HBO

Beyoncé Blue Ivy Documentary HBO Jay Z

BEYONCE ONLY SHARES HER PRIVATE LIFE WHEN SHE HAS TO

#beyonce #janetcharlton

Beyonce’s documentary “Life is But a Dream” debuted last night on HBO and her fans love it, the critics, not so much. It has been described as a “calculated vanity project” carefully conceived to drum up publicity for her upcoming tour. We DID get a closer look at the super-private singer’s baby Blue Ivy, however, and Ivy looks more like her daddy Jay-Z every day. In a girly way, of course. She will probably grow to look more like her mother as she gets older.

By Janet / February 17, 2013
14 Comments
Al Pacino Guilty HBO Phil Spector

PHIL SPECTOR GOT WHAT HE DESERVED

#philspector #janetcharlton

We’re not fans of writer David Mamet to begin with, so when we heard that he attempts to create a little doubt about Phil Spector’s guilt in the murder of Lana Clarkson in his HBO movie, we were turned off, but not enough to keep us from seeing the movie. Maybe Mamet thought he needed some “conflict” to liven up the film. But Phil Spector’s life offers plenty of entertainment and his guilt is not debatable. We were fascinated to meet Phil at a party at Joan Rivers’ New York apartment back in the 90’s. He was obviously an egomaniac and an unstable character – whether drunk or sober. The jury got it right when they locked him up.

By Janet / February 11, 2013
6 Comments
Canceled Dustin Hoffman HBO Heroes Horses Luck

HBO CANCELED “LUCK” BECAUSE OF THE RATINGS, NOT THE DEAD HORSES

HBO and Luck producers make themselves look like HEROES with incredible respect for animals by canceling the series after a third horse’s accidental death. But is that really the reason they shut the show down? Luck suffered disappointing ratings from its debut and never really caught on as HBO hoped it would. They hastily renewed the show anyway, and began filming the 2nd season quickly while the racetrack location was available. We think they were already feeling regrets when the third horse was injured and had to be euthanized and the negative publicity started spreading, further jeopardizing viewership. They had a meeting and decided the timing was perfect to cut their losses on the ailing show and look like heroes, not failures.

By Janet / March 15, 2012
7 Comments
Bernie Madoff HBO Robert DeNiro

ROBERT DENIRO WILL PLAY THE BIGGEST GANGSTER OF ALL TIME: BERNIE MADOFF

Robert DeNiro is following in Al Pacino’s footsteps straight to HBO, where he too will play a real life character. Pacino portrayed Dr Jack Kevorkian to considerable acclaim and his Phil Spector movie is highly anticipated. DeNiro, accustomed to playing gangsters, will step into the role of investment swindler Bernie Madoff. The script is being written based on the book “Truth and Consequences: Inside the Life of the Madoff Family.” Lately the Madoffs whining and complaining in interviews has been getting on everyone’s nerves.

By Janet / November 7, 2011
9 Comments
Behind the Candelabra Gay HBO Liberace Matt Damon Michael Douglas Scott Thorson

“BEHIND THE CANDELABRA” DOCUMENTS THE STORY OF SCOTT THORSON PULLING LIBERACE OUT OF THE CLOSET

It makes sense that the Liberace biography “Behind the Candelabra” would land at HBO where they did such a good job with the Jack Kevorkian story. Michael Douglas is still set to play Liberace and Matt Damon is cast as his boyfriend Scott Thorson. (The script is based on Thorson’s book “My Life with Liberace.”) Liberace fell for 17 year old Scott in 1976, and they lived together for five years until drugs and cheating broke them up. Scott Thorson shocked the world in 1982 when he sued Liberace for palimony and revealed all the details of their gay relationship, including the fact that Liberace paid to have Scott get plastic surgery to look more like him! Liberace was devastated. He was adored as a performer but he was forced to lead two lives because he was always in the closet- it’s a fascinating story. (Photos above show Scott and Liberace at the height of their romance)

By Janet / October 11, 2011
66 Comments
An American Family Cinema Verite Diane Lane HBO Lance Loud Pat Loud Reality Shows

THE LOUD FAMILY REVISITED THANKS TO HBO

All the “Real Housewives” owe a debt of gratitude to the Loud family who paved the way for reality TV back in the 1970’s. In those days PBS called “An >American Family” a documentary series in 12 parts. The Louds of Santa Barbara were the first American family to be the subject of a reality show. It was unscripted and during the run of the series, Pat and Bill Loud separated and divorced, and their openly gay son Lance not only took his mother to a drag show in the second episode, but he move to the Chelsea Hotel in New York and ran with the Warhol crowd. It was riveting television and worth revisiting. HBO’s “Cinema Verite” tells the story of the filming of the documentary and Diane Lane plays mother Pat in awful 70’s glasses, Tim Robbins plays dad Bill, and Thomas Dekker plays young Lance. (We were lucky to know and adore Lance for years.)

By Janet / March 3, 2011
10 Comments
Evan Rachel Wood Far From Heaven Guy Pierce HBO Joan Crawford Kate Winslet Mildred Pierce Todd Haynes

HBO MINISERIES “MILDRED PIERCE” WITH KATE WINSLET IS COMING IN MARCH

Todd Haynes can do no wrong in our book, because he’s responsible for one of our all time favorite movies – “Far From Heaven.” So we are eagerly anticipating Todd’s HBO version of “Mildred Pierce” airing in March. The miniseries stars Kate Winslet, Guy Pierce, and Evan Rachel Wood as Veda, the poisonous daughter. Joan Crawford’s pumps are hard to fill, but we hear Kate does an amazing job. Check out the trailer.

By Janet / February 25, 2011
11 Comments
Carrie Fisher Comedy Debbie Reynolds Family HBO Wishful Drinking World Of Wonder

CARRIE FISHER’S “WISHFUL DRINKING” ON HBO – WORTH STAYING HOME FOR

For decades we’ve been writing gossip about Carrie Fisher, who gained fame playing Star Wars Princess Leia, and before that we remember READING gossip about her parents Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher and the Elizabeth Taylor love triangle. Carrie married a musician, Paul Simon, and an agent, Bryan Lourd, who decided he was gay. All the while Carrie was battling substance abuse and manic depression. She says she still gets a refined version of electroshock therapy on a regular basis to keep herself sane! Her life story and cast of characters is fascinating and hilarious. Debbie Reynolds’ daughter turned out to be a smart and funny writer and her latest book Wishful Drinking has evolved into a one-woman show. And what a show it is. World of Wonder did a brilliant job of producing a documentary on Carrie’s show for HBO that airs this Sunday, December 12. Don’t miss it – it’s the next best thing to seeing her in person and you’ll love the way she has fun with all her family dramas. Carrie Fisher may be damaged goods, but she is indeed, a treasure.

By Janet / December 8, 2010
17 Comments