Like it or not, we’ve somehow made it face-to-face with 2024. I suppose given the alternative it’s far, far better to be waking up with a fresh calendar and fresh start than not, although on plenty of days I’m hard pressed to be overly exurberant about it. Especially since so many have been such dire … Read more
So we’re in the final 23 hours of ’23 as this is being posted. Color me pleasantly shocked I came out the other end intact. On far more occasions than I’ve even been comfortable sharing with even the most loyal of you readers, I honestly didn’t think I’d be this resillient. Forget my personal struggles, … Read more
I’ve always been fascinated with movies, both as a consumer and a buyer. Some of my most enjoyable and often coolest summer days were spent going from theatre to theatre at our local multiplexes; if you could time it right and make sure the ushers were distracted, you could see three or four films for … Read more
This was supposed to have been a “best of” musing that harkened back to the summer day when Sony announced that Pat Sajak, who has been known to have harbored more than a few unpopular views in his personal life, was stepping down after more than four decades as host of WHEEL OF FORTUNE. It … Read more
Among the scant few experiences I actually got the chance to partake in during 2023 was the opportunity to see a live taping of a sitcom I loved that was being brought back for the streaming wars. When an executive friend gave me the chance to set foot on the storied Paramount lot on a … Read more
In an otherwise very quiet holiday week, any time a major media company makes news, people like moi notice. So I couldn’t help but smile when I saw this quick little nugget drop courtesy of DEADLINE’s Tom Tapp yesterday: Amazon announced in September that ads were on the way for Prime Video‘s entertainment content. Now we have a … Read more
When Netflix shared with the world the massive data dump of how the more than 18,000 titles in its catalogue performed during the first six months of 2023, it was for me impossible not to note what was its most popular new original series, and the fact that it achieved such an accomplishment despite the … Read more
Christmas might be a big, happy, family and friend-filled big deal for you, and I envy you far more than you can realize for that. In recent years, though, it’s been especially lonely, as what little family I have is far away geographically and, in some cases, light years removed emotionally. Same thing with friends, … Read more
‘Tis the day before Christmas, so I’m in a somewhat more forgiving mood than I tend to be at other times of the year. In looking back, I’ve apparently been particularly harsh on a certain journalist who has a fairly consistent presence in the Left–er LOS–Angeles TIMES, which, like many newspapers I’ve loved, has become … Read more
At long last, the first episodes of newly produced scripted TV for the 2023-24 broadcast season will be NBC’s Christmas gift to viewers who are simply sick and tired of searching for something on some streaming service to serve as background noise while we wrap presents or stuff a fowl. Yes, both were produced prior … Read more