Mobsters and Moustaches

It’s summer, so the airwaves are flooded with cheap, easily digestible reality series. This new show at least has an interesting premise. Describing itself as a cross between childhood games cops and robbers and hide-and-go-seek, “Money” gives two ordinary folks a briefcase filled with $100,000 and tasks them with finding the perfect hiding spot in just 60 minutes. After that, actual detectives become involved, grilling the hiders and using their professional skills and resources to track down the case. If the detectives find it, they keep the cash. If they don’t uncover it over the course of 48 hours, the hiders get the money. So it’ll basically be a test of intelligence and believable lying, and those are always fascinating to observe.

 

I’ve never understood America’s love affair with organized crime. Sure, in the old days, mafia and the like were probably crucial in protecting immigrant families that were being taken advantage of in their new country. But with the whole rebel/Robin Hood thing comes the glorified violence, the drug dealing, the intimidation, the theft, the corruption—the type of behavior that made Tony Soprano a modern American anti-hero. AMC will explore the mob mystique this week by screening a series of cinematic Mafioso classics, including The Godfather Part II (Tuesday, 8pm), The Untouchables (Wednesday, 8pm), Carlito’s Way (Wednesday, 10:45pm), Scarface (Thursday, 8pm), Donnie Brasco (Friday, 8pm), Goodfellas (Saturday, 8pm), and Pulp Fiction (Sunday, 7pm), with commentary by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

 

Did you know that there’s such a thing as competitive facial-hair growing? How about that the “sport” has a world championship, and that historically, Germany has dominated it? Of course, as with all things global, America has to get involved, and so Beard Team USA is trying to upset the favorites by presenting its own “dream team,” culled from more than 80 American beard-club chapters. “Whisker Wars” chronicles the efforts of unofficial Beard Team captain Phil Olsen as he tries to lead America to victory in such competitions as Moustache, Partial Beard, Full Beard Groomed, Freestyle, and Full-Beard Natural. Expect lots of freaky follicles and even wilder characters, including the amusingly named Full-Beard Natural World Champion Jack Passion, who wants to be the first-ever professional beardsman.