02/26/08

The Oscars and Westchester's Juno Connection

Okay, the county went 0-for-2 for Academy Awards. New Rochelle's Ruby Dee lost the Best Supporting Actress award to Michael Clayton's Tilda Swinton. North Salem resident Alan Menken's Best Original Song award went to the indie musicians from Once for their "Falling Slowly." (It should be noted that Cynthia Wade, who swapped Westchester for Brooklyn, took home a statuette for her documentary short "Freeheld," reversing my Posted at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

02/20/08

Writers' Strike Redux: What Do the Writers Think?

The writers' strike is over! Last week, members of the Writers Guild of America voted to tentatively approve a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, and it was pencils up on February 13, just in time for Valentine's Day. As a pop-culture addict, I felt like singing that part from the Wizard of Oz where high-pitched voices tell Dorothy "You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night!" (See, I need film and television to explain my every emotion.)

Okay, so obviously I'm happy, but what about the Guild members? I heard from two writers, both Westchester residents, about the tough 100 days of striking and what they accomplished.

Posted at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

02/12/08

In Which I Begrudgingly Acknowledge the Grammy Awards

Before I write about the Grammy Awards, I want to write about something much more interesting than the Grammys. (Zing!) The writers' strike looks like it'll end any minute. The Writers Guilds met on Saturday to hear the skinny on the tentative deal struck with producers. They'll vote today, so the strike could end as early as tomorrow. (Fingers crossed!) According to the New York Times TV Decoder blog, Pleasantville screenwriter and negotiator Terry George thought it was a tough process. “I’ve negotiated with the British...

02/05/08

OMG, Miley Cyrus Is Totally My Business Hero

Good news abounds in Pop Cultureland. The Giants won the Super Bowl, and—even better for TV junkies—the ad execs were at the top of their games, too. The writers' strike looks like its in its last throes, and a deal may be announced as early as this week. And box office has been good recently, even though the winter is typically a low-grossing time for movies, thanks to a couple of 3-D concert films.

The first film is about U2. Though not my personal favorite, by all measures U2 is one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Throughout their almost 30-year career, the group has garnered both critical and popular acclaim, with seven albums reaching the top spot on the "The Billboard 200" and winning 19...