television

Oprah Winfrey (Getty Images)

Oprah Winfrey Developing Family Drama for HBO

The Hollywood Reporter brings us news of Oprah Winfrey’s latest television venture–and it’s not for her gradually improving cable network OWN. Her Harpo Films banner is producing an untitled drama about a black college president who attracts controversy on a national level.

As she prepares to work with a new network entirely, Ms. Winfrey has seen Read More

girls

The new cast of 'Girls' is much more culturally diverse

Mark Your Calendars: Girls’ Second Season Premiere Date Revealed

After months of biting our nails in anticipation as we await the second season of Lena Dunham’s HBO comedy Girls, we can almost see the home stretch! According to a hot-off-the-press-release from the network, the Sick, Sad Trials of Hannah Horvath & Friends will be returning to the air in only 100 days, which is around the same time we’ll all be sick of talking about Ms. Dunham’s $3.7 million book deal.

Great synergy, everyone! Keep up the good work! Read More

Lena Dunham

tumblr_mb4nx7uVJ51qhjenwo1_1280

Oberlin Finds Way to Take Advantage of Its Most Culturally Relevant Alum

Hey, remember that scene in Girls last season when they flashed back to a party at Oberlin College, where Marnie had eaten that pot brownie and had a panic attack and Hannah’s gay boyfriend got Charlie to take care of her?

Well that actually happened! Well, not really. We’re pretty sure the show isn’t an exact autobiography, because some of us went to Oberlin and don’t remember seeing Allison Williams around. But we do remember seeing Lena Dunham out and about, especially at the offices of The Grape, our “alternative” student newspaper. (That appropriately has no web presence besides a dead link.)

And we’re not the only ones who remember, apparently: Read More

television

Is 'Girls' Overrated? (HBO)

Exclusive: Tubey Awards Asks ‘Is Girls the Most Overrated Show on Television?’

This year, the 9th annual Tubey awards—the anti-Emmy Awards, created by the website TelevisionWithoutPity.com—is hoping to beat its own record of 26 million votes by asking its readers to take part in one of the most esoteric TV electoral processes known to man. (“Show We Most Love to Hate-Watch” or “Cutest Kid on Reality TV,” anyone?)

Though the voting is broken up into several weeks of questions, The New York Observer spoke to TWP’s Site Director Dan Manu about the Tubeys and one of next week’s hot topics: whether Girls qualifies as the most overrated show on TV this year. Read More

TABLOID JOURNALISM 101

sorkinlady

What Constitutes a ‘Takedown Piece’ at the The New York Post?

So: a New York Post escapee/former columnist and reporter named Mandy Stadtmiller—who, according to her Wikipedia pagequit The New York Post and announced her upcoming ebook in the style of The Devil Wears Prada (novel) about her time working for News Corp. — including her time appearing on the front page of the newspaper with a gigolo — called “News Whore.’“—is back in the regular editorial hustle.

She’s now a deputy editor at xoJane. Even more, her big debut for the site is about how she supposedly inspired a character on Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. But less exciting than the fact that she inspired a character on The Newsroom—which, really, what can be less exciting? A character on Studio 60?—is the way she characterized the Post to Aaron Sorkin on a date, and now, blogged about it. Read More

The Newsroom

120607-character-the-newsroom-will-600

Calls To The Bullpen: Our Newsroom on ‘The Newsroom’

Aaron Sorkin’s back with another shot at television with the premiere of HBO’s latest, The Newsroom, last night. Like his ‘Sports Night‘ and ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip‘ before it, the show takes place in TV. Unlike those shows, they can say “fuck” on this one. Starring Jeff Daniels as the Olbermann-esque Will McEvoy, ‘The Newsroom‘ opens up by indicting America, and specifically, American media, and dares to answer the question: What would greatness in news look like in 2012?

Last night, he gave us an hour’s worth of answers. This morning, some editors of the Observer gathered to talk about how he managed the task. Read More