Frankie Stone

  • Why Is Hollywood Still Going to D.C.’s Prom?

    “The Prom” is what Washington media call Saturday’s White House Correspondents Association Dinner. The name’s truer than they think. Where else do grownups wage popularity contests to score the best table locations? Wear tuxedos that have never met a tailor and flammable rayon gowns that taunt lit matches? And recruit such random Hollywood names that…

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  • Twitter War Has That Fake Feeling

    I’m embarrassed to admit that I followed the Ashton Kutcher-CNN Twitter war. I’m even more ashamed that I didn’t smell the rat, despite spotting its tail early on. We know Kutcher’s schtick. He combines jock humor, unabashed promotion and giant smug hipness, infused with of-the-moment digital gadgetry. But he manages to bring just enough camaraderie,…

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  • Where’s the Handlers When We Need Them?

    If I see one more PR-spun update on post-breakup Lindsay Lohan, I think my eyeballs will melt. We're being treated daily to endless publicity "sources" and "friends" advancing the tale of the scrappy starlet courageously coping with singledom. Lohan's embarrassed by her ex's changed locks and restraining orders! She's only drinking water at the Chateau…

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  • Memo to Emmy: Online TV Screeners Don’t Work

    It's too hard watching Henry VIII have sex on my laptop. I gave it a good try, but I'm going back to the old-fashioned way of watching screeners. Spring means the arrival of Emmy screeners from the TV Academy. Years ago, these stopped being just episodes submitted for consideration and grew into fancy promotional presentations…

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  • Fear and Loathing Over the SyFy Rebranding

    SyFy isn’t common Polish slang for an STD. But not for lack of trying. Recently, NBCU announced it was rebranding its 17-year-old Sci Fi Channel as SyFy. To be pronounced … Sci Fi. And it’ll come with a new tagline: “Imagine Greater.” You have to admire NBCU’s cojones for voluntarily pissing off entertainment’s most passionate,…

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  • That’s What They Call ‘Action’ News

    Television newsrooms are like cages full of bunnies who can read teleprompters. The hook-up opportunities they offer should rank as a workplace benefit in job postings. That mix of ego, libido and proximity causes TV newsers to often come off much hotter than they are, especially to each other. Among its many industry contributions, L.A.’s…

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  • Richardson: In Death as in Life

    The ending of life for two very different Englishwomen speaks volumes about celebrity. With a defiant working-class chip on her shoulder, Jade Goody turned a reality show shot into a career. Embraced and trashed, she converted fame into hosting gigs, exercise videos, two autobiographies and even a fragrance that made her a millionaire and UK…

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