LA Times looks at why it’s been so difficult to come to an agreement in the on-going writers strike: no one has a clear understanding of what entertainment is worth, so no one really knows what they’re negotiating about. Are YouTube clips stopping us from watching TV shows or are they making us fans of them? If you can’t agree on that, you can’t agree on their value. Go read.
NYT reviews “Conversations With Woody Allen”, the new book featuring a collection of interviews with the prolific director. The verdict: “It may not be fashionable to say so, least of all in Woody Allen’s house, but the man, when he’s on form, is as capable as ever of delivering pleasure.” Amen to that. [Link]
Time’s running out on scripted shows, my fellow TV addicts. Here’s a handy chart you can look at as you prepare yourself for either giving up TV altogether or resign yourself to realty shows (shudder) - The Office is all out, 2 episodes left of 2.5 Men, 3 each of Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes and How I Met Your Mother, 5 of House - get the complete list here.
What do the following TV shows all have in common: Brothers & Sisters, Journeyman, The Wire, Bionic Woman, House M., and the Riches? No, we’re not talking of nominations - they all have Brits pretending to be Americans! [Link]
The next time you feel good about yourself when reading about Ms. Spears or her ex, remember this.
No fewer than three movies about the cocaine cartel and its kingpin, Pablo Escobar, are in the works. One is based on an adaptation of “Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw,” Mark Bowden’s best-selling 2001 book; Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) plans to direct another film, based on “Mi Hermano Pablo,” a Spanish-language memoir by Escobar’s brother and associate, Roberto; and the third is to be directed by Alexander Witt (“Resident Evil: Apocalypse”), based on original research. And Ari & Co couldn’t sell an Escobar picture in this market 
[Link]
If you’re one of those people who didn’t like the new Bond, prepare for some heart break. MGM has signed Daniel Craig for another four movies. [Link]
LA Times reviews John Updike’s new collection of pieces published in the New Yorker. The heart of “Due Considerations” consists of 60 book reviews and 10 essays published in the magazine during the new millennium. As always, the author has ranged widely: There are pieces about Orhan Pamuk and Peter Carey, Muriel Spark and Mo Yan, J.M. Coetzee’s wretched youth and Michel Houellebecq’s sexed-up maturity. The roster is heavily tilted toward the contemporary novel, especially toward those loose-and-baggy monsters that emulate their Victorian forebears. (”Nineteenth-century novelists,” Updike observes, “catered to a more generous, less nibbled attention span; they breathed with bigger lungs and naturally wrote long, deep, and wide.”) [Link]
One knew this was coming, but it hurts to be reminded nevertheless. Yes, Tom Hanks is to reprise his role as Robert Langdon in a follow-up to The Da Vinci Code for the original film’s director, Ron Howard.This time around Langdon investigates a secret society that threatens the existence of the Catholic Church. Yes folks, make way for Angels And Demons. [Link]
So far, 2007 hasn’t had any breakout hits like “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Brokeback Mountain” or “The Queen.” Ther’ve been plenty of movies which received good reviews - not all of the ones listed in this article - “A Mighty Heart,” “In the Valley of Elah”, “Lars and the Real Girl”, Richard Gere’s “The Hunting Party,” Kenneth Branagh’s “Sleuth” or Mark Ruffalo / Joaquin Phoenix’s “Reservation Road” - are still playing. But here’s your chance to show some Netflix love for Indiewood.
LA Times compares the student and the master, but refuses to draw any conclusions. Colbert’s way ahead of Stewart on the online poll at the site. Go read and vote for your favorite.
Some lucky devil who got to attend a test screening of “Sweeney Todd” insists that it is “absolutely fantastic, one of the best things Tim Burton has ever directed!” Even if that hadn’t been said, there are plenty of reasons to look forward to this horror-musical-comedy: Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. [Link]
‘Office’ fans have apparently been making pilgrimages to Scranton, PA to check out real-life landmarks referenced on the show. With Scott-style enthusiasm, the city is now hosting a weekend blowout for thousands of fans. It starts Friday with the “Today” show’s Al Roker broadcasting live from the University of Scranton and continues through Sunday. About 2,000 tickets ranging from $25 to $250 have been sold so far — 70% of them to out-of-town fans. [Link]
The year after I graduated, my high school in Madras started making boys and girls eat their lunch in different rooms. They even had them use separate stair cases. If I though that was crazy, this article makes me feel practically grateful. One school’s banned hugging and hand-holding. Apparently it’s OK to hug, but only under dire circumstance - as in the loss of a loved one. Wow.
The latest poster boy for the horror genre, Eli Roth, recommends a virtual 24-hour horror-film festival. Entries are mostly classics (in horror, this is apparently circa 1970+) - The Thing (1982), The Vanishing (1988), The Wicker Man (1973), Who Can Kill A Child? (1976), etc. Go check out the complete list here.
Tom Perrotta, whose novels “Election” and “Little Children” were made into films by Alexander Payne and Todd Field, respectively, is now most of the way through adapting his new novel, “The Abstinence Teacher,” for directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the couple behind last year’s hit “Little Miss Sunshine.” The novel, which looks at a small-town culture war between a liberal sex-ed teacher and a group of evangelical Christians, was published last week. [Link]
Al Gore is the only man to have won an Emmy, an Oscar, and a Nobel. The only award that he has to win to make what Mo Rocca calls “The Gore Crown” is the Tony. Go vote for what musical you think Gore should star in for that missing Tony. [Link]
According to the 2007 U.N. World Drug Report, the percentage of Europeans who use illicit drugs is about half that of Americans. Europe also has fewer than half as many deaths from overdoses. Rick Steves examines how they have managed to do that. [Link]
Doris Lessing wins Nobel for Literature. She was praised by the judges for her “skepticism, fire and visionary power.” [Link]
LA Times talks about how the EU has made it easier for McNations to crop up all over Europe. As the EU assumes more of the responsibilities of states — regulations, the economy, currency, possibly even defense — the cost of independence becomes lower. Even if the author’s glee at Europe’s troubles is a bit disturbing, it’s worth a read. [Link]