After years of development, a filmed pilot, and serious creative talent behind it, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is suddenly dead — and the timing couldn’t be worse.
So what happened?
This week, we start with Buffy… and zoom out to the bigger question: why does Hollywood keep going back?
From The X-Files to a growing list of revivals, reboots and “reimaginings,” the industry seems stuck in a loop — mining the past instead of building something new.
Remember when red carpets were about journalism… and not vertical video, viral moments, and whether someone got free cake?
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah and I dive into the growing clash between influencers and traditional entertainment journalism — and ask the uncomfortable question: who actually belongs on the red carpet anymore?
From the Oscars red carpet controversy to the backlash surrounding TikTok influencer Jake Shane at the Vanity Fair party, we break down what happens when viral culture meets legacy media… and whether the result is evolution or erosion.
Along the way, we explore:
How red carpet interviews have changed from journalism to content creation
The rise of TikTok influencers in Hollywood spaces
Whether viral moments are replacing meaningful conversations
Behind-the-scenes stories from TIFF, press junkets, and old-school Hollywood access
Why authenticity still matters — whether you have millions of followers or none
Plus: BTS Army shows up in a big way, Richard shares wild junket stories (including Rome and the Vatican…), and Sarah defends the idea that maybe disruption isn’t the enemy — maybe it’s the point.
Are influencers ruining the red carpet… or just revealing what it’s become?
The internet spent a week asking a very serious question:
Was that actually Jim Carrey… or someone wearing Jim Carrey?
When the comedy legend appeared at the César Awards in Paris, conspiracy theories exploded online. People compared eye colour, hand dominance, and facial features, trying to prove that the man on the red carpet couldn’t possibly be the real Jim Carrey.
Because obviously the most logical explanation is… a clone.
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah Hanlon and I unpack the strange online reaction and what it reveals about celebrity culture. Why do fans feel betrayed when stars change their appearance? Why did Jennifer Grey’s nose job derail her career? And why does Hollywood still pressure actors to look permanently 30 years old?
Along the way, Richard shares stories from meeting Jim Carrey before he was famous, interviewing Jennifer Lawrence early in her career, and why the new film Sweetness might be one of the year’s most interesting indie surprises.
What starts as a celebrity conspiracy theory quickly turns into something bigger:
A conversation about beauty standards, fame, identity… and why the internet thinks it owns your face once you’re famous.
Why do we travel just to stand where a movie scene was filmed?
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah Hanlon and I explore the booming $73 Billion world of film and TV tourism — from Twin Peaks and Ghostbusters to Hollywood landmarks and Ontario’s suddenly famous Heated Rivalry cottage. They unpack the nostalgia, escapism, and surprising economics behind visiting fictional worlds in real life… and ask whether renting a famous filming location is pure fan magic or brilliant marketing.
Because sometimes the real destination isn’t the place — it’s the story.
Canadians are proudly buying local, waving the maple leaf, and rallying behind homegrown culture — so why are Canadian movie theaters suddenly empty?
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah and I unpack the surprising 40% drop in Canadian film attendance and ask a big question: if we love Canadian creators, why aren’t we showing up for Canadian movies?
From Mike Myers’ cultural rallying cry to the legacy of comedy icons like John Candy, plus a heartfelt tribute to the late Robert Duvall, the conversation dives into movie-going habits, streaming culture, national identity, and whether Canadian storytelling needs a reinvention… or just a bigger audience.
Are Canadian films overlooked, misunderstood, or simply waiting for their moment? Grab your popcorn — this one gets personal.
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Richard Crouse and Sarah Hanlon hold up the “art is a mirror” cliché…then immediately use it to start a small, tasteful blaze. We’re talking art as resistance…from Picasso’s Guernica energy to pop culture moments that make the internet reveal its whole personality in public.
We also take a beat to acknowledge the death of Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek at 48, and why his openness about colorectal cancer matters…plus Richard’s blunt reminder that early screening can save your life (yes, even if you have “literally anything else” you’d rather do).
Then it’s into the beautiful chaos: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show as storytelling, culture, and a giant empathy machine…complete with NYC water data that proves half of New York held it together out of respect for the performance (and then absolutely did not). From there, we connect dots between protest music and icon moments…Sinead O’Connor, Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” Public Enemy, punk rock, Spike Lee, and what happens when resistance goes mainstream without getting sanded down into “brand-safe inspiration.”
We also detour through Toronto’s disappearing music landmarks, including the news that Steve’s Music on Queen West is closing…and what that says about culture, community, and the slow gentrified vanishing of the places where scenes are born.
Watch on YouTube, listen wherever you get podcasts…and yes, subscribe (thank you…thank you very much).
Is reality TV trash…or is it secretly one of the most powerful storytelling tools we have?
In this episode of Entertainment Is Broken, the podcast I host with and reality-TV scholar and Big Brother Canada winner Sarah Hanlon dive deep into the past, present, and future of reality television — just as Canada Shore lands in Kelowna, BC and The Traitors Canada proves the genre is having a full-blown renaissance.
We unpack where reality TV really began (hint: it wasn’t Jersey Shore), why shows like Survivor, Big Brother, The Traitors, Canada’s Drag Race, Love Island, and The Great British Bake Off keep pulling us in, and whether reality television is cultural junk food…or a machine for empathy.
On this episode of Entertainment Is Broken, the podcast I do with Sarah Hanlon, we break down the newly announced Oscar nominations, including surprise snubs, unexpected front-runners, and why horror films are finally getting serious Academy attention.
The episode opens with a sharp review of Mercy, a futuristic thriller built around an AI judge, total surveillance, and a ticking clock. Is it anti-AI, pro-AI, or just a confusing sci-fi experiment? Richard explains why it may be the ultimate hate watch… and a “seatbelt movie” in the worst way.
From there, they dig into this year’s major Best Picture contenders, including Sinners, Hamnet, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, Frankenstein, and One Battle After Another. The conversation covers Oscar predictions, blockbuster fatigue, genre bias, and what actually makes a great film.
Also discussed:
Oscar snubs (Wicked, Ariana Grande, and more)
Blockbusters vs critical darlings
The rise of “smart horror”
Casting as the Academy’s newest awards category
Why modern movies are too long…and why 90 minutes still matters
Smart, opinionated, and funny, this episode is for anyone who loves movies, film criticism, Oscar season, and debating why some films deserve awards…and others deserve mercy.
