PAGE 26 • TV
THE BULLETIN • JUNE 24 - 30, 2021
What’s Available NOW On
“Duck Dynasty”
The Robertson clan and the Duck
Commander crew return for
Season 3 with the usual antics and
challenges, among them Willy’s
attempts to lose weight before his
high school reunion, John Luke
going through his first break-up, a
husband-and-wife deer hunt and a
battle with persistent beavers at a
neighbor’s fishing pond.
“Movie: Safer at Home”
Set in Los Angeles during the
COVID-19 pandemic, this 2021
thriller follows the terrifying series
of events that ensue when a group
of friends decide to throw a wild
online party from what they thought
was the safety of their homes. Will
Wernick (“No Escape”) directs a cast
of largely unknowns.
Checking in with
MICHAEL BOLTON
BY JAY BOBBIN
“Movie: Hostiles”
“Movie: The Sweet Life”
A solid cast headed by Rosamund
Pike, Christian Bale and Wes Studi
is front and center of director Scott
Cooper’s 2017 Western set in 1892,
where a legendary Army captain
reluctantly agrees to escort a dying
Cheyenne chief and his family
through hostile Comanche territory
to return them to their tribal land.
Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach and Rory
Cochrane also star.
Rob Spera (“Something
Extraordinary,” “The Minister’s
Wife”) directed this 2016 comedy/
drama that stars Chris Messina
(“Argo”) and Abigail Spencer
(“Rectify”) as a man and a woman
— both haunted by personal demons
— who meet by chance in Chicago
and agree to travel across country to
the Golden Gate Bridge to commit
suicide together.
When it came to “The Celebrity Dating Game,” Michael
Bolton knew what he was getting into.
“I was a fan of the show when I was a kid,” says the veteran
music star, a co-host (with Zooey Deschanel) and an executive
producer of the contest update now airing Mondays on ABC.
“We’ve all been seeing these reboots, new versions of classic
shows, and they seem to be working quite well for people. And
ABC (also the home of the original 1965-73 ”Dating Game“),
specifically, was quite excited about doing this one.”
Bolton knows “The Dating Game” serviced some celebrities-
to-be in its initial years: “Farrah Fawcett definitely was on it,
because I’d done my homework before I said, ‘I’m in.’ Sally
Field, Ron Howard, Arnold Schwarzenegger ... Steve Martin
was a contestant on the show, in the middle of two other guys
who were vying for a date. He was so funny, I knew he was
going to get picked.
“I like the idea of the celebrities here being athletes, ex-
athletes, stars from a lot of different genres of television and
film, just a lot of really talented people,” Bolton adds. “A
couple of them, I knew and loved, and I didn’t want to give
away that someone extra-special had just walked onto the
set. And when you least expect it, somebody goes way off the
chart.”
Bolton is happy to be part of the result in contouring famous
songs, including some of his own, to suit the “Celebrity Dating
Game” occasion. “I think I’m in a position to have fun,” he
reasons, “and to say ‘No’ if the music is not comfortable for
me.”
Birthdate: Feb. 26, 1953
Birthplace: New Haven, Conn.
Current residence: Los Angeles
Marital status: Divorced; has three daughters and six
grandchildren
Other television credits include: “Two and a Half
Men,” “Glee,” “Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day
Special,” “Fresh Off the Boat”
Movie credits include: “Meet Wally Sparks,” “Snow
Dogs,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” “Teen
Titans Go! To the Movies” (voice only)
Hit singles include: “That’s What Love Is All About,”
“(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” “Soul Provider,” “How
Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” “How Can We Be
Lovers?,” “When I’m Back on My Feet Again,” “Love Is a
Wonderful Thing,” “Time, Love and Tenderness,” “When a
Man Loves a Woman,” “Missing You Now,” “Steel Bars,”
“To Love Somebody,” “Said I Loved You ... But I Lied”