David Gergen looked like who he was: a political operative, a back room advisor, a news network commentator. Or maybe he’s just who we think of first when assessing who excelled in all those careers. Earning law degrees with honours from both Yale and Harvard, he was an advisor to four US presidents: Richard Nixon,
There is only One Big Beautiful Bill – Bill Moyers. The broadcaster, documentarian and best-selling author passed away June 26 at 91. His death comes as the power grab disguised as the One Big Beautiful Bill moves before The United States Senate. Two Bills could not be more dissimilar. Moyers started his career deeply involved
One of Red Green’s favourite sayings is, “If the ladies don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.” Steve Smith may be the handiest fella ever in the history of Canadian television. Inspired by that ol’ TV fishin’ pal Red Fisher, Smith crafted Red Green out of duct tape and suspenders. The
Eleven years ago, in 2012, Tony Bennett put on a show for TV critics in Pasadena, Calif. The legendary singer, who passed away Friday in New York City at 96, was brought to the Television Critics Association during a January press tour by PBS. The U.S. public broadcaster has often treated reporters to a musical
Happy Boxing Day to all. If you are still looking for one last present to unwrap, check out the American Masters “Groucho & Cavett” episode premiering Tuesday night on PBS. I’ve written about this before here at brioux.tv and even had the great joy of interviewing late-night Hall of Famer Dick Cavett at brioux.tv: the
Christmas came early for me this year as I got to talk to Dick Cavett about Groucho Marx. The occasion was the American Masters‘ special “Groucho & Cavett,” premiering December 27 on PBS. Dubbed, “the thinking man’s talk show host,” Cavett emerged as a clear alternative to Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show while on ABC from 1969 through 1975.
The Television Critics Association, of which I am a long time member, is soldiering on this week with its semi-annual network press tour. There were hopes things would revert back to a live gathering but they were dashed at the last minute as new COVID variants, especially in California, started packing emergency rooms. The last
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has turned his attention of late to 20th century subjects such as Muhammad Ali and Ernest Hemingway. Besides the usual mix of historians and voice-over performances by actors, this has allowed for those stories, through film clips and other recordings, to be told by the actual subjects. This week, Burns and