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6 articles
The Best of Cold War Cinema
10 hours ago
Maybe the reason Betsy Sharkey is feeling nostalgic about Cold War flicks is that the era offered a clear, if flawed, idea that we were the good guys. Regardless, it made for some good movies. The Los Angeles Times critic's faves, by "capricious category": Aliens: With "subtexts rich in what the 'aliens' might be capable of," films like the original Day the Earth Stood Still shine. Also of note is the ghetto freakout Brother From Another Planet (1984). Spies: A toss-up between Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain (1966), with "Paul Newman at his enigmatic best," and Sean Penn's addled druggie-Soviet operative... »
To Save NBC, Rethink Leno Strategy
11 hours ago
Cable giant Comcast wants to buy a controlling interest in NBC Universal. Sure, the company's movie business and cable channels are appealing, but what about the broadcast network? NBC is floundering, and CEO Jeff Zucker is to blame, Mark Harris writes in New York . One big problem is The Jay Leno Show : "Remaking an entire prime-time lineup in his familiarly peevish image was a Hail Mary pass, not a long-term business strategy." The pass didn't connect. Leno, which airs five nights a week, gets terrible ratings and takes up time slots that could have held scripted shows, even if they... »
Threesome Complaints May Only Help Gossip Girl
13 hours ago
The CW might want to write a thank-you note to the Parents Television Council: All of its moaning about tonight’s Gossip Girl threesome is serving as free publicity for the show, which may just help boost its sagging ratings. No ads have been pulled and no affiliates are boycotting, the Los Angeles Times reports—and it may not be the only racy storyline to hit the show this season. "We're not going to pull back," says a producer. "If anything, we'll be accelerating because we've gotten our footing with these characters being out of high school. The PTC may be... »
Travolta: Religion Helps Us Cope
14 hours ago
Near-daily religious counseling has helped the family cope with the loss of Jett, say John Travolta and Kelly Preston, who spoke out for the first time since his January death. “We've been working very hard every day as a family to heal,” Travolta says, "We have our own way of doing it, and it has been helping." The family was taking part in a roundtable interview for Old Dogs , which stars 9-year-old daughter Ella Bleu, USA Today reports. “We decided it was Ok to come out and promote, to introduce her to the world and to give her a beautiful... »
Levi, Jon Pal Around in NYC
15 hours ago
After weeks of hype, the wait is over: Levi Johnston is in New York to shoot his Playgirl spread. And who should he run into upon his arrival? America's other favorite ex-beau and fellow media darling Jon Gosselin. Johnston was in Times Square taping an outdoor Insider interview; Gosselin was filming promotional TV spots. View the odd photo the two posed for in the New York Daily News . In related news, New York takes a look at how Playgirl landed Johnston. The Alaskan babydaddy thought manager Tank Jones was kidding about the mag's offer, but Jones goaded him into accepting,... »
Andre Agassi's Autobiography 'Lively but Narrow'
16 hours ago
Andre Agassi’s autobiography has gotten a lot of hype, thanks to his admission of using both crystal meth and a toupee—but most of Open deals with “tennis, more tennis, the misery of tennis,” writes Janet Maslin in the New York Times . Still, even minutely detailed descriptions of matches prove “lively” thanks in part to writer Jr Moehringer, whose name does not appear on the book: “Somebody on the memoir team has great gifts for heart-tugging drama.” Other than the above-mentioned tabloid fodder, the most interesting parts of Open deal with Agassi’s tough ex-athlete father, who once smashed young Andre’s... »
6 articles
