Barbenheimer: A Tale of Two Summer Blockbusters
One weekend. Two films. One pink. One black and orange. The former a comedic and heartwarming tale of empowerment from Greta Gerwig, the latter a heartbreaking character study of the inventor of the most devastating weapon in history, from Christopher Nolan. While it was expected both films would have some financial success at the box office given the attached casts and directors, no marketing agency, PR department or industry executive could have foreseen audiences treating Barbie and Oppenheimer, the two vastly different films with virtually nothing in common, as a must-see double feature thanks to the viral phenomenon that became known as #Barbenheimer.
From "Superstition" to "Supernatural," The CW's Upfront Presentation Hit All the Right Notes
It wouldn't be the end of an Upfront event season, especially the first conducted largely in-person from various New York City venues since 2019, without a grand closing act from The CW. Sure enough, hundreds of attendees gathered at City Center on W. 55th St. Thursday to see if they would live up to expectations. And wow, did they ever!
With The CW's "Naomi," Ava DuVernay Brings Us a New Kind of Superhero Story
Move over Flash, Stargirl and Superman & Lois. This week The CW adds another superhero to its ever-expanding DC Comics universe with the introduction of Naomi. Based on the comic by Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker, and executive produced by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship, Naomi follows the story of young comic book nerd (and self-confessed Superman aficionado) Naomi, who, following a supernatural event in her hometown of Port Oswego, sets out to uncover its origins. Little does she know how closely her adoptive heritage is linked to the event. What begins as a journey of curious investigation soon blossoms into one of life-changing self-discovery as dormant superpowers she possesses begin to emerge.
The CW Launches New, Nonpartisan Initiative to Support and Protect the Freedom to Vote
Nonprofit Partners Include The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Vote.org. Building on Network's "Vote Actually" Campaign in 2020, "Freedom to Vote" Will Include PSAs and Social Content Featuring Actors from The CW's Primetime Series
Amazon's "Invincible" Pulverizes the Superhero Genre
Amazon Prime Video's sizzling hot animated series Invincible follows the adventures of an eponymous teenaged superhero who only just recently got his superpowers. Created by Robert Kirkman (the same man who created both The Walking Dead and the comic the show is based on), it features the vocal talents of TWD's Steven Yeun as "Invincible," aka Mark Grayson; the indomitable J.K. Simmons as Mark's father, the Superman-esque "Omni-man," aka Nolan Grayson; Killing Eve's Sandra Oh as Mark's human mother, Debbie Grayson, and Atlanta's Zazie Beetz as Mark's high school love interest, Amber Bennett. Aesthetically, Invincible looks just like every respectable animated feature that D.C. has ever put out, and the characters we're introduced to during what ends up be a surprisingly impactful and damn shocking first episode, including a super group called Guardians of the Globe, are straight up parallels to D.C.'s own Justice League. Why? To lure us into a false sense of security, of course. The simple set up, the reminiscent faces, the familiar-ish style of animation … it's all meant to make us comfortable, so we don't expect what we all should've seen coming from a dangerous dynamo like Kirkman: The proverbial table flip.
Critics Choice Tonight! The CW Presents the First Annual Super Awards
Award season is about to begin, and with it the usual accolades for the most impressive motion pictures and the best programs on broadcast, cable and streamers (though not necessarily in that order). While there are many high-profile award shows, including the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the BAFTAs, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Oscars and the Critics Choice Awards (and, much later in the year, the Emmys), it seems there is never very much room to honor genre content -- that is, movies and television shows in the science-fiction, horror, action, animation, comic-book and fantasy arena. Obviously, certain big-budget break-out shows from this category -- especially on HBO, home of Watchmen, Game of Thrones, Westworld and Lovecraft Country -- and the occasional feature film (think Night of the Parasite) have been singled out for certain of these honors.
The CW's MJ Pijanowski on Getting Ahead in a More Complex World
As MJ Pijanowski approaches her one-year anniversary at The CW, the account executive takes stock of how her role has changed during the pandemic. Despite all, the upbeat Pijanowski manages to find positives.
How The CW's Acquisition Strategy Has Redefined Its Business Model
Those who grumble about the programming on the broadcast networks this fall are doing so simply because they like to hear themselves complain. Given the rolling crises of the year, and especially the sporadic surges of COVID-19, it's rather remarkable that we have as much original scripted and unscripted content to consume on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox as we do, from early morning through late night. This is certainly true of cable networks and streaming services, too, but I am singling out the broadcasters because this is the time of year that they traditionally dominate. Generations of people have grown up enjoying dozens of "fall seasons" on broadcast television.
