Detective Murtaugh sees a mysterious man pull out a weapon in the middle of a police station. He heroically jumps into action to protect, serve, and tackle. But it turns out it is just good ol’ Mel Gibson, who overpowers and flips this 50-year-old character, played by a 40-year-old actor, Danny Glover. Humiliated and hurt, Danny Glover spits out an iconic line that has come to define his career and become a meme, “I’m too old for this shit.” Danny Glover was too old for this shit three decades ago… but he has kept on grinding, making motion pictures ever since. But maybe Danny Glover is too old for this shit… if that “shit” is good movies. Oh, I kid! I kid!
Glover may not have any Oscars, but he did get a late start in his movie career, having broken out in his 40s. So, what has Danny Glover,...
Glover may not have any Oscars, but he did get a late start in his movie career, having broken out in his 40s. So, what has Danny Glover,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Richard Foronjy, who spent more than eight years in prison before he turned to acting and appeared in such films as Serpico, Midnight Run, Repo Man and Carlito’s Way, died Sunday, his family announced. He was 86.
Foronjy said he was arrested more than 20 times for “forgery, bank robbery, credit card rip-offs, assorted crimes and skullduggery … [guilty of] almost everything except drugs and homicide,” he said in a 1987 interview with Upi’s Vernon Scott.
The Brooklyn native was convicted only once, but that got him an 8½-year stretch in the New York prisons Sing Sing and Attica before he was released when he was 32.
In Hollywood, not surprisingly, Foronjy specialized in portraying cops and crooks.
He was a cop killer in his screen debut, Serpico (1973), and cops in The Morning After (1986) and Prince of the City (1981), all for Sidney Lumet. “I was especially good at playing cops, no doubt because I got to...
Foronjy said he was arrested more than 20 times for “forgery, bank robbery, credit card rip-offs, assorted crimes and skullduggery … [guilty of] almost everything except drugs and homicide,” he said in a 1987 interview with Upi’s Vernon Scott.
The Brooklyn native was convicted only once, but that got him an 8½-year stretch in the New York prisons Sing Sing and Attica before he was released when he was 32.
In Hollywood, not surprisingly, Foronjy specialized in portraying cops and crooks.
He was a cop killer in his screen debut, Serpico (1973), and cops in The Morning After (1986) and Prince of the City (1981), all for Sidney Lumet. “I was especially good at playing cops, no doubt because I got to...
- 5/21/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you’re not caught up on your peak TV viewing, consider this your spoiler warning. Four months have passed since Jennifer Coolidge bagged her second consecutive Emmy for “The White Lotus” and thus became the eighth drama or comedy series regular honored by the TV academy for a season in which her character died. Emmy nominations of this kind have become quite common in recent years, and it’s possible that over 15% of the 2024 lead and supporting continuing series contenders will be added to the list.
The current consensus among more than 2,400 Gold Derby users is that five continuing series performers whose characters perished within the past year will receive Emmy nominations, while a few others have outside shots at recognition. This does not include characters like Anakin Skywalker who died before their shows’ latest seasons began but appear as ghosts or in flashbacks. Undead characters like most of...
The current consensus among more than 2,400 Gold Derby users is that five continuing series performers whose characters perished within the past year will receive Emmy nominations, while a few others have outside shots at recognition. This does not include characters like Anakin Skywalker who died before their shows’ latest seasons began but appear as ghosts or in flashbacks. Undead characters like most of...
- 5/20/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
If time is a river, as the oft-repeated phrase echoes through the second season of Prime Video’s mysterious, existential Western and metaphysical sci-fi series, the “Outer Range,” then the unrelenting flow of time is also an unforgivable force that stops for no man. Weirder and darker than ever, and yet somehow streamlined and more ruggedly focused, thanks to the series’ new veteran showrunner Charles Murray, “Outer Range” continues to grip and mesmerize with its mind-bending, enigmatic blend of family anxieties, crisis-of-faith dilemmas, impending land rivalries, and the burden of keeping secrets.
Continue reading ‘Outer Range’ Review: Time Is A River For Josh Brolin In Still Weird, Existentially Compelling Season 2 at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Outer Range’ Review: Time Is A River For Josh Brolin In Still Weird, Existentially Compelling Season 2 at The Playlist.
- 5/15/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
"Vanishing Point" isn't exactly a mainstream classic, but for a portion of moviegoers who like to see cars go fast and people do drugs, it's pretty much unmissable. Based on that description alone, it makes sense that the cult film's audience grew when it was directly referenced in Quentin Tarantino's 2007 road slasher film "Death Proof." Other directors who are major fans of the film include Edgar Wright and Steven Spielberg, who once told Entertainment Weekly it was one of his favorite movies.
The 1971 film didn't feature many stars, but did include a handful of actors who would become famous for other projects in the years following the film. Cleavon Little, who played radio DJ Super Soul in the film, went on to star in Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" three years later, while actress Charlotte Rampling, who was Oscar nominated for her work in "45 Years" in 2016, apparently appeared as...
The 1971 film didn't feature many stars, but did include a handful of actors who would become famous for other projects in the years following the film. Cleavon Little, who played radio DJ Super Soul in the film, went on to star in Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" three years later, while actress Charlotte Rampling, who was Oscar nominated for her work in "45 Years" in 2016, apparently appeared as...
- 5/15/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Upon sweeping the four main drama acting categories at the 2021 Emmy Awards, “The Crown” stars Olivia Colman, Josh O’Connor, Gillian Anderson, and Tobias Menzies all joined a special roster of lead or supporting TV academy honorees who were not part of their shows’ original casts. As members of the expansive Netflix series’ second of three distinct ensembles, this quartet and their co-stars were replaced ahead of season five by a new group of actors, some of whom could be added to said exclusive winners club later this year.
According to Gold Derby’s odds, the performer from the sixth and final season of “The Crown” with the best shot at Emmy glory is supporting female frontrunner Elizabeth Debicki. She played the role of Princess Diana for two seasons, finishing the job started by younger season four cast member Emma Corrin. The characters embodied by predicted nominees Imelda Staunton (Queen Elizabeth II...
According to Gold Derby’s odds, the performer from the sixth and final season of “The Crown” with the best shot at Emmy glory is supporting female frontrunner Elizabeth Debicki. She played the role of Princess Diana for two seasons, finishing the job started by younger season four cast member Emma Corrin. The characters embodied by predicted nominees Imelda Staunton (Queen Elizabeth II...
- 5/3/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In a very unsettled drama Emmy field, one of the few ostensible locks this year is Elizabeth Debicki. With 4/1 odds, she is the runaway favorite to take home the Best Drama Supporting Actress Emmy for her turn as Princess Diana on “The Crown,” which would make the Netflix series the sixth show to deliver two different winners in the category.
Twelve shows have won drama supporting actress more than once. Of those, seven shows have had one person triumph repeatedly, including “Lou Grant” for Nancy Marchand, who won a record four times, and most recently “Ozark” for three-time champ Julia Garner. The five shows that saw the wealth spread among its cast members are “St. Elsewhere”, “The West Wing”, “Hill Street Blues”, “The Practice” and “thirtysomething”. No show has had more than two cast members win the award.
Interestingly, Marchand (1980-82; her first win was in ’78), Roberts (1983), Woodard (1984), Thomas (1985), Bartlett...
Twelve shows have won drama supporting actress more than once. Of those, seven shows have had one person triumph repeatedly, including “Lou Grant” for Nancy Marchand, who won a record four times, and most recently “Ozark” for three-time champ Julia Garner. The five shows that saw the wealth spread among its cast members are “St. Elsewhere”, “The West Wing”, “Hill Street Blues”, “The Practice” and “thirtysomething”. No show has had more than two cast members win the award.
Interestingly, Marchand (1980-82; her first win was in ’78), Roberts (1983), Woodard (1984), Thomas (1985), Bartlett...
- 4/11/2024
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The premise of the 1977 sitcom "Three's Company" -- adapted from the 1973 British series "Man About the House" -- would likely never fly in 2024. Roommates Janet (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy (Suzanne Somers) require a third roommate to pay rent in their expensive Santa Monica apartment. They stumble across Jack Tripper (John Ritter), an aspiring culinary student whom they get along with. It so happens, though, that the building's landlord, Mr. Roper (Normal Fell), is ultra-conservative and refuses to let unmarried men and women share his apartments. To get around this contrived contingency, Janet and Chrissy tell Mr. Roper that Jack is gay. This satisfies the landlord but opens Jack up to homophobic jibes.
Fell eventually left the series and was replaced by the high-strung Mr. Furley, played by Don Knotts. Mr. Furley, it seems, required the charade to continue. Somers also left the show in its last two seasons and was...
Fell eventually left the series and was replaced by the high-strung Mr. Furley, played by Don Knotts. Mr. Furley, it seems, required the charade to continue. Somers also left the show in its last two seasons and was...
- 3/16/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Alfre Woodard has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “The Last Frontier,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Woodard joins previously announced series lead Jason Clarke in the show, as well as cast members Haley Bennett, Dominic Cooper, Simone Kessell, Tait Blum, and “Reservation Dogs” alum Dallas Goldtooth. Apple has given the show a 10-episode order.
Per the official description, the series “follows US Marshall Frank Remnick (Clarke), the lone Marshal in charge of the quiet, rugged barrens of Alaska, whose jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with international political implications.”
Woodard will star as Bradford, described as “a top leader in the CIA.” This...
Woodard joins previously announced series lead Jason Clarke in the show, as well as cast members Haley Bennett, Dominic Cooper, Simone Kessell, Tait Blum, and “Reservation Dogs” alum Dallas Goldtooth. Apple has given the show a 10-episode order.
Per the official description, the series “follows US Marshall Frank Remnick (Clarke), the lone Marshal in charge of the quiet, rugged barrens of Alaska, whose jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with international political implications.”
Woodard will star as Bradford, described as “a top leader in the CIA.” This...
- 2/27/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Eighties television was a land of new ideas that hadn’t been seen before. It was also a place where old tropes were made shiny and new with a modern sheen that intrigued audiences and would produce classics like the hospital drama St. Elsewhere and the crime drama Hill Street Blues.
It would be a humdinger of a decade within the genre of mystery and detectives. It would see the return of the iconic detective Mike Hammer in a new series and would also bring us the dramedy Moonlighting. We’d also be treated to one of the greatest performances of Sherlock Holmes ever with the amazing Jeremy Brett.
It would also bring us a female detective who, in a world filled with male counterparts, couldn’t catch a break until she made up her own male counterpart in a boss named Remington Steele. The rest, as they say, is history,...
It would be a humdinger of a decade within the genre of mystery and detectives. It would see the return of the iconic detective Mike Hammer in a new series and would also bring us the dramedy Moonlighting. We’d also be treated to one of the greatest performances of Sherlock Holmes ever with the amazing Jeremy Brett.
It would also bring us a female detective who, in a world filled with male counterparts, couldn’t catch a break until she made up her own male counterpart in a boss named Remington Steele. The rest, as they say, is history,...
- 2/19/2024
- by Jessica Dwyer
- JoBlo.com
Greg Finley, an actor, voiceover artist and Adr (additional dialogue replacement) specialist with credits including Robotech, The X-Files and Men in Black II, has died. He was 76.
Finley, who appeared and/or was heard in hundreds of movies and TV episodes, died Feb. 1 while on vacation in Phoenix, his son Guy Finley announced.
Finley served as a writer, director and voice actor on the 1980s syndicated anime series Robotech and created sounds for the Cigarette Smoking Man (played by William B. Davis) on The X-Files in the 1990s and a group of tiny aliens in Men in Black II (2002).
He retired in 2018 but still worked occasionally, appearing as recently as last year on the Netflix docuseries The King Who Never Was.
Greg Ronald Finley was born in Los Angeles on May 8, 1947. His father, Larry, a cousin of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, hosted shows on Ktla-tv and Kfwb radio and...
Finley, who appeared and/or was heard in hundreds of movies and TV episodes, died Feb. 1 while on vacation in Phoenix, his son Guy Finley announced.
Finley served as a writer, director and voice actor on the 1980s syndicated anime series Robotech and created sounds for the Cigarette Smoking Man (played by William B. Davis) on The X-Files in the 1990s and a group of tiny aliens in Men in Black II (2002).
He retired in 2018 but still worked occasionally, appearing as recently as last year on the Netflix docuseries The King Who Never Was.
Greg Ronald Finley was born in Los Angeles on May 8, 1947. His father, Larry, a cousin of Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, hosted shows on Ktla-tv and Kfwb radio and...
- 2/8/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rod Holcomb, an Emmy-winning TV director of “ER,” “Lost” and other series, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 80.
Holcomb was best known for directing both the pilot and the series finale of “ER,” winning an Emmy for that farewell episode in 2009. He was nominated four four Primetime Emmys over his career, and also nominated for three DGA awards — winning one in 1995 for the “ER” pilot. Holcomb directed 21 pilots over his career, with the remarkable track record of 15 going to series.
“Every good director will elevate the material on the page. His job is to elevate it visually, to give it the weight of an art form,” Holcomb told Variety in 2011. “In a way, it’s easier to determine with a show that you know very well as a viewer, and if you know the contours and the voice of the show, then you can more easily answer some key questions.
Holcomb was best known for directing both the pilot and the series finale of “ER,” winning an Emmy for that farewell episode in 2009. He was nominated four four Primetime Emmys over his career, and also nominated for three DGA awards — winning one in 1995 for the “ER” pilot. Holcomb directed 21 pilots over his career, with the remarkable track record of 15 going to series.
“Every good director will elevate the material on the page. His job is to elevate it visually, to give it the weight of an art form,” Holcomb told Variety in 2011. “In a way, it’s easier to determine with a show that you know very well as a viewer, and if you know the contours and the voice of the show, then you can more easily answer some key questions.
- 1/26/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Rod Holcomb, an Emmy-winning ER director who also helmed Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, China Beach and dozens of other shows and was a longtime Directors Guild negotiating committee menber, has died. He was 80.
The DGA said Holcomb died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness.
“The DGA deeply mourns the passing of Rod Holcomb — a visionary director whose impact on television direction and the creative rights of television directors cannot be overstated,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “Rod’s influence as a pilot director on shows like China Beach and ER among many others, resonated deeply with directors and audiences alike, leaving a cultural imprint. His pioneering use of Steadicam and other techniques brought a more cinematic style to television, helping establish a visual aesthetic that continues today.”
Holcomb helmed hundreds of TV episodes during his 40-year career, scoring four career Emmy...
The DGA said Holcomb died Wednesday in Los Angeles after a long illness.
“The DGA deeply mourns the passing of Rod Holcomb — a visionary director whose impact on television direction and the creative rights of television directors cannot be overstated,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “Rod’s influence as a pilot director on shows like China Beach and ER among many others, resonated deeply with directors and audiences alike, leaving a cultural imprint. His pioneering use of Steadicam and other techniques brought a more cinematic style to television, helping establish a visual aesthetic that continues today.”
Holcomb helmed hundreds of TV episodes during his 40-year career, scoring four career Emmy...
- 1/26/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The very first Emmy Award for Best Drama Series was presented to ABC’s “Pulitzer Prize Playhouse” in 1951. It is one of 40-plus programs that have been honored as television’s top dramatic series. Scroll through our photo gallery below of every winner for Best Drama Series in Emmy history.
Five shows — “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law,” “The West Wing,” “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones” — hold the record for most wins in this category with four each. “Hill Street Blues,” “The West Wing” and “Mad Men” all accomplished that feat in consecutive years. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is also the most-winningest scripted series in Emmy history at 59 trophies. Originally published August 2018.
Five shows — “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law,” “The West Wing,” “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones” — hold the record for most wins in this category with four each. “Hill Street Blues,” “The West Wing” and “Mad Men” all accomplished that feat in consecutive years. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is also the most-winningest scripted series in Emmy history at 59 trophies. Originally published August 2018.
- 1/18/2024
- by Tony Ruiz and Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
In the most important scene of the first season of The Sopranos — arguably the most important scene of television of the last 25 years, if not much longer — Mob boss Tony Soprano stalks and murders Febby Petrulio, a former wiseguy who testified against friends of Tony’s and then went into hiding.
What would have happened, I asked Sopranos creator David Chase recently, if he had pitched the same idea 25 years before that, back when he was a young writer on The Rockford Files, a hit NBC drama starring James Garner as a wisecracking private detective?...
What would have happened, I asked Sopranos creator David Chase recently, if he had pitched the same idea 25 years before that, back when he was a young writer on The Rockford Files, a hit NBC drama starring James Garner as a wisecracking private detective?...
- 1/3/2024
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
At a time when syndicated science fiction was just Star Trek series, it took some guts on Warner Bros’ part to try something darker and more experimental with J. Michael Straczynski’s Babylon 5, designed to tell a sprawling epic that was more political than it was space opera. The show arrived thirty years ago and was successful enough to spawn spin-off five telefilms and a short-lived spinoff, spanning 1993-2007.
The core of it, the 110 episodes from the original five-season series, have been remastered and collected on a nice Blu-ray box set from Warner Home Entertainment. Also included is the original pilot film.
Set in the 23rd century, the Earth Alliance has found its place among star-faring races, notably the Minbari and the Centauri. Some of these races are fine with humans; others wish them gone. Then there are the Vorlons, and no one knows what they want.
Babylon 5 is a gigantic,...
The core of it, the 110 episodes from the original five-season series, have been remastered and collected on a nice Blu-ray box set from Warner Home Entertainment. Also included is the original pilot film.
Set in the 23rd century, the Earth Alliance has found its place among star-faring races, notably the Minbari and the Centauri. Some of these races are fine with humans; others wish them gone. Then there are the Vorlons, and no one knows what they want.
Babylon 5 is a gigantic,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Jack Axelrod, the actor who played the role of Victor Jerome on General Hospital, has died. He was 93.
Multiple reports indicate that Axelrod died on Nov. 28 of natural causes in Los Angeles.
Axelrod was featured on the ABC soap for 40 episodes between 1987 and 1989. He had previously made guest appearances in Kojak (1977), Hill Street Blues (1984), Dallas (1983), The Judge (1986), Dynasty (1987), Outlaws (1987) and Night Court (1989).
“I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him in his last years, as he had no immediate family,” representative Jennifer Garland said in a statement to EW. “We spent much time outdoors, where Jack loved to sketch, read news articles, and recite Shakespearean sonnets.”
Following his stint on General Hospital, Axelrod went on to play Arnie Zimmer on three episodes of Knots Landing between 1989 and 1990. Guest appearances would follow on shows like Murphy Brown (1992), Everybody Loves Raymond (1999), Boys Meets World (1999), Good vs Evil (1999), Jack & Jill...
Multiple reports indicate that Axelrod died on Nov. 28 of natural causes in Los Angeles.
Axelrod was featured on the ABC soap for 40 episodes between 1987 and 1989. He had previously made guest appearances in Kojak (1977), Hill Street Blues (1984), Dallas (1983), The Judge (1986), Dynasty (1987), Outlaws (1987) and Night Court (1989).
“I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with him in his last years, as he had no immediate family,” representative Jennifer Garland said in a statement to EW. “We spent much time outdoors, where Jack loved to sketch, read news articles, and recite Shakespearean sonnets.”
Following his stint on General Hospital, Axelrod went on to play Arnie Zimmer on three episodes of Knots Landing between 1989 and 1990. Guest appearances would follow on shows like Murphy Brown (1992), Everybody Loves Raymond (1999), Boys Meets World (1999), Good vs Evil (1999), Jack & Jill...
- 12/17/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Jack Axelrod, the actor who played mob boss Victor Jerome on “General Hospital” and guest starred on such series as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “My Name Is Earl,” has died. He was 93.
Axelrod died Nov. 28 of natural causes in L.A., his rep Jennifer Garland told Variety.
Axelrod portrayed Victor Jerome on the ABC soap “General Hospital” for 40 episodes from 1987 to 1989. He was also known for his roles as the Electrolarynx Guy on “My Name Is Earl” and patient Charlie Yost, who was in a semi-comatose state at Seattle Grace, on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Additional television credits include “Dallas,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Dynasty,” “Outlaws,” “Night Court,” “Knots Landing,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Alias,” “Frasier,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Scrubs,” “Star-ving,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “Baskets,” “Speechless,” “Ray Donovan,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Modern Family.”
Born in L.A. on Jan. 25, 1930, Axelrod served as a corporal in the U.S. Army, stationed...
Axelrod died Nov. 28 of natural causes in L.A., his rep Jennifer Garland told Variety.
Axelrod portrayed Victor Jerome on the ABC soap “General Hospital” for 40 episodes from 1987 to 1989. He was also known for his roles as the Electrolarynx Guy on “My Name Is Earl” and patient Charlie Yost, who was in a semi-comatose state at Seattle Grace, on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Additional television credits include “Dallas,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Dynasty,” “Outlaws,” “Night Court,” “Knots Landing,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Alias,” “Frasier,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Scrubs,” “Star-ving,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “Baskets,” “Speechless,” “Ray Donovan,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Modern Family.”
Born in L.A. on Jan. 25, 1930, Axelrod served as a corporal in the U.S. Army, stationed...
- 12/17/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Jack Axelrod, an actor whose screen career lasted for nearly a half century, has died. He was 93 years old. Axelrod’s rep said that the actor died of natural causes in Los Angeles on November 28, as The Hollywood Reporter announced on Friday. The earliest entry in Axelrod’s filmography is his role as Arroyo in the 1971 Woody Allen comedy film Bananas. During the 1970s and 1980s, he had small roles in the TV shows Kojak, Hill Street Blues, Dynasty, Night Court, and Knots Landing. He also starred as mob boss Victor Jerome on the ABC soap General Hospital between 1987 and 1989. As the 20th century wrapped up, Axelrod guest-starred on Murphy Brown, Everybody Loves Raymond, Boy Meets World, and Dharma & Greg. In the new millennium, TV viewers saw him on Alias, Frasier, Malcolm in the Middle, Scrubs, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Gale Adler/ABC/Courtesy: Everett Collection In Seasons 3 and 4 of Grey’s Anatomy,...
- 12/16/2023
- TV Insider
David McKnight, whose film resume included starring as the lead in the blaxploitation horror movie J.D.’s Revenge, as well as Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats, died Sunday at age 87.
McKnight passed from cancer in Las Vegas, according to reports.
The actor was a TV staple in various character roles, appearing on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson, among other shows.
In J.D.’s Revenge (1976), McKnight played a deceased New Orleans hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
McKnight was hired to play Uncle Ray in Townsend’s The Hollywood Shuffle, playing a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.
McKnight went on to portray Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the...
McKnight passed from cancer in Las Vegas, according to reports.
The actor was a TV staple in various character roles, appearing on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson, among other shows.
In J.D.’s Revenge (1976), McKnight played a deceased New Orleans hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
McKnight was hired to play Uncle Ray in Townsend’s The Hollywood Shuffle, playing a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.
McKnight went on to portray Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the...
- 12/8/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
David McKnight, who portrayed the title character in the cult blaxploitation horror classic J.D.’s Revenge and appeared in Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats for Robert Townsend, has died. He was 87.
McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.
McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.
In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.
He was then hired to play Uncle Ray,...
McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.
McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.
In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.
In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.
He was then hired to play Uncle Ray,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Criminal Code is a Brazilian series directed by Heitor Dhalia, starring Pedro Caetano, Maeve Jinkings, and Thomás Aquino.
If you’re into thrillers, action, and criminal intrigue, this new series has all the elements to captivate you. Its realistic setting, well-defined characters, and gripping police stories, presented in a style that combines handheld camerawork with expertly crafted editing, make it truly compelling.
The series offers a fast-paced, expertly filmed action-packed storyline revolving around the lives of dedicated police officers.
About the series
“Criminal Code” is primarily a police procedural series that leans more towards pulse-pounding action rather than the tragic realism of “Hill Street Blues.” It explores the psychology of its characters, albeit briefly, without delving into the dramatic side of the story or approaching it as a tragedy. This series is all about action, and it definitely delivers.
The series is primarily targeted towards action movie enthusiasts, particularly those...
If you’re into thrillers, action, and criminal intrigue, this new series has all the elements to captivate you. Its realistic setting, well-defined characters, and gripping police stories, presented in a style that combines handheld camerawork with expertly crafted editing, make it truly compelling.
The series offers a fast-paced, expertly filmed action-packed storyline revolving around the lives of dedicated police officers.
About the series
“Criminal Code” is primarily a police procedural series that leans more towards pulse-pounding action rather than the tragic realism of “Hill Street Blues.” It explores the psychology of its characters, albeit briefly, without delving into the dramatic side of the story or approaching it as a tragedy. This series is all about action, and it definitely delivers.
The series is primarily targeted towards action movie enthusiasts, particularly those...
- 11/14/2023
- by Travis B. Dhalia
- Martin Cid - TV
Robert Butler, a television director for the pilot shows for Star Trek, Batman, Hill Street Blues, and Moonlighting, has died. He was 95.
Butler’s family announced that the Emmy award-winning director died on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles.
Graduating from UCLA where he majored in English, Butler started his career in entertainment as an usher at CBS. His first credit as a director would come in 1959 when he directed an episode for the military comedy-drama Hennesey which starred Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton.
Over the years, Butler was sought out to direct pilots for shows like Hogan’s Heroes (1965), the original Star Trek (1966), Batman (1966), the first mini-series on television The Blue Knight (1973), Hill Street Blues (1978), Moonlighting (1985), Sisters (1991) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993).
Butler won two Emmy Awards, the first one for The Blue Knight pilot in 1973 and the second one in 1981 for Hill Street Blues. In 2015 he was...
Butler’s family announced that the Emmy award-winning director died on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles.
Graduating from UCLA where he majored in English, Butler started his career in entertainment as an usher at CBS. His first credit as a director would come in 1959 when he directed an episode for the military comedy-drama Hennesey which starred Jackie Cooper and Abby Dalton.
Over the years, Butler was sought out to direct pilots for shows like Hogan’s Heroes (1965), the original Star Trek (1966), Batman (1966), the first mini-series on television The Blue Knight (1973), Hill Street Blues (1978), Moonlighting (1985), Sisters (1991) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993).
Butler won two Emmy Awards, the first one for The Blue Knight pilot in 1973 and the second one in 1981 for Hill Street Blues. In 2015 he was...
- 11/11/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Butler, the co-creator of “Remington Steele” and a veteran television director who worked on such series as “Hill Street Blues,” “Star Trek” and “Batman,” died Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. He was 95.
Butler’s career spanned nearly five decades, during which he directed many notable series, including “Hennesey,” “Star Trek,” “Batman,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Bonanza,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Gunsmoke,” “Hawaii Five-o” and more. He won three Primetime Emmy Awards: two for “The Blue Knight” in 1974 and the other for “Hill Street Blues” in 1981. He also received Emmy nominations for episodes of “Moonlighting,” “Sirens” and “Lois & Clark The Adventures of Superman.”
Butler and Michael Gleason co-created “Remington Steele,” starring Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist, which ran from 1982 to 1987 on NBC. Butler directed five episodes of the detective procedural series between 1982 and 1983, including the pilot.
He also directed several feature films and TV movies, including “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t,...
Butler’s career spanned nearly five decades, during which he directed many notable series, including “Hennesey,” “Star Trek,” “Batman,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Bonanza,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Gunsmoke,” “Hawaii Five-o” and more. He won three Primetime Emmy Awards: two for “The Blue Knight” in 1974 and the other for “Hill Street Blues” in 1981. He also received Emmy nominations for episodes of “Moonlighting,” “Sirens” and “Lois & Clark The Adventures of Superman.”
Butler and Michael Gleason co-created “Remington Steele,” starring Pierce Brosnan and Stephanie Zimbalist, which ran from 1982 to 1987 on NBC. Butler directed five episodes of the detective procedural series between 1982 and 1983, including the pilot.
He also directed several feature films and TV movies, including “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Butler, who directed the pilots for a number of classic TV series including “Batman,” “Star Trek” and “Hill Street Blues,” has died at the age of 95.
Butler died on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, his family announced via an obituary on the L.A. Times’ Legacy.com on Saturday.
The director was the cocreator of Pierce Brosnan series “Remington Steele” and directed its pilot. His credits also included work on “The Blue Knight,” “Hawaii Five-o,” “The Waltons” and more.
Butler and his friend screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. were responsible for bringing “Batman” to the small screen and making it a 1960s camp sensation. The pair had been good friends since childhood, and when producer William Dozier tapped them for the comic-to-tv series, they were both ready to work together.
In the 2016 book “Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series,” Butler said, “Dozier knew me when he was a CBS boss,...
Butler died on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, his family announced via an obituary on the L.A. Times’ Legacy.com on Saturday.
The director was the cocreator of Pierce Brosnan series “Remington Steele” and directed its pilot. His credits also included work on “The Blue Knight,” “Hawaii Five-o,” “The Waltons” and more.
Butler and his friend screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. were responsible for bringing “Batman” to the small screen and making it a 1960s camp sensation. The pair had been good friends since childhood, and when producer William Dozier tapped them for the comic-to-tv series, they were both ready to work together.
In the 2016 book “Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series,” Butler said, “Dozier knew me when he was a CBS boss,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
Robert Butler, the Emmy-winning, go-to pilot director who helmed the first episodes of such acclaimed shows as Batman, Star Trek, Hill Street Blues and Moonlighting, died Nov. 3 in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 95.
Butler also co-created the Pierce Brosnan-starring Remington Steele (and helmed its pilot, of course), directed the first episode of Hogan’s Heroes in 1965, and called the first shots and set the tone for, Glenn Gordon Caron’s Moonlighting, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Sisters and The Division.
In 1973, he directed the William Holden-starring The Blue Knight — the first four-hour television miniseries — at NBC and then got the CBS series adaptation of the Joseph Wambaugh novel that starred George Kennedy off on the right foot.
Butler also helmed two episodes of The Twilight Zone (the fifth-season installments “Caesar and Me,” starring his old friend, Jackie Cooper, and “The Encounter”) and worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show,...
Butler also co-created the Pierce Brosnan-starring Remington Steele (and helmed its pilot, of course), directed the first episode of Hogan’s Heroes in 1965, and called the first shots and set the tone for, Glenn Gordon Caron’s Moonlighting, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Sisters and The Division.
In 1973, he directed the William Holden-starring The Blue Knight — the first four-hour television miniseries — at NBC and then got the CBS series adaptation of the Joseph Wambaugh novel that starred George Kennedy off on the right foot.
Butler also helmed two episodes of The Twilight Zone (the fifth-season installments “Caesar and Me,” starring his old friend, Jackie Cooper, and “The Encounter”) and worked on The Dick Van Dyke Show,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peter White, who portrayed Linc Tyler on the ABC soap opera All My Children over four decades and starred in the original stage production and film adaptation of The Boys in the Band, has died. He was 86.
White died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles of melanoma, his All My Children castmate Kathleen Noone (Ellen Shepherd Dalton on the show) told The Hollywood Reporter.
White also played Arthur Cates, the attorney for Sable Colby (Stephanie Beacham), on the first two seasons of the ABC primetime soap The Colbys in 1985-86, and he recurred as the deceased doctor dad of the characters played by Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips on the 1991-96 NBC drama Sisters.
White first portrayed Lincoln Tyler, son of stern Pine Valley matriarch Phoebe Tyler (Ruth Warrick), from 1974-80 — he was the third actor in the role, starting with James Karen — then returned...
White died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles of melanoma, his All My Children castmate Kathleen Noone (Ellen Shepherd Dalton on the show) told The Hollywood Reporter.
White also played Arthur Cates, the attorney for Sable Colby (Stephanie Beacham), on the first two seasons of the ABC primetime soap The Colbys in 1985-86, and he recurred as the deceased doctor dad of the characters played by Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Julianne Phillips on the 1991-96 NBC drama Sisters.
White first portrayed Lincoln Tyler, son of stern Pine Valley matriarch Phoebe Tyler (Ruth Warrick), from 1974-80 — he was the third actor in the role, starting with James Karen — then returned...
- 11/4/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Andy Garcia is a highly acclaimed and versatile Cuban-American actor, director, and musician. Born as Andrés Arturo García Menéndez on April 12, 1956, in Havana, Cuba, he has made a significant impact in the film industry with his iconic characters and dedication to his craft. Despite his success, Garcia remains a private and guarded individual, focusing on his acting roots and personal projects. Let’s take a closer look at his journey, from his early life to his rise to stardom and his notable contributions to the world of cinema.
Andy Garcia. Depositphotos
Andy Garcia’s parents, Amelie Menéndez and René García Núñez, were both Cuban natives. His mother was an English teacher, while his father worked as an attorney and avocado farmer. Garcia’s family was relatively affluent until Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. In 1961, when Garcia was just two years old, his family fled to Miami Beach, seeking refuge from the political turmoil.
Andy Garcia. Depositphotos
Andy Garcia’s parents, Amelie Menéndez and René García Núñez, were both Cuban natives. His mother was an English teacher, while his father worked as an attorney and avocado farmer. Garcia’s family was relatively affluent until Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. In 1961, when Garcia was just two years old, his family fled to Miami Beach, seeking refuge from the political turmoil.
- 10/26/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
The 1980s were a junky era for film and television. Once the studios and networks figured out what kinds of formulas American audiences were keen on after Vietnam, Watergate, and the election of Ronald Reagan reshaped the country's psyche, they exploited them relentlessly. One particularly reliable genre of sorts was the gung-ho, men-on-a-mission actioner where outnumbered, yet armed-to-the-teeth heroes resourcefully defeated equally well-armed bad guys.
When these projects were made for the big screen, studios piled on the red meat. Scads of folks got shot, stabbed, and blown up, and the directors didn't skimp on the viscera. These were the hardest of the hard R-rated movies of the decade, and they made heaps of money.
At a network level, television was still cinema's less-appreciated little brother in the 1980s. Sitcoms were king, while hour-long dramas tended toward soapiness or murder-of-the-week mysteries. There were very fine shows that worked within these parameters,...
When these projects were made for the big screen, studios piled on the red meat. Scads of folks got shot, stabbed, and blown up, and the directors didn't skimp on the viscera. These were the hardest of the hard R-rated movies of the decade, and they made heaps of money.
At a network level, television was still cinema's less-appreciated little brother in the 1980s. Sitcoms were king, while hour-long dramas tended toward soapiness or murder-of-the-week mysteries. There were very fine shows that worked within these parameters,...
- 10/15/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Shirley Jo Finney, a theater director and the star of Wilma (1977), has died. She was 74.
The Fountain Theatre announced Finney’s death on social media writing in an Instagram post, “With broken hearts, we share the sad news that director Shirley Jo Finney, a beloved member of our Fountain Family, passed away yesterday after a long illness.”
Some of the productions that Finney directed included Citizen: An American Lyric, Heart Song, In the Red and Brown Water, The Brothers Size, The Ballad of Emmett Till, Yellowman, Central Avenue and From the Mississippi Delta.
Finney had been battling with cancer for eight months, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
Finney starred in the television film Wilma, a biopic about track star Wilma Rudolph and the obstacles she faced to win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics. In the television movie, Finney starred opposite Cicely Tyson, Jason Bernard, Denzel Washington and more.
The Fountain Theatre announced Finney’s death on social media writing in an Instagram post, “With broken hearts, we share the sad news that director Shirley Jo Finney, a beloved member of our Fountain Family, passed away yesterday after a long illness.”
Some of the productions that Finney directed included Citizen: An American Lyric, Heart Song, In the Red and Brown Water, The Brothers Size, The Ballad of Emmett Till, Yellowman, Central Avenue and From the Mississippi Delta.
Finney had been battling with cancer for eight months, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
Finney starred in the television film Wilma, a biopic about track star Wilma Rudolph and the obstacles she faced to win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics. In the television movie, Finney starred opposite Cicely Tyson, Jason Bernard, Denzel Washington and more.
- 10/15/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
While the first Primetime Emmys battle involving two male drama series costars occurred in 1957, it took until 1980 for there to be such a showdown in the corresponding female category. In the time since on-screen mother and daughter Sada Thompson and Kristy McNichol (“Family”) faced off, 10 more pairs of dramatic lead actresses have been pitted against each other at the Emmys between one and six times each. Scroll through our chronological photo gallery to learn more about the 22 separate cases of dual Best Drama Actress nominations.
The largest portion of this category’s costar face-offs is credited to Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless of “Cagney & Lacey.” After Gless replaced Daly’s first season costar, Meg Foster, the pair never failed to jointly earn TV academy recognition, leading to a record four wins for Daly and two for Gless (1986-1987). The other series that account for multiple entries on this list are “L.A. Law,...
The largest portion of this category’s costar face-offs is credited to Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless of “Cagney & Lacey.” After Gless replaced Daly’s first season costar, Meg Foster, the pair never failed to jointly earn TV academy recognition, leading to a record four wins for Daly and two for Gless (1986-1987). The other series that account for multiple entries on this list are “L.A. Law,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Hulu is doing another purge. The streaming service is removing specific seasons or entire runs of several reality and scripted series. Many will leave the streaming service today, per Deadline.
These departures include seasons of older shows like Ally McBeal, The Practice, Hill Street Blues, and The Bob Newhart Show, as well as current shows like Beat Shazam, and Name That Tune. The removals are reportedly being made to help the streaming service cut costs.
The list of some of the shows being removed is below.
“Fox shows, most of them departing Sept. 25
I Can See Your Voice (Seasons 1-2)
Alter Ego (Season 1)
Cherries Wild (Season 1)
Beat Shazam (Seasons 4-5)
Masked Dancer (Season 1)
Cosmos Possible Worlds (Season 1)
Name That Tune (Seasons...
These departures include seasons of older shows like Ally McBeal, The Practice, Hill Street Blues, and The Bob Newhart Show, as well as current shows like Beat Shazam, and Name That Tune. The removals are reportedly being made to help the streaming service cut costs.
The list of some of the shows being removed is below.
“Fox shows, most of them departing Sept. 25
I Can See Your Voice (Seasons 1-2)
Alter Ego (Season 1)
Cherries Wild (Season 1)
Beat Shazam (Seasons 4-5)
Masked Dancer (Season 1)
Cosmos Possible Worlds (Season 1)
Name That Tune (Seasons...
- 9/25/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Dozens of TV shows — including Ally McBeal, The Practice, and four-time Outstanding Drama Emmy winner Hill Street Blues — are slated to leave Hulu in coming weeks. The content-culling on Hulu comes ahead of a “one app experience” that will combine the Disney-controlled platform with streaming sibling Disney+ later this year, according to Deadline, which reported the removals. The programs disappearing from Hulu include 18 titles from Disney’s 20th Television. Those titles, scheduled to be pulled from the platform on September 30, are: Ally McBeal Arrested Development Better Off Ted The Bob Newhart Show Breakout Kings Damien Dollhouse Don’t Trust the B—– in Apt 23 Hill Street Blues Legends Napoleon Dynamite Out There The Practice Second Chance Shots Fired Son of Zorn Speechless Touch Deadline also listed various Fox shows that will leave Hulu, with several disappearing on September 25: Alter Ego (Season 1) Beat Shazam (Seasons 4-5) Cherries Wild (Season 1) Cosmos: Possible Worlds...
- 9/24/2023
- TV Insider
Updated: In another sign that shows — even famous ones — can no longer “live forever” on streaming in the new era of media companies re-prioritizing profits, a slew of titles will be leaving Disney-controlled Hulu in the coming days as their license deals expire. For now, there are no plans to renew any of the pacts but that is always a possibility in the future.
‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Bob Newhart Show’
The list of departing series includes 18 series from Disney’s 20th Television, including the David E. Kelley Emmy-winning legal shows Ally McBeal, which the studio had been looking to remake, and The Practice, as well as fellow award-winners The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues and Arrested Development.
A slew of catalog titles from Fox and Paramount also are impacted, as well as a couple of properties each from Nat Geo and NBC News. Update: The license agreements for several...
‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Bob Newhart Show’
The list of departing series includes 18 series from Disney’s 20th Television, including the David E. Kelley Emmy-winning legal shows Ally McBeal, which the studio had been looking to remake, and The Practice, as well as fellow award-winners The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues and Arrested Development.
A slew of catalog titles from Fox and Paramount also are impacted, as well as a couple of properties each from Nat Geo and NBC News. Update: The license agreements for several...
- 9/23/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Disney CEO Bob Iger may be neck-deep in negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) this week, but his employees at Hulu continue to have an eye on saving the company money on his behalf. A new report from Vulture indicates that a large swath of classic TV series are leaving Hulu at the end of this month, including some shows that fans of ’90s TV will recognize instantly.
The good news in this latest round of cuts from Hulu is that it appears to be isolated to these shows, at least for now. Vulture reports that unlike content removals which occurred earlier this summer for Disney streamers, this latest batch is not intended as part of larger cost-cutting measures intended to bring immediate relief to the bottom line; rather, the shows being removed are coming to the end of their licensing agreements, and Disney has simply decided to...
The good news in this latest round of cuts from Hulu is that it appears to be isolated to these shows, at least for now. Vulture reports that unlike content removals which occurred earlier this summer for Disney streamers, this latest batch is not intended as part of larger cost-cutting measures intended to bring immediate relief to the bottom line; rather, the shows being removed are coming to the end of their licensing agreements, and Disney has simply decided to...
- 9/22/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
In the NYPD Blue Season One episode “Tempest in a C-Cup,” cop Andy Sipowicz and prosecutor Sylvia Costas wind up on an impromptu dinner date. To call the occasion unexpected would be a wild understatement, as we were introduced to the characters at the very start of the series with a drunken, rampaging Sipowicz grabbing his crotch and calling Sylvia a “pissy little bitch.” But Andy is sober now, and Sylvia finds herself charmed by his company. After he tells her about the aquarium of saltwater tropical fish he keeps in his apartment,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Thirty years ago today, on September 21, 1993, at 10/9c, NYPD Blue premiered on ABC.
However, its debut didn't necessarily mean it reached every household.
The controversial series premiered to apocalyptic fanfare, with critics wondering if the series would usher in the end of TV as viewers knew it.
It’s funny the things you remember from your youth. I was at the age where the idea of a series willing to push the envelope, delivering a taste of the big screen on the small, sounded like an excellent idea.
They say that all publicity is good publicity, but people around the country were so concerned about the effect the show may have on the morals of the everyman that 57 local stations around the country refused to air the premiere.
A month later, there were still 45 ABC affiliates who, due to the possibility of coarse language and nudity, were still not airing it.
However, its debut didn't necessarily mean it reached every household.
The controversial series premiered to apocalyptic fanfare, with critics wondering if the series would usher in the end of TV as viewers knew it.
It’s funny the things you remember from your youth. I was at the age where the idea of a series willing to push the envelope, delivering a taste of the big screen on the small, sounded like an excellent idea.
They say that all publicity is good publicity, but people around the country were so concerned about the effect the show may have on the morals of the everyman that 57 local stations around the country refused to air the premiere.
A month later, there were still 45 ABC affiliates who, due to the possibility of coarse language and nudity, were still not airing it.
- 9/21/2023
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Saturday marks 96 years since the great Peter Falk was born (9-16-27), which strikes us as a great reason to revisit a detective drama as timeless as it is entertaining. In the whole of television history, few actors have been as identified with a single character than was Falk with Lieutenant Columbo, the eccentric, rumpled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-clad, implausibly wily Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective who always got his man. In the process, Falk and the producers revolutionized what a cop show could be. We’re wishing him a Happy Birthday, even though he left us on June 23, 2011.
It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys.
It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys.
- 9/14/2023
- by Ray Richmond and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Saturday marks 96 years since the great Peter Falk was born (9-16-27), which strikes us as a great reason to revisit a detective drama as timeless as it is entertaining. In the whole of television history, few actors have been as identified with a single character than was Falk with Lieutenant Columbo, the eccentric, rumpled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-clad, implausibly wily Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective who always got his man. In the process, Falk and the producers revolutionized what a cop show could be.
It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys..
SEE30 best TV detectives ranked
From the first official installment of “Columbo” – entitled “Murder by the Book...
It’s been more than a half-century since Falk began portraying the world’s favorite lieutenant as part of the rotating “NBC Mystery Movie” franchise on September 15, 1971. It would grow to become a global phenomenon originally across eight seasons (1971-78), then again sporadically from 1989 to 2003. The series itself would win 13 Emmys..
SEE30 best TV detectives ranked
From the first official installment of “Columbo” – entitled “Murder by the Book...
- 9/13/2023
- by Chris Beachum and Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Robert Swan, the veteran character actor who appeared in key roles in the notable sports films Hoosiers, Rudy and The Babe, has died. He was 78.
Swan died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, his friend Betty Hoeffner told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swan also portrayed a Canadian Mountie in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) and a bloodied deputy in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) and was other lawmen in Who’s That Girl (1987) and Mo’ Money (1992).
In Hoosiers (1986), his character, the Indiana farmer Rollin Butcher, has two sons on the Hickory High School basketball team, and he’s one of the few people in town to welcome new coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Later, he joins Coach Dale on the bench as a Huskers’ assistant.
Swan then reunited with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to play a priest in another classic underdog sports flick,...
Swan died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer at his home in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, his friend Betty Hoeffner told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swan also portrayed a Canadian Mountie in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) and a bloodied deputy in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994) and was other lawmen in Who’s That Girl (1987) and Mo’ Money (1992).
In Hoosiers (1986), his character, the Indiana farmer Rollin Butcher, has two sons on the Hickory High School basketball team, and he’s one of the few people in town to welcome new coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman). Later, he joins Coach Dale on the bench as a Huskers’ assistant.
Swan then reunited with Hoosiers director David Anspaugh to play a priest in another classic underdog sports flick,...
- 8/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Is there another modern horror movie as influential and enduringly terrifying as The Exorcist?
Some might make a case for the atmospheric chill of works that preceded it, like Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby or Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. Others perhaps will point to subsequent hits — the brutal shocks of John Carpenter’s Halloween, for instance, or the mercilessly ratcheted suspense of Ridley Scott’s Alien.
But few, if any, horror films have left such an indelible impression, not only on the genre but on broader popular culture, as the 1973 demonic possession thriller that marked the peak of director William Friedkin’s long career.
Two years earlier, Friedkin, who died Monday at his home in Los Angeles, aged 87, had already reinvented the police procedural with The French Connection, a bristling neo-noir that to this day has few equals in its hurtling car-chase action, its viscerally immersive camerawork, its...
Some might make a case for the atmospheric chill of works that preceded it, like Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby or Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now. Others perhaps will point to subsequent hits — the brutal shocks of John Carpenter’s Halloween, for instance, or the mercilessly ratcheted suspense of Ridley Scott’s Alien.
But few, if any, horror films have left such an indelible impression, not only on the genre but on broader popular culture, as the 1973 demonic possession thriller that marked the peak of director William Friedkin’s long career.
Two years earlier, Friedkin, who died Monday at his home in Los Angeles, aged 87, had already reinvented the police procedural with The French Connection, a bristling neo-noir that to this day has few equals in its hurtling car-chase action, its viscerally immersive camerawork, its...
- 8/8/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Matthew Macfadyen is Gold Derby’s odds-on favorite to win his second consecutive Best Drama Supporting Actor Emmy this year for playing the very tired Tom Wambsgans on HBO’s “Succession.” Fun fact: if he were to prevail against co-nominees Alexander Skarsgard, Alan Ruck and Nicholas Braun from “Succession” and F. Murray Abraham, Will Sharpe, Michael Imperioli and Theo James from “The White Lotus,” that would tie him with four other dramatic supporting actors on Emmy’s all-time list.
Stuart Margolin (“The Rockford Files” in 1979-80), Michael Conrad (“Hill Street Blues” in 1981-82), Larry Drake (“L.A. Law” in 1988-89) and Ray Walston (“Picket Fences” in 1995-96) all took home back-to-back Emmy Awards in the Best Drama Supporting Actor category during their shows’ tenures.
SEEHow far ahead is ‘Succession’ in the Emmy race for Best Drama Series?
However, two other stars have even more Best Drama Supporting Actor trophies on their...
Stuart Margolin (“The Rockford Files” in 1979-80), Michael Conrad (“Hill Street Blues” in 1981-82), Larry Drake (“L.A. Law” in 1988-89) and Ray Walston (“Picket Fences” in 1995-96) all took home back-to-back Emmy Awards in the Best Drama Supporting Actor category during their shows’ tenures.
SEEHow far ahead is ‘Succession’ in the Emmy race for Best Drama Series?
However, two other stars have even more Best Drama Supporting Actor trophies on their...
- 7/18/2023
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
TV dramas have come a long way since the days of Playhouse 90, Hallmark Hall of Fame and Net Playhouse – all of which won Emmys for best drama in the 1960s. Even the category’s name has evolved since then, from Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama to Outstanding Dramatic Series or Outstanding Series-Drama and the current Outstanding Drama Series.
Click through a gallery of the shows that have taken home to marquee Emmy Award since 1960 – from the elegance of The Defenders and the period tech of Mission: Impossible through cop shows including Police Story, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue; medical shows Marcus Welby, M.D. and ER, the legal offices of L.A. Law and The Practice; such quirky fare as Picket Fences, Northern Exposure and Ally McBeal; and into the antihero tales of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad – and many more.
Along the way you...
Click through a gallery of the shows that have taken home to marquee Emmy Award since 1960 – from the elegance of The Defenders and the period tech of Mission: Impossible through cop shows including Police Story, Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue; medical shows Marcus Welby, M.D. and ER, the legal offices of L.A. Law and The Practice; such quirky fare as Picket Fences, Northern Exposure and Ally McBeal; and into the antihero tales of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad – and many more.
Along the way you...
- 7/12/2023
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
In Hollywood it only takes one role to turn you into an icon, and one moment to take it all away. Long before cancel culture was a phrase, one iconic celebrity had a meltdown of epic proportions that helped usher in the age of the viral video. As many TV stars have found out, life after a hugely successful show can be quite tough for some. With Julia Louis-Dreyfus winning countless Emmy’s, Jason Alexander returning to his stage roots and Jerry Seinfeld continuing his legendary stand up career, its time we find out what happened to the other member of Seinfeld’s iconic cast: Wtf Happened to Michael Richards? Ya know… Kramer!
But as always we must begin at the beginning and the beginning began on his birthday July 24, 1949 in Culver City, California. After starting on the stand up circuit in 1979, Richards career would take off when he was...
But as always we must begin at the beginning and the beginning began on his birthday July 24, 1949 in Culver City, California. After starting on the stand up circuit in 1979, Richards career would take off when he was...
- 7/7/2023
- by Brad Hamerly
- JoBlo.com
In the fall of 2021, Olivia Colman scored her first career Emmy for “The Crown” despite not having succeeded on her Oscar bid for “The Father” that spring. This made her the 16th performer to prevail at the Emmys directly after going home empty-handed at the Oscars and the fourth to do so during the 21st century. Now that the 2023 Emmy nominations ballots have been released, eight of the 16 actors who lost Oscars at the most recent ceremony officially have shots at joining Colman on this list.
Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...
Gold Derby’s Emmy odds currently indicate that the man and woman with the best hopes of following in Colman’s footsteps are Brian Tyree Henry and Hong Chau, who just received their first career Academy Award nominations for their respective supporting turns in “Causeway” and “The Whale.” Henry is seeking his second comedy supporting Emmy notice for “Atlanta,” while Chau could pull double...
- 7/5/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Lew Palter, who played Isidor Straus in James Cameron’s Titanic and a Supreme Court justice in First Monday in October, has died. He was 94.
Palter died of lung cancer May 21 at his Los Angeles home. CalArts, where Palter was a longtime faculty member, shared news of his death on Twitter.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that longtime #calartstheater faculty Lew Palter has passed away. Lew retired from @CalArts in 2013, having served our community since 1971 as an acting teacher, director, and mentor.”
Among his students at CalArts was Cecily Strong, said it was Palter who encouraged her to try out for improv/sketch comedy group The Groundlings, leading to her breakout role on SNL.
“Lew loved the craft of acting, and taught his students to do the same,” said CalArts School of Theater Dean Travis Preston in a statement. “He fostered deep curiosity, care, intellect,...
Palter died of lung cancer May 21 at his Los Angeles home. CalArts, where Palter was a longtime faculty member, shared news of his death on Twitter.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that longtime #calartstheater faculty Lew Palter has passed away. Lew retired from @CalArts in 2013, having served our community since 1971 as an acting teacher, director, and mentor.”
Among his students at CalArts was Cecily Strong, said it was Palter who encouraged her to try out for improv/sketch comedy group The Groundlings, leading to her breakout role on SNL.
“Lew loved the craft of acting, and taught his students to do the same,” said CalArts School of Theater Dean Travis Preston in a statement. “He fostered deep curiosity, care, intellect,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Ann Dowd is looking to make an Emmys comeback with perhaps her most complex take on Aunt Lydia yet in the most recent season of Hulu’s awards-favorite “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Based on Margaret Atwood‘s book of the same name, the show follows a dystopian future wherein a totalitarian society named Gilead has taken power and women are forced into child-bearing slavery. The series features Elisabeth Moss in the lead role while there are plenty of excellent supporting players including Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley, and the fearsome Dowd.
Dowd plays the brutal, iron-willed Aunt Lydia, who is one of the staunchest believers in Gilead and who will go to any means necessary to keep the women she is in charge of in place. She is violent, brutish, and terrifying to behold as she commands the screen and everyone around her. In season five, however, cracks begin to...
Based on Margaret Atwood‘s book of the same name, the show follows a dystopian future wherein a totalitarian society named Gilead has taken power and women are forced into child-bearing slavery. The series features Elisabeth Moss in the lead role while there are plenty of excellent supporting players including Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley, and the fearsome Dowd.
Dowd plays the brutal, iron-willed Aunt Lydia, who is one of the staunchest believers in Gilead and who will go to any means necessary to keep the women she is in charge of in place. She is violent, brutish, and terrifying to behold as she commands the screen and everyone around her. In season five, however, cracks begin to...
- 6/22/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
If you’re behind on your peak TV watching, consider this your spoiler warning. It’s been nearly a year since Julia Garner collected her third and final Emmy for “Ozark,” which made her the seventh comedy or drama series regular to snag a TV academy prize for a season in which her character died. Nominations of this kind have become more common in recent years, and it’s possible that over 15% of the 2023 lead and supporting continuing series contenders will fit into the group.
Gold Derby’s Emmy nominations odds currently indicate that eight actors whose comedic or dramatic characters met their demise within the last year could feasibly earn bids, as all of them are ranked no lower than 12th place in their respective races. This does not include characters like Bunny Folger or John Paul Williams who died prior to the starts of their shows’ latest seasons but still appear in flashbacks.
Gold Derby’s Emmy nominations odds currently indicate that eight actors whose comedic or dramatic characters met their demise within the last year could feasibly earn bids, as all of them are ranked no lower than 12th place in their respective races. This does not include characters like Bunny Folger or John Paul Williams who died prior to the starts of their shows’ latest seasons but still appear in flashbacks.
- 6/22/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Lester Holt has a new way of delivering headlines to the “NBC Nightly News” crowd.
NBC News is updating the look of its venerable evening newscast, which has been on the air since 1970 and hasn’t undergone a significant overhaul of its graphics since Brian Williams sat in the anchor chair. The new presentation will move away from traditional colors associated with evening-news programs in favor of purple and a warm blue, says Marc Greenstein, senior vice president of design and product for NBC News and MSNBC. Also on tap: a new “N” that can be utilized in innovative fashion on the many new screens on which “Nightly” plays in the era of digital video.
“We want to meet people where they want to consume our products,” says Greenstein, in an interview. Viewers will start to see the new graphics and logo roll out on June 19.
The change in look,...
NBC News is updating the look of its venerable evening newscast, which has been on the air since 1970 and hasn’t undergone a significant overhaul of its graphics since Brian Williams sat in the anchor chair. The new presentation will move away from traditional colors associated with evening-news programs in favor of purple and a warm blue, says Marc Greenstein, senior vice president of design and product for NBC News and MSNBC. Also on tap: a new “N” that can be utilized in innovative fashion on the many new screens on which “Nightly” plays in the era of digital video.
“We want to meet people where they want to consume our products,” says Greenstein, in an interview. Viewers will start to see the new graphics and logo roll out on June 19.
The change in look,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Brian Steinberg
- Variety Film + TV
For months fans have speculated who would succeed the late Logan Roy (Brian Cox) as the head of Waystar Royco on HBO’s critically acclaimed drama “Succession.” In the end, after the GoJo deal was approved by the board — and with Shiv (Sarah Snook) acting as the deciding vote — the servile Tom Wambsgans came out on top. And now it seems like his portrayer, Matthew Macfadyen, might as well.
The British actor, who beat out co-stars Kieran Culkin and Nicholas Braun to take home the Emmy for Best Drama Supporting Actor last year after revealing emotional new depths to Tom as he prepared to go to prison, is in a good position to repeat and become the latest performer to go back to back in the category, which loves consecutive winners. With Culkin — who was arguably the Mvp of the show’s fourth and final season — competing against Cox and...
The British actor, who beat out co-stars Kieran Culkin and Nicholas Braun to take home the Emmy for Best Drama Supporting Actor last year after revealing emotional new depths to Tom as he prepared to go to prison, is in a good position to repeat and become the latest performer to go back to back in the category, which loves consecutive winners. With Culkin — who was arguably the Mvp of the show’s fourth and final season — competing against Cox and...
- 5/31/2023
- by Kaitlin Thomas
- Gold Derby
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