You may have seen John Mulaney on Saturday Night Live, where he’s made some drolly precise, funny appearances on “Weekend Update.” (Mulaney is also a writer for SNL.) He’s been a guest on Conan O’Brien’s show. But tonight, his Comedy Central special John Mulaney: New In Town proves something: He’s one of the best stand-up comics alive. READ FULL STORY »
Michael Mann is the rare director-writer-producer who has maintained simultaneous careers in feature films and television, and he’s done this since the 1970s. Leading up to the Sunday premiere of the new series Luck, for which Mann directed the pilot and works as an executive producer, he took us through his television career. This is the second part of the conversation. READ FULL STORY »
Wednesday night’s CSI was an episode titled “Willows in the Wind.” The tortured play on words, crossing “in the wind” with the Kenneth Grahame book title (does this make Ted Danson’s CSI leader Toad of Toad Hall?) was matched by the excruciatingly tedious plotline that’s been playing out over the past couple of weeks, something about FBI agents (including one played by Friday Night Lights‘ Matt Lauria) and “black ops boys” trying to run roughshod over our CSI heroes, especially Marg Helgenberger’s Catherine Willows, who had an old friend (played by Annabeth Gish) involved. READ FULL STORY »
The earnest new drama Touch has its heart in the right place and its mind drifting off into unknown areas. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Martin Bohm, a New Yorker whose wife died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and who’s raising his 11-year-old son, Jake (David Mazouz). Jake, who narrated much of the pilot episode on Wednesday night, actually hasn’t spoken since he was born, and cannot stand to be touched. He spends a lot of time working out elaborate series of numbers. READ FULL STORY »
In his last State of the Union address before he faces a re-election challenge, President Obama on Tuesday night called upon Congress to “lower the temperature in this town” and “work together.” But the television high point of the evening occurred just before the speech, as the President, in making his way to the podium, paused to hug Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is resigning this week to recover from her brain injury. A chant of “Gabby, Gabby, Gabby” could be heard throughout the House floor, as Giffords was given a standing ovation. READ FULL STORY »
Alcatraz premiered last week with back-to-back episodes that lured more than 10 million viewers and bested the premiere of its time-period predecessor, Terra Nova. The show had two things going for it from the start: A catchy premise (Alcatraz prisoners from the 1960s are somehow transported into our current era) and fan-favorite Jorge Garcia. READ FULL STORY »
NBC burned off the final two episodes of Prime Suspect on Sunday night. The football game was on Fox, CBS aired a rerun, you aren’t watching Desperate Housewives anymore, are you, especially when you could watch Downton Abbey? Anyway, much in the manner a criminal on an episode of Prime Suspect might dispose of two dead bodies, NBC dumped Prime Suspect with a pair of new, good episodes. READ FULL STORY »
Michael Mann is the rare director-writer-producer who has maintained simultaneous careers in feature films and television, and he’s done this since the 1970s. Mann’s TV career includes not only the major hit series and cultural avatar Miami Vice (1984-90), but also television’s first serialized drama, Crime Story (1986-88), and the first weekly series to be shot in high-definition film, Robbery Homicide Division (2002-2003).
As the premiere of the Mann-directed pilot of HBO’s Luck nears on Jan. 29, Mann spoke with me about the entire breadth of his TV career, starting at the beginning, with writing work on the anthology series Police Story, and the Aaron Spelling-produced hit Starsky and Hutch. READ FULL STORY »
Rick Perry drops out! Newt Gingrich’s ex-wife says he wanted an “open marriage,” with the woman who became his current wife! Herman Cain is climbing aboard the Colbertrain! The Obama campaign released a new ad (see below)! It turns out Rick Santorum scored a victory over Mitt Romney in Iowa! And CNN held a John Kingly debate followed by Anderson Cooperly analysis! On Thursday, things were busier in politics, and in the media covering politics, than Steven Tyler in a roomful of teenage American Idolettes. READ FULL STORY »
