‘Carrie’ telekinesis marketing ploy goes viral

Movies, Video, , , ,

At nearly 36 million views this viral video marketing ploy has proven to be a raging success for Sony Pictures as the studio ramps anticipation for its remake of Carrie starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. Set at a simple coffee shop in the West Village in NYC, a well executed choreographed stunt involving the construction of a fake wall, a pulley system, remote controlled tables and chairs, spring-loaded pictures and books, and some fine actors scares the hell out of unsuspecting customers. The clip begs the questions, what if telekinesis was real? How would you react? The reactions here, in a word, are priceless.

Carrie opens October 18.

Samsung invokes nostalgia in smartwatch promos

Technology, Video, , , ,

Check out these inspired adverts for Samsung’s wearable technology Galaxy Gear. Though buzz for the company’s smartwatch is at a low hum, these promos invoke a great sense of nostalgia and can’t be missed. The spot embedded above features life-like designs of classic wrist communication devices from shows like Dick Tracy, The Jetsons, The Power Rangers, Night Rider, Inspector Gadget, and Star Trek. Another spot lies after the break and it features actual scenes from these shows all leading up to the introduction of Samsung’s new tech. They took a page out of Apple’s marketing playbook here and I say kudos. Continue reading Samsung invokes nostalgia in smartwatch promos →

TV reminder: ‘The Walking Dead’ premieres tonight (10/13) at 9PM on AMC [Update: record ratings]

Image cache, News, Television, , , , , , , , , ,

The highly anticipated season 4 premiere of The Walking Dead airs tonight, Sunday, October 13 at 9PM on AMC. When we last saw our band of survivors they let into the prison the straggling strangers from the defeated Woodbury. Trailers tease a mysterious danger from within that’s “not really walkers and it’s not other people.” Whatever it is, will it drive Rick and company out of their safe haven as alluded to in the prison break-out poster pictured above?

The premiere is called “30 Days Without An Accident” and its written by new showrunner Scott M. Gimple and directed by special effects specialist and executive producer Greg Nicotero. Following the episode is the return of Chris Hardwick’s after-show Talking Dead with special guests Gimple and Castle‘s Nathan Fillion.

Update (10/14): Another Walking Dead premiere, another series high ratings record. 16.1 million viewers tuned into the season 4 premiere last night; 10.4 million of them fall into the coveted adults aged 18-49 demographic. TWD reigns as the #1 show on TV in that demo. AMC proposes that after factoring in time-shifted playback (DVR, etc.), last night’s premiere should exceed 20 million viewers. The previously most-watched episode was the season 3 finale which attracted 12.4 million viewers, 8.1 million of which fell into the 18-49 demo. In other words, the Dead continue to rise…exponentially. Talking Dead also saw big gains; it too debuted to its biggest numbers with 5.1 million viewers, including 3.3 million in the 18-49 demo.

AMC President Charlie Collier commented on the expected yet still exciting news, as he does. “Sincere thanks to the fans, who have welcomed The Walking Dead back for its fourth season with the highest-rated episode in the show’s history. We could not be more proud of this show and everyone on both sides of the camera who work so hard to give life to this story of character, leadership and survival. It starts with series creator, writer and executive producer Robert Kirkman, show runner and executive producer Scott Gimple and the director of last night’s episode (and the man behind the make-up) executive producer Greg Nicotero, their fellow executive producers and an extraordinary cast and crew who are giving their all every day. So clearly, thanks to them, the dead have never been more alive.”

Update 2: The Walking Dead season 4 premiere is now being hailed as “the most watched non-sports telecast in cable history” after factoring in Live+3 data; an additional 4.1 million viewers watched the episode in the three days following the live Sunday airdate bringing its total viewership to a whopping 20.2 million.

‘Hawaii Five-0’ lets fans design episode this season

News, Television, , , ,

Last season on Hawaii Five-0, fans had the chance to vote on the ending of an episode by submitting who they thought was the installment’s culprit after all the evidence was given. This season viewer participation reaches an entirely new level of interactivity; the show is allowing fans to shape an entire episode. Through October 31, fans can vote on key story elements like Scene of the Crime, The Victim, The Murder Weapon, The Evidence, The Suspect, and The Takedown; each category contains seven options to choose from. For example, the murder weapon can be flame thrower, a spear gun, or even a poisonous toad; a five inch stiletto, however, is currently the frontrunner. And this is only Phase 1. In January fans can vote on props and wardrobe, in February music, and in March the episode title will be chosen. Production on the episode begins in February 2014 in Oahu, Hawaii and it will air sometime later this season.

“Viewers loved helping figure out the ‘whodunit’ episode last season,” said exec prod Peter Lenkov. “Now, we want to up the ante by having viewers’ input on the production of a show. From story to props, viewers will help call the shots. And yes, this is fun for me when I get to see just how creative our writers can be when the key elements are chosen.”

“We are always looking for ways to engage with our viewers and reward fan loyalty,” added Glenn Geller, exec VP at CBS. “A Fan-Built Five-0 is another great example of how Peter Lenkov thinks outside the box in order to deliver exciting and original stories to the viewers.”

Click here to vote on the story elements today.

Hawaii Five-0 airs Fridays at 9PM on CBS.

Fall TV updates: ‘Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ picked up for full season, ‘We Are Men’ cancelled

News, Television, , , , , , , , ,

After axing one Tuesday drama in Lucky 7, ABC has commissioned a full season order for their hugely successful superhero drama Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. In typical fashion, the alphabet network is tacking on “the back nine” increasing S.H.I.E.L.D.’s season one episode count from 13 to 22. Joss Whedon’s latest foray into television premiered to a whopping 12.1 million total viewers and a 4.7 rating in the 18-49 demo making the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot TV’s highest-rated drama debut in almost four years. Though the show slipped in the ratings in week 2, numbers still remain solid and it sees significant DVR gains; in short, Whedon has finally concocted a TV show that will likely remain on the air for years to come (Buffy & Angel join good company).

Over at CBS We Are Men, the comedy starring Jerry O’Connell, Tony Shalhoub, Christopher Nicholas Smith, and Kal Penn, has been cancelled after only two episodes aired. It premiered poorly to 6.4 million total viewers and a 2.0 18-49 demo rating; things went from bad to worse in week 2 when those numbers dropped majorly to 5.4 million and a 1.8, respectively. These ratings simply don’t live up to the Eye’s sitcom standards and so We Are Men is gone for good. Starting next week, Monday’s 2 Broke Girls moves from 9PM to take over Men‘s 8:30PM slot; repeats of The Big Bang Theory will air at 9PM for three weeks and then Mike & Molly comes off the bench to take over the vacant time slot.

FOX is showing support for its new sitcoms by ordering more scripts for a couple of them. As previously reported, the network ordered an undisclosed amount of additional scripts for Brooklyn Nine-Nine and now the same is being done for Seth MacFarlane’s Dads. FOX ordered 6 more scripts for the Seth Green/Giovanni Ribisi comedy, even as its most recent episode amounted to a paltry 1.3 demo rating and 3.1 million total viewers. Though to be fair, FOX’s Tuesday night comedy lineup isn’t performing so well ratings-wise in general. We’ll see where this goes.

In sum, ABC’s Lucky 7 and CBS’ We Are Men are the first two cancellations of the 2013-14 TV season; NBC’s The Blacklist and ABC‘s Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. are the first to get full season orders, and FOX’s Sleepy Hollow is the first to be renewed for a second season. The fate of FOX’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Dads hang in the balance leaning towards getting the back nine since additional scripts have been ordered for each.

TV reminder: ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ premieres tonight (10/9) at 10PM on FX [Update: record ratings]

Images, News, Television, Video, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The third season of Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology series American Horror Story is upon us. This year is called Coven and it involves witches and voodoo and New Orleans. The cast is largely female this season featuring heavy hitters like series vet Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Taissa Farmiga, Angela Bassett, Patti Lupone, Emma Roberts, Gabourey Sidibe, Jamie Brewer, Evan Peters, and Denis O’Hare. The show’s official site offers up a brief glimpse of what’s in store:

American Horror Story: Coven tells the secret history of witches and witchcraft in America. Over three hundred years have passed since the turbulent days of Salem and those who managed to escape are now facing extinction. Mysterious attacks have been escalating against their kind and young girls are being sent away to a special school in New Orleans to learn how to protect themselves. Wrapped up in the turmoil is new arrival, Zoe, who is harboring a terrifying secret of her own. Alarmed by the recent aggression, Fiona, the long-absent Supreme, sweeps back into town, determined to protect the Coven and hell-bent on decimating anyone who gets in her way.

I was fortunate enough to screen the premiere titled “Bitchcraft” (heh) early and I can tell you without any qualms that it’s quite fun and still scary. This season Murphy is aiming for a lighter, more palatable ride. Last season’s Asylum was fantastic–don’t get me wrong–but you must admit it was, at times, difficult to watch in terms of its heavy, dark tones and overly disturbing situations. The Coven premiere starts off disturbing enough and yet it doesn’t hold back jolts of humor–a pleasant surprise. If the first ep is any indication, Coven is going to be a wild, scary, sexy, fun time.

Below, check out character portraits and posters in the galleries. (How do you like the provocative key art hanging above, hm?) After the break, watch the one minute main title sequence filled with (to put it mildly) tantalizing imagery and that score you know and love. Click here to watch the many Coven promos.

American Horror Story: Coven premieres tonight, Wednesday, October 9, at 10PM on FX.

Update (10/10): “Bitchcraft” attracted 5.54 million total viewers making it the most-watched episode of the series spanning all three seasons. The Murder House series premiere in 2011 was the previous record-holding episode which garnered 3.85 million total viewers. The Coven premiere also attracted a solid 3.87 million viewers in the coveted 18-49 demo, another new record for the anthology series.

1 2

Continue reading TV reminder: ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ premieres tonight (10/9) at 10PM on FX [Update: record ratings] →

Bryan Fuller teases ‘Hannibal’ season 2 in stag-tastic new poster

Image cache, Television, , , , ,

As we wait ever-so-patiently for the next chapter in Bryan Fuller’s Red Dragon reimagining Hannibal, the show’s creator has released this poster hyping the second season of the thrilling psychological drama. Fuller designed it himself with help from the show’s F/X team. Here Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal Lecter embodies the Man-Stag that Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham kept seeing at the end of last season; at the bottom the year 2014 is spelled out with various lethal instruments things you’d find around a well-stocked kitchen.

Along with the stark image he released this statement to EW: “After a horrifying descent into madness in season 1, this image ironically represents the perspective of a scrappier, clearer-minded Will Graham in season 2.  The scales have fallen from his eyes and he finally sees Hannibal Lecter for the monster he is.”

Hannibal returns to NBC early next year in the season two premiere titled “Kaiseki;” Wikipedia defines it as “a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner…[that] also refers to the collection of skills and techniques that allow the preparation of such meals.” Looks like Fuller hasn’t run out of non-English terms to describe meal preparation, a long-running theme of Hannibal season one.

[Via EW]

’24: Live Another Day’ to shoot in London, trio of veterans rejoin the cast

News, Television, , , , ,

The new season of 24 is being billed as a “thrilling international adventure” as it will take place and shoot on-location in London. Star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland and EPs Evan Katz and Manny Coto commented on the exciting news and at the same time dropped some intel on the upcoming 12-episode event series.

“24 has always had such a global sensibility,” said Sutherland. “But to be able to tell this intense 24-style story with the beauty of Europe’s history and architecture as the backdrop is going to be fascinating. Hopefully, by the time you’re finished watching an episode, you’ll feel like you’ve been there…on the edge of your seat.”

“We wanted the show’s return to be an event, and part of that was putting Jack in a very different context,” added Katz. “Four years ago, we left Jack a fugitive from justice and we’re going to pick him up four years later in London.”

“Jack is soon back on the run and it takes us into the streets of London and in places that break new ground for the show,” continued Coto. “We’ve shot in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Cape Town — but now we’re in London and Jack’s loose on the streets of Europe, hunted by and hunting bad guys.”

And who will be joining Jack in London when 24 returns next year? Of course Mary Lynn Rajskub will reprise her role as Jack’s CTU confidante Chloe O’Brien and in some surprise casting news Kim Raver and William Devane are also coming back. Raver played Audrey Raines, a former love interest for Jack, and Devane was Audrey’s father and once United States Secretary of Defense. These two were last seen at the end of season six; Raines was in a catatonic state after her captivity with the Chinese and Heller threatens Jack that he cannot see his daughter ever again. Well, things are about to get interesting.

24: Live Another Day premieres in Spring 2014 on FOX. As previously reported, the new season will still take place over a 24-hour period but it will skip hours to make for a shorter but even more exciting ride.

Fall TV updates: Good news for ‘Sleepy Hollow’ & ‘The Blacklist,’ ‘Lucky 7’ not so lucky

News, Television, , , , , , , , , , ,

We are more than a few weeks into the new fall season of television and this is the time when networks typically announce “back nine” pickups and cancellations. This year, however, marks a unique occasion. Instead of increasing Sleepy Hollow‘s 13-episode count by nine for a “full season pickup,” FOX is limiting its run to 13 installments and renewing it for a second season already. The supernatural drama scored big the ratings when its pilot aired days before official premiere week; 10.1 million tuned in and it landed a solid 3.5 rating in the adults 18-49 demo. And if you include DVR gains following the three days after the pilot aired, 13.6 million viewers ended up watching the series premiere and the 18-49 rating jumped to a 5.0. These impressive numbers make Sleepy Hollow FOX’s most successful fall drama premiere since the debut of 24 in November 2001. “The show has proven to be a risk well worth taking – it’s a conceptual blast unlike anything else on television and it all holds together with inventive writing and a fantastic cast,” said FOX head Kevin Reilly in a statement. “I can’t wait for fans to experience what else is in store for this fall and even more of this wild ride into Season Two.” Sleepy Hollow airs Mondays at 9PM on FOX.

This week FOX also renewed The Simpsons for a remarkable 26th season. “For more than a quarter of a century, The Simpsons has captured the hearts and minds of fans in a way that transcends ages, languages and cultures,” said Reilly. “This groundbreaking series is not only the longest-running scripted show in television history, it’s one of the greatest sitcoms of our time, and I’m looking forward to yet another landmark season.” The Simpsons airs Sundays at 8PM on FOX.

Though FOX’s critically-adored cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine isn’t faring so well in the ratings (it debuted to 6 million total viewers and a 2.5 demo rating before falling to 1.4 million viewers and a 1.4 in its most recent episode), TVLine reports that the network has ordered an undisclosed amount of additional scripts. A full-season pickup might be around the corner.

Elsewhere, NBC decided to go the traditional route with its breakout new drama The Blacklist by giving the James Spader vehicle a full season pickup increasing its season one episode count to 22. Across its first two episodes the series averages 12 million total viewers with a 3.6 demo rating in adults 18-49. It’s the fall’s most-watched new drama in terms of total viewers. “The many layers of Red Reddington and his mysterious reasons for getting into bed with the FBI seem to be fascinating to fans of this show,” said NBC exec Jennifer Salke said in a statement. “With great talent like James Spader and Megan Boone on board, as well our stellar executive producers and the whole cast and crew, we believe this outstanding series will continue to make NBC a big destination on Monday nights.” The Blacklist airs Mondays at 10PM on NBC.

I hope you didn’t invest too much into ABC’s lotto drama Lucky 7 because that show just became the first to get axed this fall. After airing only two episodes the alphabet net has cancelled Lucky 7 and pulled it from the schedule effective immediately (repeats of Scandal will fill the Tuesday at 10PM void for now). The show debuted to 4.4 million viewers and a 1.3 demo rating and dropped significantly in week two which stuck a 0.7 rating; oh, the irony. Who will join the not-so Lucky 7 in the cancellation bucket next? My money’s on another ABC drama Betrayal. Keep it here to find out.

‘Wilfred’ renewed for a fourth and final season

News, Television, , ,

The one show that I always felt could go on forever is coming to an end after four seasons. On Wednesday FX’s Wilfred starring Elijah Wood and Jason Gann was renewed for a fourth season and the network concurrently announced that it would be the series’ last. Was the philosophical comedy about a guy who interacts with a talking dog brutally cancelled? No, not necessarily. Though the show saw a ratings drop in its latest season, Variety reports that FX head John Landgraf sat down with the Wilfred producers “well ahead of time” so that they could map out the final season appropriately. Unlike all previous seasons, the final one will play out across 10 episodes instead of 13. Executive producer David Zuckerman, the man who developed the Australian show for US audiences, took off in season 3 and handed the reins to Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné who had also been with the show from the beginning. For the final 10, Zuckerman returns as showrunner with Agnew and Jorné at his side. Following the announcement he tweeted, “Very excited to be returning to Wilfred full time for S4! Time for some answers!”

I  could watch Wilfred come up with ways to torment and teach life lessons to his neighbor for a long time, but alas there’s one more chapter left in the dark, crude, hilarious, smart, and thoughtful tale of Ryan Newman and his best friend Wilfred. What exactly is Wilfred? The time is nigh to find out.

Wilfred returns in 2014 when it will join It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Legit, and Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell on FX’s spinoff network FXX.

Watch the long-anticipated final episode of ‘The IT Crowd’ right here

News, Television, Video,

It’s finally here. Creator Graham Lineham and stars Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, and Katherine Parkinson brought back The IT Crowd for one last hurrah. Three years after the fourth series concluded, the UK cult sitcom sees Roy, Moss, and Jen return to the basement in a one-hour special. The final episode titled “The Internet Is Coming” premiered in the UK on September 27. Lineham addressed his US fanbase via Twitter: “US peeps asking about the IT Crowd, it will be available at some point but in the meantime do what you gotta do. I know you’re good for it.”

Lucky for those of us in the States, the final ep found its way to YouTube the same day it aired across the pond and since then the uploader has not been forced to take it down. So what are you waiting for? Watch The IT Crowd go out with a bang after the break. Continue reading Watch the long-anticipated final episode of ‘The IT Crowd’ right here →