The summer months are upon us and though many of your favorites series are taking a break until September there are quite a few new and returning ones that premiere in June. See what’s coming up and worth checking out after the break! Continue reading TV reminder: 6 premieres to look out for in June
We have a name people. Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel sequel is now officially called Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Famous DC characters such as Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), and Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons) will be featured in the film that no doubt is laying the groundwork for a future Justice League film that will bring together many DC superheroes and villains much like Marvel’s already done with The Avengers and the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Eye the gritty new logo hanging above and start anticipating Dawn of Justice‘s May 6, 2016 release.
Disney and Disney-owned Marvel are teaming up for the next Walt Disney Animation Studios film. The next film on Disney animated slate, following Frozen, is Big Hero 6. The movie, inspired by the Marvel comics, goes like this:
“Big Hero 6” is a heartfelt comedy adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, clean freak Wasabi No-Ginger, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a cutting-edge robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action and all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Big Hero 6” is directed by Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), and produced by Roy Conli (“Tangled”).
Check out the nearly two-minute teaser trailer above. Though it doesn’t set up the plot, it manages to successfully introduce our main characters in a very fun way. In fact, this teaser reminds me of the initial Frozen teaser which introduced audiences to snowman Olaf and reindeer Sven in a playful way.
Big Hero 6 hits theaters in 3D on November 7, 2014.
I come bearing very exciting news for Jason Mraz fans. The wickedly talented artist also known as Mr. A-Z is releasing his fifth studio album this summer! This will likely come as a surprise to his fanbase because in the past Mraz typically took 3 to 4 years to release new collections of material and it’s only been a little over 2 years since his last major release Love is a Four Letter Word.
Jason’s new album is titled YES! and it’s a very special release because it serves as a collaboration between himself and indie pop-rock-folk all-women band Raining Jane. The Sacramento Bee has the full scoop on the collaboration, but in a nutshell it goes like this: Raising Jane is a band featuring four talented ladies: Mona Tavakoli on percussion, Mai Bloomfield on guitar and cello, Becky Gebhardt on bass and sitar, and Chaska Potter on guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and glockenspiel. Raining Jane opened for Mraz in 2007 at a show in SoCal and he was immediately impressed by their musicality. They began writing music together that year; they co-wrote a total of 50 songs, 15 were recorded, and 12 in all will be included in YES!. You can preview Raining Jane’s music at their YouTube channel. You may recognize enthusiastic drummer Mona Tavakoli (on Jason’s immediate right in the photo above); she’s toured with Mraz for the last two years. Following the release of YES! Jason and the girls of Raining Jane will go on a brand new tour together.
So what do we know about the new album so far? Jason’s been unveiling details piecemeal on his website; every day something new is unlocked. 5 of 7 locks have been cracked and they’ve included the name of album 5, possibly the album cover featuring five birds in flight, the 14-song track list*, and hand-written lyrics for one of the tracks titled “Love Someone” which may end up being the album’s lead single.
Head over to Jason’s YouTube channel to get a taste of YES! as we wait for the final two locks to open up; perhaps a preview of the single and a firm release date are coming soon.
*According to the SacBee 15 tracks in total were recorded by Jason and Jane; here’s hoping that the missing song not included in the tracklist ends up releasing as a bonus track!
Update: Called it! Jump after the break to hear Jason’s brand new single “Love Someone;” in addition to the standard audio track you’ll also get to experience a live performance of the song performed by Jason and Raining Jane from The Om Studio at Mraz’s very own Organics’ Avocado Ranch. YES!, an album “containing songs about love, friendship, healing, hope, and consciousness” is out July 15. If you preorder the album today at iTunes you’ll receive a new song every Monday leading up to release day. Has anyone coined the term “Mraz Monday” yet? In a blog post Mraz also commented on tour plans: “We’ll be touring across the U.S. later this summer before heading to Europe, Asia, and Australia in the fall and South America in 2015.” Continue reading Jason Mraz readies fifth studio album ‘YES!’
Can you believe we are talking about The Walking Dead season 5 already? The ratings juggernaut is plowing through plot and when the show returns this fall it will introduce viewers to an entirely new location called Terminus. At the end of last season (spoiler alert) our band of zombie apocalypse survivors converged at Terminus, a place whose slogan went like this: “Those who arrive survive.” Turn out that may not necessarily be the case. Shortly after Rick and the gang arrived they were almost immediately pursued by gunfire. Whether or not the “termites” of Terminus are cannibals remains to be seen, but this remains certain: They’ve screwed with the wrong people. Those were the famous words dramatically uttered by our hero Rick Grimes at the very end of the season. Rick and our people were forced inside train car “A” and our first look at the new season presents the former sheriff bloody, renewed with strength peering through it likely planning how he intends to tear the termites apart. Excited? Chyeah, uh huh.
The Walking Dead returns this fall to AMC.
Following all the fanfare that came with the big announcement that Ben Affleck, the man who played Matt Murdock in the ill-fated Daredevil, would suit up to embody Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, here it is, our first look at the man in the cowl standing next to director Zack Snyder’s incarnation of the Batmobile.
“Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry [Cavill]’s Superman,” Snyder said in a statement in August when the casting announcement was made. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.”
Affleck’s Batman certainly looks older and significantly bigger than Christian Bale’s Dark Knight in this picture Snyder tweeted out to his followers and the world this month. (This image, taken with his Leica M Monochrom digital camera, followed a tease of the Batmobile which can be seen here.) Pictured is a very moody Batman indeed and thanks to the Internet, the Sad Batman meme is born.
The still untitled Man of Steel sequel starring Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Alfred Pennyworth hits theatres May 6, 2016.
Chris Nolan’s next movie has been shrouded in secrecy for some time now. Even the original two-minute teaser trailer didn’t budge with details. The first official full-length trailer that debuted in front of Godzilla, however, manages to paint a better picture. In Interstellar, the Earth has “ran out of food” and Matthew McConaughey is enlisted to travel through a wormhole on an interstellar voyage to save the planet. The plot still isn’t crystal clear but one thing’s for certain: Nolan has yet another super intriguing design in the works. Interstellar opens November 7.
Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘Interstellar,’ ‘Cinderella,’ ‘They Came Together’ & ‘Apes’ [Update: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’]
The Upfronts have come and gone and now it’s time for you to figure out which new shows you’ll be watching when the new TV season kicks off this fall. The networks have picked up their respective pilots to series and you can preview them with tantalizing trailers and juicy synopses. First up is the Peacock!
NBC picked up a whopping 16 new series. This fall three dramas, State of Affairs, The Mysteries of Laura, and Constantine will premiere. Three comedies will also launch in the fall and they are Marry Me, Bad Judge, and A to Z. The rest are being held on the bench to air sometime later in the year: A.D., Allegiance, Aquarius, Emerald City, Heroes Reborn, and Odyssey and comedies Mission Control, Mr. Robinson, One Big Happy, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Also being held for midseason are returning series Hannibal, the final season of Parks and Recreation, Celebrity Apprentice, and Hollywood Game Night.
The Voice returns to open Monday night where it will be paired with red-hot The Blacklist; on Nov. 17 The Blacklist will go on break and new drama State of Affairs will takeover the 10PM slot. The Blacklist will return on Feb. 1 landing the prime post Super Bowl slot. That special episode will be the first of a two-parter which will resolve when the James Spader drama falls into its brand new timeslot Thursdays at 9 starting Feb. 5. Moving onto Tuesdays, The Voice will air its second hour at 8 followed by new sitcom Marry Me; that, in turn, is followed by returning sitcom About a Boy and Dick Wolf drama Chicago Fire. Wednesdays opens with new Debra Messing procedural The Mysterious of Laura followed by Law & Order: SVU and spinoff Chicago P.D. Reality veteran The Biggest Loser relocates to Thursdays leading into new comedies Bad Judge and A to Z and the final season of Parenthood closes the night at 10 (later in the season drama Allegiance takes over Parenthood‘s slot). NBC expands its genre night on Fridays pairing Grimm with DC comic book based Constantine. Elsewhere, football dominates Sundays.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: NBC intros 16 new series
FOX is packing 12 new series in total for the upcoming TV season. Three dramas, Gotham, Red Band Society, and Gracepoint, one comedy, Mulaney, and one reality series Utopia will premiere in the fall. The rest are on tap for midseason: dramas Backstrom, Empire, Hieroglyph, and Wayward Pines and comedies Bordertown, The Last Man on Earth, and Weird Loners. Also being held for midseason are returning series American Idol, The Following and the final season of Glee.
The network is putting a lot of faith in the highly anticipated new drama series Gotham to open Monday night; it’s paired with Sleepy Hollow. New reality series Utopia starts Tuesdays and it will lead into that night’s comedy staples New Girl and The Mindy Project. Another reality series Hell’s Kitchen will open the next night followed by new hospital drama Red Band Society. Veteran Bones makes a comeback to Thursday nights where it will provide cushion for new “event series” Gracepoint. Utopia will air again on Fridays following Masterchef Junior. And Sundays, which have been dominated solely by animated series for some time, are now being injected with some live action: following Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons is the returning Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and following Family Guy at 9:30 is new multi-cam sitcom Mulaney.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall FOX series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: FOX intros 12 new series
ABC has 12 new series on tap for next season: two dramas–Forever and How to Get Away with Murder–will launch in the fall alongside four sitcoms Selfie, Manhattan Love Story, Black-ish, and Cristela. The rest will follow later in the year: dramas American Crime, Marvel’s Agent Carter, Secrets and Lies, and The Whispers and comedies Fresh Off the Boat and Galavant. Also being held for midseason are returning series The Bachelor and The Taste.
Dancing with the Stars and Castle remained paired on Mondays. Two new sitcoms Selfie and Manhattan Love Story will open Tuesdays leading into one returning drama, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a new one, Forever. Wednesdays pack four comedies starting with The Middle; The Goldbergs lands a great slot between that and Modern Family. The veteran, award-winning sitcom will serve as a launching pad for newbie Black-ish and then returning Nashville closes the night at 10. Thursdays are completely dominated by Shonda Rhimes: Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal will lead into her latest offering How to Get Away with Murder at 10 (new drama Secrets and Lies will take over Murder‘s timeslot later in the season. Elsewhere, Latina sitcom Cristela is paired with Last Man Standing on Fridays and Sunday’s lineup of Once Upon a Time, Resurrection, and Revenge is unchanged (new drama American Crime will replace Resurrection at 9 when that show’s second season comes to a close). Once Upon a Time‘s season will be aired in two distinct halves again and so will S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s; taking over their slots on the schedule during their extended hiatuses are musical fairytale Galavant and origin story Marvel‘s Agent Carter, respectively.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: ABC intros 12 new series
CBS has eight new series lined up for next season. In the fall, four new dramas will premiere–Scorpion, spinoff NCIS: New Orleans, Stalker, and Madam Secretary–alongside a new comedy The McCarthys. Two dramas–Battle Creek and spinoff CSI: Cyber–will land on the schedule in midseason with new comedy The Odd Couple. Also being held for midseason are returning series The Mentalist, Mike & Molly, and Undercover Boss.
The Big Bang Theory returns to Mondays to kick the night off leading into another sitcom Mom, and these are followed by new drama series Scorpion and the returning NCIS: LA. TBBT will revert to its Thursday 8PM timeslot when Thursday Night Football concludes in late October; at that point 2 Broke Girls will premiere its third season in its regular Monday 8PM slot. On Tuesdays the flagship NCIS will lead into the latest franchise spinoff NCIS: New Orleans and Person of Interest will follow at 10PM. New drama Stalker is paired with Criminal Minds on Wednesdays and new sitcom The McCarthys is sandwiched between the final season of Two and a Half Men and Elementary on Thursdays. Elsewhere, The Amazing Race relocates to Fridays at 8 and newbie Madam Secretary opens Sunday nights leading into The Good Wife and CSI. Spinoff CSI: Cyber will take over the flagship CSI on Sundays at 10 in midseason.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CBS series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: CBS intros 8 new series
The CW introduced four new series for next season; Jane the Virgin and The Flash will premiere in the fall, and iZombie and The Messengers will bow in midseason. Also being held for later in the year are returning series Hart of Dixie and Beauty and the Beast. The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals will serve as a lead-in for Jane the Virgin on Mondays and The Flash will open Tuesdays paired with veteran Supernatural.
Jump after the break to view the full fall schedule, trailers for the new fall CW series, and synopses. Continue reading 2014 Upfronts: The CW intros 4 new series