Jeff Pfeiffer, Author at StayTuned Magazine

VOD Spotlight: “Tower Heist” resonates with filmgoers’ current financial anxieties

February 17, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

The Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme stripped thousands of their retirement accounts. It was a sad testament to one man’s pride and greed and sadder still for those he swindled. And it was only a matter of time before someone would give the little guys a chance to get theirs, as they do in the action comedy Tower Heist. Here, wealthy businessman Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) steals the retirement accounts of the staff of the tower in which he has his penthouse. He may get away with the crime unless the wronged employees, led by the building manager Josh Kovacs (Ben […]

“Glee” winter finale promo promises change

February 16, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

Glee has released a promo for its upcoming winter finale episode, airing Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 8pm ET, and in it, we are assured that, “Everything you know about Glee is about to change.” I’ll say. In the promo we see a clip of a possible wedding for Rachel and Finn, along with Sue uttering the words, “I’m pregnant.” Hold on tight, Gleeks! Sounds like after this it might be a long wait until the series returns with its spring premiere on April 10.

Humane Society Genesis Awards to recognize “Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder

February 16, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

He may play a monster on The CW’s hit series The Vampire Diaries, but when it comes to real life, actor Ian Somerhalder has proven to be a passionate defender of animal life. And at the 26th Genesis Awards, which are given by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to news and entertainment media that spotlight animal protection issues, the HSUS will be bestowing one of its highest media honors on Somerhalder in recognition of his efforts. RELATED: 26TH GENESIS AWARDS NOMINEES Somerhalder will receive The Wyler Award at the Genesis Awards ceremony held on March 24. This […]

Exclusive footage from Costa Concordia disaster part of new Discovery Channel documentary

February 14, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

Discovery Channel will be airing exclusive footage of Capt. Francesco Schettino and his crew from inside the Costa Concordia bridge assessing what to do next as passengers fight for survival — taken during the Jan. 13 incident in which the Italian cruise ship ran aground and began to sink — in the world-premiere special Cruise Ship Disaster: Inside the Concordia, premiering on the network this Sunday, Feb. 19, at 10pm ET/PT. In the footage, Schettino is shown speaking by phone on the bridge, illuminated only by emergency lights after the power failed. He seems oblivious to the escalating emergency and […]

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer highlight BET’s first Oscar special

February 14, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

This Friday, Feb. 17, at 10pm ET/PT, BET will be airing its first Oscar special, BET Takes Hollywood. In the one-hour program, veteran celebrity journalist Shaun Robinson of Access Hollywood will sit down with nominees Viola Davis (pictured; Best Actress nominee for The Help) and Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress nominee for The Help) to discuss their journey to the Academy Awards. There will also be a look back at past winners and Oscar’s best-dressed stars, as well as a look forward to Hollywood’s up-and-comers. Other interviews featured in the special will be Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson and Denzel Washington, […]

Oprah remembers Whitney Houston with two-hour special this Thursday

February 13, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

In memory of Whitney Houston, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network will air a two-hour special, Remembering Whitney: The Oprah Interview, this Thursday, Feb. 16, from 9-11pm ET/PT. Along with Oprah reflecting on her personal memories of the iconic superstar, the event will include a rebroadcast of the Season 24 premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which originally aired in September 2009, when Houston sat down with Winfrey for a revealing one-on-one interview. It had been nearly seven years since the world heard her voice. When she met with Winfrey, Houston was back with her seventh (and, ultimately, final) studio album, I […]

Retro TV Gold: Whitney Houston on “Silver Spoons”

February 12, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

Anyone else remember the episode of the ’80s sitcom Silver Spoons that guest-starred Whitney Houston? The episode, “Head Over Heels,” was the Season 4 premiere, aired in September 1985 and featured Houston playing herself. Ricky (Ricky Schroeder) and Alfonso (Alfonso Ribeiro) successfully get stuffy Dexter (Franklyn Seales) to loosen up enough (and don some awesome Miami Vice-esque threads) to the point where he is able to not only ask Whitney out, but become her boyfriend. An unlikely scenario, to be sure, but hey — this is ’80s TV. Houston performed an altered version of “Saving All My Love For You” […]

“Slavery By Another Name” documentary is a powerful look at a horrifying, little-known era in American history

February 10, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

The conventional wisdom regarding African-American slavery in the United States — that we all learned in school at some point, probably at a very young age — is that Abraham Lincoln, through victory in the Civil War and through the Emancipation Proclamation, freed the enslaved black people of the South. End of story. No more slavery. But like most things, the true story is far from being that simple, and former Wall Street Journal writer Douglas A. Blackmon chronicled incredibly disgusting breaks in the flow of this happy-sounding narrative in his 2008 book Slavery By Another Name, a terrific work […]

NBCUniversal cable networks to create a “Smash” “roadblock” tonight

February 9, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

If you missed the premiere of NBC’s new musical drama Smash this past Monday, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch it late tonight when NBCUniversal pools its formidable resources to reair the pilot on several of its cable networks. USA Network, Bravo, Style, Oxygen, G4 and mun2 will each rebroadcast the Smash series premiere later tonight (early morning Feb. 10, depending on your time zone), at midnight ET/PT. E! will air it at 12:30am ET/PT, while Universal HD and Cloo will carry it at midnight ET/9pm PT. Times may vary for DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers. In all cases, […]

Discovery Channel after dark: Sexy specials for Valentine’s Day weekend

February 9, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer

SEX! Now that I’ve got your attention … If you’re not getting any this Valentine’s Day weekend, at least you can watch a couple of rebroadcast Discovery Channel specials to help you understand why you want it so badly, and why you enjoy it so much when the opportunity finally comes along. And if you are lucky enough to be getting some — well, you’ll probably be DVRing these programs while you’re otherwise occupied, I suppose. Here are the sexy specials Discovery Channel will be running this Saturday night, Feb. 11: Curiosity: Why Is Sex Fun? — 9pm ET/PT. Maggie […]