Peter Bart

Peter Bart Peter Bart is the editor in chief of Variety and the co-host of long-running AMC talk show Shootout. PeterBart.com is his take on the world of entertainment, culture, politics and more. en-us http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613.html?nid=4359 Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:45:47 PST Bart Blog Moved http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/vnWt1A0ECQ0/590047859.html Pardon the lack of updates here, Peter is now blogging with Michael Fleming on the <a href="http://www.variety.com/bfd">Bart, Fleming Deal Memo Blog</a>. <br /> http://www.variety.com/bfd<br /> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.variety.com/bfd"><img src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090817/Bar... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/vnWt1A0ECQ0" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/590047859.html?nid=4359 Newsweek’s Uphill Battle http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/VaHkznno_nI/70044807.html <img height="330" align="left" width="247" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090520/newsweekobama.jpg" alt="" />The other impressive premiere this week was that of a magazine, not a movie. The “new Newsweek” represents a completely re-invented news magazine, except it has no news. Jon Meac... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/VaHkznno_nI" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/70044807.html?nid=4359 Ben Stiller’s Art Movie http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/d39enrRg5M0/2000044800.html <img height="363" align="left" width="243" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090520/night-at-museum-2-poster.jpg" alt="" />Cinephiles complain there aren’t any good art movies around. They’re ignoring the most expensive art movie ever made, “<a href="http://www.variety.com/review/VE1... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/d39enrRg5M0" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/2000044800.html?nid=4359 Who Were the Madoff Victims? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/Hi2Rr6qQsPI/1070044707.html <img height="330" align="left" width="248" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090518/bernie_madoff_newyork.jpg" alt="" />Since the Bernie Madoff scandal gave Hollywood a jolt, we’re grateful to the Wall Street Journal for raising some major questions: <br /> <br /> Namely, who were the “v... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/Hi2Rr6qQsPI" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1070044707.html?nid=4359 Rich Writers, Poor Material http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/r9WgnrJY4-k/510044651.html <img align="left" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090517/and.jpg" />When critiquing a film, it’s customary to single out the director for praise or blame, but I’d like to spotlight the two screen writers responsible for “<a href="http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940184.ht... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/r9WgnrJY4-k" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/510044651.html?nid=4359 Woodstock’s Time Warp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/BBWMZLixmhU/1400044540.html <img height="360" align="left" width="234" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090513/taking-woodstock.jpg" alt="" />Will the summer of angst show any appreciation for the summer of love?<br /> <br /> Joel Rosenman and Michael Lang were two klutzy young men who stumbled into the “summer of love&... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/BBWMZLixmhU" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1400044540.html?nid=4359 Tom: Still on Cruise Control http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/50BUFotN28U/1390044539.html <img align="left" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090514/cruise-storymakers.jpg" />Tom Cruise has gone quiet lately in terms of the media, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost any of his fire. Indeed, Cruise knows he’s at a turning point: He’s determined to lock in his next... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/50BUFotN28U" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1390044539.html?nid=4359 Spock Turns Back the Clock http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/NhCP0nmGvGU/930044493.html <div align="center"><img src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090512/star%20trek.jpg" alt="" /></div> <br /> The $100 million B.O. results and fawning reviews for the new “<a href="http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940096.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&query=star+trek">Star Trek</a>” wil... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/NhCP0nmGvGU" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/930044493.html?nid=4359 Bad Boys From the “Golden Years” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/jXxP3WsVXFg/1940044194.html <img align="left" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090505/mikedann.jpg" />Mike Dann, the fabled programming guru at CBS, is now 87 years old, newly married and the author of a colorful memoir titled “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/As-Saw-Inside-Golden-Television/dp/0982388713/ref=sr_1_1?... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/jXxP3WsVXFg" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1940044194.html?nid=4359 Shakey Summer http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/ADj5QBLf0ww/1930044193.html <img height="308" align="left" width="208" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090505/potter.jpg" />The “Summer Movies” sections of the New York Times and Los Angeles Times pose challenges these days on both the advertising and editorial fronts. The ad pages are thinner – Warner... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/ADj5QBLf0ww" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1930044193.html?nid=4359 Master of the Talent Universe http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/c-gvYY-eoJ4/300043630.html <img height="220" align="left" width="185" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090421/simon-cowell.jpg" alt="" />Say it ain’t so Simon.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/04/11/sir-simon-cowell-my-chances-of-getting-knighted-are-zero-after-royal-row-115875-21269924/">... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/c-gvYY-eoJ4" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/300043630.html?nid=4359 Broadway’s Kings and Queens http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/WHABBthqNM4/1800043580.html <img align="left" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090420/arthurlaurents.jpg" alt="" />Show business memoirs tend to be stuffy and self-protective. That’s why I admire that old pro, Arthur Laurents, for writing a book that is downright, well, bitchy.<br /> <br /> It’s called “<a h... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/WHABBthqNM4" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1800043580.html?nid=4359 Bad News, Bad Judgment http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/roWG9y5Jbkg/680043468.html <img align="left" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090416/madoff.jpg" alt="" />Troubled times often trigger troubled behavior. That’s been especially true in the journalistic community of late.<br /> <br /> It’s hard to explain why the august <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/o... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/roWG9y5Jbkg" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/680043468.html?nid=4359 Mel’s Billion-Dollar Battle http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/6DLsZC7vJu4/200043420.html <img height="365" align="left" width="284" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090415/mel.jpg" />The celebrity subculture embraces many conflicted, contorted individuals, but I’ve never encountered a more tortured soul than Mel Gibson. So it isn’t surprising that he is now caught up i... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/6DLsZC7vJu4" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/200043420.html?nid=4359 Lean Times for Eateries http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/7EqM6doyaNM/1060042506.html <img height="246" width="341" align="left" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090324/acoffee.jpg" alt="" />A recession forces folks to make tough choices. Travel is down 22% – that was easy to predict. The cosmetic surgery business needs a facelift. The long lines to buy corporate jets have all b... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/7EqM6doyaNM" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1060042506.html?nid=4359 All Smarts, No Fun http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/zHX05WkL-js/410042441.html <img align="left" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090323/Duplicity.JPG" />Among cinematic genres, none is more seductive than caper films. They’re contrarian, funny, surprising – the little guy defying the establishment.<br /> <br /> I’ve been enmeshed in caper films since... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/zHX05WkL-js" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/410042441.html?nid=4359 Celebrating Kirk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/EraOyz1kN_c/990042099.html <img height="184" align="left" width="218" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090316/rkirkdouglas.jpg" alt="" />So Kirk Douglas strolled off stage Saturday night, weary but triumphant, having completed a remarkable four-night stand. His one-man play, “<a href="http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/EraOyz1kN_c" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/990042099.html?nid=4359 So who's this Guy, Peter Rice? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/hIeyhZZcDwk/400042040.html <img align="left" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090315/rice_peter.jpg" />The TV community wants to get a fix on the man who last week became the new overseer at Fox Broadcasting. How do they pitch this reserved Brit who comes out of the art house world and is an unknown on the TV landscape?... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/hIeyhZZcDwk" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/400042040.html?nid=4359 Hollywood Cries “Action” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/LwCR2qjkyDU/430041643.html <img height="150" align="left" width="231" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090305/jaysteve.jpg" alt="" />The pace of dealmaking has been quietly stepped up in Hollywood and there are several intriguing reasons.<br /> <br /> Box office is percolating at a record pace, prompting studios to ask thems... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/LwCR2qjkyDU" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/430041643.html?nid=4359 The Joaquin Mythology http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/AGq3kBp5218/1860041186.html <img height="236" align="left" width="282" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090224/stillerphoenix.jpg" alt="" />The Oscar show sealed his fate: Joaquin Phoenix is now part of Hollywood mythology; at least that sub-set dealing with celebrity interviews.<br /> <br /> Ben Stiller was a bizarre Joaquin... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/AGq3kBp5218" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1860041186.html?nid=4359 Who Replaces Chernin? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/HcuHSF7ano4/1240041124.html <img height="183" align="left" width="250" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090223/MURDOCH-CHERNIN.jpg" />By exercising his exit visa, Peter Chernin is stirring up problems on a number of fronts.<br /> <br /> For one thing, there’s the issue of who runs what? Rupert Murdoch is diligent... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/HcuHSF7ano4" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1240041124.html?nid=4359 Revelry Amid Reality http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/MhIP5Dd6kI8/1080041108.html <img align="left" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090223/boyleoscar.jpg" />The reviews have been written, the post mortems analyzed, but herewith a final over-view of the orchestrated frenzy that is Oscar Weekend.<br /> <br /> No other occasion affords one a better opportunity to take the t... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/MhIP5Dd6kI8" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1080041108.html?nid=4359 Turmoil in the Land of Leno http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/w-2TrijvmJo/1460040946.html There’s turmoil in late-night TV. Conan O’Brian is in his last week at NBC’s “Late Night” before he prepares to replace Jay Leno. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/arts/television/19conan.html?_r=1">He tells Bill Carter of the New York Times</a>, “I&rsquo... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/w-2TrijvmJo" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1460040946.html?nid=4359 A Grateful Billy Joel http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/qGapZXjgllA/1450040945.html <img height="218" align="left" width="265" alt="" src="/articles/blog/130000613/20090219/JOEL2%20.jpg" />When it comes to opening a new venue, the “old-boy network” becomes a lot more attractive than the Jonas Brothers or the High School Musical crowd. Last weekend Billy Joel, age 60, pa... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/qGapZXjgllA" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/1450040945.html?nid=4359 How to Combat “Cyber Sliming” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PeterBart/~3/9O8Vy50_AbU/230040823.html Andrew Sullivan wrote a superb <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/andrew-sullivan-why-i-blog">essay in the Atlantic</a> not long ago explaining his addiction to blogdom. “Truth is inherently transitory in blogging,” he wrote. “Bloggers and their readers must keep in min... (more)<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PeterBart/~4/9O8Vy50_AbU" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.variety.com/blog/130000613/post/230040823.html?nid=4359