1 Diehard fans of "Saturday Night Live" have probably already gobbled up "Live From New York," an oral history by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales first published in 2002. But now the writers are out with an update that tags on the past dozen years, with proper tributes to Bill Hader, Andy Samberg and, most notably, Kristen Wiig. There's also a new chapter that does its best to psychoanalyze producer Lorne Michaels, who launched the show in 1975.
2 "Foxcatcher" proves that American realism is among the best material for movies, because it is often astounding. Director Bennett Miller, who proved his skill with real-life stories in "Capote" and "Moneyball," does it again in this haunting tale about three thwarted men who made grisly headlines almost 20 years ago. Steve Carell, with extra weight and a prosthetic nose, is virtually unrecognizable as an eccentric aristocrat who insinuates himself into the lives of two sibling wrestlers, played by Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo. A warped, oppressive landmark.
3 It isn't Chekhov, but then you wouldn't want that in a story about a rock 'n' roll hero. The History Theatre's production of "Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story" spills over with great songs. Music director Gary Rue deserves a hand for drawing out pitch-perfect articulate musical performances from Nicholas Freeman as Holly and the players who portray the Crickets. Ends Dec. 21; www.historytheatre.com
4 Sarah Wildman grew up believing her grandfather to be a hero. He's the one who got out of Nazi-occupied Austria and helped others escape, too. But after his death, Wildman discovered a bundle of letters from a woman named Valy, the woman he loved and left behind. In her riveting family history, "Paper Love," Wildman tracks down her grandfather's story and discovers that there are no simple truths from that time, and definitely no easy answers.
5 Comedy Central's Key & Peele have delighted and offended with their hilariously skewed takes on Urkel, Obama, gay marriage and college football's East-West game. Their latest must-see sketch, "Aerobics Meltdown," pairs the upbeat earworm and big hair of the actual 1988 Crystal Light Aerobics Championships with a dark and twisted denouement. Spandex never looked so sinister. Watch it at bit.ly/11SDKOd and then, to appreciate the brilliance, check out the original at bit.ly/1jFeQHM.
