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What Bret Easton Ellis’ GLAAD Rant Gets Right (And What It Gets Wrong)

By Tyler Coates on

Out has published a long rant from novelist and occasional Internet provocateur Bret Easton Ellis that covers at length the following subjects: Jason Collins, the former NBA player who came out as gay two weeks ago with a controversial Sports Illustrated cover story, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the organization’s annual media awards, openly gay actor Matt Bomer, a defense of AIDS jokes, and the phenomenon he calls “the Gay Man as the Magical Elf.” Strap in folks, because there’s a lot to parse in this nearly 3,500-word screed in which Ellis places himself at the heart of a great debate about the nature of today’s gay man — a topic on which the writer seems to play both sides. … Read More

Television

Exclusive Video: A Morning at ‘Arrested Development’s’ Bluth Banana Stand

By Jason Bailey on

We’ve got less than two weeks till the debut of Arrested Development’s long awaited, eagerly anticipated fourth season on Netflix, and the network is kicking its promotional machine into high gear. Their cleverest promo tool: the Bluth’s Original Banana Stands that are popping up across the country (and across the pond), giving away frozen bananas in anticipation of the May 26 debut. Here in New York, the first banana stand opened up Monday morning, so your intrepid film editor grabbed a video camera and headed down to talk with some AD fans about who they’re looking forward to seeing again, what they love about the show, and how they’ll be consuming the fourth season when it all shows up early that fateful Sunday morning. … Read More

Television

Is John McCain’s Cable à la Carte Bill Secretly Terrible?

By Jason Bailey on

Talk about hitting on a winning strategy five years too late. Forget the Alaska Governor Who Must Not Be Named — if John McCain was looking for a game-changer back in 2008, he should’ve floated the Television Consumer Freedom Act. The new legislation, which McCain introduced Thursday, aims to let cable customers select their lineups à la carte, getting only the channels they want, and eschewing the expensive ones they never watch. It would change the way the television business operates, and it could be a boon for the viewer. Maybe. … Read More

Television

Where Can ‘Community’ Season 5 Possibly Go Now That Jeff’s Graduated?

By Jason Bailey on

Last Friday, after a rather successful (for this year, anyway) fourth season finale, we asked the simple question: should Community get picked up for another, Dan Harmon-less season, or is it time to let the characters — and actors — graduate to bigger and better things? It was a question answered far more quickly than expected; by Friday afternoon, there were rumblings that a fifth season was “all but a done deal,” and that deal got done over the weekend. It’s not all ducky for the Greendale crew; as with the just-completed season, year five will only run 13 episodes (initially, anyway), and there’s no set start date. The show is on neither NBC’s fall nor mid-season schedule, meaning the network is saving it to drop in when one of their new comedies tanks, which at least one certainly will. (Let’s be honest: it’ll be more than one.) So the ratings were good enough, and the show is good enough. But it’s time to ask the more pressing question: where does the show go from here, narratively speaking? … Read More

Television

The Geekiest ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 3 Recap: “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”

By Alison Herman on

In case you missed “The Rains of Castamere” playing over the closing credits, “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” shared an author with “Blackwater,” the extraordinary hour of television that concluded with The National’s mournful power ballad. That author happens to be George R.R. Martin, the man behind the magic — or rather, the original book series. Unfortunately, “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” is everything “Blackwater” was not: routine, uneventful, and worst of all, slowing down a season that just hit its stride after the sluggish pace of its early episodes. … Read More

Television

‘Revenge’ Season 2 Finale Recap: Last Night’s Winners and Losers

By Chloe Pantazi on

Life is so much more interesting in the Hamptons. At least, it is in the soap world of Revenge, where it’s a high-class hotbed for the exploits of the rich, beautiful, and irrevocably corrupt. Though it’s quite different for the beguiling Emily Thorne (née Amanda Clarke), who’s returned to the Hamptons of her childhood with a hefty agenda: to learn the truth about her past, and retribute those who framed her father for a heinous crime he didn’t commit. We’re keeping weekly score of Emily’s endeavors, and the many others of our favorite Hamptonians, by calling each episode’s winners and losers. Following the show’s recent renewal for a third season, last night’s two-hour finale, “Truth,” made good on its name, and did not disappoint. As the city’s power comes on, the lights – and indeed truths – come out. For the last time this season, discover the finale’s sole winner and losers below. It’s been a pleasure revenging with you. … Read More

Television

Your ‘Mad Men’ Season 6, Episode 7 Talking Points: “They’re Shooting Everybody”

By Judy Berman on

No current TV show generates more Monday morning conversation than Mad Men. With that in mind, Flavorwire is recapping Season 6′s Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce drama by giving you a handful of talking points to spark your own water-cooler debate. Directed by John Slattery, “Man With a Plan” comes on the heels of Mad Men‘s strongest episode of the season to date — and if it isn’t quite as dazzling as “For Immediate Release,” its fast-paced plot and character friction do seem to suggest that the show has hit its mid-season stride. … Read More

Television

The Best and Worst of Last Night’s ‘SNL’ with Kristen Wiig

By Alison Nastasi on

When Kristen Wiig left SNL last year, Mick Jagger hosted her final episode and gave the Bridesmaids star, writer, and producer an emotional send-off. Wiig was exuberant for her return last night and seemed to be having a blast with former castmates Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, holding back the laughter during several sketches. She was given a warm homecoming with open arms, several friends popped by to lend a funny, and musical guest Vampire Weekend performed “Diane Young” and “Unbelievers.” We wondered if the episode would rely on Wiig’s best-of, and for the most part it did – not unlike Zach Galifianakis’ comfortable (as comfy as things get with him), middle-of-the-road moments last week. The frustration with Wiig’s speedy return to the series is twofold. … Read More

Television

This Week’s Top 5 TV Moments

By Alison Herman on

There are scores of TV shows out there, with dozens of new episodes each week, not to mention everything you can find on Hulu Plus, Netflix streaming, and HBO Go. How’s a viewer to keep up? To help you sort through all that television has to offer, we’re compiling the five best moments on TV each week. This week, some shows wrap up while others get going. … Read More

Web

Do Celebrity-Backed Projects Hurt Kickstarter’s Reputation?

By Tyler Coates on

When Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell announced last month that a movie version of the cult show was in the works — via Kickstarter — the internet exploded with excitement. The project hit its $2 million goal in just 11 hours, setting a record on the four-year-old fundraising site. The project was seen as a way to gauge the audience interest rather than a chance to fully fund the production, although Thomas and Bell were able to pull together $5.7 million from Veronica Mars fans. … Read More