Gabourey Sidibe

CHICAGO – My year in capturing 2017 celebrity portraits is best summed up with a bit of poetry: My subjects skewed older and politically bolder/In a year that demanded change/My list is longer with work hopefully stronger/In capturing these faces not strange.

CHICAGO – Showtime’s “The Big C” is a sporadically brilliant show that somehow still has not clicked into place as the truly great comedy it could have been. Despite my issues with the often-pretentious, self-aware writing, there’s one thing that no one can complain about regarding this Emmy-nominated show — the cast rules. Laura Linney gives easily one of the most engaging performances on TV and she’s ably assisted by a truly strong ensemble.

CHICAGO – Emmy-winning “Nurse Jackie” starts its fourth season and the highly-acclaimed “The Big C” joins it for its third on Sunday nights starting tonight, April 8, 2012.

CHICAGO – Brett Ratner’s “Tower Heist” features a LOT of actors who have proven talents but haven’t made the best career decisions of late. The number of disappointing films that star Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, and Tea Leoni could fill a film festival in Hell. And Ratner has committed his own crimes against celluloid. So, I was dreading “Tower Heist.” There’s nothing to dread here.

CHICAGO – In our latest comedy caper edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 Blu-rays up for grabs for the home entertainment release of “Tower Heist” starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy!

CHICAGO – The frustrating madness that is the typical Hollywood movie never ceases to amaze, in the sense where large sums of cash are outlaid to pair the right movie stars together, and not one wit is expended to create an interesting or cohesive story. “Tower Heist” is the latest example of this sad trend.

CHICAGO – What would you do if you just didn’t give a crap anymore? This question seems to be the theme of Showtime’s new series “The Big C,” starring Laura Linney, Oliver Platt, and recent Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe.

CHICAGO – It’s a shame that a forgettable action flick forced Lee Daniels’s Oscar-winning drama to change its title from “Push” to “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” It’s a terribly ungainly title, brimming with wordy self-importance. What if other films did the same thing? I shudder at the thought of, “An Education: Based on the Memoir by Lynn Barber” or “A Serious Man: Based on an Idea Concocted by Roderick Jaynes.”

CHICAGO – The final scene of Lee Daniels’ “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” ends with a dedication that the film is for “precious girls everywhere”.

CHICAGO – One of the most talked about films this year is the Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey backed “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.” Essential to the film is Gabourey Sidibe, who plays the title character of Precious.