267 stories by "Ken Levine"
Usually movie musicals are lavish spectacles. Hugh Jackman and a thousand peasants. Julie Andrews and Nazis. Giant budgets, and in the case of INTO THE WOODS, giants. Very rarely does …
Well, it was sure fun hosting for TCM. Hope to do it again sometime. Last night I showed my favorite Neil Simon movie, THE HEARTBREAK KID. Here is my script for the intro and out…
I've posted this before, years ago, but it's one of my all-time favorites. Do you remember a comedian named Gallagher? I think he's still around. His basic act was smashing water…
Got a bunch of Neil Simon movies to host tonight on TCM starting at 8 in the East and 5 in the West… including one of my favorites, BILOXI BLUES. So join me on the TV. Turning to the …
This was my wraparound for COME BLOW YOUR HORN on TCM. As you might be able to tell, it wasn't my favorite. Some much better movies on tap for this Friday night.
INTRO:
Hi, I'm Ken…
This is a rave review for a movie that a lot of people didn't like. It's based on a musical I loved that a lot of people didn't like. The music was composed by a genius who leaves a lot …
Here's the info from the TCM website on the Neil Simon Film Festival that begins this Friday. Just click here.  There will be 17 Neil Simon movies shown the month of January, host…
Friday Questions will not be seen this week so that we can bring you this special program. Friday Questions will return in its normal time next week. But now, we proudly present: PETER P…
Has NBC promoted their upcoming live version of PETER PAN enough? You can't leaf through ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY or go to a pop culture website without seeing articles, videos, or discussions …
With the passing of Mike Nichols this week, the world lost a superstar talent. He'd won Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, everything. But many younger people might not know that in the late '50s/early…
The first thing you do is scope out where the local bars are.
There
was a 1973 movie called THE LAST OF SHEILA. It was a murder mystery
written by, of all people, Stephen Sondheim and Tony Perkins. More
surprising, Tony was not in the movie and S…
The run of my play, A OR B? at the Falcon Theatre ends on Sunday. If you want to see it, this is your last chance.   Here's where you go for tickets. Happily it's been very…
We're at the time of year when networks are beginning to cancel new shows. No matter how successful you are, at one time or another you will find yourself in this position. My heart goe…
There is a joke in the first act of my play, A OR B? that always gets a laugh. Makes no difference the size of the audience or age range, it always gets a laugh.
Except… one night. All …
Here's the latest installment of the mounting of my play, A or B? now playing at the Falcon Theatre.
Everything was geared towards Opening Night, which was last Friday. We had seven prev…
I'll take it. Any review that starts out with WOW! I'll take. It's from Stage Scene LA.   Am I allowed to thank a critic? Oh hell, I'll do it anyway. Thanks Steven …
Even though it's Saturday, here's a Friday Question comes from reader Alyson:
I
recently rewatched Frasier - great show, even better than I remembered.
I'm curious about the fencing scene…
Individual tickets go on sale today! Here's where. Or you can call 1-818-955-8101.  I know this means a whole lot to you folks in Norway or Tuscaloosa. But if you're going to…
Any critic can review movies everyone has seen. But to write reviews for movies that no one has seen and still make them entertaining, that's a challenge. With GET ON UP I guess I accept…
Broadway musicals are hard to adapt to the screen. They tend to be stylistic on the stage, but don't translate to the realism of a motion picture. The biggest problem is that people in re…
This is not a full review of the Tony Awards because, well… nobody saw them. Why write jokes that only four people in America will get (although the great comedy writer Jerry Belson used…
And it sounds so simple....
But he's right. Brilliant acting advice in only one minute.
A number of years ago at the Daily Grill in Brentwood I was waiting at the
valet for my car and there was Neil Simon waiting for his (a nicer one
by the way). I mentioned to my kids, who…
Allow me to respond, sir. This is a comment I received last week on my "Tips For Young Playwrights" post. It's by Angry Gamer. He writes:
