Author Archive
 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Save the Date”

> Michael Mohan’s SAVE THE DATE, which premiered this afternoon at Sundance, doesn’t earn its points from an original premise. It concerns 2 divergent sisters, Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) and Beth (Alison Brie), but mostly...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Lay the Favorite”

> The fundamental problem with LAY THE FAVORITE, Stephen Frears’ new film that premiered last night at Sundance, is that it’s made by people who seem to have little if any interest in gambling. And since this is a m...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Celeste & Jesse Forever”

> The festival has its first crowd-pleaser in CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER, a light but heartfelt romantic comedy-drama in the Woody Allen vein. Written by Rashida Jones (who also stars as Celeste) and Will Mc McCormack (on hand a...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE REVIEWS: “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

>Benh Zeitlin’s BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is the kind of movie that makes people wince when they hear “independent film”. A tale, with magical realist overtones, set in the mostly African-American poverty of...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Wish You Were Here”

>Two Australian couples vacation together on the beaches of Cambodia, but only 3 people return. That’s the set-up for Kieran Darcy-Smith’s skilled debut WISH YOU WERE HERE, which premiered as part of Sundance’...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ SUNDANCE REVIEW: “Hello I Must Be Going”

> Sundance changed the way it kicks things off this year. Instead of a single high-profile Opening Night Film (which has almost always turned out to be a disappointment), the festival screened several smaller films. For those o...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S WEDNESDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 1/18/12

> AMERICAN IDOL returned to the schedule, towering over everything… except its own past. FOX:  Idol came back with a 7.4, which naturally squashed all its competition.  In fact, it beat the ratings of the other ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE: “Justified”

> FX’s Elmore Leonard-inspired crime drama JUSTIFIED really hit its stride in its second season last year, and now it’s back, trying to build on that very solid success. WHERE WE LEFT OFF:  The redoubtable Mags...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Are You There, Chelsea?”

> Previously… On ARE YOU THERE, CHELSEA?:  “Chelsea Newman,” aka the fictionalized Chelsea Handler (Laura Prepon) works in a New Jersey sports bar, knocking back drinks and men, and trading barbs with co-...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S TUESDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 1/17/12

> The FOX Tuesday line-up returned to moderate results. FOX:  The network won the night, but unimpressively:  GLEE tied the season low it hit during the holiday season, and NEW GIRL was only 0.1 above its own. CBS:&nb...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

The Sked: OFFICIAL NATIONAL RATINGS January 14-15

>The official ratings are in for Saturday and Sunday.  Key updates: FOX Sunday.  The NFL coverage of the end of the New York Giants-Green Bay Packers playoff game and postgame analysis went up to a 15.8 rating with Ad...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: ABC (Finally) Hearts “Cougar Town”

> It’s taken far, far too long, but the news that COUGAR TOWN fans have been longing for has finally arrived:  the smart, quirky, hilarious ensemble comedy that isn’t about cougars of any kind has found a home ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S MONDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 1/16/12

> America is willing to follow FOX behind bars. FOX:  The 2-hour launch of ALCATRAZ went very well, with a solid 3.3 that held throughout the broadcast.  That put the network squarely in 2d place for the night behind ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Alcatraz”

> Previously… On ALCATRAZ:  San Francisco cop Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), whose partner was recently killed, finds herself embroiled in a mysterious case in which an Alcatraz inmate from 40 years ago, apparently lo...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “House of Lies”

> Previously… On HOUSE OF LIES:  Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) and his “pod” of associate management consultants (Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson) travel the country, putting out fires for their high-p...
by Mitch Salem