The apparent suicide of comedian/actor Robin Williams has affected people more personally than any celebrity death I can recall. A big part of that, no doubt, has to do with Williams’ ubiquity... But the strong reaction to Williams’ death also speaks to his warmth and vulnerability...

2014

Jul

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: A SURVEY OF UNCONVENTIONAL TV By Noel Holston

If Louie is unlike any TV series, ever, that’s not to say it’s the first series to toss one or more TV conventions to the winds, or to expand the boundaries. It has precedents in daring...

2014

May

PEABODY AWARDS CEREMONY, SOON AT A TV OR DEVICE NEAR YOU By Noel Holston

Pivot, a cable and online network, will be televising a condensed, impressionistic version of the May 19 Peabody Awards ceremony on Sunday, June 1, at 9 p.m. ET, with online access the next day. Less will almost certainly be more...

2014

May

A WALK ON THE VILE SIDE: HAS TV GONE TOO 'FARGO'? By Noel Holston

The reviews are in, and they’re overwhelmingly raves, but nonetheless I’m going to forego Fargo. I’ve taken one too many walks on the vile side...

2014

Mar

WILL THE REAL MR. PEABODY PLEASE STAND UP? By Noel Holston

Mr. Peabody, the talking canine of Bullwinkle fame, and now a movie star in his own right, has more in common with Peabody Awards inspiration George Foster Peabody than most people, or puppies, realize...

2013

Nov

LES BROWN, AUTHOR OF 'ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TELEVISION', PASSES ON By Noel Holston

By the time Les Brown published his first Encyclopedia of Televisionin 1978, he was already worthy of an entry of his own.,,,

2013

Oct

REQUIEM FOR A GOLDEN AGE By Noel Holston

A golden age of television is now blindingly aglitter, if you agree with the critics and the fans who gush about Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Homeland... But what about the original “golden” age?

2013

Oct

AMERICA IN THE 1950S: GONE FISSION By Noel Holston

We saw mushroom clouds in our nightmares. Fallout freaked us out. We had plenty more to fear than fear itself...

2013

Sep

WASHINGTON IRVING: HE'S BACK. HE'S PUMPED. AND HE'S PISSED... By Noel Holston

The pitch: Washington Irving rises to avenge the ripoff and reconfiguring of not only The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but also the plot of his other best known story, Rip Van Winkle...

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Noel Holston

Noel Holston wrote about TV, radio and popular culture for the Orlando Sentinel, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Newsday before going to grow wine bottles near Athens, GA.

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