Nasim Pedrad Starts 2nd Season at ‘SNL’
Nasim Pedrad begins her second season at “Saturday Night Live” tonight, quite a mean feat for the show’s first Iranian-born cast member; not everybody who was invitd to join last…
Playlist 9-24-10
Started with some new stuff from John Legend with the Roots, new stuff from Neil Young, Weezer, Blonde Redhead and Clinic. Heralded upcoming shows by Ra Ra Riot, Bettie Serveert,…
The Rise and Fall of the British Judge
When the 10th season of "American Idol" begins in January, it will be for the first time it comes without a British accent. It's been known for nine months that…
‘Detroit 1-8-7’ Minus Its Docu-Style
It would have been the trend of the fall TV season: The influence of docu-drama reality show techniques on actual dramas; the blurring of the two by using nonfiction storytelling…
The First Dance of Bristol Palin and The Situation
In addition to propping up sagging careers and boosting network numbers, “Dancing with the Stars” may also prove useful in helping cut down young tabloid stars to size. The 11th…
What is ‘The Event’? Answer is Coming Soon
For those first night samplers who fear they may never know what “The Event” is all about: Producer Even Katz says “we’re very cognizant of the audience’s patience, of rewarding…
Nucky Days: Scorsese Does ‘Boardwalk Empire’
“Broadway Empire,” the biggest new TV show of the season, which starts tonight, began as a suggestion from HBO to a writer who had already spent years writing about New…
‘Boardwalk Empire:’ Buscemi’s Role of a Lifetime
Usually, he’s seen in memorable supporting roles with colorful names – two-bit thief Carl Showalter in “Fargo,” Donny Kerabatsos in “The Big Lebowski,” the hapless Seymour in “Ghost World,” Tony…
Fall TV Preview: Fridays
There seems to be a little life in Fridays on TV, which in recent seasons has been left for dead by networks. But only a little. Here's how the week…
Playlist 9-17-10
In a show that spans Lonnie Mack's "Wham!" to LCD Soundsystem's "Pow Pow," sampled quite a bit from new releases by Eli "Paperboy" Reid, Antony and the Johnsons, Superchunk and…