Drew Tarver and Heléne Yorke — the titular stars in the HBO Max comedy The Other Two — are joking about the time they first met one another. “We did a screen test together and, Heléne…, “ Tarver begins, “Remember you touched my face? Was that what it was? It …
Read More »Why Striking Hollywood Writers Fear an AI Future
For the first time since 2007, before streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max existed, members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike May 1 after failing to negotiate a deal with Hollywood studios. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) entered into contract discussions with the …
Read More »How the 2007-08 Writers' Strike Changed 'The Office' and 'Breaking Bad'
The last time the Writers Guild of America went on strike against the Hollywood studios was in November 2007, which feels like a million generations ago. George W. Bush was still president; the broadcast networks still had an enormous footprint on the pop-culture landscape; and House of Cards, the first …
Read More »'Jury Duty' Is a Very Funny TV Hit. It's Also Terrifying
Jury Duty, the surprise hit on Amazon Freevee, is a very good and funny show. The premise is high-concept, the episodes tightly written and edited. The casting is impeccable, including that of James Marsden as a heightened, more narcissistic version of himself, providing a fitting venue for his staggering comedic …
Read More »Roy Wood Jr. Breaks Down His Killer White House Correspondents' Dinner Set
“I don’t think there’s a crowd that’s a more strange mix than this,” offers Roy Wood Jr. “It’s just too many different types of people, all in the same place, and you’re trying to figure out the joke that’s going to hit all of those people. And then, you have …
Read More »Lizzy Caplan Is Not Gonna Be Ignored
Lizzy Caplan is lying. Well, let’s rephrase that: Lizzy Caplan is selectively truth-telling. Lounging in a gray Texas Longhorns T-shirt and yellow-green leggings, Caplan has such a stripped-down, let’s-talk-about-it approachability, you would think we were having a late-night sleepover chat instead of a cross-continental Zoom. But before I tell you …
Read More »'Andor' Star Diego Luna on 'Bold' Season Two and Why He's Done With Cassian
Diego Luna just left London’s Pinewood Studios after a long day of shooting Andor’s second season, and as he signs onto Zoom from the back of a car heading home, he realizes he’s still wearing the day’s makeup —including what appears to be a fake bruise on his left cheek. …
Read More »Rachel Weisz Doubles Down in 'Dead Ringers'
Once upon a time, there were two real-life identical-twin gynecologists. The brothers worked together at one of the finest hospitals in New York City and were a prominent part of Upper West Side high society. One of them, Cyril, was characterized as slightly more socially awkward than his sibling, Stewart; …
Read More »John Leguizamo Calls Out Hollywood: You're Failing Us Latinos
It’s not that we Latin people are silent, it’s that we are muted mostly because there are not enough Latinx journalists to amplify what is happening in our communities. Look at New York City. We are equal to whites in population but you barely see any Latino names on mastheads …
Read More »Justine Lupe on Willa, the Sex Worker Tied Up in 'Succession'
In the dark and twisted world of Succession, where alliances shift on a dime, everyone is always lying, and no one isn’t expendable, it’s tough to identify who, if anyone, is the most morally upright character in the show. But Willa (Justine Lupe), the high-end sex worker-turned-playwright-turned-political-wife, comes close. At …
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