We travel through Yellowstone National Park and marvel at the wildlife. But the Buffalo seem to draw the most interest among visitors to that great, and first, national park. Why are humans so interested in these amazing animals?

In the new two-part series “The American Buffalo” from filmmaker Ken Burns, the 10,000 year history of these North American mammals is dissected and to be honest, much of the story is heartbreaking and difficult to watch. Humans almost destroyed these remarkable animals, but thankfully they are on their way back.

The significance to Indigenous People shows how the buffalo were used, revered, and how Europeans took advantage of them. Burns, Consulting Producer Julianna Braunnum, Producer Julia Dunfey, and Historian Rosalyn LaPier recently met virtually with members of the press to discuss this highly important series.

“One of the things in our film that I’m glad that we waited so long to do it was the tendency to freeze people at one particular moment, Buffalo Bill, for example, or a Quanah Parker or a T.R.[Teddy Roosevelt], all of whom undertake and undergo remarkable transformations and changes,” Burns explained, “and to be able to try to create a narrative that was able to understand the way in which Quanah, for example, could go from an attacker at Adobe Walls of the early white settlement in the Texas panhandle, where Julie and Julianna are right now, to being a kind of man of peace, of bringing his people into the reservation, of then hosting Theodore Roosevelt in advance of his creating portions of what is now Oklahoma into the Witchita Mountains game reserve.” According to Burns, the passage of time was significant to be able to tell this story.

When asked about the positive side of the story of the Bison, Burns replied, “It is an unmitigated tragedy. And the first episode is, at times, incredibly difficult to watch when you watch a species that numbered perhaps as many as 50 or 60 million, we had no way of knowing, dwindles down over the course of the 19th century to the mid-80s, down to under a thousand and most of them are in zoos or in private herds and not running wild and free. And so the fact that we have brought the bison back from extinction is itself an accomplishment.” He went on to say that the next step in the lives of the Bison looks encouraging, thanks in large part to the local tribes, historians, and those who care.

“There are also NGOs that are attempting to set aside land large enough to be considered a complete ecosystem that would be able to take these large megafauna, as they’re called, the buffalo, and allow them to do what FDR’s favorite song is, you know, ‘give them a home where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play.’”

LaPier added, “Indigenous people have been managing the land and landscape of North America for thousands of years. And the Menominee tribe in the 20th century and 21st century, they’re award-winning land managers. They have managed their forest and they have done a great job of this, and so them being able to return bison to their own ancestral homelands is something that will fit perfectly within their own land management practices that they’ve been doing for a very long time.”

One question on everyone’s mind is their name. Are they Bison or Buffalo? Burns finally set the record straight.

“So scientists call it bison-bison. People call it buffalo, even the National Bison Refuge has been changed to the National Buffalo Refuge. I don’t think Buffalo Bill would want his name changed to Bison Bill nor would the second largest city in New York state like to be changed to Bison, New York. So just there you have it. We have a scientific name, and we kind of have a popular name, and the popular name obtains — and it’s also interchangeable and people, as you’ve heard in this conversation, we say bison and buffalo. They’re not actually buffalo, but that’s what the name that they were given, and prairie dogs are not actually dogs. So we’ve got a complex set of things.” 

The two-part four-hour film is sad, historic, touching, yet hopeful. Burns mentioned, “Our second episode begins in introduction with a quote from [writer/historian] Wallace Stegner who says, ‘Humans are the most dangerous species on earth, and every other species, including the earth itself, has reason to worry and fear us. But we are the only species, when we want to, that can save another.’”

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

There are plenty of new holiday films for the rest of this year on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

Thursday, November 30: Time for Her to Come Home for Christmas
 – Shenae Grimes-Beech, Chris Carmack, and Grace Leer come together for another emotional story this season. Facing her first Christmas without her mother and looking to avoid loneliness, Carly (Grimes- Beech) heads to a quaint town to lead the church choir at Christmas. Once there, Carly meets Matthew (Carmack), a man back in town after serving in the army. As she gets to know Matthew, the choir and townspeople, she stumbles across clues that suggest she may have been brought here for a life changing reason. As the mystery unravels one thing is clear, this journey will teach Carly about true love, learning to trust, and that forgiveness is needed to finally heal.

Thursday, December 7: To All a Good Night – 
Kimberley Sustad and Mark Ghanimé star when a small-town photographer (Sustad) saves the life of a mysterious man (Ghanimé), who may just be in town to buy her family’s parkland – which is also the location of the annual Christmas celebration.

Thursday, December 14: Heaven Down Here – 
Krystal Joy Brown, Tina Lifford, Juan Riedinger, Richard Harmon, and Phylicia Rashad head the cast in this story inspired by Mickey Guyton’s song of the same name, “Heaven Down Here” that tells the story of four disparate people who find themselves stranded in a local diner on Christmas Eve when a snowstorm hits the town. Imami (Brown) is a widowed mother of two who’s having trouble making ends meet and reluctantly agrees to work the Christmas Eve shift, where she clashes with her boss Dan (Harmon), who doesn’t exactly embody the Christmas spirit. Felix (Riedinger) is a local pastor desperately trying to secure food for parishioners while his faith is challenged by his alienation by his son. Clara (Lifford) is a hospice nurse with an obstinate patient (Rashad) and whose daughter is moving away, causing her to question her place in this world. Throughout the evening, these four bicker, bond and unwittingly provide each other with the answer to their respective prayers.

Thursday, December 21: Miracle in Bethlehem, PA – 
Laura Vandervoort, and Benjamin Ayres star as a successful and fiercely independent, Mary Ann Brubeck (Vandervoort) adopts a baby girl to raise on her own just before Christmas. Due to weather, she and the baby get stuck in Bethlehem, PA for the holidays. When there is no room at the inn, her only option is to stay with the innkeeper’s brother Joe (Ayres), a quintessential bachelor who lives in a house that he treats like a barn. As Mary Ann learns the value of community by spending time with Joe’s family and participating in the local church’s Christmas events, Joe starts getting his act together with new motivation…and the two begin to see each other in a new light.

Images courtesy Hallmark

The new Hallmark original movie A Biltmore Christmas is the most enchanting and magical holiday film this year. It’s unique and, as we all want from our holiday films, filled with fun and love.

Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha star in this time travel tale that is both magical and mysterious. Lucy (Lenz) is a screenwriter tasked with updating the holiday classic film His Merry Wife!. Being a modern woman in 2023, she has a different ending in mind from the original film. Rather than the romantic happy ending that has audiences grabbing their tissues, she wants to change things up. The studio boss, however, is not having any of that. So, he sends Lucy to Ashville, North Carolina to spend the holiday at the famed Biltmore Estate where the original film was made. He hopes she will change her mind and give him the happy ending audiences want.

Well, Lucy is ambivalent about this but wants the job so off she goes to the Biltmore. It’s beautiful and filled with holiday charm. Plus, it displays many items from the classic movie, that thrills guests and fans of that film. When she is handling the hourglass prop from the movie which is in an office, things change. Leaving the room she discovers she has been transported back to 1940s and is smack dab in the middle of the production. It’s there she meets Jack Huston (Polaha), the star of the show. 

Being totally confused, Lucy has no idea what is going on. She then returns to the present day but later decides to see if she can return to the 1940s. There is something about being there that catches her attention. Could it be Jack Huston? 

Lucy finds herself in the middle of a production crisis (in the 1940s) and does everything in her power to set things right. After all, she cannot let one of the most beloved Christmas classic movies be altered. She has to make sure everything is the same as it should be. Imagine if White Christmas had not starred Bing Crosby.

Her hands are full as she does everything in her power to make sure the film is produced exactly as it should be – and was. But she also knows, besides setting things right, she has to return to 2023, and that means leaving Huston behind. 

Well, this is definitely a romantic story combined with time travel, magic, and holiday charm. Polaha is adorable and viewers will most likely fall for him as much as Lucy does. Not only does Lucy write the feel-good ending to her new script, but this film gives Hallmark viewers their own feel-good ending.

A Biltmore Christmas is a delightful film for this holiday season. It premieres November 26, 2023 on Hallmark Channel. It’s definitely one of the most delightfully original films of the season.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

Mia (Christa Taylor Brown) is excited about Christmas until her grandmother (Marcia Bennett) informs her she has sold the land on which the family’s mill sits. The caveat to the sale is that Mia could continue her family’s furniture crafting business at the mill. Well, that little caveat was only verbal so with nothing in writing Mia quickly discovers her beloved business – the town’s landmark windmill, is about to be demolished.

In walks Brady (Chad Michael Murray), her former beau whom she thought jilted her at their high school prom. That’s all she needs on top of her business problems. Why did he have to come back to town right now? Well, the answer is he is the representative of the company that just purchased the mill. Talk about a punch to the gut. 

Brady was unaware that the mill would be demolished, so he, still having feelings for his hometown and old girlfriend, does everything in his power to help her hold onto the mill and her business. The windmill is the landmark of the town and a petition to save it soon pops up online, but is it enough to actually save the mill?

The town has a strong Dutch history and this wooden and brick windmill is part of that. Also, to add to the flavor of the town (no pun intended) is Mia’s grandmother’s bakery that offers plenty of old-fashioned Dutch treats. This cute little town is filled with Dutch products and plenty of history. Tearing down the Windmill would change it’s complexion, but by adding the proposed resort the tourist industry would get a shot in the arm.  

While Mia and Brady try to find a way to save the mill, their old feelings resurface. And, as we always want when it comes to a sweet (again, no pun intended) holiday film, romance blossoms just like Dutch tulips (although it’s too late in the year for those). Mia and Brady rediscover how much they meant and still mean to each other.

Christmas on Windmill Way premieres December 2, 2023 on Great American Family’s Great American Christmas.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

“Kennedy,” the new 8-part series on History Channel examines all aspects of the life of President John F. Kennedy, from birth to death, separating it into specific years and showing the formation of his personality and his views as he progressed through his life. Narrated by Peter Coyote, the event will air over three nights and coincides with the 60 year anniversary of his assassination.

“John F. Kennedy’s time as President of the United States serves as a timeless example of how empathetic leadership coupled with charisma, idealism, and the use of spoken word, transcends time,” said director and composer Ashton Gleckman. “I am excited to unveil this series on The HISTORY® Channel as a reminder of how JFK’s commitment to change bound a legacy that continues to inspire a new generation. I hope this intimate yet epic story about public service, personal growth, and leadership connects with young people, both this generation and future generations, as it did with me.”

During the hours examining the life and times of JFK, archival footage, new interviews, the use of extensive resources, and insights create a well-rounded picture of the 35th President of the United States. Yes, he was a flawed man, as every man is. He did have the capacity to look at a situation and adjust his views accordingly. He even defied his father (although not too often) when he felt something was worth doing or not worth doing. He grew into his own person as he grew up and perhaps the events just prior to and during World War II were many that helped form the man he became. 

The first episodes are dedicated to his childhood and schooling. They also stress the extent of his physical illnesses. As a matter of fact, he was given the Last Rites of the Catholic Church at least three times in his life. This man knew he would not live to a ripe old age and decided to use every day to its fullest extent to make a difference in the world. He traveled extensively and from those travels learned about people, history, cultures, and ideas. He read continually and absorbed books about history, philosophy, and more.

The Bay of Pigs in 1961 threw him into turmoil and he decided not to take others’ words any more and to rely on his internal ideas, feelings, understandings and notions. There are new facts about the Cuban Missile Crisis will have chills run down viewers’ backs. What we have known all these years is just the tip of the iceberg. Those 13 days were almost the end of the world, literally. 

The series briefly glances over his assassination, instead focusing on his life and words. “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it,” he said.

As he said during his Inaugural address, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Today’s generation will undoubtedly think that is out of touch with life now, because so many people have grown up taking instead of giving. Perhaps this show will ignite a spark within the country that needs to be rekindled. 

photo courtesy History Channel

Twin Love is a new kind of reality dating show. Hosted by Brie and Nikki (the Bella sisters), this nine-episode series combines ten sets of twins in a challenge where they might find true love. They also are challenged to see if the “twin effect” is strong.

The contestants are sets of identical twins who have never, or rarely, been apart from each other. They are now separated into to different houses and there they live amongst the other twins – men and women. So, in each house there are halves of twins, if that makes sense. They are not allowed to contact each other. They must take this challenge themselves and see if they are capable of making decisions for themselves without the input from their twin.

So, this “experiment’ is interesting in that viewers see whether the female twins are attracted to the male twins from each set or if they find others more interesting, and vice versa. It kind of sounds complicated and trust me, I watched all nine episodes at the same time and was confused as to who was who. They are identical after all. Also, I do have to confess that I do not watch reality dating shows so I know nothing about bachelors or bachelorettes giving out roses. That said, I thought this was an interesting concept and the Bella sisters are fun to watch. Just which one is Nikki and which one is Brie?

Anyway, during the time the sets of twins are separated yet together with the opposite sets of twins, there are issues that arise as often the twins are put to the test and are tasked with selecting something that will go against what they perceive their twin would want. Yes, as I said earlier, it does sound confusing but while watching it it is much less bewildering. I simply cannot divulge any spoiler alerts here.

The bond between twins is the part that makes this as interesting as it is. Identical twins are unique in that way. They share not only physical likenesses but plenty of personality traits as well. 

And before you think that everyone who starts the experiment remains throughout the nine episodes, think again. Yes, there are those who leave, either by choice or by selection. All will be revealed during the show.

Twin Love premieres November 17, 2023 on Prime Video.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.