MoviesThe James Bond franchise is on hold these days thanks to MGM's money woes, but darned if George Clooney doesn't cut a most Bond-like figure in the poster for "The American." Clooney plays an assassin who retreats to Sweden after a job goes wrong. He falls in love, but of course his deadly occupation won't leave him alone. (Opens Sept. 1)
"Machete" began as a trailer for a fake film and was shown as part of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 2007 film "Grindhouse." It was such a hit on its own that Rodriguez turned the trailer into a full-length real film, starring the scarred and menacing Danny Trejo as a former Mexican federale out for brutal revenge for a double-cross. Lindsay Lohan has made headlines for her promo picture in which she's dressed as a nun, licking a gun. Don't bring the kiddos to this one. (Opens Sept. 3.)
TVPBS's POV series will air three films about international and domestic adoption over the next few weeks. The series begins with "Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy," about a young girl adopted at age 8 from China. (Airs Aug. 31, 10 p.m., PBS). The next film, "Off and Running," focuses on Avery, an African-America Brooklyn track star adopted by white Jewish lesbians. (Airs Sept. 7, 10 p.m., PBS). The third one sounds like the most fascinating offering. "In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee" looks at a mystery surrounding the life of a Korean adoptee who isn't who she's said to be. (Airs Sept. 14, 10 p.m., PBS.)
It seems everyone's got a phobia or a compulsion, and there's a reality show depicting every one of them. TLC's new show, "Freaky Eaters," looks at people who have bizarre obsessions with a certain food — cheeseburgers and sugar are the only two they're revealing ahead of time. What, you're saying it's wrong to be obsessed with cheeseburgers? (Premieres Sept. 5, 10 p.m., TLC.)
DVD
"FlashForward," which was canceled in May, had a fascinating premise: For a few seconds, everyone in the world blacked out and got a glimpse at their life six months in the future. Some got good news, some bad. One woman raved about her glimpse of her wedding, but her boyfriend stayed silent — since his flash proved he wasn't the groom. Some didn't get a flash — did that mean they were dead by that date? Now the complete series is out on DVD, so you can discover for yourself if the show should have received a longer run. (Out on DVD Aug. 31.)
BOOKSHere's the story ... of that famous family. There have been many books written about "The Brady Bunch," but now creator Sherwood Schwartz and his son, Lloyd, took their turn with "Brady, Brady, Brady." You'd think there wasn't much left to be said about the group who somehow formed a family, but the Schwartzes pull out some juicy tidbits that will resound with fans. They're blunt about the problems with star Robert Reed, who was no fan of the scripts, and share random trivia bits too. Lloyd was the one who tossed the football at Marcia's nose — no one else could throw it straight — and the football itself was Nerf. (Will be published Sept. 1.)
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is TODAYshow.com's movies editor. You can follow her at or .