"American Horror Story" is a mess of a show, but it's hard to look away
The FX drama from the "Glee" team of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk is, says Mary McNamara, "a big ol' brooding, baffling, ridiculous and occasionally compelling mess of a show. Never big fans of narrative convention, creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have rejected the essential rule of horror — the unseen is more terrifying than the revealed — in favor of the same "more is more" theology that fuels their equally defiant 'Glee.' As a result, early episodes seem less concerned with telling a scary story than pelting the viewer with story lines, vignettes, disturbing imagery, psycho-sexual titillation and the odd moment of high camp."
"Horror" makes the Ryan "Murphian" mistake of assuming a lot of ideas = story
It cuts to the chase — "Horror" starts off completely, unabashedly nuts
Pilot is great because it's unpredictable // It could learn a lesson from "Dexter"
Spattered with cliches // The most visually arresting and twisted new show of year
Connie Britton "wanted to do something completely different"
Ryan Murphy: "The Walking Dead" is my fave show // "This is a very polarizing show"
Dylan McDermott: "For once…I was in my birthday suit!"
HBO's "George Harrison" is another flawed documentary from Martin Scorsese
The problem with the 3 1/2 hour "Living in the Material World," says Hank Stuever, is that Scorsese left others to do the legwork (the interviews) and that he is too close to the subject matter to actually make a revealing documentary. "What Scorsese’s recent documentaries all have in common is a friendliness that tends toward clubbiness; movies about famous people made by a famous person," he says, adding: "For his reputation as a maker of unflinchingly tough feature films about dark-hearted men, Scorsese makes documentaries as one would pet a kitty."
Scorsese has so bowdlerized Harrison's life that it comes off as boring
It's an impressive work, despite sometimes seeming too self-indulgent
Feels like homework // The documentary is off-putting, yet fascinating
Scorsese: "It's impossible for me to imagine not making films about music"
Last night's episode was the best "Glee" ever, says Kevin Fallon because it rose above early "best" episodes and, "above all, there were stakes. 'Glee' began as a story of a small group of high school underdogs desperate to make a mark. Anyone's who's been through high school knows the importance of feeling accepted, making Glee relatable. But thanks to its permeating sarcasm and wink at cliches, the show is still escapist. "Asian F" delivered on both counts." PLUS: Was 
Murphy could make a cameo this week when his "Tower Heist" co-star, Ben Stiller, hosts, according to Page Six. Murphy has been feuding with Lorne Michaels since David Spade took a shot at him in the '90s on "Weekend Update." As Page Six notes, Murphy has dissociated himself from "SNL," declining to appear in any reunion shows or special. But Brett Ratner, who tapped Murphy to host the Oscars, may have cleared the way for the two men to reconcile. Meanwhile, reps for both Murphy and Ratner deny that any cameo is in the works, at least for now. PLUS: 
Hef responded to today's cancelation on Twitter, saying it should've been on cable, "aimed at a more adult audience." Meanwhile, he says there's interest in a 
"Just because we adored something doesn't mean we need more of it," says Andy Greenwald. He adds: "'Arrested Development' succeeded because there was no lesson-learning, no hugging, and certainly no touching. Reunions are predicated on winking familiarity and a need to please the pre-existing audience, not challenge them. It's much easier to laugh and joke around on Twitter than it is in the multiplex. If 'Arrested Development' comes back and disappoints it will leave a hell of a lot of people blue — and not in the fun, sexy Tobias way either."
Once again, the six major "Simpsons" actors are in a pay dispute that threatens to make this, the 23rd season, the last for "The Simpsons." According to The Daily Beast, "for the first time in nearly a quarter century of haggling, the executives have insisted that if the cast doesn't accept a draconian 45 percent pay cut, 'The Simpsons' will die an abrupt death as a first-run series." Meanwhile, the actors are only willing to cut their 30%.
Vince Gilligan answers burning questions about last night, and says of knowing the end: "I wish I did — but then again I don't wish I did, because … there's a lot of invention left to be done on 'Breaking Bad.' We've got 16 more hours to fill, and honestly I don't exactly know where it's all going to wind up — and I think that's a good thing." PLUS: 
