British Director Nicolas Roeg passed over the weekend at 90. I first became aware of him, as did many others, for his directorial work on David Bowie’s 1976 movie “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”...
Sci Fi on TV has always had a rough go of it. I guess the most successful examples are “Star Trek” and ABC drama “Lost,” with “The X-Files” riding close behind. TV’s last big, sci fi epic, the time-traveling show “Timeless” was cancelled once, then renewed, than cancelled again....
When Carson Daly left MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL) in 2002, he was something of a running-gag in the media. The show had run its course. Even “Saturday Night Live” had a skit lampooning TRL. “I’m Carson Daly and I’m a tool,” said the actor portraying him to hoots. Daly, 40, certainly introduced a gazillion music stars, including a young Christina Aguliera, but as with everything in TV, his time came and seemingly went....
I’ve known Matt Lauer for years, beginning when he was an anchor, with Jill Rappaport of all people, on the locally syndicated show “People Are Talking.” It’s sad to see what’s happening now as he teeters on the brink of a total career meltdown....
The latest James Bond film “Skyfall” and Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” were two of last year’s blockbusters, but I only got around to seeing them recently. I’m glad I waited. It allowed me to put the films in perspective without all the hype. In my opinion, one soared, while the other left me a little deflated....
When actor Ben Affleck turned into a director of note with his brilliantly staged “The Town” two years back, audiences and Hollywood took note. It was a tense, tautly realized effort, with an exemplary cast. His latest effort, “Argo,” is another finely textured and nuanced story, with excellent performances by his coterie of actors. The movie is filled with excellent actors from John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Bryan Cranston to Tate Donovan....
Lost-wunderkund J. J. Abrams’ show “Fringe” has been nothing short of brilliant for almost of all its four seasons. Fox finally announced it’s renewing the epic show for a shortened-13-episode season. It was the right call. Truth be told, the current season has been its weakest yet, with a reveal of an alternate universe (always cause for concern!). Yet the acting by principals Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and, in particular, John Noble, is just off the charts....
Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal, as they have every year since 2002, kicked off New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival, which has grown to become of the nation’s signature celluloid events. Film festivals are tricky things to arrange; much preparation and thought are needed to get them off the ground, but once they get rolling, they’re both an economic boon, and a creative one, to whatever city is hosting them....
Sci-fi devotees have watched boatloads of shows come and go on the small screen. But when “Awake” debuted several weeks back on NBC, I decided to give it a shot. Shows like “Millennium,” “The Event,” “Jericho,” “Torchwood,” “Fast Forward,” The Nine” and “Heroes,” all started strong, but were soon abandoned by the networks that aired them, often with plots dangling. Let’s hope, the story is different with “Awake.”...
After watching the "Mad Men" premiere, I thought about it all night. I got up the next day, and I was still thinking about it. Here's what grabbed me the most about "One Little Kiss," the first episode in Season Five of the show's much anticipated return. I did not like the many, many commercials. By the second or third break, I was already counting the actual time the story played on screen and it was something like 10 minutes, compared with the first four seasons without commercials....
Talk about an ironic title. HBO abruptly shut down production on Dustin Hoffman's iconic new series "Luck" after a third horse died on the set. Say what you will, but the show, having just aired its fourth installment, was finally picking up steam. With an esteemed cast, including producer/star Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina, Michael Gambon, Nick Nolte, Jason Gedrick and Kevin Dunn, HBO no doubt was expecting another Sopranos-like show....
When Billy Crystal hit the stage last night in his much anticipated Oscar return, I definitely noted there were a few awkward moments, both in the audience and on stage alike. Watching him was like watching an old friend return--that I got. But, to me, the fact that he didn't acknowledge his absence of eight years was both good and bad....
Barry Glazer, a four-time Emmy winning director, has teamed up with talk-show powerhouse Regis Philbin to develop prime-time television entertainment programming that could see a return to a modern-day variety show. The unique partnership also includes cable television veteran Edward Walson and writer-producer-show runner Cort Casady. Where it goes is anyone's guess, but Regis is focused on family entertainment....
Can there be any actor hotter at the moment than Ryan Gosling? He literally galvanized George Clooney’s "Ides of March" and went note-for-note with Steve Carrell and Emma Stone in "Crazy, Stupid, Love."...
Here’s one for the ages: Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly was at last week’s TCA (Television Critics Association) meeting in Los Angeles talking about several network shows that were great, but just too expensive to continue producing....
