Week of « Prev | Next »
1-20 of 27 articles « Prev | Next »
Must Watch: Sarah Jessica Parker returns in 'Sex and the City 2' trailer
5 hours ago
Sarah Jessica Parker may have had a bit of a disappointment with "What happened to the Morgans?" but that frown will get turned upside down when "Sex and the City 2" opens on May 28. As Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) says in the voice over, a lot can happen in two years and it looks like it. No sign of new co-star Penelope Cruz, but Samantha (Kim Cattrall) has a fine young man on her arm (are we surprised?), Charlotte (Kristen Davis) is busy with her daughter and, as always, Mr. Big (Chris North) is somewhere in the picture. Check out the trailer …
- HitFix Staff
Review: Martin Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' with Leonardo Di Caprio
6 hours ago
Another highlight from this year's Butt-Numb-a-Thon (aside from the previously reviewed "Avatar" and "Kick-Ass") was the world premiere screening of Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island." If you're not familiar with Butt-Numb-a-Thon, it's a 24 hour movie marathon, where the movies play back to back to back from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday. Except this year it started at 11:00 and ended after 2:00. Harry Knowles programs the event as his birthday/Geek Christmas, and it's always a mix of vintage films and new films. Honestly, the best example of how that can pay off with a whole that is better than …
TV's Best of the Decade: No. 10 - 'Freaks and Geeks'
9 hours ago
Someday soon, a wiseacre graduate student is going to write a mighty clever dissertation focusing on a strange facet of popular entertainment in the Aughts. The title of that dissertation is going to be something along the lines of "'Virgin' Territory: How Judd Apatow Went From TV Failure to Movie King Without Changing a Thing." The thesis of the dissertation will be that in a two-year period between 1999 and 2001, Judd Apatow executive produced two superb TV shows, arguably (as I have done) two of the best shows of the entire decade. But neither "Freaks and Geeks" nor …
- Daniel Fienberg
Celebrating HitFix's one-year anniversary
10 hours ago
12 months. 365 days. 2335 stories. 2205 blog posts. 450 galleries. 1 year in the life of HitFix. When HitFix launched a year ago even the most experienced members of our team didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, it's been an amazing, surprising and eventful ride. From Sundance to the Grammys to Oscar to SXSW to Comic-Con to TCA's to Lollapalooza to Toronto to Fantastic Fest to set visits to premieres and events all over the world it's been a journey beyond our wildest dreams. Through the good times (the drama of "American Idol") and the bad (Michael Jackson's …
- HitFix Staff
Fox sets its 'American Idol' schedule through the Finals
11 hours ago
Fox has now announced its full "American Idol" schedule from the audition rounds through to the start of the Finals, allowing viewers to decide which part of the process they want to tune in for. As was previously announced, "American Idol" will premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 12 with a two-hour audition episode focusing on aspiring stars from Boston. The following night, Atlanta auditions will get a 75-minute show. Future audition episodes will air on Jan. 19 (Chicago), Jan. 20 (Orlando), Jan. 26 (Dallas), Jan. 27 (Los Angeles) and Feb. 2 (Denver). A "The Road to Hollywood" audition special will air on …
- Daniel Fienberg
TV Ratings: 'Sing Off' finale battles CBS Monday repeats
14 hours ago
Fast National ratings for Monday, December 21, 2009. The finale of NBC's "The Sing Off" helped the network beat CBS' comedy repeats at 8 p.m., but CBS took control in the 9 p.m. hour and eventually carried the night. Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 2.4 rating, with NBC's 2.1 rating following closely in the key demographic. Fox's 1.4 rating and the 1.3 rating for ABC were close behind. The CW trailed with a 0.3 rating. Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 8.18 million viewers to go with a 5.2 rating/9 share. NBC was second with a 4.2/7. ABC's …
- Daniel Fienberg
Beyonce, Taylor Swift set to perform at Grammy Awards
16 hours ago
Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Antebellum, Maxwell and Taylor Swift have all been tapped to perform at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, live on Jan. 31 via CBS. Each has been nominated for an award this year and will have their answer during the two-and-a-half hour ceremony at Los Angeles' Staples Center. Announcements of additional performers, plus the initial round of presenters, are expected soon. Black Eyed Peas will most likely be performing their hit "I Gotta Feeling," as fans are requested to upload 20-second segments of them singing the song to YouTube for possible broadcast at the show. …
- Katie Hasty
An 'Awards' worthy Top Ten Movies of 2009
22 hours ago
This wasn't a particular amazing year for movies, but it wasn't necessarily a bad one either. In fact, it's hard to remember a year so middle of the road in film quality as 2009. It's one reason why pundits such as this one are having such a tough time nailing down the last three to four slots in the Oscar race. Now, some will blame the Writer's strike almost two years ago for this absence of "spectacular" work but that's a sorry excuse and hardly explains the weak slate of independent film. Plus, how can you knock 12 months that features …
Starz renews 'Spartacus'
21 December 2009 9:52 PM, PST
Starz has ordered a second season of its effects-heavy sword-and-sandals epic "Spartacus." Now the premium cable network just has to get around to premiering the first season. The first season of "Spartacus," with the full title "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," will premiere on Starz on Friday, January 22 at 10 p.m. Et. The second season, tentatively titled [spoiler alert!] "Spartacus: Vengeance" will begin production on 13 new episodes in the first quarter of 2010. "We couldn't be happier with the first season. 'Spartacus' delivers on all levels -- action, characters, intrigue, romance and excitement," states Starz Entertainment Evp, Programming, …
- Daniel Fienberg
HitFix's Top 10 Albums of 2009
21 December 2009 9:31 PM, PST
Pearl Jam's "Backspacer" and Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest" came out on top of HitFix critics Melinda Newman's and Katie Hasty's top 10 albums of 2009 lists, respectively. Between the two, only a pair of titles had crossover: "Veckatimest" and Phoenix's "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix." While rock seems to reign our lists, there's a smattering of pop, hip-hop, singer-songwriters, hard rock and more included. We discussed the personal -- and sometimes incomplete -- nature of list-making in our earlier article on "Why lists?", which is why you should check back in for a gallery of other media outlets' top 10s, too: we at …
- Katie Hasty and Melinda Newman
Not so fast: 'Avatar' actually has a $77 million debut
21 December 2009 8:48 PM, PST
James Cameron's "Avatar" jumped out to a faster start than projected, taking in $77 million domestically over opening weekend. That was about $4 million more than distributor 20th Century Fox had estimated over the weekend. The studio said the film did far more business than it had projected on Sunday. Early Monday, Fox estimated the film's domestic haul could hit $77.35 million, which would have been a record opening for December. But the final number came in just shy of the $77.2 million debut of Will Smith's "I Am Legend," which retained the December record. Worldwide, "Avatar" …
- AP Staff
Sundance adds new premieres featuring 'True Blood's' Anna Paquin, Katie Holmes and Julianne Moore
21 December 2009 1:40 PM, PST
Already packing a busy and star-studded line up, the Sundance Film Festival announced the addition of three additional premieres to next month's fest. The non-competition features make this year's event more anticipated than ever. "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" Director: Gurinder Chadha ("Bend it like Beckham") Screenwriters: Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha Synopsis: A comedy centered on an Indian mother who discovers that finding the perfect son-in-law can be murder. Cast: Shabana Azmi, Goldy Notay, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Sally Hawkins. "The Kids are Alright" Director: Lisa Cholodenko ("High Art") Screenwriters: Stuart Blumberg and Lisa Cholodenko Synopsis: Two children conceived by artificial …
California courts refuse to dismiss Polanski's sex case
21 December 2009 12:48 PM, PST
A California appeals court on Monday rejected Roman Polanski's bid to have his sex case dismissed, but cited grave concerns over possible judicial and prosecutorial misconduct. The California 2nd District Court of Appeal announced it had denied the petition, with justices saying they are "deeply concerned" about the alleged misconduct. "We encourage all participating parties to do their utmost to ensure that this matter now draws to a close in a manner that fully addresses the issues of due process and fundamental fairness raised by the events of long ago," the court's opinion stated. While a blow …
- Anthony McCartney, Associated Press
TV's Best of the Decade: No. 11 - 'The West Wing'
21 December 2009 12:44 PM, PST
Has history been a bit unkind to "The West Wing"? We're talking about a show that won the decade's first four Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series and probably even deserved two or three of those wins. Yet "The West Wing" has been missing from many of my favorite critics' Best of the Decade lists, or pushed down towards the bottom in favor of sexier, edgier, cable-ier alternatives. This list obviously isn't immune, as I had "The West Wing" in my Top 10 for a long time before talking myself out of it at the last second. The greatest …
- Daniel Fienberg
HitFix Critics face-off: Why do we make top 10 lists?
21 December 2009 11:15 AM, PST
A lot of people have made holiday wish-lists this month, but a list of a different nature also reigns in December: critics' top 10 lists, for movies, news events television, videos, video games and music. It's the latter that HitFix's two music crits, Melinda Newman and Katie Hasty, examine, together via instant messenger. Why are lists of the year's best, most important or most ground-breaking albums and singles important, anyway? Why do we make them, and why do people read them? Are critics' opinions any better that the common music fans'? HitFix has itself a full slate of year-end and decade-end …
- Katie Hasty and Melinda Newman
Return dates set for 'Survivor,' 'The Amazing Race'
21 December 2009 9:53 AM, PST
CBS announced a slew of midseason scheduling plans on Monday (Dec. 21) morning, including the spring returns of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." As was announced during the "Survivor: Samoa" finale (and had already been reported extensively online for months), the 20th edition of "Survivor" will be "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains." The season, pitting two teams of "Survivor" all-time favorites, will premiere on Thursday, Feb. 11 with a two-hour episode. "Survivor" will also get an hour-long special titled "Surviving Survivor," airing on Thursday, Feb. 4 and focusing on the post-"Survivor" lives of many memorable castaways. Will some of those …
- Daniel Fienberg
Radiohead returning to the studio in January
21 December 2009 9:32 AM, PST
Perhaps Thom Yorke's railings from the Copenhagen climate talks have served as creative fuel to fire, or the band is ready for their new era... but Radiohead has announced that it is re-entering the studio next month. In a blog post on the British group's Dead Air Space, guitarist and founding member Ed O'Brien relayed the following, in the middle of his own COP15 rant: The vibe in the camp is fantastic at present, and we head off into the studio in January to continue on from the work we started last Summer .. I am so genuinely excited about what …
- Katie Hasty
CBS hands post-Super Bowl slot to 'Undercover Boss'
21 December 2009 9:18 AM, PST
Sorry, "How I Met Your Mother" and "Big Bang Theory." Second time won't be the charm, "Survivor" and "Criminal Minds." CBS has decided to give the coveted post-Super Bowl programming slot to a new show this year. CBS announced on Monday (Dec. 21) morning that "Undercover Boss" will premiere at a special time on Sunday, February 7 whenever the Super Bowl and its exhaustive post-game show are over. "Undercover Boss" will then move into its regular time period on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on February 14. In "Undercover Boss," executives from major corporations go undercover at the …
- Daniel Fienberg
Rage Against the Machine beats 'X Factor' winner in U.K. Christmas No. 1 contest
21 December 2009 9:07 AM, PST
A hard rocking, political bending single from 1992 beat out the first major track released from this year's "X Factor" winner in the contest for the No. 1 Christmas single in the U.K. this year. Rage Against the Machine's song "Killing in the Name" sold 500,000 all-digital copies last week, while the recently crowned reality show winner Joe McElderry's take on Miley Cyrus' track "The Climb" moved 450,000 units, according to Billboard, from a combination of digital and phycial singles. Sales were tallied for the contest in the week that began on Dec. 13. Here in America, we rarely feel the …
- Katie Hasty
TV Ratings: NBC's Sunday NFL holds off 'Survivor' finale
21 December 2009 8:36 AM, PST
Fast National ratings for Sunday, December 20, 2009. CBS got solid numbers from the finale of "Survivor: Samoa," but couldn't find a way to top NBC's Sunday football game between the Panthers and the Vikings, at least not in the all-important demographics. Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a 4.5 rating for the night, topping the 4.4 rating for NFL-aided Fox. CBS was a solid third in the key demographic with a 3.8 rating. ABC's 1.7 rating was a distant fourth. Overall, NBC averaged just under 13 million viewers in primetime to go with a 7.9 rating/13 share, while …
- Daniel Fienberg
1-20 of 27 articles « Prev | Next »
