Logo

Open Mic

Picasso According to ‘Genius’: TV to Be Provoked By

When National Geographic Channel debuted its anthology series “Genius” last year depicting the life of Albert Einstein, it was an ambitious project and a huge roll of the dice for the cable network. But “Genius,” which was NatGeo’s first-ever scripted…

Apr 23, 2018

New TV Project Examines the Roles of Jews in the U.S. Military in World War II

GI Jews. Unlike GI Joes, it’s not a term commonly used when speaking about members of the military. But it is the attention-grabbing title of a new feature-length documentary focusing on the more than 550,000 American Jews – men and…

Apr 10, 2018

CNN’s Anderson Cooper and His CNN Colleagues vs. Anderson Cooper, ‘60 Minutes’ Correspondent: A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

The interview with Stormy Daniels — the adult film star and director who claims she once slept with Donald Trump in July 2006 — which was conducted by newsman Anderson Cooper and was broadcast on CBS’s “60 Minutes” this past…

Mar 28, 2018

Final Season of ‘The Americans’ Plays Out Against a Backdrop of Real-World Russian Intrigue

Talk about collusion and you might think the showrunners of FX’s “The Americans” somehow timed the premiere of their sixth and final season to coincide with the nearly constant barrage of headlines about Russia in the news. The new chapters…

Mar 25, 2018

Oh No! Has Oprah Missed Signs From God?

Ever since her electrifying speech at the Golden Globes on Jan. 7th, there has been talk that Oprah Winfrey should become a candidate to run for the presidency of the United States in 2020. She made headlines again on Wednesday,…

Mar 1, 2018

You Must Remember This – A Tribute to the Most Enjoyable Movie Ever Made on Its 75th Anniversary: ‘Casablanca’

[We first published this Open Mic entry on April 13, 2014, in slightly different form. And I first wrote it to talk about the kinds of movies shown on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). But now it’s the 75th anniversary of…

Feb 27, 2018

The Most Outrageous Experiment Ever Conducted in Hollywood. Do Those Working in the Movies Know the Difference Between John Ford and Henry Ford? Should They?

[As this is currently the 75th anniversary of the classic movie “Casablanca,” we are reprinting this Open Mic article, which ran on this site on Nov. 13th, 2012. We are also reprinting an appreciation I wrote about “Casablanca,” which you…

Feb 27, 2018

Humanitas Prizes Ceremony Takes On Added Resonance After School Shooting

It may outwardly have the look and feel of other awards shows, especially occurring as it does in the midst of the winter awards season, but the Humanitas Prize ceremonies hold a special place in the hearts of the Hollywood…

Feb 19, 2018

‘They Run the Show’ Panel Celebrates Progress — and Provides a Reality Check

It was a panel that may not have been able to exist even a decade ago — and that is cause for celebration. Coming in the midst of Black History Month, the Paley Center for Media spotlighted prominent African-American showrunners…

Feb 15, 2018

Patton Oswalt Keeps It Light at WGA Awards — Here’s a Wrapup of the Winners and (Uncensored) Jokes

Despite the serious subject matter of many of the projects in contention for the 2018 WGA Awards, with Patton Oswalt hosting for the third year running, a large thread of humor ran throughout the proceedings. “Good evening, Disney employees,” Oswalt…

Feb 13, 2018