Did you know Sammy Davis Jr. could not land a special on a U.S. network TV schedule in the late ’50s — so he made one in Canada instead? That’s just one of the things I learned Monday from my pal Stan Taffel, 16mm film collector extraordinaire. Taffel is the president of Cinecon, an annual Los
To say I was surprised when CBC brought Michael: Tuesday & Thursdays back from the dead is an understatement. The last time something like this happened, three wise men came to visit from the East. Let me state upfront: I really like this well-crafted series, right from the start, and I’m happy to spend more time
PASADENA, Calif. — After 600 episodes, it’s hard for The Simpsons to get much attention at TCA. The series will try again Sunday with their first hour-long episode. Titled, “The Great Phatsby,” the episode finds Mr. Burns (voiced by Harry Shearer) getting conned by a music mogul. Don’t worry; Burnzie gets revenge. Taraji P. Henson, Keegan-Michael
PASADENA, Calif. — The Hallmark Evening Event has been the TCA’s senior — and I mean senior — prom for over a decade. The generous folks at Crown Media host a lavish dinner presented in an enormous party tent on the grounds of an impressive estate, the Tournament House in Pasadena. There is champagne, a
PASADENA, Calif. — Launched less than a year ago, Viceland is still the new kid on the block. Even those of us in the press corps who have relatives working at Vice Canada (full disclosure: me), aren’t quite sure what it is yet, other than the channel millennials watch when they do watch something as quaint as
PASADENA, Calif. — Hard to top Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon for star power here at TCA17. The two no-nonsense Oscar-winners star in Feud: Bette & Joan, an eight-hour series from executive producer Ryan Murphy (The People v. O.J. Simpson). The homage to Hollywood past casts Lange and Sarandon as two other formidable Oscar-winning actresses: Joan Crawford
PASADENA, Calif. — Will Rocketshop 7 someday blast off as a feature film? The cherished children’s TV series, broadcast out of Buffalo’s WKBW in the ’60s and ’70s, is a touchstone for many boomers who grew up in the Toronto/Buffalo/Niagara area. The possibility that there might be a project about the series was raised almost as an afterthought
PASADENA, Calif. — Not all network executives are ‘fraidy cats. Despite peer pressure from no-show CEO’s over at ABC, CBS and NBC, Fox chairman and CEO Gary Newman and Entertainment president David Madden braved the snarling mob of scribes at this winter’s TCA’s. Classy move, gents. The executive sessions are always the industry high point of