Category Archives: Entertainment

This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup

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By now you should be anticipating DJ Earworm’s mashup of the top 25 hits according to Billboard Magazine when the year is near its end. Like always, in addition to masterfully mashing together all these songs he also manages to fuse together all of the corresponding music videos that accompany the tracks. Adele, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, LMFAO, and Rihanna dominate this year’s selection; for the full tracklist jump after the break. Download “United State of Pop 2011 (World Go Boom)” right here. Now turn your speakers up and sing-along…you know all the words, don’t deny it.

Continue reading This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup →

This year in movies, as told by 230 of them in five minutes

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She’s done it again. Gen Ip, a communications student from Vancouver BC, has mashed together 230 movies that made in 2011. The annual retrospective “celebrates this year’s movies and their amazing capacity to transport us through the boundaries of space, time, and identity.” Head over to Gen’s Tumblr page to view the entire list of films used in the video; they’re listed in the order of their appearance.

‘The Hobbit’ production vlog #5

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Shortly after releasing the very first trailer for The Hobbit, director Peter Jackson uploaded a fifth production video. This one focuses on “the logistics of location shooting.” It shows how the massive production team establishes the beautiful landscapes of Middle Earth in New Zealand. After 110 days of shooting indoors, the team finally ventured outside to recreate Hobbiton, the tranquil neighborhood of hobbits such as Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. “It’s weird when you come back to a place that you literally thought you’d never see again,” says Jackson. Elijah Wood also feels nostalgic stepping back into the town of Bag End. “I’ll never forget that feeling of coming to Hobbiton for the first time.”

When the Hobbit huts were originally built in 1999 for the Lord of the Rings films, they were constructed with polystyrene and later torn down when filming completed. This time around, the construction crew rebuilt all the Hobbit holes using real wood, stone, and brick. Now they won’t deteriorate as fast and fans of the books and movies can schedule tours and visit the set. In the video you’ll even see that the Prime Minister of New Zealand approves!

At the end of the clip Jackson teases that there’s more to this location shooting-themed video diary; part two is coming in 2012. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theatres December 14, 2012.

‘American Horror Story’ season 2 will be “radically different” as series creator Ryan Murphy confirms anthological roots

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[Major spoilers inside] On Wednesday FX’s hit new show American Horror Story came to a dramatic conclusion, leaving most of its main cast members dead. The entire Harmon family passed on (including Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, and Taissa Farmiga) and they linger in the haunted house as ghosts with their dead child and the sweet maid Moira played by Frances Conroy. The only series regular that managed to survive the whole ordeal is Jessica Lange, who was recently nominated a Golden Globe for her portrayal as the neighborly Constance. So with the Harmon story complete, where does the show go from here? Today AHS co-creator Ryan Murphy led a conference call with members of the press and explained that the show was originally built as an anthology meaning that each season will be “radically different” from the last.

“Every season of the show will be a different haunting,” Murphy explains. “That’s always been the plan. Every season of the show will have a beginning, middle and end, and all new characters and setting … and we’ll have a new overriding theme.” So does this mean McDermott, Britton, Farmiga, Conroy, Lange, and even Rubber Man himself Evan Peters will not be returning for season 2? Not necessarily. “We’re still negotiating with a handful [of the cast members] about returning,” Murphy says. “We’re also meeting with new actors whom we’ve targeted roles for. I will say that Connie and Dylan will not be playing the leads of the show in the second season. We’d love for them to come back and do something, maybe a smaller role or a cameo.” He continued, “There will be familiar faces and some new faces. People that are coming back will be playing completely new characters… Getting to tell a different aspect of what an American horror story can be [every season] is fascinating.”

And with that it is confirmed from the man at the top that AHS season 2 will tell an entirely new story and introduce to viewers a new slate of characters that will have new issues to deal with. Murphy went on to tease what may be in store for season 2. “There are all kinds of different American horror stories to tell. There are serial killing stories, prison stories, true crime stories…Each year of the show is designed to be a little miniseries unto itself. The only thing we’re not open to doing is a season on vampires.” Phew. More: “The second season of the show will [feature] a brand new home or building to haunt,” so in addition to the main cast you can also kiss goodbye the haunted manor you’ve become accustomed to during season one. Itching to find out what exactly the next American Horror Story will be about? “There’s a clue in the last three episodes where we say what the second season will be,” Murphy teases.

Jump after the break for more. Continue reading ‘American Horror Story’ season 2 will be “radically different” as series creator Ryan Murphy confirms anthological roots →

Trailer round-up: ‘The Hobbit’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Prometheus’

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After four extensive behind-the-scenes looks at Peter Jackson’s upcoming sequel two-fer The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings mastermind has finally released a full-length trailer. Return to The Shire in this beautifully edited clip embedded above. Part 1, An Unexpected Journey, hits theatres next December the 14th.

Jump after the break and you’ll find the explosive second trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and sneak peek at Ridley Scott’s sci-fi thriller Prometheus. Update: The full-length Prometheus teaser awaits. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘The Hobbit’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Prometheus’ →

HBO cancels ‘How To Make It In America’ & ‘Bored To Death’

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Just when I thought this TV season was coasting along just fine, this brunt of bad news knocked me unconscious today. HBO has decided to part ways with three of its cult comedies: How To Make It In America, Bored To Death, and Hung. How To Make It only managed to score two seasons before getting the axe, and fans of the show will never get to see if Ben and Cam, well, make it in America as fashion icons with the Crisp brand. They were definitely going places; season 2 managed to top the premiere season in almost every way and still the show was doomed in the end. Also concluding is Jonathan Ames’ Bored To Death starring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and the talented Ted Danson. This series lasted a total of three seasons and rightly deserved many more. What started as a detective-story-of-the-week quickly turned into a more serial adventure exploring the eccentric lives of the title characters. Though I must say, the season three finale thankfully wraps things up and leaves viewers pleasantly satisfied. Why did HBO suddenly feel the urge to clear out its Sunday night lineup? Ratings is to blame, as is usually the case (according to Variety How To Make It and Bored To Death were “down about 25% from their respective previous seasons”), plus the premium cabler is making room for new shows in the pipeline for next year. They did keep one, however. Enlightened starring Lauren Dern is coming back for a second season despite rather dismal ratings. Perhaps the comedy’s recent Golden Globe nomination came into play.

Ben and Cam’s hustle and the zany adventures of Jonathan, Ray, and George have come to an end. Triumphant tears are shed in their honor for making it this far.

[Via Deadline]

New ‘Avatar’ special features come to iTunes

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James Cameron’s cash cow Avatar saw its first home release on April 22, 2010. Months later on November 16 Avatar was re-released into the wild as a “Three-Disc Extended Collector’s Edition.” Unlike the original release, this one included bonus features like 45 minutes worth of deleted scenes. While we wait for the Blu-ray 3D release to end its exclusivity with Panasonic, Cameron’s inviting fans of the movie to revisit Pandora by purchasing a new digital version of Avatar. This release is dubbed the “iTunes Extras Special Edition” and it comes with new, never-before-seen bonus material. Features include scene deconstruction, allowing viewers to interact with the performance capture and visual effects levels in 17 of the film’s scene; green screen x-ray gives viewers an interactive look through the visual effects levels to see the original green screen footage hiding behind certain scenes; it also comes with an original screenplay penned by Cameron, his scriptment, a gallery of 1,700 images, “and more.” Interested? Click over to iTunes, hand over $19.99 and immerse yourself in Pandora once more. At least until the 3D version comes out. Video promoting the new edition sits after the break. Continue reading New ‘Avatar’ special features come to iTunes →

2012 Golden Globe nods are in!

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The Golden Globe Awards celebrates the best in television and film, and this year’s nominees have been announced. We start with the television categories, as is tradition. The five best drama nominees are American Horror Story, Boardwalk Empire, Boss, Game of Thrones, and Homeland. Jessica Lange (American Horror Story), Steve Buschemi and Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire), Kelsey Grammer (Boss), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Claire Danes and Damien Lewis (Homeland) were all recognized for their performances in those aforementioned best drama series. The five best comedy nominees are Enlightened, Episodes, Glee, Modern Family, and New Girl. Laura Dern (Enlightened), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes) Sofia Vergara and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), and Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) were recognized for their performances in those best comedy series. Snubs? Parks and Recreation, Community, Raising Hope, Happy Endings, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Louie in the comedy categories (though Amy Poehler was nominated for best actress) and The Walking Dead, Dexter, and Fringe in the drama categories (will the HFPA ever show love for TV’s finest John Noble?).

And then there’s the film categories. The five best motion picture drama contenders are The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, Moneyball, and War Horse. George Clooney and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (The Help), Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March), Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill (Moneyball) were all recognized for their performances in those aforementioned best drama films. Also The Descendants (Alexander Payne), Hugo (Martin Scorcese), and The Ides of March (George Clooney) snagged best director nominations. The Descendants, The Ides of March, and Moneyball received best screenplay nods. Hugo and War Horse are up for best original score, along with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). The five best motion picture comedy contenders are 50/50, The Artist, Bridesmaids, Midnight in Paris, and My Week with Marilyn. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50), Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris), Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn) were recognized for their performances in those best comedy films. Also The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius) and Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen) snagged best director and best screenplay nominations. The Artist, which topped the nominations list with a total of six nods, was also recognized for its original score. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s The Adventures of Tintin is pitted against Arthur Christmas, Cars 2, Puss in Boots, and Rango for best animated feature film. Snubs? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (though Rooney Mara was nominated for best actress), Shame and Michael Fassbender, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Gary Oldman and Melissa McCarthy’s performance in Bridesmaids.

Comedian Ricky Gervais hosts for a third time in a row when the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards airs live Sunday January 15, 2012 at 8PM on NBC. Jump after the break to see all the nominees. Continue reading 2012 Golden Globe nods are in! →

Movie poster: Ridley Scott’s ‘Prometheus’

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This week 20th Century Fox released the first official movie poster promoting Ridley Scott’s upcoming sci-fi feature Prometheus. Though many think that this film will serve as a prequel to Scott’s 1979 classic Alien, that is not the case.  “While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.”

After eyeballing this poster I think we can finally start speculating about what exactly Scott meant when he said, “…the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative.” The tagline reads: “The search for our beginning could lead to our end.” Will Prometheus attempt to pinpoint the start of civilization, or even grander, the meaning of life? What is the human in the poster flashing his light upon, some sort of giant ancient structure in the shape of a human head with strange markings on it? Now is the time to ponder what Scott has up his sleeves until a trailer releases into the wild. On June 8, 2012 answers will come.

Trailer round-up: ‘Rock of Ages’, ‘The Dictator’, ‘Jack the Giant Killer’, ‘ParaNorman’

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This past week was packed to the brim with new movie trailers. Following The Three Stooges and Men in Black III is Rock of Ages, The Dictator, Jack the Giant Killer, and another look at the stop motion animation ParaNorman.

We start with Rock of Ages, a film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. This movie has two things going for it: a fantastic collection of classic rock songs and a killer cast. It features music from Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, and Twisted Sister, and the talented cast is comprised of Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Ackerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, and Tom Cruise as the rocker women pine over, Stacee Jaxx. Directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray), Rock of Ages brings “the music of a generation” to theatres on June 1, 2012.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘Rock of Ages’, ‘The Dictator’, ‘Jack the Giant Killer’, ‘ParaNorman’ →

Trailer: ‘Men in Black 3’

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A decade after our last encounter with The Men in Black, they’re back. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return in the third installment in the Men in Black franchise as Agent J and Agent K, respectively. Also returning is director Barry Sonnenfeld who helmed the original way back in 1997 and the sequel in 2002. The first trailer reveals an interesting plotline involving Agent J traveling back in time to save K. In the ’60s, young K is played by none other than Josh Brolin. Here’s the official synopsis:

In Men in Black 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

With updated CGI, a fun time-travel story, and a Will Smith who hasn’t seem to age at all over the last ten years, Men in Black III looks like it’s going to be a winner for Sony Pictures when it hits theatres May 25, 2012.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. The trailer shows no sign of a catchy Will Smith tune to hype you up for the film’s release. My question is… will it live up to the 1997 diddy “Men in Black” or (dare I say) 2004’s mega-hit “Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head)”? And you know he’s gonna star in an equally thug music video, too!

TV teaser: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 2

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We’ve already been treated with a sneak peek into the second season of HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones, but that’s nothing compared to this 45-second teaser. King Robert’s brother Stannis Baratheon (who we haven’t been acquainted with yet) narrates here, claiming “the Iron Throne is mine by right.” Season 2 will consume what author George R.R. Martin wrote in his second book in his A Song of Fire and Ice collection titled A Clash of Kings. In the chilling teaser we are forewarned that many of our beloved and hated characters (I’m looking at you Joffrey) will indeed clash in the upcoming season.

The cold winds are rising and April 2012 cannot get here fast enough.