Fans of Christopher Guest’sWaiting for Guffman, Best in Show, For Your Consideration, and A Mighty Wind will notice a lot of familiar faces in his upcoming Netflix original movie, Mascots. The first trailer confirms Mascots will stay true to the tone of Guest’s films while taking on the world of sports mascots.
Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Ed Begley, Jr., Christopher Moynihan, Don Lake, Brad Williams, Zach Woods, and Chris O’Dowd star. The cast also includes Susan Yeagley, Sarah Baker, Tom Bennett, Kerry Godliman, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Hitchcock, Maria Blasucci, John Michael Higgins, and Jim Piddock.
Mascots will open in theaters on October 13, 2016.
The Plot:
Mascots is a new comedy from writer/director Christopher Guest. Starring many of his regular troupe of actors, this latest film takes place in the ultra-competitive world of sports mascots where they compete for the most prestigious award in their field, the Gold Fluffy.
HBO has released a new poster for the sci-fi series Westworld one month out from the series’ premiere. The new poster features a skinless robot with the tagline “Every Hero Has a Code,” but what it doesn’t feature is any mention of the cast. Instead, the producers of the sci-fi drama are spotlighted on the show’s poster.
Westworld stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jimmi Simpson, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bols Berdal, Ben Barnes, Simon Quarterman, Angela Sarafyan, Luke Hemsworth, and Clifton Collins, Jr. The series was created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy and is inspired by Michael Crichton’s 1973 film of the same name. HBO is set to premiere season one of the one-hour drama on October 2, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT. Per the network, season one will consist of 10 episodes.
The Plot:Westworld is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
EuropaCorp unveiled the first creepy trailer and poster for Shut In, a new thriller directed by Farren Blackburn (Hammer of the Gods). Naomi Watts (the Divergent films) leads a cast that includes Oliver Platt (Chicago P.D.), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), David Cubitt (Bates Motel), and Jacob Tremblay (Room). Shut In is opening in theaters on November 11, 2016.
The Plot:Shut In is a heart-pounding thriller starring Naomi Watts as a widowed child psychologist who lives an isolated existence in rural New England. Caught in a deadly winter storm, she must find a way to rescue a young boy before he disappears forever.
Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon says technology has caught up to the “ideas that were introduced” in the classic animated film which is why now is the right time for Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast. This super short teaser from the 2017 live action version is really an ad for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast 25th anniversary Edition release coming on September 20, 2016. The short clip shows Emma Watson and Dan Stevens doing a table read and Bill Condon briefly discussing the film. To watch the full clip, you have to order the Blu-ray (or wait a while for Disney to bring it online).
In addition to Watson and Stevens, the cast includes Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Audra McDonald, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson. Condon directs from a script he, Evan Spiliotopoulos, and Stephen Chbosky wrote. The feature film will include songs from the animated movie as well as new original songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Beauty and the Beast opens in theaters on March 17, 2017.
The Plot: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is a live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; six-time Tony Award®winner Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, the wardrobe; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.
Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders stars were part of the CBS Fan Favorites panel at the sold-out 2016 San Diego Comic Con. In additional to participating in the panel, Criminal Minds‘ bubbly Kirsten Vangsness (‘Penelope Garcia’) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders‘ Tyler James Williams (‘Russ Montgomery’) teamed up for roundtable interviews in a packed press room to discuss their roles in the primetime shows and why they believe procedural series remain so popular with audiences. The interview took place prior to all the drama surrounding the firing of Criminal Minds star Thomas Gibson so that controversy wasn’t addressed. However Vangsness did talk about another new addition to the series (Adam Rodriguez), saying fans of the show should keep in mind that he’s a new character who won’t be attempting to replace departing series star Shemar Moore.
Season 12 of Criminal Minds premieres on CBS on September 28, 2016. Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders‘ second season will kick off in 2017.
Kirsten Vangsness and Tyler James Williams Interview:
What can you say about next season without giving away any spoilers?
Kirsten Vangsness: “Well, we’re going to have crossovers – crossovers from… I hope we have crossovers from you guys over to us.”
Tyler James Williams: “We’ve already had crossovers from them to us.”
Kirsten Vangsness: “I’d gone on Beyond Borders and I believe that Mr. Mantegna is going over. I hope he is.”
Tyler James Williams: “I can’t confirm or deny anything.”
Kirsten Vangsness: “I just want him to! I don’t know if that’s true. Actually, I could have just made that up.”
Tyler James Williams: “I do hear things about that.”
Kirsten Vangsness: “I want him to. And, let’s see, on Criminal Minds ‘period’ – because there’s that punctuation and their punctuation is Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. The one without the colon…that sounds weird, too…we’ve got Aisha Tyler back. We’ve got Paget Brewster coming for multiple episodes so it’s very exciting. Adam Rodriguez is now on the show and he is lovely. Totally different energy than Shemar (Moore), no one is trying to replace or whatever. But, yeah, I think we know how the car works and now we’re all seeing how fast the car can drive. That’s I think what’s been happening. What’s been happening on yours?”
Tyler James Williams: “We’re now able to explore the characters a bit more. First season was just kind of establishing the tone and now we’re really able to figure out who these people are. We’ll get a lot more into their backstories and what makes them tick, why they are in that kind of field. That wasn’t really explored a lot in the first one, and we’ll be able to get into it a lot more in the second season and see how each case affects them.”
Since you’re kind of the ‘Garcia’ character on Beyond Borders, did you feel any pressure being that she’s such a cool character?
Tyler James Williams: “It’s interesting. The way we kicked it off, no. I thought I would but we really introduced the characters together.”
Kirsten Vangsness: “We’re so different. We’re so complementary, you know? Like, we’re both very empathic but we have different energies so it’s never (that way). What they’ve done in theirs is sort of interesting because you’ve got Annie (Funke) who’s got a character that’s kind of snarky like Garcia. Garcia’s not cornered the market on snarky and quirky and all that. There’s just different ways to make it and it’s neat how their show has done it. I feel like we complement each other really well. They never tried to make him a male version of Garcia.”
Tyler James Williams: “And they did a good job of introducing the characters together. That’s what helps. I could not in any way take that shape because in the first scene we were together.”
Kirsten Vangsness: “Yeah. It’s nice to have like, ‘Oh, there’s somebody else in this big building’ … now because of the spin-off you see more of the big building … ‘there’s somebody else who can do what she does.’ It’s more like she found somebody. At least there’s two people in this whole place that can do what they do. It always takes different brains to do it better, so it’s good that his brain is very good.”
Garcia’s one of the few cast members left from the original cast. How does that feel?
Kirsten Vangsness: “Really good. Very gratifying. You don’t put a lot of her in there. She’s like saffron: you can’t put too much Garcia in it. But, if you’re going to use it, it’s got to (mean something). She’s good for giving information. She’s good for giving exposition. She’s good for a lot of things so I just got really lucky. It’s weird and cool and great and strange because I’ve never played a character this long. It’s sort of like this other thing now. It’s like, ‘I’m an actress and then also I play Garcia.’ I channel this woman and then I act over here. So it’s a weird thing but it’s so great. The core group has been there a long time.”
Why do you think this type of procedural is so popular?
Kirsten Vangsness: “I don’t know. I have my theory which is that… On our show, why our show is so insanely popular and I think the reason why this spinoff is really working is because you can tell underneath the characters that the people who are playing the characters genuinely vibe. So then on top of it you put character on top of good story and then this high intense pressurey stuff, it makes people…”
Tyler James Williams: “I think also it creates immediate comradery between the cast and the audience to have a target that everybody can focus their energy on. With this kind of criminal situations of the week, you naturally bond with people who are trying to figure this out with you. This show does a really good job of adding those twists and kind of turns that you don’t see coming that immediately hooks the team in with the audience as well.”
Kirsten Vangsness: “I’ve always said on our best day Criminal Minds is a show that shows monsters are made by monsters and I feel like that’s a good thing. We all need to realize that we all have those capabilities, so we have to be nice to each other as a family.”
Watch the full Kirsten Vangsness and Tyler James Williams interview:
Fox just released a new trailer for Scream Queens season two featuring series newcomers John Stamos as Dr. Brock Holt and Twilight‘s Taylor Lautner as Dr. Cassidy Cascade. Stamos and Lautner join returning Scream Queens stars Emma Roberts as Chanel Oberlin, Jamie Lee Curtis as Cathy Munsch, Lea Michele as Hester Ulrich, Abigail Breslin as Chanel #5, Keke Palmer as Zayday Williams, Billie Lourd as Chanel #3, Glen Powell as Chad Radwell and Niecy Nash as Denise Hemphill.
Jerry O’Connell, Laura Bell Bundy, Colton Haynes, Cecily Strong, and Cheri Oteri are season two guest stars.
Season two premieres on Fox on September 20, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT.
The Plot: Season two of Scream Queens graduates from the college campus and into a hospital with a haunted past, as a new and terrifyingly funny mystery begins. Each week, Season Two will delve deep into the fascinating and bizarre medical cases under observation at the hospital while using the building’s sordid history as the springboard for the series’ overarching mystery.
You had a crazy arc last season. How do you think they’ll top that in season four?
Richard Harmon: “I would never put it by Jason (Rothenberg) to top it because he always has. So far he’s three for three, as far as I’m concerned. Every single season I think it gets better, especially for me. I think we can just expect more of that, what a lot of people are calling ‘growth’ of Murphy as a character. I think he has grown but at the same time, I think what it is is the continuation of us getting to know him better. We didn’t know him that well so he comes off as an asshole in the beginning, but now you’re going to get to know him and what he’s about. I think we can hopefully continue that and get to know more of his moral code and what he’s all about.”
Is that what you envisioned for the character as the seasons went on?
Richard Harmon: “At the beginning, I understand from reading the scripts what my job is as an actor which in the first season was to be the antagonist and make the audience hate me. So, I knew that. I could do that. And as Jason was telling me, he was like, ‘Do you think you can turn it around and you can make them like you?’ ‘It sounds like a great challenge.’ I think we’ve done pretty well. I think most people have come around. Some people still hate Murphy, and I totally understand that. They’re wrong.”
How do you think Murphy and Clarke’s relationship will change after being held together at Polis? Will there be a shift in their relationship?
Richard Harmon: “I love that relationship. I just want to spend more time working with E.J. (Eliza Taylor) because I think she’s so terrific. I think those characters are so much fun together because Clarke is such a driven person and Murphy doesn’t take anyone’s crap, ever. If she thinks she’s just going to walk all over him to do what she wants, Murphy’s not going to have it. So, I’d love to see… I don’t know if the relationship’s going to change, but I’d love to see it continue and the two together more because we rarely get to work with each other.”
It’s such a huge cast, are there people you miss working with?
Richard Harmon: “Me and Christopher Larkin who plays Monty were talking on the bus over here that I don’t think we’ve ever exchanged words on camera. Yeah, not one. We’ve never actually once exchanged words. Two of the leads through three seasons have never talked. I chased him one time and that was about it.”
Have you talked to the writers about Murphy or is there something you would love to see for the character this season?
Richard Harmon: “I trust them pretty well. I had one thing that I didn’t know if it fit Murphy very well. I don’t want to bring up what it is and I talked to Jason about that and he’s like, ‘Just hold on. Just wait.’ I told him last night, I was like, ‘You made me a believer, man.’ After reading (season 4’s first script) I was like, ‘Yeah, you did it. I believe. You’re right. I think it works. That is Murphy. It works well.’ So, I trust them pretty fully.”
You’ve actually been getting a few more action scenes. Do you like those?
Richard Harmon: “I love stunts. I’ve always loved stunts. That’s probably because I’ve asked for them so much. ‘Just give me more! I’m good at this. I can do this!'”
The CW’s Supernatural is heading into its 12th season with Crowley (Mark Sheppard) ousted from his role as the king of Hell, itching for revenge on Lucifer (played by musician/actor Rick Springfield), and ready to explore more of his own family dynamic. During our interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Sheppard discussed what’s in store, his love of the series, and the potential for a new Supernatural band.
Supernatural season 12 will premiere on Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW.
Mark Sheppard Interview:
What’s it going to be like for Crowley to have both his mother and his son back?
Mark Sheppard: “Probably very annoying, from the sound of it. It usually is. It never works out well. Gavin’s cooking pigeons on light bulbs. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next. He’s kind of wandering about, isn’t he? He’s still a man out of time sort of, I think. Could be interesting.”
Where do we pick up with Crowley in season 12?
Mark Sheppard: “I think it’s basically exploring the family dynamic again, my end of the family dynamic. I think that’s very much a theme this year.”
Did you want to explore that more?
Mark Sheppard: “No, hate them both. (Laughing) Not as people…well, not as much.”
How do you feel Crowley’s story arc will change this season?
Mark Sheppard: “This season? I might get what I want. And, I’ll be dead again. It’ll be over for me, as usual. I always get killed.”
If Crowley got what he wanted…
Mark Sheppard: “Then what? The show would be over? I kind of got what I wanted for a bit, didn’t I before Demon Dean and then I got bored with it. So it’s not always good if I get what I want. I guess you’re right.”
No one ever really dies on this show, do they?
Mark Sheppard: “Oh, I probably will be, pissing off enough people as it goes. I actually have a long running gag with both Bob (Singer) and Jeremy (Carver). For years I would call up and the first thing I would say is, ‘Am I dead yet?’ And Jeremy would always say, ‘Oh, I’m writing that now. Funny you should ask, I’m writing your death now.’ So, it was an ongoing thing. Now Jeremy’s in another show and I’m actually still going to call him up and ask him, ‘Am I dead yet?'”
Have you spent seasons really thinking you’re going to get killed off?
Mark Sheppard: “Yeah. I mean, there’s a certain amount of redundancy to big bads, you know, in that context. So, I don’t know. I always thought it would be interesting if it was a big sacrificial play. I mean, killing Crowley now doesn’t make any sense at all. The first time Bob decided to kill me off, they actually called me and said, ‘We’re killing you off but don’t worry you’re back,’ and there was a reason for it. Burning the bones, we’ve done all of that stuff. If you killed me off, what would be the point? Jumping vessels we’ve done. We’ve done Lucifer, now we’re jumping vessels. You heard about Rick Springfield?”
Yes.
Mark Sheppard: “It’s going to be exciting. He’s actually pretty good. He’s a really cool guy.”
Will he be the Devil who sings?
Mark Sheppard: “Mark (Pellegrino) sings a bit. I play drums. It could be fun. We could start a band.”
What would you call it?
Mark Sheppard: “Holy Hell. No, it’s fun. It’s really fun. I’m really excited to see where this is going. I’m proud to be a part of it. Good to see. I actually talked to Peter Roth the other day and I said, ‘Wow, 12 seasons.’ He goes, ‘Yep, halfway there.'”
Could you imagine if 12 is actually only halfway through Supernatural?
Mark Sheppard: “No. I think Max and the rest of our kids will be working on seasons 15 onward.”
What do imagine the wrap party would look like?
Mark Sheppard: “Noisy and messy. The 200th was noisy and messy, but it was good. We’ve done a few. But, I’m excited. 300 would be an amazing goal. The longest-running genre series in American history. I think it’s incredible. it’s an amazing thing to be a part of. I came on as a guest star, you know, so what the hell.”
At the beginning how far did you see this going?
Mark Sheppard: “For me? A couple of episodes. I only did it because Kim (Manners, executive producer) would have wanted me to do it. I knew Kim well and he passed, and it came up. Ben (Edlund) wrote it and I was like, ‘Oh, okay, this is perfect. I’m kissing a guy at the crossroads. This is going to be fun.’ So it was like, ‘Okay, we’ll see what happens. It might be fun.’ And then it became this wonderful recurring thing. And, you know, there’s a lot to be said for Bob Singer having kept around this long through the iterations and changes. I think Bob has been very instrumental in making sure I’m still there, one way or another. I might not feel that way by the end of the year, but you never know.
I’m proud to be part of it. I love the guys. We’re still interested in the Winchesters and that’s what it’s about, right? Cause if we’re not, we’re not watching. As much as we love Crowley and Cas and everybody else, if we’re not interested in the boys, it’s not really a show. Well, it could be The Crowley Show, which it is anyway!”
The spinoff series could be Killing Crowley.
Mark Sheppard: “No, it’s called Oh, Crowley! – it’s a comedy. The end of every scene is, ‘Oh, Crowley…'”
Eric Church, Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton (Photos Courtesy of CMA)
Country music artists Eric Church, first-time nominee Maren Morris, and Chris Stapleton earned the most 50th Annual CMA Awards nominations with five each. Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Dierks Bentley follow close behind with four 2016 CMA Awards nominations, and Tim McGraw picked up three nominations. Hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, this year’s CMA Awards will take place on November 2nd and will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on ABC.
“I am very excited about this year’s list of nominees,” stated Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We have artists who received their first CMA Awards nominations decades ago alongside first-timers; we have critically-acclaimed songwriters and artists who have reset the bar for Country Music. This is going to be an exciting year in addition to celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards.”
Church’s nominations come in the Male Vocalist, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year categories. Morris is nominated in the Female Vocalist, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and New Artist of the Year categories. And Stapleton’s five nominations were in the Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, Single of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year categories.
50th Annual CMA Awards Nominees:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Die a Happy Man” -Thomas Rhett
“Humble and Kind” – Tim McGraw
“My Church” – Maren Morris
“Nobody To Blame” – Chris Stapleton
“Record Year” – Eric Church
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Black – Dierks Bentley
Hero – Maren Morris
Mr. Misunderstood – Eric Church
Ripcord – Keith Urban
Storyteller – Carrie Underwood
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Burning House” – Camaron “Cam” Ochs, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker
“Die a Happy Man” – Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett, and Joe Spargur
“Humble and Kind” – Lori McKenna
“My Church” – busbee and Maren Morris
“Record Year” – Eric Church and Jeff Hyde
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Tim McGraw
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Joey + Rory
Maddie & Tae
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
“Different For Girls” – Dierks Bentley feat. Elle King
“Home Alone Tonight” – Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild
“The Fighter” – Keith Urban (featuring Carrie Underwood)
“Think of You” – Chris Young (duet with Cassadee Pope)
“You Are My Sunshine” – Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jerry Douglas (Dobro/Lap Steel Guitar)
Paul Franklin (Steel Guitar)
Dann Huff (Guitar)
Brent Mason (Guitar)
Derek Wells (Guitar)
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Burning House” – Cam
“Fire Away” – Chris Stapleton
“Humble and Kind” – Tim McGraw
“Record Year” – Eric Church
“Somewhere On A Beach” – Dierks Bentley
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Brothers Osborne
Maren Morris
Old Dominion
Cole Swindell
Caleb McLaughlin, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, and Gaten Matarazzo in ‘Stranger Things’ (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Why wasn’t this already a done deal? Stranger Things was one of the most talked about series over the summer of 2016 and today Netflix officially announced it will be returning for a second season. Season two will arrive in 2017 and will have Stranger Things‘ creators/writers/executive producers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer back penning the new season. Netflix also announced the second season will consist of nine one-hour episodes, all available at the same time for your binge-watching pleasure.
21 Laps produces for Netflix. Executive producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen will also remain involved in the second season.
Season one of Stranger Things premiered on July 15, 2016 and currently has a 95% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes. The cast of the first season included Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner), David Harbour (Chief Hopper), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Millie Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), and Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler).
The season one plot: Set in Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980’s, Stranger Things chronicles the search for a young boy who vanishes into thin air under highly suspicious circumstances. His mother (Ryder) opens an investigation into the boy’s disappearance with local authorities that unravels a series of mysteries involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl. A love letter to the ubiquitous cult classics of the 80’s, Stranger Things is a coming of age story for three boys that draws this quaint community into a world where mysteries lurk beneath the surface.
