Mariska Hargitay
One of the better things about a good episode of NBC's stalwart Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is that you can rarely tell where it's headed. Is tonight's cameo-heavy hour (10/9c) the latest condemnation of reality TV's sordid excesses? Sure looks that way at the start, as we encounter an especially slimy Michael McKean (relishing his repulsiveness) as the predatory producer of a crap-tastic train wreck titled Showgirls, featuring young hopefuls who would do "whatever it takes" to land the starring role in a Broadway musical. (No small irony this is airing the week of the all-important-to-NBC Smash premiere, where such things could never happen!) As he liquors up a nervous contestant for her "audition," he leers for her to "seduce the audience. Let them know you want this." Doesn't take a genius to know where this is going.
read more
Person to Person
The revival of CBS' legendary program Person to Person special will feature George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi and Warren Buffett.
Longtime newsman Edward R. Murrow launched...
read more
Lara Logan, Charlie Rose
CBS News is bringing back Person to Person, the 1950s prime-time program that pioneered celebrity interviews and was hosted by legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow.
"We have dreamed about bringing a modern version of this great program ... back to CBS for years — and now it is happening," CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager said Thursday. ...
read more
Question: I have seen a few criticisms of Brian Williams' decision to host Saturday Night Live, people saying that as a newsman he would be denigrating his integrity, Edward R. Murrow would be spinning in his grave, yada, yada. I normally don't watch the show, but as a (print) journalist, I was curious to see Williams' performance. I think there's a line between pandering yourself for cheap laughs and showing an ability to poke fun. In my opinion, Williams did a great job of demonstrating the latter. He was really entertaining and showed comedic ability, and it's not like now I'll no longer find his news reports credible. Perhaps this would've been unthinkable in the days of Walter Cronkite or even Tom Brokaw. But even if this was just a gimmick for NBC Nightly News to reach out to a "hipper" audience, I can't help but be happy and relieved for Williams. It must have felt like Lorne Michaels approached him to try skydiving for the first time. And to know he survived it without serious ...
read more
George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck
Usually, when George Clooney is on a television news program, he's often touting his latest role or offering an opinion on recent Hollywood happenings. For his latest directorial effort, however, Clooney decided to take viewers behind the scenes to witness the nitty-gritty days of '50s journalism in Good Night, and Good Luck, set for release Oct. 7.
Along with producing partner Grant Heslov, Clooney cowrote Good Night, and Good Luck to pay homage to the news business he came to know during childhood as the son of newsman Nick Clooney, who continues to write a thrice-weekly column for The Cincinnati Post. Framing the black-and-white feature is the famed struggle between CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow and Wisconsin Senator Joseph McC
read more