Category Archives: Entertainment

The Science Channel is set to air ‘Firefly’ in its entirety this March

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Listen here fellow Browncoats: The Science Channel has acquired the rights to Joss Whedon’s epic space western Firefly and is prepared to air all thirteen episodes, including the two-hour pilot, this March. What’s more is each episode will be tagged with interstitial segments hosted by physicist Dr. Michio Kaku who will discuss the theoretical science behind the show’s sci-fi concepts. Nerdgasm! Since FOX axed the short-lived series in 2002, it traveled to the USA Network in 2008 and now it has found a home with the Science Channel where it will continue to live on as one of the most original, character-driven sci-fi series ever produced.

In addition to scooping this news, EW also sat down with Malcolm Reynolds himself Nathan Fillion to discuss he thoughts about the show. When asked about playing Mal he said, “It was my favorite job ever. What wasn’t great about it? I got to wear a low-slung holster. I got to ride horses. I got to have a spaceship. I got to act mean and curmudgeonly. [Creator Joss Whedon] is really good at kicking characters in the nuts so the other characters would have laughs at my expense and that was great too.” He went on to share his enthusiam about potentially bringing back the show if the opportinity showed itself. “If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet,” he said.

Firefly‘s run on The Science Channel beings March 6. The premiere night will air the 2-hour pilot “Serenity” starting at 8PM and this will be followed by episode 2 “The Train Job” at 10PM. The channel will then air one episode every Sunday at 8PM in their intentional order. You can’t take the sky from me.

[Via EW]

‘Glee’ kids best Elvis Presley’s Billboard Hot 100 record

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You knew it was only a matter of time before the barrage of Glee singles would prove their strength in numbers on the Billboard charts. Back in November 2010 Glee posted 93 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 list. This week the Glee kids finally passed Elvis Presley’s all-time record of 108 chart entires. As of today, 113 songs from the hit FOX series have made their way to the chart, besting the likes of Elvis, James Brown (91 songs), Ray Charles (74), and Aretha Franklin (73). While Elvis’ chart-topping songs gathered steam between 1958 and 2003, Glee managed to post their record-breaking amount in less than two years. It all began with their fantastic rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” in June 2009. The only significant difference between the Glee singles and tracks produced from other famous artists is that the Glee tracks are covers borrowed from said artists. Though you might find this news tainted with unoriginality in terms of where the Glee songs are coming from, that shouldn’t take away from the monumentality of it all.

In related Billboard news, this week Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” became the 1,000th song to top the Hot 100 chart in its 52-year history. Says Gaga, “It is a tremendous honor. To be the 1000th no. 1 on Billboard…I would be silly not to say this is the greatest honor of my career.”

[Via Billboard]

Single: Katy Perry – E.T. (Remix) (Featuring Kanye West)

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California Gurls. Teenage Dream. Firework. Still have at least one of these Katy Perry songs stuck in your head at some point every day? Get ready for another extremely catchy-Katy tune to probe your brain. This week the pop star released an official remix of her fourth single off Teenage Dream. It’s called “E.T.” and she managed to attach rap overlord Kanye West to the bass-heavy track. His second dirty verse includes this rap: “Tell me what’s next, alien sex? I’m-a disrobe you, then I’m-a probe you. See, I abducted you so I tell you what to do.” Yeah, you won’t find the smart quips we’re used to hearing from ‘Ye off his smashing record Twisted Fantasy here, but it’s definitely worth a listen. Better you preview it here first, then decide if you want it for keeps. A music video featuring Perry and West is in the works.

[audio: Katy Perry – E.T. (Remix) (Featuring Kanye West).mp3]

TV Reminder: Jeopardy champs face off against Watson supercomputer this week! [Update: results]

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Here’s a healthy reminder that Jeopardy champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter will face off against each other and the supercomputer known endearingly as Watson this week. The man vs. machine 3-night competition begins tonight and will run through Wednesday the 16th. Jeopardy airs at 7PM ET on ABC. Fill your brain with knowledge about Watson’s abilities before tuning in tonight, then let Judgment Day the games begin!

Update: No surprise here; Watson dominated and destroyed the species that created it. After the three-day, two game competition the scores tallied like this:  Rutter scored $21,600; Jennings $24,000; and Watson a whopping $77,147. In the end, these amounts were wiped away and replaced by fixed scores of $200,000, $300,000, and $1 million, respectively. The two human contestants agreed to share half their winnings with their charity of choice. All of Watson’s earnings will find their way to a charity selected by IBM called Skynet World Vision and World Community Grid.

With Watson on board, Jeopardy received its biggest jump in ratings since May 2005’s Ultimate Tournament of Champions (which featured Jennings and Rutter). It’s being reported that Monday night’s show posted an 8.8 rating and that spiked 9% on Tuesday to a 9.6 rating. All in all, Watson proved that machines are certainly getting smarter and more sophisticated. But at least we don’t have to expect world domination just yet; it thought Toronto was a U.S. city! Side note: How cool was it to watch Watson’s avatar “sweat” during the heated competition? When it was confident about a response green swirls swooped to the top of the display, and when it was unsure about one (or–gasp!–answered incorrectly) the swirls would change to a yellow hue and sink to the bottom. Watching the computer “think” was fun to watch.

Chelsea Handler’s headlining a tour with ‘Lately’ comedians

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Today Chelsea Handler, host of E!’s Chelsea Lately, announced a new 19-date stand-up tour that’s slated to begin May 10, the same day her next book hits store shelves. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me, the book and tour title, will feature Lately comedians Brad Wollack, Josh Wolf, and Heather McDonald. The tour begins in May at Boston’s Agganis Arena and wraps on June 25 at Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Tickets go on sale February 18 at Ticketmaster. Hop after the break to see the tour dates.

[Via EW] Continue reading Chelsea Handler’s headlining a tour with ‘Lately’ comedians →

Marc Webb’s Spidey reboot gets a name and it is ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

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Finally; we are no longer required to refer to the new Spidey franchise as the “Marc Webb reboot.” Today Columbia Pictures announced the title of the flick: The Amazing Spider-Man. That happens to be the name of the original Spidey comic book and makes a great title for upcoming movie because we know that it will take place during Peter Parker’s youthful high school years. Inside the press release the studio attached the first image of Andrew Garfield in the famous full mask and suit; if you’ll recall the previous image we saw featured Garfield in the suit sans the mask. Looks awesome, huh? The attention to detail here is absolutely phenomenal. Take a look at the wrists–those are mechanical web shooters! (Jump after the break to download a larger, hi-res version of the image.)

The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field, releases in 3D on July 3, 2012. (Long wait, I know.)

[Via Deadline]

2011 Grammy winners: Lady Antebellum rules the night, Arcade Fire takes home top prize

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Last night’s Grammy Awards proved to be an exciting night filled with some stellar performances and surprise wins. The most memorable performances include the opening ode to Aretha Franklin (performed by Florence Welch, Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams, and Jennifer Hudson), Lady Gaga’s high energy rendition of her new single “Born This Way,” Muse’s flashy “Uprising” performance (what a fantastic song, they deserved the win), the unofficial rap group comprised of Bruno Mars, B.o.B., and Janelle Monae, Mumford and Sons with the Avett Bros., Eminem and newcomer Skylar Grey welcoming back Dr. Dre, Mick Jagger (he’s still got it), and Arcade Fire not one but two performances. In the end, though, my favorite performance of the night has to go to Cee-Lo’s “Forget You” duet with Gwyneth Paltrow and a whole bunch of muppets. The man was dressed as a colorful armored peacock, props! From egg hatching to peacocking, all in all it was an entertaining show to say the least. It also happened to be the highest rated Grammy broadcast since 2004 attracting 26.7 million viewers with a 10.0 adults 18-49 rating.

Now let’s cover the night’s big winners. Lady Antebellum took home five Grammys including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Album; “Need You Now” was all over the place. Though Eminem headed into the show with a whopping 10 nominations, Recovery only nabbed him two wins (Best Rap Album and Best Rap Solo Performance for “Not Afraid”). Lady Gaga, John Legend, and Jay-Z each took him three trophies, while Esperanza Spalding pulled off the night’s biggest upset to steal Best New Artist from Justin Bieber, Mumford & Sons, Florence & the Machine, and Drake. Alt. rock band Arcade Fire also surprised many by taking home Album of the Year against big names like Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and the night’s shiner Lady Antebellum. Their encore performance at the end of the telecast solidified their highly deserved win.

Jump after the break to view more winners, or simply head over to the official Grammy site to see them all. Continue reading 2011 Grammy winners: Lady Antebellum rules the night, Arcade Fire takes home top prize →

Single: Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”

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After posting online teaser artwork and lyrics to her long-awaited and hyped new single “Born This Way,” Lady Gaga finally catered to her mass following of Little Monsters by releasing the track in full before she performs it live at the Grammys this Sunday. In essence the thumping track is an anthem for the gay community. During the outro she whispers, “Same DNA, but born this way.” It’s certainly a catchy tune that will grow on you over time. Interestingly, the song took ten minutes for Gaga to compose. She told Vogue, “I wrote it in ten f—ing minutes, and it is a completely magical message song. And after I wrote it, the gates just opened, and the songs kept coming. It was like an immaculate conception.” Her second album also titled Born This Way is due out this May. Listen to the song above, download it at iTunes here. Hop after the break to see the tease and final cover art. Continue reading Single: Lady Gaga — “Born This Way” →

Trailer: ‘X-Men: First Class’

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This trailer is so impressively epic I’m just going to let it speak for itself. Watch it many times.

X-Men: First Class stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, and Rose Byrne. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass). Opens June 3, 2011.

Synopsis: X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

‘Tron: Legacy’ comes to Blu-ray April 5

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The visually splendid, perfectly scored flick Tron: Legacy is yours to own on Blu-ray Tuesday, April 5, as is “TRON: The Original Classic Special Edition.” Disney’s been holding out on releasing the original Tron so that they could give it proper state-of-the-art digital restoration and enhanced high-definition sound it rightfully deserves. In addition to Blu-ray, Legacy will be released across various platforms including Blu-ray 3D, DVD, Digital Copy, Movie Download, and On-Demand. The BD release will boast 1080p visuals and 7.1 surround sound and pack in-depth bonus features on the making of the film. Disney is going to ship three Legacy bundles ranging from $40 to $80 in price. The motherload is a “5-disc 2-movie Blu-ray combo pack” that includes flick on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, Digital Copy, and the original, remastered Tron. Bonus features include the “Derezzed” Daft Punk music video and featurettes called “The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed,” “Launching the Legacy,” and “Disc Roars.” In addition, all Blu-ray packs will include Disney Second Screen support. The Second Screen companion application can be accessed on any Internet-connected device (iPad, laptop, etc.) and it allows you to explore the story behind the film while you’re watching it. For example, you can engage with elements including 360-degree vehicle turnarounds and interactive progression reels. Look after the break to see the full breakdown of every release bundle.

Oh, and there’s one more thing. Along with Legacy and the original Tron, Disney is also releasing TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED, an album featuring 14 remixes of the original motion picture soundtrack scored by Daft Punk. Let’s just say April 5 is going to be a wonderful day.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading ‘Tron: Legacy’ comes to Blu-ray April 5 →

‘Fringe’ producers hint at epic season 3 finale [Updates: Ratings slip, FOX prez speaks]

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Fringe fans, the move to Friday hasn’t been too bad now has it? Ratings are holding steady (actually they’re not, see below), and it appears that the loyal hardcare fanbase is sticking with it. And according to FOX execs that’s all they need to confidently renew the fantastic sci-fi series thereby granting it a fourth season. This week producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman shared some intriguing thoughts about the near-term future of the show. “Largely this season has been about the march to war, and it will continue to be so, driven equally by the relationship of Peter and the two Olivias,” Pinkner tells TVLine. “But we’ve got more stuff coming.” Wyman teases, “We can definitely guarantee that the last stretch [of episodes] is going to be very complicated, because you’re going to understand our show in a different capacity. It’s going to stretch your mind and make you think, ‘I never saw that coming.’ We have a few cards to lay down that I don’t think anybody expects. That’s what we feel we owe the fans.”

If you couldn’t process this before, they clearly they have another season on their collective mind. The May finale “will be as much as anything about setting up next season,” says Pinkner. Adds Wyman, “It’s like when you read a great novel and you finish a chapter, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, something happened that’s going to propel me forward!’ That’s something we desire to emulate.”

Bring it. Fringe airs Fridays at 9PM on FOX.

Update: Looks like Fringe isn’t exactly maintaining viewers like I had previously thought. Let’s take a look at the trend since it moved to Friday. “The Firefly”, Fringe‘s Friday debut, attracted 4.8 million viewers (1.9/6 in 18-49 demo); that was up 12% from its last original Thursday airing. Great start. The following week FOX aired “Reciprocity” and the ratings held steady at 4.6 million viewers (1.9/6 in 18-49 demo). The next episode “Concentrate and Ask Again” started the rocky spiral descent; viewership dropped 16% to 4.2 million viewers (1.6/5). And that brings us to last night’s episode; “Immortality” garnered 3.7 million viewers (1.4/6)–that’s a 13% drop from the previous ep. This is certainly a cause for concern when it comes to thinking about season renewal. The hardcore fanbase needs to stick with this show if FOX is going to pick it up for another season. Obviously these early numbers do not take into consideration DVR numbers (Fringe typically picks up the slack in time-shifted viewership), so these low figures may increase over the next few days. The bottom line is this: if Fringe wants to see another year to live, YOU have to tune into the show when it airs Fridays @ 9PM. Plain and simple. If you must, DVR it and watch it later. Tell your friends about it. The producers have promised they have “years of story left to tell” so it would be nothing short of a catastrophe if FOX eliminated it from its schedule prematurely.

Update 2: Recently FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly shared his thoughts on Fringe‘s early surge when it first moved to Friday nights. He said, “I’m so psyched about it. It does go to show you the loyalty of the genre audience, when you get the right show. I’m so grateful to that audience, I’d like to shake their hands. We have a lot of passion for that show here.” Even though Reilly released this statement before last Friday’s dip in ratings, it does go to show his massive amount of support behind the show. If ratings can pick up again and begin to level out, I have no doubt in my mind Fringe will return for another season next fall.

[Via TVLine 1, 2; EW]