Media Musings

The classic phrase about unexpected snags references the best-laid plans of mice and men ofttimes going astray.    Now, you can add a couple of perpetual adolescents to that list of the afflicted. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, not to mention their tightly knit team of comic geniuses, have been diligently working against self-imposed uber-tight … Read more

One has to appluad at least the nearly obsessive level of tenacity and fight that the folks in charge of ABC News have shown in the case of their least-viewed program on their schedule.  GMA3, a brand extension on what has been the demo champ of the highly profitable morning news wars for decades–GOOD MORNING, … Read more

Jason Blum is arguably one of the most well-liked creatives in Hollywood both among his peers and superiors, enough so that even in failure that reputation seems to be Teflon-like.  We mused about this in great detail almost two years ago when he put the Blumhouse brand on THE EXORCIST, an effort that wasn’t well … Read more

When one looks at someone from a distance and strictly gets to see their exterior it’s easy to make snap judgements about how idyllic their existence is, and how much we would just, if only for a day, trade places with them.  I know that’s how I felt the first time I laid eyes on … Read more

The very definition of a slow news day–look at the calendar, duh–is when yet another story about how Netflix rules the world is dropped.  Such was the case yesterday when THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Jessica Toonkel authored this flaggelation: Netflix ascended by offering prestige TV and movies on demand for a monthly fee. Now, it … Read more

I seem to have a complciated relationship with the JURASSIC PARK franchise.  Like me, it’s seen better days.  I was fortunate enough to be invited to a special premiere of the OG film curated for industry promotional executives at Universal Studios Orlando back in the day, giving us a head start on the rest of … Read more

When SQUID GAME burst into the Western Hemisphere via Netflix almost four years ago, I’d contend it was as seminal a moment in the history of streaming television as we’ve seen before or since.  Sure, virtually unlimited catalogues of content has been the promise of platform distribution, and being able to more easily make available … Read more

I’ve been to and through enough media rodeos to know that just when so-called experts are ready to completely write off something that used to be commonplace as extinct, something unexpected occurs to debunk such a verdict.  Sitcoms were dead; then along came THE COSBY SHOW. Big-money quiz shows were unnecessarily pricey and outdated; then … Read more

For anyone who merely knows Mariska Hargitay through the lens of the tough-as-nails and resilient detective Olivia Benson she has portrayed on LAW AND ORDER: SVU for more than a quarter-century, the self-reflective journey she takes us on in the documentary MY MOM JAYNE, released this weekend on(HBO!) MAX, can be a bit jarring.  With … Read more