Home Blog Page 657

With Pride, Society of LGBTQ Critics Announces Inaugural Dorian TV Award Nominations 

0

The Good Fight, Schitt’s Creek, Mrs. America, 

Watchmen, Normal People Stand Out in ‘Best TV’ Categories

Cate Blanchett, Regina King, Trevor Noah, Ramy Youssef Also Earn Nods

Tuesday, June 30, 2020 – Hollywood, CA – Capping Pride Month with a nod to the power of the “small” screen, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics today announced the nominees for its first separate Dorian TV Awards. The Pop network comedy Schitt’s Creek leads the pack with 7 nominations, while Hollywood — Netflix’s ambitious, star-studded reimagining of Tinseltown’s early days — says hooray to six nods. HBO’s fact-based TV movie Bad Education and daring miniseries Watchmen have four Dorian nominations each.

“With a global pandemic, severe economic strife, the gut-punches of racism and police brutality proverbially hitting us all—this might not seem like the right time for fluffy showbiz awards,” said GALECA President Diane Anderson-Minshall, CEO and Editorial Director of Pride Media (The Advocate, Out, Pride, Plus). “But it may be more important than ever now to embrace and champion quality stories and push the real Hollywood’s entitled writers, producers, executives and PR reps out of their bubble and into truly reflecting America’s diversity for a change. They have so much power, and entertainment journalism groups like GALECA can make them accountable.”

Added GALECA Executive Director John Griffiths, “Stereotypical, or worse, depictions of LGBTQs and People of Color have greatly contributed to the pain America is in right now. GALECA and its partner organization CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media are determined to press media companies to take more responsibility and hire more underrepresented voices, voices that might say, ‘Hey, why, in 2020, is every single character on this show white, rich and straight except for the token Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and/or Queer baddie or comic foil?’”

One series that definitely breaks the mold is CBS All Access’ The Good Fight, the tense, socially relevant and increasingly inventive drama set at a Black-run law firm in Chicago. Fight is up for Best TV Drama (as well as Best Unsung TV Show) alongside Netflix’s ever-polished Brit royals opus The Crown and tricky-couple crime drama Ozark, and two other twisty morality tales, AMC networks’ Killing Eve and Better Call Saul.

In addition to Creek — a previous Dorian Award winner when GALECA combined its film and TV kudos in one package — the Best TV Comedy contenders include three past Dorian Award nominees: Insecure (HBO), Better Things (FX) and The Good Place (NBC). Competing against them are Netflix’s gallows-humored, female-powered mystery-comedy Dead to Me (stars Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini vie for Best TV Performance — Actress) and FX’s bloody-fun vampire comedy, What We Do in the Shadows (which counts two additional nods).

The Best TV Movie or Limited Series race is lively, with each nominee offering a bold, controversial approach to an ever-burning topic. HBO’s comic book fantasy Watchmen aggressively tackles themes of white supremacy and police brutality, the same network’s fact-based TV film Bad Education exposes greed and corruption (in public schools, no less), and FX’s ‘70s-set historical drama Mrs. America, produced by and starring double-nominee Cate Blanchett, shows how far we have not come, baby, in regards to advancing women’s rights. Also in the mix: Hulu shows Little Fires Everywhere (dealing with inherent racism) and Normal People (sex—lots of it).

Although the miniseries Hollywood, from bad boy producer Ryan Murphy, didn’t make that short list, it did nab four acting nominations as well as ones for LGBTQ Show of the Year and Visually Striking Show. Other cinematic eye-fillers in the latter race include the likes of Disney+’s The Mandalorian and HBO’s Westworld.

And no Dorian Awards list would be complete without GALECA’s trademark category, Campiest TV Show. Vying for that cheeky honor are Hulu’s royal romp The Great, perennial members favorite RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1), and Netflix hmmm-inducers AJ and the QueenDolly Parton’s Heartstrings and a certain expose of some exotic Oklahomans and Floridians, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.

“We’re again proud of our members’ eclectic choices,” said Executive Director Griffiths. But he noted that GALECA, with 20 percent of its membership female and about 16 percent Indigenous or People of Color, itself needs to bolster its diversity. “America is more than 50-percent women, and BIPOC unite to make up about 40 percent of the country, so we have some work to do,” said Griffiths, adding that the Society does include a “strong” 5 percent of transgender members. “Our Board has been discussing actionable-now steps to bolster representation of People of Color, women, trans, non-binary and genderqueer professional journalists in our ranks — for the vital big picture and to make our Dorian Awards as rich and reflective of the LGBTQ eye as possible.”

Added Griffiths, “GALECA is an all-volunteer group in a very rocky media landscape, exacerbated not just by the COVID fallout but by anti-freelancers legislation like California’s AB-5 bill. So we urge engaged entertainment writers to get in touch with us. Numbers are what raise a voice.”

Via its original banner Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, GALECA’s Dorian Awards have gone to the best of all of film and TV — not only LGBTQ-themed — since 2010. While this year marks the inaugural Dorian TV Awards, this is actually the 11th go-around for members voting on their best-loved TV programs and stars. Come first-quarter 2021, the Society will add to its choices for the finest in theatrical releases for the first separate Dorian Film Awards.

TV winners will be announced August 21, when the Society will also name the recipient of its first “You Deserve an Award!” Award, going to what the group deems “a uniquely talented TV icon (they) adore.”

GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ Dorian Awards, started in 2009, go to both mainstream and LGBTQ-centric content, helping remind bullies, bigots and at-risk youth that the world has a history of looking to “the Q eye” for tips on what’s great across all of entertainment. After all, how would the world fare without knowing what’s campy? A nonprofit professional organization, GALECA consists of over 260 active critics and journalists who write for legitimate media outlets in the United States, Canada, Australia and the U.K.  Visit GALECA.org for more info, and support us @DorianAwards on Twitter and Facebook and @Dorian_Awards on Instagram.

2019-20 DORIAN TV AWARDS NOMINEES — FULL LIST*

BEST TV DRAMA

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)

Ozark (Netflix)

The Crown (Netflix)

The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

 

BEST TV COMEDY

Better Things (FX)

Dead to Me (Netflix)

Insecure (HBO)

Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

The Good Place (NBC)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

 

BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

Bad Education (HBO)

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)

Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)

Normal People (Hulu)

Watchmen (HBO)

 

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)

Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)

Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me (Netflix)

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)

Regina King, Watchmen (HBO)

Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)

Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

 

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR

Hugh Jackman, Bad Education (HBO)

Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Paul Mescal, Normal People (Hulu)

Jeremy Pope, Hollywood (Netflix)

Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)

 

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS

Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)

Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)

Allison Janney, Bad Education (HBO)

Patti LuPone, Hollywood (Netflix)

Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Jean Smart, Watchmen (HBO)

 

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Joe Mantello, Hollywood (Netflix)

Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)

Jim Parsons, Hollywood (Netflix)

 

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Cynthia Erivo, “Stand Up”, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)

Jake Gyllenhaal, “Music, Music Everywhere!”, John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix)

Jennifer Lopez & Shakira, Halftime Show, Super Bowl LIV (Fox)

Janelle Monáe & Billy Porter, Opening Number, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)

Noah Reid, “Always Be My Baby”, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

 

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

Bad Education (HBO)

Hollywood (Netflix)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Vida (Starz)

We’re Here (HBO)

Work in Progress (Showtime)

 

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM

Cheer (Netflix)

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)

Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)

 

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)

Gentified (Netflix)

The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Mrs. Fletcher (HBO)

One Day at a Time (Pop)

Vida (Starz)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Work in Progress (Showtime)

 

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING SHOW

Hollywood (Netflix)

The Crown (Netflix)

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Watchmen (HBO)

Westworld (HBO)

 

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

AJ and the Queen (Netflix)

Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Netflix)

The Great (Hulu)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (Netflix)

 

WILDE WIT AWARD

(Honoring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)

Dan Levy

Randy Rainbow

Hannah Gadsby

Cate Blanchett

Trevor Noah

 

SERIES AND NETWORK COUNTS

Programs with multiple nominations:

Schitt’s Creek – 7 

Hollywood – 6 

Bad Education – 4 

Watchmen – 4 

The Crown – 3

Dead to Me – 3

Mrs. America – 3 

What We Do in the Shadows – 3

The Good Fight – 2 

Killing Eve – 2 

Normal People – 2 

Ozark – 3

Ramy – 2 

RuPaul’s Drag Race – 2 

Vida – 2 

Work in Progress — 2

Network with multiple nominations:

Netflix – 21

HBO – 13

Hulu, Pop – 8

FX – 7

AMC – 3

ABC, Apple TV+, BBC America, CBS All Access, Showtime, Starz, VH1 – 2

“Animal Hero Kids Needs You Now”

Vegan 40 year Veteran Kindness to All Educator 

By Jules Lavallee

(The Hollywood Times) 6/30/20 – Empathy has never been so needed as now during the pandemic. Animal Hero Kids needs us!  Animal Hero Kids as an organization believes in non-violent, positive and proactive ways of achieving the goal of preventing and stopping harm to all species of animals.

Empathy is needed more than ever given this global pandemic, how is Animal Hero Kids creating global impact? 

Yes, there has never been a time where we need empathy more than right now. Multiplying empathy, the building block of kindness is my life’s work. When I was in 6th Grade there was a girl nobody else wanted to talk to, for an imagined crime like having greasy hair one day, or something as equally unimportant. Her name was Pam, I chose her for teams in gym class, talked with her at lunch and defended her from the others when they would ask why are you talking with her. Pam was killed after high school, her life ended abruptly. Her short life never had the chance to get any better, all she had was her time in school. 

When I investigated stockyards and slaughterhouses and witnessed the hellish animal abuse there, I knew changing hearts and choices was a necessary must. Kindness to all, two-legged or four, desperately needs to be amplified, multiplied, and reflected around the globe. 

These are unprecedented times, three out of four super viruses, like COVIDS, stem from the mistreatment and traumatization of animals, the lethal virus of racism is rampant in the United States. Understanding, consideration, kindness, critical thinking are qualities I have been growing across diverse populations around the globe for forty years. 

You are asking celebs to join forces with Animal Hero Kids. What are your goals in the upcoming months?  

Hey, celebrity readers, Animal Hero Kids needs you! You have a following, a larger voice which can reach a wider audience, you can help make World Animal Hero Kids Month a success. Yes, I have had to adapt some of the projected activities to the current challenges. We have morphed #animalherokidtober to a worldwide reach. Two hundred activities are projected to lift up, celebrate, encourage, and recognize compassionate and courageous youth. 

Creative ways to expand the Animal Hero Kids toolbox are exploding into a shower of dance, song, film, including a new children’s book and short claymation film.

How’s this for full circle? One of the 1,000’s of presentations I have done in schools was to a pre-school and elementary school in Miami. A brother and a sister who attended the schools were affected, positively, and, consequently, their entire family. Today the family helps all species of animals with their kind, vegan choices. The preschooler is now an adult film school graduate and a claymator for the film! 

As Sir Paul McCartney said, “It doesn’t matter how old you are, the good news we can all still help animals in need” and that is true for #animalherokidtober too. 

All ages can help make positive change, there are 10 ways to participate and a signup form on the AnimalHeroKids.org 

An example of a few activities are organizing a screening, or reading of the Animal Hero Kids books in your local library, shelter or farmed animal sanctuary. Contact your state or municipal government representative and ask if they would proclaim it to be Animal Hero Kids day, and we will treat them to a plant based lunch. 

Share your vision for the future. What are the key points that you want people to know? 

I will not give up on my dreams, one is to have a reality or a reenactment type show about the kindness, courage, and compassion I foster and empower. These stories are literally the lifeblood of what is sorely needed today. Instead of reality shows with people behaving badly, well, how about one where we meet the 13 year-old African-American boy who rescued his neighbor, a disabled man from an apartment fire, and then returned to rescue the disabled mans’ dog all while waiting for the fire trucks to arrive? Or the 12-year-old who saw a pig who fell off the back of a slaughterhouse truck and brought the pig back to life? Or how about the 9-year-old who saw 100’s of just hatched chicks being gassed and suffocated, routine for male chicks in hatchery and created Animal Hero Kids so no other child would feel powerless to help other animals again? 

Then why not an Animal Hero Kids World, while I am thinking about dreams? A place for kids and teens to meet some happy, rescued animals, hear their stories, and experience, learn, and be empowered to be animal heroes. They could also enjoy creating scrumptious vegan food, which helps the planet, human health, and animals. I envision school field trips, webcams, summits, the annual awards we do. 

You have a beautiful book Animal Hero Kids Voices for the Voiceless. Tell us about the story and why kids love it so much? 

These stories and more are beautifully highlighted in the “Animal Hero Kids Voices for the Voiceless” book Volume 2 has just come out and now there is an e-version.

I am so grateful to the many big-hearted celebs who have contributed quotes to the book. Joaquin Phoenix, has given a quote about the fact he was an Animal Hero Kid at just 3 years old and Jessica Chastain tells why she chooses to be vegan. 

Montessori schools are using the almost 284-page book for their curriculum. It is full of positivity, classroom projects and service learning projects and wonderful true animal rescue stories. It even has some scrumptious vegan recipes, too. 

The goal is to gift a copy to every school library, we are all volunteers and every cent goes to achieving Animal Hero Kids educating, activating goals. We are always on the lookout for more volunteers, there is a Join Us form on the homepage of the site. If anyone knows of any possible sponsors, backers, dream granters, who may wish to help us with this goal of giving a copy to every school library. Let me know. The book won a “Skipping Stones Honor Award” from a multicultural youth magazine, the tales are a heartwarming balm. 

Do you have any additional thoughts? 

Thank you, Jules, for asking these thoughtful questions and covering our story. We do not have an advertising or PR budget and your work amplifying Animal Hero Kids vital work helps more than you know. 

Final words

Come on board the Animal Hero Kids train and help us reach all corners of the world with the kind2all mission. We are here standing on the precipice. We are here ready to fly towards a magnified, consistent kindness, join us! 

www.animalherokids.org 

 

Blackfeet Boxing: #NotInvisible

“Blackfeet Boxing”
#NotInvisible

AIRS TUESDAY, JUNE 30 at 7:30pm ET on ESPN

By Patrick Donovan – Author/Screenwriter
US Navy Disabled Veteran – 1980 – 1991
Seattle, WA (The Hollywood Times) 06/29/2020

“Over 5,000 girls go missing or murdered throughout the United States. All of these are on Native American Reservations.  They are called: MMIW – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Since 2016 this was a silent problem, but now, #MMIW is a national movement. This story is about how these girls are empowered to fight back and WIN!”

– Patrick Donovan

About the Film:
Blackfeet Boxing is a film about fighting—for respect, identity, and acknowledgment. There are no scorecards or knockouts on the reservation. The prize at the Blackfeet Boxing Club is far more vital:  survival.  According to the United States Justice Department, Native American women are ten times more likely to be murdered than non-native women.  More than one in three has suffered rape, or attempted rape, and more than 80 percent will experience violence at some point in their lives. On the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, these are not statistics.  They are stories, of lives and families, of loss and pain.

Donna Kipp – Frank Kipp’s daughter – Credit all photos – Seventh Movement

The Review:
We’re in Big Sky Country. A family and friends are searching and have been since 2017 when Ashley Loring Heavy Runner disappeared without a trace.

Since January 2018, more than 100 indigenous women and girls in Montana have gone missing, been murdered or their status: Unknown.

– Sovereign Bodies Institute

The idea is to teach young girls how to box.  They become empowered to fight for their lives or they won’t have a life. Boxing teaches discipline and confidence. A third-generation boxer, Frank Kipp, was 38-6 as an amateur welterweight.  For 6 years, he served as a probation officer on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana.

Donna Kipp prepares for a fight

Frank founded the Blackfeet Nation Boxing Club in 2003. They have trained over 500 boys and girls.  Once the gym opened, they came. The old theory: If you build it, they will come!

These kids grow in confidence. Frank helps them defend themselves on the streets.  It may have nothing to do with boxing, but it has everything to do with LIFE!  Native American women compromise 3% of Montana’s population.  Drug abuse, sex, human trafficking, and more is the root cause of these sad stories.

Donna Kipp and Mammie Kennedy sparring

This story is about Ashley Loring Heavy Runner. She was accepted into the University of Montana, had a promising future but then she started to hang out with people who use drugs, drank alcohol and were older. Simply not good people.  She was last seen on Hwy 89 on the Rocky Mountains in June 2017. Ashley’s case is part of a greater crisis known as MMIWMissing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Ashley Loring Heavy Runner

There are more than 5000 unsolved MMIW cases in the United State since 2016.

– Urban Indigenous Health Institute

These women do not feel safe. In Browning High School on the Reservation, there are pictures of Ashley everywhere.  But the girls look over their shoulder thinking, “Will I be next?” This is not a problem isolated to Indigenous peoples, it’s everywhere but it seems more prevalent on Indian Reservations.

Two girls are contenders for the 2019 Olympics. These young ladies are fighters. Drinking and doing and drugs scares these girls and with good reason. It took two months for the police to open a formal investigation into Ashley’s murder.  It’s sad, but this is something else that’s inherently a serious problem throughout this country. I didn’t know this, but the Blackfeet Nation covers nearly 1.5 Million Acres and is larger than the state of Rhode Island.  Ashley is somewhere out there.  Only 27 tribal officers patrol that area. It shouldn’t have to be this way!

Lack of opportunity, lack of jobs, parents not parenting, these are all issues that are throughout the United States but in Native American Reservations, it’s a huge problem.

This is the United States of America and before that, tribal Native American Land, and STILL IS!  I can’t believe this is happening in our country still today and it’s getting worse. Our Native American brothers and sisters are hurting. Now with the Coronavirus, Indigenous people are suffering more on top of all this.

Frank Kipp, owner, Blackfeet Boxing Club Montana, gets one of his students ready to spar

We need to make our country aware of this and the Committee on Tribal Affairs heard from Ashley’s sister. Senator Elizabeth Warren, (D) Massachusetts, spoke to tribal leaders about this travesty.  The #MMIW movement is now national to bring greater awareness.  The Indigenous people of the United States have been forgotten for far too long.  We need to ban together and help each other. We need to stop what’s happening across this great land and make help these girls like Frank Kipp and his daughter Donna. Let’s all follow Frank’s vision to help our younger sisters grow and become empowered to fight because as Frank says, “If you don’t, we’ll never see you again and that’s a hard reality.”

This is a great short film and really tells a hard story.  Watch it and learn from it. Tell your daughters what is going on and get them into Boxing or other forms of self-defense.  We cannot continue to lose our younger sisters at this alarming rate.

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12613952

Official Trailer: https://youtu.be/mnjUwjGD37U

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janesantosifbbpro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MMIWDATABASE/

Facebook: MMIW Indian Capital https://www.facebook.com/groups/210712052855378/

Facebook: Red Ribbon Awareness https://www.facebook.com/groups/1680682175554280/

CLINT BLACK CELEBRATES THE RELEASE OF HIS NEW ALBUM OUT OF SANE WITH A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY.

CLINT BLACK AND DARIUS RUCKER SHARED THE OPRY STAGE FOR A SPECIAL FATHER’S DAY EVENT. 

Nashville, TN—June 24, 2020—Country music icon, Clint Black celebrated the release of his 12th studio album, Out of Sane, on Saturday with a special performance on the Grand Ole Opry. Out of Sane, marks his first studio project release in five years and has been met with excitement from fans. 

“I’m so happy to have this new music out, after five years since my last album,” commented Clint Black. ”I would rank this CD right up there with my best work. The feedback from my fans has echoed that appraisal and it’s exciting to hear which are their favorites.” 

Clint shared the Opry stage on Saturday with Country music star, Darius Rucker. Viewers were treated to a mix of each of their hits as well as a joint rendition of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.

Watch the full show HERE or jump to the Clint songs HERE 

Included in his Opry performance set list was the lead single from his new album, “America (Still in Love With You).” The song serves as Clint’s love letter to our great nation. Clint, refusing to let the confines of quarantine affect his creativity, self-produced the official music video for the song. 

Watch the music video for “America (Still in Love With You)” HERE

“Steve Wariner and I wrote ‘America’ right before the shutdown and had intended the lyrics to be a song about unity for our country during a heated election season,” says Black. “In light of the pandemic and social protests, it has taken on a new meaning reflective of these difficult times for our nation.” 

Out of Sane is available for download and streaming everywhere that music is consumed. Autographed copied of the album and special Out of Sane merchandise is also available through the official Clint Black webstore at www.clintblack.com/store. 

LISTEN HERE

For additional information on Clint Black, please visit: 

Website Facebook Instagram 

About Clint Black: It is one of the most storied careers in modern music. Clint Black surged to superstardom as part of the fabled Class of ’89, reaching #1 with five consecutive singles from his triple-platinum debut, Killin’ Time. He followed that with the triple-platinum Put Yourself in My Shoes, and then a string of platinum and gold albums throughout the ’90s. Black’s catalog produced 22 #1 singles, 31 top ten singles and made him one of the most successful singer/ songwriters of the modern era. Clint has sold over 20 million records, earned more than a dozen gold and multi-platinum awards in the U.S. and Canada including a GRAMMY, landed nearly two dozen major awards and nominations, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Clint continues to tour throughout North America. 

The Oak Ridge Boys To Perform & Co-Host TBN’s Independence Day Weekend Celebration w/Governor Mike Huckabee featuring Nicole C. Mullen & Lee Greenwood

Special to air July 3 at 8, 9, 10 and 11pm ET, July 4th at 1pm ET / 10am PT and July 5th at 11pm ET / 8pm PT on TBN

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – GRAMMY® winning, Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry members The Oak Ridge Boys are set to host TBN’s July 4th weekend special performing multiple songs, along with guests two time Grammy nominated and GMA Dove award winner Nicole C. Mullen, Grammy award winner Lee Greenwood and joined by co-host Gov. Mike Huckabee. TBN’s Independence Day Weekend Celebration will premiere Saturday, July 3 at 8, 9, 10 and 11pm ET, July 4th at 1pm ET / 10am PT and July 5th at 11pm ET / 8pm PT. In addition, the special will be available to stream on Facebook LIVE on TBNGov. Mike HuckabeeThe Oak Ridge BoysLee Greenwood and Nicole C. Mullen pages. Fans can also look forward to timeless hits performed for all in true social distancing, patriotic style.

“We are looking forward to celebrating our country’s Independence weekend,” says Duane Allen. “The Oak Ridge Boys and Mike Huckabee are co-hosting this special on TBN with very special musical guests!”

“During these times of virus and unrest how cool it will be to gather with The Governor and celebrate America … on July 4th weekend,” says Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys.

“This is such a great opportunity to reach out to America on Independence Day,” says Lee Greenwood. “Thank you Governor Huckabee and The Oak Ridge Boys for allowing me to be on this 4th of July special with you.”

“The Fourth of July reminds me that freedom is never free. It will always cost someone, somewhere a great price,” says Nicole C. Mullen. “Another truth that I have realized is; sometimes you must celebrate the freedom of others, while you press towards your own. Most Americans can trace their liberty back to 1776. As an African American, mine was granted in 1865. As believers in Christ, the price was paid 2,000 years ago, for the greatest eternal emancipation of all…for all who receive it! This year, let’s work towards and celebrate liberty and justice for everyone. He whom the Son sets free, is Free indeed! Tune into TBN as we work towards and Celebrate Freedom for All!”

Tune-in for free on TBN or live stream on TBN.org. TBN is also available on iOS, android, AppleTV, amazon fireTV, Roku or download the TBN app on Google Play or the iOS App Store. For more information, visit tbn.org.

The Oak Ridge Boys on The Grand Ole Opry July 4th
As previously announced, The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate Independence Day as Opry members The Oak Ridge Boys, Sara Evans and Mark Wills step into the circle for the 4,931st consecutive Saturday night broadcast on July 4. The Opry performance is part of America’s Birthday Bash on Circle Network.

The Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn. The Opry can be heard at opry.com and wsmonline.com, Opry and WSM mobile apps, SiriusXM, and its flagship home, 650 AM-WSM. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP). For more information, visit opry.com.

About The Oak Ridge Boys:
The Oak Ridge Boys have sold over 41 million units worldwide and are synonymous with “America, apple pie, baseball, and country music.” In addition to their awards and accolades in the country music field, the Oaks have garnered five GRAMMY® Awards, nine GMA DOVE Awards, and two American Music Awards. The group—Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden, and Richard Sterban, members of the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame (2015 Inductees) and the Grand Ole Opry (since 2011)—is known worldwide as one of recording history’s most extraordinary musical successes. They have charted single after single and album after album, celebrating two double-platinum albums and more than 30 Top 10 hits, including No. 1 chart-toppers “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Thank God For Kids,” “American Made,” and “Y’All Come Back Saloon,” among dozens more. For more information and to view upcoming tour dates for The Oak Ridge Boys, please visit oakridgeboys.com.

About Lee Greenwood:
Throughout his expansive career, international country music icon Lee Greenwood has earned multiple CMA and ACM Awards, a Grammy Award for Top Male Vocal Performance on “I.O.U,” in 1985, and a multitude of other prestigious award nominations. His discography includes twenty-two studio albums, seven compilation albums, seven No. 1 hits and thirty-eight singles including songs like “It Turns Me Inside Out,” “Ring On Her Finger Time on Her Hands,” “She’s Lyin’,” “I Don’t Mind the Thorns if You’re the Rose,” “Dixie Road,” “Somebody’s Gonna Love You,” “Going Going Gone,” “You Got A Good Love Comin’,” among others.

His stand-out hit “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001 and 2003), giving it the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat. It reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart shortly after 9/11. Known for his stand-out patriotism and support of the U.S. Military, Greenwood has been honored with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s National Patriot’s Award, and entertained troops on more than 30 USO Tours. Greenwood was appointed to the council of the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008 by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate, and continues to serve on the NEA at the pleasure of the President. His latest book release is a children’s book called Proud To Be An American, which is currently available in stores, on Amazon and leegreenwood.com.

About Nicole C. Mullen:
Nicole C. Mullen has long been known as an undeniably talented artist who is unafraid to be vulnerable and transparent with her audience. She continues a legacy of sincerity and artistic integrity that in the past has been recognized with two Grammy® Award nominations and nine Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, including two Female Vocalist of the Year honors, Song of Year for “Redeemer, and On My Knees”, the Urban Album of the Year for “Everyday People ”, Contemporary Song of the year (Call on Jesus), and the first African American female to win Songwriter of the Year for Redeemer. Earlier this year, former Host of Regis and Lee and NBC’s The Today Show, Kathie Lee Gifford along with Nicole C. Mullen, recorded a song they had written together, entitled “The God Who Sees.” Mullen continues to tour around the globe, becoming a highly sought after speaker and singer. Her ministry and travels include France, Belize, England, Jamaica, many nations on the continent of Africa and throughout the USA.

About Gov. Mike Huckabee:
Mike Huckabee is the host of the TV show “Huckabee” on TBN each weekend and is a Fox News contributor, NY Times best selling author of 12 books, and a frequent speaker for corporate, civic, and non-profit groups all over the world. He was the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 until 2007, becoming one of the longest serving Governors in his state’s history. He left a legacy of tax cuts, job creation, the reconstruction of his state’s road system, K-16 education reform, and a nationally heralded and duplicated health initiative that focused on prevention. His administration fought long-standing corruption in the state’s political machine, resulting in numerous indictments and convictions of powerful legislators and other elected officials. He ran in 2008 and 2016 for President, finishing 2nd in the Republican primary in 2008.

About TBN Network:
Trinity Broadcasting Network is the world’s largest and most watched faith-and-family broadcaster, reaching over 175 nations across the earth with inspirational and entertaining programming 24 hours a day in 14 languages and on 32 global networks. As the world’s most influential non-profit religious broadcaster, TBN has led the way in expanding the impact of faith-based television across the earth through the creation of innovative content designed to reach every viewer demographic with the life-changing message of hope and grace. For more information about Trinity Broadcasting Network, visit www.tbn.org.

Trailblazing Women Are Highlighted in New Programming From PBS SoCal and KCET in Honor of the Women’s Vote Centennial, The Feminist Movement and Modern-Day Changemakers

POV ‘And She Could Be Next’ Online Watch Party Features CA State Senator Maria Elena Durazo Set for June 29

Programming will also be available for streaming on PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members will be available to view episodes via Passport.

kcet.org/trailblazers and pbssocal.org/trailblazers

PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS organizations, announced today that they will debut new programming that will showcase a curated lineup  of multi-platform content celebrating the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed and protected women’s constitutional right to vote in the United States. As part of PBS’s summer-long salute to female trailblazers, PBS SoCal and KCET will honor and commemorate those who fought for women’s suffrage in the U.S., the feminist movement throughout the 20th century and the stories of modern women who continue to shatter the glass ceiling and transform modern history.

The producers of one of those films in particular, the POV miniseries “And She Could Be Next,” are working closely with a number of partners, including KCET and PBS SoCal, to host nationwide watch parties and virtual panel events on June 29 and June 30. Each night, viewers are asked to join in for a live discussion and countdown to the broadcast at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET as special guests share a conversation about the film and the future transformation of politics from the ground up. The goal of the virtual event is to empower women in this unique time in American history. To participate in the Watch Party online event, click HERE. Follow the hashtag #StepIntoPower across social media platforms and join a virtual community of organizations, filmmakers, elected officials from the series, influencers and viewers watching along together. Both episodes are available for streaming each night on pbs.org/pov.

Night one panelists include LaTosha Brown (CoFounder, Black Voters Matter Fund), Glynda Carr (President, CEO and Co-Founder of Higher Heights for America), Erin Vilardi (Founder and Executive Director of VoteRunLead), A’shanti Gholar (President of Emerge), Stephanie Lopez (Program Manager of LatinasRepresent), Sayu Bhojwani (Founder and President of New American Leaders), Prairie Rose Seminole (Advance Native Political Leadership), Bushra Amiwala (Youngest Muslim Elected Official in the US), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13, Congresswoman, U.S. House of Representatives), Nse Ufot (Executive Director New Georgia Project), Tania Unzueta (Political Director, Mijente) and Stephanie Cho (Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta).

Night two panelists include Ava DuVernay (Award-winning filmmaker/Executive Producer of “And She Could Be Next), Congresswoman Lucy McBath (Representative for Georgia’s 6th congressional district), Nikema Williams (GA state senator and co-chair of the GA democratic party), Danielle Belton (Editor In Chief of The Root), LaTosha Brown (CoFounder, Black Voters Matter Fund), Glynda Carr (President, CEO and Co-Founder of Higher Heights for America), Nse Ufot (Executive Director New Georgia Project), Mary Hooks (Co-Director of Southerners on New Ground), Jessica Byrd (Founder and Chief Do-er of Three Point Strategies) and Jennifer Epps-Addison (Network President and Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy).

Filmed between March and November 2018, “And She Could Be Next” follows five women of color candidates including Georgia’s Stacey Abrams and Detroit’s Rashida Tlaib as they interact with voters, conduct embattled campaigns, balance work as well as personal lives and in the process, are re-shaping the political power infrastructure. Directed/produced by Grace Lee and Marjan Safinia and executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the film features California Senator Maria Elena Durazo, who represents the 24th State Senate district, which encompasses Central Los Angeles and East Los Angeles. 

Additional programming as part of the new curated lineup includes three exciting projects from AMERICAN MASTERS, starting off with the documentary tribute to the writer, performer and entertainment legend “Mae West: Dirty Blonde” followed by the new documentary on the Nobel Prize-winning author “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am.” In July comes the premiere of “Unladylike2020: The Changemakers,” a multimedia series (one-hour special for broadcast and 26 digital short films) which features pioneering, diverse and little-known American heroines from the turn of the 20th century and looks at how their work resonates today. The program showcases the first women in the U.S. Congress as well as a co-founder of the NAACP and women who achieved many firsts in other areas; from earning an international pilot’s license to becoming a bank president, and from exploring the Arctic to singing opera at Carnegie Hall.

Meanwhile AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Vote” is a new four-hour, two-part documentary series that tells the dramatic story of the epic — and surprisingly unfamiliar — crusade waged by American women for the right to vote. Focusing primarily on the movement’s final decade, the film charts women in America as their determined march to the ballot box illuminates the myriad social, political and cultural obstacles that stood in their path. “The Vote” delves into the controversies that divided the nation in the early 20th century –– gender, race, state’s rights, and political power — and reveals the fractious dynamics of social change. Narrated by Kate Burton, “The Vote” features the voices of Mae Whitman, Audra McDonald, Laura Linney and Patricia Clarkson.

Select content slated to air during the next few months as part of PBS’ Trailblazers initiative is listed as follows (*schedule subject to change):

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Mae West: Dirty Blonde” – Streaming on the PBS App (Debuted Tues., June 16 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed. June 17 at 9 p.m. on KCET)

The first major documentary film to explore West’s life and career, as she “climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong” to become a writer, performer and subversive agitator for social change.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “Ann” – Streaming on the PBS App (Debuted Fri. June 19 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal)

Enjoy a revealing look at iconic Texas governor Ann Richards in this play starring Holland Taylor.

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” – TONIGHT, Tues. June 23 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., June 24 at 9 p.m. on KCET

A posthumous tribute to the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. Inspired to write because no one took a “little black girl” seriously, she published 11 acclaimed novels that illuminated the experiences of Black America and inspired generations of writers.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “Gloria: A Life” – Fri. June 26 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal 

Experience a unique interpretation of Gloria Steinem’s life starring Emmy winner Christine Lahti.

POV “And She Could Be Next” – Mon. June 29 and 30 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat. July 4 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on KCET

The story of a defiant movement of women of color, transforming politics from the ground up. The series

follows candidates and organizers across the country, asking whether democracy itself can be preserved—and made stronger—by those most marginalized. The series features history-makers including Rashida Tlaib and Stacey Abrams.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Vote” – Mon. July 6 and 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Sat. July 11 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on KCET

One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, the film tells the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote, a transformative cultural and political movement that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.

AMERICAN MASTERS: “Unladylike2020” – Fri. July 10 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal 

Illuminating the stories of extraordinary American heroines from the early years of feminism, this one-hour special for broadcast (and 26 digital short films) features courageous, little-known and diverse female trailblazers from the turn of the 20th century.

Reinforcing both KCET and PBS SoCal’s commitment to sharing authentic stories of people too often overlooked, the organizations will continue to roll out additional digital content kcet.org/trailblazers and pbssocal.org/trailblazers exploring the impact of women on the country at large over the next few months. 

SOCAL CONNECTED’s new original digital series, “I Was There,” will feature first-hand accounts from Southern California female leaders as they recall personal and historical moments that made them trailblazers. One of the upcoming women featured is former LA City Councilmember and Controller Laura Chick which will debut on Thurs., July 2 online at https://www.kcet.org/shows/socal-connected/projects/i-was-there.

Join the conversation on social media by tagging @kcet and @pbssocal as well as #TrailblazersPBS and #StepIntoPower

ABOUT PBS SOCAL AND KCET

PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California, which was formed by the merger of PBS SoCal and KCETLink Media Group. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for 19 million diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and entertain – over the air, online, in the community and in the classroom. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films including works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs including DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. Programs are accessible for free through four broadcast channels, and available for streaming at pbssocal.org, on the PBS mobile apps, and via connected TV services Android TV, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

KCET is on-air, online and in the community, and plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 55-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children’s programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information please visit kcet.org/apps.

Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis made real estate news in June.

“Demi Lovato Sells Her Hollywood Hills Home”
Demi Lovato was asking $8.995 million for her Hollywood Hills home that she had on and off the market for the last two years. It just sold for $8.25 million.  The 5,500-square-foot contemporary home on three floors with four bedrooms and seven baths is located on one acre. She paid $8.3 million for the home in 2016.

“David & Victoria Beckham’s Fab Miami Penthouse”
David and Victoria Beckham recently closed on a full-floor, new Miami penthouse designed by Zaha Hadid.  The glam couple spent $19.8 million on the One Thousand Museum condo which was one of Hadid’s last designs before her death in 2016. David is the co-owner of the new Inter Miami soccer team which will be based in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

“Ariana Buys Another California Home”
Longtime-renter Ariana Grande now seems to be going down the same path as celebrity-home-collectors Taylor Swift, Diane Keaton and Ellen DeGeneres whose Montecito home Grande just bought for $5.75 million.  Ariana also recently purchased a Hollywood Hills home for $13.7 million.

“Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis Home Sale”
The Beverly Hills home that Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis bought soon after they were married is for sale at $13.995 million. Ashton and Mila bought the five-bedroom, over 7,300 square foot home in 2014 for approximately $10.2 million. They are building another, even larger home in Beverly Hills.

“Steve Harvey New Owner of Tyler Perry Mansion”
In 2016, Tyler Perry sold his Georgia mansion for $17.5 million breaking the record for Atlanta-area real estate sales. Tyler’s former home with 34,688 square feet, seven bedrooms and fourteen baths, a two-story library, infinity-edge swimming pool, lighted tennis court on top of a two-story parking garage, fully equipped gym, spa, theater, hobby house and an underground ballroom with catering kitchen just sold again – this time to Family Feud game host Steve Harvey for $15 million.

“Former Barry Bonds Home Sells To Sofia Vergara”
Barry Bonds’ longtime home in Beverly Hills just sold to Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello for $26 million. Bonds owned the 17,100-square-foot home from 2002 to 2014 which included some of his most productive home run years. The home includes six bedrooms and 10 baths. There is also a two-story guesthouse, pool and sports court.

“Jackie Kennedy’s Childhood Summer Home”
The Hamptons home that Jackie Kennedy’s grandfather, John Vernou Jr, owned in the early 1900s and Jackie spent much of her childhood summers is for sale at $7.5 million. The six-bedroom home on one acre with 4,291 square feet is located a short walk to the ocean.

“Kylie Jenner’s Teen Home For Sale”
The Calabasas, California home that Kylie Jenner bought when she was just 17 years old for $2.7 million and then sold two years later for $3.15 million is back on the market at $3.6 million. Kylie recently paid $36.5 million for a contemporary home in L.A.’s Holmby Hills. Her new home is almost 20,000 square feet and was originally listed at $55 million.

“Barry Sonnenfeld’s Raspberry Patch Estate”
Filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld’s Raspberry Patch Estate in Colorado is for sale at $13.25 million. The 62.5-acre compound is near Telluride with stunning mountain views, a luge and a green house. Sonnenfeld has directed films such as The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values, the Men in Black trilogy, Wild Wild West and Get Shorty.

“Super Agent Takes Big Loss On L.A. Home”
Ari Emanuel, who was the inspiration for the Ari Gold character in Entourage and brother of former Chicago Mayor and President Obama Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel, bought his L.A. mansion in 2018 for $11.5 million, and just sold it for $6.5 million.

William Randolph Hearst & Marion Davies’ New York Home!

William Randolph Hearst was the legendary publisher whose name still appears as the Hearst conglomerate: a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses.  The movie Citizen Kane was based on his life and he is famous for building the storied Hearst Castle on land he inherited from his father overlooking San Simeon, California. After marrying showgirl Millicent Wilson in 1903, it was 12 years later when he embarked on an affair with another showgirl, Ziegfeld Follies-star Marion Davies, which lasted until his death in 1951. It is believed that Hearst purchased the home for Marion so she would reside in the lap of comfort and luxury. The Long Island home is now for sale, priced at $2.195 million.

Summer with Shiseido

By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/27/20 – Shiseido’s new ad campaign celebrates the launch of Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 50+! The fantastic beauty company, which has a global partnership with the World Surf League, features two surfing influencers who are top 20 professional surfers: Lakey Peterson and Sage Erickson.

“As an athlete who spends most of my time outside, I love knowing @shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion works harder when exposed to water and heat,” said  Peterson on her Instagram. “Being SPF 50, I can surf for hours and not have to worry about getting burned. It’s really easy for me to use and I trust it.”

As everyone knows, in the summertime sunscreen is a vital part of your beauty routine! Shiseido Sun Skincare’s new product is Invisible Broad-Spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen. It is powered by Shiseido’s popular WetForce Technology, with the new addition of HeatForce. Together they create a protective veil that becomes more effective in heat, water, and sweat.

Erickson was equally enthused on her Instagram post. “I’m so excited to finally announce my partnership with @shiseido for the launch of their NEW Ultimate Sun Protector SPF 50+ sunscreens! I’ve always admired their dedication to quality and performance in the beauty space. Couldn’t imagine a better sunscreen. It was delightful working with @lakeypeterson on this amazing launch. Stay tuned for more soon!”

This amazing global initiative was shot last December in Australia and is chock full of authentic surf action! The campaign focuses on ocean conservancy and the relationship with the surfing community. The new formula is ocean-friendly, free of oxybenzone and octinoxate, and goes on clear on all skin tones.

Shiseido USA – Ginzo, Tokyo, Japan – Lakey Peterson and Sage Erickson

Shiseido USA – #1 in Face and Body Protection – Energized by Water

Mob Without Malice 

Lunch – Written and Directed by Donna Kanter

By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/26/20 – Lunch is a brisk 78 minute documentary written and directed by Donna Kanter. Today the film Lunch takes on extra poignancy in the new age of social distancing. The film chronicles the simple pleasures of elbow to elbow fellowship through the eyes of Hollywood’s elite comic writing corps of the 20th century. Elderly comic giants like Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, Arthur Hiller and Hal Kanter (creator of the historic TV series “Julia”) mix and mingle with middle weight icons Gary Owens (Laugh-In), Monty Hall (Let’s Make a Deal) and a host of others; all of whom are staving off mortality and ageism by meeting for lunch every other Wednesday in the back room at the L.A eatery Factor’s Deli. It’s an exclusive brotherhood that has persisted for 40 years  and allows admission only by personal invitation from a current member.

Carl Gottlieb
Carl Gottlieb

Most of the men share a similar history. The long march from Radio to TV to Film. After a brisk roll call of medical maladies, dubbed “The Organ Recital”.  Many stories, jokes and gentle insults abound. Names are dropped with casual frequency and hearing aids are cranked to 11.

Sid Caesar sits at the head of the table, clearly the tribal elder and godfather of this mob without malice. Like his namesake, he is the emperor of this secret society and says little, but whose presence dominates room none the less. Carl Reiner presents as the alpha geezer who swings the biggest member courtesy of his blur of achievements as creator and writer of the semi-autobiographical Dick Van Dyke Show, film and TV credits too numerous to name. Moreover the Reiner name maintains contemporary currency via the exploits of his son, Uber-director and political firebrand Rob Reiner. Papa Carl happily plays out his dotage writing children’s books.

The humor is decidedly Jewish and its roots are deeply planted in their ancestors struggles throughout the ages. Several members served in the armed forces fighting the Nazis in WWII. And the recurring themes are struggle, hard work and luck. They share a legacy of creating their own socio-economic class in the entertainment industry when opportunities were denied to them by provincial white America.

Donna Kanter

Our portal into this gathering of tribal elders is John Rappaport, the youngest and healthiest member. He is the young buck who will ensure the continuity of the tribe in future decades and who chronicles and reveres the accomplishments of these comedy pioneers now virtually forgotten by callow youth culture. He is both acolyte and cheerleader, helping the frailest members of the group from car to table.

Lunch is a sweet and informative time capsule of a film that harkens back to a time long ago and far away when waitresses were still a thing and jokes were clean.