Author: Richard Lawson

The Call Sheet

Sanrda Bullock Won't Hate Little Girls

AP

Today in show business news: The search for Miss Hannigan continues, some interesting clues about the next Star Wars movie, and Simon Rich continues to do well at his 20s.

By Jen Doll and Richard Lawson

Jun 5, 2012

Debating the Importance of 'Ferris Bueller'

As you probably not aware, today is Ferris Bueller Day, the celebration of the day, some 27 years ago, that the fictional Chicago teen of Ferris Bueller's Day Off cut school and went out on the town. In that spirit, let's discuss the movie. Is it an essential classic or not?

Comments | 1,141 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 5, 2012

What It's Like to Learn Your TV Character's Going to Die

Of course it's very exciting for us viewers when a major character dies on a television show (or it's sad? Sure, sometimes it's sad), but for the actor involved it must kinda feel like, "Oh, well, I just got fired." Though usually official word from the set is that everything was fine and copacetic.

Comments | 3,957 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 5, 2012

The Smart Set

Gwyneth Paltrow Getting Tweet Heat

Today: Gwynnie gets some online flack, Casey Anthony wants to move, and Paul Ryan is having a theme party.

Comments | 6,099 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 4, 2012

The Call Sheet

Andrew Dice Clay's Big Break

Today: The Diceman gets a strange new opportunity, NBC finds a Hannibal Lecter, and MTV digs through the barrel some more.

Comments | 6,898 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 4, 2012

British YouTube Nerds We Can't Stop Watching

Here is a video posted on YouTube yesterday of two young British people singing a cover of the Faith Hill song "This Kiss." Just some random thing, two kids having a laugh, right? Well, except look: This video already has over 80,000 views after only a day. How is that?

Comments | 14,139 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 4, 2012

What 'Game of Thrones' Did Best

Much to all our dismay, the second season of HBO's enormous fantasy series Game of Thrones came to a close last night, ending what was a satisfying, if transitional, season. Or at least it felt that way to us.

Comments | 7,975 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 4, 2012

The First Look at 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'

The first trailer for the movie adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's popular 1999 young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower premiered during the MTV Movie Awards last night, and it's not exactly a teen dream.

Comments | 3,276 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 4, 2012

The Smart Set

Harvey Weinstein Prays at the Altar of Oprah

Today: Harvey Weinstein seeks guidance from a god, Queen Elizabeth and friends set sail, and D.C. gets painted.

Comments | 1,270 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 31, 2012

The Call Sheet

Scarlett Johansson a Broadway Baby Once More

Today: ScarJo returns to the White Way, Randy Jackson gives us a gift, and Phil Phillips is a success.

Comments | 4,471 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 31, 2012

Movie Review

'Snow White and the Huntsman': An Only Fair Fairy Tale

There is at least this to be said for Snow White and the Huntsman: In a summer of sequels and mashups and reboots of recent films, this dark and serious take on the classic witchy, dwarfy tale feels refreshingly original, ambitious, and earnest.

Comments | 4,711 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 31, 2012

China Censors 'Men in Black 3' for Referring to Chinese Censorship

The Chinese censors have gotten to Men in Black 3, a big hit in the movie-mad nation, possibly because they were concerned about perceived references to... censorship.

Comments | 690 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 31, 2012

Enough with the 'Zombie Apocalypse' Already

You know the "Miami Zombie," right? He's the drug-addled man who was killed by police after he was found eating another man's face on some sort of bridge. It's a wild story, to be sure. But when we start making this insanely awful thing into an internet meme, then we've gone too far.

Comments | 15,091 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 31, 2012

How to Fix 'American Idol'

American Idol's juggernaut status is dwindling to such a degree that the production company that owns it is changing its name to distance itself from its once-great television property and vowing to tweak the show to restore it to its former glory. We have some ideas how.

Comments | 2,756 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 30, 2012

The Call Sheet

The Return of Arsenio Hall

Today: Arsenio might be back, Justin Bieber heads to TV, and CNN is in the pits.

Comments | 4,828 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 30, 2012

'Hunger Games' Casting Rumors Confuse and Dismay

With filming scheduled to begin later this summer, casting rumors about the next Hunger Games film, Catching Fire, have reached fever pitch levels. Meaning, there a couple of random whispers about casting that we'd like to discuss with you today.

Comments | 10,173 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 30, 2012

The Summer Movie Preview

Now that Memorial Day has come and gone, we are officially in summer, movie-wise at least. We've already had some big rumblers like The Avengers and Battleship, but really the season is just getting started. Richard Lawson takes a look at what's to come.

Comments | 4,509 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 30, 2012

The 'Les Misérables' 'Dream' Isn't a Complete Nightmare

It's just really hard to buy Anne Hathaway as a dying 19th century French prostitute.

Comments | 3,057 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 29, 2012

The Call Sheet

The Hatfields and the McCoys Rage

Zac Efron and Goldie Hawn finally team up, and NBC has yet another singing show.

Comments | 7,732 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 29, 2012

What We Watched

Sunday's Big Shows, On Monday

Because of some trick of fate or due simply to poor timing, both HBO's Game of Thrones and AMC's Mad Men aired big, game-changing episodes right smack dab in the middle of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Awfully sneaky, guys!

Comments | 1,746 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 25, 2012

The Call Sheet

Finally, a Male 'Will & Grace'

Today: CBS has a turkey on its hands, Jon Favreau acts again, and ABC, well, has a turkey on its hands.

Comments | 5,173 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 25, 2012

Movie Review

'Men in Black III': The Tao of Goop

Moonrise Kingdom isn't the only blue rumination on age and time opening in theaters this weekend. No, there's also Men in Black III, an ostensible sci-fi comedy caper that is actually a sighing contemplation of regret and the random bits of chance that shape our lives. Honestly!

Comments | 2,711 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 25, 2012

What We Watched

'Duets': It Doesn't Always Take Two

Last night ABC debuted its new summertime easy-tainment show Duets, which, alas, is not a series adaptation of that curious Gwyneth Paltrow/Paul Giamatti/Huey Lewis karaoke movie.

Comments | 2,192 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 24, 2012

The Call Sheet

Nobody Watches 'American Idol' Anymore

Today: America's favorite singing competition isn't its favorite anymore, a comedy actor gets serious, and Bradley Cooper joins the SEALs.

Comments | 2,485 Views

By Jen Doll and Richard Lawson

May 24, 2012

What Your Favorite Wes Anderson Movie Says About You

What's your favorite Wes Anderson film? You would be amazed at what your preferences say about who you are, at least according to this entirely unscientific but completely authoritative exploration.

Comments | 34,763 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 24, 2012

Kidman, Kanye, and Kristen Stewart: All The Movies You Missed at Cannes

While we all sit here at our desks doing TPS reports (or making jokes about doing TPS reports), all the most fabulous of the fabulous film people are in the south of France, seeing movies at the Cannes Film Festival.

Comments | 1,472 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 24, 2012

What We Watched

The 'American Idol' Finale: Kings, Queens, and Pawns

Well, dear friends, we have finally reached the end. Another season of hoax game show American Idol has reached its confetti conclusion and we are all the richer for it. Or we are at least not poorer. We are hopefully financially the same.

Comments | 2,871 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 23, 2012

The Call Sheet

Not So Fast, 'G.I. Joe'

Today: Paramount pushes a big flick back nine months, no one watches Idol anymore, but everyone loves Adam Lambert.

Comments | 2,069 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 23, 2012

Movie Review

'Moonrise Kingdom': A Return to the Wonderful World of Wes Anderson

After five long years since Wes Anderson gifted a live-action film unto the world, Moonrise Kingdom (opening in New York and Los Angeles this Friday), is such a welcome relief.

Comments | 3,057 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 23, 2012

The Great Showrunner Shuffle

'Tis the season of the showrunner shakeup. NBC's Community and Smash are both getting new showrunners to address their various problems (non-stellar ratings, mainly) while the creator of HBO's spooky sexpot saga True Blood is handing off the reins to another writer.

Comments | 969 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 23, 2012

Baz Luhrmann's Glittery 'Great Gatsby'

The first trailer for director Baz Luhrmann's much-feared adaptation of The Great Gatsby has been released and, yikes, it appears we were right to worry.

Comments | 4,455 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 23, 2012

What We Watched

'American Idol': Pay No Mind to the Demons

Last night was American Idol's sneak attack Tuesday night Finale Part One, a brisk and efficient hour that wasted very little time.

Comments | 4,207 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 22, 2012

The Call Sheet

Natalie Portman Gets a Gun

Today: Natalie Portman heads west, Bobby Cannavale does too, and one of the X-Men is gay.

Comments | 4,914 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 22, 2012

Charlie Kaufman's Next Big Thing Is TV?

Mysterious Hollywood genius Charlie Kaufman has announced his next project, and it is exciting! Deadline reports today that Kaufman is teaming up with his frequent collaborator Catherine Keener, another mysterious Hollywood genius, to make a show for HBO.

Comments | 1,159 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 21, 2012

The Call Sheet

A Billion Dollars Is Only Sort of Cool for Disney

Today: Disney has made a lot but not *that* much, Justin Timberlake scores a film, and so does Rupert Everett.

Comments | 3,964 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 21, 2012

'The Master' Trailer Confuses and Intrigues

Movie trailer day continues with a curious first glimpse at Paul Thomas Anderson's long-in-the-works The Master, a film about an American religion/cult founded in the confusing aftermath of World War II that has long been referred to as Anderson's "Scientology movie."

Comments | 16,045 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 21, 2012

'Skyfall' Teases Another Grim Bond Adventure

Sony has released the first official teaser trailer for Sam Mendes' Skyfall, the third James bond film with Daniel Craig in the lead, which is due out in November. It looks serious!

Comments | 3,271 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 21, 2012

What We Watched

'Girls' Gets Human

HBO's Girls is not exactly the show we thought it was a month ago. It's still about a general narcissistic, mostly clueless, selfish ambition that many young people possess but are too lazy to realize, but it's also just, I dunno, about a few characters in a nice, quiet, mostly humane way.

Comments | 2,882 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 18, 2012

The Call Sheet

Is This Bill Murray's Oscar Movie?

Today: A new Bill Murray might be awards bait, MTV cancels a polarizing show, and Marvel is making so much money.

Comments | 9,341 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 18, 2012

'The Dictator' Banned In Repressive Country for Some Reason

Sacha Baron Cohen has been banned in another Central Asian country. According to The Guardian, Tajikistan has banned Baron Cohen's latest film The Dictator, about the corrupt and murderous leader of a fictional nation. Their official reason is a little confusing.

Comments | 6,763 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 18, 2012

Movie Review

Boom, Baby!: 'Battleship' & 'What to Expect'

Today we review two contenders for our Most Cynical Movies Ever Made list. One's big, giddy fun, one's a tedious endurance contest. It's not what you're expecting.

Comments | 4,627 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 18, 2012

What We Watched

'American Idol': Bad Things Come In Threes

Fitting of the Top Three elimination night, exactly three things happened on American Idol last night. Let's discuss them and then go about the rest of our days, content in the knowledge that we have almost made it to the end of this life-changing journey.

Comments | 9,311 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 18, 2012

The Smart Set

Rufus Wainwright vs. The Catholic Church

Today: Rufus Wainwright has a few Catholics angry, Al Gore is steppin' out, and Elin Nordegren is looking for love.

Comments | 4,065 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 17, 2012

The Call Sheet

Liam Neeson to Kill Some More People

Today: Liam Neeson is going to kick butt again, Gwyneth Paltrow is going to speak Spanish, and an old friend gets a good job.

Comments | 3,246 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 17, 2012

The Most Cynical Movies Ever Made

Tomorrow marks the debut of Battleship, a new robot alien action picture that, like Transformers before it, is based on a toy. It's a pretty cynical movie endeavor, but sadly it's nowhere near the first of its kind. Cinema history is positively littered with cheap tie-in movies that were made solely as especially greedy corporate cash-grabs. Here are the most shameless.

Comments | 3,539 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 17, 2012

Donna Summer Was More Than the Queen

Hugely successful recording artist Donna Summer, who died today at age 63, is often referred to as "the Queen of Disco." But the moniker, despite its high title, is perhaps too limited. She really was a genre unto herself.

Comments | 7,587 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 17, 2012

What We Watched

'American Idol': We Went Home Again

Top 3! Home visits! Judges' Choice! Boy, we have almost reached the rickety end of this thing, haven't we? But we're not there yet. We're close, but we've no cigars. While we wait for the glorious, glitter-stained end, let's talk a little about what happened last night.

Comments | 8,430 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 17, 2012

The Smart Set

Prince William Doesn't Have to Worry About His Future Just Yet

Today: Prince William doesn't have to figure his life out just yet, Barack and Michelle apparently had a rocky patch, and Noah Wyle heads to court

Comments | 2,231 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 16, 2012

The Call Sheet

Jennifer Lopez an Idol No More?

Today: J.Lo might be voting herself off the show, Morgan Freeman heads to Vegas to get drunk, and the sad tale of Johnny Bananas.

Comments | 4,311 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 16, 2012

Seven Cannes Films You'll Want to See Later

This year's Cannes Film Festival has officially begun, with all of filmdom's glittery best descending on the south of France to smoke cigarettes, talk about George Clooney, and ogle or be ogled. But what about the actual movies? Let's take a look at seven films that sound the most interesting.

Comments | 5,630 Views

By Richard Lawson

May 16, 2012

Sacha Baron Cohen Is Just Being Himself

British provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen has been so committed to his various characters — Ali G, Borat, Bruno — that he's done almost all of his press interviews in character. But after just his third interview as himself, it turns out that his real self is a normal, smart, English guy.

Comments | 2,586 Views

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App