
TV Swag, Movie Swag — Sharing the Love and Keeping You Up on the Latest
One of the best parts of my job is answering the door every day and carting in an armload of super fun TV swag and movie swag. You see, as a film and TV critic, and as a member of the Broadcast Television Journalists Association and the Broadcast Film Critics Association, networks and studios are…

Hubert Geza Wells' 'Lights, Camera, Lions' — The Truth About Animal Movies
The pleasure, the pain, the love: One of the world’s most esteemed trainers takes you inside the making of beloved animal movies I appreciate so many diverse types of movies these days that I can’t pick a favorite genre, but when I was young (a good dozen years ago…or so) there was only one type…

Lady Gaga Five Foot Two: A Look at the New Lady Gaga Documentary
Lady Gaga Five Foot Two: James Mandell’s take on the new Netflix Lady Gaga documentary Born this Way, Bad Romance… I know these tunes by cultural osmosis more than having listened to them in rotation. As a Baby Boomer, I’ve moved from pop to denser electronic and experimental genres, but I listen to all manner…

The Ever-Gracious Nancy O'Dell Parts With Her Pasadena Mansion
Nancy O’Dell moves on from her lovely Wallace Neff estate I’ll always have a special place in my heart for “Entertainment Tonight” host Nancy O’Dell. I’ve interviewed her for an article or two, bumped into her on the junket circuit, and watched her exude graciousness and poise at some rather awkward moments. It stands to…

Buy the Baywatch House and Enjoy Long Walks (or Slow-Mo Runs) on the Beach
The Baywatch House, where one of the most popular shows in television history began, is on the market for $8.9 million You could call the Malibu beach house on the market for $8.9 million “The House That ‘Baywatch’ Built.” After all, Gregory J. Bonann, co-creator of the TV series about L.A. lifeguards, lived on the property in the…

THE ORVILLE Review: You Can't Have it Both Ways…Or Can You?
THE ORVILLE Review by James Mandell, arbiter of all things sci-fi Cool CGI, big derivative music scoring, shiny interiors and costumes that look like everyone is about to get in formation and march down the football field playing an arrangement of the latest Taylor Swift tune. What could go wrong? The Orville (Fox, Sundays) made…

AMERICAN GODS — The Best Thing to Hit the Small Screen Since 'Game of Thrones'
In her AMERICAN GODS review, Lisa Johnson Mandell says the stellar adaptation of the bestselling novel is true must see TV Bold, bloody, bodacious and beautiful, American Gods from Starz is the series of the year, if not the decade. Based on stellar author Neil Gaiman‘s international bestseller of the same name, this is big event television…

Iconic Norman Lear Estate Premieres on the Market
Countless classic TV episodes have been conceived on the Norman Lear Estate A legend in the television industry is now offering up one of Los Angeles‘ most legendary estates. The Brentwood compound of 94-year-old TV impresario Norman Lear is now on the market for $39.95 million.

Will THIS IS US Win Best Drama Series? Will LALA LAND Win Best Film? Watch the CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS Sunday to Find Out
Is anyone else as crazy as I am over This is Us and LaLa Land? We’ll find out whether my critic colleagues are or not on Sunday, at the 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which air December 11 at 8PM ET/ 5PM PT. I’ve got my Halston Heritage black and white penguin gown (it’s sexier than it sounds) all set…

Don Cheadle Lists in Venice After His Wife, Bridgid Coulter, Does Exquisite Remodel
Don Cheadle Lists in Venice After His Wife, Bridgid Coulter, Does Exquisite Remodel by Lisa Johnson Mandell Don Cheadle’s House of Lies character Marty Kaan may be throwing shade on his baby mama’s interest in buying a home in Venice, but in real life, he’d be over the moon if he could find a buyer…