No, I’m not Italian-American, but I’d like to think I qualify as Italian-adjacent. I grew up in an area that had quite a bit of first generation families whose parents were born in the “Old Country” and there were some wonderful family-style pizzerias in my neighborhood where many would frequent on weeknights. They would often … Read more
The esteemed cultural critic that was my tortured, self-deprecating and ultimately prematurely deceased mother had a phrase whenever she’d see something that she found to be beyond explanation, such as when one of her fellow Entenmann’s loving Mah Jongg buds would decide to sport hot pants. With a caustic drag on her Marlboro 100 she’d … Read more
I’ll confess that I have more than a little bit of envy for those I know personally who have actually been able to publish a book. As I suspect you’ve surmised if you’re reading this for me the writing part is easy, and having discussed this with the many I know who actually have their … Read more
We tend to have a bit of fun trolling the chairman of Warner Brothers Discovery, David Zaslav. Ever since he took on the reins of the storied legacy studio in 2022 and immediately grafted the name of the amalgamation of cable networks he has done all he can to transform himself into a mogul, scooping … Read more
Of all of the posts and alerts that seemed to proliferate from dawn to dusk yesterday regarding the official kickoff to the traditional upfront week in New York, perhaps the most practical–and, indeed, one of the most popular–came from someone who made sure to point out that for anyone from out of town who didn’t … Read more
When I saw that Barry Diller at long last had chosen to share his life story with the world it caught my attention. After all, when your ex-boss and ex-roommate writes a book the very least one can do is at least put in an order for an advance copy. No, Barry and I didn’t … Read more
The black smoke news we got from the NBC Universal lot yesterday was neither unexpected nor unwarranted. But as someone who has been an unabashed fan of multi-camera comedy, let alone someone who personally and professionally profited from them, the story THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s veteran observer Rick Porter, someone else who’s been around long enough … Read more
Not all that long ago a media executive could practically recite from memory what their schedule would be like during upfront week. When you’re jetlagged, multi-tasking and frequently dealing with conference calls that could often extend into early evening East Coast time having some semblance of order was one less thing to fret about. You’d … Read more
Let’s be clear: To me, Jon Voight seems like a decent hang. He’s had a remarkably lengthy and influential career as an actor, one that dates back to 1969 when he was among the first cast members of an X-rated movie to be nominated for Academy Awards. No, he didn’t get nekked or engage in … Read more
Seen any good ads lately? Don’t lie. In all likelihood, you have. For as much as we may be in love with the narrative that in a world of infinite entertainment options we’ve discovered the Holy Grail of personalized curation that would allow us to eschew those tacky distractions, once again it falls on the … Read more