CinemaCon has selected Ansel Elgort to be the recipient of their 2017 Male Star of Tomorrow Award. CinemaCon, the annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), chose to recognize Elgort for his upcoming roles in Baby Driver with Lily James and Billionaire Boys Club with Kevin Spacey. Elgort will receive the award during the Big Screen Achievement Awards on March 30, 2017 at Caesars Palace.
“Having already appeared on the big screen in the breakout teen hit The Fault in Our Stars and in the Divergent series, Ansel Elgort is poised to break into leading man status with his upcoming roles in Baby Driver and Billionaire Boys Club,” said CinemaCon Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser. “A talented young actor we could not be more thrilled to honor with this year’s ‘Male Star of Tomorrow Award.’”
Elgort’s credits also include Men, Women & Children and 2013’s Carrie.
CinemaCon previously announced Goldie Hawn is the 2017 Icon Award winner, Charlie Hunnam will receive the Male Star of the Year award, and Brenton Thwaites is this year’s Breakthrough Performer. Chris Meledandri will receive the Producer of the Year award and Jessica Chastain has earned the 2017 Female Star of the Year award. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg have been selected to receive the CinemaCon International Filmmakers of the Year award.
The Baby Driver Plot: A talented, young getaway driver (Elgort) relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. When he meets the girl of his dreams (Lily James), Baby sees a chance to ditch his criminal life and make a clean getaway. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. Also starring are Jon Bernthal, Eiza González, with Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx.
Patient Game of Thrones fans sat through a lengthy Facebook Live event featuring ice melting in order to be the first to find out season seven will premiere on July 16, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT. In addition to announcing the premiere date, HBO debuted a teaser trailer for the upcoming season which ends with Jon Snow (Kit Harington) saying, “There’s only one war that matters…the Great War.”
The seventh season of the critically acclaimed fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series will consist of just seven episodes. Among the returning Game of Thrones actors are Harington, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Aidan Gillen, Diana Rigg, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams and Jonathan Pryce.
Season eight has been confirmed to be the series’ final season. David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Carolyn Strauss, Frank Doelger, and Bernadette Caulfield executive produce, with Guymon Casady, Vince Gerardis, and George R.R. Martin co-executive producing.
A24’s just released a new one-minute clip from the thriller, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, starring Scream Queens‘ Emma Roberts. The cast also includes Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Lucy Boynton (Sing Street), Lauren Holly (Motive), and James Remar (Dexter). Osgood “Oz” Perkins (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House) wrote and directed The Blackcoat’s Daughter, and A24’s planning a March 31, 2017 premiere on DirecTV.
The Plot:The Blackcoat’s Daughter centers on Kat (Shipka) and Rose (Boynton), two girls who are left alone at their prep school Bramford over winter break when their parents mysteriously fail to pick them up. While the girls experience increasingly strange and creepy occurrences at the isolated school, we cross cut to another story—that of Joan (Roberts), a troubled young woman on the road, who, for unknown reasons, is determined to get to Bramford as fast as she can.
As Joan gets closer to the school, Kat becomes plagued by progressively intense and horrifying visions, with Rose doing her best to help her new friend as she slips further and further into the grasp of an unseen evil force. The movie suspensefully builds to the moment when the two stories will finally intersect, setting the stage for a shocking and unforgettable climax.
Fox will debut the new unscripted legal series You The Jury on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT. The one-hour series will feature six attorneys arguing “ripped-from-the-headlines” cases, with the audience voting on the outcome. Jeanine Pirro is hosting the series which allows the public to vote on the verdict in real-time and have their decision be binding. West Coast viewers who normally miss out on live votes will actually have their votes counted in You The Jury. Per Fox’s official announcement, “if the cumulative votes (East/Central and West Coast/Mountain Time Zone combined) lead to a different verdict, the original verdict will be overturned as the final outcome of the case.”
The attorneys arguing cases presented on the series include Casey Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, as well as Benjamin Crump, Joseph Tacopina, Areva Martin, Mike Cavalluzzi, and Charla Aldous. Former Superior Court of California Judge LaDoris Cordell will preside over the cases.
Details on You The Jury, Courtesy of Fox:
“The cases will address hot-button issues that define America today. Whether it’s online trolling and the limits of free speech; the constitutional clash of gay rights with religious freedom; or whether someone’s death was the result of a tragic accident or something far more sinister, YOU THE JURY will investigate the law and the intense human stories behind it. In a dramatic twist, the closing arguments will be presented by the plaintiff and the defendant as they sit across from one another. Once the cases are presented, it will be up to America to decide who will prevail. Viewers will have the opportunity to vote for approximately five minutes, via text and the FOX Now App, after the case has been presented.”
LaDoris Cordell, Judge – LaDoris Cordell is a retired judge of the Superior Court of California and former Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose, CA. She is an advocate for improving transparency in policing and for building trust between police and the communities they serve. Judge Cordell was the first female African-American judge in northern California. She also was the Assistant Dean at Stanford Law School, her alma mater, where, in 1978, she created a program to increase the enrollment of students of color. Within a year, Stanford Law School went from last to first place in its enrollment of African-American and Latino students, among major law schools. Judge Cordell was the Vice Provost & Special Counselor to the President of Stanford University for eight years, until 2009.
Charla Aldous, Attorney – Founding partner of Aldous\Walker in Dallas, Charla Aldous has tried more than 200 civil jury trials and has frequently been recognized as one of the leading lawyers in the United States. Since 2003, Aldous has been listed in “The Best Lawyers in America.” The National Law Journal has recognized her as one of the 10 Winning Lawyers in America, and her verdicts have been listed by Lawyers USA, as among the highest in the nation.
Jose Baez, Attorney – Jose A. Baez is a well-known trial attorney who has represented clients in a wide variety of criminal and civil cases including the extremely high profile acquittal in the Casey Anthony murder trial; helping to free millionaire; businessman Gary Giordano from prison, who was a suspect in the disappearance of Robyn Gardner, former NFL player Aaron Hernandez, Nick Gordon in the death of Whitney Houston’s daughter’s death Bobbi Kristina, and professional poker player/actor Dan Bilzerian, as well as victims in the “Dark Knight” shooting tragedy in Aurora, CO.
Baez was named Lawyer of the Year for 2011 by Lawyers USA magazine and named as one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” for the past six years, as well as names one of the “Top 100 most influential lawyers” in the country by the National Trial Lawyers Association.
Mike Cavalluzzi, Attorney – A certified criminal law specialist through the California State Bar, Mike Cavalluzzi is one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles County, who has tried more than 150 cases. Cavalluzzi began his legal career in 1992 as a civil litigator for State Farm Insurance. However after winning several jury trials, he left to focus on criminal defense. He joined the Public Defender’s Office and quickly established himself as a fearless, creative trial attorney, defending clients in all types of cases, ranging from misdemeanor battery to homicide. As a member of the gay community, Mike Cavalluzzi is also an outspoken advocate for the rights of the entire LGBT community.
Benjamin L. Crump, Attorney – Attorney Benjamin Crump and his legal prowess and success have created a significant legal legacy that ensures that the promise found in our nation’s constitution is indeed real in every state, municipality and neighborhood. Benjamin Crump was nationally recognized in 2014 as a NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers and Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. He was also bestowed the American Association for Justice Johnny Cochran Award, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Eleanor Roosevelt Medallion for Service, the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award and the SCLC Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award.
In 2016, he was designated as an Honorary Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania College of Law. Attorney Crump serves on the Innocence Project Board of Directors, was the first African American to chair Florida State University College of Law’s Board of Directors, and served as the 73rd President of the National Bar Association. He has represented some of the most high profile cases in the United States, like the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Robbie Tolan and 9 of the Black women who were the victims in the Holtzclaw Oklahoma City Police rape case in 2015.
Areva Martin, Attorney – Areva Martin is an award-winning attorney, advocate and highly sought-after legal and social issues commentator. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Martin is founder of the L.A.-based civil rights firm Martin & Martin, LLP. As an attorney advocating for women, children and social justice, Martin’s work has been recognized by countless organizations that have bestowed awards upon her, including the GLAAC Lawyer of the Year Award, the L’Orleal Paris Women of Worth Award, KCET’s Community Hero Award, the California Legislative Black Caucus Civil Rights Leadership Award, the LAAAW-PAC Power Pac Award and the L.A. County Woman of the Year Award. She also has been named a southern California Super Lawyer for the past three years.
Joe Tacopina, Attorney – One of America’s most high-powered trial attorneys, Joseph Tacopina leads Manhattan-based Tacopina & Seigel. A former prosecutor, Tacopina is a formidable force inside and outside the courtroom, and is widely considered a fierce cross examiner. Tacopina has represented many high-profile clients such as Alex Rodriguez, Jay-Z and Don Imus. In addition to athletes and other celebrities, he has defended stars of the legal, political and business communities, including a judge, a city councilman, agents of law enforcement and other attorneys. Tacopina has provided commentary for CNN, NBC, ABC, CNBC, FOX NEWS and MSNBC. He also has garnered a number of prestigious awards, including one of the Nation’s top Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association and one of the 10 Best Client Satisfaction Attorneys.
Keira Knightley stars in Fox Searchlight and BBC Films’ ‘The Aftermatch.’
Fox Searchlight Pictures and BBC Films unveiled the first official photo from The Aftermath and announced principal photography has been completed on the dramatic film. The first photo features Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game, Anna Karenina) who stars along with Alexander Skarsgard (The Legend of Tarzan, True Blood), and Jason Clarke (Everest) in the film adaptation of Rhidian Brook’s bestselling novel. Brook, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse adapted the book and James Kent (Testament of Youth) directed The Aftermath.
The cast also includes Flora Thiemann, Fionn O’Shea, Kate Phillips, and Martin Compston. Ridley Scott and Carlo Dussi executive produced, with Jack Arbuthnott and Malte Grunert producing.
The Plot:The Aftermath is set in postwar Germany in 1946. Rachael Morgan (Knightley) arrives in the ruins of Hamburg in the bitter winter, to be reunited with her husband Lewis (Clarke), a British colonel charged with rebuilding the shattered city. But as they set off for their new home, Rachael is stunned to discover that Lewis has made an unexpected decision: They will be sharing the grand house with its previous owners, a German widower (Skarsgård) and his troubled daughter. In this charged atmosphere, enmity and grief give way to passion and betrayal.
Zach Galifianakis and Louie Anderson star in ‘Baskets’ (Photo by Ben Cohen/FX)
FX has officially renewed the comedy series Baskets for a third season. Season two of the critically acclaimed, award-winning series starring Zach Galifianakis is currently airing on Thursdays at 10pm ET/PT, with season three expected to air in 2018. In addition to Galifianakis as twins Chip and Dale, the Baskets cast includes Louie Anderson as Christine Baskets and Martha Kelly as Martha.
Baskets was created by Jonathan Krisel (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live, Man Seeking Woman), Louis C.K. (Louie), and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover franchise). Galifianakis, Krisel, Louis C.K., M. Blair Breard, Dave Becky, Marc Gurvitz, Andrea Pett-Joseph, and Anna Dokoza executive produce the Emmy Award-winning series.
“This year Baskets has solidified its standing as one of the best comedies on television, building on the momentum of its breakout first season that brought critical acclaim and awards,” said Nick Grad, President of Original Programming, FX Networks and FX Programming. “Our thanks to Jonathan Krisel, Louis C.K., Zach Galifianakis and the rest of the creative team, Louie Anderson, Martha Kelly and the full cast and crew for taking us on this journey with Baskets.”
The Season 2 Plot: The Baskets family is at its most fragile. Losing his wife and his rodeo job, Chip (Galifianakis) jumps on a train to get the hell out of Bakersfield, but a gang of gutter punks, the police, and a sudden death drag him right back into the drama he tried to escape. Dale’s (Galifianakis) marriage crumbles as his unrequited love affair with Martha (Kelly) deepens, and Christine (Anderson), who dedicated her life to her sons with little affection in return, takes her own happiness into consideration for once —and finds romance on the way.
Kiefer Sutherland and Natascha McElhone in ‘Designated Survivor’ Season 1 Episode 11 (Photo by Sven Frenzel / ABC)
“There are times to say no, but this isn’t one of them,” says Alex Kirkman (Natascha McElhone) to her husband, Tom (Kiefer Sutherland), as she remembers back to when she talked him into accepting the position offered to him by the President of the United States in ABC’s political thriller, Designated Survivor, season one episode 11.
After a very long midseason break, the popular show returns right where it left off, with the unnamed assassin firing his shot but his aim being off, thanks to Agent Wells (Maggie Q) shooting at him. Episode 11 picks up with Kirkman protecting his wife, Alex, by pulling her down to the ground but then realizes he’s been shot. THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT!
The President’s on a gurney being wheeled into the hospital and is told, after a quick examination, it looks like the bullet went straight through and didn’t hit anything vital. Kirkman sends for Mike Ritter (LaMonica Garrett) and tells him to question Agent Wells, who’s currently in custody, to find out what she knows.
Emily (Italia Ricci) finds the First Lady and tells her Aaron’s name was on the list Kirkman had her checking on, indicating he might be involved in the conspiracy. Alex tells Emily not to let Aaron near Tom and to keep an eye on him.
Kirkman gets some upsetting news from his doctor. It appears there are some pieces of shrapnel in his chest that could be life-threatening if they move, so the doctors have to go in and take them out. This means he must go in for surgery and will be unconscious, so he’ll have to enact the 25th Amendment and put the Vice President in charge. (OH NO!) After telling his wife, he asks to see Senator Kimble (Virginia Madsen) in private in his hospital room. He tells Kimble that although they haven’t really agreed on many issues, he thinks she does act in what she believes is the best interest of the country. He tells her to keep an eye on MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman) and says, “Make sure he’s working in the country’s best interests.” Kimble nods in agreement.
Meanwhile, MacLeish and his wife are trying to figure out what went wrong. “We need to wash our hands of this,” says MacLeish. But his calmer and cooler wife, Beth (Lara Jean Chorostecki), tells him the mission didn’t fail entirely and calls him Mr. Vice President, reminding him he’s only one seat away from the big chair. When they hear about Kirkman going in for surgery, Beth tells her husband he should make the most of what little time he has as acting president.
In an interrogation room, Wells is being questioned but refuses to answer. Mike enters and advises her that President Kirkman sent him and if she knows anything about the man who tried to shoot POTUS, she needs to tell him. She tells Mike she doesn’t know him and if President Kirkman wants answers, she will only tell him in person. Mike informs Wells that MacLeish is the acting president and she looks concerned but still remains quiet.
Back at the White House, MacLeish gets his briefing and decides to let the markets play out the crisis even though everyone is advising him to order the SEC to shut down the markets to avoid panic. Later in the Oval Office, Kimble tells MacLeish that when she first met him, she didn’t really think much of him but now she realizes just how ambitious he is. She lets him know she’s going to be watching him. “Are you threatening me?” asks the Vice President. “Absolutely, sir,” replies Kimble.
Back in the FBI interrogation room, Wells still won’t talk and as Mike starts to leave, she attacks him, jumping on him. During their struggle, she whispers something in his ear. The guards race in and subdue her.
Mike visits Chuck (Jake Epstein), asking about Wells and what she knows about the man who tried to kill President Kirkman. After saying a word Wells gave Mike, Chuck believes him and tries to quickly bring him up to speed. Chuck reveals the new Vice President is linked to the man who tried to shoot Kirkman.
Meanwhile, the government has tracked down the suspect they believe shot Kirkman. In the situation room, MacLeish gives the green light to go after the suspect and tells the general to give the order to shoot to kill. Aaron (Adan Canto) tries to talk him out of his decision, saying Kirkman would want the man alive to see who hired him and who’s behind this, but MacLeish won’t listen and tells the general again to give the order, which he does. They learn the subject has been neutralized.
Later, Aaron corners Emily telling her he learned she’s been checking on his phone records. She tells him she’s not at liberty to discuss it. “Am I being investigated?” asks a shocked Aaron, and Emily repeats the same sentence.
Back at the hospital, Alex gets the good news the surgery was a success and Tom is out of the woods. Kirkman wakes to see his wife smiling down at him as she says, “Hi.”
The next morning, Kirkman has Emily, Alex, and Seth (Kal Penn) in his room going over what’s happened while he was in surgery and recovering. He hears about how MacLeish kept the markets open and how Wall Street has plummeted. He sends Seth down to talk to the press who are hovering outside the hospital along with a large crowd of citizens. As Seth keeps answering the same questions from the press and is getting annoyed, he hears the crowd start to cheer and applaud. He looks up to see President Kirkman in his hospital robe by the open window waving to the crowd with Alex standing by his side. (It’s a great scene!)
The last scene has Mike arriving at Kirkman’s hospital room. Tom asks him if she’s here and Mike answers yes. Kirkman tells everyone he needs the room and they clear out, and Mike clears the floor of the hospital. Wells walks in and Kirkman says, “I understand you have some things to tell me about the Vice President.” “Yes, sir, I do,” answers Wells. “Then let’s get started,” replies Kirkman.
Designated Survivor Season 1 Episode 11 Review:
Suspenseful and revealing, episode 11 titled “Warriors” brings the political thriller back with the urgent question finally answered, who was shot – Kirkman. It also brought Kirkman and Wells together, finally, to hopefully work on who’s behind the conspiracy as a team.
The stand-out performance goes to Natascha McElhone as First Lady Alex Kirkman who goes through a wide range of emotions, including anger, fear, guilt, pride, and love, as she waits to see if her husband is going to survive the surgery. It’s the first episode of the series that really gave McElhone some powerful scenes to play out.
With President Kirkman about to be brought up to speed about his Vice President being in on the Capitol attack and Kimble seeming to be backing him, it looks as though for once the good guys have the upper hand…for once. Let’s see what they do with it.
Wentworth Miller, Robbie Amell, Rick Cosnett, and John Wesley Shipp put in appearances in The CW’s The Flash season three episode 16. Titled ‘Into the Speed Force,’ episode 16 finds Barry encountering familiar faces – Leonard Snart/Captain Cold, Ronnie Raymond/Deathstorm, Eddie Thawne, and his dad – while trying to figure out how to rescue Wally. Directed by Gregory Smith from a script by Brooke Roberts and Judalina, ‘Into the Speed Force’ is set to air on March 14, 2017.
The season three cast includes Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash, Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells, Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Carlos Valdes as Cisco, Jesse L Martin as Joe West, Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West, and Tom Felton as Julian.
The ‘Into the Speed Force’ Plot: BARRY TURNS TO THE SPEED FORCE – Desperate to stop Savitar and save his friends, Barry (Gustin) turns to the speed force for answers. H.R. (Cavanagh) gives Jesse (guest star Violett Beane) some advice.
Malin Ackerman as Lara Axelrod, Damian Lewis as Bobby “Axe” Axelrod, Maggie Siff as Wendy Rhoades and Paul Giamatti as Chuck Rhoades in ‘Billions’ (Photo Credit: James Minchin/SHOWTIME )
Billions starring Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti will be sticking around for at least one more season. Showtime announced the dramatic series has earned a third season, with the renewal announcement coming after just three episodes of season two have aired. Billions was created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin, with Koppelman and Levien serving as writers, executive producers, and showrunners.
“Billions continues to be a show on the rise, growing not only in audience, but in critical buzz and cultural relevance,” stated David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks Inc. “It offers a unique mix of pure entertainment with sly commentary on our current have/have-not economy. Season two is off to a tremendous start, and has only whetted our audience’s appetite for what will come in season three.”
In addition to Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti, season two stars Maggie Siff, Malin Akerman, Toby Leonard Moore, David Costabile and Condola Rashad. Rob Morrow, Dan Soder, Kelly AuCoin, Mary-Louise Parker, Danny Strong, James Wolk, Christopher Denham, Glenn Fleshler, Asia Kate Dillon, Marc Cuban, and Eric Bogosian guest star.
The Plot: Season two of Billions picked up immediately after the season one finale, as hard-charging U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Giamatti) squares off against billionaire hedge fund king Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Lewis), scorching the earth in a costly war for personal domination. It’s law versus money, with power, sex, and the soul of New York in the balance. Siff stars as Wendy Rhoades, Chuck’s estranged wife and the top performance coach in the hedge fund world. Akerman plays Lara Axelrod, Axe’s fiercely loyal and street-smart wife. Season two finds the characters vying for control in a changing world that presents an existential threat. For all of them, it’s a choice between evolution and extinction.
Warner Bros Pictures just released the teaser trailer for the action film Geostorm starring Gerard Butler. The minute and a half teaser trailer provides a glimpse at what happens when the climate fights back. In addition to Butler, the Geostorm cast includes Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara, Daniel Wu, Ed Harris, and Andy Garcia. Dean Devlin co-wrote the script with Paul Guyot and makes his feature film directorial debut with the suspense thriller. Warner Bros will be releasing Geostorm in theaters on October 20, 2017.
The Plot: After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong—the system built to protect the Earth is attacking it, and it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything…and everyone along with it.
Butler stars as Jake, a scientist who, along with his brother, Max, played by Sturgess, is tasked with solving the satellite program’s malfunction. Cornish stars as Secret Service agent Sarah Wilson; Lara as Ute Fassbinder, the ISS astronaut who runs the space station; Wu as Cheng, the Hong Kong-based supervisor for the Dutch Boy Program; with Garcia as U.S. President Andrew Palma; and Harris as Secretary of State Leonard Dekkom.
