Fox’s hit culinary competition series Hell’s Kitchen has been renewed for seasons 17 and 18. Season 16 of the popular series starring Gordon Ramsay will premiere on September 23, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT with a new batch of aspiring chefs attempting to out-cook and outlast the competition. The upcoming season will find 18 chefs vying for a shot at being named the new Head Chef at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
In addition to announcing the seasons 17 and 18 renewals Fox also revealed the audition dates for chefs who believe they have what it takes to survive in Hell’s Kitchen. Here’s the details, courtesy of Fox:
“Hell’s Kitchen is looking for the next batch of talented, passionate and skilled chefs to work with Chef Ramsay in the hottest kitchen on earth. The bar is being raised and the series is looking for chefs and accomplished line cooks with several years of experience in professional kitchens. Eligible chefs will have the opportunity to audition in cities across the country for the chance to become the next Hell’s Kitchen winner.”
The Hell’s Kitchen Casting Calls:
Los Angeles, CA Monday, Sept. 12 Art Institute of California – Hollywood
New York, NY Monday, Sept. 12 International Culinary Center
Atlanta, GA Monday, Sept. 12 Art Institute of Atlanta
Chicago, IL Friday, Sept. 16 Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago
Dallas, TX Friday, Sept. 16 Art Institute of Dallas
“This is the Captain. Brace for impact,” says Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) to the passengers and crew of US Airways Flight 1549 as he prepares to make an emergency landing on the Hudson River in the dramatic movie, Sully.
Based on the harrowing true events that occurred on Thursday, January 15, 2009, the film goes back and forth in time telling the story of how Captain Sullenberger, nicknamed Sully, decided to glide his disabled plane into the freezing waters of the Hudson River. The risky move was necessitated after a huge bird strike took out both the plane’s engines. Sully and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) successfully landed the plane in the river and saved the lives of all 155 aboard. The film shows how the crew and the passengers struggled to stay afloat until they could be rescued.
However, even as Sully is being hailed a hero for his actions by both the media and the public, an investigation is underway into why Sully decided to make an emergency landing in the river instead of trying to make it to an airport runway. It quickly becomes obvious to both Sully and Skiles that the investigators are looking to blame Sully for the loss of the aircraft and seem determined to prove that the “Miracle on the Hudson” – as it is being hailed by the press and the public – actually needlessly endangered everyone on board the flight.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Sully is an engaging and well-crafted film with first-rate performances from its cast. Tom Hanks turns in another memorable performance as Sully, the captain who by doing his job and following his instincts saved everyone on board his plane. He captures perfectly the concern, determination, talent, and professionalism of the pilot who was the right man at the right place at the right time. Hanks also shows how the investigation causes Sully to question himself and his actions and how what happened (and what could have happened) haunts him. It’s another flawless performance by one of the greatest actors of his generation.
Aaron Eckhart shines in his performance as Co-Pilot Jeff Skiles who was right there with Sully during the emergency landing and with him all throughout the investigation. He holds his own with Hanks and captures the charisma and humor in Skiles’ personality as well as the admiration and loyalty he feels for Sully. It becomes quite clear that it’s these two men against the investigation team, and Skiles has Sully’s back all the way. Eckhart really is one of the best character actors of his generation.
Eastwood does a strong job in capturing both the tension and suspense involved with the emergency landing, with that portion of the film having a similar feel to the classic disaster films of the 1950s, like The High and the Mighty or The Last Voyage, or early 1970s disaster epics like Airport. The other half of the film involving the investigation has a Frank Capra-esque feel to it with the two noble, honest men up against a jaded and shallow team of investigators pursuing their own agenda to destroy Sully’s reputation and career with their findings. Eastwood also effectively captures the efforts and heroics from all those involved in saving the crew and passengers of US Airways Flight 1549 from the freezing waters of the Hudson. Ferry captains, NYPD divers, the NYFD, the Red Cross, and others are depicted in Sully, bringing to life the indefatigable spirit of New Yorkers and showing how they come together to help out strangers during a crisis.
With perfect performances from Hanks and Eckhart, top-notch directing by Eastwood, and a compelling story, Sully is the first real crowd-pleasing film of the fall season.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some peril and brief strong language
Jamie Dornan stars in ‘The Siege of Jadotville’ (Photo Credit: Karen Ballard)
Netflix just released the official trailer for The Siege of Jadotville starring 50 Shades of Grey‘s Jamie Dornan. The action drama is based on true events and was directed by first time feature film helmer Richie Smyth from a script by Kevin Brodbin, based on the book by Declan Power. In addition to Dornan, the cast includes Mark Strong, Guillaume Canet, Sam Keeley, Charlie Kelly, Conor MacNeill, Michael McElhatton, Mike Noble, Jason O’Mara, Fionn O’Shea, Mikael Persbrandt, Ronan Raftery, and Emmanuelle Seigner. Conor Quinlan, the grandson of the real Commandant Pat Quinlan, also has a role in the film. Netflix will premiere The Siege of Jadotville on October 7, 2016.
The Plot: A gripping true story of incredible bravery against impossible odds, The Siege of Jadotville thrillingly depicts the 1961 siege of a 150-strong Irish UN battalion under Commander Patrick Quinlan (Dornan) by 3,000 Congolese troops led by French and Belgian mercenaries working for mining companies. Guillaume Canet plays a French commander who sought to defeat Quinlan and his men.
The official first photo has arrived of Suicide Squad‘s Margot Robbie in Terminal. In addition to her starring role, Robbie is also a producer on the film along with Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, and Sophia Kerr. The Highland Film Group is handling international sales at the Toronto International Film Festival with CAA selling the film’s US rights.
The cast of the noir thriller Terminal also includes Simon Pegg (Star Trek Beyond), Max Irons (The White Queen), Mike Myers (the Austin Powers film), and Dexter Fletcher (A Punters Prayer). Vaughn Stein makes his feature film writing and directorial debut with the film after serving as third assistant director on films including In the Heart of the Sea, The Fifth Estate, and World War Z.
Margot Robbie’s credits include The Legend of Tarzan, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Focus, Z for Zachariah, The Wolf of Wall Street, and About Time.
Ben Affleck dives back into another Dennis Lehane (Gone Baby Gone) story, adapting his bestselling novel Live by Night for the screen. Affleck also directs and stars in Live by Night, a crime thriller set in the 1920s. In addition to Affleck, the cast of the Warner Bros Pictures film includes Elle Fanning, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Cooper, Max Casella, Anthony Michael Hall, and Titus Welliver. WB is targeting a January 13, 2017 theatrical release.
The Plot:Live by Night is set in the roaring `20s when Prohibition hasn’t stopped the flow of booze in an underground network of gangster-run speakeasies. The opportunity to gain power and money is there for any man with enough ambition and nerve and Joe Coughlin, the son of the Boston Police Superintendent, long ago turned his back on his strict upbringing for the spoils of being an outlaw. But even among criminals there are rules and Joe breaks a big one: crossing a powerful mob boss by stealing his money and his moll. The fiery affair ends in tragedy, setting Joe on a path of revenge, ambition, romance and betrayal that propels him out of Boston and up the ladder of Tampa’s steamy rum-running underworld.
How will The Flash‘s Flashpoint storyline affect Arrow season five? During the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Arrow writer/executive producer Wendy Mericle discussed what’s in store for the upcoming season, providing some tantalizing teasers without giving away any spoilers. Answering questions during our roundtable interview, Mericle said we’ll learn the answers as to what Laurel (Katie Cassidy) whispered to Oliver (Stephen Amell) before she died, how Oliver will balance being a mayor and the Green Arrow, and whether Olicity will be a thing in the upcoming season. She also confirmed the fifth season will have more of a first season feel to it, with more “crime of the week” storylines.
Wendy Mericle Interview:
What’s going happen now? Where do we find Oliver when we start?
Wendy Mericle: “As you know when we left last season the team was split up. He had killed Damian Darhk and so he was off the board. He was stepping into becoming the mayor. He is still going to be in the mayor’s office but the city is going to be in a slightly different state. It’s not going to be…we’re not going to have any sort of terrorist attacks or anything happening this season, but as a result of what happened with Damian Darhk and the general decline of Star City, we’re going to have criminals. There’s going to be a huge mob element. And this is all part of the spirit of going back to the basics of season one, so it will be more villains of the week, more hand-to-hand. A little bit going back to that gritty, kind of crime of the week-type of things. Oliver will be a big part of that.
We’re also going to have a lot of vigilantes who are inexperienced and inspired by the Green Arrow killing Damien Dahrk. They’re going to be popping up all over the city and that’s actually going to become more of a problem than a help.”
Will some of the episodes be more stand-alone this season?
Wendy Mericle: “There will be more standalone episodes this season. I think that we are looking to kind of go deeper into the bench of villains from the DC universe. Again, make it go back to our roots in the way that we had, like more season one.”
How is Arrow going to be affected by The Flash‘s Flashpoint?
Wendy Mericle: “That’s a good question. We had that question when we found out about Flashpoint. We were like, ‘Oh hey, how’s that going to work, guys? Fascinating.’ Obviously we live in this universe now where we have things like that happening. We have super powers, we have metas. It will have an affect on the show. That’s about as much as I can say. I can’t comment too much on what it will be or how it will be affected. The characters that are affected will feel it.”
How do you deal with Olicity in season five?
Wendy Mericle: “What’s interesting about Olicity is it’s become, as everyone knows, this huge thing online and everyone has taken sides. But for us, it was really a byproduct of you cast someone like Emily Bett Rickards and there is obviously chemistry and you start to write to that. It really felt in season three and four that if we didn’t go in that direction, it was going to do a disservice to the show and to the characters, so we leaned into it. We went that way. We saw what it can do and I think in season five, we’re going to do the same thing which is we left them ambiguous at the end of the season and I will say you will get some clarity in episode five of season five. But even then we are going to be exploring it in real time to see where we feel like the characters are taking us and where we feel like the best stories are going to be told.”
Before Laurel died she whispered something to Oliver. Will that be revisited this season?
Wendy Mericle: “I can only tell you that you’ll find out about it in 501 – in the premiere.”
How will Oliver balance his role as the Star City Mayor with being the Green Arrow?
Wendy Mericle: “One of the things that I’m most excited about is that element which is in the past we’ve had him be the CEO, we’ve seen him have somewhat of a public face, but this is a public face that he, for lack of a better term, he can’t B.S. this. He’s the mayor. He has to show up. When he’s not there, people know he’s not there. So we’re going to drive story both in the mayor’s office and in the bunker. It’s actually a real challenge from a storytelling perspective because you have to figure out where is his real emotional drive coming from. It’ll be fun. We’ll have a lot of fun with the sort of Superman element of him having a dual identity, one that’s very, very public.”
Watch the full Wendy Mericle interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
Starz has released the first teaser trailer for the dramatic pirate series Black Sails which will be ending its run with the upcoming fourth season. The final season of the series will premiere in January 2017 and will consist of 10 one-hour episodes starring Toby Stephens as Captain Flint, Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie, Luke Arnold as John Silver, Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max, Tom Hopper as Billy Bones, and Ray Stevenson as Blackbeard. The series was created by executive producers Jonathan E. Steinberg (Jericho) and Robert Levine (Touch), with Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Chris Symes, Brad Caleb Kane, and Dan Shotz also executive producing.
The Season Four Plot: The 10-episode fourth season of the stand-out high seas drama returns in 2017, and finds our pirates at war in the West Indies. The shores of New Providence Island have never been bloodier, but the closer civilization comes to defeat, the more desperately, and destructively, it will fight back.
The official US trailer for Gold has arrived featuring a balding Matthew McConaughey…actually, McConaughey playing a balding character. After you get over the shocking new look, the rest of the trailer reveals McConaughey’s character is part of a start-up company that discovers a fortune in gold. Directed by Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) from a script by Patrick Massett and John Zinman, the Gold cast also includes Edgar Ramirez, Bryce Dallas Howard, Toby Kebbell, Corey Stoll, and Stacy Keach. TWC-Dimension is launching the dramatic film in theaters on December 25, 2016.
The Plot:Gold is the epic tale of one man’s pursuit of the American dream, to discover gold. Starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as Kenny Wells, a prospector desperate for a lucky break, he teams up with a similarly eager geologist and sets off on an amazing journey to find gold in the uncharted jungle of Indonesia. Getting the gold was hard, but keeping it would be even harder, sparking an adventure through the most powerful boardrooms of Wall Street. The film is inspired by a true story.
Jeremy Holm as Mr. Sutherland, Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, and Stephanie Corneliussen as Joanna Wellick in ‘Mr. Robot’ (Photo by Michael Parmelee/USA Network)
In season two episode 10 of USA Network’s Mr. Robot, Elliot (Rami Malek) speculates that Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) has been lying to him. Mr. Robot could be the “hidden process” of the episode’s title. With computers, a hidden process is one that runs in the background out of view of the user. Elliot is unaware of what Mr. Robot has done particularly as it relates to stage 2 of the 5/9 hack and Tyrell’s supposed murder. Mr. Robot has protected Elliot in the past (e.g., from the beatings he received in prison), so he is withholding that information now to protect him.
This lack of information puts Elliot at a disadvantage when Joanna Wellick (Stephanie Corneliussen) questions him about her husband’s (Tyrell) whereabouts. She indicates that she knows that they are working together and she wants Elliot to find Tyrell. She makes it clear that she has the power in her marriage when she describes how her husband does what she asks and then sends her a gift. Joanna tells Elliot that she knows Tyrell is currently doing what is necessary as she has been receiving gifts. When Elliot says that he can’t help her, she ominously asks, “Do you want to say no to me?”
Evidently he doesn’t want to say no to her as he buys the hardware necessary to track the location of the call Joanna receives, presumably from Tyrell. Elliot hacks the police in order to have them track the location of the phone call. When he finds the location, the man in Joanna’s employ who has been with Elliot recognizes the address and says that Tyrell wouldn’t be calling from that house. In a voiceover, Elliot questions why Mr. Robot is MIA and surmises that he is afraid that Elliot will find that he lied about Tyrell. In a wide-angle shot of his apartment, he enlists us in finding out what Mr. Robot wanted there.
This isn’t the only use of a wide-angle shot. In an earlier scene, Terry Colby (Bruce Altman) gives Phillip Price (Michael Cristofer) a copy of his book, The Last Honest Man. Price then asks Colby to call in a favor and get the UN ambassador to abstain in a vote allowing China to annex the Congo. There are wide-angle shots emphasizing that we are getting a bigger picture. When Price reveals himself to be a megalomaniac with the ambition to always be the most powerful person in the room, the moment is captured by the widest angle shot.
While still in his apartment, Elliot receives an urgent message from Angela (Portia Doubleday) asking him to meet her. They meet on the subway. There are clues that she is working for FBI Agent Dom DiPierro (Grace Gummer). In the last episode, Dom came to Angela’s apartment and told her that the FBI has been tracking her ever since Ollie told them about the CD at Allsafe. Dom also told her that she is Angela’s “one hand to play.” There are advertisements above both Elliot and Angela with “Phase” in red lettering featuring a big ear perhaps signaling that someone is listening in. It seemed strange that the first question Angela asks Elliot is “why start fsociety?” It is not so strange, however, if she is wearing a wire for Dom. After Angela leaves Elliot, two people approach her. These are possibly FBI agents coming to retrieve the wire from her.
Meanwhile, we find out that Cisco (Michael Drayer) found Vincent at Susan Jacob’s home when he went there to retrieve the VHS tape. Vincent had been involved in fsociety’s plot to drop part of the Wall Street bull from the ceiling onto the floor in the Capitol building. Vincent is badly hurt and Cisco convinces Darlene (Carly Chaikin) to take him to the hospital. They are informed by a hospital staff member that it will take an hour to determine his status so they go to a diner to get something to eat.
The FBI is closing in on them. FBI Agent Dom DiPierro is with other FBI agents at Susan Jacob’s house. She learns that the FBI had found two of the DC hacktivists and in the ensuing car chase one of them (Vincent) escaped. Those that were caught told the FBI that they were to meet at Susan’s house. Dom questions why they “burned” the house instead of using surveillance to apprehend other fsociety members. Dom’s investigation has been obstructed all along, particularly by her boss, Agent Santiago (Omar Metwally). His obstructionism, combined with fact that he was in his room when the slaughter of FBI agents happened in Beijing, strongly hints that he is working with the Dark Army.
This connection to the Dark Army is clearer when the FBI goes to the media with a sketch of Cisco’s face based on a witness’s description. Dom tells Santiago that it is a bad move because the Dark Army will kill him. The hospital staffer notifies the FBI after seeing the sketch on the TV. They tell agents Dom and Santiago that Cisco and Darlene left for an hour. Dom deduces that they didn’t see the BOLO and would go get something to eat.
She finds the café where Cisco and Darlene are dining. When she goes in to question them, a motorcyclist with a passenger drives up. One of them fires into the café at Darlene and Cisco and it looks like one or both of them is shot. Dom runs out but not in time to stop one assailant from killing himself and the other one from getting away.
So some questions from last week were answered in this episode. We know who was at Darlene’s door, who Cisco found at Susan’s house, and that Angela could be working for Dom. We still don’t know the whereabouts of Tyrell (if he’s still alive), or if Darlene and/or Cisco survives, and what motivates Joanna and Tyrell. There are only two episodes left–both of which will be aired next week–of a very exciting season.
TNT’s The Last Ship, currently airing season three on Sundays at 9pm ET/PT, earned a fourth season renewal in July 2016. The news is even better today for The Last Ship fans as TNT has just renewed the series for season five, with the network confirming seasons four and five will each consist of 10 one-hour episodes. Season three is averaging 7.1 million viewers, according to the network, which makes it one of the top summer dramatic series among adults. The current season will wrap up on September 11, 2016.
The popular series stars Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin, Bridget Regan, Charles Parnell, Travis Van Winkle, Marissa Neitling, Christina Elmore, Jocko Sims, Bren Foster, and Kevin Michael Martin. The Last Ship was created by Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane who executive produce the action drama along with director Paul Holahan, Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form.
“The Last Ship has taken viewers on an exciting ride through three truly thrilling seasons,” said Sarah Aubrey, executive vice president of original programming for TNT. “We look forward to watching the cast and production team ratchet up the drama, action and suspense even more over the next two seasons through summer 2018.”
The Plot: Based on William Brinkley’s popular novel, the series chronicles the aftermath of a global catastrophe that nearly decimates the world’s population. Because of its positioning, the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Nathan James avoided falling victim to the devastating tragedy. Now, CNO Captain Tom Chandler (Dane) and his crew must confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they may be among the few remaining survivors.
