On Thursday Tim Cook and company took the stage in Cupertino to make some new Apple hardware and software announcements. In addition to announcing an updated iPad Air, iPad mini, iMac, and Mac mini, Apple also dated the next version of iOS and OS X both coming in just a few days time. For the full scoop, jump after the break. Continue reading Apple dates iOS 8.1 with Apple Pay & OS X Yosemite, intros updated iPads, iMac & Mac mini
On Wednesday Google finally revealed the name of the next version of its mobile operating system almost four months after teasing “Android L” at the tech company’s I/O developer conference. Android Lollipop and its consistent look called Material Design will make its debut this fall on two new Nexus devices: the tablet Nexus 9 and the phablet Nexus 6. And “in the coming weeks” it will land on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices.
The Nexus 9, manufactured in collaboration with HTC, sports a 8.9-inch 2048 x 1536 LCD display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and reinforced with Gorilla Glass 3. It’s powered by the 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor at 2.3GHz and 192-core Kepler GPU. It’s got 2GB RAM and offers 16GB and 32GB storage options. 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 are inside. An 8-megapixel camera sits on the back with auto-focus and LED flash, and around front there’s a 1.6-megapixel shooter. Dual front-facing speakers with HTC BoomSound technology are also included. Sold separately is a keyboard that attaches to the tablet magnetically that allows you to type at different angles. The 9 will be able available for preorder this Friday, October 17. When it releases November 9 it will start at $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model. A $479 32GB WiFi-only and a $599 32GB WiFi plus LTE model will also be offered. Colors include Indigo Black, Lunar White, and Sand.
The Nexus 6, with hardware by Motorola, has a 5.96-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD AMOLED display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and Gorilla Glass 3. Humming inside is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 SOC at 2.7GHz and the Adreno 420 GPU. The rear cam is a 13MP shooter with optical image stabilization and dual LED ring flash, and it can capture 4K video at 30fps. The front-facing 2MP camera can do HD video conferencing. WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC inside. 32GB and 64GB storage options are offered. Hardware shades include Midnight Blue and Cloud White. You can preorder the Nexus 6 starting October 29. It will go on sale in November starting at $649 with no contract. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular will sell the handset at an undisclosed discounted price.
In addition to announcing the Android Lollipop powered Nexus 9 and 6, Google also outed a new set-top box called Nexus Player. Made with Asus, the Player runs Android TV and is primed to rival Apple TV and Amazon’s Fire TV as it will provide a one-stop destination for entertainment and gaming needs. The Google Play store is fully integrated to stream movies and TV shows, and apps such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and YouTube are accessible, too. The box comes with a voice-activated remote to enhance navigation and search, and sold separately is a gamepad for those who wish to play their Android games on the big screen with a video game console-like controller. Also, the Player is Google Cast-ready, meaning it acts very much like Google’s Chromecast dongle allowing you to wirelessly stream media content from your phone or tablet to the big screen. Preordering begins October 17, and the Nexus Player releases on November 3 for $99. The Gamepad will go for $39.
Jump after the break to meet the sleek new Nexus family.
[Via Google 1, 2] Continue reading Google names latest Android OS Lollipop, loads it on new Nexus devices
DC Entertainment is following in Marvel’s shoes by announcing a large slate of upcoming superhero and supervillain movies that will hit theatres in 2016 through 2020. There are 10 in total and they are:
In addition to announcing DC’s movie slate, Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara also revealed that his studio will be outputting three more LEGO movies–Ninjago in 2016, directed by Charlie Bean and produced by Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller; The LEGO Batman Movie in 2017, directed by Chris McKay; and The LEGO Movie 2 in 2018 (no word yet if Lord and Miller will return to direct the sequel to their 2014 box office hit). Also, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them will be told across three films directed by David Yates (he helmed the final four Potter movies).
Of course as more details leak about these exciting future WB projects you’ll hear it about it here.
A new, exciting, buzzy series called Powers is coming soon and here’s your first look. It’s based on a graphic novel series of the same name from writer Brian Michael Bendis and illustrator Mike Van Oeming and it stars District 9‘s Sharlto Copley with an American accent. Powers follows detectives Christian Walker (Copley) and Deena Pilgrim (Susan Heyward) who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, referred to as Powers. The 10 episode series is written by Charlie Huston and David Slade (Hannibal) is directing the first two.
Now here’s the catch: Sony Pictures Television is out to rival subscription-based companies like Netflix and HBO by making Powers a PlayStation-exclusive. In other words, you’ll have to be a PlayStation Plus subscriber to watch the show on your PS4, PS3, or PS Vita handheld. The pilot will premiere for free on PlayStation Network and across other outlets such as YouTube and Crackle so the public at large can get a taste. If you like what you see then you’ll have to sign up for PlayStation Plus to access more.
The trailer packs quite the punch in terms of action, humor, and vulgarity. Bendis, Oeming, and Sony seem to be pushing the envelope here with PlayStation’s first original series and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of crowd gets drawn to it. Of course PlayStation Nation will gobble it up, but will Powers have the ability to attract new members to Sony’s gaming-turned-entertainment destination? It premieres this winter.
All 10 seasons (236 episodes) of famed NBC sitcom Friends is coming to Netflix on January 1, 2015! To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the series (it ran from 1994-2004) and its new streaming home, Netflix has put out a live recording of the show’s theme song. Click play above to hear The Rembrandts perform the forever catchy and hand-clappy “I’ll Be There For You” featuring Central Perk manager Gunther. The music video was recorded at the Central Perk pop up coffee shop in NYC.
FOX becomes the second network to step up and grant a full season order to one of its new fall shows. DC Comics-based Gotham will tell its season one origin story across 22 episodes. Previously ABC placed confidence in Shondaland drama How to Get Away with Murder and Anthony Anderson sitcom Black-ish.
“Gotham debuted as one of the most buzzed-about shows of the fall, and with good reason,” said Fox Television Group’s Dana Walden and Gary Newman. “Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon have created an incredibly rich world, with characters that draw you in and a cast that brings to life these heroes and villains in a way we’ve never seen before. We are so excited to see where Bruno, Danny and the entire Gotham team take this story over the course of this season, and so thankful to all the fans who have embraced it this fall.”
The Batman & villains origin story has gotten off to a pretty solid start. The pieces of the puzzle started to align in Gotham‘s most recent episode “Arkham” as the procedural nature of the show is finally starting to give way to a more serialized approach involving Ben McKenzie’s Det. Gordon, David Mazouz’s young Bruce Wayne, Jada Pinkett Smith’s seducing Fish Mooney, and of course scene-stealer Robin Lord Taylor as Penguin.
Gotham airs Mondays at 8pm on FOX.
FX has renewed Ryan Murphy’s fun fright fest American Horror Story for a 13-episode fifth season to debut in October 2015. This follows the news that the season premiere of the anthology series’ fourth iteration Freak Show debuted to record ratings not only for the franchise but also for the cable network. When factoring in Live+3 data (that is, viewers who tuned in on premiere day and those who watched on their DVRs the following three days after), a total of 10 million viewers got acquainted with the freaks (6.5 million of which fall into the coveted adults 18-49 demo). The episode handily surpassed the previous franchise record-holder, last year’s AHS: Coven premiere, which attracted 7.27 million viewers.
The American Horror Story anthology has had the highest growth trajectory of any show in FX history, not to mention an unprecedented track record of success in awards recognition,” said FX head John Landgraf. With Nip/Tuck, Glee, The Normal Heart, and American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy has established himself as one of the most successful and prolific producers of this generation. We expect AHS: Freak Show and the next incarnation of AHS to further his legacy.”
AHS: Freak Show airs Wednesdays at 9pm on FX. And speaking of the upcoming season five, Murphy spilled to EW in an interview that the first two episodes of Freak Show do in fact contain clues scattered throughout that pertain to the plot of his next horror story.
From horror to crime, Ryan Murphy has more stories to tell. Murphy, whose latest iteration of American Horror Story debuted last night to franchise record-high ratings (6.1 million viewers and a 3.1 demo rating), is breaking ground on an AHS “companion series”–also of the anthological sort–appropriately titled American Crime Story. The new show will tackle notorious crime stories spanning U.S. history, starting with the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial. According to a press released outed by FX:
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson is a look at the O.J. Simpson trial told from the perspective of the lawyers that explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution confidence, defense wiliness, and the LAPD’s history with the city’s African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt.
ACS: TPvOJS will air across 10 episodes and will be based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Run of His Life: The People V. O.J. Simpson. Production is set to begin early next year. Murphy is producing with Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loretto, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson. Episodes will be written by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (The People vs. Larry Flynt) and Murphy has signed on to direct the pilot.
“Time and time again, Ryan Murphy has transformed the medium of television by redefining genres and formats as he did with Nip/Tuck, Glee and the American Horror Story franchise, and we expect the same of American Crime Story,” said FX Networks CEO John Landgraf. “Scott and Larry have adapted Jeffrey Toobin’s book into a masterful 10-hour piece. I have no doubt that Ryan and his partners Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk, and Dante Di Loreto are going to make something very memorable here – and that it will be a spectacular first entry in what is destined to become a series of great true crime-based miniseries.”
Added Murphy, “This is an exciting project for me, as I’ve been looking for the right property which could serve as an extension of the American Horror Story brand I love so much. The O.J. case was as tragic as it was fascinating — it seemed like everyone had a stake in the outcome. It was really the beginning of the modern tabloid age.”
ABC is the first of the Big Four networks to announce full season orders for its new fall series. Drama How to Get Away with Murder, from Shonda Rhimes and starring Viola Davis, and comedy Black-ish starring Anthony Anderson and Laurence Fishburne, will both live to see full seasons this year. Murder will wrap up its first season with a grand total of 15 episodes, while Black-ish will play out over the course of a more typical 22 episodes. (Murder‘s debut season was always envisioned to have a shorter run; this allots movie star Davis to work on other projects if she so chooses.)
The pickups are no shocker. Murder was the fall’s #1 rated new series drawing 14 million viewers and a 3.8 rating among the coveted adults 18-49 demo. Black-ish debuted with 10.8 million viewers and a 3.3 rating and continues to attract Modern Family viewers in its plum post MF timeslot.
In the case of Shonda’s new show, it didn’t take any time to get completely invested. Viola Davis fully embraces her outside-the-lines criminal lawyer character Annalise Keating from the get-go, and her rag-tag students embroiled in a mysterious murder give way to tantalizing flashbacks and fun storytelling. Black-ish, on the other hand, took some time to accept but by the end of episode 2 it was easy to acknowledge its honest and rather unapologetic nature.
Murder airs Thursdays at 10pm, and Black-ish airs Wednesdays at 9:30pm.
Still no word on the fate of ABC’s other new comedies Manhattan Love Story and Selfie, but if ratings are any indication neither of them will be lasting that long.
Days before AMC premieres the fifth season of its ratings juggernaut The Walking Dead, the network renews the zombie drama for a sixth season. It’s no surprise, really, since the show continues to perform spectacularly in the ratings and its popularity never seems to die down.
“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of The Walking Dead with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier in a statement released this past Tuesday. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”
At last, it seems as if the series has found a showrunner it’s sticking with. Following the abrupt exits of Frank Darabont and Glenn Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple is here to stay. Season 5 premieres this Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9pm.
Elsewhere, CBS is bringing back its summer dramas Under the Dome and Extant for a third and second season, respectively.
“We’re committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling,” said CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler in a statement today. “We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models, and passionate television audiences.”
Update (10/13): Following tradition, the Walking Dead season premiere opened to record recording on Sunday: 17.3 million viewers tuned into it (11 million of which are part of the 18-49 demo), making it the most watched episode to date. The previous record holder was the season 4 opener which drew 16.1 million viewers (10.4 million in the 18-49 demo). These are huge numbers for cable; not only do they rival network TV viewership, they exceed it. AMC might as well renew Dead, at this point, for life.
Now that the big four networks have open the flood gates to the new fall season, it’s prime time for cable to release its heavy hitters. Jump after the break to learn when Showtime’s Homeland, FX’s American Horror Story, and AMC’s The Walking Dead return to the schedule. Continue reading TV reminder: 4 premieres to look out for in October
Summer relationship comedies Married, starring Nat Faxon and Judy Greer, and You’re the Worst, with breakout stars Chris Geere and Ava Cash, will return next year with second seasons.
“We love these shows and the creative visions of Andrew Gurland of Married and Stephen Falk of You’re The Worst,” said Nick Grad, President of Original Programming at FX. “These shows are honest, 360-degree looks at relationships, and we’re excited to see how they evolve.”
So am I. Though bleak, Married unspools episodes that show an unapologetically real look at the ups and downs of a modern husband and wife relationship. You’re the Worst, IMHO, is the better of the two since it tends to have (much) more fun with its characters; it’s the best kind of wacky and at the end of the day it’s sweet and reliably funny.
Married will continue to air on FX and You’re the Worst will join It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League on sister network FXX.