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Scott Riccardi‘s 16-day winning streak on Jeopardy ended on the season finale last week and internet theories have popped up claiming that he lost on purpose, which he says isn’t the case.

The Jeopardy champ is opening up about why he got that Final Jeopardy question wrong and what was going on in his head during that moment.

Scott lost the game because of a question about newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, which many felt was an easy one.

The “20th Century Names” category had the following clue: “According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, eight radio stations, two movie companies and $56 million in real estate.”

While Scott answered Howard Hughes, the correct response was, “Who is Hearst?”

After winning $455,000 across his 16 wins, Scott went on Reddit to talk about his loss.

Keep reading to find out more…

Read Scott’s full message below!

Hi everyone, Scott here.

Jeopardy! superchampion Scott Riccardi explained his final incorrect answer after fans spread a conspiracy theory that he lost his last game on purpose. Scott's 16-day streak came to an end after he entered the Leaderboard of Legends in two categories.

During his last game, Scott answered the Final Jeopardy! question incorrectly, which cost him the game. The category was "20th Century Names." The clue was, "According to one obituary, in 1935 he owned 13 magazines, 8 radio stations, 2 movie companies, and $56 million in real estate."

Both of Scott's challengers, Jonathan Hugendubler and Charlotte Cooper, answered correctly with William Randolph Hearst. However, Scott wrote Howard Hughes, and lost the game to Jonathan, ending his 16-day streak on the last day of Jeopardy! season 41.

Because Scott was such an extraordinary competitor, many fans believed that he lost his last game on purpose, taking to social media to discuss the conspiracy theory. Some fans felt that...

Now that Congress has zeroed out federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, NPR and stations across the country will be scrambling to come up with plans for what to do next.

Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, has warned that even though the network gets a small share of its funding from federal sources, it still will have to look at scaling back. “We will obviously have to make some hard decisions about what we’re able to continue to do, and how much resources we’ll have,” Kerger told Deadline this week.

But she and other advocates of public media say that the most severe impacts will be felt on local stations, particularly those in medium and smaller markets that depend more heavily on federal dollars.

That’s been one of the ironies of the whole battle over funding, as President Donald Trump and...

As Congress considers legislation that would strip federal funding from public media, filmmaker Ken Burns is speaking out on the prospect, calling it “foolhardy” and telling CBS News’ John Dickerson, “I couldn’t do any of the films I’ve done without them being on PBS.”

Burns has been a prominent voice defending public media, but he also will be a major figure in talking about the American Revolution, as the U.S. prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year.

PBS has slated Burns’ six-part The American Revolution for this November. The project, which Burns produced and directed with Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, will include a companion book from Geoffrey Ward, its primary author who wrote the documentary series.

As President Donald Trump has issued executive orders directing federal agencies to focus on the 250th anniversary, and his Big, Beautiful Bill provides funding for it,...

An obscure ideology most people have never heard of is dominating almost every aspect of American life. Nearly every important Supreme Court ruling by the conservative majority — from abortion to voting rights, from gun control to environmental protection — virtually the whole far-right agenda — has been foisted on the nation using this ideology as its justification. “Originalism” is not a household word. Yet is in an extremely important word — the key to the political movement that has transformed the country over the last forty years and culminated in the regime of Donald Trump.

Chicago – Sixty years ago, on February 18th, 1965, Author James Baldwin and Pundit William F. Buckley debated each other on the topic “Is the American Dream at the Expense of the American Negro?” That event is recreated in Timeline Theatre’s (click for tix info) Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley through March 2, 2025.

Through March 2nd

Photo credit: TimelineTheatre.com

Play Rating: 5.0/5.0

Baldwin is James Baldwin (Teagle F. Bougere), the eminent essayist and novelist who defined the black experience through his life in a number of famous writings, including “Giovanni’s Room,” “Go Tell it On the Mountain,” “The Fire Next Time,” and many more. Buckley is William F. Buckley Jr. (Eric T. Miller). a self anointed “conservative” commentator, who founded the National Review magazine … a conservative mouthpiece … hosted PBS’s “Firing Line” and basically was a right wing propagator until the movement’s de-evolution through Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, Fox News and...

It’s not every day that the highest court in the land talks about the constitutional laws around pornography, but such cases have regularly made for landmark rulings. And should today’s Supreme Court arguments about an age-verification law for websites like Pornhub go down in history, future legal scholars will be treated to some bizarre lines of questioning from the justices.

Scotus heard about two hours of oral argument today pertaining to Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, in which a trade association of the adult industry has challenged a...

The animated documentary Piece by Piece stars Pharrell Williams and some of music's biggest stars as themselves. Animated in the style of Lego toys and following the style of The Lego Movie, Piece by Piece is a bio-pic documentary that explores the life of Pharrell Williams. The narrative is a largely straight-forward approach to his story, staring in his youth growing up in public assisted housing and building to his massive success in the music industry.

Directed by Academy Award-winning documentarian Morgan Neville, the Lego-themed Piece by Piece embraces the fun of the film's presentation by leaning into the trademark sense of goofy excitement that usually comes associated with Lego. The film recreates several hit music videos from over the course of Williams' career, using the music to chart his development into a popular producer as well as the challenges he faced in his personal life. To flesh out the cast,...

Robin Williams, who would have turned 73 over the weekend, loved making “strange films.” Out-of-the-box early choices like The World According to Garp and Moscow on the Hudson let Williams stretch his acting wings. But did their middling box-office success lower his status in the comedy hierarchy?

He was especially freaked out by the success of Trading Places, according to Dave Itzkoff’s biography, Robin. The odd couple/buddy comedy starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy went gangbusters in the summer of 1983, and by Williams’ math, that was a problem. In his eyes, one comedian coming up meant another had to come down.

While Williams had a hard time translating his Mork & Mindy TV success into a film career, at least at first, Murphy was making the SNL-to-the-movies transition look easy. “Eddie is ideal. He knows exactly what he does and how to get it out on film perfectly,” Robin said.

British playwright and dramatist James Graham will deliver the flagship address of this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture.

Graham’s work includes the BAFTA and Rts-winning Sherwood, starring David Morrissey and Lesley Manville, set against the backdrop of his hometown of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire which returns to BBC later this year, as well as The Way, a collaboration with Michael Sheen and Adam Curtis. The award-winner was also the mastermind behind the hugely popular Quiz starring Matthew Macfadyen and Sheen.

Recent stage work includes Olivier award-winning Dear England starring Joseph Fiennes which debuted at the National Theatre and transferred to the West End earlier this year and is currently being adapted into a TV series for BBC and his new musical Tammy Faye, written with Elton John and Jake Shears, which is soon to debut on Broadway.

Graham has also penned a range of political projects,...

David Harewood is a distinguished British actor with a career spanning stage and screen. From portraying the Martian Manhunter in “Supergirl” to the steely David Estes in “Homeland,” Harewood has consistently delivered powerful performances. But beyond his acting chops, Harewood has recently made the news with his stance on a highly sensitive topic: blackface.

A still from Supergirl

Blackface, the act of darkening one’s skin to impersonate a black person, has a long and offensive history rooted in racist caricature. Harewood’s latest statement seems to have found no problem with blackface because “the name of the game is acting”.

David Harewood Says It Better Be Good If Someone Wants To Black Up

A still from The Flash

David Harewood, the recently appointed president of Rada (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), has ignited a debate on race in casting. Harewood believes that when it comes to casting, the ability...

Update: After “Homeland’s” David Harewood told The Guardian that actors should be able to “Black up” for roles, but warned “it’d better be fucking good,” the actor clarified in a statement to Variety, “I don’t support or condone Blackface. My own documentary on the subject can be found on the BBC website. It is a grotesque distortion of race and should always be condemned.”

Previously: Speaking to The Guardian, Harewood, who also serves as president of prestigious British drama school the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, said: “We’re at this strange point in the profession where people go: ‘Oh, you can’t play that role because you’re not disabled, or you can’t play that because you’re not really from there.’ The name of the game is acting.”

He added, “Yes, we’ve got to be representative, but I do think we have to be careful.

Update: Following his interview with The Guardian, David Harewood clarified his remarks: “I don’t support or condone Blackface. My own documentary on the subject can be found on the BBC website. It is a grotesque distortion of race and should always be condemned.”

Previous: Homeland star David Harewood has said he is worried about the creep of identity politics in acting and argued that white performers should be able to “black up.”

In an interview with The Guardian to mark his appointment as president of British drama school Rada, Harewood made the case for controversial casting decisions on the proviso that performers deliver.

“We’re at this strange point in the profession where people go: ‘Oh, you can’t play that role because you’re not disabled, or you can’t play that because you’re not really from there.’ The name of the game is acting,” he said.

Prepare for an enlightening journey into the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential conservative voices in the upcoming episode of “American Masters.” Airing this Sunday, April 7, at 7:00 Pm on PBS, Season 38 Episode 3 titled “The Incomparable Mr. Buckley” delves deep into the intellectual evolution and political impact of William F. Buckley Jr.

Through captivating storytelling and insightful commentary, viewers will gain a comprehensive understanding of Buckley’s profound influence on American conservatism. From his early days as a controversial young writer to his rise as a prominent political commentator and founder of the National Review magazine, the episode explores Buckley’s remarkable journey with depth and nuance.

Featuring interviews with scholars, colleagues, and contemporaries, “The Incomparable Mr. Buckley” offers a compelling exploration of his ideas, principles, and enduring legacy. Don’t miss this captivating episode of “American Masters” as it celebrates the life and contributions of William F.

This Friday, April 5, 2024, PBS brings viewers an insightful journey into the life and legacy of one of America’s most influential conservative figures in “American Masters.” In the Season 38 Episode 3 titled “The Incomparable Mr. Buckley,” audiences are invited to explore the intellectual evolution and political impact of William F. Buckley Jr., the renowned American conservative writer, and political commentator.

Through captivating storytelling and in-depth interviews, “American Masters” delves into Buckley’s life, tracing his journey from his early years to his rise as a prominent voice in conservative thought. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of Buckley’s complex persona, his role in shaping political discourse in the United States, and his lasting legacy in American conservatism.

Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a political junkie, or simply curious about the life of influential figures, “American Masters” promises an engaging and enlightening experience. Tune in at 9:00 Pm this Friday...

Morgan Neville is an Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy winning documentarian who has a knack for going deep inside the worlds of various entertainment and media figures in memorable films like the Academy Award winner 20 Feet From Stardom about backup singers; Won’t You Be My Neighbor about Fred Rogers; The Best Of Enemies focused on the rivalry of William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal; Roadrunner which delved into the world of Anthony Bourdain; and films on everyone from Orson Welles to Keith Richards and many others. But in getting Steve Martin to finally commit to a documentary on his life and extraordinary career as groundbreaking stand up comedian to movie star, author, playwright, and musician, Neville got even more than he could have imagined. After HBO’s Defending My Life, Rob Reiner’s recent terrific documentary on a similar comic and film genius Albert Brooks, this insightful and fascinating...

Fargo season 5 continues the tradition of showcasing odd accents, with Lorraine's Mid-Atlantic accent standing out from the usual Minnesota dialect. The famous "Fargo accent" from the 1996 film is characterized by raised vowels and elongated sounds, while also emphasizing Minnesota nice speech patterns. Jennifer Jason Leigh, who plays Lorraine in Fargo season 5, drew inspiration from the distinctive Transatlantic accent of conservative commentator William F. Buckley.

Fargo season 5 star Jennifer Jason Leigh addresses Lorraine's odd accent. Inspired by the 1996 Coen Brothers film of the same name, the fifth season of FX's anthology series follows a mysterious housewife Dot (played by Juno Temple) whose peculiar past begins to unravel after she lands in hot water with the local authorities in Scandia, Minnesota. The Fargo season 5 cast also includes Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dot's cold and conservative mother-in-law, Lorraine, known as the "Queen of Debt," whose particular accent has been confusing some viewers.

Just over forty years ago, on November 20th, 1983, ABC aired the most influential TV movie ever made. The Day After, which starred Jason Robards, John Lithgow, JoBeth Williams and Steve Guttenberg, was a riveting dramatization of the aftermath of a nuclear war, focusing on the residents of a small town dealing with the most terrifying outcome of all – surviving. Along with other movies of the era, such as Testament and the UK’s Threads, it was seen as a cry for disarmament, as no one could ever possibly “win” a nuclear war.

This week, PBS is airing a documentary on the film called Television Event, and in it, they put forward the notion that the movie may have helped prevent a nuclear war. In it, director Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) relates the following intriguing anecdote (excerpted by THR):

“The movie may have indeed helped prevent a nuclear war.

Ever since movies began, filmmakers have depicted the end of the world of the world on screen whether it be from floods, asteroids, comets, alien invasion and even Zombies. But cinema went nuclear after the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. The arrival of the nuclear age heralded the introduction of a new sub-genre: destruction by atomic bomb. And with the release July 21 of Christopher Nolan’s lauded “Oppenheimer,” which domestically earned some $70 million in its opening weekend, let’s look at some of the vintage flicks of the genre.

Nuclear destruction of London is stopped at the last moment in the taut 1950 British film “Seven Days to Noon,” directed by John and Roy Boulting and winners of the original story Oscar, stars veteran character actor Barry Jones as a brilliant scientist working at an atomic research center in London who steals an A-bomb that...

The Better Angels Society, the Library of Congress, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation have unveiled six finalists for the fifth annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. Notably, veteran filmmaker Sam Pollard received two of the six noms.

The award, established in 2019, recognizes late-stage documentaries that use original research and a compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life through archival materials.

The six projects that were selected are: Barak Goodman’s “Buckley,” Nicole London’s “The Disappearance of Miss. Scott,” Sam Pollard’s “The Harvest,” Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn’s “Drop Dead City – New York on the Brink in 1975,” Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro’s “Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes,” and Jason Cohn’s “Modernism Inc.: The Eliot Noyes Design Story.”

This year 125 American history documentary features were submitted for consideration.

“We’ve seen time and again what...

The effect of The Simpsons on pop culture can’t be overstated. In the early nineties, the show tapped into the cultural zeitgeist in a way few others had before. Indeed, no other cartoon show could reasonably emulate it- but Hollywood couldn’t help but try. Capitol Critters, Family Dog, and Fish Police were just a few of the shows that tried to be “the new Simpsons.” Still, the only one that really came close was ABC’s The Critic, starring the voice of Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman, perhaps the world’s least-loved film critic and the subject of this Gone But Not Forgotten episode.

Unlike other wannabe animated hits, The Critic could boast a legit connection to The Simpsons, with it also being a production of James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films. At the same time, creators Al Jean and Mike Reiss had been showrunners on The Simpsons during...

Patton Oswalt once sagely joked that science is "all about coulda, not about shoulda." History is riddled with examples confirming his premise: the development of the A-bomb, Project MKUltra, and the advent of biological warfare. The worst of these achievements are irrevocable threats to humankind; the threat of nuclear war — which, if waged at full scale, would likely render most of the planet uninhabitable — will always be with us. Other thresholds, once passed, would render life barely worth living.

The growing popularity of ChatGPT has been a societal litmus test. People are understandably curious about the hot new technology. Goldbrickers at the professional and academic levels are downright ecstatic about its effort-saving applications. As the Artificial Intelligence model becomes more sophisticated, it will likely be able to churn out A-level analyses and essays. In time, ChatGPT and AI programs like it will be capable of generating novels, screenplays and, most chillingly,...

Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) won the best actress prize at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her West End debut performance playing a criminal barrister specialising in defending rapists — who is then sexually assaulted herself.

Comer won critical and public acclaim for the solo role in Prima Facie, which is written by Suzie Miller and directed by Justin Martin. James Bierman’s Empire Street Productions will launch the courtroom drama at Broadway’s Golden Theatre from April 11, 2023.

Stephen Graham (The Irishman), like Comer a Liverpudlian, presented Comer with the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress, named in honor of the star who died in 2009.

Comer told guests, who included Richardson’s mother Dame Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson, that her experience in Prima Facie had been “utterly terrifying, having never trained,” added: “I didn’t know if I could execute this.”

However, she praised the production’s creative team for supporting her,...

On Nov. 25, 1992, Disney released an animated film that would go on to become one of its all-time most beloved classics, “Aladdin”.

Retelling the “Arabian Nights” tale of the “street rat” who discovered a tarnished lamp that had imprisoned a genie — played to hilarious perfection by the late Robin Williams — “Aladdin” went on to become one of Disney’s biggest hits and continues to entertain new generations of children.

Read More: Robin Williams’ Grandson Is Learning About Him Through ‘Aladdin’

In honour of the film’s 30th anniversary, check out these 10 facts about the film that you may not have known.

1. In a possible nod to “Pinocchio”, Aladdin has a “tell” whenever he tells a lie: the feather in his turban falls in his face whenever he fibs.

2. Steven Spielberg, who was filming “Schindler’s List” at that time, regularly called Williams to speak with the cast and crew in order to...

The Star Trek actor is making his West End debut in a play about the 1968 US TV political debates between Gore Vidal and William F Buckley. But he fears the pair’s fiery exchanges may be partly to blame for today’s polarised politics

When the uncompromising American writer Gore Vidal had people over for dinner, he would often put on old tapes of his televised debates with conservative William F Buckley. Deep into his old age, he would sit his guests down with a drink and watch, obsessively, the recordings of his own, younger face. Recently, Zachary Quinto has taken to watching them obsessively, too.

The 45-year-old actor and staunch Democrat is best known for playing Spock in the most recent Star Trek films. Now, he’s stepped into the role of the “authentic, immovable, complex” Vidal in the West End transfer of James Graham’s Best of Enemies,...

Exclusive: David Harewood, star of stage and screen, was intrigued when an unsolicited short-film screenplay entitled Man to Man arrived in his inbox. “I literally read it in 20 minutes. I was moved by it,” he enthused of the script by youthful writers Selorm Adonu and Ignatius Kalule.

Harewood read Man to Man a second time and soon was off to a meeting with its director Shehroze Khan and members of Million Youth Media, one of the fastest-growing platforms for young filmmakers in the UK. It’s run under the auspices of Fully Focused Productions, a community network of young creatives who hail from across the UK, and further. Watch a clip from the film below.

”I was moved by their stories, of where they came from, how they approach the business, and I agreed to meet with them,” Harewood told Deadline.

“They’re all kids!” he marveled. “I was blown...

Gary Valentine is 15 going on 30, Alana Kane is “25” but in air quotes that basically allow her to be whatever it might say on her eventual dream ticket out of Encino, and they first cross paths on a pale 1973 morning in the San Fernando Valley at a strange moment in history when Old Hollywood and New Hollywood have started to overlap. Bing Crosby is still alive even though Jim Morrison is already dead, and it feels like everyone is more or less the same age because no one really knows what time actually means anymore.

They meet on yearbook portrait day at the local high school, and Alana — working as an assistant for the handsy photographer — walks up to Gary with a mirror in her hands, only to find that this pimple-faced hustler is less concerned with last looks than he is with first impressions. Gary starts hitting on Alana with...

The former head of the ACLU discusses some of the movies – and sports legends – that made him.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Mighty Ira (2020)

The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)

42 (2013)

Shane (1953)

Panic In The Streets (1950)

Last Year At Marienbad (1962)

The Seventh Seal (1957)

La Strada (1954)

Wild Strawberries (1957) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

The Virgin Spring (1960) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Last House On The Left (1972) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary

A Walk In The Sun (1945) – Glenn Erickson’s review

Paths Of Glory (1957) – George Hickenlooper’s trailer commentary, John Landis’s trailer commentary

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) – Ed Neumeier’s trailer commentary

Lonely Are The Brave (1962)

Casablanca (1942) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

On The Waterfront (1954) – John Badham’s trailer commentary

12 Angry Men (1957)

Inherit The Wind (1960)

Judgment At Nuremberg (1961)

Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

The Verdict (1982)

Twelve Angry Men teleplay (1954)

The Front (1976)

Judgment At Nuremberg teleplay...

Rush Limbaugh, the right-wing talk show host who gleefully stoked division in America, helped polarize our national politics and made a career trafficking in bigotry and cruelty, died Wednesday at the age of 70. The cause of death was lung cancer. His wife, Kathryn, confirmed the host’s death on Facebook.

Over three decades on the national airwaves, Limbaugh promoted profoundly offensive ideas, often referring to feminists as “feminazis”; long calling AIDS “the Rock Hudson disease”; and once observing that the NFL “looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons.

Joe Scarborough minced no words about the Trump campaign’s continued efforts to deny the results of the 2020 presidential election, mocking campaign attorney Rudy Giuliani as “the grifter in chief” and challenging Republicans to stop “making fools of themselves” and publicly acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory.

“At this point, it’s a giant Giuliani grift,” Scarborough said on Wednesday’s edition of “Morning Joe.” “He got laughed out of court yesterday in Pennsylvania.”

Co-host Willie Geist noted that the Trump campaign is 1-for-25 so far in its legal challenges over the vote-counting (that sole win being a procedural one about access for campaign staffers to the counting rooms) — including on Tuesday, when former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani faced stiff questioning from a federal judge about the campaign’s request to “invalidate more than 6.8 million votes.”

Scarborough also had harsh words for many top Republicans who have yet to...

Last summer, Liza Richardson read the script for the first episode of Lovecraft Country, and she tried to wrap her head around how she might choose music for the show.

“I could tell how unique it was,” the veteran music supervisor says. The series, which is set in 1955, stars Jonathan Majors as Atticus Freeman. In the first episode, he — along with Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) and his childhood friend Leti (Jurnee Smollett) — takes a journey across Jim Crow America in search of his father, uncovering monsters both fictional and very real.

As with most events held in 2020, the March on Washington Film Festival has two major historical moments to contend with — the coronavirus pandemic and the racial reckoning spurred by the Black Lives Matter movement. But while hosting a film festival amid an unprecedented health emergency is definitely challenging, event founder Robert Raben shares the benefits of presenting a program that centers on civil rights in today’s climate.

“It’s clearly horrible that the nation is yet again going through another cycle of reckoning about our past and how it affects our future and our current,” Raben tells Variety. “But it’s an unbelievably appropriate time for people to be focused on [Black] history, what’s the accurate telling of our history, and most importantly, how does our past influence our current situation. That’s what the festival is about — it’s designed to connect an accurate telling of our past,...

The 1965 March on Washington was a galvanizing moment for the American civil-rights movement of the ‘60s, but in terms of media coverage of American race relations of that era, it happened in the middle of almost daily news reports, public interest programming and lively — sometimes incendiary — radio and television interviews and discussions.

The Feb. 18, 1965, debate between acclaimed novelist James Baldwin and noted magazine editor/pundit William F. Buckley was especially significant because it featured two articulate speakers addressing centuries-old problems and the challenges to a solution — it’s the history of the civil-rights struggle distilled to a one-hour, one-on-one exchange.

The Cambridge Union Society, observing its 150th anniversary, invited Baldwin and Buckley to debate “Has the American Dream Been Achieved at the Expense of the American Negro?”

The result is significant because of its historic interest, but even more so because it’s so alarmingly contemporary. The March on Washington...

HBO's latest buzzy series, Lovecraft Country, adapted from Matt Ruff's novel of the same name, has deepened the network's commitment to celebrating Black voices on screen. Created by Jordan Peele and showrunner Misha Green, the story follows bookish veteran Atticus "Tic" Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he embarks on an eerie search for his missing father with the help of childhood friend Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) and uncle George (Courtney B. Vance). The premiere lays out two key premises of the series: terrifying creatures previously bound to the pages of fiction are actually very real, in this world at least, and human monsters dedicated to white supremacy in 1950s America may be even more dangerous than the ones with fangs.

The story kicks off when Atticus and company journey from their Chicago hometown to the fictional Ardham, Ma, to chase down a lead on Tic's father, Montrose, an alcoholic who often goes missing.

After the outpouring of grief and sadness over Robin Williams’ death by suicide in 2014, it’s been incredibly easy to forget the white-hot spark of life that endeared this performer to audiences to begin with.

This collection of bits — big and small, silly and poignant — touch on everything from his substance-enhanced blasts of the Seventies to measured performances for big crowds in the last several years. Taken as a whole, the one-liners and epic rants remind us of the guy who gave himself to the stage and the crowd, improvising...

Atticus “Tic” Freeman, the young Korean War veteran hero of HBO’s fantastic — in every sense of the word — new drama Lovecraft Country, has a weakness for pulp stories. As he puts it, “I love that the heroes get to go on adventures in other worlds, defy insurmountable odds, defeat the monster, save the day.” But he’s also painfully aware that these tales rarely have room for someone who looks like him. His favorite author, the 1920s horror stylist H.P. Lovecraft, was also a vile bigot who once wrote...

Exclusive: For all intents and purposes, the Tribeca Film Festival wrapped last week with the announcement of winners in various categories. Of course there was no live Tribeca this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the festival went ahead as virtually as it could by creating an Extranet where some of the accepted films could be screened online for press and buyers, among others. That option is still open through next week for those movies that want to participate, but the fact is the higher-profile titles did not want to put in jeopardy a true distribution deal by giving away their film, sans traditional festival premiere, and risking a much bigger deal than just getting seen in this unprecedented way, similar to the experiment SXSW forged with Amazon for their interested filmmakers mourning the loss of a key fest berth.

As I wrote on what would have been the...

The apocalyptic anxiety of our present sociopolitical moment is the not-so-hidden undergirding of Alistair Banks Griffin’s psychodrama “The Wolf Hour,” in which Naomi Watts plays June Leigh, a fearful author who’s isolated herself from the outside world by holing up in her fifth-floor South Bronx walk-up.

But it’s not 2019, when even the most dedicated of hermits can feel connected to others through the Internet. Griffin’s analog setting is the summer of 1977, when New York’s then-notorious version of urban decay had segments of the city ready to ignite, while a steady stream of news about “The .44 Caliber Killer” — a female-targeting serial murderer soon to be known as “Son of Sam” — had single women on edge, especially those with long, dark hair, like June’s.

But despite a typically committed performance by Watts, once again showing her special affinity for hard-edged sufferers grinding out a way to survive,...

Some were launched with mega-hype, only to wind up branded as financial disappointments. Others were indie-produced Cinderellas that got lost on their way to the ball. And one was a legendary film maudit that appears well on its way to becoming a footnote.

What do they all have in common? Their inclusion on this list of the Ten Most Underrated Movies of 2018.

“Blaze”

Despite a strong Sundance sendoff and scads of glowing reviews for his labor-of-love directorial effort, Ethan Hawke couldn’t get many ticketbuyers to share his deep regard for Blaze Foley (1949-89), a relatively obscure figure in the Outlaw Country movement who remains best known for a handful of songs recorded by other, more famous artists. Those who did join Hawke on his detour off the beaten track couldn’t help admiring his avoidance of traditional musical biopic clichés and conventions, and appreciate musician-turned-actor Benjamin Dickey’s raw...

If ever the time was right for Mister Rogers, it has to be now.

Hitting once again into unexpected hidden areas of the pop culture zeitgeist, Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville delivers a touching, fascinating and perfectly timed study of the magic the legendary children’s television host weaved in the simplest ways possible for generations of young people weaned on his popular PBS series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran for more than 30 years — from 1968-2001. With the help of puppets like Daniel Tiger Tail and Rogers’ familiar cardigan sweater and tennis shoes, there was a soothing, assured tone of kindness and calm that is striking when seen with the times in which we currently live, with the Trump Era and 24/7 nonstop cable assaults.

Related‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ Trailer: Mister Rogers Reveals Guiding Force

Of course, this was a children’s show, but nevertheless, when seen again in...

Exclusive: PBS is bringing back an iconic property after nearly two decades. The pubcaster said today that a new version of Firing Line, the William F. Buckley-hosted public-affairs show it aired from 1966-99, will premiere in June. The new host is political strategist and commentator Margaret Hoover.

Produced by Wnet/Thirteen, the weekly series will bring together the brightest minds and freshest voices from across the political spectrum to engage in a contest of ideas about important issues confronting our nation, PBS said. Firing Line with Margaret Hoover will launch at 10 Am Saturday, June 2, on New York’s Thirteen, which will air the first three episodes before the series bows on PBS stations nationwide.

The pubcaster said the show will maintain the character of the original Buckley-fronted series, providing a platform that is diligent in its commitment to a balanced exchange of opinion. The series, PBS notes, comes at...

10 Magical Facts to Celebrate 25 Years of Aladdin10 Magical Facts to Celebrate 25 Years of AladdinKurt Anthony11/24/2017 11:01:00 Am

Ah, Salaam and good evening to you, worthy friend. Please, please, come closer!

Released in theatres on November 25, 1992, today marks the 25th anniversary of Aladdin. Considered one of the founding films of the Disney Renaissance, Aladdin was Walt Disney Studio’s 31st animated feature film and ushered in a new era of classics.

Directed by famous Disney duo Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Moana) and featuring music by Disney Legends Alan Menken, Tim Rice, and Howard Ashman, you couldn’t have wished for a better team! Of course, we can’t forget the late Robin Williams as the voice of the eternally hilarious Genie; a role he was awarded a special honour for at the 1993 Golden Globes.

The film was an instant success. With a budget of $28M and...

Variety recently announced that Kevin Spacey is to bring Gore Vidal to our screens in a Netflix original film. Directed by Michael Hoffman (dir. The Last Station), Spacey might be the most perfect casting, and judging by some coded, jovial remarks at the Tony Awards this year, may relish a role like this.

Vidal's life has previously been on screen in documentaries: Gore Vidal: United States of Amnesia and Best of Enemies, about his combative relationship with William F. Buckley.

Vidal: Writer, bon vivant, public intellectual and unapologetic homosexual has a rich, albeit chequered history in cinema. Screenwriter for the frenzied Suddenly, Last Summer, debauched bloodbath Caligula and his own notorious novel Myra Breckinridge was adapted into X-rated 1970 film.

And as uncredited writer of Ben-Hur, he was responsible for those lingering glances between Stephen Boyd and Charlton Heston - not that Heston ever knew that...

Sean Hannity will no longer receive the conservative Media Research Center’s William F. Buckley Award for Media Excellence and the Fox News host landed in a Twitter feud with CNN’s Jake Tapper over the situation. The award’s namesake Buckley, who founded the National Review, died in 2008. His son, best-selling author Christopher Buckley, “expressed great dismay,” that the award would go to Hannity, according to Tapper. “Giving an award in his name to Hannity — a pugnacious talk radio host who has shared conspiracy theories on his popular cable news show — had caused hand wringing among some conservatives,” Tapper wrote.

Cell phones and Instagram have made it easier for everyone to be a photographer—but being a good photographer isn’t easy. All the selfie sticks in the world don’t mean a thing without a storyteller’s soul and an eye for detail—and Ben Folds can teach a master class in both.

As the frontman of ’90s piano rock heroes Ben Folds Five and more recently as a solo artist, Folds has penned songs that showcase an unflinching eye, capturing moments and characters with hilarious—and often poignant—honesty. After years of setting scenes with music, he began...

New York -- Robert Vaughn, the debonair, Oscar-nominated actor whose many film roles were eclipsed by his hugely popular turn in television’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E., has died. He was 83.

Vaughn died Friday morning after a brief battle with acute leukemia, according to his manager, Matthew Sullivan.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was an immediate hit, particularly with young people, when it debuted on NBC 1964. It was part of an avalanche of secret agent shows (I Spy, Mission: Impossible, Secret Agent), spoofs (Get Smart), books (The Spy Who Came in From the Cold) and even songs (Secret Agent Man) inspired by the James Bond films.

Vaughn’s urbane superspy Napoleon Solo teamed with Scottish actor David McCallum’s Illya Kuryakin, a soft-spoken, Russian-born agent.

Photos: Stars We've Lost In Recent Years

The pair, who had put aside Cold War differences for a greater good, worked together each week for the mysterious U.N.C.L.E. (United...

This Article Has Been Updated

By Lee Pfeiffer

The past year has been an especially harsh one for the entertainment industry in terms of well-known personalities who have passed away. Today's news that actor Robert Vaughn has died hits Cinema Retro especially hard and this writer in particular. He died from a battle with leukemia and was surrounded by his family in his final moments. I first met Robert in 1983 at a press conference in New York in which he and David McCallum promoted their forthcoming TV movie "Return of The Man From U.N.C.L.E." I've remained friends with them ever since and shared many an enjoyable conversation. Robert was an early supporter of Cinema Retro and contributed to numerous issues, most recently issues #33 and #34 in which he was interviewed by writer Steve Rubin about the dramatic occurrences in making the 1969 WWII film "The Bridge at Remagen...

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville is hard to pin down. While he made his name with music docs, from Oscar-winner “20 Feet from Stardom” to Yo-Yo Ma concert film “The Music of Strangers” (HBO/The Orchard), he’s moving away from music subjects. “There are a handful of music docs I’d love to do, including David Bowie,” he said in a phone interview. “But at the moment I’m interested in stretching myself on projects on design, food, and art.”

Over the last year, Neville jumped into the debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley for “Best of Enemies,” (Participant/Magnolia) and took an unexpected ride with Chelsea Handler on Netflix documentary series “Chelsea Does.”

Netflix approached Neville after working with him on “Keith Richards: Under the Influence.” Said Neville, “I’d worked on music docs for years. It felt like writing a novel. By the time I got to Keith Richards,...

These are the debates we're having today.

The Americans that live in this country today would not have survived 1968.  We have lost our collective shit about the color of a dress and the Nsa having data on phone calls.  That's to say nothing of what's passing for the presidential primary contest right now.  In 1968, Robert Kennedy was murdered after the California primary, Martin Luther King was murdered in Memphis, and there were riots throughout the country in April and well-televised police brutality at the Democratic convention in Chicago.  That's to say nothing of the Vietnam war.  Watching Best of Enemies (2015), about the "debates" between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal during the Republican and Democratic conventions, it's hard to wrap your head around what would have seemed like a cultural tsunami to most people.  As with the political trends of the time, these debates bestowed upon posterity a storm...

The tragic downfall of artists, behind the scenes of a genocide and the war on drugs, celebrations of music and locales, a look into the political divide from multiple angles, the history of a legendary conversation on filmmaking — these were just a few of the places and stories this year’s documentary offerings brought us. With 2015 wrapping up, we’ve selected 25 features in the field that most impressed us, so check out our list below and let us know your favorites in the comments.

Amy (Asif Kapadia)

Asif Kapadia entered cinematic radars with his BAFTA-winning Senna, a terrific documentary on the life and tragic death of Formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna. The subject matter of his follow-up documentary doesn’t seem, at first, to be a million miles away. Amy, which screened out of competition in Cannes, follows the meteoric rise and tragic fall of the late singer Amy Winehouse.