The ridiculous (in a good way) ratings for Disney Channel's multiple record-breaking weekend launch of High School Musical 2 was just the most spectacular reminder of what a great TV summer this has been — if you have cable.Not even a big hit like TNT's The Closer can match HSM2's numbers, and some of the best series, like AMC's mesmerizing Mad Men, are only doing so-so. But that's only to be expected given the glut of programming on many nights — including Thursdays, when Mad Men goes head-to-head with USA Network's latest clever breakout caper, Burn Notice. I thought my DVRs would get a break this summer. Didn't happen.Just look at the options we’ve had over the last few nights, including terrific new episodes of Burn Notice and Mad Men on Thursday. I’m really enjoying Burn now that ex-spy Michael Weston is getting closer to the truth about how he was set up to be fired. And what can I say about Mad Men besides the word I used to start my initial review of th...
read more
Question: It seems like most of the outrage over the Emmys has focused on the absences of some important actors in the major categories, but I stumbled across a nomination hardly ever spoken of. What's your take on Ellen Burstyn's nomination for supporting actress in a TV film, for her work in Mrs. Harris. Apparently, she only has two lines, appears in the film only once, and is listed in the credits as "Ex-Lover No. 3." Now, as mad as the snubs of Hugh Laurie, James Gandolfini, Lauren Graham, Jason Lee, etc, make me, I can still see some dignity in these awards. But how can an Emmy be worth anything if showing up for 20 seconds gets you a nomination just because your name is familiar to voters? Seriously, will she even show up? Her entire performance could be shown as a clip at the show!
Answer: Even by the Emmys' low standards of credibility, this is laughable, preposterous and embarrassing. There's no question the reason she got a nomination for this heightened cameo is because
...
read more
News flash: Annette Bening has once again fallen in love with a charming, wealthy older man who has a reputation for being a bit of a Casanova.
But unlike the story of Bening's real-life romance — her marriage to Warren Beatty has been going strong for nearly 14 years now — there's no happy ending for the character the Oscar-nominated actress plays in HBO's Mrs. Harris (premiering Feb. 25 at 8 pm/ET). Inspired by Shana Alexander's best-selling book Very Much a Lady, the movie explores the sensational 1980 murder scandal involving Jean Harris, the middle-aged headmistress of an exclusive girls' boarding school who shot and killed her longti
read more
