Busy Philipps

CHICAGO – Yep, “Busy” is her nickname, and that describes Elizabeth Jean “Busy” Philipps in October of 2018. Besides releasing a memoir, “This Will Only Hurt a Little,” Ms. Philipps also has launched the talk show “Busy Tonight” on the E! Channel, also with her regular slate of prime acting gigs.

CHICAGO – Of the various genres of films, the psychological thriller is one of my holy grails. A story that highlights the psychology of its characters and their wobbly emotional states, few modern filmmakers dare to compete with the masterminds – Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch and more recently David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky – or fail when trying to.

CHICAGO – When ABC canceled “Cougar Town” after three seasons of mediocre ratings offset by some critics who were surprisingly loyal to the show, TBS swooped in and grabbed it up for a potential two seasons, the first of which premieres tonight, January 8, 2013.

CHICAGO – “I Don’t Know How She Does It” could have been just another misogynistic (you would never see “I Don’t Know How HE Does It”…the very title implies sexism) alleged comedy but it goes well beyond that partially because it features one of the worst screenplays of 2011 but also because it is easily one of the most miscast movies ever made.

CHICAGO – After months of wondering if it will come back at all, it turns out that the total failure of the abysmal “Work It” was the best thing that could have happened to fans of “Cougar Town.” ABC announced today that the Courteney Cox hit will return on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 7:30pm CST. I’m still not sold that this is a good fit with “Last Man Standing,” but it’s better than nothing. Hopefully next year they can move “The Middle” to this slot and put “CT” back on Wednesdays where it belongs.

CHICAGO – If you’re like most people, you probably wrote off “Cougar Town” after hearing the overly simplified concept or watching the incredibly sporadic first few months of the ABC series. You should take another look. The Courteney Cox vehicle, now on DVD, changed gears so radically that there’s a special feature about the mid-season shift in tone on the DVD and I have a feeling this series could improve even more in season two, finding a rhythm that it could maintain for years to come.

CHICAGO – There are major chunks of ABC’s very disappointing “Cougar Town” with Courteney Cox that resemble a stand-up comedian so eager to please that you can see the desperate flop sweat forming on their brow as joke after joke hit the floor with a thud. More pathetically manic than honestly funny, it’s the writing on the weakest part of the network’s entirely new Wednesday night line-up that lets down its talented star.