The Inside Stories of ‘Mad Men’s’ Grand Finale
It was a panacea for all those suffering withdrawal symptoms from the end of the adventures of Don Draper & Co., a packed house at the WGA Theater in Beverly Hills for the Writers Guild Foundation’s “Inside the Writers Room with Mad Men,” a Q&A with series creator Matthew Weiner and his writing staff who worked on the final season of the AMC drama. Moderated by another of television’s legendary creators, Matt Groening of “The...
‘Justified,’ ‘Olive Kitteridge’ Top Noms for Critics’ Choice TV Awards
The nominations for the 5th annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards released today are causing big buzz in the biz, with some surprising choices topping the leaderboard for honors given out by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. Full disclosure: I’m a voting member of the organization. As is historically the case with the Emmy nominations, HBO leads the nominations count–garnering 27 nods, followed by FX with 16....
A Revealing and Riveting Portrait of Kurt Cobain in ‘Montage of Heck’
It’s been 21 years since Kurt Cobain’s suicide, but the fascination with the legendary lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Nirvana is stronger than ever. The man and his music continue to enthrall not just people who experienced the groundbreaking music in the early 1990s, but a new generation of fans all over the world. Although Cobain’s story has been told in books and films, filmmaker Brett Morgen spent the past eight years...
Fighting Unconscious Bias: We Need More Shows Like ‘Empire’
Conquering discrimination in the entertainment industry, whether that bias in hiring practices is conscious or not, is a difficult and complex topic. The subject engendered a frank and sometimes painful discussion as the Writers Guild of America, West hosted a panel called “Exploring Unconscious Bias,” moderated by showrunner Glen Mazzara. The panelists were executive producer Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,”” How to Get...
Crafting TV’s Top Hits: Showrunners Tell all at HRTS Hitmakers Affair
It’s a rare opportunity to get insights into some of the top shows on broadcast and cable in one place–all in one hour—but that was the agenda at the Hollywood Radio & Television Society’s annual Hitmakers Newsmaker Luncheon, held April 8 at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom. A rapt audience heard from Lee Daniels, co-creator and executive producer of Fox’s breakout hit “Empire,” Noah Hawley, EP of FX’s acclaimed...
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