" 'Saturday Night Live' has pervaded and defined our culture for decades," Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer says. Now, 38 years worth of "SNL" will be pervading Yahoo. Archived content from the NBC comedy chestnut will flow exclusively to Yahoo video come September, covering the years 1975 through 2012. The classic "SNL" clips will be coming down from … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2013
Netflix’s strong hand
Citing "a general recovery of the brand," Netflix told Wall Street what it wanted to hear with its first-quarter earnings, and then some. The streaming video/DVD rental company added more than 3 million sign-ups in the quarter, for a total of 36 million subscribers. Its stock soared 24 percent after earnings were announced April 22. In the … [Read more...]
Fritz Lang’s ‘Ministry of Fear’
Funny thing about the wrong man: He never, ever did it. This lack of mystery never held back the thriller subgenre, in large part because of Alfred Hitchcock's fondness for tales of the unjustly accused on the run. The German director Fritz Lang also worked cases of mistaken identity, notably in "Fury" (1936) and "Ministry of Fear" … [Read more...]
‘Ripper Street’: Victorian evil at large
The shadow of wicked olde Jack hangs heavy over "Ripper Street." Is this a specter, or a warning of the Ripper's return? The creators of this terrific BBC One series wisely keep Jack the Ripper sidelined, at least in the first season, which just wrapped season 1 on BBC America. Good move. We didn't need another Ripper procedural. Think of it … [Read more...]