Ernie Hudson

Dean Cain and Anthony Michael Hall go toe-to-toe at 30,000 feet in this action-packed mini-series that finds a radical terrorist poised to take down domestic flight or die trying. FBI hostage rescue specialist Jack Bender (Cain) is traveling across the country on a domestic flight when the members of the People's Separatist Movement attempts to take control of the aircraft. The leader of the terrorist group is Greg Gilliad (Hall), an unpredictable fanatic with visions of nuclear grandeur. When Jack's ex-wife, an FAA employee, announces that the only way to defeat Greg and his group may be to shoot the plan right out of the sky, the seasoned hostage rescue specialist attempts to draw on his extensive combat training in order to ensure that the flight touches down without incident. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A successful executive, devoted husband, and loving father is left to care for his wife's bedridden grandmother and come to terms with the truth that he has avoided his entire life following a tragic car accident that robbed him of his entire family. Marcus Wells (Ernie Hudson) had everything that a man could ever want out of life, but it was all taken away in the blink of an eye. Now the man who spent his entire life in the city is forced to venture out to the farm and look after the woman who despises him most. Consumed by guilt and despair, Marcus realizes that his only hope for salvation is to put aside his fears and finally accept the bitter truth that he has denied all these years. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

One of the most expensive reality programs ever mounted by a major American network, The One: Making a Music Star was inspired by the Spanish series Operación Triunfo, which had enjoyed international success in a host of incarnations in a variety of countries (the British version, for example, was titled Star Academy). The contestants were billeted in a highly respected music academy where they were coached and mentored by a "faculty" of celebrities (who doubled as judges in the elimination process), and were subjected to rigorous training in all aspects of entertainment. Canadian TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos hosted, while the judges included songwriter Kara DioGuardi, record executive Andre Harrell, and musician/comedian/producer Ernie Hudson of Hudson Brothers fame. Debuting amidst high expectations on July 18, 2006, The One: Making a Music Star ended up posting the lowest ratings of any series premiere in the history of the ABC network. As a result, only four of the planned 15 episodes ended up being run off during a brief two-week period, consigning the series to the ash-heap of failed "sure things" which included such previous media catastrophes as Turn-On and The Paula Poundstone Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Helmed by the gifted Randa Haines (Children of a Lesser God, The Doctor), the inspirational drama The Ron Clark Story tells the real-life tale of Clark (Matthew Perry), a teacher from upstate New York who moves to Manhattan and re-instills courage and hope into the lives of many down-and-out students. Via highly innovative teaching strategies and rule sets, and an ongoing, strenuous effort, Clark manages to turn several lives around and raises students' test scores to admirable levels. His star pupils include a young girl forced to both attend school and care for her siblings and a graffiti-prone young man who rechannels his energies into more traditional painting with Clark's encouragement. In the end, even when pneumonia threatens to keep Clark down, he refuses to let it. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) and Hannah Hodson co-star; Granada America produced. Max Enscoe and Annie deYoung scripted. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

FBI agent-turned-reluctant beauty queen Gracie Hart (played by Sandra Bullock) is taking on both bad guys and high glamour again in this sequel to the comedy smash Miss Congeniality. After her undercover mission at the Miss United States pageant becomes public knowledge, Gracie becomes something of a celebrity, and the FBI uses her notoriety to generate positive PR for the bureau; however, Gracie would like to get back to some solid police work, especially after scuffling with fellow female agent "Sam" Fuller (Regina King), who isn't impressed with Gracie. Despite their differences, the two find themselves working side by side when two of Gracie's pals from the pageant -- contest winner Cheryl Frasier (Heather Burns) and master of ceremonies Stan Fields (William Shatner) -- fall victim to kidnappers. As she did on the first film, Sandra Bullock served as both producer and star for Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, while director John Pasquin's credits include several episodes of the situation comedy George Lopez, also produced by Bullock. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving, Frank sees an accident. He investigates the scene to see if he can help and meets a dying stranger (John Goodman), who tells Frank that he was headed to a dance school in order to reunite with a woman he loved many years before. Frank decides to attend the dance school, and becomes involved with a variety of people. Originally beginning as a short film, Randall Miller's feature-length film was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Although Oz's longtime narrator, wheelchair-bound prison inmate Augustus Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.), was killed at the end of the series' fifth season, he is still very much in attendance at the beginning of season six -- albeit from beyond the grave. Hill is, in fact, one of several ghostly prisoners, all of them victims of past tragedies occurring at the experimental "Emerald City" unit at Oswald Correction Facility, who show up to narrate the eight episodes in this, the series' final season on the air. Undaunted by previous failures and setbacks, unit manager Tim McManus (Terry Kinney) remains steadfast in his belief that the prisoners living within "Emerald City" can be rehabilitated if given freedom of movement, extra privileges, and a sense of responsibility and self-worth. Unfortunately, he may not get the chance to carry out his reforms this season, inasmuch as several prisoners have become violently ill due to faulty building substances used to renovate the unit. In another disturbing development, Emerald City's most famous "resident," charismatic Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker), is murdered. On a more satisfying note, the ruthlessly ambitious Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek), who for six years has opposed the efforts by McManus and Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) to improve prison conditions, may finally be called to account for all of his crooked and underhanded dealings in the past. Oz's climactic episode, running 100 minutes, not only serves up just desserts for Devlin, but also charts the ultimate destinies of two other long-term series regulars, convicts Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) and Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen). "There's no place like home." ~ All Movie Guide

Not to be confused with the sixth-season episode of the same title, this one concerns a talented minor-league baseball player named Ben McCloud (Omar Gooding) and his obsessive, hypercritical father Norm (Ernie Hudson). Not only is Norm living vicariously through Ben's athletic accomplishments, but he also hopes that his son will expunge the "shame" brought upon the family by Ben's own father Candy (Lee Weaver), a former Negro League ballplayer who in his later years was reduced to working as a baseball "clown". In order to convince Ben to stop pushing and start loving his son, Monica (Roma Downey)must find out if Candy's seemingly farfetched stories about his diamond career--including the claim that he once struck out Babe Ruth--might have a kernel of truth in them after all. The great Hank Aaron appears as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is an FBI agent with a reputation for being aggressive and hard-nosed, who has long wanted to duplicate the career of her deceased mother, also an FBI agent, who died in the line of duty. Her cantankerous nature, though, has made her few friends, excepting her trusting, sensitive partner Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt). However, her true abilities are put to the test when she is called upon to infiltrate a Miss United States pageant after a terrorist threatens to bomb it. Gracie, who prides herself on her toughness, must now feminize her behavior to effectively participate in the pageant with the aid of Victor Melling (Michael Caine), a pompous consultant who dreams of whisking away Gracie's past self and creating "Gracie Lou Freebush" for an appreciative, all-American audience. After her arduous conversion, Gracie must play the role of beauty queen and FBI agent, and try not to blow her undercover outfit. Miss Congeniality, which was produced by star Bullock, features television stalwarts William Shatner and Candice Bergen in supporting roles. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Nastassja Kinski and Peter Coyote star in this suspense thriller about a college professor who finds himself in a whirlwind of danger when he agrees to help a beautiful woman who has just escaped from prison. She was convicted of murdering a woman who was having an affair with her husband, and she swears she can prove her innocence -- but helping her collect the evidence proves to be a risky assignment. Red Letters also stars Fairuza Balk, Ernie Hudson, Udo Kier, and Jeremy Piven. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

As season four of Oz begins, the experimental unit at Oswald State Correctional Facility known as "Emerald City" is not living up to manager Tim McManus' (Terry Kinney) hopes. Ever since he set up the unit, wherein convicts are given more freedom of movement, extra privileges, and the opportunity for advancement, McManus has been frustrated that his good intentions have not paid off in wholesale rehabilitation. In fact, things seem to have gotten worse, with too many murders and suicides occurring within the unit. Hoping to alleviate the situation, McManus' head guard, Murphy (Robert Clohessy), suggests that all the cons -- including those in solitary -- spend an hour each day indulging in healthy recreation. Again, however, the plan fails when a killing takes place during that special hour. With more episodes this season than in previous years (16, compared to the usual eight), Oz is able to devote extra time to a plethora of subplots. One of these involves convicted murderer Shirley Bellinger (Kathryn Erbe), who after losing her unborn baby under suspicious circumstances is sent back to death row. Also, a group of illegal aliens sequestered in Emerald City is the catalyst for a rash of violence; Warden Glynn (Ernie Hudson) runs for lieutenant governor; an attempt to film a documentary in Oz ends in disaster; Busmalis (aka "The Mole") (Tom Mardirosian), manages to break out of prison, only to be recaptured as he stands outside the home of his favorite TV star; crooked evangelist Rev. Cloutier (Luke Perry) is tossed into the unit; and infirmary doctor Gloria Nathan (Lauren Velez) is raped. Tensions continue to mount as McManus is fired and convict Miguel Alvarez (Kirk Acevedo) escapes (these plot twists were designed to allow Acevedo and his co-star Terry Kinney to take leaves of absence to appear in other projects); new unit manager Martin Querns (Reg E. Cathey) cuts a sinister deal with drug-dealing con Adebisi (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje) to put a lid on the violence; fired guard Clayton Hughes (Seth Gilliam) tries to assassinate Governor Devlin (Zeljko Ivanek); a plot is hatched to frame wheelchair-bound convict Hill (Harold Perrineau Jr.) for a crime he hasn't committed; the children of inmate Beecher (Lee Tergesen) are placed in jeopardy thanks to orders from the "inside"; and incarcerated Muslim leader Said (Eamonn Walker) settles accounts with an old enemy. The season ends with a cliffhanger, sparked -- literally -- by a deadly gas explosion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide