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Hoorah for the State of the Union! Three Cheers! It’s the best TV I’ve seen in months, and it almost made it worth the pre-empting of Boston Legal! (I said almost.) Cheer #1—Decorum. Our country has rarely been more divided between Red and Blue states, but on SOTU night, we applaud our democracy. There was…

Oscar noms are in, and in the Best Picture category, the big winner is… the concept of being an outsider. Outside your comfort zone, undercover in a dangerous environment, out of place, or in literal exile, these films illustrate that to an extent–whether it’s literal or figurative–we’re all strangers in a strange land and respond…

I read the rumblings in the trade papers about how the dysfunctional family comedy “Little Miss Sunshine” was going to sneak its way into the Oscar nominations, but I was still disappointed that the rumors became reality in the early morning hours today. Granted, 2006 was a weak year for movies, in my opinion, but…

One of the few times a year I plant myself on my couch and only leave for bathroom breaks is during the first few episodes of “American Idol.” Am I interested in this year’s crop of talented singers, hoping to get a glimpse of the next big star? No way! I’m in it strictly to…

It’s not often that you finish off a film at two o’clock in the morning only to find yourself sitting in the same theater 6 hours later to begin the next. Well, at Sundance – what else are you there for? Although the celebration of independent film exists as the centerpiece of this two week…

Okay, so Internet polls are scientifically suspect–only the Oscars are as susceptible to email campaigns, multiple votes, and people voting blindly for artists they’ve never seen. But the audience for MSN’s Music Artist of the Year is so large and broad, with more than 270,000 people voting, that we’re confident in congratulating Christian praise rocker…

Are the “American Idol” judges mean–and getting meaner by the season–or should contestants’ family and friends be more honest in advising them to stay off national TV? Our bloggers Ellen Leventry and Dena Ross debate this very topic, but what do you think? Watch these videos and use the comments box to let us know.

Given our cultural obsession with the new and the novel, perhaps nothing is as daunting as following initial success. The sophomore slump can hamper creative efforts and lead to artistic blocks or overreaching. In 2005, director Craig Brewer (at right, with me) hit the Sundance jackpot with “Hustle and Flow.” Brewer’s simmering tale of a…

How do you bring a little fun back into fundamentalism? By making a sitcom, as Zarqa Nawaz is fond of saying. Nawaz is the creator of the new Canadian TV series “Little Mosque on the Prairie.” The show debuted Jan. 9 on CBC TV–to unexpectedly strong ratings–and airs Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 p.m. and…

It’s hard to recall the last time the Sundance Film Festival made any real noise–buzz, yes, but nothing like the howl sent up this year about “Hounddog,” an independent film starring Dakota Fanning as an urchin who is raped by an older boy. Fanning, who will turn 13 next month, is also reportedly scantily clad…
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