Today was the day the man Alan Sepinwall calls “The Mayor of TCA,” John Landgraf, addressed the TV press. Landgraf is the President of FX Networks and during his dozen years at the helm, the cable network has been a driving force in television’s second “Golden Age.” Not only has he commissioned hit after hit, including last
MONTREAL — Writer-producer-director Judd Apatow has been at Just for Laughs adding another hyphen to his resume: stand-up comedian. He was honored Friday at the festival at the annual Just for Laughs Awards with the 2016 Generation Award. The award salutes comedians who make an impact that resonates and inspires, something Apatow has done with
MONTREAL — Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle does sound like a cooking show. What gets roasted, however, are the hides of Ross’ fellow comedians. The popular TV roastmaster is overseeing four nights of his new Roast Battle series, continuing tonight, Saturday and ending Sunday night at 10 p.m. ET on The Comedy Network as well as
MONTREAL — How could “An Evening with the Cast of Veep” possibly go wrong? Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tony Hale, Timothy Simons, showrunner David Mandel and producer Frank Rich took the stage at Montreal’s Maison Symphonique Thursday night as part of the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival. Before them a packed house. The HBO series and Louis-Dreyfus were
This is harvest time for late night comedians. Look at the production values that go into this jab at Trump broadcast months ago on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The casting! (The stars of the Broadway smash The Producers, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, plus Cloris Leachman for a cameo.) The sets! The extras! Kimmel, who will be at
Poor Hector Elizondo. Now what is he going to do? I thought of Elizondo first when I heard the news last week that Marshall, who’d had a series of strokes very recently, had passed away. He was 81. Back in 2007, CBS held a TCA press tour party outdoors. I got talking to Elizondo at
I’ve seen Trump up close, on several occasions. He’s like Elvis in a suit, positively leeches attention. Just try not to stare at his lid. So, yes, I watched a lot of the Republican National Convention over the past week. Here are some observations: That it was held at the Quicken Loans Arena tells you
There was an invasion on the shores of Lake Ontario this week. Soldiers dressed in authentic, WWII-era moss-green uniforms dodged explosive charges as they ran up from the water. All this while cameras rolled on CBC’s upcoming 10-hour epic Canada: The Story of Us. The historical miniseries will bow next spring in time for the Canada