hollywood
Curtain Is Falling on Gender-Specific Acting Awards

By Thomas Sipos In George Orwell's 1984, each edition of the Newspeak Dictionary was th...

hollywood
Rickles, O’Neill, RIP

Two tragic losses today: the deaths of the great comedian Don Rickles and the music lyrici...

television
Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix

I had Marvel's Daredevil on my Netflix watch list for a long time, but for some reason...

television
The Hot Fall TV Trend

Oh happy day! We get to finally see more gay and lesbian storylines on TV! Just what w...

music
BBC Filming Adaptation of Christie Classic to Air in U.S. Next Year

[from agathachristie.com] Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None is the best selling ...

manners-and-morals
Credit Pop Culture for Gay Marriage

The title of a piece in the LA Times after the gay marriage ruling: "Years before court ru...

television
It’s the Age of “Aquarius” on NBC

For those of you going through "Mad Men" withdrawals now that the series has ended, and ar...

television
Wayward Storytelling from M. Night Shyamalan

Wayward Pines, Idaho: A place where once-original ideas are recycled for the umpteenth t...

television
‘Happyish’ and the Media Status Struggle

Somewhere in what seems another lifetime, I once toiled in the agency business in the Moto...

manners-and-morals
Kyle and Jenner: The Price of Fame is the Destruction of Heroism

“True bravery is shown by performing without witness what one might be capable of doin...

books
‘Wolf Hall’ and the Anti-Catholic (and Anti-Christian, anti-Jewish, etc.) Moment

Writing at the Catholic Difference, Catholic scholar George Weigel presents a powerful t...

movies
A Few Gems Leaving Netflix Soon (Plus a Lot of Dreck . . .)

With only a couple of days left in the month, it's time to binge-watch Netflix movies an...

television
Paranormal Drives Much Popular Entertainment Today, As Audiences Search for Meaning

For an overwhelmingly secular society, an awful lot of today's popular entertainment is de...

television
Review: ‘A.D.: The Bible Continues’ Inspires Despite Odd Choices

Those who enjoyed the 2013 miniseries The Bible will probably like the new NBC series�...

manners-and-morals
Thursday Abstract: Rolling Stones, April TV Encomia, Mocking Noah’s Detractors

The Rolling Stones will tour the United States this summer, playing in large stadia in ...

television
Odd Men Out: Neil Simon Reboot Misses the Mark

Watching the previews before the show’s debut, your writer predicted CBS’ reboot of th...

television
Wednesday Abstract: TV Advertising Woes, ‘Twin Peaks’ Scare, Ellen’s Catastrophe

As the ad market for legacy media continues to wane, CBS-TV is doing something about it, l...

mysteries
TV Tuesday Review: Grim World of ‘American Crime’ Is Not for the Faint-Hearted

It seems no one is clean in the ABC Network’s Thursday night serialized drama American ...

movies
Monday Abstract: ‘The Jinx,’ ‘Cinderella,’ Feminist Scorn, Irish Potables

HBO's documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst ended last nigh...

music
Friday Abstract: ‘Blurred Lines’ Fallout, ‘Drones’ on the Way, Treehouses of Horror

The "Blurred Lines" copyright infringement decision could put significant constraints on...

television
Two By Gilligan: Superb ‘Saul,’ Iffy ‘Battle Creek’

If there’s one defining characteristic of Vince Gilligan’s television series, it’s...

journalism
Wednesday Abstract: ‘Top Gear’ Suspension, John Green Movies, Ann Sothern on TCM, Fox News Trust, More

The BBC has suspended Jeremy Clarkson, lead host of its popular Top Gear automobile show (...

movies
Tuesday Abstract: Ghostbusters, Ratings, Selleck, Sheet Music

Your daily roundup of cultural events: Gen-Xers who grew up wearing proton packs, take he...

movies
Entire ‘Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy to Air in HD on Turner Classic Movies Tonight

DVR alert: from 8 p.m. (Eastern) tonight to 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, Turner Classic Movie...

movies
‘Bloodline’ Tops List of March Netflix Additions

Netflix taketh away, as we noted yesterday, but Netflix also giveth. Here's a list of mo...

movies
March Netflix Departures Include ‘Dumb and Dumber’

It looks like March is going to come in like a lion this year (global warming, hah!), bu...

television
New ‘Odd Couple’ Version Is a Series for Our Times

The new CBS situation comedy The Odd Couple (Thursdays at 8:30) is based very evidentl...

mysteries
Atkinson to Portray Maigret in Upcoming ITV Films

Hot on the heels of the return to print in the United States of Belgian writer George Si...

mysteries
‘The Mentalist’ Ends with Strong Affirmation of Show’s Uncommon Values

Tonight brings us the two-hour conclusion (CBS, 8-10 p.m. Eastern) of The Mentalist, on...

television
Star-Studded SNL Special Exemplifies Show’s Inherent Contradictions

Sunday night's 40th-anniversary special for Saturday Night Live achieved impressive rat...

television
C’mon, Get Slappy

What’re you gonna do when Spock’s on hiatus? If you’re Zachary Quinto—who plays th...

people
Jon Stewart and the Death of Mainstream Media News Credibility

The news this week has been, for worse and better, more about those who read it on-air t...

journalism
Williams Scandal Follows Standard Elite Response Model

As most readers undoubtedly know by now, NBC has suspended Nightly News anchor Brian Wil...