Robert Redford-related stories
Posted Sep 2nd 2008 12:05PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, Reality-Free
While the Republicans are gathering in St. Paul for their national convention to confirm the candidacy of Senator John McCain as presiden,t and Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate,
Turner Classic Movies is presenting a night of alternative politics.
The cable channel going to present five movies about politics, and if you want to see how the world of running for public office has changed in the 20th century, these films are a fantastic reflection of the times.
On Wednesday, September 3, starting at 8 PM ET, the night begins with
The Last Hurrah, and includes
The Candidate (10:15 PM),
The Best Man (12:15 AM),
Nashville (2 AM) and
The Dark Horse (1932).
Like I said, these pictures are all really interesting choices.
The Candidate, released in 1972, for instance, is not so different from today's campaign pitting Senator Barack Obama versus Senator John McCain.
It's a young candidate espousing change, up against an experienced, wizened establishment candidate. Robert Redford plays Bill McKay, the up and comer, while Don Porter is the popular, long-time incumbent senator. Check out these photos, because Porter even looks like McCain!
Continue reading If you like politics, check out TCM's Wednesday lineup
Posted Aug 7th 2008 6:03PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Celebrities, Game Show, Reality-Free
I've been a nut about game shows ever since I was a kid (the good ones - I don't want to be bothered with something like
Deal Or No Deal or
Moment of Truth), and I've specifically been intrigued by the game show scandals of the 1950s. Game shows were really hot then - the reality shows of the 50s, really; several of them were on the air, they talked about and written about a lot, etc. - and several got caught in a cheating scandal, including
Twenty-One,
Dotto, and
The $64,000 Question. The
Twenty-One scandal was made into the Robert Redford movie
Quiz Show, but I've always wanted to hear an in-depth explanation of what happened from Charles Van Doren, the teacher-turned-game show winner at the heart of the scandal (that's him on the right in the pic, with challenger Vivienne Nearing and host Jack Barry). Now
Van Doren has opened up to The New Yorker in a piece that's long but well worth reading.
Continue reading Charles Van Doren finally opens up about the game show scandal
Posted Jul 11th 2008 1:03PM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Sports, Industry, Celebrities, TCA Press Tour, Casting
ESPN Films is co-producing a film for theatrical release about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey. The film will center around their struggle to break down racial barriers in the late 40s. The project, which is yet untitled, will be produced by Robert Redford, Tracy Falco, Karen Baldwin and Andrew Cohen. Redford will star in the role of Rickey. No word on who will play Robinson.
ESPN Senior VP, Ron Semiao, says "ESPN Films is honored to be collaborating with such accomplished storytellers and filmmakers for such an important sports and American story." Semiao was at the Beverly Hilton yesterday along with Branch Rickey III to discuss the project. Semiao added that doing this theatrical film was a natural extension for the company which tries to serve sports fans "however they consume sports content."
Continue reading Robert Redford to star in Jackie Robinson / Branch Rickey biopic - TCA Report
Posted May 28th 2008 3:39PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, Reality-Free
Recently, I wrote about why I respect, admire, and -- yes -- love
Turner Classic Movies. Well, today they've done something else to reinforce my feelings.
On June 2, TCM will air a salute to director Sydney Pollack, showing four of his films. The Oscar-winning director, who was also an actor and producer,
passed away on Monday following a short bout with cancer. It was only a few months ago that the word spread in Hollywood that he was seriously ill. Film critic
Joseph Morgenstern wrote a salute to him on February 2 in the
Wall Street Journal, honoring the man before his death.
Sadly, the cancer that fell
Sydney Pollack was one that didn't respond to treatment.
On Monday, TCM will show Sydney Pollack's directorial debut in features, 1965's
The Slender Thread starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft. In the same year, he won an Emmy for directing
The Game, part of the
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater anthology series. On TV, he'd also done
Ben Casey and
The Fugitive episodes, learning his craft.
Continue reading TCM schedules Sydney Pollack film retrospective
Posted May 7th 2008 5:42PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Reality-Free
It looks like there has been yet another step in the independent movie industry going corporate as Cablevision has purchased the Sundance Channel. The sale set Cablevision back about $500 million and the channel is expected to join Cablevision's Rainbow Media programming along with IFC, AMC and WE tv.
Continue reading Cablevision buys Sundance Channel
Posted Mar 4th 2008 1:40PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming
It's always intriguing when a cable network has two or three original shows they're working on. But TNT has gone project crazy this year, with a whopping 14 shows in development.
It's an interesting mix of shows too. You have your dramas, including a mystery series set in Boston, based on the novels of Tess Gerritsen; a drama about a family in 1950s Indiana; an espionage drama titled Leverage; a drama from Robert Redford titled Generations, which focuses on several families who have lived in the same house over the decades; and Truth In Advertising, which sounds a lot like a modern-day Mad Men (not that I'm complaining) and stars Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanagh, and Monica Potter. Comedies include a show about a single, middle-aged woman, from Betty Thomas and Elaine Pope.
Continue reading TNT has 14 new shows in the works
Posted Nov 6th 2007 4:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight
At 8, ABC has a new Cavemen, followed by new episodes of Carpoolers, Dancing with the Stars, and Boston Legal. - CBS has a new NCIS at 8, then new episodes of The Unit and Cane.
- FOX has new episodes of Bones and House.
- NBC has a new, two-hour Biggest Loser, then a new Law and Order: SVU.
- There's a new Beauty and the Geek on The CW at 8, followed by a new Reaper.
- PBS has a new Nova at 8, then a new Frontline.
- At 8:30, HGTV has a new Spice Up My Kitchen, then new episodes of Decorating Cents, 24 Hour Design and House Hunters.
- At 9 on CNN, Larry King interviews Robert Redford.
- ESPN has the two hour season finale of The Contender at 9.
- Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9.
- At 10, Bravo has a new Real Housewives of Orange County.
- Versus has the series premiere of Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller at 10, with guests Curt Schilling and Al Michaels.
- Sci-Fi has a new ECW at 10.
- Also at 10: FX has a new Nip/Tuck.
- At 10:30, Food Network has a new Two Dudes Catering.
Check your local TV listings for more.
Posted Sep 18th 2007 9:02AM by Paul Goebel
Filed under: Industry, TV on the Bigscreen, TV Squad Lists
As an avid TV fan, I love it when somebody makes a movie all about the television industry. Since I'm not a movie critic, the cinema is pure entertainment for me. Unfortunately, too often the movies make the mistake of romanticizing the world of television like they do everything else. Here is my personal list of those that got it right.
My Favorite Year
From what I understand, not only is the setting for this film taken straight from Your Show of Shows but the characters are dead on representations of Sid Caesar and others who made the show happen. The movie contains what is probably Peter O'Toole's best comedic performance and an amazing supporting cast featuring Bill Macy, Lanie Kazan, and Joe Bologna.
Continue reading Five great movies about TV
Posted Apr 17th 2007 3:20PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Programming, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities
There's a new series of environmental programming on Sundance Channel called
The Green, and it's all about ways that people can reduce their impact on the earth. I caught a preview of one show, called
Big Ideas for a Small Planet last weekend on Discovery Channel and found it to be interesting stuff. The episode I saw focused on modular homes that take fewer resources to build than on-site homes. They look pretty rad, too, and kind-of break the mold of the old trailer park home that is not sustainable.
The approach that the producers seem to be taking in this series is not at all preachy or meant to cause you to feel guilt. I was very impressed by the way it focused more on the innovative technology and out-of-the-box thinking by the designers of the eco-friendly modular homes, rather than hammering me with statistics about how many resources our homes consume.
Continue reading Robert Redford launches eco-community through Sundance Channel
Posted Mar 7th 2007 11:41AM by Liz Finn-Arnold
Filed under: American Idol, Contestants, Alumni
Last week, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson
reportedly made a surprise visit back to
American Idol to offer words of encouragement to this year's batch of young hopefuls.
Visiting on elimination day, Jennifer said, "I still get nervous on Wednesdays, because I was always in the bottom three." Jennifer told the semifinalists, "Remember, it's OK if you get eliminated!"
Jennifer has certainly proved that you don't have to win
American Idol in order to find success. As a follow-up to her Oscar-winning
Dreamgirls role, Jennifer
is hoping to get a part in Robert Redford's upcoming Jackie Robinson biopic.
[via
Starpulse News blog]
Posted Oct 23rd 2006 10:03AM by Brett Love
Filed under: Cable, Premium Cable, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show
The Sundance Channel will launch season two of
Iconoclasts on the 26th with the help of Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and surfing legend Laird Hamilton. According to Executive Producer Robert Redford, "
Iconoclasts explores the intersection where two great talents meet - and where creativity comes alive." That's a pretty way to say they point a camera at a pair of people we wouldn't normally get to see together and watch what happens. It can go either way, but when it works, it makes for a very interesting show.
The rest of the slate for season two has some other intriguing pairings, including Mikhail Baryshnikov & Alice Waters, Quentin Tarentino & Fiona Apple, Isabella Rosselini & Dean Kamen, Paul Simon & Lorne Michaels, and Dave Chapelle & Maya Angelou. I'm really looking forward to the Tarentino & Apple episode. Two interesting careers, and they both have just enough of the crazy in them that it could be fantastic television. The website has bios for everyone and promises video is "coming soon."
Posted Jul 24th 2006 12:05PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Cable, Industry, Programming
In 2007, Robert Redford's Sundance Channel will launch a three-hour primetime block of shows called Sundance Channel Green. Original series and documentaries will focus on environmental issues, and the channel also plans to take the new initiative to other platforms as well, including an online portal called ECOMMUNITY and downloads for wireless devices. Redford has been an environmental activist for some time now, and it seems he's taking advantage of renewed public interest in this topic spurred by Al Gore's
An Inconvenient Truth. I think there's an audience for this kind of programming, but I have doubts as to whether or not it will do much to persuade anyone who doesn't already have strong opinions one way or the other about these issues.
Posted Jan 10th 2006 2:36PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: News
Remember how Al Gore was going to launch his own 24-hour news network? He did it. Back in August, actually. The
network relies mostly on young documentary filmmakers to fill up its hours and hours of content time. But, 24 hours a
day is a heck of a lot of time to fill and Current needs help. It already is seeking submissions from the viewing
public, but now the network has produced a short film about how to produce a short film. That filmmaking guide, which
can be
viewed online, features big names like Sean Penn and
Robert Redford, who give advice on storytelling and journalism. Current is soliciting more thought-provoking stories,
rather than the mini-features that always seem to be playing.
Does anybody even watch Current? Is it news?
Is it thought-provoking? Issue-oriented? I've only seen a little of it and, quite frankly, I think I'm too old for it.
It kind-of seems like MTV for 20-somethings.
Posted Dec 27th 2005 2:41PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming
At 8pm, FOX has a repeat of Bones, followed by a repeat of House. - ABC has repeats of According To Jim, Rodney, and Boston Legal.
- Also at 8, CBS has a repeat of NCIS, followed by The 28th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, with
Tony Bennett, Robert Redford, Tina Turner, Suzanne Farrell, and Julie Harris.
- There's a new Fear Factor on NBC at 8, followed by repeat eps of My Name Is Earl, The
Office, and Law and Order: SVU.
- The WB has repeats of Gilmore Girls and Supernatural, while UPN is has the film All
About The Benjamins.
- TBS has two funny repeats of Friends, starting at 8.
- ABC Family has Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July. It's on at 8 too.
- Emeril tries some "Cooking With Champagne" on the Food Network at 8.
- At 9, Spike has one of the better Roger Moore 007 outings, For Your Eyes Only.
- Also at 9, HBO2 has Adam Sandler in Spanglish.
- At 10, A&E has two repeats of Airline, while TNT has a repeat of The Closer.
- AMC has Honeymoon in Vegas at 10, with Nicolas Cage.
- Also at 10, E! has a new ep of Gastineau Girls, followed by the special Big Buzz Gone Bad,
which focuses on pop culture trends that went bad.
- At 11, BBC America has Monty Python's Flying Circus, followed by two eps of Coupling.
- Also at 11, Style Network has a new Isaac, with guests Selma Blair, Roger Bart, and Kimberley
Locke.
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