Television: Thankfully, Mandel, Sagal will be back at work after health issues

Get well wishes to comedian and “America’s Got Talent” judge Howie Mandel, who fainted from dehydration following a routine medical procedure and was taken to the hospital, and to a staple player in many TV series, Katey Sagal, who was brushed by a car while crossing an L.A. street and also hospitalized.

Both stars are reportedly doing well. No interruption to their performance schedules has been announced.

Mandel will appear locally at 8 p.m., December 4, at Parx Casino on Street Road in Bensalem. He can also be seen on a special comedy program, “Howie Mandel and Friends: Don’t Sneeze on Me” at 8 p.m. Oct. 18 on the CW (Channel 57).

Mandel is known for being a dedicated germaphobe who doesn’t like to be touched or too close to people, even those who don’t sneeze on him. I thought about that as I heard he was stretched out on a public bench after he fainted.

Sagal, who became famous as Peg Bundy on “Married…with Children,” played Gemma on “Sons of Anarchy,” and is currently on “The Conners,” is expected to return to that series, on which she plays Louise, the girlfriend, make that the wife, of John Goodman’s Dan Conner, without missing an episode.

Dan and Louise got married last week in a hectic ceremony, including a missing bride, a tornado, and an absent preacher, causing Dan’s sister-in-law (Roseanne’s sister), Jackie, played by Laurie Metcalf, ordained by the internet, to preside.

‘Dune’ hits HBO Max

One of the movies touted for a possible Best Picture Oscar for 2021 is Denis Villeneuve’s remake of “Dune,” which debuts Friday in theaters.Before it does, it will be shown at 6 p.m. Thursday on HBO Max.

“Dune” has become a classic since being published in 1965. The Frank Herbert novel depicts an interplanetary world that is feudal in nature and is riddled with territories ruled by families. The focal character is Paul Atreides, whose family in given charge of a planet called Arrakis which would be useless except for being the lone source of a much-sought substance called mélange, which extends life and is needed for navigation through space.

A 1984 film version by David Lynch proved to be ponderous, concentrating more on scene decoration and philosophy than Herbert’s story which continues to sell well 56 years after its writing.

Villeneuve’s 2021 version stars Timothée Chalamet as Atreides. It also features Javier Bardem, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Jason Momoa.

Also of note this week is the 11st season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which starts 10:40 p.m. Sunday on HBO.

Joining lead Larry David in episodes this year are Tracey Ullman, Woody Harrelson, Jon Hamm, Kaley Cuoco, Bill Hader, Albert Brooks, and Patton Oswalt, who is also seen these days as Carl is those dreadful ads for the Caesars betting app.

‘The Voice’ does it again

Among reasons I make a date each Monday and Tuesday to see “The Voice” on NBC (Channel 10) is the quality of the contestants.I can mostly skip the byplay between the judges and almost always tune away from the bio packages between performances, unless a candidate is from Philadelphia, but I enjoy hearing the songs talented, yet unknown singers present each week.

On two different nights.

“The Voice” is a contest in which the judges all also team captains and coaches. The choose a stable of 10 generally amateur warblers, nurture them and foster noticeable weekly improvement only to have to surrender, one at a time, one singer in comparison to another.

Some of the choices forced upon the judges – this season Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Ariana Grande – are heartbreaking. Last week, all four had to eliminate contenders they praised. John Legend saved one of the singers he let go when the opportunity came. He had to compete with Clarkson and Grande to do it. Others deemed too talented to be dismissed were claimed in an act called ‘stealing’ by a different judge.

Saves and steals are heartwarming because the naturally hopeful contenders – They were after all selected by a coach in the first place. – are so entertaining and have so much to give.

In addition to their coaches, contestants competing head-to-head in what “The Voice” calls “The Battle Round,” the would-be stars received advice from guest coaches such as Broadway diva Kristin Chenoweth and Country artist Dierks Bentley.

The competition is interesting, and once a fan, becomes important to you.

I prefer “The Battle Round” to later elimination mechanisms because Shelton, Clarkson, Legend, and Grande choose winners and reluctantly part with also-rans while subsequent contestant purges are determined by audience vote.

I might be the last opponent of interactive television and audience participation. The judges make their tough choices based on technical skill, improvement, and frankly, the probability someone on their team can sail through all the eliminations and win. The audience turns “The Voice” into a popularity contest and mitigates the fairness of the show by having non-experts determine the fate of an entertainer that might have talent they don’t know how to assess. Hometown, appearance, charisma, and prejudice towards one kind of music over another become factors that can skew the competition in the wrong direction.

In an audience’s favor, they are the group that will buy show tickets and recordings, so maybe they do bring democracy to the proceedings. Meritocratic me just doesn’t trust mass voting.

Back to the singers. Last week, the individual ranges, personal power, sound storytelling, and thrillingly tight harmonies recommended each contender for stardom. I don’t think I remember a more difficult season, or task at hand, for the judges. Maybe two of the 20 who sang deserved to be sent home after the first week.

Another 20 will compete tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. Knowing who is left to perform, the prospects are exciting. I can already see potential match-ups that will make last week’s difficulty seem light in comparison.

Just to prepare anyone who’s never watched “The Voice,” “The Battle Round” involves two singers from the same team performing a song selected by their coach in duet. The exercise bonds the pair while also driving them to find ways to stand out or show some new technical skill their coaches were helping them attain.

Watch. See who you might choose. Or agonize with the judges as they choose.

You’ll see. You’ll get involved in the game but, more importantly, revel in raw talent looking for deserved recognition.

From ‘Hamilton’ to TV

When touring productions come to town, I always look for TV ties in case one of the performers is in a series or upcoming eight-parter and might make an interesting interview.

The cast of “Hamilton,” arriving at the Academy of Music, presented a challenge.

While everyone in the company has significant theatrical credits – Ta’Rea Campbell, who plays the belle of the ball, Hamilton’s sister-in-law, Angelica Schuyler, was marvelous in a touring production of “Sister Act” a few seasons back. – television work involves mostly guest spots.

Warren Egypt Franklin is playing the dual role of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. Egypt Franklin just joined the recurring cast of Freeform and Hulu’s “Grown-ish,” a spinoff that shows oldest “black-ish” daughter, Zoey, played by Yara Shahidi, at college. He plays Des, a track star who returns to campus during Zoey’s crucial senior year. (For the record, “Grown-ish” is the only one of the “ish” series I like. Its comedy is more situational and less forced.)

Both Pierre Jean Gonzalez, who plays Alexander Hamilton, and Marcus Choi, who plays George Washington, have significant guest credits, including appearances including “Gotham,” “NCIS: New Orleans (from which I remember him), and “Pose” (Gonzalez) and “Homeland” and “Chicago PD” (Choi).

Gonzales also competed in and won an acting competition, “Ya Tu Sabes” (“You Know”) on one of NBC’s Spanish-language stations. The competition was sponsored by Nosotros, a Latino arts advocacy organization. Gonzalez earned top honors in the “Monologue” category by performing an original piece, “Brown Billiards.” Among the “Ya Tu Sabes” judges was Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza (“Babel,” 2006).

Neil Haskell, who plays King George III, has been seen on “Station 19,” “Glee,” and “So You Think You Can Dance.”

“Hamilton,” the Tony-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will be at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music from Wednesday through Sunday, November 28.

Trying out ‘Drew’

One unexpected offshoot of me calling daytime television generally worthless was a promise I made to two friends to watch more of Drew Barrymore’s syndicated show, seen weekdays at 9 a.m. on Channel 3.

Apparently, I got together with two fans of Barrymore, both of whom think she’s “sweet” and disagree with my preference for Kelly Ripa, also seen at 9 a.m. weekdays but on Channel 6, who they say is sarcastic and condescending. (I find her smart and quick.)

The “Drew” sampling starts today. The test to see if you moves from “OK but nothing special” to someone whose show I’d watch on a regular basis, as I do Kelly’s.

My usual 9 a.m. defaults are the first 10 minutes of Channel 29’s “Good Day Philadelphia,” Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin on “Today” (Channel 10), or reruns of Raymond Burr’s “Perry Mason” on MeTV out of Wilmington.

Neal Zoren’s television column appears every Monday.

Source: Berkshire mont