Category Archives: Video

TCA 13: ‘Smash’s new leader Josh Safran injects NBC’s musical with new life (season 2 preview inside)

January 6, 2013News, Television, Video2013 TCA, 2013 TCA winter press tour, 2013 Television Critics Association, 2013 Television Critics Association winter press tour, Josh Safran, NBC, smash, TCA, Television Critics Association, trailer, TV trailerScott Meisner

When Smash returns for its second season this February, it won’t feel all that different but you should know that the musical drama has undergone significant behind-the-scenes changes in the interim. Right off the bat, Smash creator and Broadway vet Theresa Rebeck has stepped away as showrunner and taking her place is former Gossip Girl executive producer Josh Safran. Also, you will surely notice the absence of many season one characters including Raza Jaffrey (Karen’s boyfriend Dev), Jaime Cepero (Eileen’s annoying assistant Ellis), Brian d’Arcy James (Julia’s husband Frank), and Will Chase (Julia’s old-time crush Michael). But even with all of these players out of the picture, the show won’t deviate from its roots.

“I don’t think its changed that much,” said Safran. “It’s still the same Smash, just bigger with more music and younger in regard to some cast members.” New additions include Andy Mientus (from Broadway’s Carrie) who plays a poor kid from Brooklyn with dreams of writing for Broadway; Jeremy Jordan (from Broadway’s Newsies) plays a Brooklyn-born singer with a self-destructive streak, Krysta Rodriguez (from Broadway’s The Addams Family) plays Karen’s fun and spunky new roommate who is looking for her big break on Broadway; and Julian Ovenden (from TV’s Foyle’s War) will be Bombshell‘s John F. Kennedy. The season will also welcome many talented and musically-inclined stars including Jennifer Hudson (as Veronica Moore, a threat to Karen and Ivy), Liza Minnelli (as herself), Sean Hayes (can you say Will & Grace reunion!?), Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray), Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order), and Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me). Also, Bernadette Peters returns as Ivy’s mom.

“There’s more than one original song per episode: bigger [and] more is something we played with,” added Safran. “We have more original songs [per episode] and diverse musical styles. I kind of wanted to represent the bigger theatrical worldview on the show this season.”

Executive producer Neil Meron admitted that the first season had its ups and its downs. “First seasons of shows need time to find themselves, to lock into what they are, especially with a show like Smash,” he said. “There are so many moving parts to figure out the mechanism. It’s a fantastic machine. When certain moments worked in season one, I dare anybody to say what could be better.” Then: “There were certain story lines that were pinpointed that you’d say, ‘Yeah, they’re right it could be a little bit more impactful.” Confirmed at a previous junction: Debra Messing’s hideous scarf collection has been tossed in the garage (and the crowd went wild). Now only if they’d get rid of her depressing son… at least Ellis the terrible has made an exit stage right.

Will Smash‘s Broadway musical Bombshell actually inspire a real show in New York City? “When we watch Bombshell moments, we think wouldn’t that be great on Broadway? But that’s where we leave it,” Meron said. “Our first priority is to make the show. It will inspire more conversation, but have we done anything about it? No.” Take that as a maybe! Announced at TCA panel was a soundtrack featuring 22 cast-recorded songs from Bombshell that will release February 12.

Smash returns Tuesday, February 5 with a two-hour installment. The space after the break is home to a brand new season 2 preview and a behind-the-scenes clip. Continue reading TCA 13: ‘Smash’s new leader Josh Safran injects NBC’s musical with new life (season 2 preview inside) →

TCA 13: J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke promise a bigger, better, more surprising ‘Revolution’ this spring (new trailer inside)

January 6, 2013News, Television, Video2013 TCA, 2013 TCA winter press tour, 2013 Television Critics Association, 2013 Television Critics Association winter press tour, Eric Kripke, J.J. Abrams, NBC, Revolution, TCA, Television Critics Association, trailer, TV trailerScott Meisner

Revolution is on break until March and executive producers J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke accept the extended with a positive attitude and they think viewers should as well. “When we were doing Lost, that [scheduling] helped us enormously,” Abrams said. “So when the idea came up for Revolution I was really relieved. I thought, and still think, that it will get us to a place where it will be the best possible way for the viewer to watch the show.” Added Kripke: “The little break has afforded us the ability to take a breath, look at what we’ve done, really analyze it, and make adjustments. It also supplied us a natural break point between the season’s first half and second half, and the second half sort of lives as its own continuous piece.” While Kripke maintained that “we learned that we did a lot of things right,” he also admitted that “the pace of the shocking surprises were a little too slow.” So what can viewers expect next? The “second [half will be] bigger, better, more exciting and [with] more revelations–at the same time maintaining the format.” The shock factor will increase as well.

What else? When Revolution returns this spring, the action will continue “exactly” where we left off. “Giving [Monroe] power was more about making him an unstoppable force,” said Kripke. “We start to deliver on the promise of the title. The revolution begins.” Kripke fed the questions, “Can [the Matheson family] stick together in the face of these overwhelming odds and danger? And can you maintain your soul when you’re a warrior?”

Kripke went on to say that he’s definitely planning ahead for upcoming seasons of the show, but they’re at the “cocktail napkin sketches” state at the moment. “Because [the world is] so expansive, there’s no end to the stories we can tell,” he said.

Revolution returns March 25. Get a glimpse of what’s to come in a new trailer after the break. Continue reading TCA 13: J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke promise a bigger, better, more surprising ‘Revolution’ this spring (new trailer inside) →

TCA 13: Exec prod David Schulner hypes NBC’s ‘Do No Harm’ (new trailer inside)

January 6, 2013News, Television, Video2013 TCA, 2013 TCA winter press tour, 2013 Television Critics Association, 2013 Television Critics Association winter press tour, David Schulner, Do No Harm, NBC, TCA, Television Critics Association, trailer, TV trailerScott Meisner

Do No Harm is a high-concept show coming to NBC later this month that can be viewed as a modern take on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In short, it follows protagonist Dr. Jason Cole (say it fast: “Doctor J. Cole”–get it?) who has a mysterious dual-personality. Every day at 8:25PM his dangerous, adventure seeking alter ego Ian Price consumes his body; 12 hours later he returns to his “normal” self. At the TCAs today, executive producer David Schulner talked about his new series which he originally pitched as “Dexter meets House.”

“I think ultimately you can only write the show that you want to watch, and this was a show that I wanted to see on TV,” Schulner said. “I wanted it to be fun. I wanted it to be thrilling. I wanted it to be a roller-coaster ride. And I wanted it to have stakes. I also wanted there to be a love story at the center of it. Hopefully those ingredients will make it different than what has come before.”

What has come before are NBC shows that ring similar to Do No Harm and they are last season’s fantastic but short lived Awake and before that there was My Own Worst Enemy with Christian Slater. “I took lessons from those shows, and this is a show you’re going to want to watch. It’s thrilling and fun. That’s the big difference.” I’d say that Awake was all of those things as well, so you’ll have to tune into Schulner’s take on the fractured personality theme to see how it really compares.

How will Steven Pasquale’s Jason Cole/Ian Price interact with one another? “Ian’s a little bit like a cat,” Schulner proposed. “The cat wants to play with the mouse. It’s a constant cat-and-mouse and chess match.”

Determine if Do No Harm is a show you want to watch when it premieres January 31. Click after the break to watch a new trailer.

Update (1/7): Today David Schulner announced that actor James Cromwell (who is coming off his stint as American Horror Story: Asylum‘s Dr. Arthur Adren) will be joining the cast of Do No Harm as “Jason’s mentor, who may or may not have his best interests at heart.” Just another reason to tune in. Continue reading TCA 13: Exec prod David Schulner hypes NBC’s ‘Do No Harm’ (new trailer inside) →

Skrillex releases new 3-track EP called ‘Leaving’ and it may surprise you

January 4, 2013Audio, Music, News, VideoDubstep, EP, music video, SkrillexScott Meisner

Skrillex has cooked up three new tracks and the producer/DJ is bundling them together in his latest Extended Play titled Leaving. Whether or not he meant this by the EP’s title, Skrillex (whose real name is Sonny Moore) leaves behind his typical affection for loud, grinding dubstep and replaces it with a calmer, more fluid take on the underground-turned-mainstream musical genre. Listeners will especially notice the difference on the track “Leaving” which features heavy drums and will put you in a trance. “The Reason” is more up-tempo to call itself a dance track. Where you might find some of the old Sonny is in “Scary Bolly Dub,” a mix with a reggae vibe that he’s played countless times live. Overall, however, if you’ve been waiting for Skrillex to release tunes that are easier on the ears now is your time.

As of today, the EP is not available for digital download via iTunes and the like. You’ll have to stream it from YouTube, but don’t complain, that makes it free! Jump after the break to listen to all three tracks. There you’ll also find Skrillex’s latest music video for “Summit” off his last EP Bangarang, a collaborative effort with his now ex-girlfriend Ellie Goulding.

What’s next for multiple Grammy winner Sonny Moore? In a recent interview with Billboard, he promises more music is on the way. “I have so much music. I have too many songs to even know what to do with. I just always make music anyway… But I want to make a record. I just haven’t had enough time to really sit down and idle myself and clear my mind and go, ‘OK, what’s the next thing I want to say? How’s it different from what I said before?’ and think of all these things. I have so much inside me, so many ideas, I’m more excited than ever to make music again, ’cause I haven’t done that for, like, two years.” Continue reading Skrillex releases new 3-track EP called ‘Leaving’ and it may surprise you →

New ‘Evil Dead’ red-band trailer is goretastic, ups the ante again

January 4, 2013Movies, VideoEvil Dead, red band, red band trailer, trailerScott Meisner

WARNING: If you scare easily turn away now.

This new look at Fede Alvarez’s remake of Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult classic horror film Evil Dead is scarier, gorier, more disturbing and disgusting than the teaser trailer that came before it. Suburgatory‘s Jane Levy stars as a young girl possessed by a demon that comes out of the woods. Raimi and the original movie’s star Bruce Campbell serve as executive producers.

Fans of the original have been mostly split about whether or not it needs a modern remake. After watching this nearly two-and-a-half minute clip, though, the tide will shift with excitement and pure adrenaline as we head toward Evil Dead‘s April 12 release.

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler ready for the Globes

January 4, 2013Hilarity, Television, Video70th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Amy Poehler, commercial, Golden Globes, hosts, promo, Tina FeyScott Meisner

SNL pals Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards. If you need proof that these two are the perfect match for the awards show look no further than this video here. Well, maybe a bit further; after the break you’ll find another clip plus a promotional image that wonderfully encapsulates the kind of wild spirit the 30 Rock and Parks and Rec stars will bring to NBC on January 13, 2013 at 8PM. Review the nominees here. Continue reading Tina Fey & Amy Poehler ready for the Globes →

New ‘Revenge’ promo is rated SE: Sexy for Everyone [Update: new cast photos]

January 2, 2013Images, Television, VideoABC, cast photos, cast stills, commercial, promo, Revenge, TV promoScott Meisner

Revenge is a beautiful thing. Don’t believe me? Watch this brand new promo that debuted New Year’s Eve between ABC’s live coverage from Times Square. Whether you’re into the ladies or the guys this 30-second spot will satisfy. In one corner you’ve got Victoria’s former lackey Ashley Davenport, the Queen of Hamptons’ daughter Charlotte Grayson, and the radiant, fearless revenger Emily Thorne. And in the other corner? The Porter brothers Jack and Declan duke it out, Emily’s right-hand man Nolan Ross, and her former fiancé Daniel Grayson go shirtless. From the thumping music to the colorful imagery, this wild commercial will try to get you excited for the second half of the addicting soap’s second season. It will succeed. They sure know how to make ’em.

Revenge returns this Sunday, January 6 at 9PM on ABC.

Update (1/4): ABC has released a bunch of new images featuring this good-looking cast of Revenge. The most notable image, however, has to be the final group shot which features Jack sitting up against a bloody chest containing who-knows-what. Take a gander in the gallery below.

JibJab sings “The End Is Here” in their 2012 Year in Review animated clip

December 28, 2012Hilarity, Videoanimated short, animation, end of year 2012, JibJab, JibJab Year in ReviewScott Meisner

The creative minds at JibJab decided to take advantage of the Mayan calendar end of the world theme when putting together their year-end animated short for 2012 appropriately titled “The End Is Here!” Somehow they manage to squeeze in most of the biggest stories that gained traction this year in under two minutes. Politics, world news, pop culture–it’s all here. So sit back, relax, and take it all in with a wide-eyed smile because that’s the JibJab style.

Happy New Year!

Google, Twitter and Facebook mark the highlights of 2012

December 28, 2012Entertainment, News, Video, Worldend of year 2012, Facebook, Facebook Stories, Facebook Year in Review, Google, Google Zeitgeist, Twitter, Year on TwitterScott Meisner

Google’s annual Zeitgeist takes “an in-depth look at the “spirit of the times” as seen through the billions of searches on Google over the past year.” At least that’s usually the case. This year, Google studied an aggregation of over 1.2 trillion searches that people typed into Google Search. Using sources like Google Trends and internal data tools the company was able compile lists that distinguish the most popular searched terms organized into topics like Images, Athletes, and TV Shows. The top 10 trending Searches worldwide this year were Whitney Houston, Gangnam Style, Hurricane Sandy, iPad 3, Diablo 3, Kate Middleton, Olympics 2012, Amanda Todd, Michael Clarke Duncan, and BBB12. The top 10 trending Events worldwide were Hurricane Sandy, Kate Middleton Pictures Released, Olympics 2012, SOPA Debate, Costa Concordia crash, Presidential Debate, Stratosphere Jump, Penn State Scandal, Trayvon Martin shooting, and Pussy Riots. The top 10 trending Consumer Electronics were iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S3, iPad Mini, Nexus 7, Galaxy Note 2, Play Station, iPad 4, Microsoft Surface, Kindle Fire, and Nokia Lumia 920. Head over to Google’s Zeitgesit 2012 page to discover and explore trending topics from 55 countries all around the world. In addition to the 838 lists, Google’s created an interactive map that shows where and when some of the most popular terms spiked around the world. Watch Google’s inspirational look back at 2012 in the Zeitgeist video pasted above.

Jump after the break to find out how Twitter and Facebook are celebrating everything that went down in twenty-twelve. Continue reading Google, Twitter and Facebook mark the highlights of 2012 →

This year in viral videos, as told by YouTube’s top 10 of 2012

December 28, 2012Entertainment, Videoend of year 2012, mashup, most watched videos, viral, viral video mashup, viral videos, YouTubeScott Meisner

From cover songs to parodies to Korean pop music, we were all captivated by what came out of the Internet this year. People watched over 4 billion hours of video a month on YouTube, so I think it’s safe to say that Google’s video portal is the leader of viral videos. Being the hardcore number crunchers they are, the G-Men have compiled a list of the top ten most watched YouTube videos of 2012 and they are:

You guessed it–“Gangnam Style” is the most watched video of the year. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since it overtook Justin Bieber’s “Baby” music video in November to become the most watched video of all time. It’s on its way to be the first video to reach one billion hits; as of writing this post it sits high comfortably at 994 million views.

The site recently roped in a bunch of YouTubers to star in a video that mashes up the culturally defining moments that came out of the most watched videos of the year. PSY is prominently featured along with DailyGrace, MysteryGuitarMan, DeStorm, FreddieW, Felicia Day, iJustine, JennaMarbles, EpicMealTime, and many others. It’s embedded above, so enjoy!

This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup “United State of Pop 2012”

December 28, 2012Music, VideoDJ Earworm, end of year 2012, mashup, music mashup, music videoScott Meisner

Like every year before it, 2012 was filled with hit songs that you couldn’t get out of your head. DJ Earworm is here to bring every single one of them back to memory with his latest “United State of Pop” mega-mashup this year titled “Shine Brighter.” The four minute track includes 25 of the most popular songs that came out this year, according to Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. Bruno Mars and Ke$ha dominate, but Earworm makes sure to sprinkle in a myriad of artists including Gotye, Carly Rae Jepsen, Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift. Click after the break to see a list of all the songs used in mix.

You can download the free track right here, and complementing it (as always) is a wonderfully constructed mashup music video that’s embedded above. Continue reading This year in music, as told by DJ Earworm’s mega-mashup “United State of Pop 2012” →

This year in movies, as told by 310 of them in seven minutes

December 28, 2012Movies, Videoend of year 2012, Gen Ip, mashup, movie mashup, movie retrospective, retrospectiveScott Meisner

Gen Ip, aka @genrocks on Twitter, is back to help us celebrate our favorite cinematic experiences in 2012. This time her annual look back features “great movies that inspired us and the bad ones that made us feel better about our lives.” Her first video in 2010 mashed together 270 films, last year’s dealt with 230 of them, and her latest pieces together a whopping 310 clips. Click over to her Tumblr page to view lists of all the songs and movies used in the grand retrospective.