Spotlight‘s new poster spotlights five of the main cast members, which makes sense as the film’s an ensemble piece about a team of reporters. Based on a true story, Spotlight stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James, Stanley Tucci, and Billy Crudup, and was directed by Tom McCarthy (Win Win, The Station Agent). McCarthy also co-wrote the script with Josh Singer, and Open Road Films will be launching the film in theaters on November 6, 2015.
The Plot:
A group of Boston Globe reporters uncovers a shocking cover-up that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. Spotlight tells the true story of the Globe’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters who spent a year investigating allegations of abuse within the Catholic Church, ultimately revealing decades of deception at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal and government establishment and touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Academy Award-nominee Tom McCarthy, Spotlight is a tense investigative drama that tells the true story behind the scandal that shook the world.
Liev Schreiber as Boris Spassky and Tobey Maguire as Bobby Fischer in ‘Pawn Sacrifice,’ a Bleecker Street release (Photo by Takashi Seida)
The stars of the dramatic film Pawn Sacrifice discuss bringing the story of the showdown between American chess master Bobby Fischer and Russian chess master Boris Spassky to the screen in this new behind the scenes video. Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, and Peter Sarsgaard talk about Bobby Fischer and being a part of Pawn Sacrifice directed by Edward Zwick.
Bleecker Street’s Pawn Sacrifice opens in theaters on September 16, 2015.
The Plot:
In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Pawn Sacrifice chronicles Fischer’s terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.
Heidi Klum and Jimmy Fallon on ‘The Tonight Show’ (Photo by Douglas Gorenstein / NBC)
The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon brought back the Box of Lies game for a rousing round of who’s the better liar with Heidi Klum. Klum, who’s been in the news recently because of Donald Trump’s dumb comment that she’s no longer a 10, proved she’s capable of coming up with bizarre stories in order to attempt to beat Box of Lies veteran Fallon. Not even a quick sip of alcohol threw either Klum or Fallon off their game…
Denis Leary as Johnny and Elaine Hendrix as Ava in ‘Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll’ (Photo by Patrick Harbron / FX)
Elaine Hendrix’s background as a singer and dancer made tackling the role of back-up singer Ava in FX’s Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll a natural fit for the gorgeous actress. Hendrix began her career in entertainment appearing in music videos before transitioning to acting, with her resume now including roles in feature films and on TV as well as writing and producing credits.
Hendrix’s ‘Ava’ in Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is smart, sexy, and talented, and completely devoted to a mess of an aging rock and roll singer/songwriter named Johnny Rock (played by the series’ writer/creator Denis Leary). During a conference call to discuss the FX series currently airing on Thursday nights at 10pm ET/PT, Hendrix talked about getting into the character, collaborating with Leary, and relating to Ava.
How did you get involved with the series?
Elaine Hendrix: “It was a little bit of good old-fashioned auditioning, but it was also very different in that they were not seeing people in Los Angeles for my role, and I live in Los Angeles. So, I put myself on tape, and normally even if you put yourself on tape eventually you have to go into a room with some decision-maker. That just didn’t happen in this process.
My tape got passed around and then the next thing I know I booked the job, was shooting the pilot, and then the next thing I know we’re on the series, and then the next thing I know here I am talking to you all. So, it was a little old-fashioned and a little modern at the same time.”
Can you talk about working with Denis Leary?
Elaine Hendrix: “Well, first of all, Denis is a dream. I cannot stop raving about him enough. I keep saying I don’t know who I’m going to work with after him, because between him and FX it makes the perfect combination for an artist, for the actor side because we have a lot of freedom on this show to really bring ideas, and creativity, and our own unique stamp to the roles, and that just doesn’t always happen.
Denis also really starts to write towards us and towards our strengths, and as a woman who does comedy that is the ultimate dream, because, first of all, not everybody – it’s not that they don’t allow it, it just doesn’t really happen that much, and especially from a male perspective. Males don’t always write strong, funny women roles. But Denis does and he champions strong, funny women. So, it’s really ideal for me.”
How would you describe Ava and Johnny’s relationship?
Elaine Hendrix: “The Ava/Johnny relationship, I think is a very complex one because anything goes with them and they love that. They thrive on that. It’s what’s kept them together so many years, that they just completely accept one another. They could be screaming bloody murder at each other and then in the next second be making out. And so they just are who they are, they accept each other and love each other unconditionally. As crazy as that can seem in, particularly a rock and roll world, I don’t know, it’s kind of neat. It’s kind of special.”
Is there anyone you modeled Ava after? Did Denis tell you anyone to look at someone in particular when you were preparing for the role?
Elaine Hendrix: “Not really. For the show, the general idea, he had guys he had gone to school with and modeled after the rockers who didn’t make it. That was modeled after people. I think for Ava it might have been a compilation of people, but there wasn’t any one particular person we pointed to. I did a lot of research on rock and roll; I did a lot of research on backup singers. I did a lot of research on drugs, actually, and then just brought my own imagination to her and certainly my own spin to her. I also knew Denis’ style of comedy. I knew she had to have some pace and pep to her.
Yes, so that’s the long answer to say no, there wasn’t one person in particular. It really was a building process.”
You have such great chemistry with all the cast members on the show, do you have a favorite scene or a funny moment from this season?
Elaine Hendrix: “I think we do, too, and it’s so funny because you’ve read about people who hate each other and still have great chemistry onscreen. But we all actually really love each other and like each other. We hang out when we’re not working together. We remain friends. We text each other all the time. We try to see each other whenever we can. So, I think that’s what makes a lot for our great chemistry.
And the favorite scenes, my favorite scenes are typically when I’m with Dennis in the bedroom just because that’s where I feel like we really get to capture a lot of Ava and Johnny’s history. Denis and I, we really just let the reins go and try to get it as real and raw as possible.
And then the other time, in the complete opposite way, when we’re all together is also some of my favorite scenes because of the chemistry we do have. I love when we’re all just sort of piling over each other and it gets messy, and we’re interrupting, and fighting, and loving, so it’s fun. It makes for a great adrenaline rush, really.”
Has being a heavy metal backup singer influenced you as far as liking more heavy rock and roll in real life?
Elaine Hendrix: “No, because I love rock. I think at heart I’m a rock chick, and for me the Country rock, even Bluegrass, they all generate from the Blues. And so I do love it all. I’ve grown up listening to all kinds of music. I love Bach as much as I love Pink, as much as I love Dolly Parton. So, I’m a big music fan.
It’s so funny, I’m taking this call right now from Tennessee. I’m home visiting my family and my dad’s in the other room – I don’t even know if he can hear me – but two of his favorite guys growing up, rockers, were Jerry Lee Lewis and George Thorogood. So, I grew up listening to that, and I’m just happy to be a part of a rock and roll show. Yes, my roots run Southern because I am [from] Tennessee, but I’ll take any of it.”
Did you have any input into Ava’s look on the show?
Elaine Hendrix: “Our costumer, Jeriana San Juan, is a genius. She has dressed so many iconic people and worked on so many iconic shows and tours and whatnot, so we really didn’t have to do a lot. She showed up with all kinds of pieces and ideas, and then I certainly had input as we went along. It’s funny, especially when you work on a series, you do get the luxury of building and refining her as you go along. There would literally be moments I would try something on and we’d go, ‘Nope, it’s not Ava. It’s just not her.’ And so you start to get into a groove. You start to get into a rhythm of what really works for the character and what doesn’t.”
You’ve had many roles over the years, is there a particular role you’re proud of that maybe never fully got a chance to catch on with audiences or critics or even fans that you wish now they could go back and check out?
Elaine Hendrix: “Oh, gosh the first thing that came to mind was a little movie that I did called Good Intentions. And I say ‘little’ just because it was independent. It didn’t have any big studio backing or anything, and I was a co-producer on that. It was myself, Leeann Rimes, Luke Perry, and a whole bunch of other really tremendous actors. It’s just a sweet, fun, feel-good, Southern movie. It was I think maybe one of the only times that I really got to play Southern and so that was a lot of fun. I’m very, very proud of that movie.”
What inspired you to become a vegan?
Elaine Hendrix: “I’m always happy when people ask me about my advocacy work. I’ve loved animals my whole life and when I started getting invited to different charity events as an actress and as someone who was starting to become visible, I got invited to all these different charity events and I felt like I wasn’t really making an impact. I was just showing up. But I couldn’t really point to anything that I really felt like I could measure where I was really making a difference. And so I sat down literally at my computer one day and I said, ‘I’m going to figure out what my platform is so I can really focus on that.’
In hindsight it should have been obvious that it was animals because I’ve loved animals my whole life. But it did take me finding an undercover fur video and my reaction to that, it completely traumatized me, totally changed my life. From that point forward I’ve done everything I could to help animals. And so becoming vegan was a little bit of a progression, as I kept learning about different animal issues I keep, and still to this day I still learn about things that are helping to animals and I try to weed out everything that hurts them. I try to weed any of that out of my life. So, it’s been a journey and it’s a continuing journey.”
Magic Mike XXL, the 2015 sequel to the 2012’s Magic Mike, will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on October 6, 2015. Magic Mike XXL opened in theaters on July 1st and has pulled in $117 million worldwide. The original Magic Mike did better box office business at $167 million during its theatrical run, but Magic Mike XXL was the better reviewed of the two male stripper films. Both films starred Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, with So You Think You Can Dance‘s Stephen tWitch Boss, Donald Glover, Elizabeth Banks, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Amber Heard joining the franchise with the sequel.
According to Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Magic Mike XXL will be available as a Blu-ray Combo Pack, a Blu-ray, a DVD, and in Digital HD. Here’s the scoop on the extras included on the home video releases:
Magic Mike XXL Blu-ray Combo Pack special features:
– The Moves of Magic Mike XXL
– Extended Malik Dance Scene
– Georgia
Magic Mike XXL Standard Definition DVD special features:
– The Moves of Magic Mike XXL
– Georgia
The Plot:
Picking up the story three years after Mike (played by Channing Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, Magic Mike XXL finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them.
On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.
We have to wait until 2016 to see The Witch in theaters, but A24’s already trying to get the attention of horror fans with a creepy trailer for Robert Eggers’ directorial debut. The Witch premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival where it earned Eggers the Best Director Prize in the U.S. Narrative Competition. The R-rated horror film starring Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson earned high praise from critics at the festival, with Variety’s Justin Chang calling it a “gripping historical horror-thriller.” Guardian’s Jordan Hoffman says “its focus on themes over plot is what elevates it to something near greatness” while The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy says writer/director Eggers has created a “special feel and ambiance” with his rookie effort.
The Plot:
Set in New England circa 1630, The Witch follows a farmer who get cast out of his colonial plantation and is forced to move his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest rumored to be controlled by witches. Almost immediately, strange and unsettling things begin to happen-the animals turn violent, the crops fail, and one of the children disappears, only to return seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. As suspicion and paranoia mount, everyone begins to point the finger at teenage daughter Thomasin. They accuse her of witchcraft, which she adamantly denies…but as circumstances become more and more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty, and love will be tested in shocking and unforgettable ways.
The espionage thriller Incorporated has landed three more actors for its pilot episode. Syfy announced
Dennis Haysbert (24), David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis), and Ian Tracey (Wayward Pines) have signed on to the project set up with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Pearl Street Films, CBS Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions.
The just-announced cast members join Sean Teale (Reign), Georgina Haig (Once Upon a Time), Eddie Ramos (Teen Wolf), and Julia Ormond (Mad Men) who were previously announced as starring in Incorporated.
David and Alex Pastor created the series, and Ted Humphrey is Incorporated‘s executive producer/showrunner. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Todd are also involved as executive producers.
The Plot: Set in a world where companies have unlimited power, executive Ben Larson (Teale) is forced to change his identity in order to infiltrate a cut-throat corporate world at SPIGA and save the woman he loves. In the process, he will take on the entire system — with deadly consequences.
Dennis Haysbert plays series regular Julian, Head of Security and probably the most feared person at SPIGA headquarters. Part detective and part grand inquisitor, Julian is a tenacious investigator with an uncanny ability to sniff out moles and traitors in the company. David Hewlett is Chad, a high-level executive at SPIGA, the all-powerful company in Incorporated, who has reached his position by appeasing his superiors and taking credit for the achievements of his subordinates.
Ian Tracey will play Terrence, a corrupt businessman who quickly becomes a benefactor to Theo (Ramos), but could also become a threat to Ben’s plans for SPIGA.
What do you think of the new official poster for Starz’ Ash vs Evil Dead? The 10 episode season one debuts on October 31, 2015 at 9:00pm ET/PT and stars Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash Williams from the Evil Dead film series. The cast of the new show also includes Lucy Lawless as Ruby, Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar, Dana DeLorenzo as Kelly Maxwell, and Jill Marie Jones as disgraced Michigan State Trooper Amanda Fisher.
The original Evil Dead team of Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert return for the series as executive producers, with Craig DiGregorio executive producer and showrunning.
The Plot:
Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario, and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.
Just hours before the season two second half premiere, ABC Family announced it renewed Young & Hungry for a third season. Season two’s first half finished up with the show in the top spot among the network’s female audience age 18-34. It was also the #1 original cable series in its Wednesday at 8pm timeslot.
Young & Hungry stars Emily Osment, Jonathan Sadowski, Aimee Carrero, Kym Whitley, and Rex Lee, and is produced by David Holden, Ashley Tisdale, Jessica Rhoades, Caryn Lucas, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum.
Announcing the renewal, Karey Burke, Executive Vice President of Programming and Development, ABC Family stated, “We are so proud of how Young & Hungry grew during its second season: it ranked as cable’s number one original series in its timeslot in key demos. We can’t wait to see what is next for this talented ensemble.”
The Plot:
In Young & Hungry, two worlds collide when Josh (Sadowski), a wealthy young tech entrepreneur, meets Gabi (Osment), a feisty young food blogger, looking to be his personal chef. Gabi is desperate for the job and must prove herself, mostly to Josh’s aide (Lee), who prefers a famous chef for the job. When Josh enlists Gabi to prepare a romantic meal for him and his girlfriend, the dinner goes awry and Gabi finds herself in a very awkward position. With the help of her best friend Sofia (Carrero) and Josh’s housekeeper (Whitley), Gabi turns a difficult situation into an opportunity for employment and maybe even love.
In May’s mid-season finale, Gabi left Josh to start a dream job in Switzerland just as they were about to finally take their relationship to the next level. In the August 19th season premiere, Gabi and Josh must decide where they go from here, both professionally and personally.
Taraji P. Henson and Jimmy Fallon on ‘The Tonight Show’ (Photo by Douglas Gorenstein / NBC)
Emmy nominated actress Taraji P Henson (Empire) stopped by The Tonight Show and took on host Jimmy Fallon in a speed round of Family Feud, minus the additional family members. The rules of the game were similar to Family Feud in that whoever buzzed in first attempted to guess an answer that would be one of the top three answers. If they failed to guess the number one answer, the other person had a chance to steal the game. So, what did we learn about Henson and Fallon from this Fast Family Feud game? Both are extremely competitive, neither hide their laundry when guests come over, and Henson has no idea who Dumbledore is.
