There are certain actors whose appearance in a film or television show – no matter how brief – prompts an immediate sense of not just delight, but relief. Charles Grodin was one of those actors, and the relief came from the knowledge that whether what you’d seen before was good or bad, it was going to get better for however long he was there. He was, in many ways, a throwback to the personality-driven character actors of the 1940s; he could have been a member of the Preston Sturges company, alongside Franklin Pangborn or William Demerest.

Continue reading 5 Essential Charles Grodin Movies at The Playlist.

Host Jimmy Kimmel didn’t mince words with his audience. Conducting a live Emmys telecast during a global pandemic is pretty frivolous. But then again, it’s pretty frivolous every year, so, why not try and have some fun with it? And, at the beginning at least, the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards did a surprisingly good job pulling that off. In other words, it wasn’t a trainwreck.

READ MORE: A Complete list of all of this year’s 2020 Primetime Emmy Award winners and nominees

That being said, it didn’t all work.

Continue reading Best And Worst Of The 2020 Emmys: Jennifer Aniston, Zendaya, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ at The Playlist.

Well before the late-night talk shows were obsessed with viral videos and stupid games, hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno (as well as the folks pre-dating them) were actually known for the jokes they told and the interviews they conducted. And according to a new interview with David Letterman, one of those interviews ended up causing Quentin Tarantino to threaten his life.

Speaking on a recent episode of “Desus & Mero,” Letterman recalled a story where he joked about Tarantino, but the filmmaker took it completely the wrong way.

Continue reading David Letterman Says Quentin Tarantino Once Threatened to Beat Him To Death Over A ‘Late Show’ Joke at The Playlist.

First, it was Chelsea Handler, then David Letterman, and now it appears that Norm Macdonald is getting his very own Netflix talk show.

Announced by Macdonald himself via Twitter, the series, titled “Norm Macdonald Has a Show,” got a 10-episode order from the streaming service. ‘Has a Show’ will be a talk show, with Norm being joined by a celebrity guest, along with sidekick Adam Eget, and will feature great and unexpected conversation, jokes and a behind-the-scenes look at Norm’s world.

Continue reading Comedian Norm Macdonald Signs With Netflix For 10-Episode Talk Show at The Playlist.

While the internet gave Netflix backseat business advice about their $20.54 billion debt, the streaming service continues to follow their plan: they’re going to spend money to make money. And in the last two days, they’ve made some major moves.

READ MORE: Netflix Want To Cancel More Shows, Compares Amazon To Walmart

First, they’ve signed late night legend David Letterman for a new series. It will be a short affair, running six hour-long episodes, and featuring Letterman conducting in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, and in-the-field segments expressing his curiosity and humor.

Continue reading Netflix Launches New David Letterman Series, Acquires Mark Millar Comics at The Playlist.

Continue reading Joaquin Phoenix Returns To ‘Late Show’; Casey Affleck Confirms James Gray, Ben Stiller & Natalie Portman Knew It Was A Goof at The Playlist.

Letterman basically handed Phoenix his ass for not being mentally present (“Sorry, you couldn’t be here Joaquin”), but there will be a take two.

Continue reading Joaquin Phoenix Headed Back To Letterman On September 22 at The Playlist.

In case your memory needs refreshing, Joaquin Phoenix appeared to go off the deep end just prior to doing press rounds for what he called his “last movie,” “Two Lovers.” Phoenix grew a cult-leader style beard, wore dark sunglasses everywhere and said he was embarking on a hip-hop career and had Casey Affleck filming what was supposed to be his dramatic rise to the top.

Continue reading Casey Affleck’s Joaquin Phoenix Mockumentary Screens For Buyers at The Playlist.

As has been previously reported, the original Ghostbusters gang would return for this film, but would train a new generation of ghost hunters, presumably setting up the first film in a newly revitalized franchise. Unfortunately, Columbia is being forced to reckon with a deal struck with Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis that gives them considerable veto power over many of the major creative aspects of the production.

Continue reading Ensuing Drama: Ivan Reitman No Longer Directing ‘Ghostbusters 3’? at The Playlist.

According to the usually-ahead-of-the-curve Pajiba, Hanks’ Playtone Productions is developing a film based on the book “I’m Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy’s Golden Era,” by author William Knoedelseder, which focuses on The Comedy Store in LA around 1978, and its founder Mitzi Shore (who is the mother of faded comedy idiot Pauly Shore).

Continue reading Tom Hanks Prouducing Biopic of Pauly Shore’s Mom, For Some Reason at The Playlist.

Continue reading Is Joaquin Phoenix The New Crispin Glover? at The Playlist.

Continue reading Mickey Rourke Explains ‘The Wrestler’ Tough Love From Darren Aronofsky On Letterman at The Playlist.

Glover was in Phoenix promoting his “deeply weird art film “What Is It?,” which features actors afflicted with Down syndrome, naked chicks, swastikas, and a butt-load of dead snails.” [full disclosure, we sadly have not seen this yet, but were dying to do so when it first came out in 2005).

Glover’s eccentric behavior and odd demands for being paid in cash at the end of the evening for every appearance started to grate on the mom n’ pop indie art house that was putting on his film.

Continue reading Crispin Glover Has A ‘Making My Lunch!’-Like Meltdown at The Playlist.