CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Royal Pains
TV Review: Mid-Season Premiere of USA’s Clever Hit ‘White Collar’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 18, 2011 - 10:55amCHICAGO – The USA network, like TNT, has adopted an unusual launch pattern for some of their shows, dividing their seasons in two. So, while “Royal Pains” and “Burn Notice” had their second season premieres last summer, they now return for the second half of their sophomore chapters.
Blu-Ray Review: Stylish Release For USA’s ‘White Collar’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 5, 2010 - 10:13pmCHICAGO – It makes sense that a show as stylish and well-dressed as USA’s “White Collar” would have a beautiful HD transfer for its first-season release but sense and Blu-ray production don’t always go hand in hand. Luckily, fans of this excellent show will be happy to know that this is one of the most expertly-remastered sets of the year to date.
The 10 Best Shows to Watch in Summer 2010
Submitted by BrianTT on July 22, 2010 - 11:13pmCHICAGO – While we all eagerly await the return of our favorite shows and wonder if the networks can top last season’s remarkable freshman class, there are a number of programs currently airing that are definitely worth considering when the heat index breaks 100 or you don’t want to risk another summer thunderstorm.
TV Review: ‘Psych’ Continues to Thrive on Star Chemistry
Submitted by BrianTT on July 14, 2010 - 11:40amCHICAGO – USA has undeniably become the network of summer TV entertainment and they finish off their slate of debuting and returning shows with the season premiere of the fan-favorite “Psych.” Considering it’s one of the networks more reliable hits, it doesn’t take a mind reader to predict that not much has changed in the world of Shawn and Gus.
TV Review: Weak Writing Blows Cover of ‘Covert Affairs’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 13, 2010 - 10:14amCHICAGO – “If you join the CIA, will you be able to separate your work from your personal life?” Such is the dilemma of “Covert Affairs,” a show about a tough-as-nails agent named Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) that conceptually seems to fit snugly into the USA Network model of hit, character-driven mysteries, but it’s going to take some serious work to improve on a deeply-flawed premiere.
TV Review: Entertaining ‘White Collar’ Returns For Second Season
Submitted by BrianTT on July 13, 2010 - 9:38amCHICAGO – The USA network continues its plans for world domination with an all-out assault on your summer viewing schedule. With “Royal Pains” and “Burn Notice” continuing to rack up amazing ratings on Thursday nights, the network kick starts the Tuesday offensive with the return of the entertaining “White Collar,” a clever riff on timeless TV archetypes.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Mega Summer Gift Bag For USA Network’s ‘Royal Pains’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 3, 2010 - 1:49pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have one mega summer gift bag for season two of USA Network’s “Royal Pains”!
TV Review: ‘Royal Pains’ Returns With Summer Prescription
Submitted by BrianTT on June 3, 2010 - 12:19pmCHICAGO – USA’s “Royal Pains” was one of the most surprising hits of 2009, the #1 new show of the summer season, and it returns even more confident, entertaining, and close-to-perfect with its second season premiere on June 3rd, 2010. It’s highly unlikely that the show will lose any viewers and the buzz around the sophomore season and the release of the first on DVD should actually see numbers increase.
TV Review: New FOX Series ‘The Good Guys’ is Just Mediocre
Submitted by BrianTT on May 19, 2010 - 11:59amCHICAGO – Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford seem like a pair of good guys in real life and the creator of their new show (Matt Nix of “Burn Notice”) has definitely been more-than-good in the past but their new action series, “The Good Guys” might be more correctly titled “The Mediocre Guys,” although that’s not quite as catchy.
TV Review: USA Connects Again With Entertaining ‘White Collar’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 23, 2009 - 1:39pmCHICAGO – The creative roll of the USA Network continues tonight with the debut of another quick, clever, mystery-of-the-week series that should satisfy fans of their hits like “Monk,” “Psych,” “Burn Notice,” and “Royal Pains”. “White Collar” doesn’t break any molds, almost fitting too predictably into the USA dynamic, but it’s an entertaining program for the end of a long week and looks likely to be another slam dunk for one of the most successful cable networks of the ’00s.