Rihanna’s back with another music video coming off her latest album Loud. Whips, chains, bananas, and Perez Hilton all make extended appearences in the colorfully vibrant video for “S&M.” And as usual, Rihanna brings sexy back. Videos for “Only Girl (In the World)” and “What’s My Name” are also available for your viewing pleasure.
Category Archives: Entertainment
Trailer: Bridesmaids
Hey ladies, Judd Apatow has made a comedy tailor-made specifically for you. From the man who brought you The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up comes Bridesmaids, a movie that follows a maid of honor (Kristin Wiig, who also serves as co-writer) preparing to celebrate the wedding of her best friend (Maya Rudolph) while at the same time having to deal with her fellow bridesmaids. In addition to the SNL alum, the ensemble cast includes Rose Byrne (Damages), Melissa McCarthy (Mike and Molly), Wendi McLendon-Covey (Reno 911!), and Ellie Kemper (The Office…it’s great to see Erin stepping into the big screen!). The IT Crowd‘s Chris O’Dowd and Mad Men hunk Jon Hamm also make brief appearances in the trailer.
Apatow’s on board as producer and Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, The Office) is the helmer. “The whole goal of making this movie was to make a very funny, very honest movie about women in a way that they’re not normally made,” Feig tells EW. “Both Judd and I feel women are very much underserved by modern comedy, because it’s all so guy-centric. It was important for us to do that so when women come to see the movie, they would go, like, ‘Oh god, that’s just like my friends – maybe a funnier version of my friends.’ He adds, “It’s a hard movie to sum up in a trailer because it’s also very emotionally honest. There’s tons of comedy but there’s also very relatable honest moments that are real and not always reaching for a laugh.”
I really think Bridesmaids is going to hit a chord with audiences and I can’t wait for it to hit theatres May 13, 2011.
[Via EW]
‘Power Rangers Samurai’ premieres February 7 on Nick
Back in May it was reported that original creator Haim Saban bought the Power Rangers franchise from Disney and that Nickelodeon would air the eighteenth season of the show this year. Since then so much more detail has surfaced about the upcoming series. The official name of the kids program is Power Rangers Samurai and we’ve got a synopsis:
Power Rangers Samurai follows a new generation of five Rangers who must master the ancient Samurai Symbols of Power which give them control over the elements of Fire, Water, Sky, Forest and Earth. Under the guidance of their all-knowing Samurai mentor, Ji, and with the aid of their devoted animal Zords (Lion, Dragon, Ape, Turtle and Bear), they battle to save Earth from the dark forces of the Netherworld led by the evil Master Xandred.
Get to know the cast: The Samurai Power Rangers are: Jayden (Alex Heartman), the Red Ranger and the team’s leader; Mia (Erika Fong), the Pink Ranger who is the confident and caring “big sister” of the Rangers; Kevin (Najee De-Tiege), the Blue Ranger, is a great swordsman who lives by the code of the Rangers; Emily (Brittany Pirtle), the Yellow Ranger, is the youngest but most optimistic of the group; and Mike (Hector David), the Green Ranger, who is a bit of a rebel and would rather be destroying video monsters than real ones.
Oh and remember the slapstick duo from the original 1993 series run Bulk and Skull? Actor Paul Schrier is returning to the Power Rangers universe and will reprise his role as Bulk in the Samurai premiere and will make guest appearances throughout the season. Neat-o right? Look after the break to watch the 2011 version of Bulk in action. Nothing’s changed.
Nick’s Pete Danielsen promises, “This new season of Power Ranger Samurai will feature all new heroes, villains and special effects while keeping the core messages of friendship, teamwork and empowerment that the series has always exhibited.”
Says Saban Brands president Elie Dekel: “We wanted to get back to the original core DNA of the show that made it so powerful and resonant in the ’90s. We made sure that moving forward we drew on the best possible elements that we knew kids responded to, so we embedded a lot more humor in the show, a lot more charm and fun. Bringing back some of the silliness of the original series was a goal, and now it’s in high-def, which has never been done before, which gives it a really great new look.” Beyond that, Dekel continues, “We really wanted to pay homage to, if you will, the show’s Japanese origins with Samurai.”
The 20-episode 18th season premieres February 7 at 8PM on Nickelodeon. Look after the break for some more sneak peek videos, and hit up EW to watch the brand new intro.
[Via PRNewswire; EW; IGN] Continue reading ‘Power Rangers Samurai’ premieres February 7 on Nick
NBC decreases ‘The Cape’ episode count by three
Things are not looking good for NBC’s new superhero drama The Cape. On the heels of a series ratings low this week, today the Peacock decided to cut the season one episode count from 13 to 10. All signs are pointing to cancellation, so I hope you’re not too invested in these characters already. After the five episodes that aired thus far, I’ve stuck with it but news of the cut does not come as a surprise. As easy as it might be to criticize the show’s cheesy dialogue, lack of top notch action sequences, and poor character development, what it all comes down to is ratings for the network. Last night’s episode drew a meager 5.3 million viewers; that’s down 6% from the previous week. The TV watching public doesn’t seem interested in it, and soon the network won’t be either. According to Deadline, now that The Cape will bow out earlier than expected, fans of the serial sci-fi The Event can prepare for that show to make a return on March 7 in a two-hour block.
[Via Deadline]
Snyder’s Superman is Henry Cavill
Say hello to the new Superman. 27-year-old British actor Henry Cavill, who is best known in the States for playing Charles Brandon on Showtime’s The Tudors, has been cast to play the Man of Steel in Zack Snyder’s reboot of the franchise. Said Snyder in a press release: “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.” Interestingly enough, Cavill was tapped for the lead role in 2006’s Superman Returns, but as we all know the role went to Brandon Routh and now they’re rebooting it. Cavill’s certainly got the looks to play the part, and we’ll soon find out if he’s got the silver screen talent to captivate audiences when he stars in the fantasy-action film Immortals later this year.
Superman was written by David S. Goyer and its producing team includes talents Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Deborah Snyder. The movie’s on track for a 2012 holiday release.
[Via EW]
A brand new Angry Birds game based on ‘Rio’ animated flick coming soon [Update: Super Bowl embedded code]
App developer Rovio has teamed up with 20th Century Fox to put together a new Angry Birds game for iOS and Android. Following the original Angry Birds and Seasons games, this new installment is inspired by the upcoming Fox animated feature Rio (watch a trailer for it here). Angry Birds Rio will pack 45 new levels, increased graphics performance, and “a few new twists.” Future updates will add more levels. Look out for the app to hit iOS, Android, and Symbian app stores this March, ahead of Rio‘s April 15 theatrical release.
And if you you didn’t know, Team Rovio is currently developing an animated TV series based on the Angry Birds universe. After watching this trailer for the Rio-inspired game I cannot wait to see what they come up with for the show. Who needs dialogue when you’ve got furious birds yelling and slimy green pigs snorting?
Update: It’s been revealed that during the Super Bowl 20th Century Fox will air a 30-second commercial promoting Rio that features an embedded code, the first of its kind. The secret code will be inserted into a single frame of the ad. When it’s entered into the Angry Birds app a new level will be unlocked and it will enter players into a Rio sweepstakes. Winners will attend the animated flick’s world premiere in Rio de Janeiro on March 22. That also happens to be the day Angry Birds Rio hits the App Store, in case you were wondering.
[Via Nerdist; UnwiredView; Reuters]
Kid Cudi joins Twitter (again), says new mixtape coming this summer
In December 2009, shortly after Kid Cudi dropped his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, he stated, “I will never get back on Twitter or Facebook. I’m getting my blog back together and that will be the only way to stay connected with me.” So much for that. Today Cudder joined Twitter again, and you can follow him @wizardcud. Why the change of heart? “i really only got back on twitter becuz i heard will smith tweeted about a fresh prince reunion and i wanted to post my response to that…” he joked. Only hours after reintroducing himself (“yes, its true. its me, the real wizard”), Cudi dropped an explosion of headlines.
First he announced that his upcoming rock-themed album Wizard is expected to release this summer. Cudi will serve as producer and he says every track will feature his guitar talents, while collaborator Dot Da Genius is currently learning the bass. He also spilled that the long lost “Dose of Dopeness” will be a bonus track on the album. He describes Wizard in a tweet: “Wizard is a rock album, no raps, just singing. brand new thing. flavor.”
What else, what else. He mentions the “Maniac” music video/short film is still under construction; Cudder, Cage, and video director Shia LaBeouf are holding back on dropping it until “everything [is] just right…i need the proper time for scoring…the edit must be epic.”
Last, Cudi drops this exciting bombshell: he’s releasing a brand new mixtape this summer called A Man Named Scott, the followup to 2008’s A Kid Named Cudi. Of the mixtape he says, “for all those who fucks with my raps, this is for u since ima be all rocked out with the wizard shit. also its free! yes!” In other words, since Wizard is going to be all about Cudder crooning, he wants to hold over his rap fans with the mixtape until the true successor of Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager releases presumably later this year.
He concluded all these hot tweets with this: “man im really happy to FINALLY get all that good news out there. more to come, not even close.” And the man’s not lying; in between all this news he revealed that he’s been working with Kanye West and Jay-Z, almost definitely on their collab album Watch the Throne so you can expect a Cudi feature there. He also shared that HBO’s How To Make It In America starts filming its second season in March and he’s excited to reprise his true-to-life character Domingo Dean.
[Via @wizardcud]
Will Ferrell is headed to ‘The Office’ for a multi-episode arc
With Steve Carell exiting The Office before season’s end, the producers promised that viewers could expect the introduction of new characters in the wake of Michael Scott’s departure. Following Ricky Gervais’ quick cameo this week, funnyman Will Ferrell will reunite with his Anchorman co-star later this season for a lengthier four-episode arc. According to Deadline, Ferrell “will play a branch manager who comes from the home office and is just as inappropriate as Steve Carell’s Michael Scott character.” He will work alongside Scott for three episodes and his character will remain with the Office gang for one additional episode post-Scott’s departure “to help create a bridge” between the old and new (still undisclosed) boss.
The Office’s executive producer Paul Lieberstein (who also plays HR rep Toby Flenderson) had this to say about the Ferrell addition: “We found Steve Carell when he was nothing but a movie star and we turned him into a television star. We are proud to continue The Office’s tradition of discovering famous talent, and we hope that once America gets a good look at Will, they’ll see what we see, tremendous raw sexuality.”
Oh, and I just thought of this. If the producers decide to bring David Koechner’s Todd Packer into the mix, we’ll have ourselves an even mightier Anchorman reunion.
Update: Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) commented on Ferrell’s Office visit and what’s in store for the show post-Michael Scott; hop after the break for some quotes!
[Via Deadline; EW] Continue reading Will Ferrell is headed to ‘The Office’ for a multi-episode arc
2011 Oscar nods are in!
Today the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards show. Leading the pack is The King’s Speech with 12 nominations, followed by True Grit with 10. In addition for being up for Best Picture, The King’s Speech is also being recognized for its actors (Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter are up for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) director (Tom Hooper), and screenwriter (David Seidler). True Grit is also up for Best Picture, Best Director (Joel & Ethan Coen), and Best Adapted Screenplay (the Coens). Actors Jeff Bridges and the young but brilliantly talented Hailee Steinfeld nabbed Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nods, respectively. 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, and Winter’s Bone round out the coveted Best Picture category.
Time to talk snubs. First up: Christopher Nolan, the man behind Inception. Though the fantastical mind trip nabbed 8 nods (including Best Picture and Screenplay), Nolan was not recognized for his superb direction. Next: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Mila Kunis (Black Swan) are noticeably absent from the Best Supporting Actor/Actress category. Then there’s the Best Animated Feature category; though Toy Story 3 is locked for the win, Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me deserves a spot there amongst TS3 and How to Train Your Dragon. As critically acclaimed as Ben Affleck’s The Town was this past year, the flick only picked up a nod for Best Supporting Actor (Jeremy Renner). And finally there’s Tron: Legacy; it’s one thing not to nominate Daft Punk’s wonderfully electric score, but it’s quite laughable that the Academy did not nominate the movie for Best Visual Effects.
Look after the break to see the full rundown of all 24 award categories. The 83rd Annual Academy Awards, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, airs live Sunday February 27 at 8PM on ABC.
Kanye West tweets new album coming this summer!?
Over the weekend Kanye West jumped back onto Twitter and made some surprising and exiting announcements. Whether or not they pan out is up for discussion, but what he exclaimed in caps remains newsworthy nonetheless. He mentioned his collab album with Jay-Z and shouted, “WATCH THE THRONE COMING IN 2 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!” That makes for a March drop date which nicely supports the early spring release date speculation. Next up he shared, “ALL THE LIGHTS VIDEO IN 1 WEEK!!!!!!” This will be the second music video to come out of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy; the “Power” painting dropped in August and the “Monster” video is MIA. And finally he spilled, “I’ll be back this SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!”; he then followed this up with another tweet: “MY NEW ALBUM COMING THIS SUMMER.” Are ‘Ye fans expected to anticipate Watch the Throne to come this March and the Twisted Fantasy followup LP this summer? Hellz yes. My guess is that West created so much content for Dark Fantasy that he has enough to carry over the unreleased tracks (“Mama’s Boyfriend”?) onto an entirely new album, much like Eminem was planning on doing with Relapse 2 before Recovery took hold.
[Via @kanyewest]
Discover new music: The Glitch Mob
So I was flipping through the channels the other day and was mesmerized by a commercial for a GoPro HD camera. To be more specific, I was not so much attracted to the product being marketed but rather the song playing in the background. After some swift investigation I discovered the song was called “Animus Vox” performed by The Glitch Mob. I found a link to the full song on YouTube (it’s embedded above) and instantly I became a fan of the three-piece electronic group known as The Glitch Mob.
The LA-based group was formed back in 2006 and today consists of Ed Ma (AKA edIT), Justin Boreta (AKA Boreta), and Josh Mayer (AKA Ooah). They’ve been touring around the country carrying along equipment that makes tracks like “Animus Vox” sound so very awesome–laptops (with Ableton Live loaded), MIDI controllers, electronic drums and keyboards. In an interview with Electronic Musician, the band shared their synth-making process. Ma: “A day of songwriting, like from scratch, would generally start with us loading up a basic kick and snare at a tempo that we wanted, and then laying down a very basic kick and snare as the backbone of what the rhythm would be like. And then we’d just play everything in. Synth parts, bass parts.” … “Essentially, all the songs [on new album Drink the Sea] were written to a point where they were almost like demo tapes. The first phase of our album was like a 10-track album that all sounded like it was made in [Apple] GarageBand. And then when we were done with those 10 songs, we’d go back and redesign the songs. And once the redesigning was done, we went back and we mixed the entire album. So kind of in this multistep stage.” Transitioning their sound from live performances to recorded music was an important step in the process. “Almost every melody that you hear on the album has been sampled note for note [for the live show]. That was the only way that we could get the actual sounds of the record to translate live,” shares Ma. “We really tried to reproduce the record, note for note and percussion sound for percussion sound, as close as humanly possible.” The result? Electronic Musician describes Drink the Sea as “mainly [an] instrumental electronic effort that features heavily layered synths, mixed with real bass and guitar, and bolstered by bombastic, cinematic-sounding drums and simple, yet effective melodies.”
There are a ton of electronic groups out there, but The Glitch Mob definitely stands out on its own and is worth a listen; it’s hard not to get hooked to their masterful and sophisticated synths and beats.
Since 2006 they’ve released a number of mixtapes and remixes. Last summer they dropped their first full-length album; Drink the Sea contains 10 tracks, including “Animus Vox.” You can preview the entire album, as well as listen to a bunch of their other releases and download free content, at their official website. While you’re there, be sure to check out their Video section which includes music video remixes and a smattering of live performances. After the break, I’ve posted two of my favorites: an experimental live performance called “Beyond Monday” that features the band using their equipment and the Tron: Legacy trailer infused with “Animus Vox.”
This kid can rap…FAST
This kid named George Watsky can rap. He’s pretty incredible. This might have turned into a viral hit (it’s currently at 3 million views and counting), but Watsky is no one-hit wonder. He happens to be a professional performer and an extremely talented poet. He was the 2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Champion and was later featured on HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. Jump after the break to watch him perform an epic poem about kids who stutter.
[Thanks, Rob M.] Continue reading This kid can rap…FAST