Remembering M*A*S*H Film Director Robert Altman, More M*A*S*H Notes; 'Arrested Development' Launches on MSN Video

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Remembering MASH Film Director Robert Altman, More MASH Notes; 'Arrested Development' Launches on MSN Video

Robert Altman, the man who directed films such as M*A*S*H, Nashville and The Player who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, died at a Los Angeles Hospital, according to his Sandcastle 5 Productions Company. The director died Monday night. The cause of death wasn't disclosed. A five-time Academy Award nominee for best director, most recently for 2001's Gosford Park, he finally won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2006. Perpetually in and out of favor with audiences and critics, Altman worked ceaselessly since his anti-war black comedy M*A*S*H established his reputation in 1970, but he would go for years at a time directing obscure movies before roaring back with a hit.
After a string of commercial duds including The Gingerbread Man in 1998, Cookie's Fortune in 1999 and Dr. T & the Women in 2000, Altman took his all-American cynicism to Britain for 2001's Gosford Park. A combination murder-mystery and class-war satire set among snobbish socialites and their servants on an English estate in the 1930s, Gosford Park was Altman's biggest box-office success since M*A*S*H. Other famous movies he has directed include Popeye in 1980. Though, he has never directed or appeared on a sitcom, his first hit turned into a long running TV series in M*A*S*H. Mr. Altman will be missed. He was 81.
And speaking of M*A*S*H (the TV series, that), it will be coming to TV Land on January 1, with a week-long stunt, as we mentioned before. We will have more details very soon, but I do have news that The Hallmark Channel will have an uncut episode marathon stunt from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on January 1. TV Land will only be able to air the show between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., while Hallmark has 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Click here to view the episodes for the Hallmark Channel New Year's Day 2007 stunt.

As we mentioned a few months back, critically acclaimed but low rated sitcom Arrested Development will be coming to MSN Video in reruns. MSN announced that beginning today episodes of the Emmy award-winning comedy Arrested Development will be streamed on demand on MSN Video and at no cost to viewers. The first five episodes are available today at http://arresteddevelopment.msn.com and, starting Dec. 15, three new episodes will be added every three weeks. All 53 episodes from the three seasons of the show will be rolled out within the next year.