Regional Theater Review: ‘Broadway Bounty Hunter’
Annie Golden, the theater veteran and regular on TV's "Orange Is the New Black" (playing inmate Norma), isn't precisely "Annie Golden," protagonist of Joe Iconis's new musical "Broadway Bounty…
Bob Verini
From ‘Fargo’ to ‘People v. O.J.’: Emmy Nominees Discuss Limited Series Format
For a limited series to be whole, it first has to be broken. The "breaking" process — as in, breaking out the overall narrative and its individual episodes — is a crucial drama bubbling beneath the…
Emmys: When the Run Is Limited, Basic Cable Writers & Directors Go Big
Basic cable fared well in limited series this year. FX racked up nominations and buzz with "The People v. O.J. Simpson" and "Fargo." AMC's John le Carre adaptation "The Night Manager" was nominated…
Limited Series Writers Take Big Risks in Short Runs
The limited series is staking a claim to 24K status in television's current Golden Age. While so-called "minis" once ladled out meat and potatoes narrative in appointment TV epics, today's short form…
Revealing the Latest on Animation’s Greatest
The Internet is always full of gossip about movie stars. Yet animated characters live their offscreen lives without paparazzi or the prying eyes of the media. Variety‘s Bob Verini imagined what might…
Attorney Darrell Miller Built His Career With an Insider’s Knowledge of Showbiz
The Beverly Hills Bar Assn.'s selection for 2016 Entertainment Lawyer of the Year, Darrell D. Miller, comes to the honor with a pretty unusual slant. He was once an entertainer. "An…
Ebertfest 2016: Chaz Ebert Keeps Roger’s Spirit Alive
The late Roger Ebert often told this story about himself: During an Ebertfest screening of "Citizen Kane," featuring commentary he had recorded for a Criterion Collection laser disc, he went for…
San Diego Theater Review: New Musical ‘Rain’ by Michael John LaChiusa
Sadie Thompson, that naughty lady of Pago-Pago, has had the struggle over her soul dramatized innumerable times on stage and screen since Somerset Maugham created her in his 1921 short story “Rain.”…
L.A. Theater Review: ‘An Act of God’ with Sean Hayes
Ash Wednesday, the Christian calendar's annual reminder of life's transitory nature, seems a provocative choice for unveiling "An Act of God" at the Ahmanson. But if offense was intended, none need…
Oscar Favorites Elbowed Aside for Rookie Writers in 2016 Race
The Oscars' current problems are a lot like baseball's, back in the day. The game is too white, too macho and a little too overloaded with grizzled veterans for many fans' comfort. But encouraging…
In Oscar Directing Category, ‘More’ Sometimes Beats ‘Best’
Here's a Hollywood riddle. Why are 2015's director Oscar nominees like Olympic gymnasts? Because their judges seem to have considered degree of difficulty. These days, the helmer category routinely…
