Disney is name-checking a couple of its recent successes in the TV ads for their new animated adventure "BigHero 6" -- "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Frozen."While it isn't as good as those movies (and doesn't even come close to the best animated superhero film ever, Pixar's "The Incredibles"), it's still...

Military-themed movies have almost always fallen into one of two camps: loud action-packed romps with quips aplenty, and bloodletting kept to a minimum (ensuring that the young audience will be able to spend their allowance at the box office hassle-free), or dark treatises on the price of war, the loss of innocence,...

"St. Vincent," is the kind of movie that makes you appreciate what an underappreciated actor can do when he (or she, for that matter) is given the right role. In this case, it's one Bill Murray. Murray is infamous -- and rightfully so -- for playing wiseacres. He seems naturally good at it, like it's a skill that he was gifted with at birth, not one that he has to constantly sharpen...

This week, instead of my usual fiddle-dee-dee, I've decided to cover some personal territory. If you indulge me by reading it, I'm thankful. Of course, you may feel free to ignore this one -- not that you need my permission to do that. Sunday afternoon, I stepped onto (and then, about three hours later, off of) a McCook stage for the final time. And it was all I had hoped it would be...

Sunday afternoon, I stepped onto (and then, about three hours later, off of) a McCook stage for the final time. And it was all I had hoped it would be.

The fall TV season is here, and that means it's time for a look into the future -- the near, near future, that is -- to identify the good, the bad and the rest on broadcast television. Over the next few weeks, I'll provide an overview of the fall offerings, and give my take on what will work, what won't, and where everyone will be standing at the midseason mark. This week, I'll give FOX the ol' once over...

The fall TV season is here, and that means it's time for a look into the future -- the near, near future, that is -- to identify the good, the bad and the rest on broadcast television. Over the next few weeks, I'll provide an overview of the fall offerings, and give my take on what will work, what won't, and where everyone will be standing at the midseason mark. This week, I'll stare at CBS until it gets kinda uncomfortable.

The fall TV season is here, and that means it's time for a look into the future -- the near, near future, that is -- to identify the good, the bad and the rest on broadcast television. Over the next few weeks, I'll provide an overview of the fall offerings, and give my take on what will work, what won't, and where everyone will be standing at the midseason mark. This week, it's ABC's turn under the microscope...

"Bad Words" is the feature directorial debut of actor Jason Bateman, and it plays like a first try from someone who knows his way around a movie set -- it's not without its charms. But it's the kind of movie that wants to be a bitter, biting comedy, and ultimately turns out to be rather toothless...

Robin Williams is gone. Legend. Master. Virtuoso. A touchstone. Lightning in a bottle. And now just ... gone. It's hard to wrap my head around the weight and finality of his passing. And it hurts my heart and soul when I ponder how deep and all-consuming the ocean of sadness underneath his kind exterior must have been for him to do what he (allegedly) did...

"Guardians of the Galaxy," the latest movie out of the Marvel Studios pipeline, is that company's biggest risk since the first "Iron Man," and much like that movie, it's a giant, delightful surprise -- maybe the most purely entertaining blockbuster of the entire summer. ...

"Les Miserables" is one of the world's most popular musicals. Based on Victor Hugo's literary classic, it is a story of love and hate, of honesty and treachery, of redemption and damnation. The famed version produced by Cameron Mackintosh has traversed the globe, playing on stages large and larger, eventually leading to the 2012 film adaptation, now available on DVD and Blu-ray from Universal...

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Rated PG-13 "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" was a puzzle to me, one that I was grappling with for quite a while after seeing it. It's not a particularly terrible movie, but it's not a particularly good one either. As I sat at my desk here at the Gazette, I wished I had someone at hand to help me figure this picture out .....

"Identity Thief," the new comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman, is a "woulda/coulda/shoulda" kind of movie, as in it woulda/coulda/shoulda been a whole lot funnier and sharper and better than it was. The movie's a big hit -- the first 2013 release to cross the $100 million mark at the U.S. box office -- but for me, it was a whole lot of missed opportunities...

The motion picture industry distributed its annual "attaboys" Sunday night in the form of the Academy Awards. There weren't a bunch of surprises this year, outside of the third tie in the history of the Academy Awards (in Sound Editing) and that I didn't have the urge to throw a brick through my TV at this year's host, Seth MacFarlane (no, he wasn't the best-ever, but he sure wasn't James Franco, either)...

Living in McCook, Nebraska, has its share of benefits, to be sure. But being in the greater part of the Great Plains is certainly not conducive to meeting film and/or television stars, particularly those whose work you've admired for a significant period of time. And the opportunities to do so are -- at the maximum -- few and far-between...

Nine movies are nominated for the Best Picture prize at this year's Academy Awards. Here's some compelling reasons why each of these films could take home that honor, and some reasons why they won't. Why "Amour" wins: This foreign drama about an elderly couple has been near the top of the list for a number of prizes, both from critics' groups and those inside the film industry. It's serious and sad and moving, not to mention that it comes from a respected writer-director...

Movies about mental illness are often tricky. The human mind and how it functions (and how it malfunctions) is a deep and continuously unfolding mystery, even in these more enlightened days. Films that portray those who are mentally ill -- even ones with the best of intentions -- often end up focusing on (and even exploiting to some degree) the fall-out from an outburst without dealing with the build-up to it, or noticing that there are people who must live with both parts...

It's no secret that I'm a fan of cooking shows. From watching Julia Child's lively efforts on PBS as a kid to enjoying Alton Brown's deconstruction and demystification efforts on Food Network's "Good Eats" in more recent years, I've found genuine pleasure and even inspiration in watching talented people prepare meals...

I've perused this year's list of nominees for the 85th edition of the Academy Awards. As usual, I cheered a little, shook my head a couple of times, and then settled on my non-valid ballot. I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. (Hopefully not as wrong as I was with my Emmy picks, though ... and the less said about that, the better ... ) So with that, my picks to take home the Oscars:...

"This Is 40," written and directed by Judd Apatow, is a window into the world of a married couple, played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, reprising roles they had in a previous Apatow film, "Knocked Up." The framing device of the film involves the ups-and-downs during the week leading up to his 40th birthday party, but it delves into pretty deep water, as the couple fights against each other and for each other through all sizes of personal and professional crises. ...

Boy, 2012 just zipped by, didn't it? I reviewed a baker's dozen movies in this space over the now-concluding year; here are my thoughts about them, encapsulated. My first review of 2012 was of the Dec. 2011 release of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," starring Tom Cruise. ...

Unlike most recent years, I've been lucky so far this awards season to have actually been able to see a couple of the bigger Oscar-contending films. So far, they haven't disappointed -- I've awarded 4-star ratings to both Ben Affleck-directed "Argo" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln."...

"Skyfall" is not the best James Bond movie ever, but it is the best one in a long, long time. It's a sharp, nifty piece of modern action filmmaking that definitely respects the history of the character (and the franchise), yet also feels like a gust of fresh air being let in to the universe created by Ian Fleming more than a half-century ago...

From an early point in an American's education, you learn about Abraham Lincoln. You hear about his rural upbringing, how he was practically self-taught by firelight. You see images that burn in your memory: his gaunt, lanky figure, stove-pipe hat atop his unruly mop of hair. ...

The newest James Bond film, "Skyfall," is rapidly becoming the most popular one in the franchise's 50-year history, having already grossed more than $660 million around the world ($160 million of that take coming from North America). What's likely driving these record-smashing ticket sales is the movie's positive buzz. ...

I genuinely enjoy going to movies -- I know, not a newsflash -- but there are those "regular" moviegoing experiences which happen 99 percent of the time, and then there are the ones where I can feel, as soon as the lights go down and the opening credits roll, that there's a confidence in every part of the filmmaking. ...

Disney's latest animated feature, "Wreck-It Ralph," is -- in a word -- delightful. Directed by Rich Moore, whose previous efforts include classic episodes of "The Simpsons" and "Futurama," and co-written by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, this is one of the better entertainments of the fall, and should be an instant front-runner for the Best Animated Feature Oscar...

My wife and I are in the late stages of a move from the apartment we've lived in for the last 2-plus years to a very nice house here in McCook. Those of you who have moved in your lives (which means most of you) know the hiccups and headaches that come with each stage of the process, early on or most of the way through or anywhere in the middle...

As regular readers of this column know, I feel the urge to vent about commercials in this space from time to time. To be honest, 99 percent of ads are fine at what they set out to do -- offering a product to a potential consumer -- which means that it's as rare to find a great commercial as it is a truly lousy one...

There's a bright comedy opening in McCook this upcoming weekend called "Send Me No Flowers." Produced by the ever-active Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre Association (or SWNCTA, for those acronym-philes among you in the readership), the show starts its three-day run at the McCook Senior High Auditorium on Friday, Oct. ...

The Emmy Awards were handed out this past Sunday night, and while there were a fair share of surprises this year, there were many absolute non-shockers. ("The Daily Show" won its 853rd straight Variety Series trophy, for example.) Even though I've been trying to see as many of the new shows as I can for my Fall Preview review series, I do have a little breathing room (but not much, as the new CBS dramas "Vegas" and "Elementary" are up next week; mark your calendars appropriately), so I figured it would be a good chance for me to take stock of how well I did in my picks.. ...

Copy-and-pasted from last week's column, but it's relevant and bears repeating: The new season is upon us, so it's time to start looking at the pilots that made it to series at the broadcast networks. I'm always excited to see the new line-ups at the start of the fall, even though I know that pilots can be a mixed bag. ...

The new season is upon us, so it's time to start looking at the pilots that made it to series at the broadcast networks. I'm always excited to see the new line-ups at the start of the fall, even though I know that pilots can be a mixed bag. Good starts can end up feeling like wasted time when the show goes to series, while mediocre introductions sometimes yield tremendous programs in the long run. ...

Next week, I plan to start presenting my looks at as many of the new fall network series as I can fit into this space. (Those will run throughout September and into October, interrupted only by an Emmy awards review.) So this week, as a way to get myself trained up for that (and to clear out the idea inventory), I've got a few random -- and short -- bits of TV news to share. (Keepin' it brief; what a concept!)...

By the time you've had a chance to read this week's column (or, in most cases, accidentally given it a glance while hurrying past, as good and sensible folks such as yourselves oughta), my birthday will have come and gone. Songs will have been sung, cards and gifts will have been opened, candles on the cake lit and snuffed -- and hopefully removed before the cake was eaten...

"The Bourne Legacy" isn't a bad movie. Not at all. But after seeing it I was reminded of the World War II-era slogan, "Is this trip necessary?" You are probably already aware that the fourth film in the franchise doesn't feature its title character. ...

To be honest, I laughed quite a bit during "The Campaign," the new Will Ferrell-Zach Galifianakis comedy, and rightfully so: some of it is tremendously funny. (A few of the best bits have been shown in television ads for the movie, and a few of them -- well -- simply can't be.) Unfortunately, this is one of those movies that feels like two or three scripts were tossed into the Story Blend-O-Matic, fingers crossed that they'd all come together. ...

Since the opening ceremonies, NBC's coverage of the 2012 Olympics from London has taken something of a beating in the press and in social media circles. While there have been complaints about editing choices and the presence of one Ryan Seacrest, the loudest and harshest criticisms revolve around the fact that many of the biggest events are being held for NBC's primetime line-up, then broadcast on a tape-delay basis. ...

The nominees for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards were announced a couple of weeks ago, and while there is room to criticize what didn't make the lists (no Best Drama shot for the terrific FX crime drama "Justified," for example) and what did (Emmy voters, "Nurse Jackie" isn't even close to being a comedy). Here's a look at some of the major categories, with my best guesses as to who will take home the prizes on Sunday, Sept. 23...

We've all gone through it at one time or another: there's a sensory experience we haven't had, but one we're anticipating -- a piece of music, a work of art, an elaborate meal -- and the praise for it has been so effusive, we can't avoid getting caught up in the clamor. And the longer we wait for it, the more its legend grows in our minds -- not just good, but truly great; not merely great, but extraordinary...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I hail from a large family, I have exactly one big brother, two years older than me. I think the two of us stack up pretty evenly; except for him being taller, stronger, funnier, better-looking, better-educated, more charismatic, more personable, more accomplished and more presentable in public, we're pretty much the same...

The heroine of the new Disney/Pixar animated film "Brave" has a remarkably unruly head of hair -- fiery red, with lengthy curls that threaten to spring away from their roots. This hairstyle is a telling characteristic, one that neatly describes the personality of the teenage girl underneath it...

The opening scene of the new HBO Sunday night drama "The Newsroom" sets up a situation that could make for a great series. In it, a cable TV news anchor named Will McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) is sitting in the middle of a contentious 3-person panel in front of a large audience of college students. ...

Now and then, I'm reminded of my mother's words when I would complain to her about not being able to find anything to watch on TV: "Why don't you read a book?" It's not bad advice, really, even today. I still like the printed word. And the full flower of my imagination remains intact and ready to be tapped. ...

You know how sometimes you have a bunch of good ideas all jostling against each other, jockeying for position in your mind, trying desperately to work their way through the barest sliver of an opening to explode into the clear? And then, without warning or explanation, something unexpected comes busting through the clutter, silencing some and shaming all the rest?...

Another legend in pop culture history has left us with the June 2 passing of Richard Dawson. The comedian, actor and -- perhaps most famously -- game show host and panelist was 79. Born Colin Lionel Emm, Dawson had his breakthrough on American television in the 1960s, playing Corporal Peter Newkirk on CBS' popular sitcom "Hogan's Heroes." When that show ended in 1971, he transitioned to a spot in the regular ensemble on the NBC sketch comedy series "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" for two seasons...

"Duets," which airs Thursday nights at 7 on ABC, is another try by that network to mine some success from the overflow of shows like FOX's perennial smash "American Idol," via NBC's recent hit "The Voice." The hook for the show is that the celebrity panel -- made up of Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, Robin Thicke and John Legend -- aren't merely listening to people sing and judging the performances, or even mentoring the performers in addition to their judging duties. ...

"The Avengers" has been the number one film in North America for the last three weekends in a row. It's a record-shattering success for Marvel Studios, the now-wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney -- it passed the $450 million domestic gross benchmark 10 days faster than the previous bar-setter ("The Dark Knight"), is well on its way to the half-a-billion-dollar mark, and internationally, continues to climb its way up the ladder inside the illustrious International Billion Dollar Movie Club (as of now, it sits in fourth place out of twelve titles, $150 million behind the last "Harry Potter" movie).. ...

The creators of American soap operas, for the most part, do what they do (and did what they did) with a regularity that Swiss clock makers would have to respect. They would take a locale (usually a fictional city in a real state), populate it with a number of storybook character types with jobs that seemed a little exciting to the viewers (the Handsome Doctor, the Beautiful Fashion Model, the Evil Queen of the City, et cetera), then run them through all types of melodramatic paces (He's an amnesiac! She's pregnant! They're actually spies!) until stories ran their course or actors' contracts expired or the show was finally canceled.. ...

Last week, I wrote about a number of CBS and ABC pilots that -- based only on the show's "logline" and cast and crew information -- still managed to interest me. This week, I'll look at the offerings from NBC, FOX and The CW that do the same. There's no guarantee that these shows will be great or good or even worth watching beyond the first few minutes (never mind if they get a full series order or not), but for right now, I have to admit, these are the ones that grabbed my eye...

A couple of weeks ago, I used this space to talk about the shows that may or may not be returning to the various broadcast networks next fall. This time, I'll deal with some of the pilots that could be finding their way to your TV in a few short months...

I was saddened at hearing about the passing of Dick Clark at the age of 82 last week -- and even a little surprised at how saddened I was. Perhaps the depth of feeling came from the fact that Clark's "American Bandstand" was a regular fixture on Saturdays in my formative years, or that in recent months I've found myself devouring multi-hour blocks of "$25,000 / $100,000 Pyramid" episodes on GSN, or even that I have long admired his show business acumen and consummate professionalism. ...

As the 2011-12 television season winds down, a lot of people are wondering which network shows will be returning in Fall 2012 -- and some of those people are the ones making the schedules. Network executives are watching pilot development closely and weighing those programs (and all the factors entailed) against other pilots as well as their current line-up of shows. ...

Two weeks ago, I included a brief and fairly positive review of ABC's new grown-ups only sitcom "Don't Trust the B-- in Apartment 23" inside one of those "random thoughts" columns, which I occasionally put together when my brain is addled (or more addled than usual, anyway), which it certainly was that week. ...

The public fracas around the now-surrendered R rating for a documentary called "Bully" has resurrected the argument about what some people deem the deepest flaw in the U.S. motion picture rating system. It's a fact that many movies are (and have been and will be) rated R because of the repeated use of a few choice words, ones that are unprintable here. ...

I've been under the weather since last Wednesday -- and it's been a particularly nasty storm -- so instead of my regularly-scheduled rambling about one thing, my column this week is a veritable stew of bullet points and random thoughts. Here's hoping that it's cooked all the way through.....

The new action-comedy "21 Jump Street" blindsided me in the best, most refreshing way possible. It was at least ten times better than the movie that I had imagined I was about to see; most movies live up (or down) to a viewer's preconceived expectations, this one quite nearly shattered mine...

Every spring, it seems, I'm writing one of these columns. A pre-post-mortem, if you will, for a television show that I enjoy which is in trouble ratings-wise and has the odds stacked against it for renewal. A couple years ago, I wrote an early obit for the wonderfully silly satiric sitcom "Better Off Ted." Last year, I wished a fond goodbye to the solid cop drama "Detroit 1-8-7." And in 2012, my heavy-hearted attention goes to the sweet-and-salty ensemble comedy "Cougar Town."...

On Sunday night, the three screenwriters behind the George Clooney-led family drama "The Descendants" - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash - heard their names called from the stage at the 84th Annual Academy Awards after the night's oft-repeated anticipation-building clause, "And the Oscar goes to... ...

I'm not a fan of the recent wave of "found footage" movies, but I can appreciate why they're popular -- the best ones have a raw, intimate quality that feels more like reality than a typically-shot fiction film does. The new 8-episode series "The River," airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ...

The fresh-faced ingenue stands alone on the stage, radiant in the spotlight. As the orchestral music swells, her jaw relaxes, her lips open, and from a place deep within her comes a sterling, beautifully tuned voice. It's the product of endless rehearsal and study and vocal coaching, sure, but at the very core of that lovely voice is the raw, real talent of a young woman who has dreamed of this moment since she first caught the performance bug so many years before. ...

David Milch and Michael Mann are -- taken separately -- two of the more dynamic forces in film and television. Milch, with his unique, intricate writing style, has been a creative force in television for a few decades now. From his breakout work on the grandfather of modern police dramas, "Hill Street Blues," to his breakthrough efforts, with another all-time great cop show in "NYPD Blue" and the acclaimed revisionist Western "Deadwood," Milch's bonafides are enviable...

It's too early for me to make any picks for this year's Academy Awards. I have the list of nominees in front of me; sure, there are names on it I don't recognize and a few usual suspects that make what seem to be annual appearances, but I'm waiting for a few more of the guild awards to be announced before I make my (semi-)educated guesses...

When a television network wants to produce a show about shadowy conspiracies filled with mysterious figures whose motives range from opaque to obtuse, there's only one producer to call: J.J. Abrams. You've read his name in this column before; in the last decade he has had at least a hand in the creation of shows like "Lost," "Alias," "Fringe" and this season's "Person of Interest."...

ABC's new Tuesday night entry "Work It" is horrible. In fact, it's so remarkably thorough in its horribleness, it must stand as something of an achievement. Not a proud one, but an achievement nonetheless. I can't remember the last time I watched a sitcom -- or any scripted series of any sort -- that made me cringe as much as this one. ...

In the seconds leading to the opening credits of the new "Mission Impossible" film, subtitled "Ghost Protocol," Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt -- while being sprung from a prison during a riot -- tells one of his associates, "Light the fuse," as the instantly-recognizable theme music begins to wind up. It's a clever, self-aware touch, leading into the familiar match strike that opened the TV series and the other big-screen stories...

I remember going to see the first of the recent "Sherlock Holmes" films in a theater, looking forward to seeing how Robert Downey, Jr., would accord himself. Downey is widely considered one of the better actors of his generation; even when he's starring in special effects-laden extravaganzas (which seems to be all the time nowadays), his charisma and live-wire energy makes him pop off the screen as much as the CGI...

Every year, TV writers and critics and other pundits put together their top ten lists of their favorite shows of the year, some hoping to stir and spin conversation at the end of the year, some just up against a deadline and needing to write something -- anything -- to fill column inches...

Dear Mr. Claus, By my calendar, the mutually agreed-upon twenty-five-year moratorium on our having written communications expired Monday of this past week; I'll thank you again for allowing it to end without much protraction (and for rescinding the request that I take care of your attorneys' fees). ...

Movies on DVD and Blu-ray disc are, generally speaking, well-received by the ones being gifted. And why not? Most people are movie fans -- with some more fanatical than others -- and when you take a little time to peruse the offerings available in stores or on-line, it's usually not terribly hard to find the right match for each person on your list...

I was five years old when the original Muppet movie -- called "The Muppet Movie," oddly enough -- came out; I remember my parents packing all four of us Blomstedt kids into the car to go see it. Soon after, the cheery, quirky -- and even surprisingly poignant -- soundtrack was an essential part of our family's traveling music, too...

The earliest, wildest days of the Christmas shopping season are upon us once again. Yes, the time has come for seemingly endless middle-of-the-night queues that ring the perimeters of retail sales oases from coast to coast. For the bull-rush of bargain-desperate crowds, trampling fallen promotional brochures like so many crisped-by-Autumn leaves. ...

It's hard to believe that we're approaching the holiday season again. The older I get, the earlier and earlier it seems that Thanksgiving and Christmas come up on the calendar. I know, I know -- I'm still a young whipper-snapper, at least that's what I'm told by some folks; that doesn't change the fact that I'm noticing that the march of time seems to be accelerating into something of a jog, if not a full-on sprint just yet...

Portland police detective Nick Burkhardt is seeing some very strange -- and frightening -- sights these days, and not just because he and his partner Hank Griffin have just returned from the scene of a young woman's gruesome murder inside a wooded city park. ...

We're only a few weeks into the new fall TV season, but there's been more than enough triumph and tragedy so far to make a spin around the dial for a quick overview of what's working -- and what isn't -- thus far this year. WINNER/LOSER: CBS' "2 Broke Girls" is this year's ultimate good news-bad news example. ...

The world of fairy tales was once almost the exclusive dominion of Disney animation. Over the years, the fantasies that we all know (well, more or less) have been re-imagined in any number of ways, but not many of those alternate versions have caught on with audiences. That hasn't stopped studios from trying, though; there are two Snow White films in production right now, for example, one with "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart in the lead role...

ABC's recent comedy success has spawned several attempts this season by the network to build upon that young - but already surprisingly strong - foundation. A couple of weeks ago, I praised the very funny "Suburgatory," a show which has started strong in the slot between "The Middle" and "Modern Family" on Wednesday nights...

There are a pair of sports movies playing in theaters right now, "Moneyball" and "Real Steel." The films couldn't be any more different: one of the films tells the fact-based story of how the general manager of the Oakland A's took a series of personal and professional risks in an effort to change the business of baseball, the other is a fantasy about a near-future America where human-commanded robots engage in vicious, limb-to-limb combat to satisfy a blood-thirsty crowd. ...

Comedy is beginning to hit its stride on the networks this fall. Only a handful of years ago, the sitcom was out of favor across broadcast lineups as programming departments aimed to find their Next Big Thing by flooding the marketplace with reality-competition shows, multiple versions of pre-sold brand name shows and attempts to repackage the Latest Big Thing's concept...

The new network television season rolls on with the addition of several new dramas on Thursday night. I watched two of them -- "Person of Interest" (which airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBS) a dark crime procedural-with-a-twist, as well as ABC's update of "Charlie's Angels," which airs at 7 p.m. -- and I'm sorry to report that both are rather disappointing, no matter what the expectations might have been...

A number of new sitcoms line the landscape of fall schedules on the major broadcast networks. I have been able to catch a few of them, but not all (I missed this past Monday night's premiere of CBS' "2 Broke Girls," a show I will endeavor to get back to as soon as possible). ...

This Sunday, FOX presents the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, starting at 7 p.m. This year's race for some of the big prizes has likely resulted in some close votes, as a number of first-time nominees with recognizable names are pitted against a host of returning favorites. Without further ado, here are my picks: who will win, who should win and who could play the spoiler...

Over the past few months, I've had the distinct privilege of helping to put together the first-ever Fox-NET Film Festival, which I think is one of the most exciting events to come to McCook in years. If you haven't heard about the festival yet, it starts Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, and features four days of extraordinary non-fiction films produced by Nebraska's own NET Television, as well as an additional world-premiere documentary, created by the McCook's own Divine Productions...

The new feature film "Our Idiot Brother" is a sweet-natured but slight comedy that benefits from a delightful central performance from Paul Rudd and a few very funny scenes, but doesn't quite manage to wrap itself up satisfactorily as the third act plays out...

As a TV consumer with both a long memory and a varied, yet voracious, appetite, I'm never surprised to find myself remembering pleasant viewing experiences from the past. Some of them are fuzzier around the edges, sure (and occasionally in black-and-white), but these memories of programs past are sure to remind me of two things: 1) I have watched/am watching/will continue to watch a great deal more television than most anyone I know, and 2) I kinda wish that more of these shows were readily available for viewing today.. ...

Ah, the promise of a new fall TV season. Having announced the titles in the late spring, the broadcast networks have slowly begun the rollout of promotional material for their new crop of series set to premiere starting in September. There's anticipation in the air, the hope for a new out-of-the-box sensation - something that will grab on to a wide audience's imagination and attention span, then settle in for a solid five or six seasons, followed by success on home video, sales to a hungry international market and a long life in syndication, providing the kind of ancillary revenue stream that ultimately defines the term itself. ...

My mom likes to tell a story about a 2 or 3 year-old version of me, playing out some elaborate imagining I'd developed in the living room of my grandparents' house, while a crowd of older relatives watched and laughed and even participated here and there, thanks to my occasional cajoling...

If you've read my column with any regularity, you probably know that I'm always on the lookout for a good crime drama. My favorites, shows like "NYPD Blue," "Hill Street Blues" and "Homicide: Life on the Street," were as much about the intricacies of being a police officer -- and, sometimes, being a criminal -- doing his or her job on a day-to-day basis as they were about the crimes being committed or solved...

Last week, I dedicated this space to a first look at this year's Emmy nominees for both outstanding comedy and drama series, as well as the finalists for the movie/miniseries prize, plus the nominees in the outstanding reality-competition and variety series categories. I'm continuing with my Emmy award preview this week by offering a look at the lead and supporting actor and actress categories, which contain a mix of familiar faces, along with a few intriguing newcomers...

The television industry prepared to take its yearly turn in the award season spotlight, as the nominations for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced last week. HBO led the way with 104 nods, while CBS topped the broadcast networks with 50 mentions...

I've noticed that theatrically-released comedies tend to mirror a single generation's maturation process. Pleasant, G- and PG-rated family comedies fill the cineplexes until someone makes a more grown-up comic take on the genre, usually a turn towards less-genial wisecrackery and a little more bodily function humor. ...

USA Network has, in recent years, developed into a strong provider of top-notch escapist fare, especially during the long summer months. USA's shows tend to be the equivalent of what the publishing industry regards as "excellent beach reading," which is generally interpreted to mean that the content might be lighter than air, but there's still something compelling about it...

I had fun watching "Cars 2." And yes, in case you were wondering, I liked it better than the first one. Quite a bit more, to tell you the truth. I felt that the 2006 original was a beauty to look at, but felt oddly cold and distant. Even with its paean to life in small-town America, I never felt anything more than that I was watching a feature-length demonstration of Pixar's technical expertise. ...

The first images seen in TNT's new drama series "Falling Skies" (airing Sunday nights at 9 p.m.) are glimpses of children's drawings, as you hear their voices talking of the wide-awake nightmares they have witnessed with their own eyes. The horrors in the images are mingled with their small, sad voices; some are choked with tears, some are opaque with shock. These are children of war...

Last summer, ABC tried out a fairly aggressive programming strategy, one that featured a sizable number of scripted series. Unfortunately for the network, most of them failed to generate any heat whatsoever. Their one moderate success was the Canadian-produced cop drama "Rookie Blue," which pulled in enough of an audience in the U.S. ...

There are a trio of very good releases on DVD and Blu-ray this week; one is a top-flight re-imagining of a classic Western, while the other two are full-season sets of a pair of TV's most popular and acclaimed hour-long dramas. Any one of them would likely make an excellent choice for a Father's Day gift -- or even perhaps as a present to those gentlemen who are not yet fathers (hint, hint)...

I read an article on the Los Angeles Times website on Tuesday that gave my movie-loving heart a shot of reality, courtesy of good ol' Father Time. June 12, 2011, marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." I can almost hear a bunch of you shaking your heads in disbelief, so do what I did: lean back in the seat you're in (as far as you can without hurting yourself and/or others, anyway) and let that fact settle...

Picking up where I left off last week, I have some early previews of new shows that will be airing this fall on CBS and The CW. There are a couple of interesting-looking shows in the mix this upcoming season on this pair of networks, plus another two or three that could be not-so-noble failures...

Starting next week, the broadcast networks will unveil their fall programming lineups in what is known as an upfront presentation, or upfront, for short. These are really more for the advertisers than the general public -- after all, they're primarily showcases that allow the networks the chance to sell significant chunks of their ad time before the new season starts. ...

When you are a person of affluence and influence, perceived as a social better within not only your corner of the world, but the remaining corners as well, there must be an immense pressure to not only fill that part, but be perfectly fitted to it. Any weakness - whether real or fabricated, physical or spiritual - has to be either rooted out or patched over, otherwise that failing - no matter its severity - ultimately becomes the fatal flaw that ends you, be it socially or economically or, well, whatever. ...

One of the best movies of the last decade has finally made its way on to Blu-ray disc: Disney /Pixar's "The Incredibles." It's hard to believe that this Oscar-winning animated feature took as long as it did to finally see a high-definition format release, but the wait was worth it. ...

ABC announced the cancellation of two of their three daytime serials last week. "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" will be off the schedule in September 2011 and Jaunary 2012, respectively, while "General Hospital" is safe (at least for now). The news of the cancellations didn't necessarily surprise me as they'd been rumored for several months before the official announcement, but it did disappoint me a little bit. ...

As the 2010-11 TV season winds down, the networks are moving the last of their regular inventory onto the prime-time schedule, hoping that something they've held back might connect with an audience. Fox and ABC have new half-hour comedies airing on Wednesday nights, hoping to keep viewers after the credits roll on their most successful shows ("American Idol" for Fox, "Modern Family" on ABC)...

"Winter's Bone," available on DVD from Lionsgate, is a truly tough, hard-scrabble film about tough, hard-scrabble people, but it's also as deeply touching and soulful a motion picture as I have seen in some time. There isn't a moment in the movie that rings false, not one single scene or performance or line of dialogue that takes you out of the drama...

My wife and I purchased and installed a satellite radio receiver in our car just before a Christmas time trip to Texas. We'd made that trip once before -- albeit in separate vehicles -- when she first moved to Nebraska, and we both agreed that we needed more listening options than we'd get by playing roulette with the radio dial, not only crossing our fingers that we'd find a station that the two of us would like, but also one that would maintain a fair-to-decent signal over more than a 50 mile stretch of highway. ...

As fellow TV travelers riding our varied cushions as we wing our way around the dial (okay, that's more than enough of that), you and I have probably seen more than our fair share of advertising, from the simple to the elaborate, the surprisingly entertaining to the deadly dull...

I've noticed a troubling trend when it comes to certain shows on ABC -- almost every year, they seem to marginalize, then cancel, the ones that I really like. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a personal attack; the programming executives there are undoubtedly far too busy with their day-to-day business to dedicate an iota of attention toward li'l ol' me...

If the drama department at CBS has done one thing extremely well over the last decade, it's been their ability to develop a successful -- and extremely repeatable -- formula for a hit hour-long crime drama. I know I'm simplifying the equation here, but it does boil down to this: take a law enforcement team numbering a half-dozen or so, put them in office environs, surround them with technology that Batman and James Bond would envy and let them loose on the bad guys...

Starting at 7 p.m. this Sunday night -- and ending sometime around Labor Day weekend -- the motion picture industry will hand out its top honors at the 83rd Academy Awards. I don't know for sure who will be leaving the Kodak Theatre with Oscar statues in hand, but I have a few decent guesses -- and a bunch of outright ones, too...

As I've found myself pressed for time this week, I've decided to do another column in a handy-dandy list form - this time I'm naming three of my all-time favorite TV shows now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Nothing I'm listing is in any particular order, by the way; where they appear on the list solely depends on when they wandered out of my subconscious, hit the neurological highway and took the off-ramps to my fingers, speaking metaphorically (and rather sloppily at that). ...

I wasn't joking when I resolved to start watching the DVDs I've purchased, then neglected. And I certainly wasn't joking when I said that I'd begin the process by watching the trio of British crime dramas that are collectively known as "Red Riding." I had the full intent of watching them -- you know, when I got around to it...

For my first column of 2011, I decided to make one last list, one to close out the year just past. I thought I'd cover some television programs I really liked, plus highlight a few movies that I also enjoy -- some I've mentioned before, some I haven't. (Please indulge my occasional redundancy; some things just bear repeating.)...

The earliest TV crime dramas were, in essence, cut from the same cloth as the Westerns that aired around them -- clear black-and-white delineations of good and evil. On shows like "Dragnet" or "The Untouchables," the heroes were generally square-jawed, honorable men who sought justice. ...

It's hard to fathom now, seeing the star he's become, but there was a time when Matthew Perry was often recognized as one of those dependable performers who deserved a shot at a leading role in a series, but on those occasions that he was given a chance to carry that mantle, the show didn't succeed...

NBC, which has been struggling in the ratings race for the last several years (excluding the runaway success of "Sunday Night Football"), is continuing to try to find a show that will click with audiences. Two new series have joined their lineup: a law drama from one of TV's most-lauded writers, plus a new Thursday night comedy...

The second half of the 2010-11 television season has begun with a number of new series on the major networks. There will be more to come; some better, some worse. (And, to bring up another inexorable fact, some of the better ones will die on the vine, while some of the lousy ones will become smash hits -- or at least resemble them.) Here's my look at three of these new series: two of them dramas, the other a comedy...

Around this time of year, most folks are plotting their New Year's resolutions -- those sentence-long self-improvement promises to toss out the cigarettes, lose those last ten pounds and/or keep the checkbook balanced, while leaving the credit cards in the wallet...

'Tis the season to make a list and check it twice in the entertainment review. The year has featured some memorable moments, for better or worse, on television. I'm doling out some stocking stuffers to various elements -- good and not-so-good -- that found their way onto screens this year...

One of the pleasures of the 2010-11 TV season so far has been watching the growth of a number of ABC's Wednesday night programs. While I still can't say the entire three-hour block keeps me from changing the channel (the new sitcom "Better with You" -- which airs at 7:30 p.m. ...

With the bulk of the new fall series taking to the air in the last couple of weeks -- along with most of the returning shows too -- I thought it might be a good time to talk about what's working, what isn't and what really isn't around the dial (or what I've seen, anyway). Call it a stock report, if you will, of new shows to buy, hold or sell...

The broadcast networks will trot out new hour-long dramatic fare this fall. Is there another hit in the bunch? The networks hope so -- and each of them hopes they are the one to have it. Last year's strike-recovery season was a disappointing one on so many fronts, but the drama field was perhaps the most affected. ...

If there was ever an opportune time for a big, crowd-pleasing television comedy to come along, it might just be now. A half-hour (or more, to be honest) of hearty laughs on primetime TV every week would certainly lighten moods from coast to coast and border to border...

I know. I should be getting outside during the summer. The arguments for doing so are numerous, mostly relating to things such as sunshine, fresh air, the potential for human contact. Mostly though, I hear that there's nothing on except for shows I've either already seen at least once, or programs that I didn't want to see the first time (and neither did anyone else)...

I'm trying to avoid the more maudlin aspects of life in my column. I promise. No one wants me to get back to writing about TV -- the good, the bad and the ho-hum -- more than me. It's just that I've been distracted. Mother's Day. Father's Day. And for my latest diversion, well, my little brother is getting married next week, so you'll have to indulge me, just once more...

(Preface: Since I wrote something about my mom for Mother's Day, I don't want my dad grousing about not getting "equal time" on his day. So here you go, Pop.) My dad's Superman in my universe, and I mean it. He is a brave, intelligent and good-hearted man -- my hero, really -- and I am frequently amazed that he continues to put up with me and my shenanigans...

There's an exchange of dialogue from an episode of "The Simpsons" that goes a little like this (forgive me if it's not verbatim): Belle (in a voice that's mostly suspicion, with just a hint of revulsion): "Mr. Simpson, are you wearing a paper bag?" Homer (in a voice that's rather matter-of-fact, yet can't quite hide the defiance): "I seem to have misplaced my pants."...

Summer TV, in recent years, has become a rather fertile ground for top-quality programming on the cable side of the dial. While the major broadcast networks ceded their schedules to reality shows, schedule cast-offs and repeats during the dog days, channels such as AMC, FX, TNT and USA started rolling out original series, and a significant number of them connected, critically and commercially...

As a 34- (going on 35-) year-old man, I am not supposed to be giddy with anticipation for nearly anything in this life, especially for something as silly as a movie. Social mores state that it simply isn't done -- I'm to be emotionally collected at 34 (going on 35). Controlled. Colorless, even. My joys are to be limited to grown-up things, and kept to myself...

Throughout the next week, the broadcast networks will be holding their upfront presentations, announcing their fall programs to the world at large. This used to be an event that was nothing more than a marketing tool for the television industry, and it was kept fairly hush-hush. ...

I have a really excellent mom. To some people, that probably sounds simplistic, perhaps to the point of being childish. To others, it might sound like hyperbole. But it's true. My mom -- well -- she's a really excellent mom. And I don't feel this way just because she's my mother, and my mind is filled with sunny, greeting-cardish recollections of days past, seen through an affectionately skewed lens...

I'm jumping on to the bandwagon of the "random thoughts" column this week. Why? Two reasons: number one, I'm very sleepy; number two, all of my thoughts tend to be -- well -- random. And thirdly, I'm very sleepy. Matter of fact, this could just be a vivid, old-pizza-induced dream that I'm having ... which would explain a lot...

In the next few weeks, the broadcast television networks will firm up their fall schedules, hoping to find the next big hit -- or, failing that, at least one or two minor successes that will propel their ad sales on an upward trend. Many shows that are currently on the air will not see another season; such is the nature of the industry...

There are few things on television that can be accurately deemed as indispensable. Turner Classic Movies, the 24-hour cable channel, is one of those rarities. Now in its 15th year, it stands alone on the pay television landscape as a constant purveyor of art and culture and history, providing its viewers a chance to once again see the world through the lenses of filmmakers that can legitimately be called greats...

I admit freely that I'm a fan of cop shows. From the various permutations of "Dragnet," to the revolution that was "Hill Street Blues," to the upheaval in the form by "NYPD Blue," to the myth-shatterer that was "The Shield," the behind-the-badge stories hold a level of fascination for me that few other genres possess...

Used to be that the cheap movies in the aisle displays at your friendly neighborhood Alco or Wal-Mart store were -- for lack of a better term -- the cheap movies. I can remember perusing racks full of titles in the public domain. A few are fresher in my mind than others, and not just because they were the eight different versions of "It's A Wonderful Life."...

There are several different companies attempting to bring video-on-demand (VOD) services to a larger number of American households, harnessing the power of the World Wide Web to bring it to TV screens everywhere. The Roku set-top box, for example, costs 99 dollars, and allows you to download movies and TV shows through Amazon.com, while electronics manufacturer LG has announced a flat-panel monitor combined with a Blu-Ray player that streams programming from Netflix's Internet site, so long as you're a subscriber to the company's mail-order movie rental service.. ...

Not many television shows make it through a full season, never mind 20 of them. But that is exactly what Fox's "The Simpsons" has managed to do. In fact, Fox has just announced that they are going to order another two seasons of the comedy, making it the longest-running scripted program in network television history, passing the legendary TV Western "Gunsmoke," and adding 44 episodes to the series lengthening total. ...

By now, I'm sure that 99 percent of you have heard of the "Snuggie," which appears to be the end result of the intensely intricate lab work of cross-pollinating downy-soft fleece blankets (or, if you prefer, Fleeceus comforterae, in genuine faux-Latinspeak) and the miracle invention that is the shirt sleeve (which has no faux-Latinspeak translation, at least none that I could make up off the top of my head; apologies all around). ...

I'm pushing myself away from the TV this week (well, no, not the whole week; that'd be silly) because I'm really quite excited about something monumental that I did a few days ago. I bought my fiancee a Valentine's Day gift. It's supposed to be a surprise, so I can't just blurt out what it is in this particular space. ...

As I write this, my left temple is generating a dull throb. My sinus cavity is alternating between clogged and arid, with each state providing its own special kind of unpleasantness. The rising, spiraling sensation of a sneeze comes on, then fades away with no such relief or release -- all "ah," no "choo," if you will. ...

For almost every calendar day, there is an observance. Some of these observances are the very definition of obscure (January 26th's Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, for example, or July 22nd's Health, Happiness with Hypnosis Day, for another), while others are a little more elevated than rest (Arbor Day, anyone?), but the pinnacle of scheduled observances is the holiday...

Wednesday nights just got great again. The fifth season of "Lost" debuted on ABC on Jan. 21, and delivered another pair of fiercely entertaining, spectacularly produced hours that put most of the rest of primetime television on notice -- a prime example of what TV can accomplish when everyone behind the scenes, including network executives, break the shackles of the ordinary and willingly take big (and bigger) risks...

It's going to happen. Television's analog-to-digital broadcast transition is on, and going full-force. Local stations to broadcast networks, coast to coast and up and down the dial, are advising viewers to prepare themselves for the next major technological advance to hit our living rooms. ...

Here's some news to make my generation feel the chill of age in our bones: "Sesame Street" celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. (Or as Count Von Count might say: "40! 40 anniversaries!" and then give a cheery "ah-ah-ah" to the answering flash of lightning and crash of thunder.)...

I've never been much for New Year's resolutions. Oh, sure, I appreciate the idea of setting a goal or two for personal betterment -- I mean, who doesn't look in the mirror and see those parts of themselves that could use a good tweaking or even outright replacement -- but appreciation only goes so far. A person must actually take the step of deciding which goals need setting, then setting said goals, and finally, with something approximating wholeheartedness, willfully attempt to reach them...

It's been a quick December, hasn't it? Here we are, less than a week until Christmas, and another week beyond that will be the start of a brand new year. Between fulfilling my duties here at the paper and finishing my Christmas shopping and singing in the McCook choir a couple of weeks ago and -- well, sleeping -- I've had precious little time to keep myself caught up on my voluntary TV beat. ...

A few days ago, NBC announced -- with some fanfare -- that long-time "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, who was rumored to be on his way to another network, would not only be staying at NBC, but in fact, be given a new prime time series. Leno's new show will launch this upcoming fall, and while there hasn't been any hint of what it will be, one thing is known: It will run at 9 p.m. every night, five nights a week...

I've noticed something during rehearsals for the McCook Community Choir's annual Christmas concert: the choir loft at the McCook Methodist Church is awfully crowded. But that's the only thing remotely "awful" about it. There are 30-plus of us, standing shoulder to shoulder, four rows deep. ...

This is the time of year when we begin to look at our corner of the world and take stock of our blessings, of the people and places and things for which we are most thankful. As for myself, I have many blessings. I'm thankful for my constantly supportive family. I'm thankful for the young woman who has come into my life and made every day better. I'm thankful for the job opportunity I was given this year by this newspaper...

My heart sinks around 9:30 every Thursday morning. Sometimes it's at 9:45, sometimes it's at 9:15, but mostly it's closer to 9:30, give or take a minute or two. You see, that's when the Nielsen ratings for one of my favorite shows, ABC's "Pushing Daisies," usually scroll past my eyes -- and the prognosis they bring with them for one of television's most entertaining shows is not good. Not good at all...

I'm not the Gazette's movie guy, I know, but I saw something movie-related on an industry Web site that I frequent that I found -- well -- astonishing. Universal Pictures is teaming up with toy manufacturer Hasbro to make a movie version of the board game "Monopoly," according to the Hollywood Reporter, a leading entertainment business publication...

As the years have passed, the broadcast and cable news outlets have slowly begun developing new and better ways to disseminate information to the masses, as well as gather that information for themselves. In recent years, that has led to use of live-blogging, instant messaging, and even webcams to communicate with the masses. ...

"30 Rock" returned to NBC (Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.) firing on all cylinders creatively, and brings along its multiple Emmy wins. Star Tina Fey, who also created and writes for the show, has been on her own rocket ride, thanks to a hit summer movie, then Emmys for writing and acting on the series, and most recently, her immensely popular impersonation of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. ...

Last week's appearance by vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live" helped the show reach a dizzying height. (And, no, it wasn't Alec Baldwin repeatedly referring to Palin as "Tina.") "SNL" achieved an astonishing 14-year high in the Nielsen ratings; enough people watched the episode to make it the third most-watched program on all of television, including prime time series...

Spy fiction sinks or swims based on the audience's ability to buy into the premise. My favorite of the James Bond pictures, "Goldfinger," has such a wacky plot that if you dedicate even a minute thinking about it, you'd laugh it off. But the telling is crisp and exciting, and there's wit and spirit in the performances. ...

Importing and retrofitting foreign-developed concepts isn't a new thing in the television business. A sizable chunk of Seventies comedies were based on British series -- "Sanford and Son," "Three's Company," even one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in American television history, "All in the Family."...

It's safe to say that any of the broadcast networks would like to have the kind of success ABC had at the beginning of this century with "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" While we're some years past its peak, you can't forget that the show was a cultural phenomenon and ratings juggernaut until it burned out -- thanks to overexposure -- and dragged a short-sighted network to the basement as quick as it carried it to the penthouse. ...