From director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) comes a psychological thriller about a beautiful and talented ballerina (Natalie Portman) pushed to her limits when a new rival (Mila Kunis) joins a dance company headed by Vincent Cassel. Since the original trailer hit the web back in August, there’s been much buzz surrounding the movie. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September and it received a standing ovation from the crowd and since then has been highly praised from critics all over. Embedded above is newly released international trailer and it features new content from the film. Black Swan just had a limited release in select cities around the US on December 3 and made an estimated $426,000 on that opening day. Click here to see if it’s playing at a theatre near you; the film will hit additional venues through December.
Category Archives: Entertainment
Conan rocks man-jeggings on his TBS show
Yep, Conan’s back alright.
[Via TeamCoco]
Abrams’ ‘Alcatraz’ finds its leading lady [Update: more cast additions]
So much for my Evangeline Lilly prediction. After scooping up Lost‘s Jorge Garcia for his upcoming FOX pilot based on the infamous prison, J.J. Abrams has cast the lead female role for the show. Sarah Jones has been featured in a number of TV series including House, Justified, and Sons of Anarchy. This (hopefully) will be her breakout role and cement her as Abrams’ latest leading female powerhouse (she follows Felicity‘s Keri Russell, Alias‘ Jennifer Garner, Lost‘s Evangeline Lilly, Fringe‘s Anna Torv, and we must include Undercovers‘ Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Jones will play Rebecca Madsen, “a smart, thoughtful and a little obsessive police officer.” She’s gorgeous–but then again, Abrams’ knows how to pick his leading ladies.
Also joining the show are Jonny Coyne (Undercovers) and Jason Butler Harner (Fringe). Coyne will play Alcatraz Warden Edwin James and Harner is Associate Warden E.B. Tiller “who enjoys and abuses his power.”
Alcatraz “centers on a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day. It chronicles the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track them down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance thirty years prior.” Abrams, Bryan Burk, and Elizabeth Sarnoff are attatched to the Warner Bros. TV/Bad Robot project. Production begins next month.
Update: More cast additions have been made. According to Deadline, Sam Neill (Happy Town) will play Emerson Hauser, “the head of a government agency who radiates authority and piercing intelligence”; Parminder Nagra (ER) is Hauser’s lab technician, Lucy; Robert Forster (Heroes) is Ray Archer, “a retired detective who is now owner/bartender of a cop hangout bar.” Alcatraz characters are getting cast in rapid succession, so exciting!
Get hyped for tonight’s epic ‘Fringe’ episode “Entrada” with this movie-style trailer plus stills
Normally I do not post trailers for specific show episodes, but this one is a unique exception. The entire third season of Fringe has led up to this moment. Ever since “over there” Olivia swapped places with our Olivia in last season’s grand finale we’ve been patiently waiting for our Olivia to realize the switch actually occurred. And now that she knows who she really is, it’s time for her to come home. While our Olivia tries to figure out a way to do just that, “over there” Olivia has been compromised; thanks to a terse yet all-important message from our trapped Olivia, Peter knows that he’s been sleeping with the enemy and it’s time for answers and ultimately payback. Expect “Entrada” to be one of those pivotal, emotionally-charged epic episodes that cannot be missed. Watch the movie-style trailer edited together by FOX, check out the episode stills in the gallery, and get hyped! It’s gonna be a wild, exciting journey home.
Fringe airs Thursdays at 9PM on FOX. Starting January 28 it will air on Fridays.
2011 Grammy nominations are in
Today the 2011 Grammy nominations were announced. Leading the pack in a big way is rapper Eminem with 10 nominations; his comeback album Recovery and hit singles “Love the Way You Lie” and “Not Afraid” were recognized. Em shares the coveted Album of the Year nomination with Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), Lady Antebellum (Need You Now), Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster), and Katy Perry (Teenage Dream). Bruno Mars (7 noms) and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga (6 noms each) and B.o.B and John Legend (5 noms each) follow Eminem for most nominations. Cee-Lo Green’s “F–k You” did get nominated for Record and Song of the Year and it better win at least one of those categories! Other notables nods went to Sara Bareilles, Florence & the Machine, Drake, The Roots, and La Roux. Jump after the break to see a shortened nomination listing (click here to see all nods) and let the speculation begin. The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards airs live on February 13, 2011 at 8PM on CBS.
Music video/short film: 30 Seconds to Mars – “Hurricane”
This 30 Seconds to Mars “music video” is so many things. It’s creepy, disturbing, and rich in scope. “Hurricane”, a prominent song off 30STM’s latest studio album This is War, is epic by itself and it absolutely warranted an equally epic 13 minute long video to accompany it. Frontman Jared Leto (under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins) wrote and directed the video which he describes as a “very sexual…surrealistic nightmare dream-fantasy.” It’s split into three chapters (Birth, Life, and Death) and as MTV explains it “weave[s] three separate narratives together” by following the members of band “each battling their personal demons and unlocking secret fantasies.” Unfortunately many of the cut-away scenes are covered up by “CENSORED” banners because an unspecified network said they’d refuse to air the video if these overly provocative images were left in. Leto told EW that “We always knew there would be some images that would have a tough time getting through. But we didn’t expect this kind of pushback that we’re getting now.” If you’re interested, hop on over to Leto’s blog to browse the specific parts that the network found unsuitable. Hopefully Leto will be able to share an uncensored director’s cut with his fans through some other medium, but for now we’re forced to watch the edited version embedded above.
Kid Cudi performs “REVOFEV” on Conan
Watch Cudder perform the catchy anthem off his sophomore hit album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. It’s definitely one of his best performances to date; I’ve never seen him so happy and full of joy before and its totally infectious through his crooning chorus. (Yep, that’s collaborator Dot Da Genius on the keys.)
[Via DatNewCudi]
Kanye West’s ‘Twisted Fantasy’ sells 496,000 copies in first week, debuts at #1 on Billboard
There’s no denying the popularity of Mr. West. In just one week his latest outing My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy sold nearly half a million copies–496,000 to be exact, according to Nielsen SoundScan–and perched itself atop the Billboard 200 chart at the No. 1 spot. Ye’s pursuit of perfection, along with rave reviews, certainly contributed to this impressive early sales figure. Right behind him at the number 2 spot is female rapper Nicki Minaj; her debut album Pink Friday sold 375,000. Pretty good start, wouldn’t you say? Rounding out the top ten are Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, Jackie Evancho (O Holy Night), Rihanna (Loud), Justin Bieber (My Worlds Acoustic), My Chemical Romance (Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys), Ne-Yo (Libra Scale), and Glee‘s Christmas album. Look after the break to see the rest of the corresponding sales numbers.
[Via EW-MusicMix] Continue reading Kanye West’s ‘Twisted Fantasy’ sells 496,000 copies in first week, debuts at #1 on Billboard
Black Eyed Peas’ ‘The Beginning’ out now
Support the Peas a pick up a copy of their latest album The Beginning. iTunes offers three versions: the standard CD, a deluxe version that includes three bonus tracks, and that same deluxe version with five popular songs from The E.N.D. You can purchase a physical copy of the deluxe version at Amazon. I can’t get over how cool that album art is! All pixelated like that, the Peas never looked better.
Download 8-bit DJ Hero today!
OK now this is neat. One Eric Ruth, retro games enthusiast, has created an 8-bit playable version of DJ Hero for the PC. And the 70s and 80s mashups sound pretty incredible in chiptune form. They include Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”/Huey Lewis & the News’ “I Want A New Drug” (demonstrated in the video above) and Queen’s “We Will Rock You”/Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” (see it in action after the break). There are six mashups to play using keyboard keys. And if I must be honest here, the NES-influenced remake is more addicting than Activision’s modern take. Go on and download the game for free at Ruth’s website; there you’ll also find a “pixel force” edition of Left 4 Dead.
Update: Reader “laus_hel” has pointed out that the game is no longer available to download from Ruth’s website. Bummer! But there must be other ways of finding it…
You can get Avatar in 3D on Blu-ray …if you buy a Panasonic 3DTV
There have been so many versions of Avatar released into the market it’s hard to count them all. But this latest edition is especially sweet. Why? Because it includes the 3D version of the highest grossing flick! The only way to get it (for now) is to purchase a Panasonic VIERA 3DTV. When you pick up a Panny set you can also get the “Panasonic 3D Full HD Ultimate Pack” which includes Avatar in 3D on Blu-ray and two pairs of rechargeable Panasonic 3D glasses. If you happen to have purchased a VIERA 3DTV between between March 10 and November 30 you are eligible to receive a copy of Avatar in 3D via a mail-in request program (hope you saved the receipt!). So if you’re in the market for a new HDTV, you should definitely consider a VIERA 3D set because you will be able to watch Avatar on it the way it was meant to be seen. Expect the Panasonic-Avatar in 3D exclusivity to end and a standalone release in 2011. Full PR after the break.
[Thanks, Kristen Sweeney] Continue reading You can get Avatar in 3D on Blu-ray …if you buy a Panasonic 3DTV
Experimenting with concentrated sunlight results in the deterioration of virtually anything
Can’t get enough of BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory series. This time host Jem Stansfield travels to the Solar Furnace Research Facility in Southern France to witness the incredible power generated by highly concentrated sunlight. At the core of the “sunshine” temperature can rise to 6,300 degrees Fahrenheit and is powerful enough to almost instantly burn through wood and even melt a rock! Watch a dangerously cool demonstration above.
[Via Gizmodo]