Author Archive
 

 

HUNGER GAMES/MAD MEN POP CULTURE APOCALYPSE MINUS 12 – “Hunger Games” Tracking

> Normally the universe of pop culture only allows for one giant event at a time, and not accidentally–they stay out of each other’s way.  You won’t find any major movies opening the same day as The Aveng...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW: “Labor Day”

  LABOR DAY is a beautifully performed, well crafted Harlequin romance.  As such, it’s a shock coming from writer/director Jason Reitman (based on Joyce Maynard’s novel), one that goes in a completely differen...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY LA FILM FEST REVIEW: “Ruby Sparks”

  RUBY SPARKS:  Worth A Ticket – A Narrative Feat   Woody Allen is one of the most influential figures in modern independent film, but his ghost is usually evident in the many romantic comedy-dramas we get each...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Bunheads”

  It helps if you think of BUNHEADS as a CG special effects spectacle, except in this case the CG special effects and spectacle are all in the sound of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s dialogue.  Either you love herrapid-f...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S SUNDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 4/15/12

> NYC 22 goes down with the ship. CBS:  It was almost a full year ago that CBS announced the arrival of NYC 22 (which has changed titles since then), and after all that time… nobody cared.  The show debuted...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S FRIDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 2/22/13

The last Friday of February sweeps was dull for every network. CBS:  After the failure of The Job, CBS rushed UNDERCOVER BOSS back into its 8PM slot, and although Boss outperformed the deceased show, its 1.5 was 0.4 lower tha...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’s Fall TV Ratings Predictions – Monday

  The Upfronts are over, which means the real Upfronts are about to begin–that is, the networks’ advance sale of advertising time (usually about 80% of the season’s total) for the Fall 2013 TV season.  A...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

UPDATED: CHRISTMAS BOXOFFICE: Can You Hear the People Sing?

NOTE:  THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT OFFICIAL STUDIO ESTIMATES FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. There was plenty under the tree for Hollywood this Christmas Day.  The major tinsel came from LES MISERABLES (Universal), which is proj...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY Pilot + 1 Review: “The Family”

  THE FAMILY:  Sunday 9PM on ABC Previously… on THE FAMILY:  Ten years after his disappearance and presumed death, a now-teen Adam Warren (Liam James) appears, freshly escaped from what he describes as a decade spe...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Pan Am”

> A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and production of episodes for the regular season:  a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weigh in, networks and studios (which may hav...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

NIELSENWAR: The Fall 2019 CW Schedule & Analysis

We’ve reached the broadcast networks’ Upfront Week… which used to be a lot more central to our television lives than it is now.  Ratings everywhere are down, and there’s no reason to think they’ve hit bottom, which h...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY’S 2D ANNUAL FANTASY SUMMER MOVIE DRAFT

The arrival of THE AVENGERS means that, whatever the calendar may say, as far as Hollywood is concerned, summer has begun.  Which in turn means that for the next several months, would-be blockbusters will be launched into mult...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

A MIDSUMMER STUDIO’S REPORT CARD: Paramount

>    With a summer movie season bracketed by the first weekend in May on one end, and Labor Day on the other, we’ve reached the midpoint of 2011’s array of blockbusters, and for the next week, here at SHOW...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED Season Premiere Review: “Raising Hope”

  RAISING HOPE:  Friday 9PM on FOX With series creator Greg Garcia spending his time these days (God help him) at his new The Millers, there’s been a change of regime at RAISING HOPE, which had its belated Season 4 ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW: Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”

  If THE DARK KNIGHT had no superhero or comic book trappings–if The Joker were scarred but not hideously made up, and Batman were a bit lower-tech and merely disguised rather than wearing a cowl and cape–Chris...
by Mitch Salem