Il Divo 'live' on KPBS
By: ANN ZIVOTSKY - For the North County Times | ∞
The quartet Il Divo isn't the first case of a producer packaging classical music in modern wrappings, but it may be the most successful.
Created by Simon Cowell ("American Idol"), Il Divo includes American tenor David Miller, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, Spanish baritone Carlos Marin and French tenor Sebastien Izambard. The hook is they sing both classical pieces and popular songs ---- Mariah Carey's "Hero" for example ---- all in French, Italian or Spanish. The fact that Barbra Streisand included them in her recent concert tour has catapulted Il Divo to stardom.
"Il Divo: Live at the Greek" was recorded this summer at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and will be aired as part of the pledge programming on KPBS/Channel 15. All young, dark and handsome, the four men of Il Divo are sure to get viewers to open up their checkbooks.
Fans of opera, and I am not included in that group, may prefer Puccini to this "popera," but Il Divo might be the gateway for some listeners to try more traditional opera. In the meantime, listening to the quartet sing "Regress a Mi" ("Unbreak My Heart"), the Toni Braxton hit song, or "Senza Catena" ("Unchained Melody)," the Righteous Brothers standard, is really fun. And one particularly proud Italian, Frank Sinatra, would probably get a kick out of listening to the four men sing "A Mi Manera" ("My Way") in Italian as the fantastic encore in this concert.
"Il Divo" airs at 8 p.m. today on KPBS.
Lifetime couldn't have been luckier than to get Eric Mabius ("Ugly Betty") and Sarah Paulson ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") for their holiday-themed movie, "A Christmas Wedding." The two actors are on hot new television shows, and they perform well together in this romantic comedy that doesn't offer anything new, although it's fun to watch.
Emily (Paulson) is a modern, multitasking property developer who, literally, falls for Ben (Mabius) while ice skating on Christmas. The next Christmas he proposes and they plan their wedding for the following Christmas. But weeks before the event, Emily's hard-charging boss (Dean Cain) insists that she join him on a tropical island where their company is developing a new resort. As the holiday and wedding day approach, Emily is stuck on the island by a tropical storm and she will spend most of the movie hop-scotching across the country to get home.
To its credit, "A Christmas Wedding" offers a compelling conflict between Emily's boss and the love of her life. Her boss tries to convince her that high-powered business deals and luxury is the secret to life, and Emily's mother agrees, believing that Ben is too down-home for her daughter. On the other side are Ben and his 1960s hippie parents, who believe in small pleasures and simple people. Emily keeps doing good deeds ---- involving a fishing boat, Harley Davidson bikers, a Southern family and a lost child in an airport ---- as she tries to get home for her wedding, while also confirming her choice for the simplehearted Ben.
Mabius and Paulson are both very good in their respective TV shows and very good in this movie. Lifetime found some holiday luck casting these two before their stardom would lift them above doing a movie such as this one. "A Christmas Wedding" is the main event among the eight holiday movies that the cable channel is airing this month. If only the others could be this good.
"A Christmas Wedding" airs at 9 p.m. Monday on Lifetime.
When the holiday cheer on television becomes too sickeningly sweet, turn to "Everybody Hates Chris" for a dose of reality. The weekly comedy by Chris Rock, based on growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s, points out the realities of family life. But this is a very funny family. Think "The Cosby Show" but with a lot less money.
In the Christmas episode airing Monday, Chris (Tyler James Williams) is going to school and working two jobs so he can buy his family Christmas gifts. But a bad flu is in the air, so his mom offers helpful advice: "Don't even breathe if you don't have to."
This holiday version of "Everybody Hates Chris" offers some Christmas magic, while still pointing out that children choose to really behave only in December, and gifts for your family are often tied up in store layaway programs. If "A Christmas Carol" seems too much to watch, check out "Chris."
"Everybody Hates Chris" airs at 8 p.m. Mondays on KSWB/Channel 5.
Spike TV's "UFC Fight Night" comes to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station on Wednesday. Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez will battle Joe Riggs in the ultimate fight championship in an aircraft hangar.
The event, which airs at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Spike, will include thousands of Marines in the audience.
If you need a gift for someone who is a young baby boomer, you might want to look into the recently released DVD set of season one of "Saturday Night Live." In 1975, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Garret Morris launched what became an American television institution, and inspired shows like "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."
If you can't find a Bass-o-matic, the person on your gift list who knows what that is will appreciate this eight-DVD set.
Highlights for the week include a Cartoon Network movie and a salute to director Robert Altman.
"ReAnimated" (8 p.m. Friday, Cartoon Network) ---- The channel's first original movie is a combination of animation and live action and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy and the adventure he finds after he visits an amusement park.
"That Girl Marathon" (6 a.m. Saturday, TV Land) ---- The Marlo Thomas show from the 1960s returns to television.
"Nashville" and "Brewster McCloud" (beginning at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, TCM) ---- Two of the best films by Altman, who died Nov. 20.
"100 Greatest TV Quotes and Catchphrases" (10 p.m. Monday, TV Land) ---- The first show in a weeklong countdown of favorite lines from the 1940s to present day.
"Taking the Hill" (9 p.m. Tuesday, Discovery Times) ---- More than 50 military veterans ran for congressional seats in the November elections. This documentary follows five of the vets and political novices.
"TNT's Christmas in Washington" (10 p.m. Wednesday, TNT) ---- Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw host a concert featuring Taylor Hicks, Il Divo and Corinne Bailey Ray.
Ann Zivotsky writes about television for the North County Times. E-mail her at nctimestv@cox.net.
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Rebecca wrote on Dec 6, 2006 8:50 PM:"The fact that Barbra Streisand included them in her recent concert tour has catapulted Il Divo to stardom." Tell me what's new with Il Divo, since their tour with Streisand? I think they were doing fine before. Maybe you should do just a little research, before you make such a statement that sounds as if they owe it all to Babs.
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