or


[11/24/14 - 12:03 PM]
"Regarding Susan Sontag," An Illuminating Portrait of the Provocative 20th-Century Thinker, Debuts Dec. 8 on HBO
A complex person, Sontag fiercely guarded her privacy, despite her boldness in the literary world.

[via press release from HBO]

"REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG," AN ILLUMINATING PORTRAIT OF THE PROVOCATIVE 20TH-CENTURY THINKER, DEBUTS DEC. 8 ON HBO

Passionate and gracefully outspoken, Susan Sontag was a prominent literary, political and feminist icon. As a critic, novelist, teacher, filmmaker, activist and iconoclast, her love of learning and examinations of cultural and political ideas made her both a compelling public figure and a significant 20th-century critic. A complex person, Sontag fiercely guarded her privacy, despite her boldness in the literary world.

A layered look at a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, and illness, still resonate today, REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG debuts MONDAY, DEC. 8 (9:00-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 8 (3:45 a.m.), 11 (3:30 p.m.), 13 (4:15 p.m.), 17 (5:30 p.m.), 22 (11:55 p.m.), 28 (2:00 p.m.) and 30 (9:30 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 10 (8:00 p.m.), 15 (1:40 p.m.), 18 (12:50 a.m.), and 27 (10:00 a.m.)

Recipient of a Special Jury Mention at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG features a rich collection of archival materials, evocative imagery and accounts from friends, family, colleagues and lovers - including Sontag's sister, Judith Sontag Cohen, authors Stephen Koch, Eva Kollisch, Fran Leibowitz and Sigrid Nunez, and poet Wayne Koestenbaum - and Sontag's work, read by Patricia Clarkson.

Born in New York City in 1933, Sontag was a voracious reader who graduated from high school at age 15, and subsequently enrolled at U.C. Berkley. Recalling her arrival on campus, she remembered thinking, "I'm home. I've reached a place where other people have read the same books I have." At Berkeley, she met Harriet Sohmers Zwerling, who introduced her to the gay bars of San Francisco, and the two quickly became romantically involved.

Transferring to the University of Chicago, Sontag married sociologist Philip Rieff just a few days after they met. Two years later, she gave birth to her son, David. In 1957, Sontag was granted a fellowship at Oxford. After a semester, she left Oxford for Paris, where she visited Zwerling and rekindled their romance. A year later, she returned home and divorced Philip.

Sontag published her first novel, "The Benefactor," in 1963, but its experimental style and abstract prose were not well received. Three years later, her landmark collection "Against Interpretation" hit bookstores. Featuring her groundbreaking 1964 essay "Notes on 'Camp,'" the book propelled her to literary stardom, and Sontag became one of the most photographed women of her time. "What draws me very much to writing is its way of paying attention to the world," she wrote. "You're just an instrument for tuning into as much reality as you can."

Publicly, Sontag was the fierce "dragon lady" of American letters. In private, she was as vulnerable as anyone else, and felt the need to keep her sexuality private. REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG explores the contrast between the private Sontag, sometimes full of doubt, and her self-assured public persona.

Over the course of her career, Sontag never shied away from controversy, believing, "All writing is political. All acts are political." She was critical of the war in Vietnam, and visited Hanoi in 1968 in the midst of heavy American bombing.

In 1975, Sontag learned she had breast cancer. After treatment, she published "Illness as Metaphor" in 1978, becoming a role model for others struggling with the disease. A decade later, Sontag would write a follow-up, "AIDS and Its Metaphors," after losing several friends to the disease. In her 60s, she returned to narrative with the novels "The Volcano Lover" and "In America," which won the National Book Award.

In 2004, Sontag learned she had leukemia, her third bout of cancer, and died Dec. 28.

Director Nancy Kates produced and directed "Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin," with colleague Bennett Singer, which won the 2004 GLAAD Media Award, among other accolades. Her graduate thesis film, "Their Own Vietnam," received a Student Academy Award(R) in 1995. Kates was recently included in the OUT 100, Out Magazine's annual list of the 100 most intriguing LGBT Americans.

REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG was produced and directed by Nancy Kates; executive producer, Tom Dolby; voice of Susan Sontag, Patricia Clarkson; written by John Haptas and Nancy Kates. For HBO: senior producer, Lisa Heller; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.





  [november 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9: The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Experience the Family, the Fun, and the Fantastic! Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Lands Exclusively on Disney+ November 5
Continuing the celebration of Marvel's First Family, the announcement was made live from SpaceCon 2025 in San Antonio, where The Fantastic Four: First Steps Immersive Pop-Up Experience invites attendees to step inside the iconic Baxter Building.

[10/24/25 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and Xfinity Celebrate 11 Years of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by Presenting the Third Stage of the Championship Race Commercial-Free
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 1, the commercial-free stage presented by Xfinity was created to thank the loyal race fans who have supported the NASCAR Xfinity Series for more than a decade - helping the series grow through their unwavering enthusiasm, increased viewership, and continued trackside attendance.

[10/23/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "As You Stood By" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When two women plot to end an abusive marriage through murder, an unexpected visitor arrives - threatening to shatter everything they've carefully planned.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.

[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.

[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.

[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.