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‘Hairspray Live’ Casts Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright Joseph

By
Rebecca Murray
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Hairspray stars Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright Joseph
Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright Joseph join ‘Hairspray Live!’ (Photo by Heidi Gutman/NBC)

Hamilton‘s Ephraim Sykes and School of Rock‘s Shahadi Wright Joseph have joined the cast of NBC’s musical event, Hairspray Live!. Sykes and Wright Joseph join a cast that includes Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad, Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle, and Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton, Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Tussle.

Martin Short is Wilbur Turnblad, Derek Hough is Corny Collins, Dove Cameron is Amber Von Tussle, Garrett Clayton is Link Larkin, Andrea Martin is Prudy Pingleton, and Sean Hayes is Mr. Pinky.

Sykes will play Seaweed and Wright Joseph will take on the role of Little Inez. Seaweed is “a hip and kind-hearted dancer who befriends Tracy in detention and teaches her some new moves. He is also the son of Motormouth Maybelle (Hudson) who falls in love with Tracy’s best friend, Penny (Grande).” Little Inez is Seaweed’s little sister who tries out for The Corny Collins Show, “but is at first turned away because she is African-American.”

Sykes’ credits include Motown the Musical, Newsies, Memphis, and The Little Mermaid. Wright Joseph was the youngest actor to ever star in The Lion King on Broadway as Young Nala.

NBC will air Hairspray Live! on December 7, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT. Kenny Leon and Alex Rudzinski are directing, and Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (The Wiz Live!) are executive producing. Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell is on board as choreographer.

The Plot: In Hairspray Live!, teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV program. When against-all-odds Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African-American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy’s mother is the indomitable Edna, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white Corny Collins Show.




Critics’ Choice Awards Announces ‘Most Exciting New Series’ Nominees

By
Rebecca Murray
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Westworld stars James Marsden and Evan Rachel Wood
James Marsden and Evan Rachel Wood in ‘Westwood’ (Photo: John P. Johnson / HBO)

Members of the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) just announced their nominees in this year’s ‘Most Exciting New Series’ category. BTJA members selected the eight nominees based on pilot episodes, advance screenings, and trailers for new fall shows. In order to qualify for consideration, the series had to debut after July 1, 2016.

The complete list of nominees for the Critics’ Choice Awards in the television categories will be announced on November 14, 2016. The announcement in the film categories will follow on November 30th. The 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which recently bumped up its date to get a jump on the awards season, will air live on A&E on December 11th. T.J. Miller (Deadpool, Silicon Valley) will return to host and the event will once again be held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA.


The nominees in the Most Exciting New Series category are:

  • Atlanta (FX/FX Productions)
  • Better Things (FX/FX Productions/3 Arts Entertainment/Pig Newton)
  • Designated Survivor (ABC/ABC Studios/Genre Films/The Mark Gordon Company)
  • The Good Place (NBC/3 Arts Entertainment/Universal Television/Fremulon)
  • One Mississippi (Amazon/FX Productions/Pig Newton)
  • Pitch (Fox/20th Century Fox Television/Left Coast Productions/Rhode Island Ave. Productions)
  • This Is Us (NBC/20th Century Fox Television/Rhode Island Ave. Productions)
  • Westworld (HBO/Warner Bros. Television/Bad Robot Productions/Kilter Films/Jerry Weintraub Productions)

“The freedom and creativity flowing in the television world today is without precedent,” stated BTJA President Joey Berlin. “We believe it’s valuable for our members to fulfill their responsibility to help viewers find the best new shows in such an incredibly crowded television environment – now – just as the fall season is getting underway. We can’t wait to see how these exciting new shows develop in the coming months.”




‘Outlander’ Season 3 Starts Filming in Scotland

By
Rebecca Murray
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Outlander star Sam Heughan season 3
Sam Heughan on the ‘Outlander’ season 3 set (Photo © 2017 Sony Pictures Television Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Filming is officially underway on Starz’ Outlander season three based on Diana Gabaldon’s third book of the Outlander series, Voyager. Season three is confirmed to consist of 13 one-hour episodes starring Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser. The cast of season three also includes Tobias Menzies as Frank Randall, David Berry as Lord John Grey, Richard Rankin as Roger Wakefield, and Sophie Skelton as Brianna Randall.

The Plot: Book three of Outlander picks up right after Claire (Balfe) travels through the stones to return to her life in 1948. Now pregnant, she struggles with the fallout of her sudden re-appearance and its effect on her marriage to her first husband, Frank (Menzies). Meanwhile, in the 18th century, Jamie suffers from the aftermath of his doomed last stand at the historic battle of Culloden, as well as the loss of Claire. As the years pass, Jamie (Heughan) and Claire attempt to make a life apart from one another, each haunted by the memory of their lost love. The budding possibility that Claire can return to Jamie in the past breathes new hope into Claire’s heart… as well as new doubt. Separated by continents and centuries, Claire and Jamie must find their way back to each other. As always, adversity, mystery, and adventure await them on the path to reunion. And the question remains: when they find each other, will they be the same people who parted at the standing stones, all those years ago?

The popular series is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Matthew B. Roberts, Toni Graphia, Anne Kenney, and Andy Harries. Starz hasn’t confirmed the premiere date for Outlander season three but it’s believed to be sometime in March or April 2017.




‘Collateral Beauty’ Trailer: Love, Time, Death, and Will Smith

By
Rebecca Murray
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Collateral Beauty stars Will Smith and Helen Mirren
Will Smith as Howard and Helen Mirren as Brigitte in New Line Cinemas’, Village Roadshow Pictures’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ ensemble drama ‘Collateral Beauty’ (Photo by Barry Wetcher)

Am I the only one who thinks Collateral Beauty is a grown-up A Christmas Carol minus the holiday theme? That’s the impression left from the trailer which shows Will Smith as a father grieving the death of his daughter who’s visited by the personifications of Love, Time, and Death. Love is played by Keira Knightley, Jacob Latimore is Time, and Helen Mirren takes on the role of Death. The cast also includes Edward Norton, Michael Peña, Naomie Harris, and Kate Winslet. Allan Loeb (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, 21) wrote the script and David Frankel (Marley and Me, The Devil Wears Prada) directed the drama set to open in theaters on December 16, 2016.

The Plot: When a successful New York advertising executive suffers a great tragedy he retreats from life. While his concerned friends try desperately to reconnect with him, he seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time and Death. But it’s not until his notes bring unexpected personal responses that he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived, and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.

Watch the Collateral Beauty trailer:





‘Tyrant’ Ends with the Season 3 Finale

By
Rebecca Murray
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Tyrant Season 3
Adam Rayner as Barry Al-Fayeed, Olivia Popica as Halima, and Raphael Acloque as Haitham El-Amin in ‘Tyrant’ (Photo by Kata Vermes/Copyright 2016, FX Networks)

The season three finale of FX’s Tyrant will also be the show’s final episode. FX has opted not to renew the dramatic series for a third season, as just announced by John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions. Tyrant‘s third season finale airs on September 7, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT and is titled “Two Graves.” Per the network, the episode finds Barry and Molly on the brink of waging war on the Caliphate. “Leila makes a bold political move and braves the possibility of a close betrayal. Barry and Daliyah face a final reckoning in their relationship. The conflict in Abuddin threatens to turn into a bloody civil war.”

Tyrant stars Adam Rayner, Jennifer Finnigan, Moran Atias, Ashraf Barhom, Noah Silver, Alexander Karim, Cameron Gharaee, Melia Kreiling and Chris Noth. The series was executive produced by Howard Gordon, Chris Keyser, Gideon Raff and Avi Nir.

“It’s very difficult to find common ground with other people whose stories we do not know or understand,” stated Landgraf. “The creators of Tyrant have done their utmost over three seasons to tell American audiences a tiny fraction of the many gripping, human stories coursing through the Middle East today. We want to thank Howard Gordon, Chris Keyser and their talented team of collaborators, including all the writers, directors, cast and crew, as well as our studio partners at Fox 21 Television Studios, for taking on Tyrant’s tremendously ambitious story with such profound dedication and respect.”

“Tyrant is a beloved show to all of us at Fox 21 Television Studios, and we are indebted to Howard and Chris for their incredible work, and to John Landgraf and everyone at FX who have been fantastic partners,” said Fox 21 Television Studios President Bert Salke. “We feel the show is a gem and we’d love to find a way to keep it in production. That said, we want to be realistic about its prospects. So for its loyal audience, tonight’s episode will be a satisfying end should the series not find another home, but also provides interesting possibilities should we be able to continue on some other platform.”




‘Underworld: Blood Wars’ Trailer: Vampires, Lycans, and Kate Beckinsale

By
Rebecca Murray
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Underworld Blood Wars

Kate Beckinsale slips into tight black leather once again for Underworld: Blood Wars, the fifth film of the Underworld franchise. Screen Gems just released a new official trailer for the upcoming Vampire versus Lycans film directed by Anna Foerster from a script by Cory Goodman and Jayson Rothwell. In addition to Beckinsale, the cast of Underworld: Blood Wars includes Divergent‘s Theo James, Outlander‘s Tobias Menzies, Damien‘s Bradley James, Game of Thrones‘ Charles Dance, Da Vinci’s Demons‘ Lara Pulver, and Downton Abbey‘s James Faulkner. The fifth Underworld movie will open in theaters on January 6, 2017.

The Plot: The next installment in the blockbuster franchise, Underworld: Blood Wars follows Vampire death dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) as she fends off brutal attacks from both the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. With her only allies, David (Theo James) and his father Thomas (Charles Dance), she must stop the eternal war between Lycans and Vampires, even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Watch the Underworld: Blood Wars trailer:





Paul Blackthorne Interview: ‘Arrow’ Season 5 and an Emotional Quentin Lance

By
Fred Topel
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Arrow star Paul Blackthorne
Paul Blackthorne from ‘Arrow’ at Comic Con 2016 (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Season five of The CW’s Arrow will find Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne) still reeling from the death of his daughter, Laurel (Katie Cassidy). During roundtable interviews at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, Blackthorne said season five opens with Lance wrestling with some old demons. Blackthorne didn’t say how that will affect his relationship with #TeamArrow, but he did reveal he’s enjoying the changing dynamics between characters that the writers have laid out this coming season.

Arrow season five premieres on October 5, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT.

Paul Blackthorne Interview:

How does he move forward and how does he support the idea of what the Arrow is about?

Paul Blackthorne: “Well, we don’t know what the Arrow (Stephen Amell) is going to be about coming into season five. We don’t know that yet, how that’s going to evolve. Lance is in a bad way. I think it’s one of the worst ways ever, believe it or not. I think it is. Yeah, it’s the worst way. He’s suffering badly.”

Are we going to see that play out this season?

Paul Blackthorne: “Yes. And there’s some interesting dynamics as to who he’s relating with these days as well. It was a nice surprise that the writers sort of threw up. We’ve started that now and it’s been enjoyable. So, yeah, you know every year the dynamics and relationships shift a bit. You know, ‘Love you. Hate you. Hate you. Love you,’ it all changes. They’ve done the same thing this year. It’s a nice shift among the characters.”

How difficult was it to do the scene in Legends of Tomorrow where Quentin breaks the news to Sara?

Paul Blackthorne: “Well, it felt like just doing a scene in Arrow, to be honest. Sat in the Arrow bunker and just wondering who the crew was – they were different. But, no, it was from a character point of view not much fun telling one daughter the other daughter’s dead. Not much fun. Nice to play; good stuff to play around with from an acting point of view. And the stuff we’ve been shooting the past few weeks we’ve been back, I hadn’t quite realized how heavy it was all going to be. I just seemed to burst into tears about every 10 minutes or so. (Laughing) There we go, season five. It’s good, though. Good stuff.”

You have such a good sense of humor and Lance is always so serious. Have you asked them to give you any comedic material to break things up?

Paul Blackthorne: “No, I would never ask for comedic material. I was terrified when I saw the bees script. I remember thinking, ‘What is this, an episode of Seinfeld or something? Why is this all so funny?’ Of course it was a brilliant move because it was the episode right before Laurel got killed and everything went dark for the last four episodes. I’m terrified of comedy but if you just stick to the truth…you don’t have to try and be funny. If you try and be funny you might as well forget about it. So I just sort of stuck to the truth of Lance and how he generally reacts to things as a grounded individual and it was kind of funny then.

I was caught by surprise when I saw some of it back. I was, ‘That’s quite funny!’ And then there was the piggyback thing when I Curtis and I are chasing the bees around, and that was a completely weird improv sort of moment. ‘Why am I suddenly piggybacking a 6’5″ man with huge hair? What is going on?’ But it happened and it stayed in the cut so that was funny.”

Watch the full Paul Blackthorne interview:

(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)




‘Once Upon a Time’ Season 6 Episode 1 Details: The Savior

By
Rebecca Murray
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Once Upon a Time Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, and Cast Season 6
Jared Gilmore, Adam Horowitz, Lana Parrilla, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Rebecca Mader, Josh Dallas and Edward Kitsis at Comic Con 2016 (Photos © Richard Chavez)

ABC’s Once Upon a Time returns for its sixth season on September 25, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT with an episode titled ‘The Savior.’ The new season will find the Storybrooke heroes squaring off against the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla). Plus, season six will involve storylines featuring Jafar (Oded Feher), Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz), Hank Harris (Dr. Jekyll), Sam Witwer (Mr. Hyde), Farah Tahir (Captain Nemo), and Giles Matthey (Morpheus).

The returning cast includes Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. Season 6’s premiere episode was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and directed by Eagle Egilsson.

The Season 6 Episode 1 Plot – The Savior:

Welcome to Storybrooke, a small town in Maine that you won’t find on any map. This town is full of magic, populated by fairytale characters once cursed by the Evil Queen Regina to live in our world — deprived of their memories and happy endings…until Emma Swan came to town and changed everything. With the help of her son, Henry, Emma embraced her true identity as the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming — the Savior destined to break the Curse. But even after returning everyone’s memories, Emma’s mission was far from over. With the Curse broken, Mr. Gold (aka Rumplestiltskin) was free to bring magic to Storybrooke. And magic ALWAYS comes with a price…

Creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz invite you to join everyone’s favorite fairytale characters as they face-off against this supercharged enemy. In the season premiere episode, ‘The Savior,’ as our heroes set out to stop Hyde, Emma develops a mysterious side effect, and Storybrooke becomes a haven for refugees from the Land of Untold Stories. Meanwhile, Regina and Zelena embrace their newfound sisterhood by becoming roommates, while Rumple tries to free Belle from the sleeping Curse with the help of a stranger. In flashback, Jafar confronts an afflicted Aladdin in Agrabah, and a secret about the Savior is revealed.




‘Scream Queens’ Season 2 Teaser Trailer: A Visit to the Hospital

By
Rebecca Murray
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Scream Queens star Emma Roberts
Emma Roberts stars in ‘Scream Queens’ (Photo by Tommy Garcia © 2016 Fox Broadcasting Co.)

Fox just unveiled another short teaser trailer for season two of Scream Queens. The new season will kick off on September 20, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT and reunites the Chanels – Emma Roberts as Chanel Oberlin, Abigail Breslin as Chanel #5, and Billie Lourd as Chanel #3 – for another murder mystery.

In this second season, the story moves from college to a hospital, with Jamie Lee Curtis returning as Cathy Munsch, Lea Michele as Hester Ulrich, Keke Palmer as Zayday Williams, and Niecy Nash as Denise Hemphill. Joining the cast for season two are John Stamos as Dr. Brock Holt, Taylor Lautner as Dr. Cassidy Cascade, and James Earl as Chamberlin Jones.

Jerry O’Connell, Laura Bell Bundy, Colton Haynes, Cecily Strong, and Cheri Oteri guest star.

The Season Two 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.

Watch the new Scream Queens trailer:





Zayn Malik’s Working on a Boy Band Drama at NBC

By
Rebecca Murray
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One Direction Holiday TV Special on NBC
Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles of 
One Direction (Photo by: Jeff Daly / NBC)

After leaving One Direction, Zayn Malik’s been keeping busy working on his solo career. He’s also apparently been working on a television project with Dick and Noelle Wolf, Len Blavatnik’s Unigram, and First Access Entertainment. Boys is currently in development at Universal Television and NBC, with Malik involved as an executive producer along with Dick Wolf, Noelle Wolf, Amanda Ghost, Peter Jankowski, Sherri Cooper Landsman, and Jennifer Levin. Landsman and Levin are also writing the script.

The series will follow “the formation of a hugely successful boy band and captures all the excitement, competition and fun, but also provides an inside look into the pressure that follows.”

“It’s exciting to be diving into this project with such passionate and prolific producers,” stated Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment. “Zayn certainly brings an authentic point of view to this world where kids are catapulted into fame at a dizzying speed. On top of our excitement around the creative ideas being discussed, we have a lot of respect for the musical and digital ambitions behind the project.”

“We were intrigued by the synergistic potential that Zayn brings to the project,” added Noelle Wolf. “Boys will be a show that’s totally integrated on broadcast and digital platforms. Casting and original music will be major components, giving the show promotional potential on multiple levels.”

“Dick Wolf is a legend and the opportunity to work with him and NBC to create a compelling drama series is awesome,” said Malik.

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