LISA MARIE PRESLEY NOW WHAT…? By Ken Sharp Throw out all your pre-conceptions and dispose of the unyielding weight of those unfair comparisons to her father, Lisa Marie Presley is the real deal. Her new CD, Now What is a strong collection of immaculately crafted, emotionally charged songs that showcase Lisa’s distinctive smoky voice and display her uncompromising … Continue reading
ALEXANDER PAYNE STAYING STRAIGHT WHILE MAKING SIDEWAYS by Brad Balfour With Sideways, Alexander Payne really proves he’s a true contender, not just the creator of smart, snarky idiosyncratic comedies but solid filmmaker who tackled humanity with aplomb. In this humorous on-the-road buddy flick, leads Paul Giamatti (failed writer Miles Raymond) and Thomas Haden Church (former hot actor Jack) grapple with Jack’s … Continue reading
Murphy Brown The Complete First Season (1988-1989) (Warner Home Video-2005) The 1988 premiere season of Murphy Brown is here, that of the big shoulder pads and the big hair and the grand entrances. The topical, media-savvy, name-dropping series is bound to get dusty, unless you still appreciate Dan Quayle potshots and Iran Contra jokes and broken typewriter ribbons; … Continue reading
Murder, She Wrote The Complete First Season (1984-1985) (Universal-2005) Picture this. A struggling actor (Jeff Conaway of Grease and Taxi) is desperate to become a huge movie star, so he moves to San Francisco (ah, yes, the center of the entertainment world) and takes a job in a local drag-queen cabaret. When the heartless owner of the place … Continue reading
Astro Boy – The Complete Series (Sony Home Video-2005) Growing up in the sixties, I remember rushing home after school to catch all my favorite shows on local Philly UHF TV stations; Channels 48, 29 and 17. The reception was always a bit fuzzy, the commercials wereatrociously cheap and tacky, but the warm and cozy memories of those cherished shows remains hardwired … Continue reading
Kojak Season One – 1973 (Universal-2005) With Ving Rhames taking over the role of Kojak on USA Network’s newly configured version of the original cop series, there’s been newfound interest generated in the pioneering seventies drama and the actor who made bald cool and classy. Back during the polyester decade, the term “Who Loves Ya, Baby?” – one of Kojak‘s trademark expressions – … Continue reading
The Brady Bunch The Complete First Season 1969-1970 (Paramount Home Video-2005) Check your superior attitude at the door, you smug son of a bitch. You know you want to rip into this Brady Bunch DVD with the same gusto and viciousness that you’ve carefully nurtured with your friends and siblings over the course of decades. However, you must … Continue reading
Jamie Foxx What’d He Say? By Brad Balfour With the incredible buzz about the Ray Charles bio pic, Ray, comedian Jamie Foxx’s work has been hailed as a Best Actor Oscar shoo-in even though he’s also nominated for his work in Collateral). And that’s no joke; this former Texan has made the transition from TV funny man (In Living Color/The … Continue reading
Family Business The Complete Second Season (Showtime-2005) It seems that reality TV will pounce upon any sordid or degrading subject that might drum up some voyeuristic interest in a holier-than-thou audience base. So, it was only a matter of time that there would be a show focusing on the circus world behind the scenes of pornography. … Continue reading
The Flintstones The Complete Third Season (1962-1963) (Warner Brothers-2005) YABBA DABBA DOO … Everyone’s favorite modern stone age family are celebrated on The Flintstones – The Complete Third Season. Focusing on construction worker Fred Flintstone and his curvaceous wife Wilma, his “bestest” buddy Barney Rubble and his better half Betty; the Flintstones took the changing mores and sexual and financial landscape of the early sixties and transplanted … Continue reading
