Trekkies Celebrate as Captain Jean-Luc Picard Returns
Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard in the latest Star Trek spinoff. It will air on Amazon Prime, and will follow the next chapter of the character’s life. If it’s anywhere near as good as Star Trek Discovery, which airs on CBS All Access, I’m excited!
Keenan Thompson Branches Out From SNL
Suddenly NBC is the Kenan Thompson network. You’ll soon be seeing Saturday Night Live’s longest-running cast member on three (count ’em) three shows. That includes SNL, thank heavens, because who can remember what the show was like without him?
The new shows include The Kenan Show, a family comedy produced by Universal Television in association with Broadway Video. The third show is an NBC reality competition series called Bring the Funny, and also includes with Chrissy Tiegen and Jeff Foxworthy.
Yippee! You Can Now Watch Liam Neeson’s ‘Cold Pursuit’ at Home
In case you didn’t see my review, find it here. I think it’s right up there with Fargo. It definitely has the same vibe. To whet your appetite, take a look at the trailer:
Fond Farewells to Peggy Lipton and Doris Day
Just when I was adjusting to the news that Peggy Lipton had passed, the news comes out that Doris Day is also gone. Sad times.
Most of you are too young to remember Lipton in The Mod Squad, or even Twin Peaks. But you do know her daughter, Rashida Jones who was married to composer and record producer Quincy Jones. Lipton died at age 72.
Doris Day, of course, was an icon for the ages, and had one of the truest, clearest voices ever, according to my musician hubby. She was a ray of sunshine during the 1950s and ’60s, and a great animal advocate. She lived a full life, and passed at age 97. The Hollywood Reporter has a lovely obituary and photo gallery.
GAME OF THRONES Lives on in Live Concerts
The critically acclaimed Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience will return this fall for a 20-city amphitheater tour, bringing the music of Emmy® Award-winning Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi to outdoor theatres across North America. It’s a chance to relive the greatest musical pieces and footage from all eight seasons in an immersive outdoor concert experience.
Find where and when it will play here. Tickets for the tour will be available here starting Monday, May 13.
You Know You Love Reality TV — Find Out Which Shows are Up for Major Awards
I’m not afraid to admit that I LOVE reality TV! Love it so much, in fact, that we’re hard at work on the inaugural Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which take place Sunday, June 2 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and will be broadcast on VH1 Sunday, June 9. Hell yes I’ll be there!
Get all the details and find out if your favorite shows are nominated by clicking here.
The Latest on the Brady Bunch House Renovation Project
With the final paint drying even as you read this, the Brady Bunch house renovation (about a mile away from the Mandell Mass house) is all but complete. But enquiring minds have questions. Did they fix the staircase issue? Did they use real ’70’s appliances? Did they find enough orange formica for the kitchen?
I spoke with HGTV star Jasmine Roth of Hidden Potential, who, along with other HGTV stars, did most of the work. Check out all she revealed here.
Is ‘The Nanny’ Broadway Bound?
Fran Drescher strongly hinted to a CNN reporter that there might be a Broadway version of her much-loved sitcom in the works.
She said her new project was definitely not TV, but when asked if it involved Broadway, “she smiled and began laughing. ‘I can’t say! We’re going to be announcing it very soon, but my producer isn’t ready. Right now we are in the writing (stages) and meeting directors.'” Get the full scoop on CNN.com.
Just You and the Boss — Netflix Special Springsteen on Broadway is a Must
Was fortunate enough to see Martin Scorsese and Bruce Springsteen chat about their Netflix special Springsteen on Broadway last night, at the opening of the annual Netflix FYSee installation. Springsteen performed a very intimate acoustic mini concert afterwards.
It brought our attention to Springsteen’s extraordinary, sold out, Broadway run, and the TV special Scorsese directed about it. It is one of the most heart wrenchingly personal and intimate productions I’ve ever seen. Put it at the top of your watch list, and look for it during awards season.
What Are You Waiting For? Go See Hollywood Dream Machines Now!
Get up offa your seat, tear yourself away from your screen, and catch a Lyft over to the Peterson Automotive Museum’s new Hollywood Dream Machines exhibit.
I was treated to a panel discussion and a press preview yesterday of the exhibit that features all your favorite vehicles from TV and cinema. It’ll take you Back to the Future and forward to Blade Runner 2049, with hundreds of pitstops in-between. It’s an absolute must see if you’re anywhere near L.A.
Julian Fellows’ THE GUILDED AGE Just Got Harder to Watch
We’ve been waiting for the Downton Abbey creator’s latest series The Guilded Age for YEARS, and now that the 1880’s New York drama has moved from NBC to HBO, unless you have a paid cable subscription, it’s going to be an even longer wait to see it. Sigh!
Smart move, though. Now everyone who’s been watching the final season of Game of Thrones will have reason to keep their HBO subscriptions once the epic series has ended. Exec supreme Bob Greenblatt, who recently moved from NBC to HBO, is one smart cookie…or crumpet.
Congrats to the Those on the 100 Most Influential Asians List
My friend Sandra Oh, my home organization guru Marie Kondo and K-pop band BTS and have been honored as a part of nonprofit collective Gold House’s second annual A100 List to celebrate Asians, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) who have made transformative contributions to society.
The A100 list honors 100 of the most esteemed and impactful Asians in media and entertainment, fashion and lifestyle, technology, business, and social activism and politics from the past year. It also includes Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu, Emmy winner Darren Criss, comedian Hasan Minhaj, fashion designer Phillip Lim and U.S. Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, among others.
Find out more at HollywoodReporter.com.
