Author: Richard Lawson

The Call Sheet

Jennifer Hudson Returning to 'Idol'?

AP

Today in show business news: Jennifer Hudson might become an American Idol judge, Jon Stewart finds a leading man for his risky directing debut, and Tom Cruise walks away from a movie. 

By Richard Lawson

Jan 3, 2012

What We Watched

Monday Night Junkyard

As television slowly returns after a brief winter's nap, it's inevitable that some nights of programming will be worse than others. And wooftie if last night's slate wasn't full of stinkers! Which piece of gunk did you watch?

Comments | 1,421 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jan 2, 2012

The Call Sheet

The Terrible Return of 'Punk'd'

Hollywood's prank show returns, Hugh Jackman earns big, and Lisbeth Salander will ride again.

Comments | 3,449 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jan 2, 2012

Ad Watch

Everybody Loves Iowa

Mitt Romney sucks up to Iowa, Michele Bachmann dubs herself the Iron Lady, and normal people love Ron Paul.

Comments | 226 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jan 2, 2012

Blame Bad Movies for 2011's Bad Box Office

Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol raked in another $30 million over the weekend, which is certainly good news for lots of people in Hollywood, but the bigger box office picture is a dire one.

Comments | 1,855 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jan 2, 2012

The Most Promising Midseason TV Shows

The happiest part of the calendar flipping over to January is that it means new television will soon be flickering on our screens.

Comments | 4,089 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 31, 2011

The Year's Best

The Best Things We Read in 2011

Here are our favorite reads from this year, be they books, news articles, blog posts, or whatever.

Comments | 24,657 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 30, 2011

The Year's Best

Five Things to Look Forward To in 2012

Here are some things to be excited about in the new year.

Comments | 17,423 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 29, 2011

The Year's Best

Ten Days That Defined 2011

Out of the year's 365 days, here are 10 that made 2011 what it was.

Comments | 10,911 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 28, 2011

The Smart Set

The Beyoncé Child Is Forthcoming

The chosen one is almost born, all the celebrities are in the tropics for the holidays, and Americans love Tim Tebow.

Comments | 5,348 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 27, 2011

The Call Sheet

Matthew McConaughey: Patriotic Stripper

Matthew McConaughey disrobes for your American pleasure, Lady Gaga is a deadbeat employer, and things get hairy for Ben Affleck.

Comments | 1,908 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 27, 2011

How Tom Cruise Saved Hollywood

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol rescued a lackluster season.

Comments | 6,577 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 27, 2011

The Smart Set

Sinead O'Connor's 18-Day Marriage Is Over

Sinead O'Connor's brief marriage is over because of weed, Kristen Wiig's new romance heats up, and Queen E's main squeeze is going to be okay.

Comments | 5,917 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 23, 2011

The Call Sheet

'The Dark Knight Rises' Is Already a Huge Hit

Lots of people are interested in the new Batman movie, Taylor Swift has Hunger Games fever, and Liam Neeson has it out with some wolves.

Comments | 11,035 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 23, 2011

Ad Watch

Rick Santorum Does Pop-Up Video

Rick Santorum makes a timely VH1 reference and Mitt Romney says happy totally normal Christmas.

Comments | 1,299 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 23, 2011

Movie Review

Animal Kingdom Come: 'War Horse' & 'We Bought a Zoo'

Today we review two new animal-themed movies,  War Horse and We Bought a Zoo.

Comments | 2,696 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 23, 2011

What We Watched

'Twas the Day After 'X Factor'

Fox has given us the greatest Christmas present it could: This season of The X Factor is over. 

Comments | 1,024 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 22, 2011

The Call Sheet

'Prometheus' Teaser Scares and Intrigues

Today: the first Prometheus trailer is promising, Aaron Sorkin's new show has a title, and Tom Cruise is victorious again.

Comments | 4,717 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 22, 2011

The Late-Game 'American Horror Story' Surprise

FX's American Horror Story ended terrifically last night, and today its co-creator Ryan Murphy announced a bold new plan.

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 22, 2011

Whither the HBO Comedy?

The network just canceled three half-hour comedies. Where are their replacements? 

Comments | 4,274 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 22, 2011

What We Watched

World's Greatest Artist Declared

This season of Work of Art has come to an end.

Comments | 2,190 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 21, 2011

The Call Sheet

'Community' Fans to Get Even More Annoying

Community fans find an exciting new way to be aggravating, Harrison Ford squares off against aliens once more, and R. Kelly is not nearly done with his great work.

Comments | 8,966 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 21, 2011

'The Hobbit' Trailer Needs to Get Out of the Shire

An early trailer for The Hobbit has dropped and we're not sure we like the looks of it.

Comments | 7,978 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 21, 2011

Movie Review

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo': We Only Hurt the Ones We Love

When you think about it, there really is nothing to like about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Comments | 7,770 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 19, 2011

The Call Sheet

'The Dark Knight Rises' Trailer Destroys a Football Field

Finally a new Batman trailer is out, unfortunately a new Wrath of the Titans trailer is also out, plus news of the new Punk'd

Comments | 6,690 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 19, 2011

The Year's Best

The Best Movies of 2011

Here is our list of the ten best (and a few worst) movies of the year. 

Comments | 18,925 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 19, 2011

What We Watched

Bloody Good Endings

We hate to see them go, we love to watch them leave. Yes, two Showtime shows, Dexter and Homeland, had crackerjack season finales last night.

Comments | 7,242 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 16, 2011

The Call Sheet

Clint Eastwood Finally Gets a Reality Show

Today: Clint Eastwood signs up for something strange, Reese Witherspoon heads to West Memphis, and Tim and Eric have a trailer.

Comments | 4,701 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 16, 2011

Movie Review

Let's Try Not to Kill Each Other

Today we review two new films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Roman Polanski's Carnage.

Comments | 2,015 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 16, 2011

What We Watched

Classic Christmas TV During the Reruns

All the new shows have stopped until after the new year, so what is there to watch? 

Comments | 2,414 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 15, 2011

The Call Sheet

Goodbye, 'Extreme Makeover'

ABC cancels their feel-good reality show, Jane Fonda takes a TV role, and Russell Brand wants to talk to you. 

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 15, 2011

The Year's Best

The Best New Things of 2011

Every year sees the debut of new things -- new actors on the scene, new gadgets, new websites, etc. -- that define an otherwise arbitary date.

Comments | 6,275 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 15, 2011

What We Watched

A 'Real World' Redemption

Last night saw the finale of the The Real World: San Diego and we're kind of sad to see it go. 

Comments | 5,482 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 15, 2011

The Golden Globe Nominations Are Here

The Golden Globe nominations are here! The Hollywood Foreign Press's big drunken awards ceremony is exactly a month away, and so here are the candidates for receiving useful doorstoppers and paperweights. Let's briefly analyze. 

Comments | 2,992 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 14, 2011

The Call Sheet

Chris Meloni Is a Vampire

Today: Chris Meloni officially joins True Blood, Tom Cruise frightens in a new musical trailer, and Paramount gets a new look.

Comments | 2,878 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 14, 2011

Hollywood Actors Love a Movie About Hollywood Actors

Hooray, the SAG Award nominations, that is the award nominations given out by the Screen Actors Guild actors union, have been announced. There aren't too many surprises, but let's take a look at them anyway. Awards season!

Comments | 1,722 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 13, 2011

The Call Sheet

Russell Simmons to Save 'All-American Muslim'

Russell Simmons is advertising on All-American Muslim, Glenn Beck is sending a family into the wild, and G.I. Joe returns. 

Comments | 6,535 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 13, 2011

Ad Watch

Rick Perry's Secret Message?

As the Republican primary heats up, that can only mean more ads. Which ones succeed? Which fail? We'll be reviewing them as they come out. Today Rick Perry confuses us. 

Comments | 2,032 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 13, 2011

What We Watched

There Will Be Too Much Blood

Did you hear? NBC's loud, ridiculous early reality show Fear Factor returned to the desperate network last night (looking forward to that Friends reunion!) and, well, it was somehow the same more than ever. 

Comments | 1,409 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 12, 2011

The Call Sheet

George Lucas Keeps Threatening Us

A new Men in Black III trailer teases time travel, George Lucas has terrible plans, and another peek at Game of Thrones.

Comments | 2,586 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 12, 2011

Ad Watch

Ron Paul Needs a New TV

As the Republican primary heats up, that can only mean more ads. Which ones succeed? Which fail? We'll be reviewing them as they come out. Today Ron Paul scares us with some scary Newt Gingrich video clips.

Comments | 6,685 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 12, 2011

The Best and Worst of the Black List

Hollywood's famous Black List -- a listing of the hottest as-yet-unproduced screenplays, voted on by industry executives -- was released today, and as always there are some scripts that seem exciting and others that seem... less so.

Comments | 5,225 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 12, 2011

The Year's Best

The Best Television of 2011

Television seems to become more of a true art form with each passing year, and 2011 continued the trend with bold, ambitious storytelling and bitingly smart writing. Here are our picks for the best (and some of the worst) TV this year. 

Comments | 11,938 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 12, 2011

What We Watched

A Wild Ending, a Muddled Beginning

Last night Boardwalk Empire ended with a bang, and Luck began with a whimper. 

Comments | 3,104 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 9, 2011

The Call Sheet

Uma Thurman Slums It

Uma Thurman heads to TV, a bunch of stars head to OB/GYN, we return to the Blue Lagoon.

Comments | 2,042 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 9, 2011

Movie Review

Kids Can Be So Cruel

Today we review two movies about bad kids, Young Adult and We Need to Talk About Kevin. 

Comments | 3,393 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 9, 2011

What We Watched

'The Office' Makes It Work

This Steve Carell-free season of The Office started off wobbly, but is finding its footing.

Comments | 4,999 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 8, 2011

The Call Sheet

Finally, an 'American Psycho' Remake

A remake of an 11-year-old movie is in the works, Goldie Hawn is back, and Oprah's TV network considers a new strategy.

Comments | 3,589 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 8, 2011

Can Ryan Seacrest Grow Up?

Ryan Seacrest is rumored to be a top choice to replace Matt Lauer on The Today Show. Is he mature enough for that?

Comments | 1,870 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 8, 2011

Ad Watch

A Vote for Huntsman Is a Vote for Reagan, Sort Of

Today we review a new Reagan-based ad from Jon Huntsman.

Comments | 1,094 Views

By Richard Lawson

Dec 8, 2011

What We Watched

'Work of Art': TV's Strangest Delight

Bravo's art competition series is its weirdest show. It's also weirdly entertaining.

Comments | 838 Views

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