Walt Disney Studios has changed the release dates of two of its upcoming big franchise films: Star Wars: Episode VIII and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Star Wars fans are going to have to wait an additional seven months to see the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the Mouse House has bumped the release date from May 26, 2017 to December 15, 2017. The Force Awakens was released in December and scored phenomenal success over the winter holidays, prompting Disney to move Star Wars VIII to a December berth also.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens holds numerous records including the highest grossing domestic release of all time ($861+ million).
Filming’s expected to begin on Star Wars: Episode VIII in February 2016 in London. Rian Johnson (Looper) wrote the screenplay and is directing, with J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski, and Jason McGatlin executive producing. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman are involved as producers.
The May 26, 2017 release date slot was filled by Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The fifth film of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was previously scheduled to sail into theaters on July 7, 2017 but now will open in May, the same month Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides launched in theaters.
Johnny Depp is reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom returns as Will Turner, and Geoffrey Rush is back as Barbossa. The cast also includes Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg directed the new Pirates film with Jerry Bruckheimer producing.
The Plot: “Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.”
Warner Bros Pictures showed off footage of the 2017 Wonder Woman movie during The CW’s Dawn of the Justice League special which aired on January 19, 2016. The footage of Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot in action was brief and came with an explanation by DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns as to what fans of the DC Comics character can expect from this theatrical film. Geoff Johns says we’ll learn her backstory, where she came from, how she was raised, and why she’s such a fearsome fighter.
“She’s an Amazon warrior. She’s the best fighter in the DC universe. She has strength and speed, and she’s been training her whole life for war,” said Johns.
Director Patty Jenkins added, “The greatest thing about Wonder Woman is how good and kind and loving she is, yet none of that negates any of her power.”
In addition to Gadot, the Wonder Woman cast includes Chris Pine as Captain Steve Trevor, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, Elena Anaya, and Lucy Davis. Wonder Woman opens in theaters on June 23, 2017, however, before her stand-alone feature film Wonder Woman will appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
The new Survivor castaways who will be competing to outwit, outplay, and outlast their fellow contestants on season 32 of the CBS reality series have been announced, with the upcoming season’s cast to include a former FBI agent, a professional poker player, and a former NBA player. The 32nd edition of the series was filmed on Kaôh Rōng in Cambodia with “Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty” the theme of this edition.
Per CBS, the 32nd season is made up of three tribes comprised of six castaways with similar characters: “The groupings of the three tribes, each comprised of six castaways, possess similar characteristics that make their group unique – high IQ, muscular physique and physical looks – and test whether there is any truth to the preconceived notion that certain characteristics will help you win the game of SURVIVOR.”
Survivor season 32 will debut with a special 90 minute episode on February 17, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT.
Survivor 32 Castaways:
“Chan Loh” Tribe – Brains
Peter Baggenstos
Age: 34
Minneapolis
ER Doctor
Aubry Bracco
Age: 29
Cambridge, Mass.
Social Media Marketer
Joseph Del Campo
Age: 72
Vero Beach, Fla.
Former FBI Agent
Neal Gottlieb
Age: 37
Sausalito, Calif.
Ice Cream Entrepreneur
Elisabeth Markham
Age: 27
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Quantitative Strategist
Debbie Wanner
Age: 49
Reading, Pa.
Chemist
The Brawn Tribe – “To Tang”
Cydney Gillon
Age: 23
Douglasville, Ga.
Body Builder
Darnell Hamilton
Age: 27
Chicago
Postal Worker
Alecia Holden
Age: 24
Dallas
Real Estate Agent
Kyle Jason
Age: 31
Detroit
Bounty Hunter
Jennifer Lanzetti
Age: 38
Salt Lake City
Contractor
Scot Pollard
Age: 40
Carmel, Ind.
Former NBA Champion
Arrow returns on January 20, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT for the second half of season four, a season that’s featured the introduction of Legends of Tomorrow characters and crossovers with The Flash. Arrow season four continues with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) now laser-focused on taking down Damien Dahrk (guest star Neal McDonough). The episode, titled Blood Debts, was directed by Jesse Warn from a script by Oscar Balderrama and Sarah Tarkoff.
The Blood Debts Plot:
THE AFTERMATH — Oliver (Stephen Amell) must deal with the devastating consequences of Darhk’s (McDonough) last attack. Seeking revenge, Oliver goes on a brutal manhunt looking for Dahrk.
The Recording Academy’s announced the first batch of performers set to take the stage on the 2016 Grammys. 10-time Grammy Award winner Adele, 11-time nominee Kendrick Lamar, seven time nominee The Weeknd, and Grammy winners Little Big Town are confirmed to perform during this year’s Grammys set for February 15th at 8pm ET/5pm PT (airing live on CBS). Lip Sync Battle‘s LL Cool J is hosting for the fifth year in a row.
The 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year Lionel Ritchie will be honored during what’s dubbed “music’s biggest night.” Louis J. Horvitz is directing with David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are on board as writers. Ehrlich is also executive producing.
Lamar is this year’s top Grammy nominee, earning nominations in the Album Of The Year (To Pimp A Butterfly), Song Of The Year (“Alright”), Best Rap Performance (“Alright”), Best Rap Song (“All Day” and “Alright”), Best Rap Album (To Pimp A Butterfly), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (with Taylor Swift for “Bad Blood”), Best Music Video (“Alright” and “Bad Blood”), Best Dance Recording (with Flying Lotus for “Never Catch Me”), and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (“These Walls”) categories.
The Weeknd earned seven nominations this year including Record Of The Year (“Can’t Feel My Face”), Album Of The Year (Beauty Behind The Madness), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Can’t Feel My Face”), Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Song Written For Visual Media (“Earned It [Fifty Shades of Grey]”), and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Beauty Behind The Madness). The 2016 Grammys will mark The Weeknd’s first Grammy performance.
Little Big Town is also making their Grammy debut this year. The band is nominated in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Girl Crush”) and Best Country Album (Pain Killer) categories.
The Flash season two returns from its midseason break with an episode full of surprises and the arrival of someone who could be a new major player in the second half of the second season. Titled ‘Potential Energy,’ the episode aired on January 19, 2016.
The Recap:
Barry (Grant Gustin) arrives for his date with Patty (Shantel VanSanten) with roses ablaze. Seriously, he sets the roses on fire. Barry’s so happy that he tells Patty it feels like he’s been struck by lightning twice. That’s barely out of his mouth when Zoom zooms in, takes Patty away, and kills her by dropping her off a building. Thankfully, it was all a dream.
Joe (Jesse L. Martin) walks his son Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) around the police station and Iris (Candice Patton) tells him she’s super happy to have a brother. Wally’s not sold on this whole family thing yet and actually cool to his new family when a crook in handcuffs asks him where his cuffs are. Wally shrugs it off and leaves. In walks Patty and she needs Iris’ advice. Over coffee, she asks for Iris’ help in figuring Barry out. Patty thinks there’s something holding him back, but Iris says it’s because he has a habit of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Meanwhile at S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is pissed and tossing things around. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) enters and tells Dr. Wells maybe they can slow down Zoom by stealing his speed and not have to make Barry faster. Cisco has been embroiled in a battle with the Turtle (his white whale), a metahuman who can slow down everything around him as he steals things. They want to catch him and use his powers to slow down Zoom. Barry’s never heard of Turtle but he races away because diamonds have been stolen and a press conference is underway. Barry spots the Turtle stealing a precious ring during the press conference, but Turtle slows him down so he can’t do anything about it.
Cisco wants to know what it was like in Turtle-time and Harrison wants to see how he can use this against Zoom. They figure out who Turtle actually is and Jay (Teddy Sears) is disappointed and feeling lost because he can’t help anyone anymore. But, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) is determined to figure out a way that he can.
Joe knows about Turtle and that Cisco’s been chasing him, so he’s happy Barry and the gang have figured out who he is. Joe and Barry talk about their plans for dinner that evening with Wally, and Patty comes in to make sure everything’s okay between them. He asks her out on a romantic date for the following night and she says that’s exactly what they need.
At Joe’s, Wally is a no-show and Iris, Barry, and Joe have wasted an evening waiting or him to show up for dinner. Joe thanks them for being there and heads up to bed. Even Iris knows about Turtle (Barry was definitely the only one not in on this Turtle dude), and she tells Barry that she met with Patty. Barry confesses he’s having nightmares about Zoom killing Patty, and Iris says one day soon Patty will have to learn the truth if he’s serious about being with her. Barry makes up his mind and says he will do it.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, the gang figures out where tTurtle will show up next: the museum. It will happen tonight and Barry calls Patty to ask her to go to the museum with him that evening. Cisco tells him he’s a really great superhero but it’s not a good idea to bring a date to a job, and Barry reveals he’s going to tell Patty the truth. He’s got Cisco’s support, with Cisco telling him Patty’s Team Flash material. As he’s about to leave, Harrison tells him not to do it and to keep her as far away from this as possible because Zoom will take her from him.
At the museum, Barry, Caitlin, and Jay look gorgeous all dressed in formal attire. They’re on the lookout for Turtle while Cisco and Harrison wait outside in the van. Harrison doesn’t like Cisco’s nicknames and explains the backstory behind Zoom’s name. Zoom set a trap and killed 14 officers and left one behind to tell the tale, describing Zoom as blue lightning zooming about. That officer was killed later that night. That’s how Zoom got his nickname.
In walks Patty and she’s stunning. They kiss and Barry takes her onto the dance floor to talk. Barry tells he works hard to hide who he is and he has to really trust someone if they’re going to know the truth. He tells her he trusts her and starts to explain what happened after he was struck by lightning but just then he sees Turtle and breaks off his story, racing away. Turtle figures out it’s a trap and shoots a chandelier hanging directly over Patty’s head. The Flash races to save her but is slowed by Turtle. He manages to push her out of the way just as it crashes to the ground, taking the blow himself. With the lights out, Caitlin and Jay drag him out of the museum.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin examines him but Barry says he feels fine. Turtle got away with the painting, and Barry has to take off to tell Patty he didn’t ditch her. Jay and Caitlin are left alone and he pours her a glass of champagne. They toast, kiss, and he heads off to help Cisco and Harrison.
Patty’s at home about to open an envelope from Midway City University when Barry knocks on her door. She’s angry and Barry allows her to vent. Patty doesn’t want to just have fun anymore, and she thinks that’s all this apparently has been for Barry.
Wally’s drag racing on the city streets. He wins and gets the other guy’s car, and finally notices Joe has been observing him from the sidelines. Joe confronts him about missing dinner and he wants to know if racing is why Wally actually came to town. Wally is racing to pay for his mom’s hospital bills. Wally says he’s the man of their house and tells Joe to go home to his family.
Patty sips win after Barry leaves. There’s a knock and she assumes it’s Barry again. It’s not, it’s Turtle. She shoots at him but he stops her, grabs her neck and points a gun at her head. She wants to know what he wants and he says, “The thing most precious to The Flash – you.”
Barry returns to Patty’s, sees the spent bullet shells on the ground, and knows something happened. He calls Joe and tells him Turtle has Patty and to meet him at S.T.A.R. Labs.
Turtle has Patty tied up and he tells her he wants her dead, but it will be slow. Her death will come because The Flash cares for her. Turtle always takes things that value most to people because his wife took him for granted and wanted to leave. He shows Patty his wife is now dead and preserved in a box. He has another box ready just for Patty.
At S.T.A.R. Labs Harrison figures out Turtle keeps these things he steals as trophies. Cisco can’t find him but then figures out Turtle’s ex-wife was an archivist at the Naydel Library before it shut down. That’s definitely big enough to hold all of the stuff he stole, and Barry takes off without a real plan. The gang tells him he has to grab Patty in between Turtle’s pulses. He’ll have two-tenths of a second to make his move. He confronts Turtle while he’s slow, and Turtle knocks him to the ground. The Flash races away only to return going full Flash speed. He’s able to move through Turtle’s pulses and eventually smashes Turtle into a wall, knocking him out and saving Patty. She still doesn’t know who he is, but she hugs The Flash and thanks him.
Turtle is locked up at S.T.A.R. Labs and The Flash tells him now he’s their most prized possession. Caitlin follows Jay out and tells him she knows he’s sick. She took his DNA off the champagne glass. She wants to know why he let her get close to him knowing she’d lose him just like she lost her husband. Jay reveals the only way to save him is to get his speed back, and the only way to do that is to stop Zoom.
Wally shows up at Joe’s using the excuse he left his sweater there. Wally’s going back to Keystone, telling Joe he’s not going to apologize for his actions. Joe says it’s he who should apologize for pushing this father/son thing. They agree to slow it down, and Wally agrees to stay for dinner.
At the Central City Police Station, Barry wants to talk to Patty and she says it’s not a good time. He doesn’t care and begins to explain that he hasn’t been honest. She cuts him off and says she’s leaving Central City because she’s going away to college to follow her dream. So, it’s time to move on from the job and from Barry. Barry’s devastated.
In a voice-over, Harrison says he’s coming for his daughter soon. He recalls how he lost her once when she was little, and will do anything now to get her back He goes to Turtle’s cage, shoves an instrument up his nose, killing him as he withdraws something.
And the final scene shows the arrival of another Reverse-Flash… It’s the real Eobard Thawne (Matt Letscher) and he has no idea where he is. This has to be the Earth 2 version of Thawne, but why has he shown up now? [Update: the producers have said it’s Thawne from an alternate timeline.]
Margot Robbie stars in Warner Bros Pictures’ ‘Suicide Squad.’
Warner Bros just unveiled the official trailer for Suicide Squad, based on the DC Comics and directed by David Ayer. The crazy new trailer is set to Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and features Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. The cast also includes Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jay Hernandez, Ike Barinholtz, and Scott Eastwood. Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 5, 2016.
The Plot: It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
In the sequel to Neighbors, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, it’s a sorority that’s making the neighborhood a living hell for Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, reprising their roles as Mac and Kelly Radner. Zac Efron also returns for more R-rated fun, but this time he’s apparently teaming up with Rogen and Byrne to rid the neighborhood of the hard partying college kids. The cast also includes Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kiersey Clemons, Beanie Feldstein, Selena Gomez and Lisa Kudrow. Nicholas Stoller returned as director and Universal Pictures is aiming for a May 20, 2016 theatrical release.
The Plot:
Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs. But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.
Tired of their school’s sexist, restrictive system, the unorthodox ladies of Kappa Nu have decided to start a house where they can do whatever the hell they want. When Shelby (Moretz) and her sisters, Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), find the perfect place just off campus, they won’t let the fact that it’s located on a quiet street stand in their way of parties as epic as the guys throw.
Forced to turn to the one ex-neighbor with the skills to bring down the new Greeks next door, the Radners—alongside best friends Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Paula (Carla Gallo)—bring in charismatic Teddy as their secret weapon. If he can infiltrate the sorority and charm his way through it, the thirtysomethings will shutter the Kappas’ home. But if they think that their neighbors are going down without a fight, they have severely underestimated the power of youthful ingenuity and straight-up crazy.
Watch the new Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising trailer:
Anchor Bay Entertainment’s set to release Starz’ Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season, starring Tom Riley as Leonardo da Vinci, on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26, 2016. The third season also featured Laura Haddock, Blake Ritson, Elliot Cowan, Lara Pulver, and James Faulkner, and marked the final season for the gripping dramatic series created by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy). With the third season just about to be released on DVD and Blu-ray, Anchor Bay has provided us with Blu-rays to give away to lucky winners. One winner will receive the grand prize package that includes the Da Vinci’s Demons season 1, season 2, and season 3 Blu-rays! The runner up will receive a Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray.
Entering is super easy. Simply send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Da Vinci’s Demons.” Only one email entry per email address is allowed and you must be 18 years or older to enter the contest. Don’t delay – enter now for a shot at winning the grand prize package or the season three Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment! The contest ends on January 27, 2016 at 6pm PST.
The Da Vinci’s Demons Season Three Plot:
Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season shows Leonardo da Vinci’s world as it comes crashing down when the city of Otranto is torn apart by an Ottoman invasion. On the battlefield, the Turks use da Vinci’s own weapons against him…the designs for which were stolen by someone he trusted. This betrayal will haunt Leo long after the battle is decided, as will the deaths of loved ones lost in the fighting. When Rome instigates a Crusade against the Turks, he seizes the opportunity to join, but his mission is complicated by a series of grisly murders that terrorize Italy and threaten the Crusade itself.
Channing Tatum and Beyonce perform on ‘Lip Sync Battle’ (Photo Credit: Spike TV)
Renewing Lip Sync Battle for a third season was probably one of the easiest renewal decisions Spike President Kevin Kay has had to make. The music-driven series is the network’s most watched original series, with season two of the show averaging 4.4 million viewers. According to Spike, Lip Sync Battle is #1 in its timeslot among adults 18 to 49.
Season two airs on Thursday nights at 10pm ET/PT with LL Cool J hosting and Chrissy Teigen providing color commentary. The second season kicked off on January 7th and set new ratings records for Spike. More than 4.7 million viewers watched a special one-hour episode, which featured a showdown between husband and wife actors, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum. The episode also featured special appearances by Paula Abdul and Beyonce. The premiere episode, which featured special appearances by Paula Abdul and Beyonce, set a new record as the most watched original series episode in Spike’s history.
Season three will consist of 20 new episodes to be shot later this year. Casey Patterson, Jay Peterson, John Krasinski, and Stephen Merchant executive produce.
The Plot: “The critically-acclaimed and award-nominated Lip Sync Battle features celebrities going head to head – lip-syncing the song of their choice – battling for the coolest bragging rights on the planet.”
Walt Disney Studios has changed the release dates of two of its upcoming big franchise films: Star Wars: Episode VIII and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Star Wars fans are going to have to wait an additional seven months to see the sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the Mouse House has bumped the release date from May 26, 2017 to December 15, 2017. The Force Awakens was released in December and scored phenomenal success over the winter holidays, prompting Disney to move Star Wars VIII to a December berth also.
