Posts Tagged ‘politics’
 

 

THE SKED REVIEW: SNL with Seth MacFarlane

  The opening 15 minutes of the 38th season premiere of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (fun fact:  Barack Obama was 14 years old when the show first went on the air) set a blazing pace that the rest of the show, alas, couldn’t...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ TORONTO: “Something In the Air” and “Ginger and Rosa”

Toronto this year provided two notable portraits of teenagers growing up in a time of political turmoil, Olivier Assayas’s SOMETHING IN THE AIR and Sally Potter’s GINGER AND ROSA. Assayas’s film is about th...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

SHOWBUZZDAILY @ TORONTO: “The Company You Keep”

As soon as Robert Redford had enough clout to start generating his own movies, he began starring in and often producing some of the best politically-themed films of the 1970s, including The Candidate, Three Days of the Condor�...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S TUESDAY NETWORK SCORECARD – 8/28/12

  Republicans ♥ NBC? NBC:  Somewhat ironically, considering the Right’s loathing of MSNBC, preliminary numbers have the Peacock as the GOP network of choice for last night’s coverage of the REPUBLICAN NATION...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “The Newsroom”

Here’s what Aaron Sorkin’s THE NEWSROOM is, for better and very often for worse:  a deadly serious, indeed doggedly self-righteous, primer on how news should be reported and, by extension, how America should be gov...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Political Animals”

  POLITICAL ANIMALS remained uncompelling to the very end, which is remarkable when you consider that its final episode threw in, among other things, the (apparent) death of the President of the United States.  The show ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON PREMIERE REVIEW: “Boss”

    BOSS:  Friday 10PM on Starz WHERE WE WERE:  In a state of depression.  By the end of last season, Chicago Mayor Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer) had systematically murdered, driven away, destroyed and/or humiliated an...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “The Campaign”

  THE CAMPAIGN:  Not At Any Price – Abstain THE CAMPAIGN, like many a politician before it, tries to be all things to all people, and winds up delivering almost nothing. There was reason to be hopeful about The Camp...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S MIDSEASON PILOT REPORT: NBC’s “1600 Penn”

  1600 PENN:  TBD Midseason on NBC – If Nothing Else Is On… Disclaimer: Network pilots now in circulation are not necessarily in the form that will air in the Fall. Pilots are often reedited and re-scored, and...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 4 REVIEW: “The Newsroom”

  We’re at the halfway point in Season 1 of THE NEWSROOM (so, yay!), and Aaron Sorkin celebrated by firing almost his entire writing staff.  (In a delightfully self-referential touch that TMI Magazine would apprecia...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 1 REVIEW: “Political Animals”

  POLITICAL ANIMALS: Sunday 10PM on USA A lot can happen between the creation of a TV pilot in the spring and the production of episodes for the regular season: a writing/producing team is hired, audience focus groups weig...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 3 REVIEW: “The Newsroom”… and “Broadcast News”

  HBO has been airing a spiffy HD edition of James L. Brooks’ 1987 BROADCAST NEWS  in its recent rotation (it’s next scheduled for July 20 and 24), and that makes sense, since the Brooks film is one of the ack...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED PILOT REVIEW: “Political Animals”

  POLITICAL ANIMALS:  Sunday 10PM on USA – Potential DVR Alert   POLITICAL ANIMALS is a lot more Brothers & Sisters than it is The West Wing, which makes sense because it’s the work of Greg Berlanti, ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED’S PILOT + 2 REVIEW: “The Newsroom”

  Previously… On THE NEWSROOM:  Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) and his executive producer Mackenzie MacHale (Emily Mortimer), with the support and encouragement of News Division head Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston) are ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED PILOT REVIEW: “The Newsroom”

THE NEWSROOM:  Sundays 10PM on HBO – DVR Alert We live in an era of TV auteurs.  Although there will always be networks and studios writing the checks–just ask Dan Harmon–it’s arguably the case that wr...
by Mitch Salem