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John Powers

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04:59

Harry Potter: More than the Marketing Hype

While Harry Potter has grown to become a huge a marketing event, the book series is still, at its heart, a literary event. Critic-at-large John Powers considers kids today lucky to have that experience. He compares it to his experiences purchasing and reading the Hardy Boys mysteries as a child.

Commentary
05:16

Finding the Right Role: Offbeat Women in Hollywood

Critic-at-large John Powers comments on the history of roles for offbeat women in Hollywood. Powers recently saw the hit film The 40-Year-Old Virgin and got to thinking about the actress Catherine Keener, who co-stars.

Commentary
05:19

The Lessons of Murrow and 'Good Night'

In several ways, the age of "infotainment" is foretold in Good Night, and Good Luck, set in the 1950s. The film tells of newsman Edward R. Murrow's fight against Sen. Joe McCarthy -- but it also details "the inherent debasement of mass news in a commercial culture."

Commentary
06:57

Catching Vintage Jazz Tap on DVD

Several recent DVD releases feature great black entertainers of the 20th century. For classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz, his favorites feature the great tap dance team of Harold and Fayard Nicholas.

Commentary
05:43

'Lost' v. 'CSI'

The hit show 'Lost' began its third season Oct. 4 in a year that has, so far, been dominated by the 'CSI' franchise. The success of these crime shows isn't surprising, says critic at-large John Powers, who finds that the difference between the two kinds of shows says a lot about current TV.

Commentary
06:53

The Career of Alec Baldwin

Actor Alec Baldwin won a Golden Globe last night for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role on NBC's 30 Rock.

Commentary

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