Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 24, 2015

You can’t keep a good vampire down. Nearly half a century after its debut, the original Dark Shadows TV series is returning to television. DECADES, an over-the-air digital TV network co-owned by the CBS Television Stations group and Weigel Broadcasting (the folks behind MeTV), will air the ser   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 22, 2015

New TCM G.M. Jennifer Dorian To paraphrase THE WIZARD OF OZ, Turner Classic Movies has two new woman behind the curtain. And they’re not to be ignored. Variety and Deadline Hollywood reported today that Jennifer Dorian has been named general manager of TCM, a development I first reported exclu   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 20, 2015

“What would Lubitsch do?” a sign in Billy Wilder’s office famously read. It was both a testament to Wilder’s respect for the German-born director (for whom he co-wrote two films) and a tribute to Ernst Lubitsch’s ability to balance light comedy with resonant humanity. If you love classic film, you...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 15, 2015

TOUCH OF EVIL was supposed to be Orson Welles’ triumphant return to Hollywood after a decade in overseas exile. Sadly, that’s not how it turned out. “Universal loved the rushes,” Joseph McBride, author of three books on Welles, said last night before a screening of the “preview cut” of the...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 12, 2015

Updated 1/13/15 with additional info from TCM spokesperson How many times have you watched a celebrity guest programmer chat with Robert Osborne or Ben Mankiewicz on Turner Classic Movies and thought, “I could do that!” Well, here’s your chance. TCM announced today that they’   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 12, 2015

How many times have you watched a celebrity guest programmer chat with Robert Osborne or Ben Mankiewicz on Turner Classic Movies and thought, “I could do that!” Well, here’s your chance. TCM announced today that they’re seeking viewers to introduce their favorite films on-air   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 6, 2015

UPDATE 1/7/15 -  If you missed the tweet-along to NOTHING LASTS FOREVER (1984) w/ special guest Zach Galligan, you can read highlights here. Original Post – 1/6/15 Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd appeared in two sci-fi action comedies in 1984 – one you’ve heard of, and one you probably haven’t. Th   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on January 6, 2015

Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd appeared in two sci-fi action comedies in 1984 – one you’ve heard of, and one you probably haven’t. The first, Ivan Reitman’s GHOSTBUSTERS, was released by Columbia in June and spawned one of the most lucrative franchises in Hollywood history, with a chart-topping theme s   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on December 11, 2014

Break out the Kleenex, because the 2014 edition of TCM Remembers is here. In mid-December of every year, TCM honors the cinematic luminaries we’ve lost in the last twelve months with an emotional assemblage of film clips, artfully rendered still images, and newly shot framing footage, scored w   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 23, 2014

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Bonhams in New York City on Monday, November 24 for There’s No Place Like Hollywood, the “definitive movie memorabilia auction,” presented in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies. Beginning at 1 p.m. (ET) in their Madison Avenue showroom, Bonhams w   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 21, 2014

Great news for classic film fans who subscribe to DISH Network: Turner Classic Movies is back. At least until March. After a monthlong blackout that began on October 21, the announcement came down today that DISH and Turner have reached an agreement that will temporarily restore TCM, CNN, CNN en Esp   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 20, 2014

There was a chill in the New York City air, but the hearts of classic film fans were toasty warm when Robert Osborne introduced an open-air screening of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET outside Macy’s Herald Square tonight. The beloved TCM host – the only white-haired man more popular than Santa...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 13, 2014

“This is quite an opportunity!” Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) tells Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara) when she offers him a job “playing” Santa in MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947). The same might be said for Turner Classic Movies, which has announced a full day of screenings of the Christmas classic outside   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 11, 2014

After months of speculation in the wake of announced layoffs and buyouts, and a grassroots campaign in support of Turner Classic Movies and its staff, the impact cost-cutting initiatives at Turner Broadcasting will have on TCM is now clear. First, the good news: TCM will continue to air classic film   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 5, 2014

As the dispute between DISH Network and Turner Broadcasting enters its third week, relations between the two companies are starting to feel like a marriage gone sour. On an earnings call with investors this morning, Turner CEO John Martin responded to DISH CEO Charlie Ergen’s comments about th   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 4, 2014

Let’s say you were the chairman of the third largest multichannel video programming distributor in the United States, and your customers were entering the third week of a blackout of some of their favorite TV channels, due to an inscrutable squabble between corporate behemoths. How would you discuss   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 3, 2014

Turner Classic Movies announced today that passes for the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival  will go on sale to the public on Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 12 p.m. (ET). A limited number of passes for event will also be available to Citi cardmembers via an exclusive online only presale beginning at...   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on November 1, 2014

“Whenever there’s a movie I want to see, it’s never on Netflix!” my 7-year-old nephew complained, while relaxing in front of his Roku after an exhausting night of trick-or-treating in his 20-story New York City high rise. “It seems like they have mostly TV shows.”   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on October 31, 2014

DRACULA MEETS THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Sadly, it’s a Universal Monsters team-up that never took place on the big screen, but it will happen tonight on COZI TV. COZI, a nostalgia-themed broadcast network available as a digital sub-channel on NBC owned television stations (and part-time on DIS   read more

Cinematically Insane Posted by Will McKinley on October 30, 2014

When actress Marcia Strassman, best known for her role as Julie Kotter on ABC’s Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-79) was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer in March of 2007, she took on a new role: patient advocate. Strassman became an active fund-raiser and made frequent appearances o   read more