To pretend the entertainment industry is not affected by politics is to live in a fiction of one’s own making
And why Stephen Colbert has more fortitude than most celebrities at the moment.
Is Hollywood becoming conservative?
Spoiler: No. Because it always was.
The dirty little secret is that many podcasts are just (poorly executed) talk shows by another name
The evolution of the podcast is really the de-evolution of not only radio but TV as well
It’s rare when Hollywood takes a thoughtful look at the immigrant experience
It's as timely as ever to revisit 1984's "Moscow on the Hudson" starring Robin Williams, as well as 2008's "Sugar"
“The Way We Were” vs. the way we are now
Where are the Katie Moroskys of Hollywood? Why is everyone such a Hubbell instead?
Why does nobody wear glasses on screen anymore?
People who wear glasses are everywhere in real life. So why isn’t that true on screen?
To stay or not to stay for a movie's end credits
To my surprise, some audiences ascribe a moral component to watching the closing credits
How do we watch what’s on our screens?
Are we losing the skill to engage with long-form storytelling?
“Wedding Crashers” is a 20-year-comedy that still works despite a few key reasons it shouldn’t
There's such a buoyancy and playfulness, despite one very dicy storyline, and somehow it still works
Women at work
From "9 to 5" to "The Devil Wears Prada," movies about working women have bangers for title sequences
The state of Hollywood bodies
Celebrities are human beings. But they are also selling us something. Right now, that's thinness.
What is integrity, anyway?!
From Harry Potter to Fox News, celebrities are all too happy to cash a check
The hollowness of Hollywood’s rich people stories
TV and film of the moment aren't going to galvanize anyone. But stories closer to home just might.
Celebrities will not save us
Celebrities are meeting the moment with a mixture of self-interest and evasion
The death of spontaneity
Plus some thoughts on "The Crown" and the real-world royal show of the moment
When companies go all-in on America as a brand
Plus the power of "Roundball Rock" ... and a look at the celebrity documentary industrial complex.
The off-putting comedy of Tim Robinson
His latest is HBO’s “The Chair Company.” Plus some thoughts about English vs. subtitles
Why is the reboot of “Law & Order” so bad?
It’s as if everyone forgot how to make the show.
The dearth of legal dramas
And what really happened behind the scenes of “LA Law”
Two Robert Redford films worth revisiting: “The Electric Horseman” and "The Hot Rock"
A closer look at 1979 romantic comedy and the 1972 comedic heist