By Pete Thompson
Full disclosure: I’ve never written an entertainment column before, but I have been reading a lot of them for at least the past 40 years!
So, they’ve asked me to write one, and this is my debut. I will tell you that for years I was a loyal subscriber to “Entertainment Weekly”, and the only reason that I stopped getting it was because they recently stopped publishing a hard copy of the magazine all together.
My hope for this column is that it is both informative and, well, entertaining. For example, I’ve heard the song “That’s Entertainment” played many years to conclude the annual Oscar awards in Hollywood. However, only in researching for this debut column, did I learn “That’s Entertainment” is a hit song performed by Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabray; from the musical film “The Band Wagon (1953)”. See? There’s something I did not know until now.
What I’d like to accomplish with this column is to highlight national entertainment topics from TV, movies, even a book or two. But, I’d also like to sneak in some local entertainment when possible.
So, that’s where I’ll begin. A few weeks back, I finally got to see 20-year-old Mara Justine perform at Tailgaters in Galloway. She broke onto the national scene in 2014 as just an 11-year-old on “America’s Got Talent”. She progressed to the final twelve before getting eliminated. Then, in 2016, she seemed to be a shoo-in to reach the Top 10 in Season 16 of “American Idol”, however, when she reached the Top 14, she was not placed in the Top 6 in voting that week and was not selected by the judges to advance, eliminating her from the competition.
Well, I’m here to tell you that if you get a chance to hear the Absegami High School alum sing in person, you should absolutely check her out. I caught her at Tailgater’s, but I also see she performs fairly regularly at Blue Heron Pines and their Seven Tap Tavern. You can find her on Facebook under Mara Justine and on Instagram @MaraJustine1 and if you’re interested in booking her for your event, you can email her management at Marajustine1@gmail.com
Thanks for a great night and it was a real pleasure to hear you sing live Mara Justine!
I also thought I would briefly touch on a few TV shows that I’ve been watching, as well as discuss a few big movies that are coming out soon.
I’ll start with TV as I was super excited to see Titus Welliver return as Harry Bosch in the spin-off “Bosch: Legacy” on Freevee. Based on the Michael Connolly books, the show “Bosch” ran for 7 seasons on Amazon Prime before ending. However, at the end of that series, they set it up that Bosch would leave Hollywood Homicide and become a private investigator. “Bosch: Legacy” picks right up where the other series left off, but with a few subtle tweaks. Bosch’s daughter Maddie is now a rookie L.A.P.D. officer. He’s a private investigator, as teased in the finale of the other series. Attorney Honey Chandler (played by Mimi Rogers) returns as well. Freevee used to be IMDB-TV, and is available in streaming format for free on Xfinity, Verizon, etc.
I also want to acknowledge a new show that dropped on Netflix on May 13th, and that’s “The Lincoln Lawyer”. Now, a lot of you might recall the Matthew McConaughey movie of the same name from 2011. This new series was originally supposed to air on CBS, but instead Netflix grabbed it out of development and took it for their streaming service. “The Lincoln Lawyer” has been created for television by the famous David E. Kelley and developed by Ted Humphrey. The first season is based on the 2008 novel The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly. It stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller, a defense attorney in Los Angeles who works out of a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car rather than an office. In leading roles, Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson, and Christopher Gorham also star. I highly recommend you check out “The Lincoln Lawyer”.
Lastly, readers of my “Extra Points” column know I’m a huge fan of actually going to the movies. I prefer any of the “Square” locations, like Tilton Square, Ventnor Square, or Harbor Square. We’re in for a great stretch as Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching. I’m hoping to see the new “Downton Abbey: A New Era” as that movie comes out on Friday May 20th. The following Friday, the much-anticipated “Top Gun: Maverick” is released in time for the holiday weekend.
So, that’s it. I hope you’ve enjoyed the debut of my new “That’s Entertainment” column for you on TV, movies, books I’ve read, celebrity news, etc.
I’m very thankful for your readership and hope you will patronize the businesses you see in the pages here. The LOCAL in Shore Local comes from the support of those businesses, so please support them!
Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday and Friday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:30pm, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
