March 1 looks like a promising day for premieres. At least it’s star-studded, one program alone, MGM+’s “American Classic,” boasting six Tony winners among its cast while Jason Bateman takes the lead in a new HBO series, “DTF St. Louis.” “American Classic” is about a famous Broadway actor who has a mental health crisis and returns to his hometown where his family owns a dinner theater. Of course, the actor, played by three-time Tony recipient Kevin Kline, carries a bit of his celebrity hauteur home with with him. Kline’s casemates and guest stars can only impress. They include Aaron Tveit, Stephen Spinella, Jessica Hecht, Jane Alexander, Len Cariou and Tony Shalhoub, all of whom earned Tonys except for Hecht, who has been nominated enough to hold her head up amid this group. The other cast member who garners nominations but never seems to take home the award is Laura Linney, who is on my list as one of the best actors of her, or any, generation. Watch “John Adams” or “Ozark” if you want to see for yourself. Also debuting March is Linney’s “Ozark” foil and co-star, Jason Bateman as a member of a love triangle that includes characters played by Linda Cardellini and David Harbour in “DTF St. Louis.” The show’s a comedy and, as happens frequently these days, it includes a murder. Another clone of “Yellowstone” called “Marshals,” makes it to legacy TV when it debuts at 8 p.m. on CBS (Channel 3 locally). Luke Grimes stars in his “Yellowstone” role, Kayce Dutton, the Navy SEAL who became a cowboy. One more choice for March 1 is the Screen Actors Guild award ceremony, starting at 8 p.m. on Netflix. I have seen all of the nominees in the movie and television categories. For Best Male Actor in a movie, I hope the expected choices of either Timothée Chalamet for “Marty Supreme” or Leonardo Di Caprio for “One Battle After Another” are eclipsed by people who gave better performances, either Jesse Plemons for “Begonia” or Michael B. Jordan for his dual role in “Sinners.” This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Michael B. Jordan, foreground, and from left, Michael B. Jordan and Omar Benson Miller in a scene from “Sinners.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP) For Best Female Actor in a movie, I can’t imagine anyone receiving the award over Rose Byrne. I may have found her movie, “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You,” to be an unbelievable hodgepodge of crises, but her performance as a woman who cannot cope with all that confronts her is astounding. Jessie Buckley in “Hamnet” is her only possible rival. Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role should be handed to the nominees en masse, except possibly for Sean Penn in “One Battle After Another,” in which he appears cartoonish. If Penn has been replaced by William H. Macy in “Train Dreams,” the category would have been formidable. My preference among the excellent is Benicio Del Toro for “One Battle After Another.” For cast of a Motion Picture, my preference is “Sinners.” In the television categories, I see the same sweeps for “Adolescence” and “The Pitt” that have been a leitmotif of the TV award season. Other shows with potential debuting this week include “CIA,” the newest crime procedural from Dick Wolf, who proliferated the television schedule his his various renditions of “Law and Order,” “FBI,” and NBC’s “Chicago” dramas. “CIA” begins 10 p.m. February 23 on CBS (Channel 3). Also of interest in Prime Video’s eight-part series, “The Gray House,” which is set during the Civil War and involves women to take an active role in the Underground Railroad among other endeavors as they work to influence the outcome of the battle. Another multi-Tony recipient Mary-Louise Parker stars with Ben Vereen and Keith David among her castmates. Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner as “The Gray House’s” producers. The series features original music by several performers including Willie Nelson and Shania Twain. It begins Feb. 26. Feb. 26 is also a day when several series begin their new seasons. Among them are “Bridgerton,” “Elspeth,” “Matlock” and “Ghosts.” Another show beginning a new season on a new network is “Scrubs” which last aired with new programs 16 years ago. It starts on ABC (Channel 6) on Feb. 28. Zach Braff, John McGinley, and Donald Faison continue their original roles. The 50th competition on CBS’s “Survivor” begins the same day. Phillies are back Phillies baseball is back on the air. Four spring training games are scheduled for television this week. On Feb. 25, the Phils will face the Detroit Tigers on NBC Sports Philadelphia, the following day, they play the Washington Nationals on the MLB Network, then come back to NBCSP for a Feb. 27 contest with the Miami Marlins, a Feb. 28 games with the TorontoBlue Jays, and a March 1 match against the New York Yankees. All the games start at 1:05 p.m., although some are listed at 1:07. NBCSP will broadcast 17 more games this spring. These include at March 4 game against Team Canada as part of a World Baseball Classic exhibition. Philadelphia Phillies’ Trea Turner during a spring training game on Sunday in Clearwater, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) The television announcing team is the same as it’s been for several season. Tom McCarthy handles play-by-play. Rotating analysts are John Kruk, Ruben Amaro Jr., and Ben Davis. This year, they will be joined part-time by Phils star pitcher Cole Hamels. Mike Schmidt and Taryn Hatcher are no longer with the television crew, although Schmidt will continue to be heard with Scott Franzke, Larry Anderson and Kevin Stocker on radio. Phillies games are heard on WIP (94.1 FM), which will air the Tigers, Nationals and Yankees games listed above. WIP will also carry a 6:05 p.m. Feb. 23 game vs. the Nationals and a 1:10 p.m. Feb. 24 bout with the Marlins. You can see the entire TV and radio schedule on team and broadcasters’ websites. Early spring training games often feature players who are not expected to make the final roster in late March. Stars are in the lineups with the wannabes. I don’t think I’m alone in being the most curious to see Adolis Garcia, a Texas Rangers stalwart acquired as a free agent this winter and expected to be the everyday right fielder, Justin Crawford, who made headlines at all minor league levels and is expected to start in centerfield, and Andrew Painter, who has a good shot as being the Phillies pitching rotation this season. The planets and ‘Planets’ are must-sees Wry planning or fateful coincidence? That’s the question I asked when I learned six planets will be aligned and visible in the evening sky on Feb. 28 and realized I was seeing a Main Line Symphony Orchestra concert featuring a complete performance of Gustav Holst’s magnificent and popularwork, “The Planets” that very afternoon. Holst’s orchestral suite is often heard in symphony halls, but not all that frequently in its entirety. Single movements tend to be used as curtain raisers. Hearing all seven movements, each dedicated to a planet and keyed to a quality that planet suggested to Holst, is a treat, one I’ve been looking forward to for months. My appetite was further whetted last week when Meg Bragle played Holst’s fourth movement, “Jupiter” on her WRTI (90.1 FM) radio program. “The Planets” is one of three pieces on the bill when MLSO appears 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave., and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 at Keneseth Israel, 8339 Old York Road in Elkins Park. The concert, conducted by Philadelphia Orchestra principal timpanist Don Liuzzi, opens with another Holst work, “Lyric Movement for Viola and Orchestra” and includes Samuel Barber’s lovely “Cello Concerto.” The viola soloist for the Holst piece is Judy Geist, who recently retired from the Philadelphia Orchestra. The cello soloist is Julie Chen. Holst wrote “The Planets” between 1914 and 1917 after attending a lecture and gaining a deep interest in astrology. He allegedly became quite talented at reading the stars and assembling charts. The seven movements are devoted, in sequence, to Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, all of which, except for Mars — ironic because it’s often seen — will be visible on Feb 28. The nearer planets should be seen clearly by the naked eye. You might need a telescope to see Uranus and Neptune. Holst ascribes a quality to each planet. These create musical themes. Mars is called The Bringer of War while Venus is the Bringer of Peace. Mercury, as in mythology, is the messenger. Jupiter connotes jollity while Saturn suggests old age. Uranus is called the Magician while Neptune represents the Mystic. Working with MLSO are women from the Philadelphia Chorale and Charlotte Blake Alston, who will serve as narrator for “The Planets.” A week after “The Planets,” I’ll be seeing Don Liuzzi in his familiar role in the timpani section of Philadelphia Orchestra. Treats continue for me as I attend a performance of my favorite of all classical works, perhaps all musical works, “Mahler’s Symphony No. 2,” known as “The Resurrection Symphony.” I call Mahler a “kitchen-sink” composer because his works, all treasures, can go from folk tunes or gentle flute solos to soaring scenes that paint vivid pictures and express so much depth. The “kitchen sink” monicker is not a dig. Mahler, another Gustav, is my favorite of all composers. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra in “The Resurrection” from March 6 to 8 at Marian Anderson Hall in the Kimmel Center. Ex-CBS 3 reporter with NewsNation Jessica Kartalija, who spent several years as a primetime anchor at Channel 3 and was seen briefly on Channel 6, is among the reports covering the suspected kidnapping of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie. Kartalija is the correspondent for NewsNation, where she landed last fall. She is in Arizona as part of a large press contingent and often shares breaking news and new theories and developments on Facebook. ...read more read less