The Filtered Excellence: November 21, 2013

Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Here are this weeks picks of what to WATCH, what to DO what to TRY what to READ what to LISTEN TO and more:

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WATCH THIS:

Boardwalk Empire Season Finale. The explosive 4th season – which fans and critics are calling its best – concluded this Sunday night. Will Nucky (Steve Buscemi) be able to turn back power plays by Dr. Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright), his brother Eli (Shea Whigham) and keep the feds off his back? Where is Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham) and of course, what kind of hurtin’ will Chalky (Michael K. Williams) put on Atlantic City, Narcisse and anyone else who tries to stop him from getting revenge? Tune into HBO on Sunday night to find out.

Where Were You?: The Day JFK Died. NBC’s Tom Brokaw hosts this documentary observing the 50th anniversary of the day President John Kennedy was killed. Brokaw takes us back through that day with special interviews with politicians and journalists. It looks at the impact the assassination had on the country. The special also studies the different conspiracy theories surrounding the President’s murder. “Where Were You?: The Day Day JFK Died” airs Friday, November 22 at 9pm Eastern on NBC.

Mystery Science 3000 Turkey Day. MSTies!! For the first time since 1997, we can hop aboard the Satellite of Love with Joel, Mike and the bots Crow, Tom Servo and Gypsy, along with Dr. Forrester, TV’s Frank and Pearl to celebrate a traditional Turkey Day Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathon of the worst films of all time. Joel Hodgson, one of the originators of the show, has put together a website that will offer a live stream of six classic episodes on Thanksgiving Day. Fans can tweet Joel @JoelHodgson or log onto the website to suggest their favorites. Almost a lock that Monos: Hands of Fate will be there. What else? Kitten with a Whip? Agent Double O Double O Seven? Godzilla vs Megalon? You can decide. The streaming event starts at Noon Eastern on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 28.

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary. Doctor Who fans around the world will be watching the worldwide simulcast of “The Day of the Doctor”, the 50th anniversary special starring current Doctor Matt Smith (11), previous Doctor (10) David Tennant and newly revealed “War Doctor” John Hurt. US showtime is Saturday, November 23rd at 2:50 pm Eastern on BBC America as well as select movie theaters around the country, with a replay Saturday at 8:00 pm Eastern. Based on BBC and fan speculation, the special could break worldwide records as the most-watched TV show of all time.

Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles. It’s Sarah Silverman’s first HBO comedy special. This was taped in a very intimate setting with an audience of 39 people at Largo in L.A. The hysterical comic will be discussing issues like porn, procreation and the President. “Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles” premieres this Saturday, November 23rd at 10pm Eastern on HBO.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The Peanuts gang get together for a make-shift Thanksgiving feast. Hope you like toast and popcorn. This classic cartoon is a Thankgiving must. No one does holidays like Charlie Brown. “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” airs November 28, Thanksgiving evening at 8pm Eastern on ABC. The special also includes the bonus cartoon “This is America Charlie Brown”.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The annual Macy’s Parade is the official kickoff to the Christmas season. The parade will have 8,000 participants and is expected to draw 3.5 million spectators, but you can watch it from the comfort of your living room This year, special parade guests include Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Goo Goo Dolls, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Joan Jett and Joe Namath. There’s plenty of floats, music and giant balloons on Thanksgiving morning starting at 9am Eastern on NBC.

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LISTEN TO THIS:

Never My Love: The Anthology by  Donny Hathaway .  During the first half of the 1970s, Donny Hathaway was on the brink of superstardom. A top flight singer, songwriter, arranger and composer, Hathaway received several critically acclaimed albums, scored the film Come Back Charleston Blue, sang the theme song for the hit CBS series Maude and had a series of hit duets with Roberta Flack. His career stalled when bouts with depression and schizophrenia required extended hospitalizations. In 1978, Hathaway returned to the music scene with a vengeance when another duet with Flack, ‘The Closer I Get To You’ made the Top 5 on the R&B and Pop Charts. He was poised for a major comeback when he was found dead on the sidewalk outside of the Essex Hotel in New York. Police ruled the death a suicide. Nearly 25 years after his untimely passing, Rhino has just released Never My Love: The Anthology, a 4-CD set that covers essential songs, his sublime duets with Roberta Flack, unreleased studio material and live tracks from his now legendary residency at The Bitter End in New York City. Remixed and remastered, this is the most comprehensive look at a musical titan. A must have.

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DO THIS:

NEW YORK CITY: Everybody Street.  This documentary profiling New York City’s iconic street photographers was originally commissioned by the Seaport Museum as a series of short films that ran at the museum and on The New Yorker website.  Director Cheryl Dunn took to Kickstarter to help fund an expanded version of the project and its now a full on documentary.  The artists profiled reads like a photographers ‘Who’s Who’:  Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Jill Freedman, Bruce Gilden, Joel Meyerowitz, Rebecca Lepkoff, Mary Ellen Mark, Jeff Mermelstein, Clayton Patterson, Ricky Powell, Jamel Shabazz, Martha Cooper, and Boogie.  Historians Max Kozloff and Luc Sante are also about to provide their expertise.  A valentine to the craft and the city that fuels it, Everybody Street is an insightful look at the people who still have need the rush ofgetting the ultimate shot.  Everybody Street will screeen at the Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn November 22nd through the 26th.

NEW YORK CITY:  Last Great American Whale: A Concert In Memory Of Lou Reed.  The aftermath of Lou Reed’s passing can still be felt through the music world – especially on the downtown New York City scene.  Bowery Electric, which is only half a block away from where CBGB once stood, is holding a memorial concert in Lou’s honor, and will feature among others, Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio, Kevin Kinney of Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, and Shannon Funchess of Light Asylum.  The band Hollis Brown will also perform the 1970 Velvet Underground classic Loaded in its entirety.  All proceeds from the show will benefit The Ali Forney Center, which provides safe, homelike environments for homeless LGBT youth.  It promises to be a fitting salute to one of New York’s own. Bowery Electric 11/24

PHILADELPHIA:   Awesome Fest: Planes, Trains and Automobiles. This year is the 80th anniversary of the drive-in movie and Awesome Fest in Philadelphia has created their own drive-in at Eakins Oval right in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The festival ends its run this Friday with a drive-in screening of the Thanksgiving comedy, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Philly Roller Girls will be providing food service. Also, a bonus feature will be added to the night with “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians”. “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” starts at 7:30pm.

VARIOUS LOCATIONS:  The Last Waltz Re-Enactments. On the night before Thanksgiving, band will be getting together to pay tribute to The Band’s farewell concert which was performed on Thanksgiving, 1977. In these tribute shows, different bands and performers take on the personas of The Band and their special guests from the original concert.

In St. Louis, it’s the annual Pre-Thanksgiving Last Waltz Tribute Concert at the 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 27.

In Port Chester, NY, it’s The Complete Last Waltz performed at The Capitol Theatre on Wednesday, November 27 at 8pm.

Toronto, Ontario is also putting on their own tribute. This one happens Sunday, November 24th at 8:30pm at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. It features Jerome Levon Avis (Levon Helm’s godson) on drums and vocals. Terry Blersh on guitar, Dennis Pinhorn from The Hawks on bass, Rob Gusevs on organ and Lance Anderson on piano and vocals. The Weber Brothers will also be on hand performing the songs of Bob Dylan and others.

And Philadelphia’s Tribute To The Last Waltz takes place Saturday, November 30th at the Trocadero Theatre on Arch Street. Keyboardist Garth Hudson from The Band, will be there and its all for charity. Doors open at 8pm for this 21+ show.

NEW YORK CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO: Van Morrison in concert. The legendary singer-songwriter and musician Van Morrison is doing his first U.S. shows in over 3 years and he’ll be hitting both coasts. On Friday and Saturday (November 22nd and 23rd), Van is performing at the Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco. Both shows start at 7:30pm. Then, he heads East. Van Morrison will be playing the Theater at Madison Square Garden on Monday, November 25th at 8pm. An extra show has been scheduled for NYC at the Beacon Theatre on Tuesday, November 26th at 8pm. Special guest on all shows is Shana Morrison. Van will be playing his timeless classics as well as music from his latest album, “Born To Sing: No Plan B”.  Tickets are sold out so you’ll have to use stub hub.  But here’s info on the dates.

 

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