MEMO TO: THE HONORABLE JAMES COMER (R-KY) FROM: STEVE LEBLANG, MEDIA GURU RE: DIRECTV/NEWSMAX Dear Mr. Comer, Seems like you woke up yesterday in a bit of a kerfluffle, what with all of this consternation and concern from some of your constituents, colleagues and idols over this whole crisis regarding the “deplatforming” of Newsmax by … Read more
I have a confession. For a quarter century, I’ve had the hugest crush on Natasha Lyonne. Ever since I saw her as a rebellious teenager who earned kudos for her earthy performance as a recently relocated teen who downsizes with her dad Alan Arkin into a modest 10-unit apartment complex in the unsung indie comedy … Read more
I admit I’m sometimes late to parties, so by the time I discovered the phrase that serves as today’s entry’s clickbait it was a bit passe. But as the person who introduced it to me would use the opportunity to reproduce extremely flattering photos of themselves from their modeling days (happy birthday, name withheld, BTW), … Read more
I grew up in a far different era of TV journalism, one where people actually reported news and commentary generally came from prepared speeches awkwardly read by management, particularly at local stations. That’s because an overwhelming majority of news presenters were trusted figures, many with decades of experience which at the time went back to … Read more
In the chilly pre-dawn hours in Beverly Hills earlier today, the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards were announced. Judging by the number of alerts I received while I worked my paying job, I suspect a lot of people still care. I’m just not sure I’m have as much in common with them these days … Read more
There probably isn’t anyone who has watched TV in the last three decades that isn’t at least familiar with this phrase: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories”. But … Read more
There’s apparently a new destination for those who still watch entertainment television on Sunday nights. HBO’s THE LAST OF US has been crowned the network’s latest hit, having debuted as the network’s most-watched premiere episode other than HOUSE OF THE DRAGON in the last 13 years, and within 48 hours of its wider availability on … Read more
A longtime friend has become a better friend to me as of late, because unlike way too many allegedly more loyal ones he occasionally reaches out to me and copies me on some items he’s seen in his mailbox, particularly from outlets behind paywalls because, you know, money’s kinda tight these days. I had been … Read more
The much-anticipated 4Q22 earnings call for Netflix, the first quarter that would encompass the initial results of its revised strategy embracing advertising, yielded the more startling news that its chairman and founder Reed Hastings was stepping aside, seguing to an “executive chairman” role after a quarter-century of building perhaps the most disruptive and transformational video … Read more
For as much as I like to toot my own horn when I’m right (spoiler alert: the ratings on MILF MANOR were indeed lousy; please check the update for yesterday’s entry for those details), I will always freely admit when I’m dead wrong. As Cynopsis is reporting this morning, despite the somewhat tepid reviews and … Read more