Reel Dad: Andra Day shines in The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Mark Schumann
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Andra Day stars in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”IMDb / Contributed photo
In 1972, Diana Ross was Oscar nominated for recreating music legend Billie Holiday in the glitzy biopic “Lady Sings the Blues.” Although moviemakers rewrote many details of the performer’s life, and the film played like a standard Hollywood treatment of an extraordinary life, it showed how powerful an actress Ross could be on screen.
Some 49 years later, a singer named Andra Day should be Oscar nominated for daring to create a fresh take on this Holiday’s story in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” Like Ross, the singer is a smash as a film actress; unlike Ross, Day chooses to precisely recreate the unique Holiday approach to a song. From her first moments as Holiday, this performer-turned-actress captures the imagination of the lens as she tries to unpack the complex layers
Movie Menu: Julia Roberts and Harrison Ford star in films airing this weekend
Mark Schumann
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Ready for a movie this weekend? Check out what’s playing on broadcast and cable stations.
Friday, March 5
Psycho (1960): A mysterious man who runs a rundown motel withholds information about a mysterious disappearance. Anthony Perkins stars in an Alfred Hitchcock classic. 8:45 p.m. TCM.
Saturday, March 6
Erin Brockovich (2000): A determined citizen makes it her cause to force a public utility to do what’s right for the communities it serves. Julia Roberts won an Oscar. 1:30 p.m. CMT.
In Cold Blood (1967): A botched home burglary leads to murder in this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Truman Capote’s book. Richard Blake and Scott Wilson star. 2:30 p.m. TCMN
This is a great day: 800 Trumbull school staff gets vaccinated at special clinic
Donald Eng
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Megan Murphy, Emergency Management Director for the Town of Trumbull, fills syringes with the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during the vaccination clinic held for teachers and school staff in Trumbull, Conn. March 4, 2021.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
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Jennifer Marrone, a health and physical education teacher at Trumbull High School, receives a COVID-19 vaccination from nurse Carol Pisani during the vaccination clinic held for teachers and school staff in Trumbull, Conn. March 4, 2021.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less