Pauline Kael...Barbara Stanwyck...Ginger Rogers -- Dancing Through Great...
"Better late than never!" I always say. So, I am excusing myself for never having read Brian Kellow's biography of the great movie critic, Pauline Kael. I should have read it long before this....
View ArticleIs the American Circus Industry Extinct or Will It Rise From the Ashes?
If an early 20th century American were to attend a circus somewhere in Europe, he might be in for a shock to see no exotic animals, gypsy women with mustaches or something equally "exotic" according to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Taking on Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, Alice Eve Is One Tough Cookie Who...
Crazy things happen in cinema when a good girl starts breaking bad. Some, like Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron, win Oscars. They are among a group possessing sweet hearts or gorgeous looks who are...
View ArticleOn August: Osage County
Dear A.O. Scott: I just returned from a trip to Asia and was catching up on my missed reading. So, I've only now read your review of August: Osage County and was very surprised to find you materially...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oh, You're Tired Of People Being 'Outraged'?
More voices are coming at us from all directions, and, thanks to emerging media outlets and the social media platforms which amplify them, they're louder than ever. With these new voices come new...
View Article5 Signs You're A Modern Day Flapper
When I'm talking to readers about my new, group biography Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation [Sarah Crichton, $28.00], there's one question I've come to fear: who would be the modern day...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Black Sails Showrunner On Grit, Politics Of Starz Pirates
The pirates of Black Sails are to be feared before they are seen. The attack on an English vessel begins at a distance, cannon fire shredding the hull. And then the shredding continues once they...
View ArticleHide and Seek
Season four of Pretty Little Liars has upped its 'A' game. Hanna (Ashley Benson), Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchell) and Spencer (Troian Bellisario) have found out that Alison is still alive and...
View ArticleWhat Can Eminem Teach Us About Worry and Fear?
I walk through the door after work and hear my three kids, ages 9, 11 and 13, and my wife, belting out at the top of their lungs... I'm friends with the monster That's under my bed Get along with the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Discovery Channel's Latest Treachery Has Left Me Gobsmacked
I am a producer and TV series creator with 11 Emmy nominations forging a next generation model for independent content distribution. This scares the networks because it would make them dinosaurs. So,...
View ArticleAnchorman 2 Media Blitz a Flop? Ron Burgundy Is Laughing All the Way to the Bank
Will Ferrell and the producers of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues pulled out all the stops creating a months-long marketing campaign for the movie. But did it work? As with a lot of things related to...
View ArticleInterview: Kenney Jones, Drummer of Small Faces, Faces With Rod Stewart and...
Small Faces were simply the best band I have ever been in or ever likely to be in. -- Kenney Jones, drummer for The Who, 1979-1989. A few weeks back, I interviewed Ian "Mac" McLagan, here on the...
View ArticleMy Conversation with an American Treasure: Ray Benson
We were hippies... we were against Vietnam... we had long hair. We were counterculture in this redneck "aura." In the 1960s there was a Renaissance of older blues artists, with B.B. King, Muddy Waters,...
View ArticleHow Great Is Ronan Farrow?
Some at NBC are worrying that Ronan Farrow may not be their golden boy and too much of a loose cannon. After all, he disrupted the carefully scripted Woody Allen tribute at the Golden Globes by turning...
View Article"Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" Has a Perfect Leading Man in Chris Pine
Movie Review Jackie K Cooper "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" (Paramount Pictures) In "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" Chris Pine is the fourth actor to take on the role of Jack Ryan. He follows in the footsteps...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Laggies
Lynn Shelton's LAGGIES premiered last night at Sundance and it felt like a Graduation, which is even more appropriate when you see the film. Photo © Liliana Greenfield-Sanders I've always loved and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Importance of #RichKids of Beverly Hills to the Millennial Generation
E!'s phenomenon in the making, #RichKids of Beverly Hills, has been trending on every form of media known to man. The hashtag-inclusive title isn't just a nod to social media; it has become a staple in...
View ArticleI'm 'Not Like Most Girls'
You probably know those movies and books where there's a female protagonist who is apparently "not like most girls." She actually likes sports and isn't catty. She doesn't cause drama or stress over...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Muslims Are Coming -- to Netflix
The Muslims Are Coming! will be released on Netflix on Jan. 21 so if you missed it last fall it's a good time to catch up with just how a band of edgy Muslim-American stand-up comics fared as they...
View Article'Downton Abbey' Recap, Season 4, Episode 3: Gillingham Is the Suitor Lady...
Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 4, Episode 3 of PBS' "Downton Abbey." After last week's extremely upsetting episode, many viewers of "Downton Abbey" wondered where the...
View Article