John P. Hanlon currently serves as the Operations Manager for Townhall.com. He has written several columns and blogs for Townhall.com and he regularly contributes to the American Issues Project Blog.
John P. Hanlon
Review: Leave ‘The Box’ On the Doorstep
by John P. HanlonThe new film “The Box” starts off with a simple premise. A stranger leaves a box at a young couple’s door early one morning in Richmond, Virginia. Later on, that stranger comes to visit the couple and he tells the young wife that if she pushes the red button in the box, she’ll receive a million dollars but someone that she does not know will die. The stranger does not explain how or who or even why this will occur. He just gives her the instructions and a time-frame. The premise is an interesting one to develop but unfortunately, this movie fails to develop it and the film is quickly overwhelmed by a bizarre series of events that follows the choice over whether or not to push the button.
The film is set in the mid-1970s and the lead couple, Arthur and Norma Lewis, are played by James Marsden and Cameron Diaz. He works for NASA and she’s an elementary school teacher. They’re a relatively boring couple with one son The movie begins with the doorbell ringing very early in the morning and the couple finding the box on the doorstep. Mrs. Lewis learns more about the box from Arlington Steward, played by Frank Langella, the mystery man who dropped it off. The young couple has recently faced some disappointing news about their jobs and the financial benefits of pushing the button are obvious to both of them, even though their financial situation has not been detailed enough to show a compelling desire for them to lean towards pushing the button at the expense of another person’s life. (more…)
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Prime-time Threesome: ‘Gossip Girl’ Hits New Low?
by John P. HanlonThe CW program “Gossip Girl” has often found itself in the glare of the political spotlight. It has often relished that position and used it to garner more attention from conservative critics and groups that are opposed to the salacious content of the program. With that in mind, the show, now in its third season, has once again grabbed the spotlight with a recent sexual threesome featuring three young adults on the program.
If you are not familiar with the show that was famously once called “every parent’s nightmare,” it revolves around a group of elitist and predominantly rich young people in New York City who often spend their time manipulating and betraying each other while being observed by an anonymous online author named “gossip girl.” The show is escapist fare for young people and adults who may envy the lives of the rich and outrageous. I have seen a couple of episodes of the program since its premiere several years ago. Although its ratings are not great, the program has shown a keen ability to grab a lot of attention and make headlines with some of its racier storylines. For instance, the media attention for the threesome episode came only a few short weeks after the show received a lot of attention for a kiss between two guys, one of whom is the show’s resident bad boy, Chuck Bass. (more…)
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Review: ‘V’ in the World of ‘O’
by John P. Hanlon
Much has been written about the premiere of the new ABC drama “V” and its relationship to the election last year of President Barack Obama. As an article from the Chicago Tribune noted:
Nominally a rousing sci-fi space opera about alien invaders bent on the conquest (and digestion) of all humanity, it’s also a barbed commentary on Obamamania that will infuriate the president’s supporters and delight his detractors.
While it’s true there are reasons why comparisons between the candidate of hope and the aliens who want change are plentiful, the show “V” is about much more than a critique of the Obama administration.
“V” begins as a show about aliens who suddenly appear in spaceships around the world and the reaction they receive. At first, as can be expected, there is a lot of fear and anguish about the visitors (which is what “V” stands for) as the ships show up hovering above different cities. However, when the alien leader appears on a ship’s video screen and talks about the benefits they will bring to the people of this world, audiences applaud (an unrealistic action, but an important one nonetheless in the development of the program). As the show goes on, though, some people learn that the aliens have more in mind than providing “heal centers” and universal health care for people around the world (which they are in favor of). (more…)
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Review: No Need to Visit ‘Cougar Town’
by John P. HanlonOn ABC’s “About the Show” web page for the new show “Cougar Town”, the executive producer of the program notes that “you only get one chance to experience your 20s. Even if it’s when you’re 40 something.” That, in short, is a brief synopsis of the new Courteney Cox comedy that follows a divorced mother who starts to date younger men. I recently watched the last few episodes of the program and although I found some potential in the minor characters on the show, the program is crippled by a weak main story line and its overall coarseness.
In the program, Cox’s character Jules Cobb is a real estate agent who has recently started dating men in their twenties who are only a few years older than her son. Her dalliances with these men and her coming to grips with her age compose the overall plot of the program. In her daily life, Cobb is surrounded by an offbeat set of characters including her neighbor across the street, her young assistant at work and her ex-husband. (more…)
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Review: ‘The Good Wife’ Off to Great Start
by John P. HanlonThe new CBS program “The Good Wife” received a lot of press attention when it premiered several weeks ago, partly because of its novel subject matter. The show explores the life of a wronged political spouse who returns to the workforce after her cheating husband is sent to prison. The show’s plot invited inevitable comparisons to many contemporary political spouses who have felt the glare of standing by their cheating partners in the media spotlight. Since its premiere, the show has quickly established itself as a smart and entertaining program that is not afraid to explore politics within the legal system and outside of it.
Although many politicians from both political parties can be compared to the husband, played by Chris Noth, an obvious comparison springs up in the premiere episode as the lead character, Alicia Florrick who is played by Julianna Marguiles, returns to work as a lawyer. One of her supervisors, played by Christine Baranski, bluntly says to her, “Not only are you coming back to the workplace fairly late but you have some very prominent baggage.” She then adds, pointing to a picture of current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “But hey, if she can do it, so can you.” Furthering the perception that the lead couple can be compared to President Bill Clinton and his wife, a recent article about the program from The Hill quoted one of the creators of the show offering a “suggestion” to a director about the character of the cheating husband. That suggestion was “Imagine Bill Clinton in prison.” (more…)
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Dancing with the Hammer: Tom Delay’s ‘Dancing’ Journey
by John P. Hanlon“I stand resolute in my values not because I am an inherently stubborn, combative man. I stand firm because I believe conservative values are the key to American greatness…I am a Christian, a conservative and a man deeply in love with his country. This is who I am, Here is where I stand. No retreat. No surrender.”
Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay wrote the text above at the conclusion of his book, “No Retreat, No Surrender: One American’s Fight,” a book that detailed how Delay stood firm for his conservative beliefs during his long political career. However, in addition to his political career, the title of Delay’s book could also easily describe his recent quest for victory on the hit ABC show “Dancing with the Stars.” During his tenure on that program, while facing an uphill battle, Delay stood firm and fought intensely to win the difficult dance competition, a fight that ended when Delay left the program last week. (more…)
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‘Don’t Stop Believing’ in ‘Glee’
by John P. HanlonWhen the new Fox show “Glee” (Fox Wednesdays at 9/8 c) had a special sneak preview premiere in the spring, many television critics loved it. It had a unique and exciting premise, quirky characters and a spirit of fun and outlandishness that is often missing in contemporary comedy shows. With its musical interludes, it also seemed like a great addition to the Fox schedule that will soon, once again, include the hit reality show “American Idol.” Unfortunately, the first three new episodes of “Glee” that have aired this fall have not lived up to the high expectations that the outstanding sneak preview premiere created for the show, causing some disappointment. However, “Glee,” even with its faults, is still a fun and unique comedy with a great cast and an engaging premise.
As can be expected from the title, the show is about a high school glee club. The show began with a high school teacher Will Schuester (the immensely likable Matthew Morrison) realizing how much he loved performing in his own glee club and wanting to inspire a new glee club of students. The show revolves around that ragtag group of singers as they work together under the leadership of Schuester.
The show itself is bursting with quirky and fun characters including the deliciously conniving cheer-leading coach Sue Sylvester (played by Jane Lynch) who plots to destroy the glee club and Schuester’s well-meaning but manipulative wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) . In addition to Sylvester and Terri Schuester, the supporting cast is full of such unique secondary characters that it rivals shows like “The Office” for its strong ensemble cast. (more…)
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Defending ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’
by John P. HanlonTwenty-two years is a tremendously long run for any television show. This is especially true for a thirty-minute drama that airs five days a week throughout the entire year save for a few holidays and special occasions. This past Sunday for the first time that drama, “The Bold and the Beautiful,” was named “Best Drama Series” at the low-rated Daytime Emmy Awards. Unfortunately, the people who received that hard-earned award were not allowed the chance to bask in their long-awaited victory.
As the Associated Press reported, “The live telecast on the CW went off the air just as the cast and crew was assembling on the stage to accept its trophy.” In addition to the longevity of the show, the article noted the familial nature of the show’s production. The article noted, “It was a poignant victory for executive producer Bradley Bell, whose late father William J. Bell co-created ‘The Young and the Restless,” a show that was honored seven times in the same category.” (more…)
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Remembering John Hughes, 1950-2009
by John P. HanlonIn the well-known 1980’s film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Mr. Bueller famously says, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” That line could refer to the death of John Hughes who wrote and directed that film and who died last week at the young age of 59. However, that line could also refer to some of the themes from some of Hughes’ most well-known and iconic films that are still loved by many today.
Admittedly, I have not seen every John Hughes movie. Before his passing, though, I had seen only a few of his most well-known pictures like “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Home Alone.” Last weekend, after the death of Hughes, I watched two of his other well-known movies, “Pretty in Pink” and “Sixteen Candles,” for the first time in commemoration of his death and to see why these films had such an effect on the young people of the 1980’s.
Because I was not a teenager during the 80’s, I did not have the opportunity to watch Hughes’ movies during the decade that Hughes helped define for so many young moviegoers. I was a child of the “Home Alone” era, not a teenager of the “Breakfast Club.” (more…)
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Interview: ‘Soraya M.’ Star Shohreh Aghdashloo
by John P. Hanlon“Accompanied by thousands of women” is what Shohreh Aghdashloo told her friends about how she felt attending the Academy Awards in 2004 as the first Iranian nominated for an acting award for her performance in “House of Sand and Fog”. Since that nomination, Aghdashloo has appeared in numerous television shows and in many movies, including her newest film, “The Stoning of Soraya M.”
Several weeks ago, I wrote an article for “Big Hollywood” about the importance of that new film and Aghdashloo’s work as an actress who speaks up for voiceless women. As a follow-up to that article, I had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with the Oscar nominee who, one day before I spoke to her, was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in the miniseries “House of Saddam.” During the interview, Ms. Aghdashloo spoke about the current situation in Iran, her work in the film “The Stoning of Soraya M.”, and what attracts her to certain projects. (more…)
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Shohreh Aghdashloo: A Voice for the Voiceless
by John P. HanlonA Boston.com article from early 2004 profiled the Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. In that article she was quoted as saying the following: “It really disturbs me,” she [Aghdashloo] says, “when I see a voiceless woman, a voiceless human being who’s been abused or molested, and can do nothing about it. It kills me.” That article was about Aghdashloo’s career and her performance in the film, “House of Sand and Fog” and the article noted that her character from that fictional film was “a voiceless woman” who had Aghdashloo to speak for her in the movie. Another voiceless woman whose story Aghdashloo is trying to tell us is that of Soraya M., the lead character in the new film “The Stoning of Soraya M.”
“The Stoning of Soraya M,” which I had the opportunity to view several weeks ago, is a great film about a difficult subject. The movie tells the story of Soraya M., an Iranian woman accused of betraying her husband and the brutal consequences of that invalid accusation. In the film, Aghdashloo plays an Iranian talking to a reporter about what happened to her niece Soraya only a few hours before the journalist arrived in town. According to the film’s website, the movie is “inspired by Paris-based journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s acclaimed international best-seller of the same name which, rife with intrigue and moral outrage, first brought global attention to the real Soraya, who in 1986 was buried to her waist in her hometown square and stoned by her fellow villagers.” (more…)
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The Captivating Glare of ‘Friday Night Lights’
by John P. HanlonIn the pilot episode of NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” after a star football player suffers an injury on the field, the new coach in town, Coach Taylor, narrates the end of the episode while members of the football community visit the hospital where that player has been moved. In a voiceover, he states, “Life is so very fragile…We must carry this in our hearts: that what we have is special–that it can be taken from us. And that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls.” Several weeks ago, the third season of “FNL” was released on DVD and if you have not seen this program, this summer is a great time to catch up on this phenomenal show which showcases the daily tests that the characters in the community of Dillon, Texas face on and off the football field.
I only started watching the critically acclaimed program last year and since then I have purchased all three seasons on DVD. Readers and viewers might be familiar with the overall idea of the show because before there was a television show, there was a popular book and a feature film (with Billy Bob Thornton as the coach) with the same name. Even if you have not read the book or watched the film (and even if you do not like football), the show is well worth seeing. (more…)
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