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Open Mic

Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the Bachelors, the Pawn Stars and All the Rest: Reality Gurus on How to Stand Out in a Crowded Field

Host Tom Bergeron uttered words that would not normally come out of his mouth on "Dancing with the Stars" during an insightful panel discussion on reality television. Seems that a bit of unplanned reality disrupted the proceedings at the Hollywood…

Apr 30, 2012

CBS’s Most Valuable Employee for the Last 40 Years Is on the Mend After a Heart Attack and Bypass Surgery. He Cannot Wait to Get Back to Work. How a Modest Gentleman Has Risen to the Top, Thriving in the Shark-Infested Waters That Are the TV Business

Lionel Trilling, the wonderful teacher of literature, in trying to articulate the greatness of Chekhov, wrote, “Whoever tries to account for the peculiar charm of Chekhov’s work will sooner or later touch upon a certain personal trait of the author…

Apr 25, 2012

‘Of course, you won’t be able to lie on your back for a while, but then you can lie from any position, can’t you?’ Sparkling Dialogue, Wonderful Films. It’s the TCM Classic Film Festival, Part 2

That line above is from “Charade,” the movie wherein Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant sparred in the best example of a romantic comedy meeting a mystery thriller since Nick Charles hooked up with Nora. Written by Peter Stone and directed…

Apr 13, 2012

Theater, Cigarettes, Sex and Cinema. A Brilliant Movie Is Revived. The TCM Classic Movie Festival, Part 1

In the annals of film history, 1972 will forever be associated with “The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola’s huge popular and critical success. The movie won the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year, and rightfully so. And yet. For only…

Apr 12, 2012

In a Career That Spanned the History of TV Itself, Mike Wallace Became the Medium’s Best Reporter and Best Interviewer. How He Came to Develop His Interview Style. Some Early Examples of the Bulldog Unchained

"I’m Mike Wallace and the cigarette is Philip Morris." With that introduction every Sunday night on ABC at 10:30 p.m., the nation was introduced to interviews by a TV reporter like no other. The interviews were so different, in fact,…

Apr 9, 2012