Category Archives: News

James Spader joins ‘The Office’ as new Sabre CEO

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Following his short but oh-so-sweet cameo on The Office season seven finale this past May, James Spader (Boston Legal) will return next season as a regular. He will replace Kathy Bates’ Jo Bennett as he quickly rises in the ranks to become the Sabre CEO. Office executive producer and series regular Paul Lieberstein (Toby) explains: “James will reprise his role as Robert California, this uber-salesman that has a power to convince and manipulate, like a high-class weirdo Jedi warrior. He’ll have been hired over the summer as the new manager, but within hours, got himself promoted. Within days, he took over the company. James has an energy that is completely his own, and ‘The Office’ has no tools for dealing with this guy. We’re thrilled he’s joining our cast.”

If you need a refresh on the character hop over to Hulu to watch Spader’s phenomenally entrancing performance as Robert California, a very smart man who firmly believes “there is no such thing as a product…there is only sex.”

[Via Deadline]

A&E renews ‘Breakout Kings’ for a second season

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I’ve got great news for fans of Dr. Lloyd Lowery and all his hilarious eccentricities: after a solid debut A&E has granted Breakout Kings a second season! Laz Alonso, Domenick Lombardozzi, and their gang of ‘Breakout Kings’ (Malcolm Goodwin, Jimmi Simpson, Serinda Swan, and let’s not forget analyst Brooke Nevin) are set to return in all-new episodes sometime next year. The show from the producers of Prison Break premiered with the highest demo numbers for an A&E drama series (1.5 million adults 18-49 and 1.6 million adults 25-54) and averaged about 2.2 million viewers throughout the season.

[Via Deadline; EW-InsideTV]

Comedy Central targets Charlie Sheen for next Roast

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The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen. Has a great ring to it, doesn’t it? This week Comedy Central secured TV outcast and crazyperson Charlie Sheen to be the next Roastee. “You could say I’ve been providing kindling for this Roast for a while,” said Sheen. “It’s time to light it up. It’s going to be epic.” Comedy Central head of original programming and production Kent Alterman says, “Charlie has assured us that nothing will be off limits in this Roast… which scares even us.” Sheen’s right–this will likely be one helleva roast. The Roast will tape in Los Angeles on September 10 and air on Monday, September 19 at 10PM. Also airing on Sept. 19? The season premiere of Two and a Half Men starring Sheen’s replacement Ashton Kutcher. Oh, what a night.

[Via ComedyCentral]

Kanye West & Jay-Z’s collab album ‘Watch the Throne’ available for preorder

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After months of rumors today we finally get some solid information coming directly from rap overlords Kanye West and Kay-Z concerning their upcoming collab album. If you head over to Kanye and Jay’s blogs you’ll be presented with the album artwork for Watch the Throne; the gold metallic cover is designed by Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci and it’s pasted above. Clicking the album art at either site brings you to www.WatchTheThrone.com, a site designed by label Island Def Jam. There you can preorder the album in a variety of formats: Deluxe CD ($16.99), Standard CD ($13.99), Deluxe MP3 ($14.99), and Standard MP3 ($11.99). After completing your order an email receipt lists an August 2 drop date, but this information has not been confirmed. Sources say that the standard version will pack ten tracks, and the deluxe will add four bonus songs on top of that. West, Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, No ID, and Lex Luger are all expected to receive production credits. And finally, it’s rumored that Beyonce and Bruno Mars will lend their voices to a track called “Lift Off.” Expect the followup to H.A.M. to drop within the next few weeks. According to fellow G.O.O.D. Music artist Cyhi Da Prynce the album is near completion–the songs are recorded, and ‘Ye is adding his final touches before the final master ships. Happy fourth of July!

Marvel & Disney confirm ‘Thor 2’ for summer 2013 release

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It’s official: a sequel to this summer’s blockbuster Thor is in the works. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise: the Marvel superhero flick has grossed $437.5 million thus far. Chris Hemsworth will reprise as the God of Thunder, but Kenneth Branagh will not return to helm. He is expected to remain on the team as a producer, though. The search for a new director is currently underway. Obviously a plot has yet to be fully mapped out, but if you waited until after the credits rolled at Thor (spoiler alert) then you’ll know that Loki is still around and I’m sure his existence will factor into the new story. In that same scene, Dr. Selvig is introduced to Samuel L. Jackson’s omnipresent Nick Fury so there’s plenty of material to expand upon in the future. Here’s some solid news: Disney confirms a July 26, 2013 release. The summer of ’13 is certainly one to anticipate; Robert Downey Jr. returns to the big screen in Iron Man 3 on May 3.

[Via Deadline; The-Numbers]

‘Glee’ keeps Darren Criss & Harry Shum Jr., drops Trouty Mouth [Update: not so fast…]

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Gleeks–you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have the facts of life. The FOX hit show is keeping two stars and dropping one Trouty Mouth for season three. Kurt’s teenage dream Darren Criss and professional dancer Harry Shum Jr. will return as series regulars next season, while Chord Overstreet’s series regular option has not been picked up meaning that McKinley High will say goodbye to the student infamously known as Trouty Mouth. According to TVLine, Overstreet “could return as an occasional guest star” throughout the season. But what of the newly kindled romance between Sam and Mercedes? I’m sure the writers are mulling a way around it. Ever since Overstreet took on Justin Beiber’s songs in “Comeback” it’s been hard for me to invest much in his character. At least he’s taking the news positively; he recently tweeted, “It’s been a good year. Too bad it’s over. Time for summer and starting fresh.”

Update: According to TVLine, this may not mark the end of Trouty Mouth just yet. According to their source, “[Chord Overstreet’s] option to be a series regular was just not picked up at this time. If Chord wants to appear on Glee, the choice is his. The Glee writers like his Sam character, and have plans to write for him. He and his reps have been told that he is welcome back to Glee, and everyone hopes he will show up on August 10 when filming begins.” The source reminds us that it took “two years [for Harry Shum Jr.] to become a regular” and “If Chord has a great season, which we expect he will, then he will become a regular like Harry, possibly as early as January.” And there you have it. It’s up to Overstreet to return; we shall find out the verdict later this summer.

[Via TVLine 1, 2]

‘Hawaii Five-0’ casts Richard T. Jones as new governor

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Following the events of the pivotal Hawaii Five-0 season finale, the show has had a gaping hole to fill. Spoiler alert! Antagonist Wo Fat skillfully framed Steve McGarrett for the murder of the Aloha state’s governor played by Jean Smart. Next season, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles alum Richard T. Jones (he played Agent Ellison) will replace Smart as governor in a recurring role. According to TV Guide’s source, the “new governor will be more conservative than [Smart’s] Jameson and keep a tighter leash on McGarrett and his team.” Also, “[he’ll be] cleaning up a lot of the mess left by the previous administration.” Jones contributed remarkably to the short-lived Terminator series, and I’m excited to see what he’ll bring to the table on H50.

Jones joins Terry O’Quinn and Tom Sizemore as new cast members on the show. Sizemore (Crash) will play a former Detroit Homicide Detective turned head of Hawaii police department’s Internal Affairs unit for a multi-episode arc, according to EW. His task will be to investigate the Five-0 team following last season’s mishaps including the governor’s murder and the stolen police money.

[Via TVLine 1, 2; TVGuide; EW; IGN]

Google+ …what comes after Facebook? A comprehensive tour of Google’s attempt at social.

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Google is the king of search. But when it comes to social networking…well, we only have to look at Wave (an experiment that failed) and Buzz (a Twitter competitor that never caught on) for that answer. With Google+, the search giant takes aim at Facebook and it wants to become the destination for socializing with the people you know and the ones you’ll make down the road. The Google+ Project is currently in “Field Test” mode meaning that the company is still working out the kinks and tweaking and adding features to the service while a small selection of users try it out. The project is by invitation-only, and I was able to snag an invite earlier today. Read on after the break as I take you on a tour through the interface and the handful of features the service currently offers.

Continue reading Google+ …what comes after Facebook? A comprehensive tour of Google’s attempt at social. →

Pixar ventures into new territory with upcoming fairy tale ‘Brave’ [Update: teaser trailer]

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Oh, isn’t it beautiful? Take some time to scan the official movie poster for Pixar’s Brave above.

Pixar’s thirteenth animated film Brave is going to shake things up on more than one level. Firstly, go girls: Brenda Chapman is helming the film alongside Mark Andrews; she is the Pixar’s first female director. In addition, the movie stars Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), the first female protagonist in a Pixar film. Second, Brave plans to go where no Pixar film has ventured before. “What we want to get across [with the teaser] is that this story has some darker elements,” co-director Mark Andrews spills to EW. “Not to frighten off our Pixar fans — we’ll still have all the comedy and the great characters. But we get a little bit more intense here.”

The animation is spectacular, and the first official poster really does an impressive job getting that idea across. The detail is incredible. See those stones looming behind the letters? “[They] are actually a pretty important set in the film,” producer Katherine Sarafian tells EW. “We can’t say what happens there, but they were inspired by an actual location in Scotland that we visited multiple times during our research. It was a very powerful setting for the kind of things we want to have happen in the story.”

Here’s a brief synopsis of the story: Brave is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right, Merida seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into Merida’s quest — and serving as comic relief — are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

Brave is slated to release in 3D on June 22, 2012. After a look at this grand poster, anticipation is high. A teaser trailer is expected to play before Cars 2 (which hits theatres tomorrow, June 24). Once it hits the ‘Net I’ll make sure to embed it after the break.

Update: The teaser trailer has arrived. And it’s just as gorgeous and thrilling as you probably expected it to be. Watch it after the break.

[Via EW-InsideMovies] Continue reading Pixar ventures into new territory with upcoming fairy tale ‘Brave’ [Update: teaser trailer] →

Josh Friedman’s ‘Locke & Key’ not dead yet, pilot will screen at Comic Con

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I’ve got some good news for those of you following the saga that is the TV adaptation of Joe Hill’s comic book Locke & Key. When FOX’s upfront presentation came and went without a pickup for the spooky pilot, whispers surfaced saying that backing studio 20th Century Fox TV was tempted to pitch it to other networks and cable stations like The CW and Syfy. Unfortunately these networks passed on the pilot, too. After all this rejection typically this would mark the end of a TV project. But Locke & Key is special, you see. Instead of being shelved in the attic, 20th Century Fox TV granted the comic book’s publisher IDW Publishing permission to screen the pilot at Comic Con.

What makes Locke & Key worthy of coming back from the dead. In a word: pedigree. The following people are involved in the making of this show: Josh Friedman (showrunner/executive producer/writer), Steven Spielberg (executive producer), Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (executive producers), and Mark Romanek (director). Miranda Otto and Nick Stahl star. The high-profile pilot was all the buzz during pilot pickup season, but due to production costs and other financial reasons FOX (and the other networks that considered taking it on) ultimately decided to pass on it.

Kudos to IDW for having the guts to ask 20th to screen the pilot in its entirety at Comic Con. And not only that–a panel consisting of Hill and collaborator Gabriel Rodriguez, Friedman, Orci, and Kurtzman will be on hand to discuss the making of the pilot. If there’s any place to resurrect a high-profile comic book adaptation with spooky and mysterious elements attached, it’s Comic Con. If the pilot is well-received by the crowd, there is a chance that network execs might hear their cheers and decided to pick up the series for midseason or fall 2012. I will be attending the screening next month and will report back my impressions. I have a gut feeling Locke & Key is going to be a crowd-pleaser.

Joe Hill shared his reaction to the pilot on his blog. “Mark Romanek and Josh Friedman turned in a hell of a good pilot (says a dude who is, of course, completely unbiased). The finished episode is scary, and lean, and emotionally authentic, and has a similar feel to Super 8; it very much has a kind of early 80s scary-Spielberg vibe. It’s also very faithful to the source material. I’m so, so proud of everyone who worked on it and of what was accomplished. Locke & Key doesn’t have a TV home at the moment, but there’s quite a bit of good will out there for the pilot among those who have seen it. So I can’t say what will happen after SDCC. We’ll just have to – ah – stay tuned.”

[Via Deadline]

Terry O’Quinn joins ‘Hawaii Five-0’ for season 2

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It’s a Lost reunion in Hawaii! The incredibly talented Terry O’Quinn (John Locke) decided it is time to go baaaack to the Island and join his fellow castaway Daniel Dae Kim (Jin Kwon, now Chin Ho Kelly) in what TVLine describes is a “pivotal recurring role” on Hawaii Five-0. Furthermore the source says, “O’Quinn will play a Navy Seal Lt. Commander who trained Alex O’Loughlin’s McGarrett in Coronado, and served with his father in Vietnam. Described as strong, stubborn and a man you want in your corner when things go south, the character holds some of the answers to the mysteries surrounding the respective murders of McGarrett’s mother and father.” O’Quinn was ready to star in Marc Cherry’s ABC pilot Hallelujah but it was not picked up. Also, at one point he was supposed to star alongside Lost alum Michael Emerson in the tentatively titled Odd Jobs but that idea is shelved for the time being. Fortunately for us it all worked out in the end–O’Quinn returns to TV this fall! (And so does Emerson in the CBS procedural Person of Interest).

In related Five-0 casting news, Masi Oka (Heroes) who plays the quirky coroner has been promoted to series regular status. So you can expect to see much more of him next season. All good news.

[Via TVLine 1, 2]

Games Hub gets spruced up in Windows Phone Mango

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The next release of Windows Phone is coming this fall. Windows Phone Mango includes deeper social network integration, Internet Explorer 9, and the ability to multitask. Among the 500 new features coming to the mobile OS is also an updated Xbox portal. Here’s a quick rundown of the new Games Hub:

  • A cleaner and lighter design that emphasizes your game collection and Xbox LIVE info
  • Improved overall performance and speed
  • An improved Collection view will organize and list all the games you download from the Marketplace
  • Interactive, 3D avatars
  • Improved Xbox LIVE messaging: read and reply to Xbox LIVE messages sent from another Windows Phone, a PC, or an Xbox console
  • Xbox LIVE friends are more accessible: You can search, browse, initiate, and respond to friend requests right from your Windows Phone.
  • Integrated achievements and new comparison views: See the recent games your friends have been playing, and compare gamerscores and achievements for all Xbox LIVE games played on the phone, console, or PC.
  • You can edit your Xbox LIVE profile on the go
  • Improved Spotlight content will now be complemented with rich and vibrant images
  • Improved game request notifications: You’ll receive notifications for multiplayer game or turn requests and can track them in the Requests section of the Games Hub.

In sum with Mango the Xbox on-the-go experience is going to be a helleva lot more streamlined and easier to use. Look in the gallery below to tour the updated UI.

[Via WindowsPhoneBlog]