Top Picks: 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,' the Fly Fishing simulator app, and more

James Earl Jones and Angela Lansbury star in 'Driving Miss Daisy,' the cookbook 'Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream' lets you make flavors like black sesame at home, and more top picks.

PBS

July 3, 2015

Legends on stage

Did you miss Broadway legend James Earl Jones in the stage classic Driving Miss Daisy? No problem – it’s coming to your living room. On July 17, a production of the show with Jones and Angela Lansbury that was taped in Australia airs on PBS at 9 p.m. Actor Boyd Gaines also reprises his Broadway role as Miss Daisy’s son.  

Taste of summer

Democrats begin soul-searching – and finger-pointing – after devastating loss

With flavors like Earl Grey and palm sugar, New York’s Van Leeuwen scoop truck is not your run-of-the-mill ice cream stop. Now you can make their hand-crafted ice cream flavors with their cookbook Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. With 100 recipes ranging from the classic mint chocolate chip to the exotic black sesame, there is something for every taste. When we made cantaloupe sorbet, we had sorbet the color of summer only four ingredients and 30 minutes later. Cheers!

Return of the ‘Mockingbird’

In 2012, we were fascinated by Mary McDonagh Murphy’s documentary “Harper Lee: Hey, Boo,” which delved into the life of the “To Kill a Mockingbird” author before and after the publication of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. With the upcoming release of Lee’s second book, “Go Set a Watchman,” PBS is airing a new version of the documentary. Screeners weren’t available at press time, but if the new material is as interesting as the original, viewers should be in for a treat. Harper Lee: American Masters airs on PBS July 10 at 9 p.m.

A second stay at the hotel

A-list actors Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Bill Nighy return for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a follow-up to the 2011 hit about senior citizens staying in India. In the new movie, Asian actors get almost as much screen time as white actors and Smith in particular is stellar. “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” is available on DVD and Blu-ray July 14. 

What Trump’s historic victory says about America

Fish from home

Would you love to go fly-fishing this summer, but you’re on a staycation budget? With the app Fly Fishing Simulator, you can start casting without getting your feet wet! Choose from 165 fishing sites on 27 different rivers and 165 types of flies, and cast your line into realistic currents to catch trout, bass, and bluegill. You can even see how your catch compares with that of other players. So if you can’t get out ... you can still get fishing!