Category Archives: Entertainment

New music: Destiny’s Child, David Bowie & Justin Timberlake [Update: JT’s “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z out now]

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There’s new music to hear from artists you might have thought you’d never hear from again. First up is the musical trio Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, better known together as Destiny’s Child. Before Beyoncé became her own star, she led a group that pumped out hit after hit in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Remember “Independent Woman,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious?” Well, apparently there’s more where that came from. Last Friday, Destiny’s Child released their first single since 2004 called “Nuclear.” It’s produced by Pharrell and rather than bouncing back with a thumping beat they’ve invigorated their new image with a soft R&B tune that makes you remember just how well these ladies can harmonize together. “Nuclear” is a track off a brand new compilation album from Destiny’s Child Love Songs. The 14-track album contains romantic-themed songs they recorded between 1997-2004. As you can see in the tracklisting posted after the break, “Nuclear” remains the only new material to be included. Listen to it, it’s embedded above. Beyoncé will reunite Destiny’s Child on-stage when she hosts this year’s Super Bowl half-time show.

To hear David Bowie’s new single and learn about JT’s comeback, jump after the break. Continue reading New music: Destiny’s Child, David Bowie & Justin Timberlake [Update: JT’s “Suit & Tie” featuring Jay-Z out now] →

2013 Golden Globe Awards: ‘Argo’, ‘Django’, ‘Les Mis’, ‘Game Change’, ‘Homeland’ & ‘Girls’ big winners

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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler proved to be phenomenal hosts of the 70th Annual Golden Globe awards. If you missed it, you can watch their laugh-out-loud opening monologue at YouTube. The only disappoint was that they weren’t on stage doing their schtick long enough. The most entertaining presenters (by a long shot) had to be Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig; you can tell they are both from the same SNL family. Watch their banter at YouTube, too.

Now let’s get to what you came here for: the night’s big winners. Let’s switch things up and look at the movie categories first. Argo, which took home two statues, won Best Motion Picture Drama and Ben Affleck was named Best Director. (Surprisingly he was not nominated for an Oscar so it’s nice to see him being recognized here.) Django Unchained also collected two trophies; Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor (beating castmate Leonardo DiCaprio who also wasn’t nominated for an Oscar) and Quentin Tarantino nabbed a Globe for Best Screenplay. Les Misérables was the winningest film of the bunch taking home three Globes for Best Motion Picture Comedy/Musical, Best Actor (Hugh Jackman), and Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway). As expected Daniel Day-Lewis and Jessica Chastain won Best Actor and Actress for the roles in Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty, respectively. And to round things out Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) won Best Actress Comedy/Musical, Michael Danna won for Best Original Score for his in work in Life of Pi, Adele’s “Skyfall” was named Best Original Song, and, Brave was crowned Best Animated Film.

Moving on to the television categories next. HBO movie Game Change and Showtime’s Homeland swept gathering three Globes each. Game Change took home Best Miniseries/Motion Picture for TV, Best Actress (Julianne Moore), and Best Supporting Actor (Ed Harris). Homeland beat Breaking Bad to be named Best Drama and stars Damian Lewis and Claire Danes were recognized for their lead acting roles. Another HBO program Girls fared well winning two Globes for Best Comedy/Musical and star Lena Dunham won Best Actress. Elsewhere Kevin Costnerwon Best Actor in a Miniseries for his turn in Hatfields and McCoys, Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) won Best Supporting Actress, and Don Cheadle (House of Lies) surprised almost everyone and beat Louis C.K. and Jim Parsons to nab the Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series Comedy/Musical.

Jump after the break to view a more digestible list of all the night’s winners. Continue reading 2013 Golden Globe Awards: ‘Argo’, ‘Django’, ‘Les Mis’, ‘Game Change’, ‘Homeland’ & ‘Girls’ big winners →

‘Hawaii Five-0’ lets viewers determine the ending in this week’s episode

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This Monday CBS is airing a very unique episode of crime procedural Hawaii Five-0. Viewers will have the opportunity to choose the ending of the episode in real time. Check it: The mystery begins when the team must investigate the death of an O’ahu State University professor. His Boss, his Teaching Assistant, and a Student who he busted for cheating are all viable suspects. After each of the suspect’s motives is revealed, the network will advise viewers to vote who they think should get charged for the crime. There are two ways you can vote: go to CBS.com or hop on Twitter and use the hashtags #theBoss, #theTA, or #theStudent to voice your opinion. The votes will be tallied immediately and the most popular ending will become part of the broadcast, says CBS. And get this: separate voting will occur for East/Central and Pacific Time zone broadcasts, meaning each side of the nation may see different endings. All three endings have been shot, obviously, and CBS promises to make them all available to view on CBS.com after the broadcasts have aired.

“I’ve always felt the most fun aspect of watching a mystery is trying to figure out whodunit,” says exec producer Peter Lenkov. “Now the Hawaii Five-0 viewers will actually get the chance to tell us who they think committed the crime and we will listen. I love that our dedicated and attentive fans will actually play a part in resolving our story.”

Sounds fun, huh? The special episode titled “Kapu” (translation: “Forbidden”) airs this Monday night (1/14) at 10PM. Watch a trailer after the break. Continue reading ‘Hawaii Five-0’ lets viewers determine the ending in this week’s episode →

TV reminder: ‘Girls’ season 2 premieres tonight (1/13) at 9PM on HBO (trailers inside)

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The (mis)adventures of Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna continue when the critically acclaimed HBO series Girls from creator/executive producer/writer/star Lena Dunham returns for its second season tonight (1/13) at 9PM. The season 2 poster features Dunham up-close-and-personal with the perfect tagline “Almost getting it kind of together.” In an interview with EW Dumham said, “If you loved what we were doing last season, then we’re speaking right to you. If you hated it, then I’m afraid things aren’t going to change.”

After the break, get a taste of what’s in store and watch two trailers containing new material from the upcoming season. There you’ll also find a “Girls on Guys” featurette, or a primped Dunham conducting a fun conversation with Girls guys Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, Christopher Abbott, and Andrew Rannells (who is performing double duty this year working on this show and Ryan Murphy’s The New Normal).
 Continue reading TV reminder: ‘Girls’ season 2 premieres tonight (1/13) at 9PM on HBO (trailers inside) →

TV teaser: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 3

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Don’t expect to see any new footage from the third season of HBO’s fantasy series in this recently released teaser for Game of Thrones. Still, it is intriguing nonetheless. It features the three-eyed raven from Bran’s dreams flying over a modern cityscape. Pretty sure this has nothing to do what unfolds in the story. I haven’t read the books but I don’t think we’ll be seeing the Starks and the Lannisters discovering a portal to 2013. “Their world returns to ours” is what the promo is trying to say, meaning we will be transporting to Westeros soon when the series returns March 31. Allow “The Rains of Castamere” to soothe your soul and click play above.

TCA 13: The CW’s Mark Pedowitz enjoys a “pretty good” fall, discusses the status of ‘Supernatural’ and others

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It may not be considered one of the big networks, but the Television Critics Association still allows The CW to get up and talk about its ratings performance and programming lineup. Network president Mark Pedowitz admitted, “We had a pretty good fourth quarter” noting his network’s 10 percent increase in total viewers. The net’s 18-49 and 18-34 demo numbers remained flat this fall. He blamed the Nielsen system for not fully tracking the number of viewers in the latter demo because it overlooks people tuning into shows using digital platforms. He shared that the network’s median age has risen to 41, something that NBC’s Bob Greenblatt laughed at during his TCA session. “I’d like to thank Bob for giving us a shout out for doing what we set out to do,” Pedowitz held firm. He set out for The CW to try and capture a wider audience across a younger and older generation of viewers. Now what you really want to hear about comes next; Pedowitz spent some time discussing the status of longrunning series like Supernatural, freshman shows such as Beauty and the Beast, and he also talked up new midseason entry The Carrie Diaries, a prequel to the hugely successful HBO series. It’s all after the break. Continue reading TCA 13: The CW’s Mark Pedowitz enjoys a “pretty good” fall, discusses the status of ‘Supernatural’ and others →

TCA 13: ‘Elementary’s Rob Doherty talks post-Super Bowl episode, introducing Moriarty and Irene Addler & taking a serial route

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Elementary, the CBS procedural inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales of Sherlock Holmes, is the most watch new drama of the season. It’s doing so well, in fact, that the Eye has given it the plum post-Super Bowl slot this February 3. At the TCAs series creator and showrunner Rob Doherty (joined by stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu and exec producers Carl Beverly and Sarah Timberman) discussed his excitement regarding this unique opportunity.

“It was a tremendous honor to get it as a first-year show,” Doherty said of the news. He said he hopes to “do our level best to keep the audience in their seats after the game.” The episode was made with potential newcomers and viewers from the beginning in mind. He understands that “It’s an incredible opportunity to expose the show to people who haven’t checked it out yet, and we took that into consideration when developing the episode.” He says the installment will tell “a story that we felt that not only was a good example of what the show could be, but also something that our viewers would have fun with.” A critic reminded him that the post-Super Bowl spot is one that pretty much guarantees the episode will attract “more people than anything you’ve ever done in your life — and if it works might result in you being set for life.” Doherty responded jokingly, “Well, now I’m stressed. Yes, I’ve felt all of those things. I mean, I’m stressed out all the time anyway. It’s hard to go from a 10 to an 11, but I did. Mostly what we felt was great excitement.” Continue reading TCA 13: ‘Elementary’s Rob Doherty talks post-Super Bowl episode, introducing Moriarty and Irene Addler & taking a serial route →

TCA 13: CBS’ Nina Tassler hopes for more ‘HIMYM’, ‘Two and a Half Men’, promotes summer schedule that includes Spielberg/King drama ‘Under the Dome’

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Today CBS was the last of the big four networks to take the stage at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler didn’t spend much time talking about her network’s ratings and overall fall performance. Everyone knows that the Eye attracts the most eyeballs in terms of total viewers. After NBC’s Bob Greenblatt gloated about ranking #1 in attracting viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic, Tassler responded with this. “I wouldn’t say there’s been much slippage [among 18-49],” she said. “We’re not a niche broadcaster. For us it’s still about getting everybody. Our advertisers are very pleased with our 25-54 numbers as well.” For the remainder of the panel, Tassler discussed the futures of long-running sitcoms How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, she commented on the subject of violence on TV (a hot topic these days), and she announced CBS’ summer schedule which includes a mysterious drama called Under the Dome from Steven Spielberg and Stephen King. By now you should know where the bullet-points begin: after the break. Continue reading TCA 13: CBS’ Nina Tassler hopes for more ‘HIMYM’, ‘Two and a Half Men’, promotes summer schedule that includes Spielberg/King drama ‘Under the Dome’ →

On the scene: Celebrating ‘Fringe’ at the Paley Center for Media (pictures inside)

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On Wednesday night I attended Fringe Benefits, a special screening, panel, reception, and gallery exhibit hosted by the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. The event celebrated the cult sci-fi series Fringe which airs its third-to-last episode tonight (the final two episodes air back-to-back next Friday). As a fan of the show from the day the pilot aired in 2008, this was a very special occasion for me to attend. What better way to celebrate five phenomenal seasons of such a memorable, mind-bending show than with an intimate group of similarly passionate fans. Entertainment Weekly senior writer Jeff Jensen was on hand to introduce the screening of episode 511 “The Boy Must Live” and afterwards he moderated a Q&A panel that included star Lance Reddick (Phillip Broyles) and showrunner Joel “J.H.” Wyman.

“The Boy Must Live” airs tonight at 9PM on FOX, so I certainly won’t spoil anything for you. I will say, however, that this episode is one of the most revelatory in the show’s history as it answers many Observer-related questions. Walter (played by the talented John Noble) volunteers to take a plunge into the famous water tank to relive the memories transfered to him by the child Observer in an attempt to locate September (played by a touching Michael Cerveris). In many ways the episode is humorous; dialogue from Walter and Olivia forced the audience (and myself included) to erupt in laughter more than once during the screening. And at the same time the installment is incredibly touching; Walter and Peter share a tear-inducing moment early on in the episode. Questions are answers, emotional connections are made, and the ball is officially rolling toward next week’s big finale.

After the screening Jensen moderated a candid Q&A session with Reddick and Wyman. Below I share with you my attempt at scrupulous note-taking that took place during the entertaining back-and-forth. Continue reading On the scene: Celebrating ‘Fringe’ at the Paley Center for Media (pictures inside) →

2013 Oscar nods are in!

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As we inch closer to the 85th Academy Awards the nominations tallied by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were announced today. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln received the most nominations, 12 of them in fact. The period piece is up for Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field), Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner), Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Score, Production Design, and Sound Mixing. Life of Pi is close behind with 11 nods including Best Picture, Best Director (Ang Lee), and Best Adapted Screenplay (David Magee). The remaining Best Picture contenders are Amour (5 nods total), Argo (7), Beasts of the Southern Wild (4), Django Unchained (5), Les Miserables (8), Silver Linings Playbook (8), and Zero Dark Thirty (5). Daniel Day-Lewis is up against Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), and Denzel Washington (Flight) for Best Actor. Clawing for Best Actress are Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour), Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), and Naomi Watts (The Impossible). The movies up for Best Animated Feature are Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates!, Band of Misfits, and Wreck-It Ralph.

Who got snubbed? The biggest shockers are those who were not nominated for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master), and Ben Affleck (Argo; he also wasn’t nominated for Best Actor). Big acting snubs include Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained) and John Hawkes (The Sessions). No technical nominations for Flight or Prometheus. Not a single nod for Rian Johnson’s Looper, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, and the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas. And blockbuster The Avengers only managed to land a single nod for Visual Effects.

Jump after the break to see all the nominations. The 85th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by Family Guy‘s Seth MacFarlane, airs live Sunday, February 24 on ABC. Watch some of MacFarlane’s latest promos below.
 Continue reading 2013 Oscar nods are in! →

TCA 13: Creator Paul Scheuring aims to explore the human condition in his conspiracy thriller ‘Zero Hour’

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After watching the bizarre and slightly corny trailer for ABC’s upcoming conspiracy thriller Zero Hour, I must admit it made it sort of hard for me to recommend this midseason drama. The only elements pushing me to give it a try was that Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring is behind it and that revered actor Anthony Edwards (ER) stars. Today’s TCA panel pimping Zero Hour led by Scheuring and with some comments from Edwards has injected some much-needed confidence into me–it’s very high concept, it’s serialized to the core, and this show might just be an addicting thrill ride that educates and poses some lofty, intriguing questions about religion and history.

Briefly, Zero Hour stars Edwards as Hank Galliston, a publisher of a skeptics magazine, who has spent his career following clues, debunking myths and cracking conspiracies. But when his wife, Laila (Jacinda Barrett), is abducted from her antique clock shop by an international terrorist, Hank gets pulled into one of the most compelling mysteries in human history, stretching around the world and back centuries.

“The entire show is about the man or the woman beneath the identity,” Scheuring explained. “If you wear a Christian cross, are you automatically good? If you wear a Nazi armband, are you automatically bad? And that I think ultimately makes for more complex and interesting drama. All those different characters wear these different surface adornments, like Naziism, Christianity. But what’s the human beneath it?… I want to have a more sophisticated three-dimensional view of the characters as opposed to ‘Nazi! Bad!’ I mean, who cares?” After posing a hypothetical question ‘is the Christian God is real’ he stated, “Scientifically, that’s the question we are starting to ask as the season goes along.” (Along the same lines of he was stated earlier, he made a rather controversial statement when he said “The idea that all Nazis are bad is something we are exploring, 100 percent.”)

Scheuring shared, “There were two mandates: deliver something gigantic and make a spectacle.” Later he went on to admit, “There’s a fair amount of crazy in here.” Though critics are making comparions to the movies that star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Scheuring was adamant, “We’re not the Da Vinci Code.” Continue reading TCA 13: Creator Paul Scheuring aims to explore the human condition in his conspiracy thriller ‘Zero Hour’ →

TCA 13: ABC’s Paul Lee comments on a so-so fall, expresses excitement for Joss Whedon’s Marvel series ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’

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Following NBC and FOX, ABC entertainment president Paul Lee took the stage at the TCA winter press tour to grade his network’s fall season and discuss the future. “We have a lot to shout about, and we also have a lot to do,” is how he kicked off the conversation.” He also said, “We were disappointed there weren’t any big breakout hits on broadcast, including ABC.” I guess he opted to ignore NBC’s Revolution when he went with that self-deprecating jab. He expressed concerns with cancelled dramas like Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue and the faltering Dancing with the Stars, but he also praised low-rated comedies Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 and shared his excitement for Joss Whedon’s Marvel series S.H.I.E.L.D. For the full scoop see the bullet-point breakdown after the break. Continue reading TCA 13: ABC’s Paul Lee comments on a so-so fall, expresses excitement for Joss Whedon’s Marvel series ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ →