In this companion piece for CatholicVote, I sat down with “Shakespeare Uncovered” producer Richard Denton, and explored the Bard’s possible Catholicity and undeniable humanity: “The odd thing is,” [Denton] said, “in a way, the plays make more sense when you realize they are written by a man who’s not entirely in control of his own gift. He sits down to write a play, for instance, ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ which we haven’t done [on ‘Shakespeare Uncovered’]. “He knows that writing... Read more
On Friday, Feb. 13, one day before St. Valentine’s Day, season two of PBS’ “Shakespeare Uncovered” looks at two dramas about lovers. In each episode, an actor associated with the play is host for an in-depth look at its history, themes and various productions. “Antony and Cleopatra” features “Sex and the City” star Kim Cattrall, who made her debut as the Queen of the Nile in 2010 at the Liverpool Playhouse in England. Here’s a peek: While this relationship plays... Read more
Over at CatholicVote, I couldn’t resist spreading a little ray of sunshine … No matter what sort of dreck is foisted upon the world and eagerly gobbled up by apparently intelligent people — in this case, mostly women — there are moments when light bursts through the clouds and glistens on the muck below. One of those moments was the press event for the movie version of the schlock-erotica novel “50 Shades of Grey,” which comes out this weekend to... Read more
Born in 2008, Professional Bull Riders competition animal Mr. Bull (seen above) weighs 1,500 pounds and is larger than some compact cars. Getting on his back and going for a ride could be considered either incredibly foolhardy or incredibly brave. But one thing’s for sure, it takes a lot of faith — in oneself, in training, in the strength of an arm and a strap … and even in a higher power. Last Saturday night (Feb. 7), I was down at... Read more
(Spoiler warning: If you haven’t seen the episode that aired Monday, Feb. 9, bookmark this page and come back later.) It would be a stretch to call Fox’s supernatural drama “Sleepy Hollow,” currently airing its second season Mondays at 9 p.m. ET, a faith-based show, but there’s a lot in it that people of faith can appreciate — including a character who’s a faithful Catholic. At its core, “Sleepy Hollow” is about people with morals and ethics battling to prevent... Read more
There’s a reason why superhero tales resonate with audiences. They deal with huge issues — life, death, revenge, love, courage, cowardice and hate. On Monday nights at 8 (ET), Fox offers “Gotham,” a Batman-prequel drama featuring the child Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), a young (pre-Commissioner) Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), and both early versions of DC Comics villains and characters created just for the series. Robin Lord Taylor plays the younger edition of comic villain Penguin — Oswald Cobblepot, first seen... Read more
On Friday, Feb. 6, entertainment lawyer Peter Kaufman, from his @Dealfatigue Twitter account, sent out 61 tweets (they’re numbered to 62, but he missed number 6) about how to give your screenplay its best chance of being bought and produced. In the previous post, I listed up to number 34, and we pick up where I left off (edited for grammar and clarity): 35: Do they stick their necks out if they think they’ve found the next “Birdman”? I truly doubt that. What... Read more
On Friday, Feb. 6, entertainment lawyer Peter Kaufman, from his @Dealfatigue Twitter account, sent out 61 tweets (they’re numbered to 62, but he missed number 6) about how to give your screenplay its best chance of being bought and produced. Since so many Hollywood folks are seen living lives of libertine excess, you might think that the town is light on rules and etiquette-free. In truth, it’s less like a mass Woodstock love-in than a medieval court, complete with royalty, lords, courtiers... Read more
From Variety, for “Coaching Bad,” a reality series premiering Sunday, Feb. 8, on cablenet Spike TV, created by John Irwin, the man behind reality hits “Celebrity Rehab” and “Couples Therapy”: “What made this interesting to us is that one out of four people struggle with anger management in this country and leading the charge in that category are athletic coaches,” said Irwin who serves as an exec producer on the original series. “Flying under the radar are literally tens of thousands of... Read more
On Jan. 30, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, a veteran TV writer and producer, shared some wisdom on Twitter — follow him @OKBJGM — about the ins and outs of being a staff writer on a TV show. TV is one of the few writing endeavors that’s collaborative (or involves more than just one other partner). It does happen that one writer pens a whole show, especially in the U.K. One example is Catholic Julian Fellowes and his “Downton Abbey,” which airs in the... Read more
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