Mike Ryan is currently the senior editor at ScreenCrush. Mike most recently served as Senior Entertainment Writer for The Huffington Post. Previously, Mr. Ryan was a frequent contributor at Vanity Fair and Wired magazine and wrote for Time, GQ, ELLE-UK, and New York magazine.
Mike Ryan
It’s OK to Hate-Watch ‘Peter Pan’ (Even Though No One Really Hate-Watches Anything)
I will be watching ‘Peter Pan Live’ tonight and I can’t wait. Yes, I might make a joke. I can’t help it sometimes. But that doesn’t mean I’m hate-watching. If I'm truly hate-watching, I'm miserable. I’m watching because I assume the experience will bring me pleasure. I’m expecting to like ‘Peter Pan Live,’ even if it's bad. And, right now, more than ever, it really feels good to like something.
‘SNL’ Scorecard: Woody Harrelson Wins the Quarter Quell
Woody Harrelson’s third time as host of ‘SNL’–and his first since way back in 1992 (he hosted just a few weeks after Jason Priestly)–was actually pretty great. Anticipation for an ‘SNL’ host is a fickle beast. Now, one might circle the calendar when he or she sees, say, Chris Rock’s name show up as host, then that show winds up being a bust. I suspect that not a lot of people were thinking, Oh, man, Woody Harrelson is hosting ‘SNL’! I need to cancel all of my plans because that will be one I can’t miss. Then Harrelson goes out and is everything we want out of a host: funny, up for anything, looks like he’s having fun, willing to sing a song about apples that is still stuck in my head. Anyway, he hosted the best show of the season so far and here is your ‘SNL’ Scorecard.
Remembering Robin Williams: The Actor We All Felt We Knew
“Can you believe Popeye is played by the guy who plays Mork?” These words from my mother blew my seven-year-old mind. That's my intro to a piece I don’t know how to write and, honestly, probably shouldn’t be writing so soon after learning about Robin Williams’ death. I only had one encounter with Williams professionally – an interview promoting ‘Happy Feet 2,’ of all things – yet there are tears coming down my face as I type this for what is essentially a stranger. Even though he’s not a stranger. Everyone knew him. This is everyone’s loss.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Talks About Everything
It's almost impossible to stay on topic when interviewing 'Weird Al'. He's a walking encyclopedia of popular culture knowledge and every answer leaves multiple alleyways to explore. Ahead, the topics covered include 'Star Wars,' 'UHF,' Charlie Kaufman, Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Springsteen, 'The LEGO' Movie, his is favorite movie of all-time, Joe Piscopo, 'The Naked Gun,' 'Rocky' and a host of other topics that don't have much to do with one another.
The Lost Episode Of ‘Seinfeld’ That No One Has Ever Seen (and Never Will)
During the second season of ‘Seinfeld’ – on Wednesday, December 12, 1990, to be more exact – the cast sat down to read through the script for what would be the fourth episode of the season and only the ninth episode of a series that would go on to produce a total of 180 episodes. The episode was titled ‘The Bet.’ Sets for the episode had been built. Guest characters had been cast. ‘The Bet’ would never air.
12 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith In Joffrey
People really hate King Joffrey! And with good reason! But like most things in life, not everything is purely black and white. Though not often depicted on ‘Game of Thrones,’ King Joffrey had a good side to him – a sensitive side -- that not many people know about. Let’s take a look back at 12 moments that will restore your faith in Joffrey.