Lucasfilm and Disney dropped a new trailer for the much-anticipated new Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, during the seventh game of the 2017 World Series. The new nearly one minute trailer is titled “Awake” and features more of Rey training with a lightsaber, an angry Kylo Ren pounding a wall, and Luke Skywalker warning, “This is not going to go the way you think.”
The upcoming Star Wars film is written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper, Brothers Bloom). Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman produced, with J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin executive producing.
The cast includes Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Leia, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as Rey, and John Boyega as Finn. Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, and Benicio Del Toro as DJ co-star.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in U.S. theaters on December 15, 2017. The second film of the new saga will be followed by the standalone prequel, Solo: A Star Wars Story, which is targeting a May 25, 2018 theatrical release. The Han Solo prequel stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca. The Han Solo film changed directors mid-stream with Ron Howard taking over after co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller left the project.
The Plot: In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
Disney officially confirmed the cast of their upcoming family-friendly The Lion King, a live-action take on the popular animated movie. The all-star lineup of director Jon Favreau’s 2019 film will include Donald Glover (Atlanta, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Simba and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Dreamgirls) as Simba’s friend and love interest, Nala. James Earl Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) will be playing Mufasa, Simba’s loving father. Jones voiced the role in the 1994 animated film.
Chiwetel Ejiofor (Twelve Years a Slave, Doctor Strange) will be taking on the role of the ruthless villain, Scar. Alfre Woodard (Luke Cage) has been cast as Simba’s beloved mother, Sarabi. JD McCrary (Tyler Perry’s The Paynes) is taking on the role of Young Simba, the “confident cub who can’t wait to be king.” Shahadi Wright Joseph (Broadway’s “The Lion King”) is tackling the part of the Young Nala.
The Lion King sidekicks Rafiki the baboon and Zazu the hornbill are being played by John Kani (Captain America: Civil War) and John Oliver (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver). Seth Rogen (Neighbors) is the warthog Pumbaa and Billy Eichner (American Horror Story: Cult) has signed up to play Timon the meerkat. Florence Kasumba (Emerald City) is Shenzi, Eric André (Man Seeking Woman) is Azizi, and Keegan Michael Key (Friends From College) is Kamari.
Commenting on his cast, Jon Favreau said, “It is a director’s dream to assemble a talented team like this to bring this classic story to life.”
The live-action The Lion King is written by Jeff Nathanson, based on the 1994 screenplay. Jon Favreau, Jeffrey Silver, and Karen Gilchrist are producing, and Tom Peitzman and Thomas Schumacher are on board as executive producers. The Lion King is set to open in theaters on July 19, 2019.
The Plot: From Disney Live Action, director Jon Favreau’s all-new The Lion King journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.
Darren Criss attends the Celebration Of The Music Of Disney’s “Frozen” (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Disney)
FX has confirmed a premiere date for the new season of American Crime Story. Season two titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story will air its first episode on Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 10pm ET/PT. The series is executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Brad Falchuk, Alexis Martin Woodall, Dan Minahan and Tom Rob Smith.
The Assassination of Gianni Versace stars Darren Criss (Glee, American Horror Story), Edgar Ramirez (Point Break, The Girl on the Train), Penelope Cruz (The Queen of Spain, To Rome With Love) and Ricky Martin (Dancing with the Stars). Criss plays serial killer Andrew Cunanan, Ramirez stars as Gianni Versace, Cruz is Donatella Versace, and Martin plays Antonio D’Amico.
Tom Rob Smith wrote the series and Ryan Murphy directed the premiere episode.
FX had originally scheduled The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story as the third season of the American Crime Story series. However, in June 2017 the network made a change in the schedule and upped the Versace story to the show’s second season. Season three, originally season two, will focus on Hurricane Katrina and the impact the devastating hurricane had on New Orleans.
Season one of American Crime Story focused on the trial of O.J. Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. The People v OJ Simpson earned nine Emmy Awards including Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Sterling K Brown as Christopher Darden), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark), and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran). The series also earned the Outstanding Limited Series Emmy Award and the Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special (D.V. DeVincentis).
“I’m going to hunt you,” says Gypsy’s father (Danny Trejo) to Cisco (Carlos Valdes) who hates – yes, hates – the fact Cisco is dating his daughter in season four episode four of The CW’s comic-book inspired series, The Flash.
As the episode begins, Cisco and Gypsy (Jessica Camacho) are getting pretty serious with their make-out session. Cisco tries to get her to reveal her real name and Gypsy tells him to forget about it and to lose his clothes as she goes to use the restroom. Unfortunately, this is when Gypsy’s dad breaches through and almost kills Cisco before Gypsy’s able to stop him.
Barry (Grant Gustin) meets up with Joe (Jesse L. Martin) at the end of the Mayor’s press conference and they begin to try to identify the other 10 people who were on the bus the day Barry was pulled out of the Speed Force. Barry tells Joe he thinks Harry (Tom Cavanaugh) is right and that it’s all connected. Both Joe and Barry don’t believe it’s just a coincidence that the bus driver who was driving that day is now dead.
Barry and Joe arrive at S.T.A.R. Labs where they find a menacing man in black. Surprise! It’s Gypsy’s dad who Cisco calls Breacher. Cisco explains he’s giving him a tour. Barry introduces himself and Gypsy’s dad says, “Oh, yes, Cisco’s assistant.” Cisco gives Barry a pleading look to play along and he does. Harry pulls Cisco aside and tells him to take Gypsy’s dad for coffee and reason with him. Cisco thinks it might work so he does.
Going through photos and paperwork, Barry discovers an IOU that was found on the body of the dead bus driver. The IOU is from an ex-CCPD Detective named Ralph Dibny (Hartley Sawyer). Believing Dibny might have been on the bus, Joe and Barry set out to have a chat with him.
Joe and Barry aren’t exactly welcomed by the down-on-his-luck private investigator when they visit his office. They ask him if he was on the bus but he doesn’t give them a straight answer and instead asks them why they want to know. Joe tells Dibny people on the bus were exposed to something dangerous, and Ralph lies and says he wasn’t on the bus just to get them to leave. Moments after West and Allen leave, two thugs show up and take Dibny up to the roof and hang him over the edge. Dibny’s legs stretch and he reaches the street. Joe and Barry spot him and do a double-take, with Joe declaring, “He was on the bus.”
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) and Harry run some tests on a very freaked-out Dibny and discover the dark matter he came in contact with invaded his cells and made them elastic. He’s able to stretch incredibly long, but the problem is his limbs aren’t going back to normal. Dibny yells at Barry to make his friends fix him, and Barry gets uncharacteristically angry and screams back at him. Caitlin has to break it up.
Over at Jitters, the meeting is not going well between Cisco and Gypsy’s dad. It seems Breacher wants to hunt and destroy Cisco because he doesn’t believe Cisco’s good enough for Gypsy. As he counts down from 10, Breacher tells Cisco they won’t use their powers in this little game of cat and mouse. When Breacher skips six and goes right to five, Cisco makes a break for it.
Over at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin is sure that if she can get her hands on some of Dibny’s DNA before he became a meta, she should be able to come up with a cure. Barry questions if they should help him and thinks it best to just put him in the pipeline. Caitlin points out he hasn’t done anything wrong yet. An annoyed Barry heads out with Iris (Candice Patton) to search Dibny’s office for some DNA.
When they arrive they find Dibny’s office has been trashed. As they look for something with his DNA, Iris asks Barry why he dislikes Dibny so much. Barry explains to Iris that when he was a rookie CSI he discovered Dibny had planted evidence and lied under oath to try to secure a conviction in a murder case. It was Barry’s testing of the evidence that exposed Dibny and got him kicked off the force.
Iris finds a hairbrush in one of the drawers and just as she goes to close it, she sees a bomb about to explode. She yells for Barry and he vibrates them both down through the floor and out of the building just in time.
Back at the lab, Iris gives Caitlin the hairbrush after telling her about their close call. Barry makes a snide remark about how Caitlin’s new best friend almost got them both killed and Caitlin responds coolly, “He’s not my friend, he’s my patient.” Barry continues to harp at Caitlin saying he doesn’t get why she wants to help the jerk so much. She firmly replies it’s because she knows what it’s like to wake up one day realizing you have powers, be scared, and know your life will never be the same again. She also reminds him that he also had that experience. She asks Barry to show Dibny just a little compassion. (It’s scenes like this that show how Caitlin IS the heart and soul of Team Flash.)
A little later Joe and Barry discover Dibny has called the mayor multiple times. They confront him with the information and he blows them off, not willing to give them a straight answer. Joe and Barry decide it’s time to pay a visit to the mayor.
Caitlin, being the brilliant scientist she is, comes up with a unique drink that will stabilize Dibny’s condition. He drinks it and, yes, it works. Caitlin tells Dibny he should be able to control his cells by thinking about how he wants them to work and look.
At the mayor’s office, Joe and Barry ask him how he knows Dibny. At first, he acts as though he doesn’t know Dibny. However, after Joe gives him a short “it’s just between us cops and former cops” speech the mayor admits he was unfaithful to his wife and Dibny has pictures and is blackmailing him. Disgusted and angry, Barry tells the mayor not to worry and assures him they’ll handle it. Right after Joe and Barry leave, the mayor tells the two thugs who held Dibny over the edge of the building to finish the job they already messed up once. He wants the thugs to go ahead and kill Joe and Barry too since they now know about his secret.
Barry and Joe confront Dibny back at the lab and Dibny tries to justify his actions by saying it’s all Barry’s fault that he’s not a cop anymore. Barry tells Dibny he did it to himself by lying and planting evidence, and Dinby shouts back, “Because I knew he did it and I didn’t want him to get away with murder.” Dibny starts to leave and Barry tries to stop him which leads to a physical altercation and to Barry punching Dibny in the nose. His face absorbs Barry’s fist.
Cisco, on the advice of Harry, has set a trap for Gypsy’s dad. When he enters the room, Cisco traps him in a force field similar to the one Team Flash used against The Reverse Flash in season one. It works for a few minutes until Breacher pulls out a special knife and cuts right through the force field which means Cisco’s back on the run.
Joe talks to Barry at his apartment and after having a few beers, Joe asks his surrogate son why it’s so important to him that Dibny be a bad guy. Barry now admits that when he first started at the CCPD, he was all about the rules and regulations. But after becoming The Flash, he sees how doing the right thing sometimes means bending or ignoring the rules in order to save lives. Barry wonders if he did destroy a good cop’s career.
Joe reminds him that Dibny did lie and he did blackmail the mayor. Joe also admits that he agrees with Caitlin that maybe Dibny does deserve a second chance. Just then the doorbell rings and Barry answers it to see two beat cops. The two corrupt cops tell Joe and Barry the Captain needs them back at CCPD. As Barry starts to turn to get his coat, he sees Joe reach for his gun and yell his name. One of the cops gets off a shot at Joe. Barry uses his incredible speed to re-position the two cops to knock themselves out and catches the bullet before it even gets close to Joe. “That never gets old,” says Joe. Barry and Joe realize the two cops were sent by the mayor and that Dibny is next.
At the lab, Breacher sees footage of Dibny in his elastic state and believes him to be like a being that almost destroyed his world. Determined to stop him, Breacher sets his sights on Dibny.
Dinby meets with the mayor who has agreed to pay the blackmail in an alley close to City Hall. Dibny changes his mind and tells him to keep it, explaining he’s not interested in his money. The mayor shoots Dibny but the bullet goes in his face and out his nose. The Flash shows up – he placed a tracking device on Dibny earlier – and tells the mayor it’s over. Unfortunately, it’s not because Breacher shows up and blasts both The Flash and Dibny.
The mayor tries to get away and somehow gets the upper hand on Joe, taking him hostage. Breacher blasts The Flash again, knocking the wind out of him. Breacher is about to deliver a fatal blast to Dibny while Dibny begs him not to do this when Vibe arrives to save the day. Vibe tells Breacher that Dibny is not a threat and that Team Flash created him. If he has a problem with that, then he’ll just have to fight him. Impressed, Breacher stands down.
The Flash tells Vibe he can’t run fast enough to jump from a building after those blasts and asks if he can breach him to the helicopter the mayor is escaping in with Joe. Vibe says he’s afraid his blast would destroy the chopper. The Flash tells Dibny he can help by stretching his arm and grabbing the helicopter. Dibny asks how he knows he can do it and Barry takes off his mask revealing himself as The Flash, just to show Dibny he trusts him. Dibny’s still hesitant but Barry suggests now is the time to show he’s still a good cop. Inspired, Dibny stretches and grabs the helicopter so The Flash can race up his arm into the chopper and disarm the mayor to save the day. “Cecile is pregnant,” says an incredulous and thankful Joe to Barry.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Joe and Barry tell Iris and Caitlin the news about Joe becoming a father again and they all celebrate with cigars, some bad dancing, and hugs – lots of hugs – including a big group hug.
At the breacher room, Gypsy’s dad tells Cisco he still hates him but he respects him and he now knows that Cisco is a true warrior who will stand his ground and protect his friends and Gypsy…not that she needs it. As he gets ready to leave, he tells his daughter he senses a breach and says they need to go, calling her by her birth name, Cynthia. Cisco loves knowing her real name and she warns him not to call her that. The two smile at each other as she follows her father through the breach.
As Caitlin walks up to her apartment, she sees something on the floor. She finds a message carved into the door that reads: “We Miss You Come Back Soon.” Caitlin looks concerned.
The final scene is at Dibny’s office where Barry surprises him by showing he fixed it up for him. Barry continues to reach out a hand in friendship, admitting he can’t change what has happened between them in the past but he can help him now. Barry offers to have his team study him and help him test and learn to use his powers to be a hero. Barry will even train him himself. Dibny stretches his hand and shakes Barry’s hand, closing the deal.
On his way out, Barry asks why Dibny looked into the mayor and he reveals he did it originally for a client named Devo he never met and only talked to on the phone. Barry’s mind flashes on Savitar talking about how they came up with a gadget to defeat Devo.
The Flash Season 4 Episode 4 Review:
With incredible special visual effects and a fun, lighthearted subplot, episode four titled “Elongated Journey Into Night” shows just how cutting edge The Flash series can be in creating amazing special effects unlike anything seen on television. The scenes with Dibny at S.T.A.R. Labs with his legs and arms stretching ridiculously long, and part of his face stretching off after he sneezes, are visually groundbreaking and, to be honest, a little stomach-turning.
The series also raises the bar by continuing to bring on excellent guest stars in important roles. The highlight of this episode is Danny Trejo as Gypsy’s bounty-hunting dad. The scenes between Trejo and Carlos Valdes as Cisco are some of the best in the episode.
With Barry now realizing Devo is the mastermind they’re facing and Caitlin’s past catching up to her, the next episode titled “Girls Night Out” should be very interesting and exciting. It’s also sure to bring out Caitlin’s colder persona…Killer Frost.
Paramount Pictures unveiled a new trailer and poster for the comedy film, Daddy’s Home 2. The holiday-themed sequel finds John Lithgow (Trial and Error) and Mel Gibson (The Expendables 3) joining the blended family mayhem. Sean Anders (Daddy’s Home, Horrible Bosses 2) returns as the comedy sequel’s writer and director.
The cast of Daddy’s Home 2 is led by Will Ferrell (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) and Mark Wahlberg (Deepwater Horizon). Linda Cardellini (Bloodline, Gravity Falls), John Cena (WWE Raw), Scarlett Estevez (Lucifer), Alessandra Ambrosio (Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles: Out of the Shadows), and Owen Vaccaro (Fun Mom Dinner) co-star. Paramount Pictures is set to release the comedy in theaters on November 10, 2017.
The original Daddy’s Home opened in theaters on December 25, 2015. The PG-13 rated comedy’s opening weekend rang up $38.7 million domestically from 3,400 theaters. The film brought in $150 million from domestic theaters plus an additional $92 million from the foreign box office. Daddy’s Home grossed $242.7 million worldwide before exiting theaters in early April 2016.
The movie earned a B+ rating from moviegoers, according to CinemaScore. Critics were much less enthusiastic about the comedy as reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes score of 31%. 36 critics awarded it a positive review while 79 critics gave it a negative review.
The Plot: In the sequel to the 2015 global smash, father and stepfather, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) have joined forces to provide their kids with t he perfect Christmas. Their newfound partnership is put to the test when Dusty’s old-school, macho Dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s ultra-affectionate and emotional Dad (John Lithgow) arrive just in time to throw the holiday into complete chaos.
Poster for the holiday comedy, ‘Daddy’s Home 2,’ with Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson and John Lithgow (Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures)
“Waylon Jennings (Part One)” scene from ‘Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus’ (Photo Courtesy of Cinemax)
Season one of the HBO’s animated series, Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, finishes up its run on Friday, November 10, 2017. The network’s just released details on the final two half-hour episodes of season one, with episode seven focusing on Waylon Jennings and episode eight spotlighting Blaze Foley.
The HBO series comes from Mike Judge, Richard Mullins, and Dub Cornett, and is executive produced by Judge, Cornett, Glen Zipper, and Sean Stuart. Mullins produces and John Frizzell is the music-oriented series’ composer.
The Plot:Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus recounts the raucous adventures of Johnny Paycheck, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings (two parts), and Blaze Foley as told by those who knew them best. The series includes uncensored anecdotes about the exploits of these artists, brought to life by animated reenactments, woven together with live-action archival performance footage and photos.
Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus November 2017 Episodes:
Episode #7: “Waylon Jennings (Part Two)”
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 3 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Fed up with Nashville’s unwritten rules, Waylon Jennings put on his famous black hat, bucked the system and became one of country music’s original outlaws. He recorded what he wanted and how he wanted, usually high on cocaine in a studio known as “Hillbilly Central.” He also hired Hell’s Angels for protection, as well as to babysit his kid. Scoring a string of hits that included “Honky Tonk Heroes” and “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love),” Waylon was targeted by the feds for his coke-fueled antics. It only made his legend grow. After writing “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand,” Waylon shocked Nashville by quitting drugs cold turkey, getting sober all on his own.
Written by Mike Judge, Mark Monroe, Jeff Feuerzeig, Julien Nitzberg; directed by Mike Judge.
Episode #8: “Blaze Foley” (season finale)
Debut: FRIDAY, NOV. 10 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
A legend in country music circles, yet largely unknown to the general public, Blaze Foley burned bright on the Austin, Texas music scene before being silenced well before his time. He was an intimidating physical presence with a wry sense of humor and the voice of an angel, who battled his demons by writing songs about them. Blaze hated hypocrisy as much as he loved booze and duct tape. He became best friends and brothers in self-destruction with fellow singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, and died tragically while trying to defend a friend from harm, but not before writing his greatest song, “If I Could Only Fly.”
Written by Mike Judge and Mark Monroe; directed by Mike Judge.
The CW’s The Flash season four episode four introduced Team Flash to super-stretchy Ralph Dibney (Hartley Sawyer), the first meta-human to make Joe toss his cookies. Episode four also gave us a little Cisco and Gypsy romance, found Gypsy’s dad (Breacher, played by Danny Trejo) testing Cisco to see if he’s worthy of his daughter, and had Joe revealing he’s about to be a dad again.
Up next, season four episode five directed by Laura Belsey from a script by Lauren Certo and Kristen Kim. Titled “Girls Night Out,” episode five will air on November 7, 2017. The season four cast includes Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash, Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Candice Patton as Iris West, Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash, Carlos Valdes as Cisco, and Jesse L Martin as Joe West.
The “Girls Night Out” Plot:KATEE SACKHOFF (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) AND EMILY BETT RICKARDS (ARROW) GUEST STAR — Having received an ominous threat from her old boss, Amunet (guest star Katee Sackhoff), Caitlin (Panabaker) fears that her past time as Killer Frost may be back to haunt her. Felicity (guest star Emily Bett Rickards) comes to Central City to help the girls celebrate Iris’s (Patton) bachelorette party, while Cisco (Valdes), Joe (Martin) and the guys take Barry out for a night on the town.
Evan Peters as Kai Anderson in ‘American Horror Story: Cult” (Photo by Frank Ockenfels/FX)
A description of the Heaven’s Gate cult and video of the members’ dead bodies welcome FX’s American Horror Story: Cult episode nine viewers. Kai (Evan Peters) provides the voice-over details on Heaven’s Gate and then on David Koresh and his Branch Davidian cult members. Kai describes how Koresh’s sermons were more than words; they were also the way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, adding that Koresh had divine semen.
Koresh (played by Evan Peters) is shown killing his followers and then himself, all while Kai’s voice-over makes it sound as though this madman had the right idea.
Next, Kai delves into Jim Jones (also played by Evan Peters) and his Peoples Temple members. Kai blames the downfall of all these cults and their leaders on the overzealous government. Jim Jones is seen preaching to his followers as they die of poisonous Kool-Aid.
The scene switches from the three cults to Kai seated in front of his male followers, all dressed in white. Kai calls the cultists great men and says it’s difficult to get people to kill themselves, not just kill others, on command. One of his followers asks if they’re a cult or a political movement, and another asks if they’ll have to cut off their testicles. Some would, but Kai doesn’t want them to.
Kai asks his followers, who he’s given derogatory nicknames if they’ll die for him. He tells them their agenda is heading to the next level.
Kai addresses the city council and citizens in attendance. He tells everyone CNN and other sources, including select websites, have polluted the population. He argues banning these outlets isn’t censorship, it’s regulation. He would only do it to protect the people, but Councilman Perry is dead set against it. Kai asks the other council members their thoughts, and all but Perry vote yes on the Kai Anderson Internet Freedom and Integrity Act.
That mission accomplished, Kai announces he’s running for United States Senate in 2018. Councilman Perry reminds him he’ll be going against a popular incumbent. As Kai and his followers leave the meeting, Kai expresses concern that none of his women attended the meeting. He demands an answer as to why.
At home, Ally (Sarah Paulson) confronts Ivy (Alison Pill) wanting to know why she joined a cult and destroyed their family. Ivy says it’s because Ally was a mess, the restaurant was a lot of work, and she needed someone to tell her how to feel. Ally can’t believe Ivy has daddy issues and turned herself into a cult member. Ivy also reveals she hates Ally, although now she’s not sure that’s exactly true. Ally reminds her that people died because of her, and Ivy sobs and can’t believe she was so stupid. Ivy now understands Kai’s a demigod and wonders why Ally joined the cult. Ally explains she had no choice and that she came back to get Ivy out. Ally confesses she’s not sure they can escape, but she won’t leave her son’s mother behind.
Ally and Ivy’s talk is interrupted by Winter’s arrival with Ozzy. He reluctantly hugs Ally and she assures him that she’s never leaving him again. She also promises things will get back to normal soon.
After Oz heads to his room, Ally confronts Winter (Billie Lourd) who claims she’s sorry now and that the election made her lose her mind. Winter reveals she’s had a change of heart since Kai killed their brother. Winter thinks they all need to run away, handing Ally an article on how to escape from a cult. They have to leave before Kai finds out. Ally agrees, but warns they can’t pack anything.
Kai’s men pound on the door before Ally, Ivy, and Winter have a chance to finish their plans. The men tell them there’s an emergency meeting at the Divine Ruler’s.
They’re forced out of Ally’s place and taken to Kai’s house. They’re all brought into the basement where Beverly (Adina Porter) attacks Winter, calling her a lying b*tch. All the women are placed together, and Kai says everyone must get beyond the fighting among themselves. He says they must reach a new threshold and do something radical.
Kai places a pot of Kool-Aid in front of them and sets out cups. Ally pleads that Oz needs his moms and that Kai can’t reach the next level without them. “Fidelity to the cause is the backbone of the movement,” says Kai, explaining that Kool-Aid is for all of them. He wants the men to drink, too.
Kai thinks they need to kill their physical selves and then they’ll come back even more powerful.
All the men willing take cups while the women are forced into each picking one up. Pus Bucket is told to go first but he refuses. He doesn’t want to be an astral being. Gary shoots Pus Bucket on Kai’s command.
It’s Beverly’s turn next and Ivy cries, telling her not to do it. Beverly takes a sip as Kai says it’s not suicide; it’s a revolutionary act. Ally, Ivy, and Winter drink next, and then the men go. Kai’s last.
After everyone drinks, Kai says, “Why would I kill us? Dead people can’t vote, except in Chicago.”
The Kool-Aid wasn’t poisoned but was just used to prove they’re all loyal. The men are jubilant while the women are dumbfounded.
Back at Ally’s, she reminds Ivy not to pack a suitcase. They’re still planning on leaving but when Ivy asks about Winter, Ally gets angry. Ivy then confirms she transferred all their money to their checking account, just as Ally requested. They’re planning on picking up Ozzy from school and then immediately taking off from there.
Ivy keeps the car running as Ally goes to pick up Ozzy. Unfortunately, Ozzy’s not at school. He was picked up 30 minutes ago by Winter…and she wasn’t alone.
Kai questions Ozzy in his basement. He asks about the games he plays with his dad, but Ozzy says he doesn’t have one. Kai thinks Ozzy needs a man to look up to and to teach him things.
Kai makes Oz participate in the pinky promise as Ivy and Ally arrive at his place. Ally slaps Winter hard and then races to the basement where Kai is passing Ozzy a cup of Kool-Aid. Ally knocks it out of his hand as Kai tries to convince everyone he’s actually Ozzy’s real dad/the sperm donor. He’s been a donor there since high school and he’s kept track of all his children, calling Oz is special.
Ally and Ivy don’t believe Kai and attempt to leave. Oz says he wants to stay and Kai thinks this will give Ally and Ivy alone time to reunite after their separation. Ivy agrees Oz can spend the night.
Outside the house, Ally and Ivy argue about leaving Oz there. Ivy thinks it’s the only decision they could have made to save Ozzy right now.
Back at home, Ivy checks out the paperwork from the sperm bank. It’s possible Kai is the father and Ally believes if Kai really does think Oz is his son, he won’t hurt him. Ally agrees with Ivy that there wasn’t any choice but to leave him. They both also agree the only way to get Oz back is to kill Kai. Ally, who’s now the clear-thinking leader, has a plan.
Ally serves Ivy wine and pasta, reminding her it’s the wine from their honeymoon. She wants to start over, and Ivy raises her glass to toast. Ivy drinks but Ally doesn’t. Ally watches as Ivy eats the pasta, but doesn’t have any herself. She finally explains when she was in the psych ward, she thought about killing herself. Ally spoons up pasta for herself as she goes on to explain she thought about Ivy and how Ivy just left her there without one single visit.
Ally continues recalling her psych ward experience saying in week two she used her time to free herself from her fears. She came to understand the fears filled a hole inside her and since the hole exists, she needed to fill it with something else. She decided to fill it with revenge against Ivy.
Ivy laughs when Ally says she’s cured. She calls Ally’s new strength a passing phase and believes she’ll revert to being a coward. Ivy declares she’s not afraid of Ally and doesn’t think Ally will ever take her revenge. As she stands up, it’s apparent Ally already has taken it.
Ally confesses she put arsenic in the wine and pasta. Ivy begins coughing up blood and then falls to the floor, choking out more blood. Ally tells Ivy she won’t let her stand in the way ever again. All she wants is Oz all to herself and to watch Ivy die. “Halfway home,” says Ally with a smile.
Another flashback to Jim Jones and his cult shows Jim choking on the Kool-Aid. Kai recalls the story continued after Jim’s death. Jesus and the angels floated down from Heaven and blessed Jim, reviving him and then giving him a high-five. Jim Jones then woke up each of his followers, rewarding each with everlasting love.
Kai has his followers gathered in the basement as he tells this story. Oz speaks up and says he doesn’t believe that’s a true story. “Wikipedia says he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” says Oz. All of the dead people were found together and Jones’ body was cremated with his ashes scattered at sea.
Kai says Wikipedia is fake news and he knows all the “ultimate truths.” If Oz doesn’t agree with Kai’s version, he’ll be punished. Oz keeps up with the argument, forcing Kai to smash his phone so he can’t look up more answers. Oz is then put in time-out, screaming as one of Kai’s men takes him upstairs.
Ally returns to Kai’s the next day, asking for her son. The follower who answers the door says Kai must have left with her son earlier. Ally says to pass on the message that she’s inviting Kai to dinner that night and she’ll serve Manwiches.
Ally heads to the sperm bank and demands to know the identity of the sperm donor. She begs the woman at the front desk to help her, saying she just needs to see a photo of the donor. Ally passes over an envelope with cash and the lady hands her a file. The photo is definitely not of Kai. She then tells the woman she’s going to do something else for her.
Kai arrives for Manwiches, invading Ally’s personal space as she cooks. Ally asks Kai to open the wine and then wonders how her son’s doing. Kai says Oz doesn’t have a filter and talks a lot. He also says, “With a name like Ozymandias, kid’s just begging to get the sh*t kicked out of him.”
Ally serves Kai and then they sit down to eat together. Kai’s loving the Manwich and asks about Ivy. Ally confesses Ivy’s in the trunk, revealing she killed her. Kai laughs and admits he can’t believe she did that.
Even after Ally says she poisoned Ivy, Kai keeps on eating. He wonders why she didn’t kill him and Ally says it’s because Oz needs his father. She slips him the folder with the info, and it has his photo. She lists his positive attributes, including a high IQ, and that he was an easy choice. She calls him extraordinary, and she knew he was the right sperm donor right away without even meeting him. Kai looks stunned as she describes why she chose him. She calls this relationship cosmic and that it was divine intervention that brought them together.
Kai, still stunned, believes he literally spoke this into existence. He can’t believe he’s Oz’s real daddy and claims they made a messiah baby. Ally believes Oz is destined for greatness. When Kai says, “My son…” Ally corrects him, caressing his face and saying, “Our son.”
Back at Kai’s, he and Ally carry Ivy’s dead body into the locked bedroom containing Kai’s mom, dad, and brother’s dead bodies. Kai sprinkles lime on Ivy and leaves her on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Oz is waiting for Ally on the couch and she gives him a big hug. Kai joins them and says, “Now we can be a real family.” The episode ends in a group hug.
Amazon and BBC Two announced the addition of four more cast members to Good Omens, based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett’s best-selling novel. Anna Maxwell Martin (The Frankenstein Chronicles) is set to take on the role of the demon Beelzebub in the six-part series. Mireille Enos (The Catch, The Killing), Lourdes Faberes (Knightfall), and Yusuf Gatewood (The Originals) will play the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Enos is playing War, Faberes is Pollution, and Gatewood will be Famine.
The new Good Omens cast members join Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) as Aziraphale, David Tennant (Broadchurch, Doctor Who) as Crowley, and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) as archangel Gabriel. The cast also includes Adria Arjona (Emerald City), Nina Sosanya (Sister Mary Loquacious), Jack Whitehall (Mother’s Day), Michael McKean (Better Call Saul), Miranda Richardson (Stronger), Ned Dennehy (Versailles), and Ariyon Bakare (Rogue One).
“We already have a stellar cast, and now Anna Maxwell Martin will be the Beelzebub of our dreams. Well, nightmares,” stated showrunner Neil Gaiman. Gaiman also joked that they’re hoping “Death” will be played by Death.
“A script this clever, this smart, this current is very rare. How could I turn down playing one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse??? Especially with the incredible group who’s come together to make it. It’s going to be FUN!” said Enos.
Lourdes Faberes added, “It’s a gift for any actor to read such a brilliant story let alone be chosen to play a part in it! I’m thrilled to be working with this incredible cast and crew, our genius director Douglas Mackinnon and showrunner Neil Gaiman, whose writing I have always been moved by.”
“I’m excited to be playing Famine – one of the Four Horsemen in what promises an apocalyptic adaption of Good Omens!” said Gatewood.
Good Omens is targeting a 2019 premiere on Amazon Prime Video followed by its premiere on BBC Two. The series is executive produced and directed by Douglas Mackinnon (Knightfall, Dirk Gently, Outlander, and Doctor Who).
The Plot:Good Omens takes place in 2018 when the Apocalypse is near and Final Judgment is set to descend upon humanity. According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.
So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, and tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming war. And…someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.
Starz has expanded the cast of the new series Sweetbitter with the addition of seven more series regulars. The network has confirmed Tom Sturridge (The Hollow Crown) will play Jake, Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex) has signed on to play Simone, and Paul Sparks (House of Cards, The Girlfriend Experience) is set to portray Howard. Additionally, Evan Jonigkeit (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Daniyar (Claws, Scandal), Eden Epstein (In Between Men), and Jasmine Mathews (Blue Bloods, Heathers) round out the series regulars.
Season one of Sweetbitter, based on Stephanie Danler’s book, will consist of six episodes. Emmy Award-winning writer/director Richard Shepard (Girls, Criminal Minds) is on board to direct the show’s first episode. Shepard is also serving as an executive producer along with Stu Zicherman (The Americans, The Affair), Plan B Entertainment, and author Danler. Danler also wrote the first episode.
The Plot: The drama series is based on Stephanie Danler’s national best-selling novel and stars Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Never Let Me Go, Kick-Ass 2, Maleficent) in the lead role of “Tess.” Shortly after arriving in New York City, Tess lands a job at a celebrated downtown restaurant. Swiftly introduced to the world of drugs, drinking, love, lust, dive bars and fine dining, she learns to navigate the chaotically alluring, yet punishing life she has stumbled upon. Sweetbitter is the story of a young woman’s coming-of-age, set against the rich and grimy backdrop of exclusive restaurants, conjuring a nonstop and high-adrenaline world evoking the possibility, beauty and fragility of being young and adrift.
Tom Sturridge will portray “Jake,” a recklessly beautiful bartender, and Caitlin FitzGerald will play “Simone” – a sommelier who is the embodiment of self-possession, beauty, and authority at the restaurant. Simone and Jake awaken, in Tess, a sense of lust she has never felt before. “Howard,” the General Manger of the restaurant and father-figure to the group who work there, will be portrayed by Paul Sparks. Evan Jonigkeit has been cast in the role of “Will,” the backwaiter assigned to train Tess and becomes her first friend. The role of “Sasha,” a highly proficient and hard-working Russian immigrant-turned-backwaiter will be played Daniyar. Eden Epstein will portray “Ari,” an adventurous lesbian who backwaits by day and DJs by night. She and Heather, a server postponing law school, are a fearsome duo who treat gossip like a professional sport. “Heather” will be played by Jasmine Mathews.
