From the departure of several NBC stars to the return of George Clooney and the surprisingly well-liked emergence of the Lego, it’s been a busy week in pop culture. The Eagle’s Mark Lieberman breaks it down in the latest edition of his weekly Take 5 column.
Rest in peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The tragedy of this fine actor’s death has prompted much great writing and reflecting across the Internet. Hoffman’s talent as an actor was to sink into any role, however small, with the fervor and nuance of an important lead. He won only one Oscar, appeared in several dozen nominated films, but he had a long career ahead of him. The ongoing confusion surrounding the circumstances of his death is too depressing to even describe, but Hoffman’s story points to the pitfalls of drug use and reminds us that talented people are sometimes even more flawed than the rest of us.
Say goodbye (and hello) to Michael J. Fox.
What started as NBC’s thrilling attempt to recapture the best of the ‘90s ended as a ratings non-starter of spectacular proportions. “The Michael J. Fox Show” was supposed to NBC’s new crown jewel, lifting the shows on either side of its 9:30 timeslot to similar heights of mainstream popularity. Instead, the show floundered, perhaps hampered by that odd timeslot and its inability to develop a compelling world outside of its magnetic star.
NBC has pulled “The Michael J. Fox Show” from the schedule, and while it’s not officially cancelled, the writing is essentially on the wall. But don’t get nostalgic about Fox just yet: he’s set to appear in a multi-episode arc at the end of this season of “The Good Wife.” At this stage in his career, the former king of sitcom might just be better suited to dramatic fare.
Jay Leno is out…for now.
After bidding farewell in 2009, only to return nine months later following his failed primetime experiment, “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno has bowed out of television for good. With the help of his friends Billy Crystal and Garth Brooks, Leno cleared out on Thursday night, ceding his hosting chair to current “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon. Meanwhile, Fallon will close out his late-night tenure tonight with guests Andy Samberg and the Muppets, clearing the stage for new host Seth Meyers at the end of February. The latest stage of NBC’s ongoing late-night saga has begun.
George Clooney or a pile of legos? The results may surprise you.
This week’s two biggest movie releases are an animated comedy about talking toys and a George Clooney-fronted historical drama featuring one of the most expansive big-name casts in recent memory. Surprisingly, though, the one grabbing the majority of the critical raves is the former, not the latter. While “The Monuments Men” is getting more coverage for its actors’ low salaries and its much-publicized bump from its original December release date, “The Lego Movie” has charmed critics far more than anyone would have expected. Bilge Ebiri from Vulture called it “the best action flick in years.” You can’t judge a book by a cover – nor a movie, apparently.
The Super Bowl never really ends.
From a football perspective, Super Bowl XLVIII was the most unremarkable in recent memory, as the Denver Broncos crumbled under the weight of the Seattle Seahawks. From a critical perspective, though, the hits just keep on coming. Debates have been raging since Coca-Cola debuted its “America the Beautiful” ad, which depicts citizens of the United States speaking a variety of languages in various locales. The ad has brought out the worst in Internet commenters, some of whom objected to the ad based on the (erroneous) assertion that English is the nation’s official language.
Meanwhile, Bruno Mars experienced a nice sales bump from his dazzling halftime show, the most-watched part of the night’s broadcast by nearly three million viewers. The Red Hot Chili Peppers fared worse, however, as they revealed a few days later that they apparently had not actually been playing their guitars live during their guest appearance.
Look for the Take 5 column every Friday.
