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

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

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

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

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…]

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

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.

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.

Pusha T & Cyhi Da Prynce headline Heineken Red Star Access concert (images + video)

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On Tuesday June 28 the newest members of Kanye West’s music label G.O.O.D. (Getting Out Our Dreams) headlined the Heineken Red Star Access concert in New York City. The private concert was invite-only and it was located at Santos Party House. Hot 97’s DJ Camilo spinned the beats before the main guests arrived. Adrienne Bailon of 3LW fame introduced Cyhi Da Prynce who performed eight songs from his Royal Flush mixtapes. After his too-brief stint on stage, main attraction Pusha T was showered with cheers as he performed a bunch of songs ranging from classic Clipse tracks to more recent tracks off Ye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the Fear of God mixtape. P confirmed that his next mixtape Fear of God 2 is complete and it will be released later this summer in August. Also, fans can anticipate his first studio album to hit stores on Black Friday (that is late November).

The concert was a raging good time. Thanks to Heineken’s sponsorship free beer was flowing all night, and the speaker setup inside the venue was phenomenal. Standing literally inches from Cyhi and Pusha T made the experience all the more engaging, though I could have done without the onslaught spit and sweat that came my way. Check out pictures from the concert below (please excuse the poor quality, only had iPhone in hand) and jump after the break to find a collection of the night’s performances in video form.

Continue reading Pusha T & Cyhi Da Prynce headline Heineken Red Star Access concert (images + video)

The Ron Swanson Mosaic

Nick Offerman is Parks and Rec’s meat and breakfast foods aficionado Ron Swanson. Here is a mosaic made entirely of images of his favorite meals. Get the full-res image at NBC.

You’re welcome.

Update: There’s a video sitting after the break called “Swanson vs. Food.” ‘Nuff said. And again, you’re welcome. Continue reading The Ron Swanson Mosaic

TV teasers: HBO’s ‘How To Make It In America’ & ‘Boardwalk Empire’

This week HBO released teaser trailers for the upcoming sophomore seasons of How To Make It In America and Boardwalk Empire. The former is a teaser in the very sense of the term; shots of New York City are mingled with stills of the characters who include Bryan Greenberg’s Ben Epstein, Victor Rasuk’s Cam, Lake Bell’s Rachel, Eddie Kaye Thomas’s David Kaplan, Kid Cudi’s Domingo Dean, and Luis Guzmán’s Rene Calderon. Can’t wait to see how far Ben and Cam have come along with Crisp and Rene his energy drink Rasta Monsta when HTMIIA returns to HBO this September.

The much more beefier trailer for Boardwalk Empire is located after the break. In it you’ll see Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) more ready than ever to take down and replace Nucky (Steve Buscemi) as gangster king of the Prohibition Era. Continue reading TV teasers: HBO’s ‘How To Make It In America’ & ‘Boardwalk Empire’

Music video: Coldplay – “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin stars in this fast-paced, colorful and vibrant music video for their new single “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall.” The stop-motion technique is used wonderfully here.

More like, every teardrop is a waterfall… of paint!

In related Coldplay news, the band just released a 3-track EP that shares the same name as the single. Get it here.