Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Comedian Jamie Kennedy is used to getting laughs in the United States, thanks to his work in the “Scream” films and his TV show “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.” But making foreign audiences laugh wasn’t something he felt confident he could accomplish.
During the 1990s, Juliana Hatfield was the It Girl for alternative rock. More accessible and cooler than Courtney Love, Hatfield had a knack for penning clever songs with her group Blake Babies. She was an indie sensation that girls wanted to emulate and boys wanted to date. What her fans didn’t know was that Hatfield was battling both an eating disorder and depression. She contemplated jumping out a window — not, she says, to commit suicide, but so that she could escape her depression.
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” is an emotional drama dealing with a family secret that eventually destroys a family. David (Dermot Mulroney) and Norah (Gretchen Mol) are the perfect couplel; he is a highly regarded physician and she is his beautiful, young, blond wife.
Juliana Hatfield had a knack for penning clever songs with her group the Blake Babies. She was an indie sensation. What her fans didn’t know was that Hatfield was battling an eating disorder and depression. With her telling memoir “When I Grow Up” (Wiley, $24.95), Hatfield describes her life as a rock star. She also writes about being filled with self-doubt. Hatfield, who also has a new CD out called “How to Walk Away,” is an avid traveler who got the bug to get up and go at a young age.
A feel-good drama, Fireproof has a strong agenda: stay married, lead an honest life, and let your faith in a higher power help guide you. A still boyish-looking Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains) stars as Caleb Holt, a mercurial-tempered firefighter whose marriage is on the rocks.
In this fantasy set in the real world, kind-hearted Amanda is drawn to Harold when he clumsily introduces himself to her while she’s eating lunch. The audience can see that she has substance, but all Harold can see is her beauty and his lack thereof.
Beginning with a spectacular murder at the Statue of Liberty and ending with an unusual plea from a bank robber, the fourth season of “CSI: NY” moves along at a quick, exciting pace that belies its almost 15-hour run time. Spread over six discs, all 21 episodes–which originally were televised during the 2007-2008 season–are included. Led by head CSI Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), the core group of Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap), Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), Detective Don Flack (Eddie Cahill), and Dr. Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) returns to solve compelling and often ghastly crimes.
Pitted against Lipstick Jungle during the 2008 TV season, “Cashmere Mafia” holds its own with a familiar but still welcome focus on four powerhouse New York women whose fierce devotion to their jobs is matched only by their unwavering friendship with each other.
The third season of the reality series “Rob and Big” kicks off with an episode called “Poop in the Pool.” Obviously, this show doesn’t pretend to be highbrow.
Lana (Haylie Duff, 7th Heaven) is the alpha female in her sorority. Renowned for having the hottest girls on campus, Omega Kappa screens out its pledges based primarily on their looks. Lana wants to admit sexy, lithe Emily (Laura Ashley Innes, Malcolm in the Middle), but there’s a catch. She can only join if there’re no legacies–daughters of previous sorority sisters–who want to join.