It’s only natural to judge a show by its pilot. That’s the point of it. Networks decide what shows to order based on pilots, and you decide which shows are worth your time from watching the pilots.
And now it’s week two. You’ve seen some pilots. One or
What a beautiful face I have found in this place, that is circling all round the sun?
What a beautiful dream that could flash on the screen in a blink of an eye and be gone from me!
There is nothing I love more than hearing other people's Alan Alda impre
“if scientists could communicate more in their own voices—in a familiar tone, with a less specialized vocabulary—would a wide range of people understand them better? Would their work be better understood by the general public, policy-makers, funders, and
Singer Drake arrives for the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards in New York June 16, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)
NBC announced a couple of new pairs of celebrity hosts and musical guests for Saturday Night Live today, j
TOP GUN. 25 years ago, Maverick and Goose flew into our hearts. Maverick survived, Goose didn’t.
And in line with other Anniversary Lost Audition Tapes, SNL this weekend showed the lost auditions for TOP GUN, including a hell of a lot of 80s stars, a c
Directed and conceived by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot), On a Clear Day will open Dec. 11 following previews from Nov. 12.
Using a new libretto by Peter Parnell, drawing from the original 1965 script by lyricist Ala
When die-hard Muppet fans, Gary (Jason Segel), Walter (a puppet voiced by Segel), and Mary (Amy Adams), learn that an oil mogul is planning to destroy the original Muppet theater. They decide to gather the Muppets together to perform one last time and s
On Monday’s Season 2 finale of Showtime’s The Big C, Oliver Platt’s Paul Jamison – Cathy’s (Laura Linney) “cancerierge” -- flatlined after a season in which he lost his job and began working retail at – and stealing form – an electronics store.
A number
We bring to Saturday Night Live standards for funniness that are different than those we apply to everything else on TV. We cut the show a lot of slack for simply getting a 90-minute live show up and running every week. SNL has been on so long, it’s embe
Well, summer is officially over, PopWatchers. There’s no way of sugarcoating it, either. It totally stinks. But hey, at least with the fall comes a new season…of television! (See what I did there?) Now, if you were wondering how the writers of Saturday N
Watching Alec Baldwin host 'SNL' – which he has now done a record 16 times -- has become a little like purchasing a recent album from the now disbanded R.E.M.: We know that we're going to get a solid effort – even great, at times -- but the truly memorab
Hey everyone, SNL is back! Did anyone else feel that swell of goodwill as we entered our first political cold open, as well as that feeling of goodwill being sapped away over the next hour and a half? Oh, I'm just joshin' ya, SNL. It's good to have you b
Typically “Saturday Night Live” seems to start off its seasons pretty slowly, for some reason or another that I’ve never quite been able to put my finger on. I was hoping that Alec Baldwin, the all time ‘SNL’ leader in hosting gigs as of this show, would
The fall movie season is here, just in time to keep the dogs of summer from permanently souring you from going to the cinema. Between now and Nov. 18, serious Oscar contenders (“Warrior,” “J. Edgar,” “The Skin I Live In”) will be crowing for your attenti
A list of movies slated to open this fall and early winter (dates can change and not all movies will open locally):
Abduction (Lionsgate): Taylor Lautner stars in this John Singleton thriller about a young man who tries to discover the truth about his li
Restaurateur Vishnu Shenoy, who introduced many midstate diners to their first taste of traditional Indian cuisine, died Thursday after a brief illness. He was 51.
Laura MatthewsVishnu Shenoy, left, with his wife, Leena Shenoy, and Passage to India's ch
Yesterday I arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada, for another installment of an enterprise to which I’ve been increasingly devoted over the last year: Training scientists in communication, public engagement, and media outreach. Working with the National Science
Sally's husband was often abusive. One morning, over breakfast, Hank began yelling at her because she was on the phone instead of keeping him company. Later, after Hank went to work, Sally picked up his shirts from the laundry, ran some other errands for
CHARLES Dubin, whose career as a daring director in television's early years stalled after he refused to answer questions before the United States Congress about communist involvement, then robustly rebounded as he went on to direct more episodes of M*A*
Friday September 23, 2011
Candidate." "Margin Call’’ (Oct. 21) imagines the events leading up to the 2008 Wall Street collapse with Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons and Zachary Quinto among a strong cast.
Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, left, and Seth Rogen in the dra
By Barbara Chai Todd Cheney Adam Winkler Last night, publisher and real-estate mogul Mort Zuckerman feted law professor Adam Winkler for the release of Winkler’s new book, “Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America.” Guests (including a
Aug Housing Starts totaled 571k annualized, 19k below estimates and down from 601k in July. After a steady increase over the past few months, multi family starts fell by 24k. Single family starts fell by 6k to 417k. Permits though saw an increase in each
Having started in the PR biz handling national publicity for motion pictures, I've seen a fair share of pre-release buzz-making scenarios. My first boss achieved decent track-tion by holding the premier of the The Who's film "Tommy"...underground in NYC'
Michelle Williams stars in “My Week with Marilyn” (Nov. 4), Simon Curtis’s drama about Marilyn Monroe’s work with Laurence Olivier (played here by Kenneth Branagh) in the 1957 film “The Prince and the Showgirl.” Eddie Redmayne co-stars as Olivier’s assis
Q: How did you prepare for the role of physicist Richard Feynman? I heard you watched YouTube videos of him.
A: I started with the script ("Q.E.D.") and sort of immersed myself in that for a while and from there decided where I wanted to go. So I looked
The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival is underway, and continues tonight (Friday, 9/16) at both Union Hall & the Bell House. Thursday night's show at the Bell House (the only Thursday night show there was) was a live taping of Neil deGrasse Tyson's radio sho
September 17, 2011
In every walk of life, we come across instances of snobbery. As I have noticed, people are overconfident about different things.
Some are arrogant about their looks, some knowledge and wisdom, some about their abilities
Oct. 5 HELL AND BACK AGAIN Danfung Dennis’s documentary follows Nathan Harris, a 25-year-old Marine sergeant, as he returns to life in small town North Carolina after being seriously wounded in Afghanistan. Oct. 6 THE NINE MUSES The British filmmaker Joh
Nov. 2 THE OTHER F WORD Some old-line punk rockers — including Flea, Ron Reyes and Jim Lindberg — attempt fatherhood in a documentary by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins. Nov. 4 ANOTHER HAPPY DAY A wedding day provides the background (again?) for a dark comedy ab
This week, Ashton Kutcher will replace Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men and someone will take over the position of Regional Manager of Dunder-Mifflin (an affiliate of Saber)’s Scranton branch.
In recognition of two of television’s most popular stars l
What do "Real Steel," "Tower Heist" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" have in common?
Besides being three of the most eagerly anticipated films of the fall season, the movies all feature the talents of Valley-affiliated actors, special effects ar
There’s filler, thrillers, and a few populist romps – but for once, this season offers plenty of crackers.
DONALD CLARKE takes a look at what’s in store...
OVER THE past decade or so, the final third of the year has, in cinematic terms, settled into a w
The terms "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Academy Award" aren't often found together. But both references belong on the résumé of Howard Rosenman, a longtime film producer and social activist who lately has transformed his Hollywood experience into a bus
Like the seminal song by Queen, November is “no time for losers” as the Oscar races heat up (J Edgar, The Descendants) and superficial fluff (Piranha 3DD, Tower Heist) becomes scarce.
4 November
A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas
Stoners meet Santa as
Should win: The Good Wife A smart show, with outstanding writing, captivating storylines, and memorable performances. Simply put: there’s no better show on network television.
Will Win: Boardwalk Empire Sure, The Good Wife is the best show on network tel
The evil Census Bureau released some economic data which tells us that the rich keep getting richer, the middle class remains stagnant and the poor are even poorer. So while the poorest Americans actually make less than they did in 1978, and the middle c
Action "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" is the much-anticipated Hollywood version of Steig Larsson’s thriller, about a disgraced journalist (Daniel Craig) teaming with an anti-social Goth hacker (Rooney Mara) to unravel a Swedish mystery. Director David
Sting will turn up in the most unusual places if it’s for a friend. And so it was on Wednesday night. The occasion was a 9-11 tribute to the late Herman Sandler, who died in the World Trade Center. Sandler, a philanthropist and patron of the arts, was al
Kenneth Lonergan made an auspicious directorial debut with You Can Count on Me (2000), starring Laura Linney as a single mother and Mark Ruffalo as her drifting younger brother. I've been waiting on his second feature ever since, and there were times I t
Universal Pictures has released the first TV spot for Brett Ratner's Tower Heist, opening in theaters on November 4.
Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead an all-star cast in Tower Heist, a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Stre
As the season premiere of Two and a Half Men edges closer, many fans are alternately waiting to see how the addition of Ashton Kutcher to the cast will change the show while simultaneously shaking their heads over an actor (we’re looking at you, Charlie
CW Fall Preview (The CW, 9:15pm) – A preview of the few new shows that The CW network has for the 2011-2012 season, including scripted dramas Hart of Dixie, Ringer, and The Secret Circle, as well as a couple of new reality shows.
Emmys 2011 Preview (TV G
The fall movie season is here with a diverse batch of comedies headed our ways over the next few months. The movies that come out this time of year tend to be a little more adult and thoughtful and not typically as loud and brash as the teen-friendly tit
S02E11: After two solid weeks of conveying clear cut messages, The Big C delivered tonight a more jumbled, sort of aimless episode. When we last left The Big C, Shawn was driven out of his house by a crying neighbor baby (hitting too close to home right
Angie Dickenson needed no speed that night.
But she did get a quickie nevertheless.
[T]he woman who, as much as anyone, helped shape a heroic narrative of the Kennedy years.
A fantasy narrative that had nothing to do with the record.
I'd be scared of sex
“Warrior”: Two estranged brothers go “Rocky” on us when a Marine (Tom Hardy) returns home to ask his formerly drunk estranged father (Nick Nolte) to train him for Sparta, the biggest winner-takes-all mixed martial arts contest. Meanwhile, his brother (Jo
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Showtime has released a clip from the September 12 episode of The Big C which will feature Alan Alda and Laura Benanti as guest stars.
The show stars Laura Linney, who plays a woman who reclaims her life aft
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Here are top films being released through Thanksgiving.
Ryan Gosling plays a Hollywood stunt driver moonlighting as a getaway guy when a robbery goes wrong. Cannes Film Festival audiences were wowed by Nicolas Winding Refn's film, a thro
THE IDES OF MARCH (Columbia): George Clooney co-wrote, directed and co-stars in this dramedy about a young idealist (Ryan Gosling) who learns hard life lessons on the political campaign trail. Marisa Tomei, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seym
Movie fans in Scottsdale are waiting to see Ben Affleck's next trip to the big screen. His next project is Argo, a film set in the 1970s. Argo is set for release in 2012, and it is not only Ben Affleck in front of the camera, but he is taking another tur
Fans of '30 Rock' will be happy with the news that the Emmy and Golden Globe winning comedy will be on five nights a week, according to a national broadcast syndication deal announced by NBC on September 8, 2011. Each laugh-out-loud episode will be seen
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Eddie Murphy got the gig. The 1980s funnyman and former SNL star will be guiding the Oscars next year.
He actually was nominated once, for "Dreamgirls" in 2006, but does that make Murphy, 50, qualified?
Brett Ratner, who is producing
Leaf-peeping season will soon be upon us — and one of the great things about a New England autumn is the chance to mix a little history with all that natural beauty.
If you like your foliage with a Maine accent, then a stay at the 136-year-old Brewster I
Fall will bring double doses of Taylor Lautner, George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, along with the "Twilight" wedding of Bella and Edward, the return of the Muppets and Mumble the tap-dancing penguin, plus early Oscar buzz.
Adam Sandler will portray twins,
When the trailer for Tower Heist appeared in July, it gave everyone here at Cinema Blend a small bit of hope that the movie, which very obviously pulls from about a dozen other heist movies, may actually be something worth watching. Most shocking of all
The good news: No damned Transformers sequels on the schedule. Other than that, it's hard to gauge the fortunes of the upcoming fall film season, during which time dozens of titles will be released across the nation. Among the offerings, we'll get anothe
Tower Heist does feature Murphy in classic form, playing a street-wise motormouth for the first time onscreen since the otherwise highly-forgettable Showtime, back in 2002. He appears to be constricted by the PG-13 Rating (re: not funny) in the footage s
It's been rumored for a few days, and now it's official: Eddie Murphy will host the Oscars in 2012, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences announced today. It's not a terribly surprising choice; Murphy is a once-edgy young comic who later transi
There will always be a special place in Hollywood for thinly veiled movies about contemporary scandals. Tower Heist has Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, who we too often forget have both given us some cinematic gold, leading an ensemble cast in this screwba
On Friday, I blogged about actor Greg Grunberg's call for a boycott of the upcoming film Tower Heist because a scene in the trailer makes fun of epilepsy . I also posted about it on the Facebook page Stop Disability Slurs , and Anna Bruns Theurer posted
Each year around this time, I pull up a post I wrote in 2006 about how I thought Leo (solar) types were predisposed to having Seasonal Affective Disorder. I’ve seen nothing in the last five years to change my mind on this and since I definitely benefit f
(CNN) -- The hosts of last year's Oscars didn't go over so well, and it seems this time around the Academy's looking towards those with plenty of comedy on their resumes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Eddie Murphy is a top candidate to host the 84
In fact, we almost need to watch these two shows in reverse order, with Laura Linney's funny, big-hearted Cathy the perfect antidote to Nancy's devouring nihilism. And, luckily, it is Linney in the role: she manages to exude an air of humility and irreve
(Clockwise) BEN STILLER, MATTHEW BRODERICK, MICHAEL PEÑA, CASEY AFFLECK and EDDIE MURPHY in "Tower Heist", a comedy caper about working stiffs who seek revenge on the Wall Street swindler who stiffed them. After the workers at a luxury Central Park condo
Tower Heist director Brett Ratner has apologized for a joke about epilepsy that was include in the trailer for his upcoming action-comedy, which stars Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller.
The apology comes after actor Greg Grunberg, whose 15-year-old son Jake h
Eddie Murphy is emerging as the leading candidate to host the 84th Academy Awards.
While Brett Ratner and Don Mischer, who are producing the upcoming awards broadcast, haven’t yet sat down with Academy officials to present the choice for hosting duties,
After looking through the trailers for most of the fall 2011 movies, it's hard not to feel a little cynical.
“Twilight” is readying for its not-quite-final final chapter (release date Nov. 18), including what appears to be a werewolf/vampire update of
The fall movie season is here, just in time to keep the dogs of summer from permanently souring you from going to the cinema. Between now and Nov. 18, serious Oscar contenders will be crowing for your attention alongside surefire hits as a Shrek spin-off
The fall movie season is here, just in time to keep the dogs of summer from permanently souring you from going to the cinema. Between now and Nov. 18, serious Oscar contenders (Warrior, J. Edgar, The Skin I Live In) will be crowing for your attention alo
“I will be honest. The worst part about our festival is that it’s called the Boston Improv Festival,’’ says Jeremiah Jordan.
Now in its third year, the event is not just an improvisational comedy fest, says Jordan, who’s producing the event for ImprovBos
'The Big C' has been picked up for a third season on Showtime Premium Cable, according to a media announcement from Showtime on September 1, 2011. 'The Big C,' which stars Laura Linney, draws to a shocking conclusion on Monday, September 26, but the crit
"The Big C" refuses to go into remission.
Showtime has picked up its cancer-themed comedy for a third season, the network announced Thursday. The new season will begin production early next year, for a premiere in the second quarter of 2012.
The announ
"The Big C" will be returning for a third season.
The series was renewed by Showtime on Wednesday for a ten-episode order set to debut in 2012. The show stars Laura Linney and Oliver Platt and will air its second season finale on September 26.
"The Big
Laura Linney arrives for the Cosmopolitan Magazine's "Practice Safe Sun" Awards at Hearst Tower in New York on June 29, 2011. UPI /Laura Cavanaugh LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. cable network Showtime says it has renewed its comedy series "The Big C
Hurrah! It’s a happy Friday with confirmation that Showtime has renewed The Big C for a third season.
That means more warm and fragile performances from Laura Linney as a woman living the moments in the face of cancer.
“We love working together and we’re
