The latest video for the upcoming third film of the Kung Fu Panda franchise – Kung Fu Panda 3 – parodies Star Wars while introducing Po’s father. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni, the voice cast for Kung Fu Panda 3 is led by Jack Black and includes returning Kung Fu Panda cast members Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, and David Cross. New to the franchise with this third outing are Bryan Cranston, Rebel Wilson, and J.K. Simmons.
Kung Fu Panda 3 will open in theaters on January 29, 2016.
The Plot:
When Po’s long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!
Nisha Ganatra (Transparent), Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said), Anne Fletcher (Hot Pursuit), Shira Piven (Welcome to Me), and Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) interview for the job of directing the action tentpole Space Cops 4. The panel of male studio executives, played by Max Greenfield, Will Hines, and Ryan Stanger, have no desire to actually hear the ideas for the film from the female directors and instead resort to miming gun battles and car crashes as though the women have no clue how to make an action film.
The Funny or Die tagline: “Hollywood’s leading female directors are interviewed by big-wig execs to see if they’ll pander to the studio’s vision for the next blockbuster movie.”
Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America focuses on seven celebrities who don’t know their way around the kitchen in the upcoming seventh season of the cooking series set to debut on September 23, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT. Rachael Ray and Anne Burrell will do their best to help the celebs turn out edible meals over the course of the six-episode special series.
Unafraid to show how hopeless they are when it comes to cooking are Dean Cain, Ellen Cleghorne, Jenni “Jwoww” Farley, Chris Soules, Jaleel White, Kendra Wilkinson, and Barry Williams.
Whoever makes the biggest transformation in the kitchen will win a $50,000 prize for his or her charity.
“With Anne and Rachael as team leaders to a roster of cooking-challenged celebrities, Worst Cooks boot camp is high energy and hilarious,” stated Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network. “The kitchen is bursting with big personalities and comical culinary mishaps – but along the way, some of these celebs actually develop impressive cooking chops.”
The Plot:
In the season premiere, Rachael joins Anne for the first time in boot camp and they are introduced to their recruits – celebrities who can’t cook. They have a limited amount of time to turn these seven pampered personalities into kitchen stars, so they assess everyone’s skill level at the first-ever Worst Cooks potluck and find themselves tasting some very interesting dishes. After Anne and Rachael pick teams, one celebrity does not make the cut and is sent back to Tinseltown.
Upcoming episodes feature suspenseful blindfold dish tastings, a rousing game of Family Food and small-dish tapas-style entertaining. The season culminates in a finale on Wednesday, October 28 at 9pm ET/PT where the most improved recruit is awarded $50,000 for charity and bragging rights for their mentor.
Lexi Johnson as Gloria in ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ (Photo by Justin Lubin / AMC)
How big was Fear the Walking Dead‘s season one premiere? Big enough to set a new record for the biggest cable series premiere in history. The Walking Dead spinoff/prequel drew in 10.1 million viewers for the 90 minute episode one which aired on August 23, 2015, including 6.3 million adults in the 18-49 age range. Fear the Walking Dead‘s huge debut pushed the network’s Better Call Saul into second place on the all-time cable series premiere chart, with The Walking Dead now residing in the fifth spot.
“Thank you and congratulations to Robert Kirkman, Dave Erickson, the brilliant executive producers and the entire cast and crew of Fear the Walking Dead,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC and SundanceTV, commenting on the show’s big ratings. “It is increasingly difficult to evaluate a show’s success on night one. However, we are releasing these live/same day ratings because Fear the Walking Dead delivered record-breaking numbers that are all the more special in this era of time-shifted viewing and audience fragmentation. To have a companion series to the #1 show on television driving communal, urgent viewing, social activity and pop cultural relevance of this magnitude is truly differentiating. Of course none of it is possible without the fans, whose passion leads to these remarkable results.”
Season one will consist of six episodes, with season two expanding to 15 new episodes in 2016. The series stars Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, and Frank Dillane, and is executive produced by Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Erickson, David Alpert, and Greg Nicotero.
Destroy, despise, cheat, crush… The official trailer’s arrived for the dark comedy Kill Your Friends based on the novel by John Niven. Definitely not safe for work or younger viewers, the trailer features Nicholas Hoult playing an A&R man who’ll stop at nothing to find the next big thing in British music. Directed by Owen Harris, the cast includes James Corden, Craig Roberts, Rosanna Arquette, Ed Skrein, and Georgia King.
Kill Your Friends will screen at the Toronto Film Festival before opening in theaters later this year.
The Plot:
When the road to success is littered with losers and even your closest colleagues are desperate for you to fail, what would you do to make it to the top?
London, 1997; the British music industry is on a winning streak. Britpop bands Blur, Oasis, Radiohead rule the airwaves and Cool Britannia is in full swing. 27-year-old hit chasing A&R man Steven Stelfox is slashing and burning his way through the music business, a world where careers are made and broken by chance and the fickle tastes of the general public.
In an industry of dream-makers, Stelfox refuses to buy into the ‘dream’ – and despises anyone that does. Fueled by greed, ambition and inhuman quantities of drugs, Stelfox searches for his next hit record amid a relentless orgy of self-gratification. Created by an industry that demands success at any price, Stelfox takes the concept of ‘killer tunes’ to a murderous new level in a desperate attempt to salvage his career. Balanced against the backdrop of the music business and its characters, Stelfox is the ultimate anti-hero: chronically sexist, racist, and everything else-ist.
Kill Your Friends is a dark, satirical and hysterically funny evisceration of the Nineties music business in London. A time and place populated by frauds, charlatans and bluffers; where ambition is a higher currency than talent, and where it seems anything can be achieved – as long as you want it badly enough.
Bree Turner as Rosalee Calvert in season four of ‘Grimm’ (Photo by Scott Green / NBC)
NBC’s hit dramatic series Grimm returns for a fifth season on October 30, 2015 with the main characters dealing with the loss of Juliette and with the impending birth of Nick and Adalind’s baby. The new Grimm season promises big changes are in store and during our interview with the lovely Bree Turner at Comic Con, she talked about how her character, Rosalee, will be helping Nick (played by David Giuntoli) deal with all of the recent life-changing events.
“Monroe and Rosalee would do anything for Nick. I think after the Wesenrein event this last season it’s been a little harder for them to put themselves out there necessarily so quickly, maybe less I’m not going to say for the Monroe side of the story. But I think for Rosalee that was unimaginable what happened to Monroe. I think a lot of fear comes up for Rosalee for just how exposed and vulnerable they are to these outside groups,” said Turner.
Season five of Grimm will find Nick, Hank (Russell Hornsby), and Sgt. Wu (Reggie Lee) also dealing with the destruction of the trailer that housed all of the Grimm books and weapons. Juliette burned it to the ground in season four and the few supplies and books that remain have found a new home at the spice shop. “The trailer 2.0 is in the basement of the spice shop now and we’ve seen it a little bit in the show but you’re going to see it a lot in this next season. The set is so beautiful! It’s like a full, proper, huge cellar room. It was actually the original basement in the original spice shop that was a real building in Chinatown in Portland, and they recreated that actual basement where we shot my first episode. I walked in and it was a trip. I was like, ‘Whoa.’ It looks just like that building three years ago,” revealed Turner. “And also beyond just the spices and the remedies and all that stuff, this baby is coming and I’m Nick’s closest female companion at this point so I’m quite literally thrown into that right off the bat.”
But being thrown into all of the chaos that will be going on has gotten easier for Rosalee to handle and accept as the seasons progress. Rosalee has gotten stronger with each season and Turner believes that’s because of the relationship Rosalee has with Monroe. “I think what’s so sweet is all of it is based on her relationship with Monroe. Monroe’s made her have self-worth and feel like she can be loved and feel worthy and be powerful. That’s what’s so sweet about the relationship is that they make each other better. She finally feels satisfied for the first time in her whole life. That’s why this new…I just was told that Rosalee’s addictions come back this season and that makes me so sad – excited as an actress, but sad for Rosalee that you can’t ever escape your past. At some point it’s going to creep back in, so that’ll be really interesting to see what that’s about.”
And speaking of the Monroe and Rosalee relationship, the pair have become fan favorites which makes Turner extremely happy. “I booked this job as a guest star and I’d never met Silas [Weir Mitchell]. I met him on set right before we were about to work together. You never know how things are going to go down, and so much of it is chemistry. Obviously great writing, but a lot of it is just chemistry you can’t fake and thankfully we work well together,” said Turner. “It’s so lovely to have been so supported by the fans, the relationship, because I think it’s a nice one. It’s very sweet.”
Asked if she enjoys tackling the show’s humor, action scenes, or more dramatic moments best, Turner replied, “Honestly I like doing them all because I think that’s what makes our show so awesome. You can’t really define our show and so as an actress that’s really fun that there’s room to play. In really dark times you say funny things and in really funny times you say dark things – that’s how life goes and we always try to infuse that. You know, the spice shop stuff is fun. It’s also like I get a pit in my stomach right before those days because there’s a lot of props, there’s a lot of big words and I usually have a lot of exposition and I have to get all this information out to everyone. But, it’s also electric and alive on those set days.”
The first question asked of Kat Graham during our roundtable interview at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con was whether she believes her character, Bonnie, feels guilty about what happened to Elena (played by Nina Dobrev) in season six of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries. It was apparently a popular question and Graham joked that she probably should have prepared an answer prior to Comic-Con.
“I think the character feels everything. I think she feels relieved that she knows eventually that Elena will come back. I feel like she’s just a character that maybe if she did feel guilty how she behaves with others and her just kind of remembering what Elena said to her when they had the feather scene in the season finale – ‘This just had to happen. We both get what we want just not at the same time’ – just remembering that emotional impact that Elena had on Bonnie will, I think, take away some of the guilt. But this is also a character that lost her grandmother and that feels guilty about that. She feels guilty probably about Jeremy. This is a character who has a lot of emotions,” answered Graham. “I think right now she’s really kind of taking a bullsh*t attitude from anyone and she’s extremely strong and powerful without all the magic. And with the magic, she’s lethal.”
Asked what it is that will drive Bonnie in season seven, Graham replied, “I believe you’re going to see that in the first episode. I don’t want to say too much because then that will take off and go rolling, and then all of a sudden it’s, ‘Kat Graham gives spoilers.’ But you’ll see it in the first episode. This is a character that’s come back strong and obviously she’s going to want to do right by herself, by Elena, and whoever else that she’s lost in the process. She’s going to want to not sacrifice anymore. If she lost all of this, she’s going to make it count.”
The new season should find a shift in the relationship between Bonnie and Damon (played by Ian Somerhalder) as Damon is mourning the loss of Elena. “Well, I mean you’re dealing with how Damon was when he lost Katherine, the original Damon – the original badass. So it’s kind of the same thing in a weird way dealing with Elena, dealing with someone who has lost the love of his life,” offered Graham about the season seven Bonnie/Damon dynamic. “You’re going to see that they both have their issues with each other, but they’re actually dealing with it.”
Graham added, “The one thing that I love about Ian [Somerhalder] and I that is similar to our characters is that we’re both confrontational people in a very loving and great way, but so are Bonnie and Damon. So it really works out beautifully because we know how to play the scenes. We know how to work on them and we know how to bring humor to them, so you’re going to see them dealing with each other in a very direct way.”
Looking back on season six, The Vampire Diaries fans were able to learn even more about Bonnie and understand more about her personality. “I worked with Ivana Chubbuck, my coach who also coaches Ian and Nikki [Reed]. We wanted to show the vulnerability of being alone and what that means, and bring anything of my own life that might contribute to the scene,” explained Graham on her approach to last season’s Bonnie. “One of my favorite scenes was the suicide scene where she was going to kill herself. I wanted to put my own…it wasn’t suicide – it was something about the actual show that I’d been dealing with in my own life and I wanted to put that in the show because that is what I was dealing with at the moment. And, you know, I was really proud that the character was able to make that full turn.”
Stephen Colbert takes over The Late Show on September 8, 2015 at 11:35pm ET/PT, sitting down in the hosting chair to welcome his first guests Oscar-winner George Clooney and Republican Presidential Candidate Jeb Bush. The Late Show‘s bandleader Jon Batiste will be the first night’s musical guest along with his band Stay Human. CBS also just announced the other celebrities who’ll be joining The Late Show With Stephen Colbert over its first week.
Four-time Golden Globe nominee Scarlett Johansson is confirmed for Wednesday, September 9th. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and musician Kendrick Lamar are also set for Sept. 9th, with Lamar pulling double duty as the night’s musical guest.
Country superstar Toby Keith will be performing on September 10th and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will be interviewed on the show’s third episode. And the first week will finish up with appearances by actress/comedian Amy Schumer, bestselling author Stephen King, and Troubled Waters on Friday, September 11th.
Colbert, Tom Purcell and Meredith Bennett executive produce The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
Hugh Jackman’s going to be touring five Australian cities with his Broadway to Oz concert show based on his popular Broadway show Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway. Broadway to Oz will kick off in Melbourne on November 24, 2015 and will stop in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. All concert dates will take place in November and December 2015.
“Broadway to Oz is a dream come true. This is THE show I’ve always wanted to bring home,” stated Jackman announcing the Australian shows.
Broadway to Oz is described as a high-octane show that will take the audience “on a journey through Jackman’s life so far, from his early days in outback Australia to his vast musical theatre triumphs and to the first time he wielded the Wolverine claws in the blockbuster X-Men film franchise,” according to Ticketek. “The multi-million dollar arena production showcases some of Jackman’s greatest successes, including The Boy from Oz and Les Miserables and watch out for his irreverent nod to the mighty Wolverine. Jackman croons, twirls and shimmies through several medleys, including stunning tributes to classic musicals. A state-of-the-art lighting, sound and video production and a vast company of 150 musicians, singers, dancers and choir will support Jackman’s showmanship and infectious Aussie charm.”
The Broadway to Oz Tour Dates:
November 24 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
November 25 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
November 30 – Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney, NSW
December 1 – Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney, NSW
December 5 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
December 6 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
December 10 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, SA
December 15 – Perth Arena, WA
Willa Holland at Comic-Con 2015 (Photo by Richard Chavez)
Season three of The CW’s hit series Arrow was an incredibly emotional, incredibly challenging season for Willa Holland. Holland plays Thea Queen in the popular show and her character came back from the dead, said goodbye to the love of her life, and found out the truth about everyone she was close to. Season four will find Thea having grown into a stronger person who refuses to be pushed aside and who will become an integral part of Team Arrow.
Asked how Thea’s handling all of the developments and all the loses, Holland replied, “Oh man, I think that she has just been through the wringer. I think she’s gotten to a point where her skin is pretty numb. It’s going to take her a while to really feel…I don’t think she’s ever going to feel normal after everything she’s gone through. But I think that’s why her putting on the costume and doing what she’s doing in season four is going to be so very good for her because it’s giving her a purpose. It’s making her feel like she has meaning which is very important because for so long she was just sitting on the sidelines being lied to all the time and not being able to feel like she was strong. People were bringing her down continuously, so now it’s her being strong.”
Thea will be much more capable of standing on her own in season four, but in season three Holland had to handle emotional scenes including a few opposite John Barrowman who plays her father, Malcolm Merlyn. Discussing working with Barrowman on scenes that are supposed to be incredibly serious, Holland couldn’t help but laugh. “They were very intense and it’s very hard to be serious around John, not going to lie,” explained Holland. “It’s very hard to keep my face straight because the man is so incredibly hilarious and he loves to play pranks on everybody all the time – especially on your coverage. So, yeah, it was probably the most entertaining parts of actually working on this season.”
Barrowman kept her laughing, however the scene in which Thea says goodbye to Roy was so authentic that it’s not difficult to imagine it was a much more somber set on the day it was shot. “It was really sad, but Colton [Haynes] and I are so close – and he’s close to everybody on this cast – that it’s not like we’re not going to see him anymore, as well as there’s always a possibility of him coming back. It’s not like he died on the show. He definitely has all the power to come back and help out for a little bit. There’s a bunch of possibilities for it. But, those emotions were real and it seems very palpable. As was, not to go back in time, but Moira’s death scene – that scene was very palpable. All of those tears from Stephen [Amell], me and Susanna [Thompson] were beyond real. There wasn’t a single bit of that emotion that needed to be faked. Maybe exaggerated slightly because of the circumstances, but definitely all beyond real,” said Holland.
Back to season four, fans are wondering if Thea will be using her newfound strength to take over now that Oliver has left Starling City. “I wouldn’t go saying that far, but I definitely have a feeling that at the end of season three we saw her helping out the team. Now that there is no Oliver they definitely need a little more help so I have a feeling she’s going to be kicking some ass, taking some names as well,” replied Holland during roundtable interviews at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con.
Arrow season four will also see new dynamics play out between the characters as Thea takes on more responsibility. “Thea and Laurel [played by Katie Cassidy] have always had a really nice sisterly relationship so she’s definitely getting to have more exploration around that. And I know that we got to see in the last two episodes she kind of was far more introduced to the Diggles as well, hanging out at the house with Lyla and everybody and the kid, and beforehand she never really had much of a relationship with them other than thinking he was the driver helping out her brother. So now that she’s aware of everything that’s going on, I think that there’s going to be far more of a strong connection and bond between those three.”
And speaking of her new position within the group, Holland is excited about getting to play a costumed superhero although she’s not looking forward to donning the costume in hot weather. “I am so stoked about it expect for during the summer. I’m not looking forward to wearing it outside in the summer. It’s going to be very, very hot inside of all that tight, tight leather. But, regardless, I’m not going to complain because I’m getting to be a superhero so it’s kind of amazing. I’ll just put mini-fans around me at all times. I’ll just put them up my arm,” said Holland, laughing.
Holland hopes they can come up with a lighter costume for the warm weather, but what she really wants is a cape. “I’ve been asking about that but I don’t think it’s coming any time soon. But, hopefully, though. Fingers crossed. I keep on pushing it out there to the universe,” revealed Holland. “Maybe I’ll get a cape…just maybe.”
