Tag: Variety

Television is often treated like the unloved step-child of the arts. It’s been called a vast wasteland and worse. And vast it certainly is. It’s on all the time and on hundreds of channels, so it’s no surprise that most

Note: Links to previous chapters at end of this article. “Attack, always attack.” My friend, the heroic Israeli tank commander, told me that in the first few days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, both fronts, The Sinai and The

Even before it won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary I was curious to see “Man On Wire.” Movies so often reflect the zeitgeist of the time that a lot can be learned from trying to divine what makes

I’ve been a professional actor for 40 years and, when asked, an open conservative for at least 43 years. Frequently I’m asked to explain why Hollywood is so liberal, a question which I hate because I’m not really qualified to

This is somewhat anecdotal, but when you look at the Metacritic scores below it boosts my theory that truly awful leftist films frequently get better reviews than deserved while solid, entertaining conservative films (now that the left’s ceded “liberty” to

I saw The International a few days after I saw Fired Up and I’m trying to figure out how two lowbrow pictures can inspire such different reactions in me. Going in, I knew that both were peddled as screen fodder–something

A 23.3 rating this year, compared to last year’s record low of 21.9. The headlines read, “Oscar Ratings on the Rise.” If George W. Bush ran the Academy they would read, “Oscar Viewership Barely Keeps Up With Annual Increase in

I haven’t been posting lately, because deadlines are well and truly on me. But here’s a quick note about something that caught my eye today. According to the new Attorney General, Eric Holder, speaking today at the Justice Department, we’re

After I posted my original Early Estimates column on Big Hollywood last night, I received a Facebook message from Platinum Dunes partner and Friday the Thirteenth producer Rob Fuller saying “I hope you’re right.” My Friday estimate last night was

I know what’s going on in the advertiser’s office for “You’re Welcome America, A Final Night With George Bush“. Every morning after a show opens the producers assemble with the agency and dissect the reviews pulling out the best quotes

True story: Bill Gates — yes, that Bill Gates — released a swarm of mosquitos at a technology conference. He did it (or so he claims) to demonstrate how malaria spreads. Reportedly, he waited a minute or two before he

I used to count myself among the biggest fans of 24. A friend recommended 24 during Season 2, and I went back and rented Season 1. It was addictive, fast-paced, genuinely adrenaline-pumping. The first half of Season 2 was almost

Richard Dreyfuss and Elizabeth McGovern have travelled across the pond to star in a play about America’s torture of terrorist suspects. That’s right, not “alleged” torture. It’s a fact as far as this play is concerned. And, the funny thing

Much has been made about the democratization of filmmaking. The barriers to entry are gone. Now, with a webcam, 90 minutes of something to say and editing software, you – yes, YOU — can be a movie mogul! Right. True,

Variety is reporting that as part of a fundraiser for multiple same-sex marriage organizations, “Hairspray” composer Marc Shaiman’s satirical “Prop 8: The Musical” will be staged live. The event called “Defying Inequality” will be performed on a dark night on

Thought “hope” and “change” might rule Hollywood now that President George W. Bush has moved back to Texas? Apparently not. Variety’s Anne Thompson reports the comedy “In the Loop,” what she dubs a “raucously funny indictment of what went on

I’ve been housesitting for a real estate agent in Simi Valley for the past couple of weeks, which is (as many of you know) home to… The late, great, Ronald Reagan. The man was most certainly (as the youngin’s say)

The decline of the mainstream media–a very good thing–is the real story behind an interesting L. A. Times article about Ben Lyons, a film critic on the syndicated TV show At the Movies. Critics and informed movie buffs alike both

Whilst basking in the creature comfort delights of their Hollywood stardom, movie stars and rock stars tend to appeal to the materialistic desires of the high school set. Kids please; think again. For every George Clooney that makes it, 10,000

This recent attempt at a SAG Awards’ boycott of eight actors by some Hollywood members of the Screen Actors Guild got me thinking about an Oscar night from almost ten years ago when the Academy was honoring Elia Kazan with

Big Hollywood will likely contain plenty of stories dealing with and (hopefully) overcoming the hardships associated with being a “conservative” in and around Hollywood. I want to commend those who have been able to hold on to their principles and

Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. The weekend box office battle boils down to Jim Carrey vs. Will Smith. This is a match-up between the former “World’s Biggest Box Office Star” and the reigning champ, and