Category Archives: News

Kanye West announces new album title, artwork & single “All Day”

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This week Kanye West made a few major announcements regarding his upcoming seventh studio album: it’s got a title, new single, and fresh album artwork. Ye’s next collection of music is collectively called So Help Me God and it will ship with previously released tracks “Only One” (Featuring Paul McCartney) and “Wolves” (Featuring Sia and Vic Mensa). Sources say the Rihanna-led “Four Five Seconds” is exclusively bound for the Barbadian singer’s next record.

As for Ye’s third single off So Help Me God, it’s called “All Day” and he debuted it live at the BRIT Awards last week. Today, he released a studio version on iTunes; preview it above. If you’ve been missing Ye going hard, “All Day” is the answer to your prayers. The rapper spits lyrics on top of an infectious beat, and he’s assisted by Trinidadian-born alt-hip-hop artist Theophilus London, Canadian rising rapper Allan Kingdom, and yes, Sir Paul McCartney rounds the track out with some whistling. Rolling Stone reports McCartney’s contribution, and they astutely speculate that the whistling was actually plucked from a song the Beatle shared in 1969.

Lastly, scroll up to eyeball the stylistic album artwork for So Help Me God. Four lower-case m’s connect to form a diamond shape. Redditors say it’s representative of a 13th century monastic symbol for the Virgin Mary, but I don’t buy it until Kanye says otherwise.

When can we expect the album to drop in full? West recently sat down with Power 105.1 and he claimed that it’s 80% complete. And even when it is ready, a hard release date will not be announced. Following in the footsteps of Queen Bey and Drake, Ye plans on surprising his fans by dropping his next studio album without any notice.

If you consider yourself to be a major Kanye fan, or if you’re simply interesting in exploring the controversial rapper’s mind, I highly recommend you listen to the aforementioned interview in full, here. In it, he discusses everything from his award show interruptions to his design aspirations. When asked to describe his upcoming album, he said this: “My last album [Yeezus] was a protest of music…This album is about embracing the music and embracing joy and being of joy and being of service to the people. I just hope people like it and enjoy it.”

[Stream via 2DopeBoyz]

TV reminder: 12 premieres to look out for in March

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There are so many super awesome cool amazing premieres falling on the schedule this month! Jump after the break to preview 12 you shouldn’t miss. Continue reading TV reminder: 12 premieres to look out for in March →

Lady Gaga joins ‘American Horror Story’ in season 5 lead role

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American Horror Story has found its star for season five and it’s Mother Monster.

Lady Gaga, hot off her Sound of Music tribute performance at the Oscars, is confirmed to be the lead in the next installment of FX’s American Horror Story. Like every season before it, the plot, as well as Gaga’s role in it, are being kept tightly under wraps. In a surprising move, however, in addition to revealing this exciting cast addition, series creator Ryan Murphy also deemed it time to announce the installment’s name: American Horror Story: Hotel. Murphy dropped numerous clues in last season’s Freak Show pertaining to Hotel; did you catch any? By my count, there were myriad references to space, but Murphy quickly shut that theory down since the show is tied down to taking place solely on American soil.

This marks Gaga’s first major acting gig. Following a small uncredited role in The Sopranos in 2001, she most recently made cameos on the big screen in Machete Kills and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Even still, we all know the artist can hypnotize with sexy, captivating performances via music videos.

With Gaga locked in as lead, you must be thinking: what does this mean for franchise star Jessica Lange? Prior to Freak Show‘s debut, Lange announced that it would be her final run with the show. Since then, however, she has made whispers about a potential comeback. So then, her commitment remains up in the air until further notice. My guess: she’ll at least make her mark with a memorable cameo.

Watch Lady Gaga’s AHS: Hotel announcement video embedded above; and don’t worry, Ryan Murphy retweeted it to confirm its authenticity.

‘DuckTales’ cartoon returns with all-new episodes in 2017

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Who wants to go back to Duckberg? I know I do!

DuckTales, which produced 100 episodes during a 1987-1990 run on “The Disney Afternoon” syndicated cartoon block, is making a comeback with all-new episodes set to air in 2017 on Disney XD. Per a press release, here’s what we know:

The new series’ adventures will once again take viewers along as Scrooge McDuck, his curious and mischief-making grandnephews—Huey, Dewey, and Louie—and the optimistic-yet-temperamental Donald Duck embark on high-flying adventures worldwide. Other beloved characters slated to be in the new stories are: Duckworth, Gyro Gearloose, Launchpad McQuack, Flintheart Glomgold, Magica DeSpell & Poe, Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys (Burger Beagle, Bouncer Beagle), Mrs. Beakley, and Webbigail Vanderquack.

“DuckTales has a special place in Disney’s TV animation history, it drew its inspiration from Disney Legend Carl Barks’ comic books and through its storytelling and artistic showmanship, set an enduring standard for animated entertainment that connects with both kids and adults. Our new series will bring that same energy and adventurous spirit to a new generation,” said Disney XD exec Marc Buhaj.

I grew up on this adventurous ‘toon, and I remember enjoying it so much that I also had to engross myself in the popular DuckTales video game it inspired. Missed out on the NES title? Capcom recently released a remastered version of the game for Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U, so you can play catchup on one of those platforms.

As you eagerly await for the DuckTales animated series reboot, take a trip down memory lane by watching the oh-so-catchy original theme song and pray that the new version doesn’t stray too far from it.

It’s happening! Paul Reubens & Judd Apatow join forces to make new Pee-wee Herman movie

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Nearly five years after posting about this exciting news, it is finally coming to fruition! Today Paul Reubens and Judd Apatow made it official that a new Pee-wee Herman movie is on the way with a distribution model ready to go. Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, starring Reubens’ iconic fun-loving character and Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) executive producing, begins production next month and will premiere exclusively on Netflix.

In Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny.

That’s all there is to know about the shrouded plot so far. Reubens penned the script with Paul Rust (Comedy Bang! Bang!, Arrested Development) and John Lee (Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer) is making his feature film directorial debut.

“Judd and I dreamt up this movie four years ago. The world was much different back then— Netflix was waiting by the mailbox for red envelopes to arrive. I’ve changed all that. The future is here. Get used to it. Bowtie is the new black,” said Pee-wee Herman in a press release.

“As a fan of Pee-wee Herman since he first appeared on The Dating Game, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the brilliant Paul Reubens on this film. It is a dream come true,” added Apatow.

“We didn’t hesitate for a moment knowing that Pee-wee’s Big Holiday was such a passion project for Paul and Judd and we are delighted by the opportunity to introduce such a beloved character to a new generation,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “We are thrilled to bring our viewers around the world the wonder of Pee-wee Herman.”

I, for one, cannot wait to see what Reubens and Apatow cook up for longtime fans of Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure from a young Tim Burton in 1985 hit all the right notes and now, 30 years later, Reubens is ready to do it again. I’m happy to report that the man-child’s still got it; I saw Reubens reprise his character in 2010 on Broadway in The Pee-wee Herman Show and he brought back his bizarre, captivating, and imaginative wonder without missing a step. This movie for Netflix will surely satiate nostalgic fans, as well as attract an entirely new generation of kids, teens, and adults. Pee-wee, after all, is for everyone to enjoy!

‘Birdman’ & ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ win big at the Oscars

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Prior to the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel garnered the most nominations and what do you know–the two films ended up walking away with the most statues at four apiece. Birdman took home the most coveted award of the evening as it was crowned Best Motion Picture of the Year. Helmer Alejandro G. Iñárritu was crowned Best Director and the film’s original screenplay and cinematography were also awarded. Grand Budapest Hotel was recognized for its achievements in production design, music, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. Following close behind with two wins was Whiplash scoring Oscars for film editing, sound mixing, and supporting actor J.K. Simmons. Frontrunner Boyhood walked away with a single win for supporting actress Patricia Arquette. The Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne won for his leading role in the Stephen Hawking-inspired film, surpassing frontrunner Michael Keaton (Birdman). Julianne Moore nabbed an Oscar for her dramatic turn in Still Alice. Elsewhere, The Imitation Game won Best Adapted Screenplay and Disney’s Big Hero 6 was named Best Animated Movie.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

Kanye West collaborates with Adidas on new fashion line, outs Yeezy Boost & new music

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After years of struggle, Kanye West is finally realizing his vision to create a fashion clothing line. It’s true; the rapper’s released sneakers and other footwear in the past. Way before his deal with Nike to produce the Air Yeezys, West teased a conceptual clothing line dubbed Pastelle but nothing ever really came of it. All we got was this cryptic website that still exists today, idle. Now his dream of creating and promoting and selling high-end apparel comes to fruition thanks to a new partnership with Adidas.

The Adidas line is called Yeezy Season 1 and the first tangible product to come out of the project is a new sneaker, the Yeezy Boost. Picture above, the new-generation Yeezy released this past Saturday in a grey-toned color way. The shoe is constructed with high quality full suede with a dynamic strap that wraps across a perforated vamp. West is rolling out his latest creation slowly–only 3,000 were made available over the weekend and in a forward-thinking move, he worked with Adidas to develop a reservation app. Instead of having sneakerheads lineup and fight over the footwear in the cold streets of NYC, a simple app allowed interested parties to reserve the shoe in their desired size. Missed out on that? The Yeezy Boost will see a second major retailer push on Feb. 28 at Adidas flagship stores, among other select, undisclosed locations. If waiting in line isn’t your style, your only other option at this point is eBay; the sneaker, which normally sells for $350, is offered on the auction site for upwards of $3,000. And if that doesn’t stimulate your senses, don’t fret–West has publicly stated that everyone who wants a Yeezy Boost will have the opportunity to buy one…eventually.

Get a closer look at the Yeezy Boost at Adidas’ dedicated portal. Want to sneak a peek at Yeezy Season 1? Jump after the break to watch models work the runway wearing Kanye’s concepts. It’s certainly an eclectic swing. West describes YS1 as “as the world’s first solutions-based clothing line that cherishes universality and timelessness.” Skip to 8:28 to hear a brand new track that debuted at the New York Fashion Week event; it’s called “Wolves” and it features an auto-tuned West, Chi-town up-and-comer Vic Mensa, and Sia. Continue reading Kanye West collaborates with Adidas on new fashion line, outs Yeezy Boost & new music →

Drake drops surprise mixtape ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’

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In total Queen Bey fashion, rapper Drake dropped a collection of new music last Friday pretty much out of nowhere. Fans and the industry alike had little to no knowledge about Drake’s surprise release, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Drake has clearly labeled the 17-track banger a mixtape; in other words, it is not his fourth studio album following 2013’s Nothing Was the Same but instead a pit stop on the way to it. He refers to it as a “tape” in his thank you notes on his blog. There you’ll also eye the massive tracklist and the tape’s producers who include PartyNextDoor, Boi-1da, and Noah “40” Shebib. …It’s Too Late releases days after Drake outed a nearly 15-minute short film titled Jungle; it includes snippets of a couple songs from the mixtape.

Download If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late at iTunes today. Though Drake technically regards it as a mixtape, he’s selling it for $12.99. How come, you ask? In a nutshell, Lil Wayne is clashing with his label Cash Money. He’s suing them to get out of his contract, and some speculate that Drake is taking calmer route to remove himself from the equation by releasing a “commercial mixtape” to serve as his fourth “studio album” which may release him from his 4-album contract with the label. For more on the internal drama about the Cash Money artists, head to Vulture. In the meantime, snag a copy of Drake’s latest now–he goes hard and it’s damn good. The surprise tape should hold you over until his next major studio release, supposedly titled Views from the 6, drops in the future.

Spider-Man, welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Fanboys and fangirls, it’s happening: Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Studios are making nice and, at long last, Spider-Man is entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe fray. Sony scooped up the rights to the web slinger years before Marvel got into the movie-making business, and ever since then Spidey was forced to play in his own sandbox separate from Iron Man, Thor, and the rest of The Avengers. Going forward, all that changes.

Late Monday, Marvel pushed out a press release announcing its new partnership. The Spidey rights still belong to Sony; that studio “will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films,” reads the release. But under this new deal, Peter Parker and his superhero alter ego “[takes] his rightful place among other Super Heroes in the MCU.” According to the release, Spider-Man has total freedom in terms of where he can appear; you will see him pop up in future Marvel movies and it works the other way around, too. Marvel and Sony are “exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.”

Now here’s what the release shares in terms of specifics. “The new Spider-Man” will make his debut in a Marvel-produced film. Many are already speculating that he’ll officially enter the MCU in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War movie which opens May 6, 2016. Cap and Iron Man go head-to-head, and in the comics Spider-Man plays a crucial role in this popular storyline, so this particular rumor makes sense. And then, on July 28, 2017, Spidey in star in a Sony-produced solo film in the already rebooted twice franchise. Marvel head Kevin Feige will co-produce with Sony’s Amy Pascal; the latter recently stepped down from her post as head of the studio following the hack attacks. This is her first power move after becoming a producer under Sony and man is it a big one.

We don’t know yet if current Peter Parker portrayer Andrew Garfield will suit up as the “new” Spider-Man. All we know is that the studios “will collaborate on a new creative direction for the web slinger.” Does a fresh creative slate equal a new actor to fill the spandex suit? Perhaps. This quote from Sony exec Doug Belgrad at least hints that we’re finally through with Spidey origin stories. “This new level of collaboration is the perfect way to take Peter Parker’s story into the future.”

This is a long time coming for Marvel fans around the world. Spider-Man has always been an integral member of The Avengers, and now that Marvel and Sony are holding hands in harmony, moving forward moviegoers can experience the comic books truly come to life. Now all we need is 20th Century Fox to make a deal like this to bring X-Men and the Fantastic Four into the fold and we’re golden! But I’ll take what I can get.

Click here to view the full press release from Marvel, including reactions from Feige, Pascal, Belgrad, and Disney’s Bob Iger.

Update: In order to make room for Spider-Man, Marvel is pushing the release dates of four upcoming superhero flicks. As mentioned above, July 28, 2017 is the day Spidey’s new solo mission hits theatres. Previously, Marvel had carved out that date for the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok. Now, the third Thor movie will drop November 3, 2017. Moving out of that space is Black Panther, and its new release date is July 6, 2018. That pushes Captain Marvel to November 2, 2018 and Inhumans to July 12, 2019. Release dates for Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and Avengers: Infinity War parts 1 & 2 remain unchanged. I’ll just say what you’re thinking: MCU Phase 3 is gonna rock.

Sam Smith rules the Grammys

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Sam Smith, the new crooner on the street, expectedly dominated this year’s Grammys with multiple wins and a memorable performance of “Stay with Me” featuring Mary J. Blige. Smith took home four shiny gramophones. He was crowned Best New Artist, the aforementioned soulful, catchy track was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and his debut album In The Lonely Hour scored Best Pop Vocal Album. Elsewhere, Beck somehow managed to beat out Smith, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, and Pharrell Williams and win Album of the Year for his twelfth studio album Morning Phase.

Click here to access the full list of winners.

‘Happy Endings’ revival can happen, but will it?

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Adam Pally departed The Mindy Project last week. Damon Wayans, Jr. announced he’ll be exiting New Girl (again) after the sitcom’s fourth season wraps this May. Eliza Coupe‘s USA comedy Benched got the axe after one season. Are you starting to recognize the pattern here?

Half of the main cast from the criminally underrated but highly lauded cancelled NBC sitcom Happy Endings is about to be available for a triumphant reprise. At least, that’s the idea that popped in my head when all this news made itself public in the eerily same window of time.

Now, Max, Brad, and Jane are crucial to a Happy Endings comeback, but there cannot be such a thing without the other half: I’m talking about Penny, Dave, and Alex, of course. So what are their portrayers up to? Casey Wilson currently stars in NBC’s Marry Me, a funny show you should be watching from Happy Endings creator (and Wilson’s husband) David Caspe. Zachary Knighton and Elisha Cuthbert are primed to star in Fox’s Weird Loners and NBC’s One Big Happy, respectively. (Fun fact, because why not: Cuthbert stars alongside Endings‘ alum Nick Zano in her new series.)

Where does this leave us? Well, if Marry Me continues to perform well creatively with the occasional uptick in the ratings department, it very may well be renewed for a second season; star Wilson and creator Caspe would then be attached to that. As for Knighton and Cuthbert, it’s too early to tell their availability status since their new series have yet to premiere (both are set to launch next month).

Enter the curveball the length of my wide-eyed smile. On Feb. 6, the Happy Endings writer’s Twitter account blasted out a cryptic tweet that takes you to a countdown portal with the words “It’s almost a new day” sprawled across the page. The timer will reach zero in 50 days from now. I’ll do the math for you: that’s April 1, aka April Fools Day. Are the writers hinting at series comeback? Their Twitter account currently follows Netflix, Amazon, and Yahoo! Screen–Internet streaming services known for resurrecting dead shows (see: Arrested Development, Community). Or, more likely, are they teasing a one-off reunion of sorts that will bring back the cast for one final hurrah? OR, is this a heinous mind trick set to explode in tears of disappointment come April 1? I doubt that; the worst news, I suppose, is that the team is teasing a brand new series. And even that’s not bad news, per se, but it’s not a Happy Endings revival. The thing we are all now anticipating.

With that, let the wild speculation begin.

Update: Hope you’re keeping tabs on @HappyWrites. The Happy Endings writers are barraging followers with all kinds of tantalizing tweets involving hashtags like #ketchup and #wintercomestwice. Most exciting, though, is this video they shared; it’s Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and the video starts playing at the “Winter” section of the song. Not sure what the winter hooplah is all about but “Four Seasons”–get it?! If Endings were to make a comeback, a new season would be the series’ fourth! This is getting real, people. Or is it a hoax? The anticipation is killing me slowly.

NBC renews five dramas for next season

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You can file this under no surprises here: the Peacock network has gifted five of its well-performing dramas another season each. James Spader vehicle The Blacklist, Dick Wolf’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D., and Friday night genre staple Grimm will all be back next TV season. Other NBC dramas such as State of Affairs with Katherine Heigl, The Mysteries of Laura with Debra Messing, and other Friday genre fare Constantine remain in contention for next season.

“The creative vision of the executive producers who’ve guided these outstanding dramas has been nothing short of incredible,” said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke in a statement. “We’re highly appreciative of the passion they bring to their shows at every step of the creative process and we’re thrilled to reward that dedication with these renewals.”