Category Archives: Entertainment

Trailer round-up: ‘Despicable Me 2’, ‘Frankenweenie’, ‘ParaNorman’, ‘Prometheus’ [Update: ‘MIB 3’]

The Minions are back in Illumination Entertainment’s sequel Despicable Me 2. Check out the teasiest of teasers above and anticipate the film’s July 3, 2013 future release.

Now jump after the break to watch trailers for Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, and Prometheus. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘Despicable Me 2’, ‘Frankenweenie’, ‘ParaNorman’, ‘Prometheus’ [Update: ‘MIB 3’]

TV reminder: ‘Awake’ premieres tonight at 10PM on NBC

From creator Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and executive producer Howard Gordon (24) comes an inventive new series starring Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films) as Michael Britten, a detective who lives a double life in two separate realities. In tonight’s pilot episode, Britten will survive a tragic car accident while his wife played by Laura Allen (Terriers) and son Dylan Minnette (Lost) will go on to distinctly define the alternate realities Britten experiences after the crash.

If this sounds confusing to you, after you watch the pilot things should become clearer. Recently at the Winter TCAs Gordon casually explained the concept: “[Britten]’s a guy who goes to sleep, wakes up, he’s with his wife, goes to sleep, wakes up, and he’s with his son. And he’s a cop who sees clues and details that crossover from one world to the next, and he uses that insight to solve crimes.” There you go. In each reality Britten has a different partner–Steve Harris (The Practice) in one and Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show) in the other; and he also sits down with a therapist in each reality (Cherry Jones, 24 & BD Wong, Law & Order: SVU) to deal with the ramifications of his dual existence.

Killen has confirmed that the show will not be taking the easy way out and wrap up by saying “it was all a dream.” One (or potentially both, or neither?) of these realities is in fact real and over the course of the series the mystery behind that pivotal car crash will reveal itself.

I say take a chance and tune into the series premiere of Awake that airs tonight (3/1) at 10PM on NBC.

Trailer 2: ‘The Avengers’ (NERDGASM!)

This brand new theatrical trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers will make you experience the most intense nerdgasm you’ve ever had since this Tron trailer. It cranks up a level of anticipation beyond the threshold of normality for what will likely be the most epic superhero movie produced to date. Directed by geek god Joss Whedon, the Avengers–Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)–assemble to face off against Thor’s adoptive, evil and twisted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Turn up the resolution to HD, go full screen, and enjoy every single second of this action-packed, truly extraordinary peek at what’s in store for movie-goers this spring.

The Avengers hits theatres May 4 in 3D. (In the UK, the name of the movie has been changed to Avengers Assemble and it releases there on April 26.) Check out the new poster after the break. Continue reading Trailer 2: ‘The Avengers’ (NERDGASM!)

Album releases: Kid Cudi & Dot Da Genius’ WZRD & Jason Mraz’s live EP out today

Today is a big day for music fans ’round the world spanning two very different genres. First there’s the long-anticipated release of Kid Cudi’s concept album WZRD, featuring beats by producer Dot Da Genius and guitar riffs by the Rager. The self-titled album can be downloaded digitally at iTunes, or a physical copy can be purchased over at Amazon. Celebrate the release by heading over to Complex and checking out their online cover story that delves deep into the perfect collaboration.

Next up is a taste of what’s to come for fans of the one and only Mr. A-Z. Before dropping his third studio album on April 17, Jason Mraz is releasing a four-track live EP titled Live Is A Four Letter Word and it can be yours today: the digital-only EP is now available on iTunes. The songs were recorded from his performance at Spreckels Theater in San Diego.

Oh happy day.

‘Revenge’ promo will get your heart racing for more Thorne

A marriage destroyed [Queen Victoria & Conrad Greyson]. An empire threatened [Greyson Global]. A family torn apart [the Greysons]. An alliance forged [Emily & Nolan]. A friendship tested [Emily & Jack]. A fiancé with blood on his hands [Hello, Danny]. And she’s just getting started. When everything you love is stolen from you, someone has to pay.

This promo for Revenge aired during last night’s Oscars telecast. It might have been the highlight of the evening. The infectious soap returns this week on Wednesday, February 29 at 10PM on ABC.

2012 Oscar winners: ‘The Artist’ & ‘Hugo’ win big

Billy Crystal played host tonight at the 84th Annual Academy Awards and two movies came out big on top. The silent French film The Artist and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo took home five Oscars each. The Artist won the coveted Best Picture Oscar, as well as Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius) and Actor (Jean Dujardin), Costume Design, and Original Score. Hugo, on the other hand, won many of the technical awards including Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects. Other notable winners include queen of award shows Meryl Streep, who was recognized for her leading role in The Iron Lady; Octavia Spencer’s supporting role in The Help; Christopher Plummer at 82 became the oldest actor to receive an (acting-related) Oscar for his supporting role in BeginnersThe Descendants won Best Adapted Screenplay and Midnight in Paris won Best Original Screenplay; Rango was named Best Animated Feature; and Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords grabbed a well deserved Oscar for his Best Original Song from The Muppets, “Man or Muppet.”

For the full list of winners, jump after the break. Continue reading 2012 Oscar winners: ‘The Artist’ & ‘Hugo’ win big

TV teaser 3: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 2

Here we go again. HBO has let loose a third look at the second season of the network’s epic fantasy series Game of Thrones. This one’s titled “Power and Grace” and it hints at a love interest for Robb Stark, Daenerys’ dragons, fear of the unknown beyond the Wall for Jon Snow, and oh-so-much more. War is coming April 1.

‘FRINGE’ TV trailer: “answers are coming” tonight

Tonight Fringe airs one last episode before its winter break. Showrunner and executive producer Jeff Pinkner, like the trailer above, promises that the episode titled “The End of All Things” will provide answers for fans of the sci-fi cult series. “It’s definitely, as they say, a game-changer in that our characters learn a lot more and the audience is going to learn a lot more about the über-plot of the season’s bad guy, David Robert Jones,” says Pinkner. Also, The Observer will “peel back some layers about what his agenda has been and use that as an opportunity to revisit the things  on the show we’ve seen before.” Pinkner concludes, “It’s the 14th out of 22 episodes and it’s very much an episode that’s going to launch us into the back half of the episodes.”

When Fringe returns from its month-long hiatus, an episode called “A Short Story About Love” will bring viewers back into the fold. Co-showrunner and exec producer J.H. Wyman will be making his directorial debut with this special episode and he teases it like this:  “It’s an episode that’s really close to me. It’s about love and all the great things that we talk about on Fringe. To us, it’s the perfect version of what a Fringe [episode] is because it has a great, terrifying element to it that is very Fringe-y. At the same time it has this incredible love story aspect with things that people are going to be very excited for, we believe, as far as the relationships on the show.”

The showrunners also discussed with the press a possible return of Charlie Francis and the unfortunately always looming, impending cancellation of the show. Concerning the former situation, the duo hinted at discussions being had between the show and Charlie’s portrayer Kirk Acevedo about a comeback. And as for the show’s survival odds? “We will find out like everybody else,” said Wyman. “We don’t fret about it because it’s really out of our control. We can only step back and do our work and therein lies the path to serenity. We’re hoping for the best.” So are we, Mr. Wyman. So are we.

Now watch that trailer and get amped for tonight’s pivotal installment of Fringe. It airs at 9PM on FOX.

[Via EW]

NBC announces ‘Community’ comeback: March 15 is the big day

Long overdue, the Peacock finally blinked its eyes and realized it had a decision to make. Fellow Human Beings, listen up: Community will return to NBC’s Thursday night comedy lineup on March 15 at 8PM! The benched cult show from Dan Harmon ready to make its hotly anticipated comeback. The remaining twelve episodes from season three begin airing just three weeks from today! Now here’s what happens to the Thursday lineup with Community in the mix. It will return to its 8PM timeslot, bumping 30 Rock to 8:30PM, The Office to 9PM, and Up All Night to 9:30PM, taking Parks and Rec out of the equation for the time being. Parks will rest on the bench until April 19, the week after Up All Night ends its 24-episode first season run.

In addition to announcing the return of the wildly entertaining, ferociously smart and witty Community, NBC also let slip the premiere dates of three upcoming comedies BentBest Friends Forever and the unscripted program Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. Bent, starring Amanda Peet, David Walton, and Jeffrey Tambor, premieres Wednesday March 21 at 9PM. The network will air back-to-back episodes over the course of three weeks. When Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea wrap their seasons, BFF and Betty White’s reality series will start Wednesday April 4 and they will be paired at 8PM and 9PM, respectively.

NBC prez Bob Greenblatt on all this: “We are happy to have an unprecedented amount of original content on NBC this spring. Bent, Best Friends Forever and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers are welcome additions to the Wednesday schedule, and we know that the loyal fans of Community will be pleased with its return to its home on Thursdays at 8PM.”

[Via Deadline]

Conan to remain on TBS through 2014

Another win for #TeamCoco! Today TBS announced that Conan will remain at his relatively new late-night talk show through 2014. Here’s a quote from Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies: “We are proud to be in business with Conan O’Brien for the long run. Night after night, Conan and his team have put together terrific shows that draw a young and fiercely loyal audience. As if that weren’t enough, they have also built a dynamic online presence that keeps fans engaged like no other show in late night.” Here’s a more entertaining one from Mr. O’Brien himself: “I am excited to continue my run with TBS because they have been fantastic partners. This means I’ll be taping episodes of Conan well into the Ron Paul presidency.”

Beard or no beard, Conan is here to stay.

[Via EW]

Trailer round-up: ‘Brave’, ‘American Reunion’, ‘Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope’

Check out this brand spankin’ new “trailer” for Pixar’s latest Brave. I put trailer in quotations because this really isn’t a trailer even though it has that label stuck on it; it’s really a two-and-a-half minute scene from the animated flick, and it’s quite good. Brave hits theatres June 22.

Jump after the break to watch the second trailer for American Reunion and one for Morgan Spurlock’s Comic Con documentary. Continue reading Trailer round-up: ‘Brave’, ‘American Reunion’, ‘Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope’

Director Sam Mendes talks in Bond ‘Skyfall’ video blog

This will likely be the first of many video blogs from the set of the 23rd James Bond film Skyfall. In this one director Sam Mendes talks about shooting for the first time in England, and we even get a couple of glimpses of Daniel Craig as Bond in action. What’s the location, exactly? That’s still being kept under wraps, but if you have a keen eye and a solid memory this image should spark a fuse in your noggin.

Sure this one-and-a-half minute vlog is no Peter Jackson presenting The Hobbit masterpiece, but at least it introduces us to the next movie in the Bond franchise and teases a broader look behind the scenes in the future. Skyfall releases November 9, and in related news, it will be the first Bond film to hit IMAX theatres. According to a press release, “the IMAX release of Skyfall will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.” So in other words Mendes will not shoot scenes made for IMAX (like Chris Nolan has done in his Batman movies), but nevertheless this is an exciting treat for fans of the long-running franchise. Bond will certainly took good on the giant screen.