Rediscovering (Walt) Disney

The passing of Paul Newman is sad but not unexpected. He had been ill for quite some time and was reported to have returned to his home in Connecticut some months ago in preparation for his passing away after a battle with cancer at age 83. I first "met" Newman in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . Then again in The Sting (1973) followed by The Towering Inferno (1974). I went on to discover other great films and performances on video & dvd, including Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963) and Winning (1969). To a younger generation he will be remembered for his charitable work; Hole in the Wall Camps, his salad dressing; Newman's Own Brands, auto racing; Newman/Hass Racing and his voice work in Pixar's Cars (2006). Variet y IMDb Hole in the Wall Camps Newman/Haas

Nerds! My lovely wife Lisa kicked my butt in our annual Emmy picks competition. With a score of 15 to 12, Lisa gets bragging rights and does the "I Beat You" dance to the embarrassment of the Academy. That's OK honey, I'll see you at the Oscars.

BRYAN CRANSTON?!?! Seriously? Well, I didn't see that coming. Alec Baldwin beating out Steve Carell? Yeah, I can understand that. "30 Rock" is hilarious and Baldwin & Fey are a great comedy duo. But no way I thought that Jon Hamm would lose to AMC mate Cranston. I watched "Breaking Bad" and think it's a really good show, but "Mad Men" is certainly a superior production and Jon Hamm's performance as Don Draper is intense, complex, moody and sometimes scary. But, congratulations to Cranston just the same. He had been passed over three times before ("Malcolm in the Middle"), so it's good to see him finally recognized. Bryan Cranston Breaking Bad

Before the festivities begin I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring with my some of my own Emmy picks... Lead Actor in a Comedy: Steve Carell Lead Actor in a Drama: Jon Hamm Lead Actor in a Miniseries: Paul Giamatti Lead Actress in a Comedy: America Ferrera Lead Actress in a Drama: Glenn Close Lead Actress in a Miniseries: Laura Linney Outstanding Host for a Reality Program: Jeff Probst Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men Outstanding Miniseries: John Adams Outstanding Reality Program: Extreme Makeover Home Edition Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race Ok, that's it, check the results at the official Primetime Emmy Awards site.

Doctor Who , Torchwood , Life on Mars – The BBC knows how to serve up the sci-fi fantasy, time travel series and make it witty, campy and good fun. So it’s no surprise that this latest offering from BBC America (on Saturday nights at 9, Eastern) is another good diversion from across the pond. Primeval was created by Adrian Hodges and Tim Haines, who created the Walking with Dinosaurs series. It follows a team of five scientists investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across England that release prehistoric and futuristic creatures, into the present. As with a lot of sci-fi fare the writing is sometimes middling, certainly not as good as LOST but a lot better than Land of the Lost . The acting for the most part is good, especially considering the amount of green screen work they have to do. The cast is filled with the usual sexy Gaelic cross section of England, and the accents add to the cool factor for us Yanks. And with the Time twisty plotlines, shocking reveals and p...

Yes J.J., I accept the cup and drink the fanboy Kool-Aid. Never got into "Felicity" but I jumped feet first into "Alias". Couldn't back "What About Brian", but "LOST"? Oh, yeah, that show is just ridiculous! "Cloverfield"? You need only read my review ( click here ). "MI3", yup I thought it was great and made me think they should have come to you to re-launch the TV franchise. And a little thing called "Star Trek"? C'mon, you cast Simon Pegg as Scotty and in a stroke of genius you nabbed Zachary Quinto for the role of Spock. Talk about separated at birth, that guy was born for the part. And now as you continue your dominance of broadcast television you bring us "Fringe", a return to the spooky, scary, sci-fi meets CSI world of shows like "The X-files" and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". Having read interviews with Abrams and his producing/writing partners Roberto Orci & Alex Ku...

Who ya gonna call? Apparently the original Ghostbusters that's who. As reported yesterday, Sony Studios is working on a new movie to feature the original cast. I want to believe that getting the band back together is a good idea, but I have my doubts. Have fans been clamoring for a reunion tour? Does Bill Murray need the paycheck? Is the studio in financial difficulty and willing to cling to any life raft? I'm going out a limb here and saying no to all of the above. The Hollywood Reporter Ghostbuster Fans "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"

Yet more sad news in the entertainment world, Bill Melendez, long time Peanuts animator has died. Melendez, the only animator permitted by Charles M. Schulz to work with the Peanuts characters, earned eight Emmy Awards, 17 Emmy nominations, one Oscar nomination and two Peabody Awards. He began his career at Disney and Warner Bros., working on classic characters at those studios, and spent more than 70 years in the entertainment industry. The Hollywood Reporter Bill Melendez Productions

Don LaFontaine, the voice of the movie trailer died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from complications in the treatment of an ongoing illness. What a loss to the entertainment world. Don's signature voice has accompanied some of the greatest films in history. He began his career in the early sixties and was still working today. Don LaFontaine .Com The Hollywood Reporter Article AP Photo by DAMIAIN DOVARGANES