Television Upfronts: Some Big Developments!
All over New York City during the week of May 12, many people were saying the same thing: “Upfronts aren’t what they used to be.” Until it was decimated by the pandemic and then the writers and actors strikes, TV upfront week was known as a nearly non-stop party at top venues throughout the city. But still, there were some major developments revealed during presentations going on from Monday through Wednesday. Perhaps the biggest,...
New Lies, Hard Truths on Season 2 of ‘Poker Face’
Cynthia Erivo as a DJ. Cynthia Erivo as a mixed-media artist living off the grid. Cynthia Erico as an…apple picker? Those are just three of the six personas she inhabits in the first episode of Season 2 of Poker Face, and it’s up to Natasha Lyonne’s character Charlie Cale to figure it all out. Because as in every chapter of Peacock’s hit series co-created by Lyonne and Rian Johnson, there’s a murder involved, and one of the Cynthia...
Love Comes in Pairs at ‘The Wedding Banquet’
It’s always a challenge to remake a classic film like Ang Lee’s 1993 rom-com, The Wedding Banquet. But it helps to have the original writer on board, along with Lee’s blessing. Writer-director Andrew Ahn was up for the challenge with James Schamus, who wrote the original screenplay and the 2025 reimagining of The Wedding Banquet with his director. The new version stars Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang and South Korean film...
Late Night and Uptight on ‘Hacks’ as Deborah Vance Gets Her Dream TV Job
There is Jimmy. And Jimmy. Seth and Steven. And if the world of Hacks were real, Deborah Vance would also be a member of that elite club of the late-night television hosts. As Season 4 begins on Max, Jean Smart’s Vance has achieved her life-long dream of hosting a network late-night TV show after decades of performing in Las Vegas and on stages around the world. Not to mention the success she’s had with her own line of merchandise on...
‘Freaky Tales’ Flashes Back to Oakland 1987
Take some punk rock, some rap, the NBA playoffs and the story of a retired hitman played by Pedro Pascal, mix it all up into four intertwined stories– three based on actual facts – and you get Freaky Tales, an ode to the Bay Area city set in May of 1987. Fresh off their stint on Captain Marvel, along with several revered indie films including Half Nelson, it’s the latest from the writer-director team of Ryan Fleck and Anna...
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