The State of Scary TV
‘The Returned’ and ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ join ‘The Walking Dead’ in offering high-quality horror.
April 2, 2012
One Angry Mann: Prospective Gigs for a Post-Current Keith Olbermann
On one of his final Current TV broadcasts, Keith Olbermann wore a sweatshirt in support of Trayvon Martin. It was not the noble gesture that contributed to his firing — it was the reported missed work days, irascibility, and whatever cocktail of ego and ability to make people cry that probably did the trick everywhere […]
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Mad Men Power Rankings: Episode 503, “Tea Leaves”
[Production notes: This is the second week of the Power Rankings on Grantland. Let’s see if we can all get out of here before 3,000 words, OK? As always, we make no guarantees as to the accuracy of transcribed dialogue, period detail, or phonetic transcriptions of ostensibly Cockney accents. Rankings are arbitrary — maddeningly so […]
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Mad Men: Fat Betty, the Stones, and the Aging of Don
“It was kind of like the first time I had sex with Mick Jagger. I just couldn’t get over the fact that it was Mick Jagger. He’s an incredible lover, by the way. Amazing at oral — he loved it. What a mouth!” —Super-groupie Pamela Des Barres The Heinz executives want Mick Jagger to lounge […]
Read moreGame of Thrones, Season 2, Episode 1: “The North Remembers” Why One King Is Usually Enough
Welcome back to Westeros where, as George Gershwin didn’t put it, it’s wintertime and the dying is easy! The first season of Game of Thrones introduced us to the warring empire, a savage place where men were men, women were topless, and dwarves got all the best lines. It also pulled a rather stunning bait […]
Read moreMarch 30, 2012
Trailers of the Week: The Dictator, Total Recall, The Host, and More
The Dictator (May 11) Silver: Sacha Baron Cohen better be careful. He’s scarily close to crossing the dreaded “Mike Myers Line.” That’s when a brilliant comic writer/performer rests on his/her past success and just recycles bits (I believe the line, “Exsqueeze Me? Baking Powder” appeared in both Wayne’s World films and at least one Austin […]
Read moreBill Simmons Hate-Watches The Killing Finale
Back in June, Bill Simmons got out his frustration with The Killing‘s er, controversial finale. Give it a read before the show returns with its (generally better-reviewed) Season 2 premiere on Sunday and relive the outrage: If I invited you to my house for dinner tonight, you would come over and expect me to serve […]
Read moreThe Video on Demand Report: Now With 100 Percent More ‘Human Spankipede’
Too lazy to go to a movie theater, but still want some fresh-from-the-Hollywood-meat-grinder entertainment? Good news! We’ll plumb the depths of Video on Demand so you don’t have to! The Headliner A Dangerous Method Canadian master of venereal horror David Cronenberg takes it to the couch to treat further psychosexual infections. Hoping for outtakes where […]
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Wrath of the Titans’ Sam Worthington and Other Stars Who Promise the Next One Won’t Suck
“I was a fucking generic, bland, action dude. I was like a Barbie doll.”
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Game of Thrones Season 2 Preview: Baby Dragons, Headless Heroes, and a Bloody Return to Westeros
The job of a showrunner has changed drastically in the last 10 years. What was once an industry term for the most sleep-deprived person on set has morphed into an impossible combination of NFL head coach and PR-savvy quasi-celebrity. Former writers’ room introverts like Matthew Weiner and Damon Lindelof have been dragged, pale and pad-thai-stained, […]
Read moreNBC Comedy Recap: Up All Night and a Less-Than-Inspiring Thursday Lineup
Every week in this space, Grantland pop-culture correspondent Andy Greenwald will run down the happenings and mishappenings in NBC’s Thursday comedy night done mostly right. (Note: The order reflects newsworthiness, not quality. Although occasionally the two just might overlap.) 1. Up All Night Not every Thursday night can be memorable. In the course of any […]
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Reality Fantasy Scorecard: Goat-Head Blood, the Triumph of Johnny Bananas, and a New Show Scouting Report
Every month, ESPN Research sends out an e-mail to producer types that summarizes the month in ratings on the ESPN Networks and gives a glimpse at what has rated well on cable as a whole. (Pretty boring way to start the column, I know — stay with me.) I don’t normally pay much attention to […]
Read moreB.S. Report: Bill Hader
With Saturday Night Live on vacation this week, we ruined Bill Hader’s Los Angeles trip by forcing him to stop by the B.S. Report studios and tape a 70-minute podcast that covered life at SNL, Stefon’s evolution into a breakout character, his recent collaborations with the South Park guys, the Apatow comedy factory, creepy Internet […]
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