Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets and Zach Galifianakis as Dale Baskets in ‘Baskets’ (Photo by Colleen Hayes / FX)
Fans of FX’s critically acclaimed Baskets have reason to rejoice. The critically acclaimed comedy will be returning for a fourth season as just announced by Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions.
The network confirmed the fourth season renewal and announced the new season will premiere in 2019.
Baskets stars Zach Galifianakis as Chip and Dale Baskets, Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets, and Martha Kelly as Martha. In 2017, Galifianakis earned an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy nomination and Anderson picked up his second nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category. Anderson won the Emmy in that category in 2016.
In addition to his starring role, Zach Galifianakis serves as an executive producer. Jonathan Krisel, Marc Gurvitz, Andrea Pett-Joseph, and Anna Dokoza also serve as executive producers on the series. Jonathan Krisel directed the third season.
“Baskets continues to deliver thanks to the dream creative team led by Jonathan Krisel and Zach Galifianakis, and we couldn’t be happier to order a fourth season to air next year,” stated Eric Schrier. “Each season brings us closer to the Baskets family and their pursuit of life, love and clowning glory. Our thanks to the producers and the cast for making Baskets such a joy to watch.”
The Season 3 Plot: Nothing brings a family together like a family business – or at least that was the plan. Welcome to the Baskets Family Rodeo, where Christine is the President and CEO despite never having seen a rodeo before. Chip has his first full-time gig since Arby’s, but can barely transfer a phone call, let alone recruit much-needed clowns. And even though Dale is the only one in the family who has run a business, he can’t get anyone to listen to him – his family, the employees, or the horses. Good thing Martha is always nearby to lend a hand (when she’s not pursuing Basque shepherds).
In the emotional season finale, the Baskets family gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve with “Ken” (recurring guest star Alex Morris), who had a question for “Christine” (Louie Anderson).
Person of Interest fan favorite Sarah Shahi and Incorporated‘s Dennis Haysbert headline NBC’s new dramatic series, Reverie. The series is set to air during the summer primetime season, kicking off on May 30, 2018. NBC’s set a Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT time slot for the thriller from Mickey Fisher, the creator of Extant.
In addition to Sarah Shahi and Dennis Haysbert, season one features Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes Reborn), Kathryn Morris (Cold Case), and Jessica Lu (Awkward.). Reverie is executive produced by Mickey Fisher, Tom Szentgyorgyi, Brooklyn Weaver, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.
Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows, Run All Night) directed the pilot episode. Other season one directors include Michael Katleman, PJ Pesce, Matt Earl Beesley, Dawn Wilkinson, John Showwalter, and Daisy Mayer.
The Plot: This grounded new thriller follows Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when her former boss, Charlie Ventana (Dennis Haysbert), brings her in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced immersive virtual-reality program in which you can live out your ildest dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may actually have discovered a way to save herself.
Kathryn Morris as Monica Shaw, Sendhil Ramamurthy as Paul Hammond, Sarah Shahi as Mara Knit, Jessica Lu as Alexis Barrett, and Dennis Haysbert as Charlie Ventana in ‘Reverie’ (Photo by Paul Drinkwater / NBC)Sarah Shahi as Mara Kint in season 1 of ‘Reverie’ (Photo by Sergei Bachlakov / NBC)Dennis Haysbert as Charlie Ventana and Kathryn Morris as Monica Shaw (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov / NBC)Dennis Haysbert as Charlie Ventana and Sendhil Ramamurthy as Paul Hammond in ‘Reverie’ (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov / NBC)Sarah Shahi as Mara Kint (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov / NBC)Sarah Shahi as Mara Kint and Sendhil Ramamurthy as Paul Hammond (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov / NBC)Sarah Shahi as Mara Knit and Dennis Haysbert as Charlie Ventana (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov / NBC)
The four-time Grammy Award nominated Goo Goo Dolls will be releasing a new live album with tracks from their recent tours. The 10-track album is titled The Audience is This Way and will be released for streaming and digital download on August 24, 2018.
A special black vinyl limited edition of the album will be available at select indie retail stores on July 21, 2018 as part of the Record Store Day Crawl. According to the band, only 3,000 copies of the black vinyl edition will be available.
The live album includes the band’s hits “Iris,” “Slide,” and “So Alive.” John Schimke recorded The Audience is This Way and John Rzeznik, Chris Szczech and Brad Fernquist produced and mixed the 2018 album.
Goo Goo Dolls will be hitting the road for the “SiriusXM Presents: Goo Goo Dolls – Dizzy Up The Girl 20th Anniversary Tour” beginning September 30, 2018 in Phoenix, AZ. Stops will include Atlanta, Toronto, Detroit, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The tour will wrap up on November 18th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Goo Goo Dolls’ The Audience is This Way Track List:
Side One:
1. Long Way Down
2. Slide
3. Home
4. The Pin
5. January Friend
Side Two:
1. Big Machine
2. So Alive
3. Better Days
4. Iris
5. Broadway
Goo Goo Dolls uphold an unbreakable connection to countless fans fortified by a catalog replete with unforgettable smashes such as “Name,” “Iris,” “Slide,” “Black Balloon,” and many more. To date, they’ve sold 12 million albums worldwide, earned four GRAMMY® Award nominations, and made history by notching 14 Top 10 hits at Hot AC – “the most of any artist in history.”
Notably, “Iris” dominated the Hot 100 at #1 for 18 straight weeks. Among eleven full-length records, A Boy Named Goo [1995] went double-platinum, Dizzy Up The Girl went quadruple-platinum, and Gutterflower [2002] and Let Love In [2006] both went gold as Something for the Rest of Us [2010] and Magnetic [2013] bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200.
2016’s Boxes attracted the praise of People and Huffington Post as Noisey, Consequence of Sound, and more featured them. In 2017, the You Should Be Happy EP spawned another anthem in the form of “Use Me,” which quickly generated 3 million-plus Spotify streams. Their music has been covered by everyone from Taylor Swift to Leona Lewis. Additionally, they’ve performed for millions at sold out shows everywhere. That connection grows stronger in 2018 with the 20th anniversary tour celebrating Dizzy Up The Girl and more new music on the horizon.
Annapurna Pictures has released the first official trailer for the Western, The Sisters Brothers, based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name by Patrick deWitt. The film’s labeled a dark comedy and the trailer definitely fits that description.
The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix (Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot), John C. Reilly (Kong: Skull Island), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nocturnal Animals, Stronger), and Riz Ahmed (The Night Of). The cast also includes Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Rutger Hauer (Channel Zero).
Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain adapted deWitt’s book for the screen, and Audiard (Dheepan) directed.
Annapurna Pictures is planning a fall 2018 theatrical release.
Describing Patrick deWitt’s novel, The Telegraph’s Catherine Taylor said in her review: “In The Sisters Brothers, a diabolical combination of Laurel and Hardy and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (with a touch of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, just to emphasise the high literary stakes) deWitt has ensured another unforgettable pair their place in fictive lore.”
Carolyn Kellogg of the Los Angeles Times says of Dewitt’s novel, “If Cormac McCarthy had a sense of humor, he might have concocted a story like Patrick deWitt’s bloody, darkly funny Western The Sisters Brothers.”
“The Sisters Brothers is a bold, original and powerfully compelling work, grounded in well-drawn characters and a firm hold on narrative. When they say ‘They don’t write em like that anymore,’ they’re wrong,” stated The Globe and Mail’s Robert Wiersema.
The Plot: The film follows two brothers – Eli and Charlie Sisters – who are hired to kill a prospector who has stolen from their boss. The story, a genre-hybrid with comedic elements, takes place in Oregon in 1851.
Riz Ahmed (left) stars as “Morris” and Jake Gyllenhaal (right) stars as “Hermann Kermit Warm” in Jacques Audiard’s ‘The Sisters Brothers’ (Photo Credit : Magali Bragard / Annapurna Pictures)
Noah Emmerich as Stan Beeman and Brandon J. Dirden as Dennis Aderholt in ‘The Americans’ season 6 episode 9 (Photo by Eric Liebowitz / FX)
The noose tightens in season six episode nine of FX’s riveting dramatic series, The Americans. The heart-pounding penultimate episode begins with Philip (Matthew Rhys) dropping off the message Elizabeth wants to be delivered to Oleg. As he walks down the sidewalk, Philip leaves a mark on a mailbox signaling a message is ready to be picked up.
At the FBI, Stan (Noah Emmerich) runs a search in the agency’s system for “Jennings, Elizabeth” and no records are found. One record is found under Philip Jennings, but it refers to a 23-year-old Black male. Next, Stan searches for Dupont Circle Travel and again no records are found.
Philip’s at work at the agency when Stan pays him a visit. They seem happy to see each other, and Philip proudly shows him the expansion they made to the agency. Philip thinks his agency should make a move to get the FBI’s business, and Stan’s taken aback by the suggestion. Philip apologizes for making him uncomfortable, and Stan says he’ll check to see who handles that sort of thing.
They head into Philip’s office to speak alone, and Stan asks just how bad business actually is. Philip admits it’s bad, and Stan – ever the nice guy – offers his own money to help out. Philip appreciates the offer but declines.
Elizabeth (Keri Russell) follows Fyodor Nesterenko out of the hotel and watches as his group heads into the summit.
Stan calls Pastor Tim (Kelly AuCoin) in Buenos Aires and asks him how things are going if he likes Buenos Aires, and how his family’s doing. He then gets down to brass tacks and, after stressing this conversation should be kept confidential, asks if there’s anything he should know as an FBI agent about the Jennings family. Pastor Tim says he’s always been impressed with the family, in particular with Paige. He doesn’t disclose anything harmful to the Jennings family.
While waiting, Elizabeth has a flashback to when she was a teenager in Russia. She made a drop and then came upon a person who had crashed their motorcycle into a horse. He asked for help and Elizabeth walked away.
Stan visits Agent Dennis Aderholt’s office and asks if they can slip away for 10 minutes for a beer later that day. Dennis (Brandon J. Dirden) doesn’t think so since he’s planning on being there late and instead suggests they grab lunch now. It’s obvious Stan has a lot on his mind and Dennis, of course, catches on to it before they even enter the elevator.
Stan admits he can’t stop thinking about Philip and Elizabeth. He remembers that back when he first met the Jennings, he was working on the Timoshev kidnapping. They drove the same car as was described at the scene of the abduction. He forgot about it until now, and he’s been connecting the dots including how Elizabeth left on Thanksgiving and Philip followed shortly thereafter – exactly when everything was going down in Chicago.
Stan then explains he talked to a guy who worked with Gregory Thomas. That person described a woman with beautiful hair who smoked like a chimney. Stan only discovered Elizabeth smoked (and apparently a lot) when he found the cigarette butts in the Jennings’ backyard. Stan realizes it sounds crazy and after listening to Stan’s brief description of why he’s come to focus on the Jennings family, Dennis admits he doesn’t believe Stan’s onto anything. “Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are not Russian spies,” says Dennis. However, Stan can’t shake the feeling.
Stan reminds Dennis of what William Crandall said before he died: regular couple, pretty wife, couple of kids… Dennis still isn’t sold and their conversation’s interrupted when Dennis is called back to work.
Oleg (Costa Ronin) picks up the message Philip left for him.
The FBI calls in Father Victor (Alex Kuznetsov) to discuss the Church’s dealings with the Soviet government. Father Victor takes offense at being questioned since he’s a servant of God. However, he knows people talk and that some people in the Church talk to the wrong contacts about him. It makes him angry because he hasn’t made any wrong associations and doesn’t want to pay the price for other Fathers’ decisions. He specifically names Father Andre and is about to name someone else when the interview’s interrupted and Dennis is called away.
Dennis is notified the team on Oleg believe something just happened, but they’re not sure what. Dennis instructs them to search him and then bring him in.
Cut to Oleg walking down the street when he’s suddenly surrounded by FBI agents. They frisk him and find the message he picked up from Philip. He’s handcuffed and doesn’t say anything as they place him in a car.
Back to Elizabeth’s flashback and she reports to her trainer that she picked up the package and then saw an injured man who was involved in a car accident. She confesses she didn’t know if she should’ve stopped because even in training they’re supposed to never veer from the mission. Her trainer tells her she shouldn’t have left a comrade to die on the street in Moscow. Later in the episode, the trainer tells her she must make the right choices in America but the most important thing is not to lose who she is.
Stan questions Oleg and attempts to assure him he wants to help. Oleg refuses to explain what’s going on, even though he realizes he’ll wind up in jail for 20-30 years. Stan doesn’t understand why Oleg would throw away his freedom and leave his wife and kid behind in Russia without him.
Stan runs down the list of killings that have occurred, including the deaths in Chicago, since Oleg arrived in town. He asks again what the dead drop says and who sent it. Oleg doesn’t respond.
Elizabeth watches as the men leave the summit. She follows from the opposite side of the street until they cross in front of her. She notices another woman exiting a vehicle and carrying a newspaper. The woman quickly closes in on the men. As she’s about to shoot, Elizabeth shoots her in the back and continues walking.
Stan speaks to Oleg again, but this time Oleg’s in a small cell, alone. Oleg glances up at the speaker on the wall and then whispers to Stan that people in the KGB are trying to get rid of Gorbachev. He reveals he’s in America because they suspect KGB agents are making their move during the summit. He thinks the message is about that and if it is, they need to get it. “You need to help me get it there. I can tell you how,” says Oleg.
Stan can’t believe Oleg wants him to send a coded message to the Soviet Union. Oleg claims he can’t decode it or reveal who sent it. He also refuses to give up the names of any spies currently working in the area.
Stan takes a hard line and tells Oleg he doesn’t care about Gorbachev. Oleg suggests he think about it and that he’s willing to spend his whole life here, if necessary. His family and friends all want a future, just like Americans, and it does matter if Gorbachev is ousted. He risked his wife and baby to come to America to stop the take-down of Gorbachev.
Margo Martindale as Claudia and Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings in ‘The Americans’ season 6 episode 9 (Photo Credit: FX)
Elizabeth checks in at Claudia’s and refuses the food that’s offered. She says she stopped Nesterenko from being killed and that she contacted Gorbachev’s people and told them the plans. Claudia (Margo Martindale) can’t believe Elizabeth did this, reminding her The Centre will be dismantled and everyone will be thrown in jail.
Claudia confesses she had faith in Elizabeth, no matter what. However, now Claudia believes Elizabeth doesn’t understand what she was truly fighting for. Elizabeth replies, “You lied to me. If you knew me, you’d know never to lie to me.”
Claudia isn’t really listening and instead talks about sacrifices and their joint time working with Paige. She believes all that was for nothing and Elizabeth has destroyed everything with her actions today. What she did by saving Nesterenko is far worse than all the good she’s done in the past.
Claudia reveals she’ll return home and fight for her country. She wonders what’s left for Elizabeth now after all this. She then returns to eating, dismissing Elizabeth without another word.
Philip walks through the park in disguise. He sits next to Father Andre on a park bench, confirming he’s taking Elizabeth’s place for this chat. He also admits he doesn’t miss the work. They then discuss his marriage and Philip says he hasn’t been as honest as he should have been. Father Andre’s aware Elizabeth doesn’t trust easily and that there must be something in their marriage worth staying for.
Father Andre then drops the news he was going to tell Elizabeth: Father Victor was going to speak with the FBI today. He adds that Father Victor’s always been jealous and suspects his ties to people in Russia. Philip tells him to buy a ticket and return home today, suggesting he’s probably being watched and will be picked up soon.
Philip hurries away, glancing at everyone in the park. He makes it to the city streets and then sprints away from the park. An agent a block behind calls in that the suspect is on the move. Other agents pick up the chase as Philip continues running. He tosses takes off his jacket and glasses and is now in a knit cap and black turtleneck. He gets into a cab and is able to evade his pursuers.
Back at home, Elizabeth washes her face in the kitchen sink. Paige arrives and tells her Brian the intern came over the night before. Brian told her about this other intern who got super drunk at a party. He was sick and crying, and then revealed he slept with an older woman who tricked him and ruined his life. He’s quitting working for the Congressman and is heading home.
Paige asks if it was her, and Elizabeth lies and claims it wasn’t. Paige warns her if she lies, she’ll never forgive her. “Paige, I swear to you I’m not,” says Elizabeth. Paige then admits she always knows when her mom is lying, and she knows Elizabeth is lying now. She calls her mom a whore and says she should have gotten away from her as soon as she learned what her mom and dad are.
Elizabeth has had enough. She yells at Paige, telling her she was raised differently and did whatever she had to do so that Russia would survive. She claims she would do it all again, even the sex, and that it meant nothing. No one cared about it, including Philip. Paige doesn’t reply and instead just leaves.
Over at the FBI office, Dennis leads a team meeting and instructs them to get to every garage, every suspected safe house now. They’re all told to leave whatever they’re doing behind and to concentrate on garages and safe houses. It’s confirmed Father Andre has in fact been picked up and will be brought into the station in 10 minutes.
The phone rings while Elizabeth is inside the house, smoking. Philip calls her from a pay phone and gives her a coded message that he’s in trouble. After she hangs up, Elizabeth rushes into the garage and pulls a bag from their secret hiding place. She lays out the contents on the table and then opens the hidden compartment behind the electric panel. She pulls out license plates, stacks of cash, passports, and guns. She also grabs their wedding rings before leaving the garage.
Kevin Alejandro and Lauren German in the “A Devil of My Word” episode of ‘Lucifer’ (Photo by Jordan Althaus / FOX)
The response to Fox’s cancellation of Lucifer, one of primetime’s most entertaining shows, was fast and furious on social media. Lucifans immediately took to Twitter to try and find a way to save the series, launching the #PickUpLucifer and #SaveLucifer campaigns. The hashtags have been used millions of times since Fox officially announced Lucifer wouldn’t be returning for a fourth season, and no one has given up hope that the show won’t find a home somewhere suitable.
The Lucifer cast is actively involved in the campaign and has always been great at communicating with fans throughout the show’s three seasons. In my phone interview with Kevin Alejandro (‘Detective Dan Espinoza’) in support of his directorial debut on the series, he talked about the passion of the fans and the impact of the #SaveLucifer campaign. Alejandro also discussed stepping behind the camera to direct a season four episode which Fox has now scheduled to air as part of a two-hour bonus episodes block on Monday, May 28, 2018.
Exclusive Interview with Lucifer’s Kevin Alejandro:
How are you?
Kevin Alejandro: “I’m excellent, how are you?”
I’d be better if we could #Save Lucifer.
Kevin Alejandro: “Oh my goodness, you and me both. All of us. I was just talking to Tom Ellis this morning at the gym and both of us are just overwhelmed by the response that people have given us. And not only that, but that it’s an actual possibility that people might see us as a good fit. There’s a possibility that we could be saved. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Were you expecting that kind of a fan response at all? Had you anticipated anything even close to what it’s been?
Kevin Alejandro: “Not even close. I knew that the fans… We communicate with our fans daily. We are all very open with our fans because we like to hear about what they want to see. So, we communicate with them and their feedback actually feeds our creativity. We’re very adamant about keeping in touch with them, so we knew that people would miss it. But, we had no idea the power and strength in their voices that came with those words: ‘Lucifer has been cancelled.’ They have stepped up to the plate and we’ve been speechless this whole time. Like, what the…?”
And it hasn’t died down. The campaign continues and that’s just unheard of.
Kevin Alejandro: “We don’t know how to react. We’re so humbled by it, you know? It’s just such a beautiful thing. It makes us want to try even harder because we don’t want to disappoint them. And then, I’ve got to tell you, the people that are still doing it, I urge them to continue to do it all the way – we will all be tweeting on the two additional episodes that are airing on Monday night – because their voices are being heard. I know Peter Roth and the Jerry Bruckheimer team, they love Lucifer as much as we do. They won’t leave any door unlocked. If there’s a door to knock on, they will. They are presently trying to find that world in hopes that there’s a reality of our survival. And it’s because of those guys, it’s because of our fans that they let people know it’s something that they’re interested in and love being a part of.”
How heartbreaking would it have been for you if your episode didn’t get to air?
Kevin Alejandro: “Extremely! (Laughing) My directorial debut never sees the light of day… It was such a beautiful experience that I had with those guys in doing it. Mad props and appreciation to Warner Bros and Fox and Jerry Bruckheimer and everybody who approved of me being able to direct an episode because it was just the most humbling, beautiful experience I’ve ever had. So, that in itself was an accolade. That was something that I had already won. The fact that it’s actually getting to air is the icing on the cake. I’m very fortunate to have the cake and eat it too.”
Was there a director on Lucifer who really influenced your style of directing?
Kevin Alejandro: “Yeah. I really respected Nathan Hope and Eagle Egilsson. Both of those guys’ style I really enjoy the way they do things. Louis Milito, he came in and sort of mentored me a bit. If I would get into a bind, he would help me figure out how to get out of it.
To me, filmmaking in general is a collaborative process. I’m a fan of a director coming in and having a vision and saying, ‘This is what I see.’ But I’m an even bigger fan of the collaborative force of it which I think Eagle and Nathan Hope are really great at doing. Listening to people, having their own idea but not being afraid, not shying away from somebody else if they have a great idea or of giving them the credit. For me, that’s what I took into this process was listening.
Me and Tom Camarda, my director of photography, we became inseparable. It was just like, ‘You have an idea, throw it at me and let’s see if it can work.’ And, I used his ideas a lot, just trusting that team that’s been doing this show and really knows it. All I had to do was listen and move forward with it.”
Does your interest in directing help you as an actor?
Kevin Alejandro: “It absolutely does. It’s taught me to break down a script in a different way. As an actor I get super emotionally attached to it and visualize this world from that single character’s perspective. But as a director, I’m not only responsible for my character, I’m responsible for everybody’s character. I have to see it through everybody’s eyes. It’s just more of a deeper sort of way to dive into a script. I really appreciate it because it made me stronger. It’s allowed me to make stronger choices as an actor.”
Were your co-stars nice to you as a director or did they give you a hard time?
Kevin Alejandro: “No, everyone was super nice…except Lauren German. (Laughing) She hates me, but that has nothing to do with my directing! I would give her a note and she would turn to her co-stars and say, ‘What did he say? Was he talking to me because I don’t take notes?’
I’m kidding. No, everyone was on my side. Like I said, we’re such a tight knit group and they knew that I had some nerves. This is my first time and luckily everyone wanted me to succeed. There was not a single issue. Everyone came to work ready to play with ideas.
We were joking around that it’s a ‘what if?’ episode. It’s a what if universe so there were none of those Lucifer rules that I had to follow because it’s a world that doesn’t exist. Everyone was super excited about that and really wanted to play with the subtle differences that we could make within this slightly new little Lucifer world that we’re creating.”
It seems that would allow the actors to have a fresh take on it, to get into a whole new character.
Kevin Alejandro: “It absolutely did. And you can tell, too. I’m so happy that mine gets to be the last episode of the night because you see that. To me, it is very evident that everyone’s playing a slightly different character. They loved it. As an actor you want to do different things. This was an opportunity for Lauren to find different parts of her humor that she always wants to explore, and her edginess. This is an opportunity for Lucifer to be a little bit darker than he would normally be. It’s that, but still being able to maintain those characters that everyone loves. It’s a subtle, subtle difference and what a great challenge to try to take on. We realize we have people who love us for who we are, so it’s cool to put them in different circumstances.”
When during season four was this episode supposed to air? How was it supposed to fit in?
Kevin Alejandro: “I don’t think that they had a certain definite dialed-in time for it to air. I know that it was going to be peppered in – they were both going to be peppered in to season four somehow. We did the same thing last season. We shot two or three stand-alone episodes during season two and they peppered them in during season three. They would say, ‘We’re competing against Monday Night Football so let’s put in one of the stand-alone episodes that doesn’t disrupt the arc of the story.’ There was no like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be episode six or episode seven or whatever,’ it was just going to be where does it fit within the schedule of the way it was going to air.”
Was it ever supposed to be part of season three?
Kevin Alejandro: “No. It was always intended to be part of season four.”
When you’re directing yourself did you ever spot something and need to correct yourself? How did you juggle the two jobs?
Kevin Alejandro: “It’s very difficult for me to watch any playback of myself. I come from the theatre and one of the things that I love about the theatre is that I never have to watch me do it. It’s just all about how it feels, and it always feels great when I lay it out there. And sometimes it feels great and then I’ll watch it and it doesn’t look as great as it felt. So when I’m directing myself, you know like I said I had Louis in there and I would have him take over when I was on a scene. I would say, ‘Would you just watch my performance? This is what needs to happen with the scene and this is where the arc needs to go. Can you make sure that I get there?’
Louis would take over the directing Kevin Alejandro parts. Not only because I didn’t want to sit there and judge myself the whole time – because I will – but it just takes time to go there, watch a playback, and then go back in and then watch another playback to make sure I got it. It was good to have a well-experienced director there to have his eyes on me to make sure I was giving a performance that was necessary for the scene.”
What was your first reaction when you found out Neil Gaiman was actually saying yes to being the voice of God?
Kevin Alejandro: “No way! You’re f**king kidding me! That was my exact response. It was awesome. How cool is that? My first freaking directorial experience at this level to have the creator of the freaking character playing God. It’s like, ‘Wow, okay, I’ll take it!’”
It’s a total stamp of approval.
Kevin Alejandro: “Exactly. Exactly.”
If there isn’t a season four, which I hate to even put out into the universe, and Chloe knows about Lucifer being the Devil, do you think Dan in eventuality would have been really upset he was the last original member of the team to find out?
Kevin Alejandro: “Probably, but I think he would get it because Dan’s always the last one to know. ‘Yeah, great, yet another thing I didn’t know about. You guys are awesome.’ (Laughing) And you wonder why I’m a douche.”
Tom Ellis and Kevin Alejandro in ‘Lucifer’ (Photo Credit: Fox)
You know what? He’s totally outlived that title because over the seasons he’s become such a decent guy that you didn’t expect him to be from the first couple of episodes. He’s had an incredible arc. How much fun has that been to play?
Kevin Alejandro: “It’s amazing. We have such a good team of people that trust us. They love writing for us and it’s cool to be trusted to take on those arcs because sometimes we as actors have levels that we can’t reach or levels that we don’t tap into for one reason or another. And our group of writers know us so well and they let us take risks because they know that we can do it. We love the challenge of doing it. So, I have appreciated the arc that they’ve given me. And, dammit, I hope that we get a season four because you know where Dan goes next is great. He’s dealing with Charlotte’s death and he blames Lucifer. You get to see whether or not he can literally live through this one. He’s been through a lot of stuff and gotten through it and come out in the end as a little bit stronger of a person. But, I’m not sure that it would have been the same with this relationship in the next season.”
What do you think the writers tapped into with you that made its way into Dan more so than they even expected?
Kevin Alejandro: “I think having a six-pack! (Laughing) ‘He has a six-pack. He’s super deep. He has depth.’ No, you know what I think? I think one of the things that helped us together as an actor, writer, and producer team was that they saw how much I really loved the guy. It was easy for me to relate to him and make him a human being and not a caricature of a bad guy or a dumb guy. They saw that as I cared for him as an actor for a character, they were able to pull that out and allow him to be a real human being, allow him to care for things and allow him to react to things in a humanistic way. That’s one of the things. They saw how much I care about him and they let that ring true within Dan.”
You were terrific and heartbreaking in the final scenes with Charlotte and then alone in the apartment, looking at the waffle maker while Dan’s realizing what he lost. How difficult was it to find that place emotionally?
Kevin Alejandro: “It is difficult but because of my experience in life and because of how much I love… If anyone would ask me what’s my best quality, I would say my best quality is my ability to love. I just care for people. I care for family, my wife, my friends – they are everything to me. So, in that aspect that’s where I go. So, it’s not that difficult for me to go to that place, what’s hard is for me to stay there because it’s draining and it hurts so bad. But, I have to stay in it. Once I’m in it I have to stay.
But the beauty of it is that because we’ve been together so long as a team of filmmakers, we know each other and there’s so much respect on that set. They know when Tom has to do this, go down this avenue, there’s a certain respect and stillness that he requires that is unsaid. You just give it to him. He doesn’t ask for it, you just give it. The same can be said for me and everyone else who has to go to that level. It’s handled with so much care that it’s almost like being nurtured by your mom. Everyone has open arms and they’re guiding you to be what you need to be.
Most of the time we have an amazing, great, silly, jokey, ‘I’m dumb, you’re dumb’ kind of fun. But when it comes to those moments there’s nothing but respect and you’re cradled through that process. They all know that it’s important.”
I was checking out Twitter and fans were really excited to see your latest Instagram post of you working out. They think it’s a really good sign and that you know something that we don’t know about Lucifer being renewed. Have they dropped more hints to you that you’re not allowed to talk about?
Kevin Alejandro: “All I’m going to say is that our voices are being heard and people are talking. The right people are having conversations. And if everything works out, there is a possibility that things could happen the way we want it to happen. But nothing is set in stone. And, like I said, we were all certain that we would come back for season four and the rug got pulled out from under us. I stay in shape and I’m trying to keep a positive outlook. Seeing the way executives are responding to the way people are loving and missing our show brings hope, and I think we should all be hopeful.”
How does that affect you when you’re offered different projects but there’s a possibility of a Lucifer season four? How do you respond to the potential conflict?
Kevin Alejandro: “Well, the first thing I do is I make sure everyone knows that Lucifer’s my priority. So, the first that happens is, ‘If I’m interested in this project, will you be willing to work around whatever Lucifer says or needs of me because that’s my priority?’ Everything is planned around what Lucifer may or may not say.
I don’t have a ‘No.’ In my head I’m still Dan Espinoza and right now I’m just on hiatus. So if it fits right now and it goes on, ‘Just be prepared that if I go into season four that we need to be done by then or you’ll have to have conversations with our producers and showrunners as to how we can make both things work because I’m going back to Lucifer.’
That’s how that works because in my head we’re just on hiatus. No one has given me a definite no yet.”
Watch the new trailer for the action thriller Skyscraper and you will know pretty much everything there is to know about the film. The three-minute trailer appears to lay out the entire story, although we can hope there will be a twist or two during the actual movie to keep audiences engaged.
Dwayne Johnson (San Andreas, Rampage) stars in the action film with the “When it comes to family, nothing will stand in his way” tagline. The cast also includes Neve Campbell (House of Cards), Chin Han (Ghost in the Shell), Noah Taylor (Preacher, Peaky Blinders), Roland Møller (Atomic Blonde), Byron Mann (Blood and Water, The Expanse), Pablo Schreiber (American Gods, Den of Thieves), and Hannah Quinlivan (Moon River).
Skyscraper was written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber (Central Intelligence, We’re the Millers). The thriller is produced by Dwayne Johnson, Rawson Marshall Thurber, Beau Flynn (San Andreas, Baywatch), and Hiram Garcia (San Andreas, Central Intelligence). Dany Garcia (Baywatch, Ballers), Wendy Jacobson (San Andreas), Eric McLeod (Kong: Skull Island, Pirates of the Caribbean series) and Eric Hedayat (The Great Wall, Real Steel) served as executive producers.
Universal Pictures has set a July 13, 2018 theatrical release date in 2D and RealD 3D.
The Plot: “Global icon Dwayne Johnson leads the cast of Legendary’s Skyscraper as former FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader and U.S. war veteran Will Sawyer, who now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in China he finds the tallest, safest building in the world suddenly ablaze, and he’s been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and somehow rescue his family who is trapped inside the building…above the fire line.”
Netflix has just released the first look at the upcoming adult animated comedy fantasy series, Disenchantment. Matt Groening, the creative mind behind The Simpsons, is behind the new show which Netflix is set to debut on August 17, 2018. The series marks the first new series created by Matt Groening in more than two decades.
According to Netflix, the first season will consist of 10 episodes. In addition to Groening, the series will be executive produced by Josh Weinstein (The Simpsons, Futurama). The series is being produced by The ULULU Company for Netflix.
The first batch of photos from the 2018 animated series shows off the familiar animation style of Rough Draft Studios (Futurama) and features the lead character, Princess Bean. Abbi Jacobson provides the voice of Bean, Nat Faxon voices Elfo the elf, and Eric Andre is lending his voice to Luci. Other voice cast members include John DiMaggio, Billy West, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, David Herman, Matt Berry, Jeny Batten, Rich Fulcher, Noel Fielding, and Lucy Montgomery.
Describing the series when it was originally announced in July 2017, Matt Groening said, “Ultimately, Disenchantment will be about life and death, love and sex, and how to keep laughing in a world full of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and wizards and other jerks tell you.”
“Matt Groening’s brilliant work has resonated with generations around the world and we couldn’t be happier to work with him on Disenchantment,” stated Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix in July 2017. “The series will bear his trademark animation style and biting wit, and we think it’s a perfect fit for our many Netflix animation fans.”
The Plot: In Disenchantment, viewers will be whisked away to the crumbling medieval kingdom of Dreamland, where they will follow the misadventures of hard-drinking young princess Bean, her feisty elf companion Elfo, and her personal demon Luci. Along the way, the oddball trio will encounter ogres, sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, walruses, and lots of human fools.
The CW’s iZombie will finish up its 13 episode fourth season on May 28, 2018 with an episode titled “And He Shall Be a Good Man.” This season’s been the show’s best since season one and the finale should be another game-changer for Team Liv.
Season four episode 12 found Major kidnapping Liv to keep her from turning herself in, and while on the brains of a happily long-time married couple he declared his love for his former girlfriend. Major suggested they just take off and live somewhere quiet and peaceful, leaving Renegade, Fillmore-Graves, and all the other madness behind. Of course, Liv refused to allow someone else to take the punishment for Renegade’s activities and got the upper-hand on Major, escaping back to the city and turning herself in. Liv was sentenced to death along with Levon (Daniel Bonjour) who stepped up and pretended he was Renegade to save her. The season finale will find Liv’s friends taking on Fillmore-Graves to try and save Liv and Levon.
Season four episode 13 was directed by Dan Etheridge from a script by Rob Thomas.
The cast of season four includes Rose McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore, Malcolm Goodwin as Clive Babineaux, Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, Robert Buckley as Major Lilywhite, David Anders as Blaine DeBeers, Aly Michalka as Peyton Charles, Bryce Hodgson as Don E., Jason Dohring as Chase Graves, and Robert Knepper as Angus McDonough.
The “And He Shall Be a Good Man” Plot: SEASON FINALE — Clive (Malcolm Goodwin), Ravi (Rahul Kohli), Peyton (Aly Michalka) and Major (Robert Buckley) work together to help Liv (Rose McIver).
“Look, I love Inception as much as the next guy, but sending Barry into DeVoe’s mind…” says a very concerned Cisco (Carlos Valdes). “His mind is the only one fast enough for the linking process without any harm,” replies Marlize (Kim Engelbrecht), cutting off Cisco and reinforcing her idea to send Barry into The Thinker’s mind to stop him in season four episode 23 of The CW’s The Flash.
As the season four finale begins, the Enlightenment has started. It’s causing chaos and havoc across all of Central City and most likely the rest of the world. (The episode never bothers to show other parts of the world being affected, which is a bit of a disappointment.) The sky has turned purple and dark, and all technology has stopped working. Cars are stopped dead in the streets, cell phones won’t work, computers are down, and the power all across the city is out.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Team Flash is working on trying to get their back-up power source up and running while trying to come up with a new plan to stop DeVoe. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) arrive telling the team it’s chaos out there and that they were on their way to the hospital when it started. It seems Cecile is close to going into labor. A few seconds later, Iris and Marlize show up with an idea on how to stop DeVoe.
Marlize tells Team Flash the only way to defeat DeVoe is for them to send Barry’s consciousness into the mind of DeVoe and search until he finds the good part of DeVoe – the man Marlize fell in love with – so he can take control and stop The Thinker from his plan. Barry (Grant Gustin) asks Marlize if she believes a good part of him still exists and she says yes. So, a reluctant Team Flash has Barry sit in The Thinker’s hovering chair and use its cap. Cecile uses her telepathic powers to help send Barry into DeVoe’s mind and keep him connected with the team. Cisco nicknames the process “1-way brain radio.”
It works and Barry arrives in the mind of DeVoe which looks like the intersection where the bus got exposed to the Speed Force and Dark Matter. There’s a portal nearby and Marlize tells Barry this is the nexus of DeVoe’s mind. He has to lead the good DeVoe, once he finds him, through the nexus for him to take over. Barry sees the evil DeVoe in his hover chair looking as though he’s searching for him. Barry briefly hides in the bus and then speeds off to Marlize and Clifford’s house hoping to find the good DeVoe there.
Barry arrives but finds the house completely empty. He tells Team Flash this and Marlize is surprised. Of course, this is when Cecile has another contraction and loses connection with Barry. Marlize tells Team Flash they need to stop her from having the baby now because when she gives birth, she’ll lose her meta powers. If Barry is still in DeVoe’s mind, he’ll be trapped there. Luckily, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) knows of a drug that will slow down the contractions and give them more time. Cecile grabs her arm and in a different voice says, “Thomas knows she’s been this way all the time,” which briefly freaks out both Caitlin and Joe.
Cisco remembers Harry (Tom Cavanagh) had thought of how to find Marlize, so he thinks Harry might have an idea of where in DeVoe’s mind Barry should go next. Cisco finds Harry in Cisco’s workshop staring at his thinking cap. In perhaps the most moving and emotional scene of this season, Harry, who can barely speak now due to the damage to his brain by the dark matter, reaches for the cap and struggles to get out the word “help.” Cisco says he won’t let Harry fry what’s left of his brain which causes Harry to slam down his fists and force himself to say, “Help…please.”
Cisco puts the cap on Harry’s head and turns it on. At first, Cisco thinks the cap isn’t doing anything to help Harry but when he reaches to take it off, Harry stops him and says, “Where DeVoe first fell in love with Marlize, tell Barry to go there. He’ll find him there…okay.” Harry then tells Cisco there’s just one more thing and hugs him hard before sitting back down. Harry starts mumbling things about stars exploding and Cisco tells him as he takes the cap off, “I won’t lose anyone else today. I won’t.”
Barry follows Harry’s suggestions and at Oxford he discovers a picnic blanket and a song playing on the radio but no DeVoe. Barry tells Team Flash DeVoe’s not there when he hears a familiar voice call out to him saying, “Rookie?!” It’s Ralph (Hartley Sawyer) whose consciousness is still alive in DeVoe’s mind. Barry hugs Ralph, happy to see he’s still alive. Barry quickly brings Ralph up to speed about why he’s in DeVoe’s mind and Ralph tells him he hasn’t seen the ‘good’ DeVoe, just the evil one in the hover chair always taunting him. Just then DeVoe’s evil persona arrives and warns Barry he’ll never escape from his mind. Barry and Ralph speed away to continue their search for the good DeVoe. Ralph suggests they check out DeVoe’s classroom.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cecile tells the gang DeVoe is coming after them. She read his mind when he got close to Barry. There’s a loud bang and it’s DeVoe entering the cortex. As he tries to get to them, he runs into the force field his chair creates that Marlize activated to protect everyone. He says they’ll still be Enlightened and Marlize replies, “You’ll have to find us first.” She sends the team through a portal to, of all places, DeVoe’s lair.
In The Thinker’s mind, Barry and Ralph get to the classroom only to discover the good DeVoe is sitting in his old chair…dead. Ralph’s upset and thinks they’ve lost. He suggests Barry return to his family and spend whatever time he has left with them. Barry declines, reminding Ralph they’re his family, too. Barry remembers DeVoe is using Ralph’s body and realizes that’s why he keeps berating Ralph. If Ralph gets out through the nexus, DeVoe will lose control and Ralph will get his body back, essentially killing DeVoe. Barry and Ralph head back to the intersection where he started in DeVoe’s mind.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cecile begins to have stronger labor pains and DeVoe finds them in his lair. He freezes Cisco, Caitlin, and Iris in place while Joe pulls his gun. DeVoe starts to use his powers to get Joe to turn the gun on himself but Joe’s anger and his love for Cecile is stronger and he’s able to turn the gun back on DeVoe. Joe’s victory is short-lived because DeVoe uses his powers to send Joe up in the air and then slams him down to the ground. DeVoe then turns to face Cecile.
In The Thinker’s mind, Barry and Ralph start heading to the portal but are confronted by an army of clone DeVoes. The Flash and the Elongated Man work together but find the army of DeVoes can outthink their every move. Ralph tells Barry not to think about what he’s going to do but instead think about something he loves while fighting. It works! The super duo is able to put down the first wave of the army of DeVoes, but soon more show up. Barry tells Ralph to hold onto him as he superspeeds through the new army of DeVoes and through the portal out of DeVoe’s mind.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, DeVoe is just about to kill Cecile but then stops and starts struggling with his thoughts. Barry, seated in the hover chair, opens his eyes and walks over to DeVoe. “No!” screams DeVoe. As he collapses, he touches the back of his hover chair. “How did you beat me?” yells DeVoe, now lying on the floor. “I didn’t. We did,” answers Barry. “This is not my will!” screams DeVoe as he starts to change. “Nope, it’s mine,” says Ralph’s voice as he returns to his body’s original form. Smiling, Barry helps his friend off the floor.
With DeVoe seemingly defeated, Marlize overrides the last command given to the S.T.A.R. Labs satellite and that stops the Enlightenment with only minutes to spare. Central City goes back online and all the dark energy is gone.
Cecile’s water breaks and as Caitlin takes her and Joe into the medical bay, DeVoe’s chair activates. It seems just before Ralph regained control of his body, DeVoe transferred his consciousness to his hoverchair. He makes a last attempt to terrorize Team Flash but Marlize, with a tear in her eye, says goodbye to her husband and pulls the energy force out of the chair, effectively killing DeVoe once and for all.
Team Flash still has a problem because DeVoe created a dead man’s switch that now causes the huge satellite just on the outskirts of Earth to start to plummet toward Central City. The team has three minutes to save the day.
Cisco and Ralph head out to get people clear of the falling debris while Barry uses his superspeed to try to destroy the satellite. As Ralph and Cisco are saving Central City citizens, Barry starts building up enough speed to deliver a super-sonic punch to the satellite to destroy it. Marlize warns Iris this might kill Barry, but they don’t see any other option.
Barry builds up the speed, races up a skyscraper, and super jumps toward the satellite to punch it when suddenly time stops and goes backward. Barry’s back on the street looking up at the satellite and begins once again to build up superspeed to take down the satellite. He races around building up speed but doesn’t notice another speedster doing the same thing behind him.
He again races up the skyscraper, jumps towards the satellite, and delivers a super-sonic punch. There’s another speedster alongside him who also punches the satellite. Their combined power destroys the satellite.
Barry races down to the street with his Flash outfit burned and torn all over. The crowd of citizens applaud their hero for saving them. The Flash gives them a wave and speeds back to S.T.A.R. Labs to find Cecile has given birth to a lovely baby girl. Everyone at S.T.A.R. Labs is smiling and happy.
The next day Marlize gives Team Flash a power cap telling them it should fix Harry’s mind. Iris and Barry invite her to stay and be a part of the team, but she declines saying they have all the support they need. She’s going to return to trying to help the world the way she was doing before she met her late husband.
Cisco uses the cap on Harry and he screams out in pain but then seems okay. Harry quotes a Star Trek line to Cisco who laughs and hugs him. But, then Cisco realizes Harry’s acting a little off. Harry tells the Team that although it worked, he’s not brilliant anymore. Everyone’s upset, especially Cisco. Cisco believes he let Harry down, but Harry assures Cisco he did bring him back. Plus, he gave him balance between his heart and his head. Harry’s now in touch with his feelings and not just defined by his former genius IQ.
Harry tells the gang he’s going to spend time back on his Earth with his daughter, Jesse. The team doesn’t want him to leave and Iris says, “But, Harry, we just got you back.” However, Harry has made up his mind. He quickly exits, leaving everyone feeling sad and awkward about their final exchange. Harry suddenly returns and says, “I guess we should hug, right?” They all embrace in a group hug, smiling.
In the last scene of the finale, Team Flash welcome Joe and Cecile home at Joe’s house with a party to celebrate the birth of the baby. Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) shows up to celebrate and talks to Joe about finding his place with the Legends.
Cecile announces the name of their daughter, Jenna Marie West, and Iris sits close to Barry saying soon it will be their turn to have a baby. This surprises Barry and makes him a little uncomfortable. The party’s interrupted by a knock on the door. Barry answers it and finds the mystery girl standing there. She enters and everyone recognizes her. Barry asks who she is and she reveals she’s his and Iris’s daughter, Nora West Allen, and that she has made a “big, big, mistake.” Surprised and concerned, Barry looks over at Iris and then the rest of Team Flash.
The Flash Season 4 Episode 23 Review:
Fast-paced with lots of action and some very touching moments, the season four finale titled “We Are The Flash” ends this season on a joyous occasion and with the reveal, finally, of the identity of the mystery girl speedster. This season, although uneven at times and with too many quirky and silly episodes, did succeed in bringing more heart, humor, and fun back to the series.
The stand-out performances in this episode belonged to Tom Cavanagh and Carlos Valdes, delivering powerful and emotional performances as Harry and Cisco. The scene where Harry, who’s about to become a living vegetable, struggles to use the thinking cap one last time to help Team Flash but needs the help of a reluctant Cisco is heartbreaking. The bond and love these two characters feel for each other is perfectly portrayed by Cavanagh and Valdes. That particular scene’s an unforgettable moment in the series’ four seasons.
With Nora West Allen now revealing herself to the team and seemingly creating a big problem for Team Flash, it’ll be exciting and interesting to see just exactly what problem she’s alluding to. It’ll also be fun to learn the true origin story of Killer Frost and how she’s been with Caitlin since childhood. Plus, of course, fans are already speculating on the main villain in season five. Can’t wait to find out who the team will be going up against next season!
