Two TV traditions return for the Fourth
Have you ever thought to yourself, “You know, these Independence Day fireworks are great, but they'd be even better with John Stamos?”
You got it, dude.
Riot Fest's favorite “Full House” star hosts this year's edition of “A Capitol Fourth,” PBS' annual holiday concert held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. You can see it at 7 p.m. Tuesday on WTTW Channel 11, with an encore presentation immediately after.
This year's roster includes patriotic performances from the National Symphony Orchestra and the United States Army Band, and a mix of pop artists from all generations. For kids, there's Sofia Carson of “The Descendants.” Country fans can enjoy Trace Adkins and Kellie Pickler. Gospel artists Yolanda Adams and Chris Blue will appear, as will Mark McGrath of '90s faves Sugar Ray. Old-school fans can groove to The Four Tops and The Beach Boys. And — have mercy — there will even be an appearance from Chicago's own Blues Brothers. (That's Dan Aykroyd and Wheaton's Jim Belushi.)
Another Fourth tradition airs at the same time on NBC: The 41st Macy's “Fireworks Spectacular” from New York. That show's roster is a bit flashier, with Jennifer Lopez, Sheryl Crow, Charlie Puth, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Hailee Steinfeld all scheduled to appear. It closes with a gigantic fireworks display over the East River with music from the West Point Band and Glee Club.
About that last “Twin Peaks” episode ...
I have never “gotten” David Lynch. “Blue Velvet” made me angry. “Mulholland Drive” got turned off halfway through. “Dune” is a mess of epic proportions.
But I've always had this lingering feeling about “Twin Peaks,” the landmark ABC series revived this year by Showtime for 18 new hours called “Twin Peaks: The Return.” I've been dipping in and out of the new episodes, never really understanding what I'm watching or what's appealing about it — even as I find myself drawn to it.
Last week's episode, in which a grisly, nightmarish death scene was followed by a Nine Inch Nails performance and a seemingly inexplicable, Kubrick-esque time-jump to the first nuclear weapons test, made me want to give the whole series another go. Lynch's work is often obtuse and confounding, and “Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 8” was certainly that — but it was also riveting.
Filmed in slick black-and-white with periodic, violent bursts of color, the flashback sequences were unsettling in a way so few films or TV shows are: A grungy, zombielike man recites poetry over the radio. A cockroach with frog's legs hatches from an egg. And the stories of two integral “Twin Peaks” entities get even more enigmatic.
If you are a Showtime subscriber, I urge you to give this episode a shot, even if you never intend to watch another. You'll be hearing about it for a long, long time.
• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.