Unaired TV pilots: Wonder Woman, Day One, Hieroglyph

As a fan of television entertainment, I keep track of new TV shows in the works and make note of the ones I’m interested in watching.
Often those shows never make it to broadcast and their pilots are never shown. I, for one, would like the chance to see them and judge for myself whether they’re any good. Judging from the schlock that networks see fit to air, those pilots must be pretty bad, at least in their opinion.
Entertainment Weekly recently ran a list of upcoming pilots commissioned by the major broadcast networks. EW seemed to share my interest in watching unaired pilots.

You’ll never see most of them … We’re still rooting for the big, traditional networks to put their pilots online, like Amazon, so we can properly judge them – rather than trusting network executives and mall focus groups to decide what gets on the air. (That’s how we end up with Bad Judge).

Amazon.com puts the pilots for its original shows online for viewers to judge. Those with the best response get full-season commitments for Amazon Prime Instant Video.
The broadcast networks usually bury their failed pilots. But some rejected TV pilots eventually do get shown.
Space action pilot “High Moon” was repackaged as a TV movie for Syfy last September, TV Guide reported.
The pilot for a TV show based on “Delirium,” a young adult novel set in a dystopian future where love is considered a disease, aired for one month on Hulu last summer, EW reported.

The pilot for a Sarah Silverman sitcom, “Susan 313,” that NBC rejected was posted on YouTube for a limited time for all to see in October 2013, Huffington Post reported.
The pilot for a high school comedy called “Not Another Teen Show” didn’t make it to TV. But an extended clip from the aborted Comedy Central show, which starred Jennifer Lawrence and Alison Brie, was posted to YouTube last August, E! Online and Entertainment Weekly reported.
What follows is a list of notable TV pilots that have yet to be aired.
In November, ABC canceled its straight-to-series pickup, midseason drama “Members Only,” starring John Stamos, before its premiere, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Last June, Fox pulled the plug on “Hieroglyph,” an ambitious drama set in ancient Egypt. Only the first episode was filmed. The network hoped the series would be its “Game of Thrones,” but it felt the stories planned for follow-on episodes weren’t very compelling. (See articles by the Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly.)
Last May, CBS decided not to go forward with the spin-off series to “How I Met Your Mother.” CBS said it was not satisfied with the pilot to “How I Met Your Dad” and canceled the project, Huffington Post reported.

In October 2013, Fox axed plans to air its previously announced 13-episode animated series “Murder Police,” which starred the voice talent of Wilmer Valderrama, Jane Lynch, Will Sasso and Chi McBride, EW reported.
In July 2013, HBO said it was unimaginable that a drama pilot featuring one of James Gandolfini’s final performances would air, EW reported. Gandolfini shot a pilot for “Criminal Justice,” but died in June 2013.
I’ve previously written about “Day One,” an alien-invasion show NBC nixed after filming the pilot in 2010. It would have been an early entry in the trend toward post-apocalyptic TV dramas.
In 2011, NBC canceled plans to air “Wonder Woman,” starring Adrianne Palicki as the DC Comics superhero. The show, produced by David E. Kelley, reportedly had script problems and costume issues, Screen Rant reported. The failed series proved to be a good stepping stone for Palicki, who now stars on “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.” (See photo at top.)

Related articles:

7 potentially awesome shows canceled before they premiered. (Entertainment Weekly; July 1, 2014)

10 High-Profile TV Pilots That Didn’t Get Picked Up (Mental Floss; June 17, 2013)

10 shocking pilot season rejects: Why they didn’t make it (Entertainment Weekly; May 14, 2013)

10 Promising Pilots the Networks Didn’t Pick Up This Year (Splitsider; May 17, 2012)

8 documentaries about notable movies that never happened

Movie fans often like to speculate about films that never got made.
For instance, what if Steven Spielberg had made “American Sniper” instead of Clint Eastwood? Spielberg was originally slated to direct the biopic and planned to take the movie in a different direction.
Last year I noticed the emergence of a subcategory of documentaries about interesting movies that were planned but never completed. In some cases, these movies were ultimately shot by other filmmakers who put their own spin on the material. Some never made it past pre-production.
What follows is a list of documentaries in the subgenre about movies that could have been. Some of these documentaries are still in production or pending release.

Jodorowsky’s Dune

“Jodorowsky’s Dune” (2014) explores Chilean-French director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s unsuccessful attempt to adapt and film the classic science-fiction novel “Dune” in the mid-1970s. Director David Lynch helmed a much derided 1984 film version of the novel. (See articles by Wikipedia, Entertainment Weekly and the Verge.)

Lost Soul

“Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau” (2014) recounts the making of the 1996 box-office bomb “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” The original director of the film, Richard Stanley, was fired after just a few days of principal photography and replaced by veteran journeyman director John Frankenheimer. (See articles from Entertainment Weekly and Wikipedia.)

Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four

“Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four” tells the story of the ill-fated movie version of the Fantastic Four that was executive produced by low-budget filmmaker Roger Corman.
The documentary is expected to be released this year. (See articles by Indiewire and Comic Book Resources.)

The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?

“The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?” is a documentary about the proposed 1998 “Superman Lives” feature film that would have starred Nicolas Cage and was to be directed by Tim Burton. It is set for release this year. (See articles by IMDb, Geek Tyrant and another by GeekTyrant.)

A World War II Fairytale: The Making of Michael Mann’s The Keep

“A World War II Fairytale: The Making of Michael Mann’s The Keep” is a documentary in the works about the making of the 1983 cult horror movie “The Keep.” Mann’s film was cut by the studio from its original runtime of over three hours to just over one-and-a-half hours. (See article by Shock Till You Drop.)

Those are some recent examples of the documentary subgenre. But there have been others before them.

Lost in La Mancha

“Lost in La Mancha” (2002) is a documentary about director Terry Gilliam’s doomed attempt to film, “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” starring Johnny Depp. (See article on Wikipedia.)

Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days

“Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days” (2001) documents actress Marilyn Monroe’s unfinished final film, the romantic comedy “Something’s Got to Give.” The documentary includes a 37-minute reconstruction of scenes from movie, which was canceled after Monroe’s death. (See article on IMDb.)

The Epic That Never Was

“The Epic That Never Was” (1965) is a documentary that tells the story of the aborted 1937 filming of “I, Claudius,” starring Charles Laughton, with all of its surviving footage. (See articles on IMDb and the New York Times.)

Let me know if I missed any other good examples.

Update (July 16, 2015): Check out more documentaries about movies that were never made.

Memorable movie songs passed over for Oscars

Many winners of the Oscar for Best Original Song aren’t very memorable. By contrast, there have been quite a few hit songs that have stood the test of time that were passed over by the Academy Awards.
A good number of those shunned songs are on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 songs in American cinema.
What follows is a list of great movie songs that didn’t win Oscars:

• “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel from “The Graduate” (1967) shamefully was not nominated for an Academy Award. The winning song that year was “Talk to the Animals” from “Doctor Dolittle.”
• “The Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book” (1967) was nominated, but also lost to “Talk to the Animals.” And the terrific “I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)” from “The Jungle Book” wasn’t even nominated.
• “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney and Wings from the 1973 James Bond movie lost the Oscar that year to “The Way We Were” from the movie of the same name.
• “Nobody Does It Better,” performed by Carly Simon for the 1977 James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me,” lost to the lame tune “You Light Up My Life” from the movie of the same name.
• “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees from “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) wasn’t even nominated in the year “You Light Up My Life” won. Neither was a bunch of Bee Gees hits from the soundtrack including “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Night Fever” and “More Than a Woman.”
• “Rainbow Connection” from “The Muppet Movie” (1979) was nominated, but lost the Oscar to the unmemorable “It Goes Like It Goes” from “Norma Rae.”
• “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” by Phil Collins from the 1984 movie “Against All Odds,” was nominated but lost out to the saccharine Steve Wonder tune “I Just Called to Say I Love You” from “The Woman in Red.”
• “I Have Nothing,” performed by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard” (1992), was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin.” “Run to You,” another classic Whitney Houston song from “The Bodyguard,” also was nominated that year.
• “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” performed by Aerosmith for “Armageddon” (1998), was nominated but lost to the forgettable “When You Believe” from “The Prince of Egypt.”
• “The Great Beyond” by REM for the 1999 movie “Man on the Moon” was not even nominated for an Oscar.

Photos: Promotional art for “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins (top) and “The Great Beyond” by REM.

Pop music stars who have won Oscars for Best Original Song

What do Bob Dylan, Eminem and Elton John have in common?
They’ve all won Oscars for writing songs for movies.
What follows is a list of pop music stars who have won Oscars for Best Original Song.

• Isaac Hayes, “Theme from Shaft”, “Shaft”, 1971
• Barbra Streisand, “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)”, “A Star Is Born”, 1976
• Stevie Wonder, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, “The Woman in Red”, 1984
• Lionel Richie, “Say You, Say Me”, “White Nights”, 1985
• Carly Simon, “Let the River Run”, “Working Girl”, 1988
• Bruce Springsteen, “Streets of Philadelphia”, “Philadelphia”, 1993
• Elton John, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, “The Lion King”, 1994
• Phil Collins, “You’ll Be in My Heart”, “Tarzan”, 1999
• Bob Dylan, “Things Have Changed”, “Wonder Boys”, 2000
• Eminem, “Lose Yourself”, “8 Mile”, 2002
• Annie Lennox, “Into the West”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, 2003
• Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul, “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp”, “Hustle & Flow”, 2005
• Melissa Etheridge, “I Need to Wake Up”, “An Inconvenient Truth”, 2006
• Adele, “Skyfall”, “Skyfall”, 2012

Several pop stars also have won Oscars for Best Original Score. They are:

• The Beatles, “Let It Be”, 1970
• Prince, “Purple Rain”, 1984
• David Byrne, “The Last Emperor”, 1987

Oscar snubs for Best Original Song in 2014 include Lorde and Fall Out Boy

One of the most frustrating categories at the Academy Awards is for Best Original Song.
That’s because the most memorable movie songs, including those that are big hits on the radio, don’t usually win. In many cases, they aren’t even nominated.
Last year’s ceremony was an exception, with “Let It Go” from the Disney animated musical “Frozen” winning the trophy.
But this year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was back to form, skipping a number of popular songs in favor of a few obscure ones.
Entertainment Weekly readers cited two songs as Oscar snubs that really bugged them: “Yellow Flicker Beat” by Lorde from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1” and “Big Eyes” by Lana Del Rey for “Big Eyes.” They were among the 79 original songs short-listed for Oscar contention in December.
Both of those songs were nominated for a Golden Globe award, but lost to “Glory” by John Legend and Common from “Selma.” “Glory” is the front-runner for the Best Original Song at the 2015 Oscars.
To the list of snubs, I’d add “Immortals” by Fall Out Boy from “Big Hero 6.”
Some of the most significant songs from major motion pictures aren’t eligible for Oscars because they weren’t written for the screen.
For instance, “Boom Clap” by Charli XCX was a big hit from “The Fault in Our Stars,” but it wasn’t written for the movie. So it wasn’t eligible for an Oscar.
The 2015 Oscars will be awarded on Feb. 22.

The happiest, horniest, wealthiest states

There are infinite ways to look at the U.S. by laying demographic, survey and other data over a map of the country.
What follows are some interesting examples from around the Web.

The Happiest Regions In America

Researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research put together a map showing the relative happiness of people in metropolitan and rural areas of the U.S.
Among cities, the small city of Charlottesville, Virginia, tops the rankings, and Washington, D.C., and Atlanta both rank as happier than average, according to Priceonomics.
Declining cities like Detroit, Michigan, and urban areas in the Midwest are particularly unhappy. Large swaths of Indiana and Kentucky ranked at the bottom of the happiness rankings.

States with the horniest women

For his book “Dataclysm,” OKCupid founder Christian Rudder uses data gleaned from what people say and do on dating sites to uncover which states have the horniest women and other interesting facts, according to Men’s Health.

States with the longest and shortest average sex times

Fast Company ran a map showing average sex times in states across the U.S.
The infographic was based on data from Spreadsheets, a sort of sex-focused Fitbit.

Map showing whether states prefer boobs or butts

A study of Americans looking for “straight,” “woman-with-man” pornography on websites Pornhub and Youporn revealed which states prefer butts over boobs, Huffington Post reported.

Descriptive words for each state

Business Insider published a U.S. map showing the top autocomplete word for each state when people search Google for “Why is (state) so …?”
Some results:
Why is Illinois so … corrupt?
Why is Virginia so … strict?

Word used most disproportionately in each state’s Wikipedia article

Slate studied Wikipedia articles to find the word most representative of each state. (For Pennsylvania it’s chocolate, for Colorado it’s cannabis, etc.)
Author Ben Blatt discussed how the data can be sorted to come up with different results based on various parameters.

Top State Income Tax Rates

The Tax Foundation has run a series of informative maps.
Check out the organization’s map showing state income tax rates in 2014, which range from zero in seven states to 13.3% in California.

Largest company by revenue in each state

Huffington Post reprinted a map showing the largest company by revenue in each state.
The map was put together by telecom company Broadview Networks.

Wealthiest Americans by state

Real estate blog Movoto published a map showing the richest person in each state.

What each state buys most on eBay

The data analysts at eBay put together a map of the 50 states showing what types of products are purchased in each state most often.
(See article by the Huffington Post.)

Most popular U.S. attractions by state

An Imgur user posted a map showing the most popular U.S. attractions by state.
It was composed using information from a list website called Reflections of Pop Culture & Life’s Challenges.

Each State’s Supernatural Claim To Fame

The Movoto Real Estate Blog published a detailed map showing each state’s supernatural claim to fame, including cryptids, UFOs and aliens, or paranormal activity.
In my current state of Virginia, the top supernatural incident involves the “the Bunny Man” in Fairfax, Va.

The United States of Food

Regional food preferences are the subject of a lot of cool online maps.
As part of my exploration of online maps, I’ll spotlight a few here.

The United States of Burgers

Serious Eats made a map of the U.S. with each state represented by an iconic local burger.
From my old stomping grounds in the Midwest, Illinois is represented by the Steak ’n Shake burger, Minnesota by the Juicy Lucy and Iowa by the Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich.

The Great American Pizza Map

The Washington Post assembled a collection of maps showing which pizza chains dominate what areas of the U.S.

Red, White & Food

Thrillist published a U.S. map showing the most noteworthy restaurant chain from each state. (See map at top. Click for larger view.)

Mapping the Rise of Craft Beer

The New Yorker created an interactive map to chart the growth of craft beer.
You can click on the map to see which states have the most breweries per 500,000 people, the fastest growing breweries and other neat statistics.

The United States of Corn

Photographer Henry Hargreaves and food stylist Caitlin Levin collaborated on a series of “Food Maps” that are made out of the types of foods best known from the places the maps depict.
The U.S. map is made out of corn and corn products.
(See photo below. Click for larger view. Also check out articles by the Laughing Squid and My Modern Met.)

Entertainment maps: music artist preferences by state, Hollywood destruction targets

The United States are not homogeneous. There are distinct differences among the 50 states.
Paul Lamere of the Echo Nest released several maps showing music preferences by state. One map showed the most distinctive favorite artist in each state, meaning the artist that each state listened to more than other states.
Lamere and blogger Randal Cooper put together charts showing the Most Ignored Artists in each state, based on the top 50, top 100 and top 200 artists.
One contributor to Reddit created a map showing the best-selling musician or group by state of birth. Some are obvious, such as Prince in Minnesota and Billy Joel in New York. Others aren’t, such as Kenny G beating out Nirvana in Washington State, according to Fast Company.
Continuing with the entertainment maps theme, Deadspin’s The Concourse did a map of the U.S. showing where Hollywood movies have destroyed the most cities in alien attacks, natural disasters and other cataclysmic events. (See image at top. Click for larger view.)

See also: U.S. maps showing movie and TV show locations.

Fun, educational map websites

Maps are endlessly fascinating. They show how we define the world. They can be geographical, sociological, political, historical and otherwise educational.
Many popular maps circulated online combine maps with demographic data to yield eye-opening results. They might better be described as infogaphics.
I’ve found a couple of websites devoted to maps that are entertaining and illuminating.
Maps on the Web is a Tumblr blog that posts several cool maps a day.
Amazing Maps is another Tumblr blog that spotlights neat maps.
Both are worth checking out.

Samples maps (Click for larger view): Apostasy in Islam, punishments by country for a Muslim who consciously abandons Islam (top); and Tearing Europe Apart, 20 ways to slice a continent from Yanko Tsvetkov’s Atlas of Prejudice 2.

‘Game of Thrones’ in space, ‘Harry Potter’ in space, other space-set dramas coming

The Syfy channel is starting to run ads for its upcoming science-fiction drama “The Expanse,” which has been described as “‘Game of Thrones’ in space.”
As I’ve noted previously, Hollywood writers sometimes put a fresh spin on old stories by adding “in space” to the name of a well-known work.
For instance, the classic “Star Trek” episode “Balance of Terror” (1966) is really just the World War II submarine film “The Enemy Below” (1957) set in outer space. The episode also may have been inspired by another submarine film, “Run Silent, Run Deep” (1958).
The original “Battlestar Galactica” TV series (1978-79) was billed as “‘Wagon Train’ in space,” with robotic Cylons replacing the marauding Indians.
The science-fiction horror film “Alien” (1979) was pitched to studio executives as “‘Jaws’ in space.”
The 1997 sci-fi horror movie “Event Horizon” was sold to studio execs as “‘The Shining’ in space.”
In 2009, ABC aired a short-lived science-fiction series called “Defying Gravity” that was pitched as “‘Grey’s Anatomy in space.”
For more examples, check out my April 2013 article “Movies where the setting was changed to ‘in space’.”
More such “in space” stories are in production or have been optioned.
“The Expanse” is scheduled to premiere later this year. The 10-episode series is based on the New York Times bestselling book series collectively known as The Expanse, which starts with “Leviathan Wakes.”
Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves is attached to star in a sci-fi romance movie called “Passengers,” which was billed as “Adam and Eve in space.”
In 2012, Warner Bros. acquired the screen rights to the young adult novel “The Planet Thieves,” which was pitched to the studio as “Harry Potter in space.”
And finally, a long-in-development “Star Wars” television series has been described as “‘Deadwood’ in space.” But that ambitious series is likely to fall by the wayside as Star Wars owner Walt Disney focuses on new movies in the franchise.

Photos: Scenes from “The Expanse.”

‘12 Monkeys’ makes nine post-apocalyptic TV shows now airing

With the premiere last Friday of “12 Monkeys” on Syfy, there are now nine post-apocalyptic themed television shows now airing in the U.S.
A tenth is set to premiere on March 1 on Fox: “The Last Man on Earth” starring Will Forte.
“12 Monkeys” is based on the 1995 film of the same name. It’s about a time traveler from the year 2043 who is trying to stop the release of a virus that kills most of the world’s population.
“The Last Man on Earth” is a comedy about Forte as the last man on Earth in the year 2022 after an unknown event wipes out the population of Earth.
But the trend of post-apocalyptic television may have reached its peak.
Alien-invasion series “Falling Skies” is scheduled to end its run this summer with a fifth and final season of 10 episodes.
Plus, broadcasters have pulled the plug on two post-apocalyptic shows in production.
Amazon.com opted not to go ahead with “The After,” a series from “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter, according to GeekTyrant.
And AMC passed on “Galyntine” from executive producer Ridley Scott, the Hollywood Reporter said. “Galyntine” was set after a cataclysmic technology-induced disaster has resulted in a new society that has eschewed any form of technology.
However, one more post-apocalyptic television show is in the works: the unnamed companion series to AMC’s zombie drama “The Walking Dead.”

Check out: List of post-apocalyptic TV dramas.

The 20 most talked-about magazine covers of 2014 (that didn’t feature nudity)

Magazine covers often try to be provocative to attract attention.
Sometimes they become news stories themselves.
What follows are some of the most talked-about magazine covers of 2014. I’ve excluded the notable ones that involved nudity because they were too numerous and I discussed them in an earlier article.

The New Yorker; Jan. 20, 2014

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was accused of shutting down the George Washington Bridge as political payback, the New Yorker magazine depicted him as a little boy with a ball stopping traffic on the bridge.

GQ, February 2014

GQ may have gone bust trying to get this issue on the rack.
The cover features pop singer Katy Perry with her breasts nearly popping out of her top.
In the accompanying article, Perry talks about praying for large breasts as a young girl. She got her wish.
(See GQ photo spread and articles by Us Weekly and E Online.)

Rolling Stone, Feb. 13, 2014

Pope Francis scored another magazine cover with his appearance on music magazine Rolling Stone. It was the first time Rolling Stone has featured a pope on the cover.
(See articles by the Huffington Post and Information Overload.)

Milwaukee Magazine, March 2014

Milwaukee Magazine caused a stir with its cover story on same-sex weddings. The cover featured a lesbian couple in wedding gowns embracing.
Sendik’s Fine Foods in Brookfield, Wis., blocked the cover, thinking it would offend customers. Instead it ignited a debate about censorship.
(See articles by Jim Romenesko, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and WISN.)

Newsweek; March 14, 2014

The March 14, 2014, issue of Newsweek promised to unmask the mystery man behind the crypto-currency Bitcoin. The article erupted into a firestorm of controversy after the story’s accuracy was questioned.
(See articles by Adweek, Reuters, Medium, Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed.)

Jalouse, April 2014

French magazine Jalouse caused controversy when it featured 12-year-old Thylane Blondeau as its cover model. It touted her as the next Kate Moss.
The Jalouse cover raised concerns about the sexualization of children.
(See articles by the Daily Mail and Huffington Post.)

Vogue, April 2014

A lot of people were outraged that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were on the cover of the April 2014 issue of Vogue.
A Vogue cover is a major accomplishment for fashion models. Giving the cover to a reality-TV fame whore and an egotistical rapper was inappropriate, critics said.
(See articles by New York Magazine and Hollywood Life.)

Golf Digest, May 2014

Golf Digest took heat for its choice of model Paulina Gretzky as its cover subject for the May 2014 issue.
She doesn’t play professional golf but is engaged to PGA tour star Dustin Johnson.
The move irked members of the LPGA, who are largely ignored by the magazine.
(See articles by the Huffington Post and Business Insider.)

Time, June 9, 2014

Laverne Cox made headlines when she became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. Cox, who stars in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” was featured on the June 9, 2014, issue. (See article by Entertainment Weekly.)

People; June 16, 2014

The June 16, 2014, cover of People magazine sparked concerns about the health of possible presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In the picture, it looked like Clinton was using a walker. She was actually leaning on a patio chair. (See article by Business Insider.)

Sports Illustrated, Aug. 25, 2014

Thirteen-year-old sensation Mo’ne Davis became the first Little Leaguer to grace the national cover of Sports Illustrated.
(See article by Mother Jones.)

People; Aug. 25, 2014

People magazine’s best-selling cover of the year was its Aug. 24, 2014, issue on the death of actor Robin Williams.
The issue earned the inaugural People Magazine Award for Best People Magazine Cover of the Year.

Wired, September 2014

The Wired profile of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden featured a cover without text except for the magazine’s title. The dramatic design earned many plaudits.

Time, Sept. 1, 2014

Time magazine earned kudos for its Sept. 1, 2014, cover about the racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo.
(See article by the Huffington Post.)

Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 5, 2014

Entertainment Weekly did four covers for its Sept. 5, 2014, issue about the fifth season of the “Walking Dead.” The most popular cover, according to a reader poll, was that of Danai Gurira as sword-wielding zombie killer Michonne.

The New Yorker, Sept. 8, 2014

The Sept. 8, 2014, issue of the New Yorker earned stellar reviews for its cover featuring the retirement of New York Yankees great Derek Jeter.

The New Yorker, Sept. 29, 2014

The New Yorker cover on Sept. 29, 2014, about the NFL’s legal problems was an attention-grabber.
The New York Times did an article about the magazine’s covers shifting from polite to provocative.

Bloomberg Businessweek, Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2014

Bloomberg Businessweek did a cover story on the spread of Ebola.
The cover reflected the terrifying nature of the disease.

Vogue China, November 2014

The November 2014 issue of Vogue China earned headlines because the model was wearing the upcoming Apple Watch. The smartwatch was modeled by Liu Wen.
(See articles by the Huffington Post, the Verge and Fashionista.)

Time, Dec. 22-29, 2014

Time magazine chose the Ebola fighters for its Person of the Year issue. It created five covers for the special edition.