John Lehr

Hollywood’s Most Affable Caveman

John Lehr’s most famous “role,” if you can call it that, masks a personality that is, at heart, a persistent smile. You’ve seen him—and heard him—over the years as the funniest caveman in the commercials for Geico insurance. The running joke in the commercials, in case you’re among the few who haven’t seen them, is that Geico’s pitch of “it’s so easy to use Geico.com, a caveman can do it” triggers outrage among present-day cavemen, all of whom resemble hairy museum displays of homo erectus yet speak in the language …

Neal Baer

The Crusading Wonk Behind SVU and Under the Dome

The novel may be Stephen King’s, but Under the Dome is the perfect conceit for Neal Baer. If you caught Monday night’s pilot episode of the new buzzy show on …

Why Can’t CNN Tell Good Stories?

Sorry, Folks, the Profits Are In the B-Roll

You’ve got the solution to CNN’s problems. I can see you cradling a good pinot after a dinner party when you say, “They just need to tell great stories, like …

You Want The Arts? Well, The Arts Cost

Debbie Allen on the Hard Work, Persistence, Creativity, Education, Joy—and Yes, Sweat—That The Arts Require

Debbie Allen’s career has spanned film, television, and theater; acting, choreographing, directing, and producing; and serving as an ambassador and teacher of the arts in Los Angeles and around the …

Pity the F-Bomb-Dropping Newscaster

I’m a Local TV News Veteran. Here’s What It’s Like.

My first reaction to the unfortunate debut of A.J. Clemente on a TV newscast was to cringe. Then I laughed. Clemente is the young television anchor in North Dakota who …

TMZ’s Charles Latibeaudiere

A Bronx Native Embraces Los Angeles (Just Don’t Tell the Folks in New York)

Charles Latibeaudiere is co-executive producer of TMZ and a co-host of TMZ’s television show. Before participating in a panel on infotainment and journalism, he talked about his dream TMZ scoop, …