Category Archives: Entertainment

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is out this Friday, go behind-the-scenes one more time

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Though the first movie in the Hobbit trilogy hasn’t even come out yet, it already feels like we’ve been on one unexpected and wild journey. Since April 2011, director Peter Jackson periodically dropped production video blogs that brought Lord of the Rings fans behind-the-scenes on the making of his next foray into Middle Earth. Each one explores a different aspect of filmmaking–from the logistics of location shooting to lessons in shooting in 3D–that culminates in an inside look at the grueling yet rewarding post-production process. Taken as a whole, the nine vlogs show just how much effort and sheer amount of hard work went into the making of the Hobbit movies.

And with just a few days until The Hobbit lands in theatres in the States, Mr. Jackson was able to slip one more massive video into our hands. A new 13-minute featurette, embedded above, takes us behind the scenes one more time before the adventure begins. In addition to Jackson you’ll hear from many of the actors, producers, and other creatives behind the making of the film. You’ll also be introduced to new characters, get a better sense of the story, and witness colorful concept art and new footage.

Return to Middle Earth this Friday, December 14 when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey makes its grand debut.

Five separate artists lead the 2013 Grammy nominations

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On December 6 the 2013 Grammy nominations were announced and instead of one artist leading the pack (last year it was Kanye West), a grand total of five separate artists landed six nods each and they are Frank Ocean, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, and Kanye West. Newcomer Frank Ocean and his debut album Channel Orange deservedly owns a giant chunk of the spotlight: Channel Orange is up for Album of the Year (against The Black Keys’ El Camino, Fun.’s Some Nights, Mumford & Sons’ Babel, and Jack White’s Blunderbuss); Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” is vying for Record of the Year with “Lonely Boy” (The Black Keys), “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” (Kelly Clarkson), “We Are Young” (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe), “Somebody That I Used To Know” (Gotye featuring Kimbra), and  “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Taylor Swift); he’s also up for Best New Artist with Alabama Shakes, Fun., Hunter Hayes, and The Lumineers; he’s also in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category; and his contribution to Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild” grabbed him two more nods. He did not, however, break into Song of the Year; those that did include Ed Sheeran (“The A Team”), Miguel (“Adorn”), Carly Rae Jepsen (“Call Me Maybe”), Kelly Clarkson (“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”), and Fun. (“We Are Young).

Click here to view the full 2013 Grammy nominees list. The 55th Annual Grammy Awards airs Sunday, February 10 at 8PM on CBS.

Movie poster: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ [Update: An “announcement trailer” has arrived!]

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Today Paramount released the first poster for the highly anticipated sequel Star Trek Into Darkness. Who is that standing in the middle of debris and destruction? Is it Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk, or can it be the film’s antagonist (rumored to be Khan) played by Benedict Cumberbatch?

Whoever it may be, there’s no denying that the poster in general evokes an eerily similar scene of gritty chaos we envisioned with the Dark Knight Rises artwork. In Christopher Nolan’s piece, the crumbling city of Gotham was shaped into the Bat symbol. In J.J. Abrams’ art, a still unknown city on Earth is wasted and its ashes form the iconic Starfleet Delta symbol. Whether or not this imitation was intended by the marketing team (it had to have been, right?!), it serves to tell audiences that Into Darkness (if the subtitle didn’t hint at this already) is going to attempt to tell a gritty, dark tale involving our Enterprise crew and a formidable foe.

In addition to the poster, the studio also released an official synopsis that shines a light on the tightly wrapped plot.

When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Star Trek Into Darkness is out May 17, 2013. And don’t forget that theatres will be screening the first nine minutes of the film leading into select showings of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey beginning December 14.

Update (12/6): I found something you’ll want to watch over and over again today. Paramount has dropped a teaser trailer (or what they’re calling an “announcement trailer”) for Star Trek Into Darkness. Each tantalizing glimpse is brief but there are so many of them it’s hard to shake off the sheer amount of excitement and anticipation. The best part, though, has to be what is heard, not seen. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the still unidentified villain, narrates: “You think your world is safe. It is an illusion. A comforting lie told to protect you. Enjoy these final moments of peace. For I have returned…to have…my…vengeance. So, shall we begin?” Hey Trekkies, I wonder who that could be…

Watch the teaser trailer after the break. Continue reading Movie poster: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ [Update: An “announcement trailer” has arrived!] →

‘Fringe’ showrunner reveals title of final episode, promises it to be emotionally thrilling

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Fringe celebrated 100 episodes at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver by gathering together the cast and crew of the cult sci-fi series. TVLine was on the scene and spoke with showrunner J.H. Wyman about what fans can expect from the final episode.

First thing’s first: Wyman has revealed the title of said episode and it is “An Enemy of Fate.”

Now what can that mean? Though Wyman doesn’t divulge much, he does promise that the final hour of the show–the series’ 100th episode–is going to be the most exhilarating installment yet. “It’s definitely the biggest season finale we’ve ever had,” Wyman teased. “It’s the most expensive…It’s massive, really big. I wanted to go out like, ‘Wow, how did they do that?’”

And like all the best Fringe episodes, the series ender will an emotionally thrilling one. “I wanted to make sure I handled [the action element] and the emotions with equal import,” he said.

Fringe returns from a three-week hiatus this week. Episode 8 of 13, “The Human Kind,” airs Friday night at 9PM on FOX. From this point forward the show will air uninterrupted culminating in the two-hour series finale on January 18, 2013. Check out some pictures from the 100 Episodes celebration in the gallery below.

Note: The image above is not a spoiler from the current season; it is merely a screen-cap from last year’s Comic Con gag.

[Images via BuddyTV]

First look: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 3 (video)

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It’s not an epic trailer, but here is our first look into the next season of Game of Thrones. The two minute clip takes you behind-the-scenes of production on the third season of HBO’s fantasy series based on a series of books by George R.R. Martin. In it you’ll hear from the series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, as well as some of the cast including Richard Madden (Robb), Maisie Williams (Arya), and Emlia Clarke (Daenerys). Peter Dinklage also makes a brief appearance and you get to see how Tyrion’s permanent scar looks. With new locations, characters, and an upgraded wardrobe being introduced next year, the upcoming season of Thrones “is the season [we’ve] been anticipating from the very beginning,” says Benioff. Clarke will get your blood pumping with her closing remarks: “The game’s been upped. There’s so much more danger. There’s so much more risk.”

Game of Thrones returns March 31, 2013.

Viral marketing campaign begins for Guillermo Del Toro’s monsters vs. robots epic ‘Pacific Rim’

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Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) is working on a modern monster movie called Pacific Rim. It was unveiled and previewed at this year’s Comic Con to a raging audience. It’s a sci-fi epic to look forward to. Instead of construing words, learn what it’s about directly from the source, helmer Del Toro. In a 2011 interview with Wired he said:

“It’s really, it’s a very, very beautiful poem to giant monsters. Giant monsters versus giant robots. Twenty-five-story-high robots beating the crap out of 25-story-high monsters. We’re trying to create a world in which the characters are real and how it would affect our world politically, how it would affect the landscape if creatures like this really came out of the sea.”

Want more? Here’s the official synopsis:

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

To promote the film’s summer release, a viral marketing campaign has begun in the form of a shaky-cam clip uploaded to YouTube called “BREAKING NEWS: KAIJU ATTACK.” It’s embedded above and it gives viewers a glimpse of the monstrous creatures Del Toro has imagined for Pacific Rim. It comes off as very Cloverfield, but be mindful that the picture will not be presented in shaky-cam format. Interested in following the viral madness? Bookmark the movie’s official site where you’ll find a gallery of concept art and blueprints for the “Jaeger” robotic machines and more glimpses at the Kaiju.

Pacific Rim, starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Clifton Collins Jr., Max Martini, Rinko Kikuchi, and Robert Kazinsky, is out July 12. The first theatrical trailer is expected to drop December 12.

Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado’ due June 2013

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A little over a year ago Avengers helmer Joss Whedon revealed that he was working on his own indie project, secretly adapting and directing a modern version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing.  Bellwether Pictures, a “micro-studio” created by Whedon and his wife Kai Cole, backed the black-and-white project which was shot on a small budget in just twelve days inside Whedon’s Santa Monica, California-based home. The ensemble cast is comprised of many of Whedon’s past collaborators: Amy Acker (Dollhouse) and Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel), Nathan Fillion (Firefly), Clark Gregg (The Avengers), Fran Kranz (Dollhouse), and Sean Maher (Firefly). For more on the movie, click back to the original article.

When all of this was first announced, Whedon merely mentioned that it was all put together for fun hoping that one day it would be shown in theatres. “I’ve just been enjoying the Internet response,” he shared with EW. “We’re feeling our way on this one, just like Dr. Horrible. I do mean it to be in theaters. But we haven’t gotten any real plan except [going to] film festivals because it sounded like it would be festive.”

Since then, Much Ado was screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews and shortly thereafter North American distribution rights were acquired by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. Just yesterday a theatrical release date was set: June 7, 2013.

We’ve already seen what Joss can do with a huge budget and Hollywood’s hottest stars. Though Much Ado falls on the opposite spectrum of everything that was Marvel’s The Avengers, fans will flock to theatres to watch the man perform movie magic again, this time with a truly personal touch. Much like Dr. Horrible, Much Ado is a passion project for Joss and audiences will notice.

More ‘Bates Motel’ stills surface, plus two teaser trailers inside

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Just last week we got our first look at Freddy Highmore and Vera Farmiga as Norman and Norma Bates in A&E’s upcoming Psycho prequel series Bates Motel. So soon after we are fed with 16 more pictures featuring Highmore, Farmiga, Max Thieriot as brother Dylan Bates, Olivia Cooke as Norman’s classmate Emma Decody, Mike Vogel (Pan Am) as Deputy Zach Shelby, Nestor Carbonell (Lost) as Sheriff Alex Romero, Nicola Peltz as Norman’s crush Bradley, plus several shots of the famous “Bates Motel” grounds.

THR is hosting the latest batch of images; click over to their site to view ’em all.

Also new today are two tantalizing teasers for the new series hailing from Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights). They are short but oh-so-creepily sweet. Watch ’em both after the break.

Bates Motel premieres on A&E next year. Continue reading More ‘Bates Motel’ stills surface, plus two teaser trailers inside →

FOX pushes ‘Touch’, schedules remaining ‘Mob Doctor’ episodes; ABC gives ‘Last Man Standing’ & ‘Malibu Country’ back orders; The CW cancels ‘Emily Owens’

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The Tim Kring drama just can’t catch a break! Originally scheduled to premiere this fall on October 26, FOX delayed the second season start to the Kiefer Sutherland vehicle Touch thrice now. It was first bumped to midseason with a vague “January 2013” timeframe; then it was pushed to February 1; and now it’s confirmed to air a two-hour premiere on Friday, February 8 from 8PM-10PM. The following week it will relax into its regular 9PM timeslot. Good grief  Hopefully people will tune in; last year’s ratings were relatively soft and this show about connectedness is worth checking out.

Elsewhere on FOX, the poorly received and rated The Mob Doctor has its days numbered. Though the network is not calling it a cancellation, it has decided not to give the medical drama the back nine. But just like ABC is doing with Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue, it’s allowing the show air all 13 produced episodes being calling time of death. The final four episodes will air on the following dates: Saturday, December 29, Monday, December, Saturday, January 5, and Monday, January 7 all at 9PM. That’s right–some are airing on Saturday nights. Most would call that a loftier death bed than the Friday night graveyard.

Over at ABC, Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing and Reba’s Malibu Country are receiving back orders, specifically an additional 5 episodes each. Since the sophomore and freshman series (respectively) got a late start this year, an extra five instead of nine is enough to get them through the season. If you’re a fan of LMS, here’s something to look forward to: TVLine reports that a Home Improvement reunion is being staged when Richard Karn (aka Al Borland) joins Tim Allen in a future episode scheduled to air early next year.

And last, after picking up freshman dramas Arrow and Beauty And The Beast, The CW has axed Emily Owens M.D. This week’s episode attracted a paltry 1 million viewers, scoring a 0.3/1 in the adults 18-49 demo. Though the CBS sister network is not used to seeing typical ratings found on the bigger broadcast nets, Emily Owens scored as the lowest rated new series this fall for them and so the cord has been cut.

“Gangnam Style” becomes most-viewed video of all time on YouTube

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On November 24, “Gangnam Style” became the most-viewed video on YouTube. On that day its view count reached 805 million. Today its nearly captured 855 million looks. The South Korean rapper PSY managed to dethrone “pop sensation” Justin Bieber’s “Baby” music video, the previous record holder for most-viewed video. And as catchy, fun, agonizing or annoying you find “Gangnam Style” to be, PSY deserves at least some respect for knocking the Biebs down a peg, am I right? According to YouTube Trends, however, Justin’s 2010 single still receives between 350k and 500k views per day. But that pales in comparison to the new record holder; the song that’ll get you singing Heyyy, sexy lady is being watched 7 to 10 million times a day.

Be a part of history and add one to the tally. Bieber’s in the dust! For now…

Cee-Lo Green and The Muppets spread holiday cheer in “All I Need Is Love” music video

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Cee-Lo Green released a Christmas album earlier this month called Cee-Lo’s Magic Moment; though it contains mostly covers of classic holiday hits like “White Christmas” and “Silent Night,” there is one original track planted inside. To promote the catchy single “All I Need Is Love,” Green collaborated with The Muppets for the second time in his career (remember his colorful rendition of “F–k You” at the Grammys?) in a fun and cheery music video that also features a cameo by The Office‘s Craig Robinson as Santa. The song, which is infused with the classic Muppets tune “Mahna Mahna,” is infectious and by the time you’re done watching this nearly seven-minute clip you’ll be humming All I need is la-la-love! My favorite part is when the newest member of the Muppets family Walter looks up to Robinson and proclaims, “So Santa’s my homie!”

It’s almost that time of year; enjoy. Download the track at iTunes.

SpeakSonic album reviews: Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Kid Rock & Alicia Keys

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The month of November saw many artists return from musical hiatus. Aerosmith released Music from Another Dimension!, their fifteenth studio album and first to feature a new collection of songs since their 2001 effort Push to Play.  Christina hopes to bounce back from her 2010 bust Bionic with Lotus, an album that features her fellow judges from reality competition series The Voice Cee-Lo Green and Blake Shelton. How does Kid Rock’s latest Rebel Soul fare against his previous records? Is Alicia Keys back in the game with Girl On Fire after taking a three year vacation?

SpeakSonic delivers with this week’s bite-sized album reviews.