Reviews of the New Fall Shows 2014

For the last five years I've attended PaleyFest, an event at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. At it, the new fall broadcast network shows are premiered, one network per evening. Following are my reviews of this fall's new shows. MORE

My Top Ten Blog Posts

Following are ten blog posts and op-eds which best reflect my writing about the entertainment industry. MORE

Ten Books That Have Stayed With Me

Recently, a friend forwarded a message which encouraged the recipient to list ten books which have "stayed with you" -- been meaningful or made an impression. Here is my list of ten books which have profoundly influenced my life. MORE

My First Traditional Latin Mass

After 17 years as a Roman Catholic, I attended my first Traditional Latin Mass today. It wasn’t at all what I expected. MORE

Cable's Business Model: Fewer Customers, Higher Prices

In every other business, driving away customers means losing money. But not in the cable industry. MORE

VH1 Encourages Naked Dating

Most people understand that nudity is inappropriate in public. Indeed, being outside one’s own home naked is grounds for a criminal charge of “indecent exposure,” and can result in not only a fine, but in the participant being placed on a “sex offender” registry. None of which matters a whit to VH1. MORE

Seth Rogen Meets Star Wars

Mainstream Hollywood today makes two kinds of movies: big-budget special effects extravaganzas, and raunchy sex comedies. Guardians of the Galaxy exploits both these trends at once.MORE

MTV Enters Virgin Territory

MTV is a network aimed squarely at teens and young adults – yet nearly all of its programming is obsessed with promoting teens having sex. MORE

Facebook Proves Media Influences Viewers

A recent experiment performed on Facebook users demonstrated once again that what people see in media influences their thoughts and reactions. MORE

Anti-Christian Bigotry on Display in Salem

Set at the time of the witchcraft trials, WGN America's Salem exhibits all the depth, historical accuracy, and understanding of the nuances of 17th century America to be found on a Bazooka Joe bubble-gum wrapper. MORE

Broadcast Networks Don’t Understand “Family Entertainment”

Last week, the annual PURPOSE Family Entertainment and Faith-Based Summit convened in Beverly Hills. All the convention’s attendees demonstrated a clear understanding of the concepts of “faith” and “family” entertainment — except America’s broadcast networks. MORE

Can't See MTV? A Million Viewers Don't Care

The mega-conglomerates that run the entertainment industry love to claim that “we’re just giving people what they want.” But in a battle over cable fees, nearly a million subscribers have demonstrated they don’t miss networks like MTV. MORE

Roundtable Reveals What's Important to TV's "Comedy" Writers

The Hollywood Reporter recently detailed a roundtable meeting between some of the most influential “comedy” writers working in television today. The article revealed how such writers revel in subjects many Americans don’t find notably funny. MORE

ABC President: Indecency in Family Hour "Not an Issue"

ABC has announced that it will be moving its sex drama Grey’s Anatomy into the Family Hour next fall. When asked about the move, ABC President Paul Lee said showing explicit content when children are in the audience is “much less relevant than it was five years ago.” MORE

Hollywood's New Trend: Naked Dating

Nudity has long been a staple on premium cable networks. But now, “naked dating” programs are poised to become the next big thing on basic cable – and even broadcast – TV. MORE

HBO Urges Teens to Watch "Away From Your Parents"

The entertainment industry claims that it has a “longstanding commitment” to helping parents protect children from harmful media content. But a new series of ads from HBO put the lie to that claim. MORE

Questions Nobody is Asking about the Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger

"How can the largest cable company in the country buy the second-largest and gain control over 19 of the country’s top 20 markets, 30% of cable, and 40% of broadband, and there be no serious questions?” asks David Carr of The New York Times. MORE

Broadcast TV: Champion of Decency?

In his keynote address at the group’s annual trade show, National Association of Broadcasters President Gordon Smith boasted about broadcasters dedication to “the public interest.” But there are plenty of ways the networks aren’t meeting their obligations. MORE

NBC's Newest Star: Charles Manson

NBC is already home to a TV series glorifying gruesome, gory serial killing and cannibalism on its series Hannibal. And this week, the network announced an upcoming series that will make a hero out of sadistic mass murderer Charles Manson. MORE

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Want to make $80 million? Simply become the head of Time Warner Cable, serve for 44 days, then sell the company to Comcast. Voila — instant “golden parachute.” MORE

Writer: Profanity is a Must!

Profanity is more extreme – and more widespread on TV today than ever before. But one writer claims that the only possible alternative to using foul language is to “give up the idea of communication altogether.” MORE

NickMom Still Committed to Foul Content

Supposedly aimed at children ages 2-6, the Nick Jr. cable network drove away most of its viewers with its “NickMom” programming block two years ago. Despite its financial and popular failure, the network remains committed to pushing content totally unacceptable for children. MORE

MTV Sex Show Boss Producing Church-Themed Drama

David Janollari, the former MTV boss who pushed dramas about minors engaging in drug use and graphic sex at teenage audiences, is now producing a new prime-time series for NBC – about a Christian church. MORE

More Proof Hollywood Doesn’t Get It

Top Hollywood boss Harvey Weinstein is promoting his new TV series, one which he claims middle Americans will love...because it’s set in a trailer park. MORE

TV Writer: Sex on Sitcoms Not Gratuitous

TV today is infamous for its sex-slathered sitcoms, from Dads to Two and a Half Men. But during a recent Television Critics Association interview, one TV writer claimed that sex on sitcoms is not gratuitous. MORE

Europe Takes Child Media Safety More Seriously Than America

It is a commonly-held belief that Europe is more permissive than the U.S. But two recent incidents demonstrated that European nations are more willing to take positive steps to protect children from harmful media content. MORE