Regina King

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 22nd, 2024, reviewing “Shirley,” featuring Regina King as 1960s/70s Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Streaming on Netflix since March 22nd.

CHICAGO – One of the great lesser known pioneers of social and civil rights history is Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. As a black woman in the 1960s/70s, she not only was elected to the House of Representatives but also ran for president in 1972 against all odds. Actor Christina Jackson was in Chicago on behalf of the new biopic, “Shirley.”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on August 19th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Flag Day” – featuring and directed by Sean Penn – In theaters on August 20th, 2021.



CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 31st, 2020, reviewing the new film “One Night in Miami,” which is in theaters now, and on Amazon Prime Video on January 15th.

CHICAGO – After all the controversies that beset the 91st Academy Awards, the actual event continued to surprise, with the stunning upset of Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) as the Best Actress honoree – besting heavily favored Glenn Close – to the naming of “Green Book” as Best Picture, which overcame a backlash regarding the liberties of its based-on-truth story.

CHICAGO – I don’t believe it’s gone. TNT’s “Southland” shouldn’t be over. Not only do I not believe that the writers and producers meant for the dark finale of the fifth season, recently released on DVD, to be the close of this brilliant series, but I know they had more stories to tell. Considering the show was once canceled by NBC and rescued from its near-death experience, I suppose we should be happy with got five years but it’s still bittersweet.

CHICAGO – The 2013 Emmy nominations were announced this morning, leading to the natural hand-wringing and chest-beating over who missed the cut. Before we get to the most egregious snubs of the year, a few places where the Academy unexpectedly, happily got it right:

CHICAGO – I know I’ve said this before but the season premiere of TNT’s “Southland,” airing tonight at 9pm CST, feels even darker than last year or the year before. It could be just a show trying to top itself in terms of edgy subject matter but it feels genuine here, like the show is increasingly reflecting our darker times.

CHICAGO – TNT’s “Southland” continues its remarkable run tonight with a fourth season premiere that is as confident, accomplished, and entertaining as anything yet produced by this once-canceled program.

CHICAGO – Loyal readers of HollywoodChicago.com will know that this TV critic is a HUGE fan of TNT’s “Southland,” the best cop drama currently on television and one of the best dramas, period. How anyone at NBC let this stellar program go will remain one of the great TV mysteries of the new millennium. Its unusual second season has recently been released by Warner Archive along with a program forty-five years its elder in “The F.B.I.”