A year and a half ago, it was in no way certain that the quirky musical comedy CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND was going to make it to television. After hitting a developmental snag as a 30-minute pilot for Showtime, creators Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna repackaged the series as a 44-minute show for Showtime's sister network, The CW.

Few actors have had a career to rival that of Brian Dennehy, either in terms of success or longevity. With over 150 on-screen credits, the 77-year-old actor has earned a Golden Globe Award and six Emmy nominations. However, it is his decades of experience on the stage that keep his artistic batteries running. 'I work in the theatre a lot, and in the theatre I can call upon the geniuses that may be with us, and may not be; Arthur Miller or Eugene O'Neill or Beckett or Shakespeare or Chekov,' he said. 'However dead they may be, their work is not dead. It is possible to breathe new life and new oxygen and new ideas into those wonderful pieces of work. So I don't depend upon Hollywood, or the studios, or movies, or television, although I work in them and certainly won't say no, but I don't depend on them for intellectual stimulus or satisfaction.'

To millions of fans around the world, Nathan Lee Graham is known for playing a man very comfortable in the fabulous clothes; whether that is as Wardrobe Supervisor Peter, opposite Lisa Kudrow in the first season of THE COMEBACK; as Reese Witherspoon's fashion mentor Frederick Montana in SWEET HOME ALABAMA; or as designer Jacobim Mugatu's latte-fetching assistant Todd in the ZOOLANDER films. While Graham's real life does not involve serving at the pleasure of a demented, homicidal fashion designer he does lead an existence filled with fashion and excitement.

Now that we are a full two weeks removed from Fox's first foray into the world of live, televised musicals, I think it is time to look back at the lessons learned from GREASE: LIVE. Though I hailed it as a rousing success in my review, on Broadway Radio's 'This Week on Broadway,' and on BWW's 'Some Like it Pop' podcast, there are a fair number of critics and viewers that had perfectly reasonable hesitations. Whether it was occasional sound issues, too strict a reliance on the film for inspiration, the wonky new song, or uneven performances, I am fine with acknowledging those shortcomings; but to me, there are three things that made GREASE: LIVE the most entertaining and artistically satisfying live musical of this recently reinvigorated phenomenon.

The second season of ABC's medieval musical comedy GALAVANT opens with a song entitled 'A New Season,' a direct response to the nearly unanimous opinion that it would be cancelled after its initial eight-episode run. However, despite middling numbers, ABC brought the quirky show from Dan Fogelman, Alan Menken, and Glenn Slater back this January. While I thought the sophomore season's comedy and storytelling were far superior to the often meandering first season's, Season 2 has struggled to find an audience, rarely able to garner even half the rating's share of Season 1. So, while it is looking extremely unlikely that ABC will roll the dice on the show again, if they do, I have some suggestions for Team GALAVANT that I think will give them a fighting chance in Season 3.

Last Sunday, PBS debuted its first scripted drama in over a decade with the star-studded Civil War hospital drama, MERCY STREET. Despite the fact that most Civil War stories focus on the men leading the charge on the battlefield, MERCY STREET instead endeavors to tell the stories of a collection of women fighting to find their own sense of self in a world that no longer subscribes to the rules that they were raised on.

When most people think of the nation of Israel, they usually think of one of the most historically important locales on Earth, gorgeous beaches on the Mediterranean, or the fact that it is the home of three of the world's largest religions. However, one thing that most people don't associate with the country is horror movies. However, on Friday, January 22nd, the new Israeli apocalyptic thriller JERUZALEM will be released in select U.S. theaters and On Demand nationwide.

The 1860s are a familiar period for Donna Murphy. In addition to winning Tonys for playing Fosca in the original Broadway production of PASSION and Anna in the 1996 revival of THE KING AND I, the actress played Mary Todd Lincoln in the television movie, THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT. All three projects were set between 1862 and 1867. And, while she jokes that the 1998 film was the last time that she had worn a corset, when she read the pilot episode of PBS's Civil War medical drama MERCY STREET, premiering tonight at 10:00pm ET, she knew that she wanted to be involved.

Now that 2015 is squarely in the rearview mirror, and everyone is back to work after the holidays, it is time to take a look at some of the best films of the past year. As was the case with my Top 15 TV Shows of 2015 list, this is not intended to be a comprehensive list. I am one man, and I have not yet seen every major movie released last year. However, as I continue to work through screeners and upcoming screenings (I live in Orlando, so not all of the awards-bait has been released here yet), I will count down the top 2015 releases that I saw during the calendar year. Notable omissions are BRIDGE OF SPIES, THE REVENANT, THE DANISH GIRL, and CONCUSSION, all of which I hope to see by the end of the week.

There was a time when the movie was considered the epitome of pop culture entertainment. At the cinema you could find comedy, action, romance, intriguing characters, and the most creative minds in America. While there is still all of the above in movies today, television is quickly stealing the popular artistic prestige that movies has enjoyed since snatching it from the musical theatre six decades ago.

There is no doubt that, for better or for worse, Broadway is the most visible home for theatre in the world. For many people across the country, it is the only thing that they know about the art form, even if there is a local playhouse just down the street. Like Xerox to copiers, and Kleenex to tissues, for many, the word 'Broadway' simply means theatre. Therefore, often the shows that call Broadway home become our greatest gateway to getting people to consume theatre at the local level. However, Broadway, by its very definition, is inaccessible. It is limited to a small handful of theaters located in New York City, in the northeast corner of the country, at least 500 miles from 18 of the top 20 most populated cities in America (not including itself and Philadelphia). For many, that is a trip that they just can't afford to make. In addition, with premium seats and ever-escalating ticket prices, even if a family of four can afford to make it to New York, four seats to a Broadway show is often cost prohibitive.

With just over a week until Christmas, it is time for all of us pathological procrastinators to get our butts in gear. Whether it is braving the insanity of the mall or paying for express shipping, we need to suck it up and start Christmas shopping!

'I'm hoping to prove that there's always time to celebrate.' That wish is behind the audacious experiment that Broadway leading lady Patti Murin (LYSISTRATA JONES, WICKED, HOLIDAY INN) is preparing to launch on January 1st, 2016 with her #PartywithPatti initiative. Earlier this month, Murin announced via her blog, Literally Patti Murin, that beginning with the New Year, she would be celebrating as many 'national holidays' as possible in 2016, from the ridiculous to the poignant.

Since last Thursday was Thanksgiving, tonight will likely be the first time this season that you are going to be experiencing the severe symptoms of acute #TGIT withdraw. Unfortunately, after the November Sweeps period ended, ABC and Shonda Rhimes are keeping her doctors, gladiators, and murderers on the shelf until February 11th, when another sweeps period is in full effect. So, to help ween you off of your OPA addiction (you can't just quit Olivia cold turkey, ask Jake and Fitz), I have assembled a group of clips that show your favorite SCANDAL stars in a slightly different light than you are accustomed to, namely, singing showtunes! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Whether you are with family and/or friends, or by yourself with a carton of turkey flavored Ben & Jerry's (don't act like you wouldn't eat that), there is plenty to be thankful for on this holiday. So, in the spirit of thanksgiving, I decided to put together a list of 10 pop culture people, clips, videos, ideas, and moments for which I am thankful. They are in no particular order, because, like family on Thanksgiving, you obviously know which ones you like better, but it wouldn't be in the holiday spirit to share that information publically.

Bad news comedy fans, after spending most of your Black Friday in a post-shopping, tryptophan-induced coma, you will not be able to share your evening with the hilarious cast of NBC's live sitcom UNDATEABLE. Preempted by the holiday favorite, the National Dog Show, the Black Eyes Bar crew will be back with an all-new live episode next Friday; well, actually two all-new episodes, since the UNDATEABLE gang performs each episode twice, once live for the East Coast, and again live for the West Coast. One of the joys of my Monday morning is watching both versions back-to-back on Hulu to see what jokes were added for the second broadcast.

I know the type of movie that SECRET IN THEIR EYES wants to be. It wants to be an emotional, character-driven thriller whose twists and turns keep the audience guessing. It wants to be a film that is as compelling because of its unique storytelling as it is for its damaged and fragile characters. It wants to be THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES. Unfortunately, while the ingredients are there; a phenomenal cast, outstanding performances, a captivating narrative, a consistently impactful (if not actually consistent) tone; it just never reaches the lofty expectations that the original Argentinian version set.

Whether it was while making his Broadway debut in THE TAP DANCE KID, or on THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR as the up-tight Carlton, or while winning DANCING WITH THE STARS' 19th Mirror Ball Trophy, chances are pretty good that at some point over the past 30 years, Alfonso Ribeiro has made you smile. Since his DWTS success, the former child-star song-and-dance man has taken on yet another entertaining role, this time as the new host of ABC's long-running AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS, a job that the father of three appreciates for what it provides on and off screen.

In her latest book, PRETTY GIRLS, New York Times bestselling author Karin Slaughter has adjusted her perspective ever so slightly, resulting in a thoroughly captivating page-turner that reads like a Southern Gothic novel mixed with a modern, edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller. Slaughter is primarily known as the author of the Will Trent and Grant County series of books, both of which center on law enforcement officers working in her home state of Georgia. While PRETTY GIRLS does take place in and around Atlanta, the book's main characters are not the individual's paid to investigate crimes, but instead are people impacted by crimes who take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of a deeply-personal mystery.

Laura Bell Bundy has had three distinct careers, each of which most performers would die to have on its own. Depending on your particular fandom, you either know her as the Tony-nominated star of hit musicals HAIRSPRAY and LEGALLY BLONDE, or as the country music artist behind the singles 'Giddy On Up' and 'Two Step,' or as a cast member of TV shows like HART OF DIXIE and ANGER MANAGEMENT. While her career could already be described as eclectic, Bundy recently added another unconventional line to her resume with last month's launch of Skits-O-Frenic, a YouTube channel dedicated to original comedy, music, drama, and dance, from Bundy and her collaborators Tiffany Engen and Brooke Engen.

It's been quite a fall for one of Broadway's crowned princes. At the end of August, Santino Fontana finished filming the first season of SHADES OF BLUE, opposite Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta, which premieres on NBC on January 14th. Then, the next day, he married Jessica Hershberg, whom he met backstage at Birdland in 2011, both waiting to perform. The couple, who briefly overlapped as cast members in RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA, then headed to L.A. where Fontana began shooting the new musical comedy CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND. Hershberg, having adopted her married name, just recently headed back to New York to begin rehearsals for the Transport Group's production of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, where she will star opposite Jackie Hoffman (Lady Larkin and Princess Winnifred respectively).

Whether you know her as the increasingly complicated serial murderer 'A' on ABC Family's PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, or as half of 'Jamko' on CBS crime drama BLUE BLOODS, chances are, unless you are a dedicated musical theatre fan, you might not know that Vanessa Ray is a musical theatre girl at heart. Before joining the cast of soap opera AS THE WORLD TURNS, which jump-started her TV career, Vanessa starred in regional productions, national tours, and on Broadway in shows like FOOTLOOSE, SPELLING BEE, and HAIR. Along the way, she became friends with Broadway's favorite singing, dancing videographer Andrew Keenan-Bolger, whom we have to thank for a lot of these videos!

There are a few things that you can say about the new musical-comedy CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND's first two episodes; they have been funny, and they have been crazy. However, as the show's resident heartthrob Vincent Rodriguez III told me, the audience is in for a lot more of both. 'It gets funnier and crazier, believe it or not,' Rodriguez said. 'It's just like this thing that rolls down the hill, and it doesn't stop, it just gets heavier each time.'

Very little can shock American TV viewers anymore. From gore to profanity to nudity, we've more or less seen it all since cable became a leader in high quality, ground-breaking programming. While the standards and practices associated with broadcasting over the public airwaves normally hamstring networks, that doesn't mean that they aren't actively looking to push the limits of TV dramas. Next Tuesday at 10/9c, ABC premieres its new anthology series WICKED CITY, which they have actively advertised as "pushing the boundaries of network TV." The show centers on a sexy, serial killing couple in glamourous 1980's Los Angeles, and like everything else in the decade, the sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll are all done to excess.

It's been a busy year for triple-threat Gabrielle Ruiz. After being a part of the closing cast of Broadway's IF/THEN, she then starred opposite Justin Guarini in Bucks County Playhouse's production of COMPANY, before appearing in the new Off-Broadway musical PIECE OF MY HEART: THE BERT BERNS STORY. Having been a working actress in New York and on National Tours for nearly a decade, as exciting as those shows were, Ruiz new what to expect from the experiences. However, starting tonight, she is in for something completely new. At 8/7 CT, Ruiz makes her debut on The CW's musical comedy CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND as Valenica, the long-term girlfriend of Josh, whom the show's titular ex moves cross country to be near. If you saw last week's premiere, you know that this can only lead to neurotic, slightly unhinged fun.