James Gandolfini: A Rich Bigscreen Career in the Shadow of Tony Soprano
James Gandolfini will forever be defined by Tony Soprano, a fact that scarcely diminished his work on the bigscreen and stage.
Columns
'Catfish' TV Show: The New Face of MTV (Really)
One byproduct of MTV's youthful audience profile is the dizzying speed with which the channel chews through its zeitgeist moments. So after being defined for a time by "Jersey Shore" -- which has…
Does 'Man of Steel' Exploit Disasters Like 9/11?
CRIX ON PIX: Variety reviewers sift through the wreckage of Zack Snyder's Superman reboot and other post-9/11 blockbusters.
For Roger Ailes and Fox News, the 'Election' Never Ends
"The election's over," Fox News CEO Roger Ailes said last December, when he conspicuously benched two of the channel's partisan talking heads, Dick Morris and Karl Rove. Don't look now, but Ailes'…
How Simon Cowell 'Factor'-ed Into 'American Idol's' Decline
Simon Cowell has meted out his share of criticism as a judge of musical talent. So hopefully he can endure some leveled at him in hastening the descent of "American Idol," whose ratings decline…
'Game of Thrones' Triumphs in Breakout Third Season
Like "The Walking Dead" and "Downton Abbey," the third season proved to be a breakout year for "Game of Thrones" from a commercial perspective. And now that viewers have had a chance to absorb last…
SEO Follies: 'Walking Dead' Actress? Well, Sort of, but…
I was eating lunch when the news hit that a “'Walking Dead' actress” had been implicated in mailing ricin-tinged letters to President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Then I clicked on the…
Why Take the Emmys Seriously?
The quibbles will (and should) never cease, but the TV Academy deserve its own kudos for many of its picks.
In LeBron James Love Affair, Media Knows the Score
LeBron James is arguably the best current basketball player on the planet. And that's a shame, since his career has been emblematic of practically everything that's wrong with the sport, and…
Koch-Eyed Optimists: Tribune Protests Ignore Print Challenge
To those protesting outside the Los Angeles Times and collecting signatures to prevent the dreaded Koch brothers from acquiring the newspaper, consider a popular adage with particular resonance in…
