Netflix"s "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt": What the Critics Are Saying

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Songify This!

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, created by 30 Rock"s Robert Carlock and Tina Fey, stars Ellie Kemperas a woman who was rescued from a doomsday cult and is adjusting to New York City life after 15 years spent in a bunker.

Already renewed for a second season by Netflix, the quirky comedy series (originally slated for NBC) also starsTituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski,Lauren Adams, Sara Chase, Sol Miranda and Carol Kane, and debuts in full on Friday, March 6.

See what top critics are saying about Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:

The Hollywood Reporter"s Tim Goodman writes, "The good news is that Kimmy is already really good; in the first six episodes, each one gets better as it goes (though the pilot is particularly strong).Kempergives a virtuoso performance as Kimmy Schmidt. ...Kemper is really the show everyone is orbiting around her boundless, infectious energy. Like most series, the supporting roles eventually flesh themselves out over time, but the main character really has to nail it, and Kemper does that in every scene. Krakowski, ever the pro at this kind of role, also is given numerous great lines of her own."

Additionally, "Fey and Carlock as the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt writers do an excellent job balancing the many stories available to them, though perhaps a little too much emphasis is placed on Jacquelines (Krakowski) family. Kimmy trying to keep her secret so people dont freak out on her (or about her) coupled with her enthusiasm for overcoming lifes obstacles is more than enough fodder. ...Though Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt joins other strong freshman comedies like Fresh Off the Boat and The Last Man on Earth, I have a feeling the show will be something even better next season, when its a wholly Netflix entity and Fey and Carlock can discover what that kind of creative freedom allows them."

The New York Times" Alessandra Stanley says, "The series leavens wacky absurdity with acid wit and is very funny. Fey, who created 30 Rock, andCarlock, its showrunner, apply that shows alchemy to this one, and it works. Almost every scene has both whimsy and something darker, at once daftly effervescent and snidely cynical." Of being on Netflix, she notes, "Sitcoms arent dead, but theyre increasingly spreading beyond the traditional networks. ...The streaming service will release all 13 episodes of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" on Friday, and thats useful, because the series finds its full comic verve after the first two, which have to establish a lot of back story."

Read moreTina Fey: What Netflix Move Means for "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"

Time"sJamesPoniewoziksays NBC"s decision to sell to Netflix "was probably the best thing possible forKimmy, which is delightful but strange even by the standards of30 Rock, and could have easily, quickly died on network TV. ...The shows zaniness, broad characters and rapid-fire jokes are pure30 Rock, as is its overallaesthetic." With a "sunnier presence," a "darker core" and "even more pronounced" feminism, "its connecting and contrasting the experience of outsiders, black and white, straight woman and gay man, sister-wife and trophy wife. And like30 Rock, it draws comedy from the myriad ways an expensive, competitive city like New York beats people down." Plus, "KemperandKimmymake one of TVs most natural matches of actor and character since someone decided to makeLou Ferrignothe Hulk. Shes a terrific physical comic, able to combinenaivetewith a sense of cunning, and shes contagiously joyous its as ifLucille Ballhad a baby with a rainbow."

RogerEbert.com"sBrian Tallerico says the show is "defiantly strange, and I think thats one of the reasons I like it so much. ...People upset about the SNLISIS commercial may want to avoid Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Its a dark, strange show, complete with flashbacks to Kimmys time in the bunker. The hook of the program is that while Kimmy has been through stuff that anyone would find horrific, she refuses to let life get her down, but the people she meets in NYC who often have everything do nothing but complain. And Kempers"aw shucks" timing is phenomenal. She jumps in with both feet and as many broad expressions as she can find. Its the kind of awesome, committed performance you see from Sacha Baron Cohen in his films ridiculously over-the-top but unafraid at the same time."

The San Francisco Chronicle"sDavid Wiegand writes that it "may be cut from similar comedic cloth as 30 Rock, but no one who loves rich, offbeat comedy will be complaining. ... The humor is based on a savvy understanding of sketch-comedy exaggeration and satire, worked into an episodic sitcom format."Krakowski"seems to have put whatever reservations she might have had about becoming too much of a type on the back burner for a chance to work in a Fey-Carlock show again," and "Kemper is hilarious, advancing perkiness to a comically psychotic level without having Kimmy ever lose her fundamental appeal."

Twitter: @cashleelee

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-review-netflix-779443

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Movie Review: Unfinished Business Is More Serious Than Funny

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Photo: Jessica Miglio/Twentieth Century Fox

Does Vince Vaughn do actual comedies anymore? Once the poster child for bros-behaving-badly fare, Vaughn has recently begun engaging in an interesting, occasionally perplexing bait-and-switch: Lure us with the promise of wild antics (the posters forUnfinished Businessdepict Vaughn and co-stars Tom Wilkinson and Dave Franco in various states of bacchanalia), then deliver something more somber and sensitive instead. Looking back over my review ofDelivery Man, the 2013 sperm-donor comedy-drama Vaughn made with hisUnfinished Businessdirector Ken Scott, I see that I basically said the same thing then, too. So maybe I should stop being so perplexed.

But still. For its first half, Unfinished Business is surprisingly acerbic and serious, more Up in the Air than Office Space. It opens mid-conversation, as we see St. Louis mineral salesman Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) bickering with his ruthless boss Chuck (Sienna Miller yes, you read that right) over a 5 percent pay cut. The next thing he knows, Dan has quit to form his own rival company and asked his co-workers to join him, la Jerry Maguire. But the only two people who accompany him to the parking lot are Timothy (Wilkinson), a veteran employee who"s been separately let go for being too old, and Mike (Franco), a young man who was only there for an interview. They all need the work, however: Dan has a son being bullied for his weight and a daughter unhappy at school, and his wife wants to send them to private school; Timothy really, really wants to divorce his wife, but he also wants to leave her a comfortable amount of money and go off on his own and live a little; Mike, it turns out, is a young man with special needs and could really use the confidence boost.

Dan"s new company flounders, of course: One year later, it"s still the same three guys, and their office is a Dunkin" Donuts. But then they find out that they may have scored a big deal with a major client, and they fly to Portland, then to Berlin, to make "the handshake," as it were. Things don"t turn out as planned: Their trip to Berlin coincides with a G8 meeting (and concomitant protest), a marathon, and Europes largest gay fetish convention. Oh, and it turns out their supposedly done business deal is a bit shakier than promised.

Does any of this actually sound funny to you? It sounds potentially offensive more than anything else, like the kinds of jokes Vaughn and his cohort might have gotten away with 15 years ago. But amazingly, Unfinished Business has a gentle touch: Yes, they do run into the gay fetish scene, but it results in one of the more good-natured (and explicit) glory hole setpieces you"ll see in a mainstream comedy. The tonally weird bits involving Mikes dim antics are played somewhat for laughs, but theyre light ones; the film is clearly on the sheltered young mans side, more interested in letting him explore than poking fun at him. Meanwhile, Timothy gets both the requisite horndog moments as well as some genuine pathos. At times, the film seems to be hinting at a darker theme of masculine identity: Our protagonists once saw themselves as the male breadwinners of yore; that world is changing, so their business trip has a weirdly elegiac feel. They dont quite know how to operate in this new scene, but theyre learning. Alas, the movie doesnt really do much with this subtext, maybe because it doesnt quite have the depth or dexterity to do such a loaded subject justice.

Not unlike Delivery Man, Unfinished Business is a movie at war with itself: It wants to be serious and it is but it wants to try to deliver the comedic goods as well. Sometimes, the tonal dissonance works. At one point, Dan checks into what appears to be the last hotel room in Berlin; it turns out that its not technically a hotel room at all, but a piece of art an exhibition of an American businessman in a hotel room, and hes paying for the privilege of being gawked at by tourists. But the laughs here are dry, not uproarious, and theyre just unsettling enough to work.

Theres plenty to like in Unfinished Business, even though viewers expecting the debauchery of a Wedding Crashers will likely leave disappointed. I feel for Vince Vaughn, I really do. He clearly wants to explore this more serious vein, but he keeps having to sell his former high-concept persona. Its a fascinating existential dilemma for a movie star to find himself in; if only it resulted in better movies.

Source: http://www.vulture.com/2015/03/movie-review-unfinished-business.html

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Jodi Arias is spared death penalty by lone holdout on jury

RAW: Jodi Arias full interview footage

The 11-1 vote leaves the judge to sentence the Arizona woman to life in prison or a life term with the possibility of release after 25 years.

PHOENIX It took just one juror to spare the life of convicted murderer Jodi Arias on Thursday and the woman had to survive an attempt by her colleagues to boot her from the jury before she could do it.

In the end, the jury voted 11-1 in favor of death not enough to send Arias to death row in the case that became a global sensation, with its tawdry revelations about her sexual relationship with the victim and the fact that she slit his throat so deeply that he was nearly decapitated.

The deadlock took the death penalty off the table and left a judge to decide whether to sentence Arias to life in prison or to life with the possibility of release after 25 years. That decision is expected at a hearing April 13.

Arias was convicted in 2013 of killing her lover, Travis Alexander, but that jury also deadlocked on her punishment, prompting the sentencing retrial that began in October.

The holdout juror did not speak to the media on Thursday. But other jurors said they thought Arias lacked remorse and that her attorneys had presented an inaccurate portrait Alexander.

The jurors did not elaborate but during the trial, defense lawyers said Alexander had used Arias to quench his sexual urges, called her demeaning names and told her she was soulless.

Most of the jurors said they believed the holdout was biased and opposed to giving the death penalty. The other jurors asked the judge on Tuesday if the woman could be replaced with an alternate, but the request was denied and jury was told to keep deliberating.

One male juror said Thursday that he became angry when the holdout indicated the death penalty would be a form of revenge. Jurors also note that the woman had acknowledged seeing a cable TV movie about the Arias case.

Jurors apologized to the Alexander family for the deadlock and said they felt Arias was trying to manipulate the jury.

None of the jurors would give their names. The identities of jurors are kept secret in Arizona.

The jury deliberated for about 26 hours over five days. They said they started with about half of the members voting for the death penalty, eventually reached the 11-1 vote then got stuck.

They described having knots in their stomachs and problems sleeping at night during the trial.

Arias will begin serving her sentence in a 12-by-7 foot cell in a maximum-security unit at the Perryville prison for women, west of downtown Phoenix.

If officials deem her behavior is good over time, she could be moved to a medium security unit.

Nearly $3 million of taxpayer money was spent during both trials. Arias court-appointed attorneys billed the state for $2.7 million. Prosecutors say they spent more than $132,000 on expert witnesses, transcripts, travel expense and other costs, though that figure doesnt include the salary of the prosecutor.

Prosecutors said they dont regret trying again to send Arias to death row.

Regret is a place in the past I cant afford to live in, Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said.

Alexanders family members wept when the judge announced the deadlock. His brothers and sisters said in a statement that they are saddened by the jurys inability to reach a decision on the death penalty, however, we understand the difficulty of the decision, and have nothing but respect for the jurys time.

Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi said the killing was a tragedy and no verdict ultimately could repair that sadness.

Prosecutors say Arias killed Alexander as revenge because he wanted to date other women and was planning a trip to Mexico with his latest love interest.

Authorities said Arias shot him in the head and stabbed and slashed him nearly 30 times then left his body in his shower at his suburban Phoenix home, where friends found him about five days later.

During closing arguments in the penalty retrial, prosecutor Juan Martinez repeatedly showed jurors gruesome crime scene photos of the victims slit throat.

The images were a counterpoint to the happy photos of Arias that her attorney displayed in arguing there was more to her life than her actions in the killing.

Nurmi told jurors that Arias deserved a second chance because she was the victim of verbal and physical abuse throughout her life.

Arias initially courted the spotlight after her arrest, granting interviews to 48 Hours and Inside Edition.

She testified for 18 days at her first trial, describing her abusive childhood, cheating boyfriends, relationship with Alexander and her contention that he was physically abusive.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGzM1ZqCZPgmJ-4Bo_3tEmvYp34EA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=is_5VKD6NeP98AGugYG4CA&url=https://www.centralmaine.com/2015/03/05/judge-declares-mistrial-in-jodi-arias-sentencing-case/

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Taxpayers Shell out Nearly $3 Million on Jodi Arias" Trials

LIVE: FOX News Now - Jodi Arias Verdict Watch (Tues afternoon)

Officials say taxpayers shelled out around $3 million to prosecute and defend convicted murderer Jodi Arias at a series of trials that have finally concluded with jurors deadlocked on whether she should be executed or sent to prison for life for killing her lover.

Thursday"s impasse at the sentencing retrial ensures that Arias will get a life sentence, possibly with the chance at parole.

Some criticized prosecutors" decision to hold a second sentencing trial after a 2013 jury deadlocked on Arias" punishment, arguing the drawn-out trial achieved little beyond rehashing the crime"s gruesome and sometimes tawdry details.

The mistrial marked a disappointment for prosecutors leading the nearly seven-year legal battle. But Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said he had no qualms about pursuing the death penalty again. "Regret is a place in the past I can"t afford to live in," Montgomery said, adding that arbitrary limits can"t be set on the costs of trials.

Arias was convicted in 2013 of killing her lover, Travis Alexander, but that jury also deadlocked on her punishment, prompting the sentencing retrial that began in October. She faces an April 13 hearing at which a judge will decide whether to sentence her to life in prison or to life with the possibility of release after 25 years.

Members of the second jury said they were 11-1 in favor of the death penalty and tried unsuccessfully to get the lone holdout kicked off the panel. The holdout juror did not speak to the media on Thursday. But other jurors said they thought Arias lacked remorse and that her attorneys had presented an inaccurate portrait of Alexander.

The jurors did not elaborate, but during the trial, defense lawyers said Alexander had used Arias to quench his sexual urges, called her demeaning names and told her she was soulless.

Most of the jurors said they believed the holdout was biased and opposed to giving the death penalty. The other jurors asked the judge on Tuesday if the woman could be replaced with an alternate, but the request was denied, and the jury was told to keep deliberating.

One male juror said Thursday that he became angry when the holdout indicated the death penalty would be a form of revenge. Jurors also noted that the woman had acknowledged seeing a cable TV movie about the Arias case.

Jurors apologized to the Alexander family for the deadlock and said they felt Arias was trying to manipulate the jury.

None of the jurors would give their names. The identities of jurors are kept secret in Arizona.

Arias" attorneys billed the county for about $2.7 million for her defense, according to the latest figures available in December. Prosecutors say they have spent nearly $133,000 on expert witnesses, travel expenses and other costs. That figure doesn"t include the salary of the case"s prosecutors.

Arias will begin serving her sentence in a 12-by-7 foot cell in a maximum-security unit at the Perryville prison for women, west of downtown Phoenix.

If officials deem her behavior is good over time, she could be moved to a medium-security unit.

Alexander"s family members wept when the judge announced the deadlock. His brothers and sisters said in a statement that they "are saddened by the jury"s inability to reach a decision on the death penalty, however, we understand the difficulty of the decision, and have nothing but respect for the jury"s time."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/taxpayers-shell-million-jodi-arias-trials-29431964

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DineEquity Continues Its Transformations of Applebee"s, IHOP

Cory and Anna Asbury Devotional, Brian Mccleery iHop Prayer Room

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Diners may soon notice more big changes at their Friday evening happy hour spot, DineEquity (DIN - Get Report) owned Applebee"s.

Long known as a suburban staple with a menu featuring tried-and-true entrees and cocktails, Applebee"s has been undergoing a transformation of its menu and dcor during the last few years. Since December 2007, 90% of the Applebee"s menu has been upgraded or changed, according to the company.

The makeovers at Applebee"s and fellow DineEquity-owned chain IHOP have certainly attracted the notice of investors, who have sent DineEquity shares to a 52-week high recently, spurred by a strong finish to last year.

In the fourth quarter, Applebee"s reported a 2.8% increase in same-store sales, its best showing since the second quarter of 2011. IHOP"s same-store sales rose 6.1% in the fourth quarter, representing its highest quarterly sales increase since the first quarter of 2004.

Together, the two chains account for about 70% of DineEquity"s total annual revenue.

As part of its revamp, Applebee"s is now advertising its shareable and pub plate bar snacks, which includes novel, chef-inspired dishes such fried shrimp with BBQ spice & sriracha chile lime sauce (see photo below), as well as desserts such aschurro s"mores. At the bar, drinks such as the Fireball Whiskey Lemonade are sure to appeal to thirsty millennials.

Applebee"s restaurants are also receiving a facelift. Franchisees are rolling out sleeker-looking bars with more modern seating, and dining sections for families that are devoid of funky patterned cushioning.

"We have made progress on this notion of the modern grill and bar," said DineEquity Chairman and CEO Julia Stewart in an interview with TheStreet at the world"s largest Applebee"s,locatedin New York City. DineEquity expects Applebee"ssales to rise by 1% to 4% this year due to improvements to the chain"s dcor and menu. Stewart also sees a significant opportunity for Applebee"s to expand internationally. As of the end of 2014, there were 1,870 domestic Applebee"s locations, with 26 franchisees operating just 147 sites internationally.

"The international side of the business is small, but a huge opportunity for us in terms of growth," said Stewart. "Internationally, we really have a lot of malls, especially in the Middle East, as it"s the place to entertain and go, so Applebee"s in a mall is an opportunity."

According to DineEquity"s latest annual report, the Applebee"s development agreements currently in place call for the opening of 102 domestic restaurants and 19 international restaurants in 2015 and 2016. DineEquity does not disclose same-restaurant sales for international locations. Meantime, IHOP is also about to undergo a menu revamp, and is starting to roll out a new prototype restaurant. According to Miller Tabak restaurant analyst Stephen Anderson, IHOP"s performance has been the main driver of DineEquity"s surging stock price, while Applebee"s has more work left to do to close the gap with rivals such as Chili"s, which is owned by Brinker International (EAT - Get Report). "I think Chili"s has done a successful job of focusing back on its Tex-Mex roots within the mid-scale bar-and-grill segment," Anderson said.

For the quarter ended Dec. 24,Chili"s produced a 4.2% same-restaurant sales increase at franchised locations in the U.S.Must Read: Go Inside Dunkin" Donuts Plans to Dominate the K-Cup Industry

Source: http://www.thestreet.com/story/13066369/1/dineequity-continues-its-transformations-of-applebees-ihop.html

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Muere Daniel von Bargen, actor de Seinfeld

Seinfeld - The Best of Mr. Kruger
Daniel von Bargen, actor ed seris como Seinfeld y Malcolm, el de enmedio, muri el fin de semana a los 64 aos de edad.

Segn el portal web de la revista People, el actor muri despus de una largada enfermedad.

"Nos enteramos de este evento al mismo tiempo que el resto de la industria y estamos profundamente triste de saber sobre la prdida de Daniel", declararon en un comunicado sus agentes de Access Talent.

El actor padeca de diabetes, y en 2012 haba sido hospitalizado tras un fallido intento de suicidio.

"En los pasados cinco aos haba estado lidiando con problemas de salud que impidieron su bsqueda activa de trabajo. Lo recordamos profundamente por su profesionalismo e ingenio, que contrastaban con los roles de manitico que interpret con frecuencia, con energa e intensidad. Fue un placer trabajar con l", declararon los antiguos agentes.

Von Bargen interpret el personaje de Kruger en Seinfeld y al Comandante Edwin Splangler en Malcolm, el de enmedio.

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Source: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/espectaculos/2015/muere-daniel-von-bargen-actor-seinfeld-malcolm-1081925.html

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LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray, Adrian Peterson Are Proof That NFL RBs ...

BLOCKBUSTER TRADE - LESEAN MCCOY TRADED TO THE BILLS!! | Thoughts and Analysis

Eagles running back LeSean McCoy reportedly has been traded for a Bills linebacker who missed all of last season with a knee injury. DeMarco Murray, the leagues leading rusher in 2014, was allowed to walk into free agency by the Cowboys, because they didnt want to sign him to a massive long-term deal. Adrian Peterson, the most-feared running back of this decade, probably wont be back with the Vikings in 2015.

All of the aforementioned are elite running backs. Murray gained 1,845 yards and a league-high 13 touchdowns for Dallas last season and was a big reason the Cowboys made the playoffs for the first time in five years. They didnt feel forced to keep him. McCoy was the leagues leading rusher in 2013, and in the past two seasons, hes combined to gain nearly 3,000 yards. Not good enough for Philadelphia. Peterson, despite his suspension last season for violating the leagues personal policy, has gained more than 10,000 yards in his career. That doesnt mean Minnesota wants him to return.

And thus, the position in football that gave birth to the extraordinary Jim Brown, the mesmerizing Walter Payton, the incredible Barry Sanders and the enduring Emmitt Smith that of the once all-mighty running back continues its course of marginalization into todays pass-happy NFL. The position isnt irrelevant with the possible exception of fullback but its heading that way.

Actually, thats incorrect. The position isnt irrelevant. Its that high-priced running backs are. Better for NFL teams to find solid production for a couple years from a back who wont cost much money and then, when that back eventually wants more money, discard him and find another cheap producer.

Is Adrian Peterson, at nearly 30 years old, on the downside of his career?

It used to be that once a running back hit 30 years old, his days of domination were just about finished, but until that time, he still could be handsomely compensated by his team that theory has now been downshifted a couple of years to the age of 27. Thats where Peterson comes in to play. h**l turn 30 later this month, and after more than 2,200 career touches the fourth-most among all active players theres little doubt that the Adrian Peterson of today is not nearly as explosive as the Adrian Peterson from 2012.

Even though he played only one game last season and, thus, theoretically, would be well-rested, he probably wont return to Minnesota (though, interestingly, Peterson in the past has been linked to the Cowboys who, as you know, will have a gaping hole at running back next year).

But McCoy who will be traded to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso is only 26 years old. As is Murray. The problem with McCoy is that hes owed a base salary of $9.75 million for 2015. The problem with Murray is that hed probably like to be paid as well as McCoy.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshkatzowitz/2015/03/04/lesean-mccoy-demarco-murray-adrian-peterson-are-proof-that-nfl-rbs-more-marginalized-than-ever/

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