Another week, another box-office victory by Marvel's The Avengers. As of this writing, it has earned an impressive $457,000,000 domestically and an unbelievable additional $723,000,000 in foreign ticket sales, bringing its global total to over a billion dollars already. If it c/… Read full post »

Yesterday I looked at the new shows from FOX and NBC, now it's time to examine what ABC has lined up for us next season.  The network has a knack for bringing together some good names for its casts.  Time will tell if the programs live up to their star power.

666… Read full post »

Some of you who haven't been to a movie in a long time might be tempted to go catch Marvel's The Avengers now that it's setting all sorts of box-office records and all your friends are buzzing about how much fun it is.  Yet, you might be hesitant to venture out/…

Read full post »

Earlier this week, I joked around with some friends that we are living through what can only be called the "golden age of superhero movies." After seeing Marvel's The Avengers on Saturday (with my little nephews who loved it), I can now put the kidding aside and affirm that yes, this/…

Read full post »

One of the greatest features of the blogosphere is the forum it provides for conversation. It really is the new marketplace of ideas. A wonderful discussion has emerged on a few of my favorite blogs -- Uncensored John Simon (which I wrote about in January 2011) and Ken Davenport's The Pro… Read full post »

Product placement in movies is nothing new. M&Ms maker Mars, Inc., is probably still regretting turning down Amblin Productions' request to use its candy for a pivotal sequence in its blockbuster movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Hershey Foods Corporation swooped in and granted perm/…

Read full post »

As a lifelong Yankee fan, I was very saddened today to hear about the serious injury pitcher Joba Chamberlain suffered while allegedly jumping on a trampoline with his son. His severe ankle dislocation is not only the latest set-back for him, the loss of blood initially was almost life-th/…

Read full post »

After seeing so many celebrities die far too young, one would think that we'd be numb to another tragic death, but the news Saturday night that Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48 saddened and shocked many. As I write this, I sit prepared to watch the Grammy/…

Read full post »

During one of my mom's frequent top-to-bottom housecleaning adventures, she came across a nostalgic keepsake from my childhood, tucked away for years on a bookshelf or in the back of a closet somewhere or maybe in the attic or basement.  It didn't matter to me where she found it, I was/…

Read full post »

This past Sunday, the New York Times film critic (and former host of At the Movies) A.O. Scott wrote an interesting rebuttal to all the recent pronouncements that film is dead.  Titled "Film Is Dead? What Else Is New?," it wasn't so much a rebuke of the cinematic doomsayers as it/…

Read full post »

After what seemed like years since it was first announced that Steven Spielberg was producing a television show about a family that travels back to the time of the dinosaurs (okay, it technically was indeed a few years ago), Terra Nova finally premiered. 

Here are my thoughts on the first/…

Read full post »

As I write this, Mariano Rivera is nearing another great New York Yankee achievement.  He has reached 600 career saves and soon will beat the Major League Baseball record.  As a lifelong Yankees fan, I've seen great closers -- Goose Gossage, Dave Righetti, John Wetteland --/…

Read full post »

Eddie Murphy will host the 84th Annual Academy Awards.  (Kudos to Deadline Hollywood for breaking the news first.)  This is a great choice and the first sign that Brett Ratner might actually do a fine job producing the Oscars.  Murphy will star in Ratner's u/…

Read full post »

Is "Jiggle TV" making an unfortunate comeback? In the old days of television, when Three's Company and Baywatch dominated the airwaves, the spotlight on many female characters was focused simply on their looks.  Even shows like Star Trek, which aimed to show the progressive strides o/…

Read full post »

After enjoying success with Rango, an animated movie about a chameleon, Paramount Pictures has decided to start making more cartoons.  There's big money to be made in animation.  When I heard the news, I started thinking about which company is the best in the field.  Before we j/…

Read full post »

Can you believe that MTV is 30 years old?  I'm still annoyed that the network that made its mark as "Music Television" barely plays any music videos anymore, but in honor of its three-decade milestone, I started thinking of all the short-form videos that made it the go-to channel for an/…

Read full post »

The San Diego Comic-Con is almost upon us, so here’s a look at what to expect. It will take place at the San Diego Convention Center from Thursday, July 21, through Sunday, July 24, 2011.

Wednesday is a special “Preview Night” that will offer lucky early visitors to the conve/… Read full post »

If everyone responsible for the Harry Potter phenomenon could bottle and sell the secret of its success, they would rule the world.  Harry Potter is more than just "the Boy Who Lived," he is the boy whose touch of gold puts even King Midas to shame.  On top of the endless/…

Read full post »

Social media companies continue to make news.  Here are my thoughts on some of the bigger headlines this week.

1.  News Corporation finally sold MySpace for a "paltry" $35 million (mostly in stock, not cash).  They had initially bought the social network pioneer for an eye-p/…

Read full post »

This weekend, I went to see two superhero movies and had very different reactions.  I was extremely disappointed in Green Lantern, while I thought that X-Men: First Class was one of the best films of the year.

It's ironic, I suppose, because growing up I was a bigger Green Lantern fan than/…

Read full post »

My wife and I went to see the science fiction horror movie Priest last week and we enjoyed it.  I should qualify that:  I enjoyed it for what it was -- a high quality b-movie.  That might sound like an oxymoron, since b-movies are thought to be low-budget crapfests, but even/…

Read full post »

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is planning to expand the Playoffs in 2012, allowing more teams to contend in the post-season, but his solution is to add yet another Wild Card team to the mix.  I love Major League Baseball, but I despise the Wild Card. 

I don't want to tell/… Read full post »

Actor Jackie Cooper has passed away at the age of 88.  Child actors are supposed to be cursed, but he was the ultimate example that they can also have amazing lifelong careers.  Cooper was a hard working, classy guy, from his young days as one of the Little Rascals on… Read full post »

I must preface this blog entry by affirming how much I love short-form television series.  The so-called "mini-series" is an excellent way to tell a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Sometimes you don't need the usual 20-plus-hour seasons of episodic tales with no endin/…

Read full post »