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‘Emerald City’ Season 1 Episode 8 Recap: Lions in Winter

Emerald City Episode 8
Joely Richardson as Glinda and Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Lucas/Roan in ‘Emerald City’ (Photo by David Lukacs/NBC)
NBC’s Emerald City season one episode eight begins with The Wizard (Vincent D’Onofrio) and his army heading out of Emerald City without Eamonn (Mido Hamada) who’s been left behind to take care of the city. The Wizard’s first stop will be in Ev where he believes he’ll be picking up weapons, and then they’ll journey on to face Glinda and her witches.

West (Ana Ularu) explains to Tip (Jordan Loughran) that the dagger she took from her home belongs to Princess Ozma who’s the heir to Emerald City’s throne. Ozma was thought to be dead, slaughtered by the Wizard along with her parents – Emerald City’s King and Queen. If she lived, she’d be Tip’s age. Tip doesn’t believe this, even though West is convinced it’s the only logical explanation for why she was hidden away and why she has the dagger. Tip finally concedes West may be right, asking what kind of a name is Ozma. (Translation: Leader of Oz.)

Dorothy (Adria Arjona) is locked up in a room with a pregnant woman named Noa (Jennifer Saayeng) as a cellmate. Noa’s close to her delivery date and was locked up because she fell in love and broke her celibacy oath. Dorothy’s not sure what crime she supposedly committed, and her new roommate reveals it was the crime of kidnapping Glinda’s husband.

Speaking of Glinda’s husband, he’s sharing some quiet time with his wife. Glinda (Joely Richardson) lays her head on Roan’s lap and admits she’s worried the magic memory-blocking spell worked too well since he doesn’t really seem to be fully committed to their relationship anymore. She wants to know more about Dorothy, who she refers to as an assassin, and it’s obvious Glinda is very jealous of Roan’s traveling companion. She warns Roan (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) not to come back to her until he’s fully himself and then strips naked in front of him to entice him to return.

Apparently, Noa’s boyfriend was murdered by the Wizard for betraying him. She thinks the real monster people should fear is the Wizard who she labels the true Beast Forever. Roan enters the cell then, telling Dorothy not to call him Lucas ever again. Dorothy asks if he loves Glinda, declaring he’s still the same man she knows no matter his name. Roan warns her she needs to convince Glinda she means no harm, but Dorothy says she can’t lie. Dorothy’s still stuck on trying to convince Roan they’re meant to be together, but he says he can’t do anything to help her since Glinda is his wife.

Meeting with Dorothy over, Roan makes love to his wife but doesn’t smile while doing so. He frowns behind Glinda’s back as she confesses she’s missed him.

Glinda holds Sylvie’s hand as they walk through her all-white marble castle, explaining to the young witch that soon it will feel like she’s never left. Sylvie asks after Dorothy and Lucas, but Glinda doesn’t answer. Instead, she introduces Sylvie to the other young witches, telling them to treat her well. Sylvie looks at the girls, feeling lost after Glinda leaves.

Glinda tells her young apprentice witch/right-hand girl Jinjur (Lily Newmark) she wants Dorothy gone now. Jinjur enters Dorothy’s cell just as Noa’s about to deliver. The baby’s breach and Dorothy asks for a doctor or at the least hot water and towels.

Meanwhile over in Ev, Jack (Gerran Howell) is startled to find Lady Ev’s servants watching him from the foot of her bed. He asks after the newly crowned Queen and is told she’s busy. They offer to oil his “odd parts.”

West and Tip (who will from now on be referred to as Ozma) arrive in the secret crypt of the witches’ sacred temple. The temple houses the reliquaries of fallen sorceresses, with the spells of each fallen witch housed in its own reliquary. West points out East’s container, telling Ozma to drink East’s spells to absorb them. Ozma’s hesitant and West confesses no one has done it before and it could kill her. The desire for East’s powers is too great and Ozma drinks. In pain, she falls to the ground while watching a flashback of her mother and father being murdered by a guard wearing a lion’s head. She sees the Wizard standing close by and hears him yell, “Kill them!” Ozma watches her father first and then her mother being slaughtered, and then the man in the lion’s head bends down close to her. Ozma appears to die after having the vision and West tries to revive her but can’t.

Jack really wants to see the Queen but is told he can’t because she’s in a meeting. He doesn’t listen and barges into the room anyway. The Queen is upset and tells him he’s not allowed to know what her people are planning, forcing him to leave the room. The Queen returns to examining the guns her people have built as Jack leaves the room.

Over at Glinda’s, the young witches are gathered to eat when Roan walks through the room. Sylvie’s face lights up but he only pauses for a moment to tell her to eat. She tries to after he walks away and the other girls use their magic to pull her bowl away, laughing.

Glinda arrives in Dorothy’s cell as she’s trying to deliver the baby. Dorothy asks for medicine to ease Noa’s pain and instead Glinda uses her magic to remove the pain. Roan rushes into the room, explaining his presence by telling Glinda it’s because he heard screaming. Dorothy asks for his knife and Roan bends down to help her. Dorothy yells to push and the baby is delivered, with Roan working with Dorothy to clean the child. They share a smile and then Glinda angrily commands him to leave the room.

West places Ozma’s dead body in the water.

Roan catches up with Glinda by her rose tree, and Glinda won’t even look at him. She tells him he’s not even there and he swears he’s trying. She wants to know how he felt when he saw the baby being born and he admits he felt alone. She asks if it was because he knew they could never have a baby, but he says it was because he wasn’t with Glinda or with Dorothy. He’s being pulled apart, and Glinda reminds him that when they got together two years ago he promised not to keep any secrets from her. She took his memories but didn’t make him a different man. Roan says he loves her but he can’t live like that. Glinda believes he won’t have to much longer because war is upon them. She knows the Wizard’s soldiers are on their way. “Your life – or death – will depend on which side you choose,” says Glinda.

The soldiers have made it to just outside of Ev. The Wizard takes a battalion with him to retrieve the weapons.

Jack visits Jane in her lab, telling her he’s now with Langwidere, Queen of Ev. He watches as Jane packs up her place, and she lets him know her job’s been terminated. Jack’s upset and can’t believe the Queen would fire Jane after she saved him. Jane reveals she wouldn’t make weapons so she was fired. Jack says he won’t let it happen and Jane responds by telling him he didn’t lose his heart, even though he thought he did when he was first brought into her care.

Emerald City episode 8
Adria Arjona as Dorothy in ‘Emerald City’ (Photo by David Lukacs/NBC)

Glinda and Dorothy walk through the palace, and Dorothy asks after Sylvie. Dorothy wants to know if Glinda’s training Sylvie to be a soldier, and Glinda says she is but not all of the witches take to the training. “Some are more resilient than others,” explains Glinda as she shows Dorothy a room full of young witches who’ve gone insane as a result of the training. Glinda explains they were pushed beyond their limits, and Dorothy can’t believe Glinda did this to these girls and young women. Glinda hopes Dorothy can help them, telling her to save them. Glinda will sacrifice whoever she has to in order to take down the Wizard. “Science is not magic; we are. We are the magic and the magic is Oz,” she declares. If Dorothy can’t save the girls, then she’ll be killed.

Sylvie sits down in the cafeteria again with her fellow young witches and this time she’s able to use her magic to make her bowl return so she can continue eating. Then, she pulls the bowls away from a bunch of the girls and they begin laughing and slapping their tables in approval. (I guess that’s the equivalent of clapping in Glinda’s world.)

Glinda’s trimming her roses when West flies in and interrupts. West has come bearing a gift – herself. Glinda thinks she’s high, but West swears she’s clean. West says she forgives Glinda for hiding their mother but now she needs her mother. West is ready to serve Glinda and their mother, declaring she’s ready to redeem herself. Glinda reminds her that when they were children, West was their mother’s favorite and the one chosen to be her heir. Glinda won’t let her see their mother, calling West “just a void.”

Langwidere meets up with Jack in her chambers following a busy day of being queen. She says she’s been waiting all day to be with him, but he’s angry Jane’s been fired and tells Langwidere that people don’t just exist for her benefit. They argue about love and property, and Jack doesn’t understand how she can think that you have to own someone in order to make them love you. She says she can prove it and tells him he’s free, releasing her hold over him.

Back at Glinda’s palace, Dorothy’s comforting the disturbed women when Roan rushes in with a child in his arms. Dorothy tells him he pushed the child too hard and says Glinda’s wrong in believing she can heal them. Dorothy approaches Roan who’s still holding the child and asks, “Is that what you’re going to do to Sylvie?” She gets upset and East’s gauntlets appear, and she confesses she knows she’s lost him but she won’t lose Sylvie. The gauntlets allow her to create a door and escape into the palace.

Dorothy walks through the halls and finds Glinda’s room. She uses the gauntlets to encapsulate Glinda in her sheet and hangs her in mid-air with the sheet as a noose around her neck. Glinda cries out in pain but can’t free herself as Dorothy tightens the noose using her magic. Roan arrives to stop Dorothy, telling her she has to kill him before she kills Glinda. Dorothy does stop and leaves the room, and Glinda yells at Roan to go after her, not understanding why he didn’t automatically do so.

Dorothy finds Sylvie but Sylvie doesn’t want to leave. She seeks protection from her fellow young witches and won’t leave with Dorothy, forcing Dorothy to flee without her.

Back in Glinda’s room, she’s livid Roan didn’t gut Dorothy while Dorothy was trying to kill her. Roan desperately asks his wife to bring back his old self, but Glinda says only he can do that since she lifted his spell. Roan says he can’t break Dorothy’s spell and wants Glinda to rip Dorothy’s spell out of him. Glinda removes his knife from its sheath, telling him he must do that. Roan must take Dorothy’s life to break her hold over him. Glinda commands, “Do it, or I will!”

Dorothy escapes, riding away on a horse with Toto at her heels.

Jack leaves Langwidere’s chamber, now a free man. He steps outside and watches as soldiers welcome the Wizard to Ev. The Wizard asks for his weapons and the guards take aim at the Wizard. He quietly responds, “You’re joking.”

Back in Emerald City, Eamonn’s wife asks if war is coming. He stares into the fire and says, “Soon,” and then opens a cabinet to expose the lion’s head he wore when he killed the King and Queen of Emerald City.

West returns to the temple, talking to herself and saying she doesn’t want to die. Still, she attempts suicide by slicing her wrists. Her blood seeps through the carving in the floor, dripping down into another chamber. As she’s laying there dying, Ozma arrives, fully revived. Ozma says, “It worked.”




‘Grimm’ Season 6 Episode 7 Recap: Blind Love

Grimm season 6 episode 7
Reggie Lee as Sergeant Wu, David Giuntoli as Nick Burkhardt, Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe, Bree Turner as Rosalee Calvert, Bitsie Tulloch as Juliette Silverton, and Russell Hornsby as Hank Griffin in ‘Grimm’ (Photo by Allyson Riggs / NBC)

NBC’s Grimm season six episode seven celebrated Valentine’s Day with an episode titled ‘Blind Love,’ which turned out to be one of the show’s best episodes over its six-season run. Airing on February 17, 2017, episode seven kicks off with #TeamGrimm all shook up over romantic relationships. But, there’s a definite twist to the multiple proclamations of love: the couples are all screwed up. Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) has the tingles for Eve (Bitsie Tulloch), Nick (David Giuntoli) proclaims he’s in love with Rosalee (Bree Turner), Adalind (Claire Coffee) forces Monroe into a kiss, and Eve declares Nick is her one and only.

Next up is a flashback to 36 hours earlier and Diana (Hannah R. Loyd) checking in on Eve in bed, asking if her tummy hurts. It doesn’t, but Diana explains that her tummy hurts when she’s sad. She thinks Eve’s sad over Nick and asks if she wants him back. Diana goes on to explain she misses her real mom, Kelly, but has no idea where she is. (Eve has a flashback to Kelly’s head in a box, which is just as gross as you’d expect from that particular vision.) Adalind joins the two and reminds Diana she has to get ready to go to her dad’s.

Meanwhile, Monroe tries to guess the flavor of the coffee Rosalee’s brewed. He gets it right and Rosalee gives him a gentle kiss. And she has another surprise – she reserved a hotel room where they can celebrate his birthday. Rosalee invited Eve, Nick, Wu, Hank, and Adalind to join them on their little getaway, and Monroe’s excited about the weekend trip.

Adalind helps Diana pack her bag, explaining that she needs her to keep the drawings in the tunnels a secret from everybody – including her dad – in case the drawings are dangerous.

Houseguest Eve steps out of the shower and sees something weird on the mirror. It grows as she pokes it, and then she sees a creepy skull-like head with green eyes staring at her from the other side of the mirror. She screams for Nick and when he enters the bathroom, the demon stares at him and then fades away. They’re freaked out and Eve thinks maybe the mirror became a window but they don’t know to where. And then Eve says it did look a lot like what she saw when she was in the death grip, but that time there wasn’t a skull-like head looking at her. They decide not to tell the group until they figure out what’s going on.

Diana hugs her dad (Sasha Roiz) and tells him she missed him, and Renard’s in a surprisingly good mood. Diana makes pancakes and chocolate chip cookies for breakfast because yummy!

Rosalee and Monroe arrive at the hotel, but they’re not first. Nick, Eve, and Adalind are already there and Wu (Reggie Lee) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) show up just minutes later. They make plans for dinner at 8pm and Nick, Adalind, and baby Kelly hop on the elevator with a weird hotel clerk who escorts them to their room. After he deposits them on the third floor, the clerk calls his mom and tells her “that son of a bitch” Burkhardt has just checked into the hotel. I don’t think this is going to be a relaxing, stress-free weekend…

Diana and Renard share a plate of cookies as Diana draws the symbols from the tunnel, letting it slip out that she’s not supposed to talk about what she saw down there. Renard compliments her drawing skills and then takes pictures of the drawings, but she won’t tell her dad where the tunnel is or what the symbols mean. Diana warns her dad the symbols might be dangerous.

Their talk is interrupted by a man delivering trees he says are housewarming gifts from the precinct. While Renard is occupied, another man sneaks up behind Diana and grabs her. Renard searches the house but can’t find her, panics, is about to call someone, and then something changes. He seems to brush off the fact she’s missing, grabs a cookie, and stops worrying about Diana being gone.

Randy the hotel clerk gets a call from his dad who’s in prison. He tells his dad about Burkhardt – the cop who took him down – being a guest at the hotel. Randy swears he’ll make Burkhardt pay, revealing he’s going to triple the dose of something which presumably will kill Nick and his friends. (Randy and his dad are Wesen.)

Following through on his threat, Randy sneaks into their rooms and collects hairs from their brushes while the gang’s downstairs relaxing at the bar. Down at the bar, Nick talks about meeting Monroe and watching him pee on his own fence. The group toast to Monroe and Nick’s first meeting, with Rosalee reminding everyone they wouldn’t be together now if Monroe and Nick never met and became friends.

Randy woges into some devil-looking Wesen and spits into one of the champagne glasses that will be served to the gang. He deposits a hair into the glass and then repeats the process until all of the glasses are full.

Monroe thanks his friends for helping him celebrate his birthday, recalling that he met Rosalee when she saved his life. But, he confesses it wasn’t love at first sight from her point of view. Eve asks about their first kiss and Rosalee describes it as “nice.” Nick, who witnessed it, corrects her and calls it epic. Randy arrives with the champagne, compliments of the house. Monroe sniffs it and Hank volunteers to take Rosalee’s glass since she can’t drink. Nick leads a toast to Monroe and they drink Randy’s tainted champagne.

Nick and Adalind are about to get romantic in bed when Nick says he thinks he remembers the waiter from somewhere but doesn’t know where.

Back at Renard’s place, he remains unconcerned Diana’s missing even though she’s been gone all day and now night has fallen. He’s just kicking back on the couch, eating cookies and looking through her drawings when he receives a photo of Diana asleep. Lt. Grossante (Chris McKenna) calls and tells him he’s got Diana and if he wants her back, then Renard has to make him captain. If not, Diana dies. He hangs up and still Renard doesn’t seem upset or even slightly concerned. (Of course, he knows Diana is more than capable of taking care of herself no matter what the situation.)

The next morning Nick and Adalind wake up and seem confused. Over in their room, Rosalee gives a sleeping Monroe a good morning kiss but when he wakes up, he looks at her like he doesn’t care about her in the least. He heads out to get a coffee.

Hank is also awake and his eyes flash purple while he admires himself in the mirror.

Diana wakes up after being drugged and asks where she is. She wants to go home, even saying please. Grossante woges and tells her no and Diana reiterates that she said please. He says it doesn’t matter so she uses her powers to toss him across the room, repeatedly.

Nick and Monroe barely talk while grabbing coffee and breakfast. Wu arrives and he’s also distant until he looks at the server and seems to fall instantly in love. He tells her she’s beautiful and she thanks him and walks away while he says, “Wow.”

Monroe steps outside with his coffee and spots Eve walking around the hotel’s grounds. His eyes flash and he follows her, ignoring Randy when he says hello.

Nick heads back to his room but then sees Rosalee leaving hers. His eyes flash and he stares at Rosalee when she asks if he’s seen Monroe. He smiles and follows her down the hall.

Hank’s in love with himself and won’t stop staring at the mirror! “You are one damn fine-looking man!” he declares.

Wu follows the waitress into the kitchen and asks if she believes in love at first sight. She’s flattered but says it sounds a little preposterous. He quotes A Midsummer Night’s Dream as she walks away to serve customers.

Monroe catches up with Eve and it’s obvious he’s smitten. She explains she’s looking at the view and he replies, “It can never hold a candle to the view of you.” Monroe tells Eve he admires her for everything she’s been through and she asks if he’s okay. He grabs her hand and says he’s in love. When Eve asks about Rosalee he says to forget her. Eve tells him to stay and heads off to find Rosalee.

Grimm Season 6 Episode 7
Bree Turner as Rosalee Calvert in ‘Grimm’ season 6 episode 7 (Photo by Allyson Riggs / NBC)

Rosalee is now at the spot where Monroe was when he spotted Eve. Nick catches up to her and she asks again if he’s seen Monroe. Nick tells her she has beautiful eyes and that he’s always known they were meant to be. Rosalee is, obviously, completely confused. She thinks he’s joking, but then Nick tells her he loves her. She asks him to stop and says he’s freaking her out as Nick gets down on his knees and declares she’s the only woman for him.

Rosalee hurries away and Eve takes her place, and now it’s Eve who confesses she loves Nick while he seems indifferent. She asks if he feels the connection and says there’s no one else for her. Randy the waiter is smiling as all this is going down within earshot.

Monroe makes it up to his room searching for Eve when Adalind arrives pushing Kelly in a stroller. Now it’s Adalind’s turn to have flashy eyes as she stares at Monroe. As Monroe pounds doors looking for Eve, Adalind follows him and says she wants him more than anything she’s ever wanted in her life. She grabs his face and kisses him while he struggles to push her away. Rosalee sees this and yells, “Monroe!” and he confesses he’s in love with Eve. He doesn’t want to be with Rosalee anymore and Rosalee is heartbroken (and pregnant with their three babies) as Monroe insists Eve is everything to him.

Adalind hears this and slaps Monroe, and Monroe tells her to stay away from him. Nick and Eve arrive just then and Eve struggles to hug Nick while Monroe tries to get to the love of his life, Eve. (This must have been a fun dynamic for the Grimm stars to play!) Nick and Monroe get in a fight while Adalind tries to get to Monroe and Eve tries to grab Nick. Rosalee watches, confused, from a few feet away.

Hank continues to declare his love of himself to himself in the mirror. Then he gets that sexy look on and starts singing “Let’s Get It On” while dancing closer to the mirror.

Kelly cries in his stroller while Nick, Eve, Adalind, and Monroe get all worked up over unrequited love. Eve and Adalind throw down, which interrupts Hank’s mirror lovefest. He opens his door and asks them to settle down, and Rosalee grabs him believing he might be the only one who hasn’t lost his mind. She’s wrong…and he talks about how they disturbed his “beautiful” moment with himself, his one true love. Then he notices a mirror behind the gang in the hallway and picks up his “Let’s Get It On” dance number as he approaches it. Rosalee watches and suddenly realizes they’re all under a spell. She has a flashback to the waiter passing out the champagne and declining a glass as the rest of the group get back to arguing over who loves who.

Renard, still not worried, receives another call from Grossante who this time begs him for help. Renard, in no hurry to pick up his daughter, tells Grossante he’ll be there when he can but he has errands to run first. Renard listens as Diana gets back to torturing Grossante and then hangs up, completely unperturbed.

Wu won’t stop pestering the waitress and she’s so over it she’s ready to get the manager. Randy listens in and says to himself, “That’s right, you’ll die without her.” Wu proposes and then says, “If you leave me, I’ll kill myself.”

Rosalee runs and finds the waiter and boy is she pissed. She demands he make the curse stop now and he woges and tells her they’ll all die, refusing to end the curse. Rosalee responds by woging and says, “Unless you die first.” Randy sprints off with Rosalee close behind.

Upstairs, there’s a lot of threatening and slapping going on. Nick gets on his knees and screams Rosalee while Monroe plants a big kiss on Eve. Adalind watches and screams, “Nooooooooooooo!”

Wu races up a set of stairs outside the hotel, still chasing the waitress and threatening to throw himself off the cliff. He steps to the edge, quotes Shakespeare again (this time Hamlet), and is ready to jump. Randy runs up, grabs the waitress, and threatens to kill her if Rosalee comes any closer. Rosalee tells him he’s messing with a pregnant woman and then Wu hears the love of his life scream as Randy drags her toward the edge of the cliff. Wu woges, Rosalee woges, and Randy woges, and Wu pushes Randy off the cliff. Upstairs, the fighting ends as everyone regains their senses. They have no idea what happened and Hank wants to know why he was crying and why he’s in his underwear in the hotel hallway.

Rosalee arrives and Monroe’s devastated over what just happened. He keeps saying he loves her and she tells them they were all under a spell, and Adalind realizes there was only one way to break that spell. Rosalee confirms the Wesen responsible is dead and then kisses Monroe.

Finally relaxing, Nick apologizes for this happening on Monroe’s birthday. He realizes Randy was getting back at him for locking up his dad and feels responsible for ruining the weekend getaway. Monroe says it will take more than that to break up their group, and Rosalee declares the party’s just getting started.

Over at Grossante’s hideout, he’s begging Diana to let him die when Renard arrives. She asks for another playdate with Grossante and Renard tells her she can have another one whenever she wants.

#TeamGrimm sings a rousing “Happy Birthday” to Monroe which is only halted when a waitress arrives with champagne, telling them it’s on the house. They’ll pass, thank you very much.




‘Animal Kingdom’ Season 2 Will Premiere in May

Animal Kingdom Cast
The cast of TNT’s ‘Animal Kingdom.’

TNT has set a May 30, 2017 premiere date for season two of the hit dramatic series, Animal Kingdom. Season two will consist of 13 new episodes airing on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT and starring Ellen Barkin, Scott Speedman, and Shawn Hatosy. The season two cast also includes Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole, Molly Gordon, and Carolina Guerra.

Animal Kingdom is inspired by writer/director David Michôd’s critically acclaimed film and was developed for television by Jonathan Lisco. Lisco, Michôd, Liz Watts, John Wells, Christopher Chulack, and Etan Frankel executive produce. Season one averaged 5.5 million viewers and was one of cable’s top five new dramatic shows among adults 18-49.


The Plot: In season one of Animal Kingdom, 17-year-old Joshua “J” Cody (Cole) moved in with his freewheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother overdoses on heroin. He finds himself in the care of his estranged grandmother, Janine “Smurf” Cody (Barkin), a woman who rules her sons with a firm but, at times, emotionally incestuous hand. Her second in command is Barry “Baz” Blackwell (Speedman), whose power and position in the family is threatened by the return of Pope (Hatosy), Smurf’s eldest son just released from prison. Smurf’s tough, impulsive middle son, Craig (Robson), has a drug problem beginning to cloud his judgment and endanger the rest of the family, and Deran (Weary), the troubled and suspicious “baby” of the family struggles with accepting his sexual identity. Hovering on the edge of this less-than-idyllic household are J’s girlfriend, Nicky Belmont (Gordon) and Baz’s daughter, Lena. It isn’t long after J’s arrival that he finds his place within the dangerous family, a sense of belonging that he earns at the conclusion of season one.

As the second season opens, the Cody clan is back to their old ways and in the midst of a fun, high-adrenaline heist. But when things don’t go as planned, the family dynamics become more fractured than ever as some members advocate for independence from Smurf. Adding fuel to the fire is an external threat from Smurf’s past that has come back to haunt her.





‘The Vampire Diaries’ Series Finale Details: Welcome Back, Elena

The Vampire Diaries Season 8 Episode 10
Ian Somerhalder as Damon and Paul Wesley as Stefan in ‘
The Vampire Diaries’ season 8 episode 10 (Photo: Annette Brown © 2016 The CW Network, LLC)

The CW’s released a very brief plot description for the series finale of The Vampire Diaries. In addition, the network announced the show will end on March 10, 2017 with the airing of two one-hour The Vampire Diaries shows. First up, The Vampire Diaries: Forever Yours special will air at 8pm ET/PT and will feature interviews with the cast and crew. Season eight episode 16 (the series finale) titled ‘I Was Feeling Epic’ will follow at 9pm ET/PT.


The season eight cast includes Paul Wesley as Stefan, Ian Somerhalder as Damon, Kat Graham as Bonnie, Michael Malarkey as Enzo, Candice King as Caroline, Matt Davis as Alaric, and Zach Roerig as Matt. Nina Dobrev returns as Elena for the series finale.

The Vampire Diaries: Forever Yours Details: IT’S BEEN EPIC – After eight amazing seasons, The Vampire Diaries is coming to a dramatic and epic end. This one-hour retrospective features interviews with past and present cast members and guest stars, a conversation with the executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, behind-the-scenes footage from the final season and special moments from the past eight years.

The ‘I Was Feeling Epic’ Plot: OLD FRIENDS – With the fate of Mystic Falls at stake, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) must fight their greatest enemy for one last battle. Julie Plec directed and co-wrote the episode with Kevin Williamson.

Watch The Vampire Diaries series finale teaser:





‘The 100’ Season 4 Episode 4 Preview: A Lie Guarded Photos and Trailer

The CW’s The 100 season four episode three introduced Indra’s daughter who Octavia almost kills and who, it turns out, is the new flamekeeper. Raven’s responsibility in sustaining the group increased, and Luna showed up at Arkadia with people suffering from radiation poisoning. Abby and Raven argued over the dispersal of medication to a sick child, and Jaha led Bellamy and Clarke to what he mistakenly believed could be a fall-out shelter that would sustain hundreds of people. Murphy turned heroic, Clarke made the list of the 100 who will survive, and in a final twist, it turns out nightblood could hold the cure for radiation sickness.

Up next, The 100 season four episode four titled ‘A Lie Guarded’ airing on February 22, 2017. Ian Samoil directed the episode from a script by Kim Shumway. The season four cast includes Eliza Taylor as Clarke, Bob Morley as Bellamy, Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia, Devon Bostick as Jasper, Lindsey Morgan as Raven, Henry Ian Cusick as Marcus, Christopher Larkin as Monty, Richard Harmon as Murphy, Zach McGowan as Roan, Paige Turco as Abby, and Isaiah Washington as Jaha.

The ‘A Lie Guarded’ Plot: ABBY SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS — Continued struggles with leadership and trust in Arkadia and Polis take violent turns while Abby (Turco) leads a team to a distant location hoping to find answers.

The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Lindsey Morgan as Raven, Luisa D’Oliveira as Emori, Richard Harmon as Murphy, and Jarod Joseph as Miller in ‘The 100’ season 4 episode 4 (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)
The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Eliza Taylor as Clarke and Isaiah Washington as Jaha in ‘The 100’ (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)
The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Richard Harmon as Murphy and Lindsey Morgan as Raven (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)
The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Ty Olsson as Nyko and Nadia Hilker as Luna (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)
The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Nadia Hilker as Luna, Richard Harmon as Murphy and Lindsey Morgan as Raven in ‘The 100’ (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)
The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Chris Larkin as Monty, Chelsey Reist as Harper, and Chris Shields as David Miller in ‘The 100’ (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)
The 100 Season 4 Episode 4
Eliza Taylor as Clarke in ‘The 100’ (Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)




‘The Great Wall’ Movie Review: A So-So Action Epic

The Great Wall stars Matt Damon and Jing Tian
Jing Tian, Matt Damon, Andy Lau, and Cheney Chen in ‘The Great Wall’ (Photo Credit: Jasin Boland © 2017 Universal Studios)

Chinese warriors have been protecting the Great Wall from monsters for a thousand years, but it takes a white guy with a magnet to save the day in Universal Pictures’ The Great Wall, an action epic from director Zhang Yimou. Matt Damon is the white guy who comes to the rescue in this generic monster movie with a whopping $150 million budget. It’s obvious where the budget was spent (CGI monsters, costumes, hair, makeup, production design, and choreography) and what was slighted in the process (a coherent script).

The film’s set in the 11th century with Damon playing William Garin, a mercenary in search of black powder. William and his trusty comic sidekick Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are on the hunt when they’re attacked by a bizarre green creature. William manages to chop off the creature’s arm before forcing it to tumble off a cliff. However, their victory is short-lived when they’re captured by the Nameless Order, a highly-trained garrison of Chinese soldiers who guard the Great Wall from invaders and vicious monsters known as Taotie. Apparently, the Taotie came from a meteor that crashed into Earth 2,000 years ago and now they attack the Great Wall every 60 years. I’m sure it was explained why there’s a 60-year break between attacks … something about having to feed, I believe … but truthfully the details behind the how and whys of it all aren’t interesting enough to bother remembering.


So, William and Pero are taken captive by the Nameless Order and ultimately wind up fighting alongside the Chinese soldiers once the Taotie launch their attack. One thing leads to another and it’s William who saves the day, thanks to a large magnetic rock that puts the monsters to sleep. The usefulness of the magnet changes throughout the film, but its presence is so important that you have to wonder why no one ever thought of hunting one down during the previous thousand years.

The CGI monsters are fairly impressive albeit a bit bland in appearance compared to the stunning visuals of the Chinese soldiers. The stunts are impressive and there are relatively few scenes that don’t involve action, so while the story’s disappointing at least the action keeps you engaged.

Damon, Pascal, and Willem Dafoe (playing a fellow mercenary who was kidnapped decades before by the Nameless Order) are the most recognizable names to American audiences, and unfortunately Pascal and Dafoe share the short end of the stick when it comes to character development. Zhang Hanyu (‘General Shao’), Andy Lau (‘Strategist Wang’), and Crane Corps Commander Lin Mae played by Tian Jing are the standouts of the actors cast as Chinese soldiers, and thankfully there’s only the barest hint of a possible romance between Damon’s William and Jing’s Lin Mae. Jing’s ferocious as Lin and it’s relief to see the character as a strong, fierce fighter instead of a love interest for the film’s male lead.

The Great Wall is exactly the film you’d expect after watching the trailer. It’s a colorful, special effects-laden epic that asks nothing of its audience other than to sit back and try and enjoy the action. Unfortunately, the mix of Western and Eastern sensibilities misses the mark, with the blend of styles never finding the right tone. Although Damon and Pascal toss out a few witty lines, for the most part there’s nothing all that interesting about the human actors or their CGI enemies.

GRADE: C-

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of fantasy action violence

Running Time: 104 minutes

Release Date: February 17, 2017





‘Shadowhunters’ Season 2 Episode 8 Preview: Love is a Devil

Freeform’s Shadowhunters second season episode seven featured Simon on a disastrous date, Izzy continuing to deal with her addiction to Yin-Fen, Cleophas trying to set up Clary and Luke, an angel using telepathy to appeal to Clary for help, and Alec ready to lose his virginity to Magnus. Episode seven was jam-packed with important events, and things apparently won’t go any smoother in episode eight. Episode eight is titled ‘Love is a Devil’ and will air on Monday, February 20, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT.

The Shadowhunters season two cast includes Katherine McNamara as Clary Fray, Dominic Sherwood as Jace Wayland, Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Garroway, Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood, Alberto Rosende as Simon Lewis, Harry Shum Jr as Magnus Bane, and Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle Lightwood. Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, McG, Michael Reisz, Matt Hastings, Mary Viola, Martin Moszkowicz and Robert Kulzer executive produce the supernatural series based on Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments book series.

The ‘Love is a Devil’ Plot: Tasked with arranging his brother Max’s Rune Ceremony, Alec decides this would be the perfect opportunity for his family to get to know Magnus. But with tensions flying among the different Shadowhunters, Max’s big event quickly becomes an evening where they all must face their biggest fears.

Meanwhile, Simon makes a bold move as Isabelle finds an unlikely new ally.

Shadowhunters season 2 episode 8
Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood in ‘Shadowhunters’ season 2 episode 8 (Photo by Ian Watson / Freeform)
Shadowhunters season 2 episode 8
Dominic Sherwood in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by
Shadowhunters season 2 episode 8
Harry Shum Jr and Matthew Daddario in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by Ian Watson / Freeform)
Shadowhunters season 2 episode 8
Katherine McNamara and Harry Shum Jr in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by Ian Watson / Freeform)
Shadowhunters season 2 episode 8
Emeraude Toubia and David Castro in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by John Medland / Freeform)
Shadowhunters season 2 episode 8
Dominic Sherwood and Katherine McNamara in ‘Shadowhunters’ (Photo by Ian Watson / Freeform)




Santiago Cabrera Joins CBS’ ‘Salvation’ TV Series

Santiago Cabrera joins Salvation
Santiago Cabrera joins Salvation (Photo Courtesy of CBS)

BBC’s The Musketeers star Santiago Cabrera has been cast in CBS’s upcoming drama series, Salvation. Cabrera joins previously announced cast members Jennifer Finnigan, Charlie Rowe, Jacqueline Byers and Ian Anthony Dale in the series set to air this summer.

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) is directing and executive producing season one which will consist of 13 one-hour episodes. Liz Kruger, Craig Shapiro, Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Peter Lenkov, and Stuart Gillard are also involved as executive producers.

Commenting on Salvation when the series was originally announced, CBS Entertainment President Glenn Geller stated, “Salvation is the type of fast-paced, dramatic ride that viewers look for in a summer event series. We’re excited to launch another high concept, highly promotable show with great auspices that adds to our roster of year-round, original scripted programming.”

In addition to playing Aramis on The Musketeers, Cabrera’s credits include The Mindy Project, Merlin, Heroes, Anna Karenina, Che, and Hemingway and Gellhorn. He recently wrapped up work on Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight and he’ll be seen in HBO’s new series, Big Little Lies, debuting February 19, 2017.

The Plot: Salvation is a suspense drama series that centers on an MIT grad student and a tech superstar who bring a Pentagon official a staggering discovery – that an asteroid is just six months away from colliding with Earth. Cabrera will portray Darius, a charming self-made tech billionaire and visionary maverick, whose great love seems to be his projects. His greatest project of all, however, will be an audacious plan to save the human race from an incoming asteroid.




OneRepublic Announces Huge North American Summer Tour

OneRepublic Tour 2017

OneRepublic will headline the 16th annual Honda Civic Tour kicking off this summer in Kansas City. The lengthy tour will include stops in Montreal, Phoenix, and Dallas before finishing up on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 in The Woodlands, Texas. Fitz and The Tantrums and the winner of the ninth season of the British The X Factor James Arthur will support OneRepublic during the tour. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning February 24th at livenation.com.

Prior to hitting the road for the 2017 Honda Civic Tour this summer, OneRepublic will join the U2: The Joshua Tree Tour on four dates.

OneRepublic’s first album, Dreaming Out Loud, dropped in 2007 and included the hit single “Apologize,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The group followed up Dreaming Out Loud with 2009’s Waking Up featuring the singles “All the Right Movies, “Secrets,” and “Good Life.” Album #3, Native, included the band’s biggest hit to date, “Counting Stars,” which hit the #1 spot in 54 countries. Their latest album, Oh My My, debuted in the fall of 2016 and immediately snagged the #3 spot on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart.

The 2017 Honda Civic Tour Featuring OneRepublic:

Friday, July 7 – Kansas City, MO at Sprint Center^+
Saturday, July 8 – Maryland Heights, MO at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre^+
Monday, July 10 – Nashville, TN at Ascend Amphitheatre+
Tuesday, July 11 – Cincinnati, OH at Riverbend Music Center^+
Thursday, July 13 – Noblesville, IN at Klipsch Music Center^+
Friday, July 14 – Highland Park, IL at Ravinia Festival*^+
Saturday, July 15 – Highland Park, IL at Ravinia Festival*^+
Tuesday, July 18 – Burgettstown, PA at KeyBank Pavilion^+
Wednesday, July 19 – Clarkston, MI at DTE Energy Music Theatre^+
Friday, July 21 – Bristow, VA at Jiffy Lube Live^+
Saturday, July 22 – Camden, NJ at BB&T Pavilion^+
Sunday, July 23 – Virginia Beach, VA at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre^+
Tuesday, July 25 – Darien Center, NY at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center^+
Wednesday, July 26 – Scranton, PA at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain^+
Friday, July 28 – Holmdel, NJ at PNC Bank Arts Center^+
Saturday, July 29 – Wantagh, NY at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater^+
Tuesday, Aug. 1 – Saratoga Springs, NY at Saratoga Performing Arts Center^+
Wednesday, Aug. 2 – Hartford, CT at Xfinity Theatre^+
Friday, Aug. 4 – Mansfield, MA at Xfinity Center^+
Saturday, Aug. 5 – Bangor, ME at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion^+
Sunday, Aug. 6 – Gilford, NH at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion^+
Wednesday, Aug. 9 – Quebec, QC at Videotron Centre^+>
Friday, Aug. 11 – Montreal, QC at Bell Centre^+>
Saturday, Aug. 12 – Toronto, ON at Budweiser Stage^+>
Tuesday, Aug. 15 – Winnipeg, MB at MTS Centre^+>
Thursday, Aug. 17 – Saskatoon, SK at SaskTel Centre^+>
Friday, Aug. 18 – Edmonton, AB at Rogers Place^>
Saturday, Aug. 19 – Calgary, AB at Scotiabank Saddledome^>
Monday, Aug. 21 – Vancouver, BC at Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena^>
Tuesday, Aug. 22 – Auburn, WA at White River Amphitheatre^+
Wednesday, Aug. 23 – Ridgefield, WA at Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre^+
Friday, Aug. 25 – Wheatland, CA at Toyota Amphitheatre^+
Saturday, Aug. 26 – Mountain View, CA at Shoreline Amphitheatre^+
Sunday, Aug. 27 – Concord, CA at Concord Pavilion^+
Tuesday, Aug. 29 – Phoenix, AZ at Ak-Chin Pavilion+
Thursday, Aug. 31 – Los Angeles, CA at The Forum+
Friday, Sept. 1 – Chula Vista, CA at Sleep Train Amphitheatre^+
Saturday, Sept. 2 – Anaheim, CA at HONDA Center+
Wednesday, Sept. 6 – Salt Lake City, UT at USANA Amphitheatre^+
Saturday, Sept. 9 – Englewood, CO at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre*
Monday, Sept. 11 – Dallas, TX at Starplex Pavilion^+
Tuesday, Sept. 12 – The Woodlands, TX at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion^+

*Non-Live Nation event
^with Fitz and The Tantrums
+with James Arthur
>Non-Honda Civic Tour date

Fitz and The Tantrums Info, Courtesy of LiveNation: Los Angeles-based Fitz and The Tantrums have quickly grown from independent upstarts to bonafide hitmakers. Their current album – titled Fitz and The Tantrums (Elektra) – was released last summer and features their biggest hit to date, “HandClap.” The RIAA-certified Gold single has already gone top 5 on both the Hot AC and Alternative Radio charts, and is currently ascending the Top 40 Radio charts.

Fitz and The Tantrums’ eponymous album follows their breakout major label debut, 2013’s More Than Just A Dream, which featured back-to-back #1 Alternative Radio singles in the RIAA-certified Platinum “The Walker” and the RIAA-certified Gold “Out Of My League.” Both singles also enjoyed Top 15 success at Hot AC. The band has performed countless, sold out headlining shows and is always a standout at music festivals around the world, including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and more.

The band’s first full length album, 2010’s Pickin’ Up The Pieces (released on indie label Dangerbird Records), spent 73 weeks on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, peaking at #1. For more information visit www.fitzandthetantrums.com

James Arthur Details via LiveNation: James Arthur was crowned the winner of The X Factor U.K.’s ninth season in 2012. His debut single “Impossible” became the biggest X Factor winner’s song of all time, selling more than 1 million downloads and topping charts for several weeks. The buzz around the Middlesbrough-born singer was different to previous champions. He was regarded as the show’s first credible artist; James not only possessed showman-like qualities with an incredible, distinctive voice, but he could back up his stage presence with natural song-writing ability.

Following two years away from the spotlight, James returned last fall with his single “Say You Won’t Let Go.” The song shot straight to #1 in his native U.K., where it remained for 3 consecutive weeks. Last fall, James released his second album entitled Back From The Edge, which again went straight to #1 in the U.K. “Say You Won’t Let Go” has topped iTunes charts in more than 20 countries and has since gone on to sell more than 3 million downloads, more than 350 million streams at Spotify, and a quarter of a billion total views at Vevo/YouTube around the globe. For more information please visit www.jamesarthurofficial.com.




Aaron Sanchez Joins the ‘Masterchef’ Season 8 Judging Panel

Masterchef Judge Aaron Sanchez
Guest judge Aaron Sanchez in season 7 of ‘Masterchef’ (Photo by Greg Gayne © 2016 FOX Broadcasting Co)

Season seven guest judge Aarón Sánchez will be part of the judging panel on season eight of Fox’s Masterchef. Sanchez will be joining returning judges Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi on the upcoming season of the culinary competition series set to premiere this summer. The James Beard Award-winning chef Aarón Sánchez is the owner of the Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez which has locations in both Baltimore and New Orleans.


In addition to his upcoming stint on Masterchef, Sánchez will pop up on a few episodes of the current season of Masterchef Junior. Season five of the kids cooking competition series is airing on Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT.

Masterchef is executive produced by Gordon Ramsay, Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Michael Brooks, Robin Ashbrook, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn, and Ben Adler.

Aarón Sánchez Brief Bio, Courtesy of Fox: “He co-starred on Chopped and Chopped Junior, and is the author of two cookbooks – Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours and La Comida del Barrio. An active philanthropist, Sánchez launched his own charity, the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, empowering aspiring chefs from the Latin community to attend culinary school. An avid tattoo lover, he also is a partner in the world-famous ink shop “Daredevil Tattoo” in New York City.”




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