the Season 7 premiere of this series about life in a polygamous family, which may help explain why so many rumors are swirling around this show. The most persistent is that these new episodes will mark the end of the show, due largely to the reported intention of cast members Janelle and Meri Brown to leave the series. That’s probably also why Season 7 is said to focus primarily on Kody, his most recent wife, Robyn, and their daughter, Ariella Mae. Season Premiere New

9 p.m. on HALLMARK MOVIE MYSTERYMovie: I’ll Be Home for ChristmasDistrict attorney and single mother Jackie Foster (Mena Suvari) looks forward to wrapping up her current case and spending a quiet Christmas with her daughter, Gracie (Giselle Eisenberg). That plan goes off the rails, however, when her estranged father (James Brolin) shows up, hoping to repair their relationship. John Reardon also stars in this new holiday drama. Premiere

MONDAY 8 p.m. on ABC CMA Country Christmas For the seventh year, Grammy winner Jennifer Nettles — who recently released the seasonal album “To Celebrate Christmas” — hosts this country-flavored Yuletide music fest, recorded at Nashville’s Grand Ole

Opry House. Idina Menzel and Andra Day, who perform numbers with Nettles on the album, are among the guests. So are Brad Paisley, Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Brett Eldredge and the iconic Loretta Lynn. New

8 p.m. on NBC The Voice The phrase “Top 10” always has had a special place when it comes to music, and that holds true in the case of the new episode “Live Top 10 Performances.” Indeed, that’s how many contenders remain as they stay in the race to be named the newest “Voice” ... but one will leave in Tuesday’s “Eliminations” broadcast. Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are the coaches and mentors, and Carson Daly is the host. New

TUESDAY 9 p.m. on HGTV Fixer Upper Spouses Chip and Joanna Gaines bring a personal touch to their hit home renovation series, which opens a fourth season tonight that follows the couple as they make over entire Texas neighborhoods. That’s because fans get to see plenty of the real family life that surrounds the on-the-job scenes, as Joanna and Chip parent their four kids and run a 40-acre farm teeming with cows, horses, goats and chickens. This new season also will find the couple revisiting their early buying-and-flipping days. Season Premiere New

10 p.m. on A&ELeah Remini: Scientology and the AftermathThe former “King of Queens” actress has been an outspoken opponent of the New Age religion to which she once belonged, and in this new eight-episode unscripted series, she explains why, sharing stories of abuse, heartbreak and harassment experienced by people like her who have left the Church of Scientology and gone public with their experience.

The series also includes comments from former church executives and other ex-members. Series Premiere New

10 p.m. on BRAVOLadies of LondonAmong some life-changing moments in the Season 3 premiere, “London Friends Are Falling Down,” Julie Montagu and her husband, Luke, formally take over his family estate, while Marissa’s happiness over the birth of her third child is dampened by a serious medical condition. Medical issues also are on the mind of Caroline Fleming, who finds her life complicated by weekly trips to Denmark to check on her ailing father. Caroline Stanbury’s sister-in-law, Sophie, finds herself in the middle of a feud. Season Premiere New

WEDNESDAY 8 p.m. on NBC Christmas in Rockefeller Center The holiday season definitely has arrived when this annual special airs again, introducing the site’s Christmas tree in the heart of Manhattan. The 84th annual event culminates with the illumination of the lights — more

YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote November 27 - December 3, 2016 continued on next page

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Marissa faces a critical health issue in “Ladies of London”

than 50,000 of them — on a Norway spruce from Oneonta, N.Y. As usual, a variety of performances will precede that moment ... with Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond and Dolly Parton among the headliners. Members of the weekday “Today” team host. New 9 p.m. on HISTORY Vikings The historical epic drama returns with new episodes in its mid-season premiere, “The Outsider,” which picks up the action pretty much where it left off, as Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) returns after a long absence to Kattegat. He has come back partly to see how his sons are faring, but more to settle a grievous old score with treacherous King Ecbert (Linus Roache) in Wessex. Meanwhile, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) plots a power play. Alexander Ludwig and Gustaf Skarsgard also star. New

THURSDAY 8 p.m. on ABC A Charlie Brown Christmas The animated classic begins its next half-century, having marked its 50th anniversary last year. When Charlie Brown complains about the materialism he sees during the holidays, Lucy suggests he direct the Christmas pageant. He accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When his attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir tree fails, he needs Linus’ help to learn the real meaning of Christmas. The memorable music score is by Vince Guaraldi.

8:30 p.m. on SHOWTIMEJimmy Vestvood: Amerikan HeroActor-comic Maz Jobrani stars in this 2016 comedy as an Iranian gent so obsessed with the Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt” that, after winning a green-card lottery, he immigrates to Los Angeles with his overprotective mother, hoping to become a police detective. Instead, he’s stuck working as a security guard at a Persian grocery store, where he eventually is

drawn unwittingly into plans to stage a violent coup that could start World War III. John Heard, Deanna Russo and Marshall Manesh also star. New

9 p.m. on A&ENightwatchAs the compelling unscripted series from “Law & Order” executive producer Dick Wolf returns for Season 3, the NOLA EMS team celebrates the opening of its new headquarters, which has been under construction for a decade. Titus, now an official paramedic, adjusts to new shared roles with his longtime partner, Dan, as they respond to calls, while Arcady and Ted, who make up a new team, get to know each other’s styles. Season Premiere New

FRIDAY 8 p.m. on CBS I Love Lucy Christmas SpecialA tradition of recent holiday seasons is maintained, as a colorized yuletide tale from the classic sitcom is paired with another episode that’s had color newly added to it — this time, “Lucy Gets in Pictures.” While decorating a tree, Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel (Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Vivian Vance) reminisce about how their lives have changed since the birth of Little Ricky (Keith Thibodeaux) in the flashback-filled seasonal episode. New

10 pm CMT CrossroadsAward-winning singer/songwriter and producer Alicia Keys (“The Voice”) performs with newcomer Maren Morris, a Nashville singer/songwriter who has

taken the country world by storm in this new episode, which was taped in Nashville. With 15 Grammy Awards, Keys certainly needs no introduction at this point, but the 26-year-old Morris already has reached breakout status, thanks to her vocal stylings that reflect influences from the soul, pop and country genres. New

SATURDAY 8 p.m. on HALLMARK Movie: A Dream of Christmas

Call it “It’s a Not So Wonderful Life,” if you wish, because this new holiday fantasy stars Nikki Deloach (“Awkward”) as an ambitious and unhappily married woman who fantasizes about being single again. She awakes to find her wish granted in spades, because she has everything she ever wanted — except her husband, whom she immediately starts searching for. Andrew Walker (“Against the Wall”) also stars. Premiere

10 p.m. on HBOPete Holmes: Faces and SoundsThe Massachusetts-born stand-up and former TBS talk-show host shares his perspective on some of life’s most absurd moments in a performance before a live audience at the Vic Theatre in Chicago. Expect to hear his take on finding the keys to happiness, how illogical nightmares are and how the British deal with awkward situation. The comic also is set to star in the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy series “Crashing,” due to premiere on HBO in 2017. New

“Christmas in Rockefeller Center”

Nikki Deloach stars in “A Dream of Christmas”


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dolly parton’s christmas of many...

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