Category Archives: Entertainment

‘Tron: Legacy’ Light Cycle replica is fully-functional, beyond cool & ready for auction

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Calling all Tron fans. Say what you will about the flashy sequel Tron: Legacy, but it’s hard to deny just how cool the flick is in the visual effects department. Perhaps the most bleeding cool thing from the movie is the modernized Light Cycle; see the original version here, and the updated model here. Now’s your chance to actually own a fully-functioning Light Cycle-inspired electric motorcycle. The Andrews Collection, a car collector, has completed production on the custom-made bike that entirely resembles the new Light Cycle as featured in Tron: Legacy. For all you moto enthusiasts out there, the bike features a 96 volt, direct-drive electric motor with lithium batteries and a computer-controlled throttle, rebound and compression damping with spring-preload front suspension and rigid rear suspension, and front and rear hydraulic brakes. It also sports a low seat height of 28.5 inches, making it easy to ride even at low speeds, says the Andrews family. The sleek replica is being prepared for an auction that will take place on May 2 and it’s expected to sell for anywhere between $25,000 and $40,000. Yep, that probably puts a damper on things for most of you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fully take in the beauty that is this real-life Light Cycle.

Salivate in the gallery below, and just imagine how freakin’ rad it’d be to ride this thing around whilst blasting Tron: Legacy‘s Daft Punk soundtrack in the background. It’s fun to use your imagination!

Update (5/11): In case you were wondering, the Tron bike sold for $77,000. Crazy, huh? Perhaps for a die-hard Tron fan, maybe not so much.

[Via Engadget; RM Auctions]

Movie trailer round-up: ‘SPECTRE’, ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’ & ‘Entourage’

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In December, director Sam Mendes introduced to the world the next Bond film, SPECTRE, with the cast and car in tow. Today, we get our first look. Daniel Craig is back as 007 for the fourth time and his past comes to haunt him here. Dangling threads from Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall come to a head in SPECTRE and Bond is forced to face the sinister Hannes Oberhauser, played already to perfection by Christoph Waltz. Though Waltz is credited as portraying Oberhauser, I had speculated that he’d end up being Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the actual head of the SPECTRE organization. (SPECTRE, remember, is an acronym that stands for SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion.) In the teaser, Waltz’ Oberhauser tells Bond, “It’s been a long time. And finally, here we are.” In Bond lore, Oberhauser served as a mentor for Bond before he mysteriously vanished; so perhaps Waltz really is Oberhauser and Blofeld’s portrayer is still being kept under wraps? So much speculation to be had here. It’s just so exciting how serialized Craig’s rendition of Bond has become in terms of his past meeting up with his present to propel the story forward. Watching this latest mystery unfold which has so much to do with Bond’s origins and his connection to SPECTRE and Oberhauser is going to be a fun ride, to say the least.

SPECTRE hits theatres November 6.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘SPECTRE’, ‘Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’ & ‘Entourage’ →

Ryan Reynolds suits up for ‘Deadpool’ stand-alone spinoff

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After appearing in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds is set to reprise his superhero alter ego Deadpool in his own stand-alone spinoff film. In case you don’t know, Deadpool is perhaps Marvel’s most out-there superhero. Deadpool aka Wade Wilson aka “The Merc with a Mouth” is famous for his tendency to break the fourth wall. In his comic roots and even in video games, the character knows he’s a part of the medium he’s in. So for example, in the upcoming Deadpool movie, Reynolds’ character will be aware that he is in a movie. Freaky, huh? This opens the flood gates for all kinds of off-kilter hilarity.

The official synopsis goes like this: “Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.”

Deadpool is being directed by visual effects artist Tim Miller and Reynolds is joined by Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, and Gina Carano. It’s due out February 12, 2016. See Reynolds in the suit above; his tweet with the image reads, “With great power, comes great irresponsibility.” It parodies Burt Reynolds’ 1972 nude Cosmo centerfold (which Ryan Reynolds tweeted out for unsuspecting fans).

Update (4/1): Just in time for April Fool’s Day, a cheeky video featuring a faux-interview between Extra’s Mario Lopez and Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has arrived and it confirms the movie’s R-rating (thank god). And yes, that is Reynolds in the suit. Watch it after the break. Continue reading Ryan Reynolds suits up for ‘Deadpool’ stand-alone spinoff →

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor in ‘Dawn of Justice’

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Henry Cavill is Superman, Ben Affleck is Batman, Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa is Aquaman, and Jesse Eisenberg is Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s next superhero flick Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Here’s our first look at the Social Network star’s villainous turn as Superman’s bald nemesis, provided by Entertainment Weekly. When it was first announced that Eisenberg would be portraying Lex, people were skeptical about him filling those particular shoes. Though we’re still waiting on his performance, this harrowing still should assuage fears about him pulling it off. That’s one intimidating dome. What do you think?

“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure,” Snyder tells EW, “other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course. Our Lex is disarming and he’s not fake. He says what he believes and he says what’s on his mind. If you can unravel the string and decipher what he means, it’s all there.”

BvS:DoJ releases March 25, 2016.

‘The Following’ spoof is a must-see for fans of the serial killer thriller

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If you watch The Following on FOX, this is a real treat. To further promote the show, series executive producer and oft-director Marcos Siega put together this eight minute parody video starring Kevin Bacon as himself. Thing is, he acts just like his Following character Ryan Hardy and thinks serial killers–Joe Carroll included–are after him in real life. Co-starring is Dean Winters (currently on CBS’ Battle Creek, but you probably know him from those Allstate commercials), Joe Carroll himself James Purefoy, Michael C. Hall (Dexter, how appropriate), Sam Underwood (he plays the evil twins Mark & Luke Grey on The Following), and Bacon’s real-life wife Kyra Sedgwick makes a memorable cameo. It’s bizarre and fantastic all at the same time. With that and nothing more, enjoy.

The Following airs Mondays at 9pm on FOX.

Believe it: ‘The X-Files’ is returning as a six-episode event series

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Following the revivals of Arrested Development and 24, 20th Century Fox Television is bringing back yet another cult TV series. Sci-fi supernatural staple The X-Files is returning as a six-episode event series to FOX. Original series creator Chris Carter is helming it, and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reprising their iconic roles as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

The X-Files ran on FOX for nine seasons; 202 episodes aired between September 1993 and May 2002. Later in 2008, the franchise was adapted for the big screen in The X-Files: I Want to Believe. The series was a success as it dominated pop culture at the time and went on to earn sixteen Emmy awards, five Golden Globes, and a Peabody. Plus, we cannot forget its lasting mark on the sci-fi genre; series like Lost and Fringe likely wouldn’t have existed as they did (if at all) were it not for The X-Files and its lasting legacy for producing riveting stories entwined in mystery, intrigue, and the unknown.

Besides knowing that Carter is steering new paranormal stories for Duchovny and Anderson to investigate, the lid is remaining tight here. So, here are some choice quotes from the press release.

“I think of it as a 13-year commercial break,” said Carter. “The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”

“We had the privilege of working with Chris on all nine seasons of The X-Files – one of the most rewarding creative experiences of our careers – and we couldn’t be more excited to explore that incredible world with him again,” said Fox network heads Gary Newman and Dana Walden. “The X-Files was not only a seminal show for both the studio and the network, it was a worldwide phenomenon that shaped pop culture – yet remained a true gem for the legions of fans who embraced it from the beginning. Few shows on television have drawn such dedicated fans as The X-Files, and we’re ecstatic to give them the next thrilling chapter of Mulder and Scully they’ve been waiting for.”

Production on the X-Files event series is set to begin this summer. Stick it here for more as it leaks out.

Bye bye bubble: FOX renews ‘Sleepy Hollow’ for a third season

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We’ve known since January that Sleepy Hollow‘s fate was very much up in the air due to a significant drop in ratings and a lackluster creative direction. Despite all that, Sleepyheads, I’ve got some good news for you. FOX’s supernatural drama will return for an 18-episode third season.

When SH comes back, it will be steered by a new showrunner. Mark Goffman, who led the brilliantly fun first season and the decidedly meandering second season, is out and Clifton Campbell (creator of The Glades and co-EP of White Collar) is in.

“I had the pleasure of working with Clifton on both The Glades and White Collar,” said Fox TV Studios president David Madden in a statement. “He is an excellent producer, and we can’t wait to see what this team has in store for Season 3.”

Previously, network head Dana Walden said, “We’re excited about some creative changes on the show and bringing it back to something that feels a little more episodic in nature, that has closure and doesn’t feel quite so serialized.” Fox anticipates “return[ing] the fun to it” that was abundant in season one.

In an interview with TVLine, actor John Noble (who portrayed the villainous Henry Parish) provided proof that things behind the scenes at Sleepy Hollow over the course of its second season were shaky at best. “They didn’t have a clue what to do, and so that meant it was a pretty unsatisfactory year for me,” he said. Noble went on to say that he and co-star Tom Mison “were hoping to have more scenes together, because that’s when it was really interesting, when Tom and I had the shots to bounce off each other. He loved it, and I did, too. And that just didn’t happen.” He concluded, “Obviously, a lot of thought has gone into what to do with Sleepy Hollow. And if this network is investing in another 18 episodes, then they must have had very strong reassurances that there is a major reboot. I’ll be fascinated to see what the reboot is.”

The third season ended (spoiler alert) with Noble’s Henry Parish and Ichabod Crane’s wife Katrina perishing at the hands of Ichabbie (that’s a combination of Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills’ names, for all you non-shippers out there). With Parish’s wacky “evil of the week” tricks gone and the sadly underutilized likes of witch Katrina put to rest, a third season should deliver a reboot of sorts as Ichabbie continues to defend Sleepy Hollow from the forces of evil. As an outspoken fan of Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie’s undeniable chemistry, I’m excited that more SH adventures are on the way with a new showrunner at the helm and a clean creative canvas.

[Via TVLine]

Jessica Lange confirms ‘American Horror Story’ exit, ‘AHS: Hotel’ cast additions announced

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Jessica Lange has left the building. After servicing Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series American Horror Story for four memorable seasons, the Emmy award-winning actress is ready to call it quits. She made it official earlier this month in Los Angeles at PaleyFest.

“Yes, I’m done,” said Lange. “We’ve had a great run here. I have absolutely loved doing these four characters that I’ve had the opportunity to play. In all the madness, I’ve loved the writers, my actors, Ryan and the whole, I mean, insanity of it, shooting here, shooting in New Orleans, the stories, everything.”

Lange, who played Constance Langdon in Murder House, Sister Jude Martin in Asylum, Fiona Goode in Coven, and Elsa Mars in Freak Show will be greatly missed by AHS fans everywhere. In a sense she was the show up to this point, portraying distinctly powerful and emotional characters in each iteration.

Though nobody can fill those shoes, the show must go on. Murphy previously enlisted Lady Gaga to star in the upcoming American Horror Story: Hotel, and since that exciting announcement even more cast additions have been made. Matt Bomer, Wes Bentley, Chloë Sevigny, and Cheyenne Jackson are checking into season 5 as well. The former three are no strangers to AHS; Bomer appeared in last season’s Freak Show as Michael Chiklis’ boy toy Andy, Bentley also popped up under the tent as the hypnotizing Edward Mordrake, and Sevigny was nymphomaniac Shelley in season 2’s Asylum. Jackson has worked with Murphy before on Glee as Vocal Adrenaline coach Dustin Goolsby.

Tight-lipped as ever, Murphy and cast did not spill Hotel details at PaleyFest. The prolific showrunner did, however, briefly touched upon a season 5 clue hidden inside Freak Show. This image of a top hat on a coffee cup “was not only an homage to the 1935 film Top Hat, but also a wink that season 5 would be set in a hotel like that film,” reports Deadline. Guess I’ll be watching that movie before Halloween rolls around.

American Horror Story: Hotel premieres this October on FX.

[Via Deadline; EW]

‘Nashville’ cast readies for eight-city spring concert tour

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The cast of ABC’s country music drama Nashville is going on tour, again! An eight-city spring concert tour kicks off at the Beacon (not Deacon) Theatre in New York City on Wednesday, April 29 and it wraps in Phoenix on Sunday, May 10. Clare Bowen (Scarlett O’Connor), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington), Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Aubrey Peeples (Layla Grant) and Lennon & Maisy Stella (Maddie & Daphne Conrad) will be performing at all venues. If you’re attending in NYC or Chicago, consider yourself lucky; Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott) will make a special appearance in the Big Apple, and Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley) will stop in the Windy City. Tickets are on sale now mostly at Ticketmaster; jump after the break to view the venue list and additional ticket information.

“It is so exciting and rewarding to see our amazing cast blossom as live artists and be able to have that intimate relationship with our ‘Nashville’ fans,” said ABC exec Dawn Soler. “Taking ‘Nashville’ on the road, along with our ‘On The Record’ series, offers our viewers a complete and authentic experience.”

Continue reading ‘Nashville’ cast readies for eight-city spring concert tour →

Sony’s cloud-based TV service PlayStation Vue launches in three major U.S. cities

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Four months after detailing its very own cloud-based TV service, Sony let loose PlayStation Vue in three major U.S. cities on March 18. If you own a PS3 and/or PS4 and live in Chicago, NYC, or Philadelphia, boot up your console to take it for a test run. As long as you have the latest firmware update running, you’ll find a new PS Vue app icon in your dash; click it to sign up for the service or start a seven-day trial.

Essentially, PS Vue streams live and on-demand TV (including TV shows, movies and sports) to your console and the service is boosted by a cloud-based DVR, all without a cable or satellite subscription. If you’ve been on the fence about cutting the cord, PS Vue may be your answer. Of course, you won’t find all of your favorite channels here; that being said, Sony is doing a fine job at boosting content provider support as new channels have been populating the service since launch. Click here to view the current channel lineup. Thanks to the cloud-based DVR, you won’t ever have to worry about recording conflicts or storage space; that’s the power of the cloud! PS Vue also makes it easy to record and get to your preferred content; by tagging a show you’ll have access to previously aired episodes of that show for 28 days.

The monthly subscription starts at $49.99 for the “Access” base package of channels; “Core” ($59.99) and “Elite” ($69.99) offer up additional content. See the breakdown here. Note that PS Vue does not lock consumers into contracts, and you’re free to switch between the packages at will. Sony says it’s hard at work on expanding the service’s outreach in the U.S., and you can expect support for iPad “in the near future.”

After fiddling with service for some time, I’m happy to report that the UI is slick and forward-thinking with its smart search tools and filters. Whether or not you’re ready to cut the cord today, services like PS Vue and Sling TV are the future of television and you best be ready.

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Disney confirms ‘Star Wars’ stand-alone film, ‘Episode VIII’ & ‘Frozen’ sequel

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Today, Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger led a shareholder meeting and made some exciting announcements regarding a couple of his company’s most lucrative franchises.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, is coming December 18–we all know this. Now what comes after? Details about the future of Star Wars just got a bit clearer. Sandwiched between Episode VII and its direct followup Episode VIII, Disney is releasing the first stand-alone Star Wars film. “Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga,” reads a press release. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) is confirmed to direct Rogue One, and Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz) is penning the script. Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) will star. The idea for the stand-alone came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic (that’s the visual effects company created by George Lucas in 1975). Production on Rogue One begins this summer and it’s slotted to hit theatres December 16, 2016.

Iger went on to confirm that Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick, Breaking Bad) will direct Star Wars: Episode VIII, “which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Ep8 releases May 26, 2017.

In other Disney-related news, Iger made an unsurprising but still incredibly exciting announcement about the future of Frozen. A sequel is most definitely in the works! Frozen co-directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are working on the followup to the top-grossing animated film of all-time.

“We enjoyed making Frozen Fever so much and being back in that world with those characters,” said John Lasseter, Pixar chief creative officer. “Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck have come up with a great idea for a sequel and you will be hearing a lot more about it and we’re taking you back to Arendelle. We are so excited about that.”

That’s all there is to know for now. But now I bet you’re craving Frozen like Olaf craves summertime. Don’t fret–you can experience a brand new Frozen adventure starting tomorrow when the Pixar short Frozen Fever hits theatres; it’s playing in front of Disney’s new live-action Cinderella.