Author: Linda Sherman

Super Bowl 2023 Ads Featuring Actors 60 plus

February 13, 2023 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

We were glad to see these five brands feature 60 plus actors in their Super Bowl 2023 ads. It is an important trend that marketers are beginning to recognize the importance of 50 plus audience sector.

Kudos to Pepsi Zero Sugar, Frito Lay, T Mobile, WorkDay and Turbo Tax. Ultra also had Brian Cox born 1946.

Pepsi Zero Sugar

Featuring Steve Martin (1945) and Ben Stiller with a clever actor workshop theme.
They teased the ad with this video:

Steve Martin – Great Acting or Great Taste

TMobile

TMobile Internet New Neighbor starring John Travolta (born 1954) extended version

Also Bradley Cooper and his Mother

Frito Lay

Pop Corners Breaking Into Something Good
Bryan Cranston (1956)

Workday

Musical artists Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Gary Clark Jr. and Paul Stanley of Kiss demand that “corporate types” stop using the term “rock star” to describe people succeeding in the workplace. Comments are turned off probably because of the unfortunate timing of staff lay-offs.

TurboTax

Dancer starring Paul Hipp born 1960

All About MAID’s Rylea Whittet

October 18, 2021 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

As more and more people are seeing the new Netflix miniseries hit MAID that debuted October 1, they want to know about the captivating new actress Rylea Nevaeh Whittet who played Maddy. Maid is an important, highly rated new series about domestic violence.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month so this series was well timed. Each episode includes a screen message with a hotline and an important reminder that not all domestic violence is physical violence. For anonymous, confidential help, 24/7, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

In the Maid miniseries, Alex, played by Margaret Qualley is trying to protect her daughter, Maddy, played by Rylea Nevaeh Whittet. Their acting skill and their chemistry helps both with the story and with educating viewers.

Rylea was born September 20, 2016. She recently turned 5 years old. She was 4 years old when shooting began for Maid. Her character is 2 and 3 years old during the 10 episodes.

Every time Rylea was on screen, my husband, Ray Gordon would remark, “This is the world’s best kid”. She displays such a good disposition.

She is also a good actress.

We are very fortunate that Rylea was cast in Maid. Her mother, Sarah Ramsay Whittet, shared this story with me:

Rylea was one of the photo doubles for the actor originally cast for Maddy. They had to use Rylea a number of times during the first few days of filming.. Rylea and Margaret had an obvious connection on and off screen and she was then switched to the main actor to play Maddy.

Margaret Qualley has been getting excellent reviews as Maddy’s mom in Maid.

On what’s next for Rylea:

We are excited to see what’s next for Rylea and so is she. Rylea loves “working” and asks when she gets to go back.

We will be focusing on finding her roles on tv shows and movies.

Some more about Maddy from Sarah:

Rylea loves gymnastics, swimming, acting, playing dolls, and her new kitten Teddy. Rylea is also a vegan and LOVES animals.

Sarah has put up an instagram for Rylea Nevaeh Whittet.
Posted October 15, 2021:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rylea Nevaeh Whittet (@ryleawhittet)

Rylea’s family November 10, 2019

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sarah (@sarah_whittet)

Maid trailer from Margaret Qualley’s Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Margaret Qualley (@margaretqualley)

Some additional facts from Celebs Week about Rylea Nevaeh Whittet.

Rotten Tomatoes gives Maid very high marks. You may feel frustrated watching all the bad decisions that get made but this is reality.

The Wikipedia post for Maid lists her in “recurring” rather than “main” cast member. There may be a guideline related to spoken lines but I think her growing fan base expects her to find her in the “main” cast list. Noteworthy in the cast: Andie MacDowell and Anika Noni Rose.

Maid – Rylea Nevaeh Whittet as Maddy laughing, with Margaret Qualley as Alex – photo of Netflix on TV screen

The Orville

November 25, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

Created by and starring Seth MacFarlane. If you were a Star Trek fan, you should love The Orville. Smart, humorous and dramatic, The Orville is very entertaining.

If you haven’t started watching The Orville yet, you will need to catch up using Fox On Demand through your TV cable carrier or through the Fox Now free app. At the same time, begin recording the show to your DVR when it airs on Thursday nights at 9pm/8central. You can also access The Orville through a paid HULU subscription. There are two episodes left in Season One (the first airing November 30th) for a total of 12 hour long episodes in the first season. Each episode is a complete story on its own but I recommend watching them in order. Charlize Theron guest stars in one of the episodes and you will notice other familiar faces.

Not unsurprisingly, FOX renewed The Orville for a second TV season on November 2nd.

Seth MacFarlane, The Orville writers, alien creators and costume designer respond to interview questions during Talks at Google published November 17, 2017.

Seth MacFarlane (Show Creator, Writer, Executive Producer and Star)
Liz Heldens (Executive Producer, Writer)
David A Goodman (Executive Producer)
Brannon Braga (Executive Producer)
Howard Berger (Make-Up/Prosthetics)
Joseph Porro (Wardrobe/Costumes)
Seth says that being able to work with models and not just CGI is part of the reason he is in love with The Orville.
He also appreciates being able to do a one hour show which allows for a complete story arc and giving depth to the characters.

When you become a big fan, you may wish to sing along with the opening theme song:

Some of the cast tweets live when the episodes are first broadcast. #TheOrville
Follow the show on Twitter @TheOrville, Facebook.com/TheOrville, Instagram: @TheOrville.
You can see that Twitter likes The Orville, because they give them an icon when you type #TheOrville.

Lt. Cmdr. Bortus (Peter Macon) and his mate Klyden (Chad Coleman)

Lt. Commander Bortus (Peter Macon) and Klyden (Chad Coleman) are Moclans from the planet Mocas. They are a single gender race that reproduce by laying an egg that is incubated for 21 days. They can eat anything.

Yaphit played by Norm MacDonald

Chief of Security, Lt. Alara Kitan (Halston Sage) from planet Xelaya, has super strength due to the high gravity of her home planet.

Seth MacFarlane creator, producer, writer and star of The Orville. From karaoke scene in episode 9.

Darulio played by Rob Lowe

Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes) with Lt. John LaMarr (J Lee)

How J Lee went from receptionist on The Family Man to his role as navigator on The Orville.

Screen grabs above are from Episode 9.

The Orville is so good that is it the official streaming show of Computer and Technology Radio hosted by Marsha Collier and Marc Cohen on Saturdays at noon PST and discussed on Twitter on the hashtag #TechRadio. Details on how to listen here.

Ray Gordon prepared this tribute:

Like Sci-fi? See more recommendations on our Sci-fi page.

The Good Place

August 26, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

If you like a good laugh, with some philosophy and ethics study thrown in, you will enjoy The Good Place. A quirky metaphysical comedy, this must watch TV show is getting rave reviews.

You can now catch up on Season One on Netflix Streaming in time for the premiere of Season two on NBC.
{Update: WAS streaming on Netlix. Now you can rent Season One and Two DVD’s through Netflix. You can watch prime time on demand through your cable provider. Or watch on Hulu if you subscribe to that. Next season be sure to record on NBC (if you get TV).}

There are only 13 episodes in Season One, each running only 22 minutes long. The show was introduced in September 2016 on NBC with a much talked about season finale in January 2017. The last five episodes are available through the NBC app. (We have the free NBC app installed on our Apple TV, note it gets 1.5 stars).

The Good Place Season Two begins 10 pm Wednesday September 20th 2017 on NBC and will run 13 thirty minute episodes.

Starring Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. Supported by beautiful do-gooder Tahani Al-Jamil and nervous ethics professor Chidi (William Jackson Harper).

Michael (Ted Danson) introducing Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and Chidi (William Jackson Harper)

Shocking for many, this great show did not get any Emmy nominations. Hidden Remote made up an award for Ted Danson. Ted won Emmy’s for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Cheers in 1990 and 1993.

Trying to place Kirsten Bell?
In 2013, Bell voiced the main character, Princess Anna of Arendelle, in the Walt Disney’s Frozen. She performed the songs: ‘For the First Time in Forever’, ‘Love is an Open Door’, ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman’, and ‘For the First Time in Forever’. Kirsten Bell had the title role of Veronica Mars in the 2004 television series (she was 7 years older than her 17 year old character at the time) and the film in 2014.
She’s 5’1″ and a vegetarian.

Kirsten Bell with Ted Danson

Tahini (Jameela Jamil) introducing Jianyu (Manny Jacinto)

Janet with Chidi and Eleanor

Don’t read these The Good Place articles until you finish Season One because there are spoilers

Hollywood Reporter has six burning questions for season 2.

The Good Place went from Great to Genius in its Season One Finale by The Atlantic

Entertainment Weekly The Good Place Finale Review. The Good Place was one of the best shows of 2016, writes EW critic Jeff Jensen.

Atypical

August 19, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

I liked Atypical. I have a good friend with two autistic kids, a daughter of their own and a boy they adopted as a baby without knowing he was on the spectrum. Raising an autistic child has a wide arena of impact but I’m sure the mother usually has the most severe altering of her life. I enjoyed Atypical. They have labeled it a comedy. Eight episodes about 30 minutes each, it goes quickly.

Graham Rogers (playing Evan) is an actor with a very endearing smile in this series. I had seen him before as Al Jardine in Love and Mercy but I didn’t remember him. He’s been around much more than I realized (Revolution, Resident Advisors, Quantico, Ray Donovan).

Casey and Evan (Brigette Lundy-Paine and Graham Rogers)

The following includes spoilers. I recommend that you watch the show first.

I was horrified by but understood what Elsa was up to. I thought that Keir Gilchrist did a good job as Sam in the lead. I was disappointed to read in Vulture that at 24, he wanted to be through playing high school students.

Atlantic likes Atypical but not the plot lines of Sam’s mother, Elsa played by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sam’s good friend Zahid (Nik Dodani). Atlantic also wrote, “it’s hard not to long for a treatment of autism that’s as well-rounded and gutsy as ABC’s Speechless, whose creator, Scott Silveri, based it on his own experience with his brother’s disability.”

There was reaction from writers on the spectrum from Slate and AV Club. Interestingly, Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory is repeatedly referred to as a nuanced performance of a character on the spectrum though TBBT never openly applies that label.

Nice Atypical review on Slate from a member of the autistic community, Gwen Kansen
#ActuallyAutistic @GwendolynKansen

Another person on the spectrum was less kind in their review in AV Club. They did give this positive feedback, “Younger sister Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine) is by far the most fleshed-out character on the show, and it might have worked better if she had been the main focal point. Casey loves Sam, but also feels put-upon by how much time she has spend looking out for him, and neglected by the family’s constant focus on him. This is laid out quite well in a scene where she wants to tell her family that she’s been recruited by a private school due to her track-and-field prowess, but everyone is distracted by Sam’s relationship with Paige. As irritatingly one-dimensional as Sam is, the show at least does a good job of portraying Casey’s relationship with him in a complex, nuanced way.”

Vulture interview with actor playing Sam, Keir Gilchrist, who is actually 24.

Which Black Mirror Episodes to Skip and Which to Prioritize

August 6, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

Black Mirror is a British science fiction series available on Netflix Streaming. It’s important to know which episodes to watch first and which to avoid so we have created our list for you. We felt it was important to break it down this way for you, lest you get turned off by accidentally watching a hard to bear episode first. Each episode is standalone. If you recall Twilight Zone was as well.

Wikipedia describes the series as “centered around dark and satirical themes that examine modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. … usually set in an alternative present or the near future.”

Black Mirror’s creator and co-showrunner is the British Charlie Brooker.
Robert Ziman reminds me that “Brooker is a genius”
Robert and I both love talking about aging and longevity on Clubhouse. I founded the Rethinking Aging Club there. Robert is co-founder of the Longevity Biotech Club and 4-15-21 he referred to the USS Callister to make a point.

Fifth Season of Black Mirror Has Dropped on Netflix

Netflix commissioned a third season of 12 episodes in September 2015. Later the commissioned episodes were divided into two seasons of six episodes. The third season was released on Netflix Streaming in October 2016. Filming of the fourth season began in June 2017. Black Mirror was first broadcast in 2011 on British Channel 4.

Black Mirror Netflix Streaming Episodes We Especially Recommend:

Season 1, episode 2: 15 Million Merits
Season 3, episode 1: NoseDive
Season 3, episode 4: San Janipero
Season 3, episode 5: Men Against Fire
Season 4, episode 6: USS Callister
Season 5, episode 1: Striking Vipers

Anthony Mackie and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Striking Vipers Black Mirror Season 5

Nosedive Black Mirror episode social acknowledgement sci-fi Netflix Streaming

Nosedive. Social acknowledgement

Nosedive social points.

Nosedive. Happy days

Black Mirror Netflix Streaming Episodes Fine to Watch:

Season 1, episode 3: The Entire History of You
Season 2, episode 1: Be Right Back
– Caution: My friend Marsha announced she hated this episode during the Streaming Film segment of her podcast. But our friends Lee and Joe loved. I thought it deserved a place here in the fine to watch category.
Season 2, episode 4: White Christmas, stars John Hamm. AV Club opinon by @zhandlen
Season 3, episode 2: PlayTest
Season 3, episode 6: Hated in the Nation
Season 4, episode 3: Hang the DJ
Season 4, episode 5: Arkangel
Season 4, episode 4: Crocodile
Season 4, episode 2: Metalhead (but note this is dark)
Season 4, episode 1: Black Museum
Season 5, episode 3: Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too starring Miley Cyrus
Season 5, episode 2: Smithereens with Topher Grace playing the Marc Zuckerberg role

Black Mirror Netflix Streaming Episodes You Can Skip:

Season 1: E1 National Anthem (gross)
Season 2: E2 White Bear (VERY dark)
Season 2: E3 Waldo
Season 3: E3 Shut Up and Dance (VERY dark)

For more of what we like in the sci-fi genre, please see our sci-fi page.

Updated June 7, 2019

To the Bone

July 29, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

There is some controversy over how accurate the portrayal of anorexia is in To The Bone Netflix Original released on Netflix Streaming July 14. This is a very emotional topic.

Let’s acknowledge that these issues exist. I still think the film is very good. I also think it is a positive thing to bring more awareness to the disease.

Family meeting during in-patient care

Dinner time in-patient facility with Keanu Reeves playing doctor. Collins front right.

USA Today explains that the story is semi-autobiography of the write Marti Noxon.

High Snobiety expressed concern that the film might trigger those who are in treatment to have some negative impact from it.

Star of To The Bone, Lily Collins talks about her own experience with anorexia with Entertainment Weekly.

Ozark

July 29, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

Julia Garner (Ruth) has a striking presence in Ozark. As the strongest member of her clan, the Ruth character reminds us of Jennifer Jason Leigh’s role as Daisy in Tarantino’s 2015 film Hateful Eight.

New original series on Netflix Jason Bateman produced, directed four episodes and stars. With Laura Linney.
Season one debuted on July 21st 2017. We enjoyed binge watching it.

The good news about investing time in this 10 episode series is that the end of Season One has a satisfying conclusion.

Could not find Julia Garner on Twitter but here is her active Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliagarner94

UPDATE: We finished Season 2 which debuted August 31 2018. It was very satisfying and set up for Season 3. We continue to enjoy Ruth. But there is also a new female character (lawyer for the cartel) Helen played by British Janet McTeer who is also compelling.

More on Julia Garner

Julia Garner is the Tough but Tender Heart of Ozark – New York Times.

Julia Garner on Seth Myers Jan 11 2019 Discussing Playing and Meeting the Person She Plays on Dirty John

Julia Garner modeling Kate Spade fashion.

Sense8 Two Hour Finale in 2018!

June 30, 2017 By Linda Sherman 1 Comment

Thank you Netflix for listening to your fans and bringing us a two hour Sense8 Finale. We are sad not to have 10 seasons of the show since we LOVED the first two seasons. But we really appreciate the closure.

In her letter, Lana Wachowski confessed that she fell into a “fairly serious” depression after the series was canceled. Netflix handed down the news on June 1, not long after Sense8’s May 5 season-two release.

“The outpouring of love and grief that came in the wake of the news that Sense8 would not be continuing was so intense that I often found myself unable to open my own email,” she began in the letter. “I had never worked so hard, or put so much of myself into a project as I had with Sense8 and its cancellation hollowed me out.”

Calling out the “impossibilities” her crew achieved — the second season filmed in 16 cities and 11 countries to capture the stories of its global cast — and the sadness from the actors, especially the eight stars who make up Sense8’s starring “cluster,” the showrunner said the passion from the fans, who created a petition to bring the series back, was most humbling.

“As the characters in our show discover that they are not alone, I too have learned that I am not just a me. I am also a we,” she wrote. “While it is often true that these decisions are irreversible, it is not always true.”
She continued in the note, which was directed to the fans: “Improbably, unforeseeably, your love has brought Sense8 back to life.”

Lana Wachowski said Netflix “loves” the show but admitted that the numbers have “always been challenging,” before signing off with a nod to the second season’s cliffhanger ending: “Now let’s go find out what happens to Wolfgang [Max Riemelt].”

The rare move, which was preceded by the end of Baz Luhrmann’s series The Get Down, prompted think pieces on what the abrupt canceling of two of Netflix’s most expensive series said about the streamer. Netflix also canceled another original series, the Britt Robertson-led Girlboss, last week.

“They did a beautiful show” and “the audience was very passionate, but not large enough to support the economics of something that big, even on our platform,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos shortly after Sense8’s cancellation.

From: Hollywood Reporter update as of June 29th.

Death doesn't let you say goodbye. 2 hour finale episode in the works. Tell your cluster. pic.twitter.com/GHZgGuHwS0

— Sense8 (@sense8) June 29, 2017

Sense8

June 26, 2017 By Linda Sherman Leave a Comment

We were so disappointed when this ground breaking, wonderful Netflix series was cancelled.
Apparently the production cost estimated at $100,000,000 a year was too expensive.
Fortunately, Netflix listened to fans and is bringing us a two hour finale in 2018. So be sure to watch and savor the whole series.

Don’t expect to understand what is going on for the first 1 1/2 episodes.

humanity, sex, LGBT, music, power women

The 10 Most Expensive Netflix Original TV Shows

‘Sense8′ Cancelled: Netflix Ends The Wachowskis’ Progressive Sci-Fi Drama After Two Seasons

Hallelujah Christmas Special (small spoilers if you watch this episode before you watch the series)

This Leonard Cohen classic can get in your head. In case you want to sing along, here are the lyrics:

I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah