PAGE 26 • TV
THE BULLETIN • APRIL 15 - 21, 2021
What’s Available NOW On
“Movie: Thelma”
The title of this 2017 Norwegian drama
refers to a girl whose religious beliefs cause
her to deny her feelings for a female friend,
which eventually come to the surface as
psychokinetic powers with devastating
results. Joachim Trier (“Oslo, August 31st,”
“Reprise”) co-wrote and directed the film,
which stars Eili Harboe (“Project Z”) as
Thelma, along with Kaya Wilkins and
Henrik Rafaelsen.
“Sasquatch”
Mark and Jay Duplass’ Duplass Brothers
Productions are among the creative forces
behind this documentary series that
follows journalist David Holthouse to the
redwood forests of Northern California to
investigate a savage attack purportedly by
a Bigfoot that resulted in three men being
torn limb from limb at a marijuana farm.
(ORIGINAL) Series Premiere New
Checking in with
A.J. FRANCIS
BY GEORGE DICKIE
“Greta Thunberg: A Year to
Change the World”
In honor of Earth Day, this three-part PBS
documentary series follows the teenage
environmental activist on her crusade
to raise awareness of climate change
around the world. Thunberg travels to
extraordinary locations around the world,
meets with distinguished climate scientists
and confronts the complexity of what will
be required to make a positive impact on
this harrowing threat to the Earth.
For most people, being an NFL player is a dream job and the
culmination of years of hard work and dedication. But for A.J.
Francis, it was merely a means to an end.
Indeed, the 30-year-old native of suburban Washington,
D.C., enjoyed and cherished his time as a nose tackle for five
NFL teams. But it pales in comparison to the feeling the now-
WWE Superstar in training gets when he steps into the ring.
“I played Thursday Night Football in front of 10 million
people watching at home Thanksgiving night, prime-time TV,”
he explains. “Made a play that ended up winning the game and
that doesn’t give me the same rush as an eight-minute match in
front of nobody. The only way I can describe it is the first time
I had a match in front of a crowd, I felt like I was home. ...
It was like my whole life, I was a fish out of water and had to
climb trees and now I finally got thrown in the ocean.”
On “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures,” premiering Sunday,
April 18, on A&E Network, Francis teams up with WWE
legend Mick Foley to seek out and try to retrieve key
mementos from WWE history that are in the hands of private
collectors or museums or hidden away in someone’s basement
or attic. WWE’s Stephanie McMahon and Paul “Triple H”
Levesque lead the searches for items such as Kane’s original
mask, Ric Flair’s Butterfly Robe, Andre the Giant’s passport
and Andy Kaufman’s neck brace.
“Movie: The Place of No Words”
Mark Webber (“Flesh and Blood,” “The
Ever After”) wrote, directed and stars in
this 2019 fantasy about a boy (newcomer
Bodhi Palmer) and his terminally ill father
(Webber) fighting the complexities of a
grown-up world on alternately fantastical
and realistic fronts. Teresa Palmer (“Point
Break”), Nicole Elizabeth Berger (“All at
Once”) and Eric Christian Olsen (“NCIS:
Los Angeles”) also star.
For Francis, it’s all about realizing his lifelong dream of
becoming the WWE champion and the series is another step in
that direction.
“I played five years in the NFL and if I could have played
10, I would have played 10,” he says. “But no matter what, I
would’ve eventually made my way to WWE.”
Full name: Anthony Joseph Francis
Birth date: May 7, 1990
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Family ties: Father Mike is a high school coach and
counselor; mother Carrie works in IT
Education: Has a Master’s in international security
and economic policy from the University of Maryland
Football career: New England Patriots (2013);
Miami Dolphins (2013-15); Seattle Seahawks (2015);
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016); Washington Football
Team (2016-17)
TV credits: “WWE NXT,” “WWE Raw,” “WWE
Smackdown!” “CCW Alive Wrestling”
Did you know: After WWE, Francis plans for a
career in politics. “I feel as if you can make a huge
difference in people’s lives using politics if you do it the
right way,” he says.