Entertainment Today and Beyond

Never Met a Zombi I Didn’t Like…

RELIGULOUS REVIEW appears in VARIETY!

This is the very first review of the BILL MAHER documentary, RELIGULOUS. It’s from VARIETY and it’s a RAVE! READ IT HERE

August 31, 2008 Posted by Entertainment Today & Beyond | Reviews | Leave a Comment

90120 and RAISING THE BAR launch this upcoming week, HBO’s VAMPIRE SAGA getting good advance buzz, CHRISTIAN SLATER hopes TV is good to him and THE VIEW enters season 12

CW badly needs its Beverly Hills 90210 sequel show which is simply titled 90210 to be a hit. By fledgling network sub-par standards, that would mean pulling in 5-8 million viewers a week. The show is on the cover of TV guide this week, so that should solidify enough curiosity seekers to get it out of the gate when it premieres Tuesday September 2nd. If the program gives significant screen time to the veteran cast, lead by Jennie Garth and Lori Loughlin, I think it will be fine. As a fan of the original I’m curious to see how it will compare.

On Labor Day night, TNT will premiere its new legal drama from STEVEN BOCHCO titled RAISING THE BAR. The show stars MARK-PAUL COSSELAAR who was on Bochco’s long running series NYPD BLUE for its last two seasons. He’s best known for playing Zack on Saved by the Bell. While reviews for the pilot have been somewhat tepid, I’ll give this show a chance just because it’s a Bochco production. TNT has become a force to be reckoned with as its original program is attracting sizable audiences. Its show’s THE CLOSER and SAVING GRACE have pulled in better than 7 million viewers an episode and have gotten plenty of Award accolades to boot.

HBO’s new Vampire drama, TRUE BLOOD, is getting some really good buzz. From the creators of Six Feet Under, the program premieres Sunday September 9th.

I have to admit I’m going to be rooting for NBC’s split personality spy drama, MY OWN WORST ENEMY, to be a hit when it premieres October 13th. Why? – because it stars Christian Slater, an actor I’ve always liked. It’s no secret his personal demons have derailed a once promising career so hopefully he can be re-discovered on Television.

ABC’s gabfest, THE VIEW, returns from hiatus Tuesday September 2nd for its 12th season with the same panel lead by Whoopi Goldberg and, the always annoying, Elisabeth Hasselbeck. With the presidential race in full swing, the hot topic segment should be a fun watch.

One other bit of TV news – NBC will kick off the NFL football season with the REDSKINS at the GIANTS on Thursday September 4th. John Madden continues to be an American institution.

August 31, 2008 Posted by Entertainment Today & Beyond | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

POLTERGEIST remake might have its Director and GEORGE CLOONEY’s career moves

According to Bloody Disgusting, director Vadim Perelman is in serious talks with MGM to helm their planned remake of the 1982 film POLTERGEIST. While I’m on record as not being a fan of remaking this classic supernatural thriller, Perelman is a very respectable choice. While he’s never done a movie in this genre before he did do the very solid adult oriented drama, THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG in 2003, starring Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley. It at least showed he can mount a solid film, and is not a hack whose only credit is an MTV style TV commercial.

After reading that the Coen brothers newest film, BURN AFTER READING, is getting pretty tepid advance reviews I couldn’t help but think about the choices GEORGE CLOONEY has made in his movie career. First, I have to point out that I still believe the best work Clooney has ever done as an actor was that of Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC medical drama ER. That part fit him like a glove and elevated him as ‘the next big thing’ in Hollywood leading men. Make no mistake, I think Clooney’s a very good actor, but to me it seems like he runs his career as if he were living forty or fifty years ago.

Good looks and charm are great but a few big projects with mainstream appeal would also be nice. If you throw out the OCEAN’S ELEVEN franchise, which George could do in his sleep, the only big mainstream hit he’s had was Wolfgang Peterson’s, A PERFECT STORM. Maybe it’s just me but I would have loved to see Clooney in the PLANET OF THE APES remake (with a better script of course), I AM LEGEND or say a remake of SOYLENT GREEN. Or even better, how about starring in Universal’s planned new EARTHQUAKE movie! While I don’t mind George having fun goofing around on screen in films like LEATHERHEADS or INTOLERABLE CRUELTY, I really would like to see him in bigger high concept projects with mass appeal. Please George, don’t let BATMAN AND ROBIN scare you away from that and start re-thinking your career path!

August 31, 2008 Posted by Entertainment Today & Beyond | And Beyond - Trailers & News | , , , , , | Leave a Comment