Blogcritics Author: Diane Kristine

The Emmys Don't Get It Abysmally Wrong

Diane Kristine — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:05:30 EDT

They're not perfect, but this year's Emmy nominations aren't completely terrible, either.
The Emmy nominations were announced at 5:40 am this morning, so at 5:41 commenced the bitching and whining. But really, despite the obvious and obvious-only-to-partisans snubs, this year isn’t an embarrassment for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences like, say, 2006 was.I’m not one of those people who will complain about the...

UFOs: The Secret History - What Does Our View Of Aliens Say About Us?

Diane Kristine — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:21:53 EDT

Filmmaker David Cherniack explores what our views on extraterrestrial life say about life on earth.
The truth might be out there, but David Cherniack isn't convinced science is prepared to find it. "The role of science has been severely lacking in addressing the question of extraterrestrial visitation," said the Toronto-based documentary filmmaker, who studied physics at the University of Manitoba.With a new X-Files movie coming out...

Cop Drama Flashpoint Explores Human Cost Of Heroism

Diane Kristine — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:18:23 EDT

Co-creators Stephanie Morgenstern and Mark Ellis talk about their upcoming CBS/CTV series.
There’s a new cop drama premiering Friday, July 11 on CBS, but it’s as far removed from CSI or Cold Case as it is from the last Canadian import to air in American primetime, 1994’s Due South. This one also comes from Canadian broadcaster CTV -- who will air it in simulcast with CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. -- but that’s where the...

Entourage Finds Success Out Of Failure

Diane Kristine — Mon, 7 Jul 2008 00:19:04 EDT

Creator Doug Ellin describes the arduous journey of bringing the hit HBO show to life.
Creator Doug Ellin has a pithy answer to the question of what Entourage is about: "Friendship." "These guys at the end of the day always have each others' backs. In any world, that's tough to find. When you're in your thirties, you start to lose those close connections. But especially in Hollywood, it's so hard to...

The Unusual Life of Friday Night Lights

Diane Kristine — Tue, 1 Jul 2008 09:45:40 EDT

Head writer Jason Katims is grateful to have a third season of the struggling and unique show.
Brooklyn native Jason Katims admits he was an unlikely choice to take over as Friday Night Lights showrunner from Peter Berg, the writer/director of the feature film and the TV series pilot. He didn't have any background in the world of the show. He hadn't read the book, hadn't seen the movie, wasn't a football fan, and had never...

Swingtown Producer Sees Double Standards In Network Standards

Diane Kristine — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:58:58 EDT

Executive producer and director Alan Poul relates his struggles with the FCC and timid networks.
"The timidity of American broadcast networks could end up being a theme of today's talk," producer and director Alan Poul warned towards the beginning of his recent Master Class at the Banff World Television Festival. It did, in fact, emerge as a recurring theme as he reflected on his career.Poul's resume includes television...

Creator Hart Hanson Digs Up Bones Stories

Diane Kristine — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:29:10 EDT

Hanson shows his humorous side in a Banff TV Festival Master Class.
I'd interviewed writer/producer Hart Hanson by phone a couple of years ago, before Bones had been renewed for a second season, before it was clear it would be. So attending his Master Class this month at the Banff World Television Festival, I thought I knew what to expect from the Master Teacher: polite, restrained, and speaking in carefully...

Anatomy Of A House Episode: "Airborne"

Diane Kristine — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:32:53 EDT

Writer David Hoselton dissects his mutated "baby."
The teaser writer David Hoselton envisioned for "Airborne," his third-season episode of House, involved a suspected terrorist -- obviously sick, possibly part of a sinister biological warfare plan -- entering an airplane at the Singapore airport. Then, House (Hugh Laurie) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) enter the scene and the airplane. Cut to...

From Idea to Screen: The Craft of TV Writing

Diane Kristine — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:53:14 EDT

Desperate Housewives and House writers break down the creative process.
The Banff World Television Festival introduced a new programming stream to this year's 29th annual industry event called The Craft, workshop-type sessions breaking down the creative process. Included were two sessions by two writers with several high-profile series in their credits, who gave insight into how shows are assembled from concept to...

Boston Legal Provides Evidence Of Hollywood's Social Responsibility

Diane Kristine — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:44:14 EDT

The Entertainment Industries Council and Christian Clemenson of Boston Legal went before Congress to talk about mental health issues.
When Boston Legal reaches 10 million people each week, it’s considered a moderate hit. When a public health campaign reaches 100,000 people in a year, it’s considered a tremendous success. Tapping into that disparity, the Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) encourages the entertainment industry to disseminate accurate portrayals of...