Articles by Lori Acken

About Lori Acken
Lori just hasn't been the same since "thirtysomething" and "Northern Exposure" went off the air.
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Interview

‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair on the Hard Knocks, Hard Partying and Hard Lessons of a Pro Wrestling Life

August 17, 2017 Lori Acken

Legendary pro wrestler Ric “Nature Boy” Flair would be the first to tell you that the job’s demands on one’s body, mind and personal life are, in a word, brutal. Throw in a passion for self-promotion and an epic good time and you have the makings of potential disaster. Flair — of whom I’ve been a fan since I watched AWA’s All-Star Wrestling broadcasts with my dad as a kid — and sat down with me at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in late July to talk all things Richard Fliehr, pro wrestling and his upcoming ESPN 30 for […]

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Comedy

‘Marlon’: The Youngest Wayans Brother is a Family Man With a Plan in NBC’s New Laugher

August 12, 2017 Lori Acken

“Marlon Wayans” and “family sitcom” might seem like one unlikely combo. Wayans, part of the entertainment dynasty responsible for the Scary Movie film franchise and such ribald TV hits as The Wayans Bros. and In Living Color, is the first to admit that, at 45, he still enjoys creating and consuming in-your-face, “14-year-old-boy” humor. So what’s he doing on NBC, playing a wacky dad of two charmers who is laser-focused on winning back their mom in the family friendly new half-hour laugher Marlon? In short: Living his truth. Wayans created the series based on his own home life. He and […]

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Documentary

“Diana: In Her Own Words”: Nat Geo Gives The Doomed Princess Her Say

August 11, 2017 Lori Acken

Odds are good that — even 20 years later — you recall exactly where you were when you found out Diana, Princess of Wales, had died of injuries sustained in a horrific car crash on August 31, 1997. Whether you considered Diana the very picture of a modern monarchy, an example of unimaginable grace in the face of infidelity, a fearless humanitarian or just another obsession of the tabloid press, the 36-year-old beauty made an impression. An impression that keeps her memory alive decades after her death. While this month is rife with Diana specials and documentaries, only one tells […]

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Interview

Isaac Hempstead Wright on ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7, Bran’s New Role and Why You Really Need to Get Over Hodor

July 14, 2017 Lori Acken

Now that he’s Game of Thrones’ omniscient Three-Eyed Raven, the rise of Isaac Hempstead Wright’s Bran Stark as a Westeros power player seems all but assured as the HBO hit heads into its penultimate season. With clans Lannister, Targaryen and Stark — and all their trusted and dubious allies — preoccupied with the Iron Throne, young Bran knows best the bigger threat that looms. Dialing in from the U.K., the 18-year-old Brit shared some knowledge of his own about Season 7, the Starks’ future as a family — and why we need to get over Hodor. I promised myself I […]

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Interview

Kyra Sedgwick, Ryann Shane Talk Lifetime’s Moving ‘Story of A Girl’

June 30, 2017 Lori Acken

Lifetime’s Story of a Girl begins like many a modern parent-teen nightmare. Middle-schooler Deanna Lambert (Ryann Shane) is wooed by her big brother’s handsome flatterer of a best friend, takes a giant step toward adulthood and, in no time, learns a video of her “first time” has gone public — branding her a pariah at school and turning her home into a silently simmering war zone. But before you roll your eyes at the prospect of yet another “don’t post your naughty bits” cautionary tale, know this. Based on Sara Zarr’s young-adult novel and helmed by actress and first-time director […]

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Documentary

HBO’s ‘If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast’: We Talk With Carl Reiner!

May 27, 2017 Lori Acken

Carl Reiner is 95. I’m 51. I forget everything, including most appointments, where I put my purse and how to brush my teeth. Reiner — the Bronx-born comedy legend responsible for a lifetime of laughs, including The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jerk and, well, his comic-genius son Rob — remembers everything. As we chat about If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, HBO’s delicious homage to aging with grace and a large dose of humor, Reiner treats me to a bit from his and longtime bestie Mel Brooks’ iconic 2000 Year Old Man, then the theme song to […]

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Interview

Walter Isaacson on Genius, National Geographic’s ‘Genius’ and the Power of Imagination

May 17, 2017 Lori Acken

Fans of Walter Isaacson’s exhaustive biographies know two things when they pick up his latest. One, it won’t be a quick read. And two, every moment will be worth it, as heroes of science and technology become irresistible in their humanity as much as their exceptional minds. The latter inspired filmmakers Gigi Pritzker, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to choose Isaacson’s 2008 book Einstein: His Life and Universe as the launching point for their National Geographic series Genius — a series they hope will spark the imagination and wonder of viewers of all ages. And take the scary out of science, […]