Jeff Pfeiffer, Author at StayTuned Magazine

74th Annual Peabody Award entertainment winners

April 16, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

The entertainment winners of the 74th Annual Peabody Awards, which recognize excellence in broadcasting, were announced today, and include some of the most popular and critically acclaimed programs on television. These and other winners (news and radio/podcast winners will be announced on April 20, and documentary, public service, education and children’s programming will be announced on April 23) will be presented with their statuettes on May 31 in the first-ever nighttime, red-carpet Peabody ceremony, hosted by Fred Armisen. 74th Annual Peabody Award Entertainment Winners (including Peabody rationale behind each winner) The Americans “In this ingenious, addictive cliffhanger, Reagan-era Soviet spies – […]

Directors announced for FOX’s “Grease: Live”

April 15, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Tony Award-nominated director Thomas Kail (Hamilton, In the Heights) and veteran television director Alex Rudzinski (director of all 20 seasons of Dancing With the Stars, among many other broadcasts) will direct the live musical event Grease: Live that will air on FOX Jan. 31, 2016, at 7pm ET live/PT tape-delayed, it was announced today. Kail will oversee the stage direction, with Rudzinski serving as the live broadcast director. Taking the direction will be currently announced stars Julianne Hough as Sandy and Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo. Marc Platt (“Wicked,” “Into the Woods”) is executive producer. Grease: Live is a Paramount Television production based on the original musical by Jim […]

“Daredevil” an effectively dark entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

April 10, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Sure, colorfully outfitted superheroes soaring to great heights, wielding magic hammers, wearing iron suits and engaging in fisticuffs of the innocuous, blood-free comic-book sort are great fun to see on the big screen, hence the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and its box-office blockbusters like The Avengers, Captain America, et al. But once in a while, as comics fans know, it’s also fascinating to get down to street level, and all the grittiness and life-or-death battles down there. Covering those more (sometimes brutally) real adventures is the goal of a batch of Marvel Netflix series based on those more down-and-dirty heroes, the […]

American Crime Episode 6 recap

April 9, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Even as horrible events continue in reality, such as the police shooting of Walter Scott in South Carolina this week, American Crime continues its gritty reflection of our reality. Looking at Twitter comments the past few weeks during AC episodes, I’ve noticed a theme among some viewers that are similar to what I have been feeling: American Crime, in its storylines, themes and presentation, can be so realistic that it is almost hard to watch. When you hear and read about, and look at, events such as the Scott killing, do you really want to watch a show that reflects a similar reality, or would […]

Netflix releases trailer for Orange Is the New Black Season 3

April 9, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Netflix today released an all-new trailer for Orange Is the New Black Season 3, as well as some images from the new season. The trailer and photos give us a first look at the new OINTB season, which premieres June 12 on Netflix. The popular comedy, created by Jenji Kohan (Weeds), is about a diverse group of inmates serving time in a women’s prison. Piper (Taylor Schilling), Red (Kate Mulgrew), Crazy Eyes (Uzo Aduba), Taystee (Danielle Brooks), Poussey (Samira Wiley), Sophia (Laverne Cox), Daya (Dascha Polanco), Gloria (Selenis Leyva), Big Boo (Lea DeLaria), Pennsatucky (Taryn Manning) and all of Litchfield’s ladies are back, while Alex […]

Restored version of Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” will air on PBS around series’ 25th anniversary

April 9, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

As America marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, this year is also the 25th anniversary of Ken Burns’ superlative and iconic documentary on the conflict, 1990’s The Civil War. To this day, the documentary stands as the highest-rated PBS series broadcast; it attracted 38.9 million viewers during its September 1990 debut. Now, 25 years to the month that the film series originally premiered, PBS will re-air The Civil War over five nights, Sept. 7-11, 2015, at 9pm ET (check local listings). The rebroadcast of The Civil War will present for the first time a newly restored high-definition version. Over the course of two […]

George R.R. Martin cautions viewers about shocking deaths in Game of Thrones Season 5

April 9, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Game of Thrones fans have probably learned by now not to feel too safe in terms of what to expect on the show even if they have read the books on which the hugely popular series is based. And it sounds like they should be geared up for even more shocks when the show returns for Season 5 this month. “Everybody better be on their toes,” author George R. R. Martin warned Game of Thrones fans in comments made at the Writers Guild Awards in February. Martin, who wrote the novels, elaborated that, “people are going to die who don’t […]

WWE SmackDown moving to USA Network

April 7, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

At its upfront press event today, USA Network announced that WWE SmackDown — currently airing on Syfy — will move to USA Network in the first quarter of 2016, joining the ratings powerhouse Monday Night Raw and the reality competition series WWE Tough Enough, which is returning June 23 as a “reimagined series [that] will feature an all-new format with live elements and more fan participation than ever before.” This move will make USA Network the exclusive cable home of WWE marquee properties. “WWE consistently delivers one of the largest and most socially engaged live audiences in entertainment and we’re excited to expand our long-standing […]

American Crime Episode 5 recap

April 2, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

The bad decisions continue for Aubry (Caitlin Gerard) and Carter (Elvis Nolasco), and Mark (David Hoflin) drops another bombshell in American Crime Episode 5. The episode opens with Russ (Timothy Hutton) and Mark entering Matt’s home (the police tape has been cut; it’s unclear if they did it or someone else). Russ is overwhelmed upon seeing the scene of the crime, everything suspended in time — a rotten meal still sits at a table, and blood is splattered on the walls. Mark asks if Russ wants to leave, but he continues on their quest. They check in a closet and pull out […]

ABC plans two days of General Hospital live broadcasts

April 2, 2015 Jeff Pfeiffer

Hearkening back to the era of live TV and radio, when many soap operas got their starts, ABC’s daytime drama General Hospital will broadcast live from Los Angeles for two episodes. One episode will air on Friday, May 15, and another on Monday, May 18. “Taking such an iconic show as General Hospital live for two days is both exhilarating and risky,” said executive producer Frank Valentini, in a release, about the two upcoming live broadcasts of GH. “I am enormously proud of our cast, crew and staff for all their tireless dedication and hard work that will be leading up to this […]