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Lost Episode 5 Chat Thread
2008-02-28 20:06
by Jon Weisman

Episode 5 already? So let's see, No. 6 on March 6 (the night of the UCLA-Stanford game), No. 7 on March 13, and No. 8 on March 20, the night before the baby is due. Hmm.

Remember, don't talk about show details until they've aired on the West Coast.

Update: Read my post about tonight's episode at Season Pass.

Inside Oscar Night
2008-02-28 16:43
by Jon Weisman

Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) offers this lovely, entertaining recap of his Oscar night.

Second-Annual Screen Jam Oscar Pool
2008-02-24 14:11
by Jon Weisman

As host and defending champion of the Screen Jam Oscar Pool, I invite you to participate in this year's event.

Just like in in 2007, different categories will have different weight:

4 points: Picture

3 points: Lead and supporting actor and actress, director, adapted and original screenplay, animated feature, documentary feature, foreign language film

2 points: Art direction, cinematography, costume design, film editing, makeup, original score, original song, sound editing, sound (sound mixing), visual effects

1 point: Documentary short, animated short film and live-action short film

Tiebreaker: Time of day that the telecast ends in Los Angeles.

Nominees can be found here.

I'll post my picks before the broadcast begins - that's the deadline to enter. No cost for entry; low-value prizes to be determined, though I have some ideas.

Update: Here are my picks:

4 points:
Picture -

3 points: Lead and supporting actor and actress, director, adapted and original screenplay, animated feature, documentary feature, foreign language film

2 points: Art direction, cinematography, costume design, film editing, makeup, original score, original song, sound editing, sound (sound mixing), visual effects

1 point: Documentary short, animated short film and live-action short film

Tiebreaker: Time of day that the telecast ends in Los Angeles.

Lost Episode 4 Chat Thread
2008-02-21 19:44
by Jon Weisman

You can find my Season Pass post on the episode at Variety - thanks in advance for contributing comments there.

Saving Friday Night Lights
2008-02-21 01:20
by Jon Weisman

Josef Adalian at Variety describes how Friday Night Lights might come back next season.

NBC Universal execs have decided they want to go the extra yard to ensure the drama returns for a third season. To make sure that happens, conglom is having serious conversations with several networks about a plan to carve out multiple broadcast windows for the show, which has received critical worship and has a cult-like following.

Peacock has had talks with the CW, Comcast Entertainment Networks (E!/G4) and TNT about sharing "Friday Night Lights" with NBC. DirecTV, which last year picked up the rights to NBC sudser "Passions," has also been brought into the mix.

Just how the shared window plan would work is unclear, but one model may be the plan NBC worked out for "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Starting this season, episodes of "CI" premiered on USA Network and aired a few months later on NBC. Skein has generated solid numbers in both windows.

Whether NBC U can work out a similar deal with a network it doesn't own remains to be seen. Already, some people familiar with the talks have complained that Peacock's asking price for "Friday Night Lights" is too high.

Still, the show's loyal core audience and attractive demos -- it's among the most popular shows on TV with upscale viewers -- could help close the sale.

Lost Episode 3 Chat
2008-02-14 20:19
by Jon Weisman

I'm watching tonight's Lost at the same time as the rest of you, so there won't be any immediate post at Season Pass. So feel free to chat here during and after the episode, and I'll let you know when there's something over there.

Remember, no spoilers, including scenes from upcoming episodes.

Update: My Season Pass post is live.

Shards and MVPs
2008-02-12 17:06
by Jon Weisman

Fans of Breaking Bad and Friday Night Lights should check out my recent posts at Season Pass.

Back to You
2008-02-08 15:16
by Jon Weisman

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune runs down what TV shows will be coming back when if the Writers Guild strike is settled imminently, as many hope and believe.

Lost Episode 2 Chat
2008-02-07 18:35
by Jon Weisman

If you want to talk about Lost, do so in the comments below.

Ground rules: No chatting about anything that hasn't been seen by West Coast viewers, and no spoilers. That includes not talking about scenes from next week's episode.

Have fun …

Lost Season Premiere Chat
2008-01-31 16:42
by Jon Weisman

If you're like me, you're feeling the excitement about tonight's Lost season premiere. I watched the episode two nights ago, and I'm still excited to chat about it.

So here's the game plan for tonight.

1) If you want to talk about Lost before or during the episode, do so in the comments below.

2) For more Lost chat after the episode, I ask that you go to the Variety blog Season Pass, where there will be a new post right at 10 p.m.

Ground rules: No chatting about anything that hasn't been seen by West Coast viewers, and no spoilers. That includes not talking about scenes from next week's episode.

Have fun …

New Series Watch: In Treatment and Breaking Bad
2008-01-29 15:07
by Jon Weisman

I've got a couple of new Season Pass posts at Variety: one on new HBO series In Treatment, the other on AMC's Breaking Bad.

Continue reading "New Series Watch: In Treatment and Breaking Bad"...

2007 Film Honors To Date
2008-01-22 12:00
by Jon Weisman

SAG Award winners coming Sunday ...

Continue reading "2007 Film Honors To Date"...

Oscar Nominations Open Chat
2008-01-22 07:13
by Jon Weisman

Here's the list. No big surprises on first glance. Atonement, Juno, There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men were all forgone conclusions for best picture nominations - the only doubt I had was whether the SAG-supported Into the Wild might beat Michael Clayton for the fifth spot. Similarly, the actor noms were by the book, with the mild but understandable surprise being that Laura Linney sneaked past Angelina Jolie for a chance to lose to either Marion Cotillard or Julie Christie.

One other mild upset on first glance: While many expected Juno to get loads of nominations, few saw director Jason Reitman actually getting credit. But it was nice to see that he did. I still wonder if the dialogue in the first part of that movie was intentionally meant to be as annoying as it was - as much as I liked it at the end.

More to come later, time permitting.

The Wire: A Rookie's Perspective
2008-01-14 11:56
by Jon Weisman

At Variety, I offer my thoughts about The Wire after having missed the first four seasons. I also have a post about how Friday Night Lights recalled the 1954 Cotton Bowl.

Best Animated Film of 2007: Persepolis
2008-01-09 11:25
by Jon Weisman

It's not as colorful as Ratatouille and maybe lacks the transcendent ending, but Persepolis is absolutely engaging and illuminating from start to finish. It makes good use of animation but isn't beholden to the form. I highly recommend it.