Rob Corddry and Dwayne Johnson in ‘Ballers’ (Photo: Jeff Daly / HBO)
Season one of the new HBO half-hour comedy series Ballers continues with four new episodes in July 2015. Starring Dwayne Johnson and Rob Corddry, Ballers is set in the world of football and was created by executive producer Stephen Levinson. Here’s a look at what viewers can expect from July’s episodes:
Episode #3 “Move the Chains”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 5 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: July 5 (1:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 6 (12:45 a.m.), 7 (10:00 p.m.), 8 (11:30 p.m.), 9 (9:00 p.m.), 10 (1:00 a.m.) and 11 (10:45 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 6 (7:00 p.m.), 7 (1:15 a.m.), 10 (6:00 p.m.) and 11 (8:30 p.m.), and Aug. 30 (noon)
Hoping to attract new clients, Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) and Joe (Rob Corddry) hold a corporate event on a yacht. In their fight over Vernon (Donovan Carter), Spencer and Reggie’s (London Brown) rivalry hits the boiling point. Bored by retirement, Charles (Omar Miller) lets loose for a night. Ricky (John David Washington) learns his beef with his teammate, Alonzo (Antoine Harris), may be due to an unsavory connection.
Written by Evan Reilly; directed by Julian Farino.
Episode #4 “Heads Will Roll”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 12 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 12 (1:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 13 (1:00 a.m.), 14 (10:45 p.m.), 15 (11:30 p.m.), 16 (8:30 p.m.), 17 (12:45 a.m.) and 18 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 13 (7:00 p.m.), 14 (3:30 a.m.), 17 (6:00 p.m.) and 18 (8:30 p.m.), and Aug. 1 (7:30 p.m.) and 30 (12:30 p.m.)
Facing pressure from Tracy (Arielle Kebbel), Spencer pays a visit to a neurologist. Charles is pursued by a woman he met the night before, while Joe breaks the rules to bag a big client. Ricky, facing more trouble, finds himself a mantra. After Reggie tries to hijack Vernon’s re-negotiation, Spencer takes a stand.
Written by Rob Weiss; directed by Julian Farino.
Episode #5 “Machete Charge”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 19 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 19 (1:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 20 (midnight), 21 (11:00 p.m.), 22 (11:30 p.m.), 23 (8:30 p.m.), 24 (1:15 a.m.) and 25 (1:15 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 20 (7:00 p.m.), 21 (1:00 a.m.), 24 (6:30 p.m.) and 25 (8:30 p.m.), and Aug. 1 (8:00 p.m.) and 30 (1:00 p.m.)
Ricky tries to find common ground with Alonzo. Charles’ marriage is put to the test. Spencer and Joe step in to help Vernon with a crisis.
Written by Steve Sharlet; directed by Seith Mann.
Episode #6 “Everything Is Everything”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (10:00-10:30 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 26 (1:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m.), 27 (3:00 a.m.), 28 (10:00 p.m.), 29 (11:30 p.m.), 30 (8:30 p.m.) and 31 (12:20 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 27 (7:00 p.m.), 28 (1:45 a.m.) and 31 (5:15 p.m.), and Aug. 1 (8:30 p.m.) and 30 (1:30 p.m.)
Charles decides to be selfish for a change, while Joe negotiates with Maximo (Clifton Collins Jr.). When Ricky’s off-field activities are exposed by the press, he’s forced to open up in order to save his career. Spencer decides to face his fears after he’s confronted by Tracy.
Written by Evan Reilly; directed by John Fortenberry.
Netflix’s popular animated series BoJack Horseman returns for season two on July 17, 2015, and the streaming service has just unveiled a trailer for the adult comedy. The new video finds BoJack confused about the possibility of actually being in a relationship with a new lady, Wanda Pierce, an owl voiced by Lisa Kudrow. The voice features Will Arnett as BoJack Horseman, Aaron Paul as Todd Chavez, Amy Sedaris as Princess Carolyn, Alison Brie as Diane Nguyen and Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter.
All 12 episodes of BoJack Horseman will be available for binge-watching on July 17th at 12:01am PT.
The Plot:
Will Arnett voices BoJack, the legendary 90’s sitcom star, who has been trying to find his way through a muddle of self-loathing, whisky and failed relationships. Now starring in his dream movie (a biopic of Secretariat), but humbled by the events of last season, BoJack attempts to use his career second wind as a stepladder to a springboard to becoming a newer, better BoJack. But new challenges on set and in his personal life, and the demons of his past make it difficult to shake off the skin of his previous self. If season one of BoJack Horseman is about a character learning he needs to change, the new season is about whether or not he can. It’s a character in a rut, trying to pull out of that rut, and the rut pulling back.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden (Photo Credit: Jurgen Olczyk)
Snowden‘s first teaser trailer is just that – a big tease. The one minute 26 second teaser doesn’t show a single bit of footage from the film based on the books The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena, nor does it even feature a single shot of Snowden star Joseph Gordon-Levitt in character as Edward Snowden. Instead, the teaser lays out a very simple timeline of key events in Snowden’s life.
Written and directed by Oliver Stone, Snowden also features Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, and Nicolas Cage. Open Road Films is releasing the dramatic movie on December 25, 2015.
Director Justin Lin just confirmed the official title of the new Star Trek film along with sharing a photo from the set via Twitter. Currently shooting, the new Star Trek is now officially titled Star Trek Beyond. Returning cast members include Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Zachary Quinto, with Idris Elba joining the cast as the main villain.
Lin is taking over the franchise from J.J. Abrams who moved on to direct the new Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but remains involved as a producer. Lin’s directing credits include The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6.
Paramount Pictures is aiming for a July 8, 2016 theatrical release of Star Trek Beyond.
Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in ‘Secret in Their Eyes’
STX Entertainment’s released the official trailer for the dramatic movie Secret In Their Eyes from writer/director Billy Ray (Breach, Shattered Glass). The thriller is based on the book by Eduardo Sacheri and has an all-star cast led by Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Sacheri’s novel was already made into a feature film back in 2009, earning an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2010. This English language version will be released on October 23, 2015.
The Plot:
A tight-knit team of rising FBI investigators – Ray (Ejiofor) and Jess (Roberts), along with their District Attorney supervisor Claire (Kidman) – is suddenly torn apart when they discover that Jess’s teenage daughter has been brutally and inexplicably murdered.
Now, thirteen years later, after obsessively searching every day for the elusive killer, Ray finally uncovers a new lead that he’s certain can permanently resolve the case, nail the vicious murderer, and bring long-desired closure to his team. No one is prepared, however, for the shocking, unspeakable secret that will reveal the enduring, destructive effects of personal vengeance on the human soul.
Interweaving past and present, this deeply layered mystery explores the murky boundaries between justice and revenge, and asks the question: how far would you go to right an unfathomable wrong?
Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy) took to Twitter to share the first photos of the new Ghostbusters costumes and proton pack. Revamping the franchise with female leads taking over for Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis, Feig’s Ghostbusters will be entering theaters on July 22, 2016. The new Ghostbusters who’ll be donning the ghost hunting costumes are Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones, with Thor star Chris Hemsworth playing the team’s receptionist.
Emilia Clarke stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to chat about the new Terminator film, Terminator Genisys, and revealed that while shooting the sci-fi action film she was staying in a haunted house owned by her Game of Thrones co-star Michiel Huisman. Clarke also explained how her haunted house led to a 3am call to Terminator Genisys co-star Jai Courtney and a trip to Home Depot disguised as a So. California Valley Girl a la Clueless.
Ed Sheeran on ‘The Voice’ (Photo by: Tyler Golden / NBC)
Ed Sheeran has signed up to perform during Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular airing on NBC Saturday, July 4th at 8pm ET/PT. Sheeran joins the holiday celebration lineup that includes Kelly Clarkson, Meghan Trainor, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, and Flo Rida.
The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular special will be hosted by Today’s Tamron Hall and Willie Geist. This year’s July 4th special will feature more than 50,000 pyrotechnic shells and effects set to a 25-minute synchronized display. For those really into pyrotechnics, NBC revealed the 2015 special will include “transformation ghosts, blue and red octopi, crescent moons, patriotic stars, double hearts, roaring dragons, screaming banshees, purple rain, and spiderweb-shaped shells.”
Sheeran’s currently in the middle of a world tour and his new single, “Photograph,” is climbing the charts. Check out the “Photograph” music video:
Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling star in ‘The Overnight’
Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, and Judith Godréche star in the adult comedy The Overnight from writer/director Patrick Brice. Scott (Parks and Recreation) and Schilling (Orange is the New Black) play married parents Alex and Emily who move to LA from Seattle and don’t know anyone in their new neighborhood. A chance meeting at the local park leads to an invitation from Kurt (Schwartzman) for a welcome to the neighborhood dinner at his family’s home. The evening takes an unexpected twist as the simple dinner turns into a bizarre playdate for the new adult friends.
Catching up with Adam Scott while he was on the road promoting the theatrical release of The Overnight, I had the opportunity to ask him about the film’s most talked about scene involving male full frontal nudity. We also chatted about the short shooting schedule and his co-stars.
Adam Scott Exclusive Interview:
Everybody talks about the penis but is the penis kind of hijacking the questions and causing people to forget the film is actually a character-driven story about two couples?
Adam Scott: [Laughing] “I don’t know, but I know if I was in your position I would have to ask about it. I mean how can you not ask about those two penises, but I see your point. I think that there is something, of course, more interesting happening underneath all of that and I think that’s why it cuts a little deeper than just a kind of surfacey sex comedy. I mean I think that’s why we were initially drawn to it. I think comedy is the great delivery system for this really interesting story about these two couples.
In particular Taylor and my characters are two people who kind of feel like their days of re-invention are behind them, you know? They’re pretty settled in their dysfunction and think they have a pretty good handle on who they are and how they fit into the world. Then before they know it, everything’s sort of turned upside down in a matter of hours. I think that’s really what I found interesting about it in the first place.”
Was it interesting to explore characters who are defined by the fact they are part of a couple and are parents and that’s who they are in their lives at this point?
Adam Scott: “Yes.”
Could you relate to that or was this something that was totally foreign to your experience?
Adam Scott: “Yeah, no. My wife and I both related to it. I think that’s what kind of struck us and why we wanted to make it was, you know, meeting new people for us is either through work or through our kids because that’s all we do. You know, it is interesting. Your kids are kind of picking your friends at a certain point in your life and we’ve been really lucky in that regard, but you never know. Especially if you are in a new town and you’re eager to meet new people. At this point in your life, it’s not like you’re teenagers anymore. You just don’t know exactly where you are going to find new friends.”
Because it’s such an intimate story and there are basically just four characters, how easy was it for the four of you to bond and kind of get that friendship vibe going? You are supposed to be standoffish at the beginning and by the end, you really embrace each other.
Adam Scott: “It was great. I mean we only had 12 days to make the movie.”
12 days?
Adam Scott: “Yeah, I mean we didn’t have a choice so we made it in 10 nights and then two days. The actors didn’t really know each other and we didn’t rehearse or anything. We just sort of dove in and started shooting. Luckily, we had a really game group of actors and our crew was tiny. There was only like 15 people so it was a really intimate, fun couple of weeks. Everyone was into it. Luckily we didn’t have a bad apple in the bunch. Otherwise, it would have definitely affected the whole thing because it was such a small core group of people.”
Do you like a fast shoot?
Adam Scott: “Yeah, I mean I’m used to it just because on TV you move really fast and I’m used to that schedule. You know we shot Parks and Rec in five days, shot Party Down in four days, so it’s not that much slower than The Overnight. I like moving that quickly. I think it’s great. It would have been great to have another five days to work on the movie, but I think there was plenty of time.”
Do short shoots mean you don’t have time to question the choices you make, because they are more spontaneous than if you had time for more takes?
Adam Scott: “No. I don’t really do that. I guess you know it depends on the project and the character and stuff but with this one, I was trusting my instincts. I think we were all kind of in the pocket. We all kind of felt like we were pretty confident in the direction we were going and on the same page tone-wise, and it felt like we all kind of knew what it was we were making here.”
Do you think it does help having the writer and the director be the same person because they know exactly what the vision is from both points of view?
Adam Scott: “Yeah, sure. I mean I think with anything, the writer and director hopefully will be in sync by the time you’re shooting but yeah, since he also wrote it, at least it was one less body to have on set that we had to feed.”
I read there are actually journalists who don’t realize that both penises in the film – yours and Jason Schwartzman’s – were prosthetics. Is that true?
Adam Scott: “Yeah, I guess a woman at a film festival in the front row had complimented Jason on his beautiful penis. I wasn’t there but I think he thought it was pretty funny.”
When you read the scene in which you’d be showing off your [fake] small penis, what was your initial reaction?
Adam Scott: “You know, I found it nerve-wracking that I would have to do that and honestly wasn’t sure if we would ever make the movie because making a movie, getting a movie is so difficult. I figured there is a 7% chance this will ever happen so yeah, let’s do it because we were just looking for a movie to make for our company. But I happen to be married to a very tenacious producer and suddenly we had a start date and I was kind of like, ‘Oh no. I actually have to do this.’
You know, I am kind of like of the school of thought, the riskier the better. You shouldn’t be afraid of doing anything in acting or whatever. I just kind of went for it. I’m glad I did. It was fun.”
How many takes did you get?
Adam Scott: “God, I don’t really remember. I doubt we did it more than a couple times just because there’s no real need to. I think we did two different sizes but we had two cameras so we did it at the same time. We probably did it twice.
Adam Scott: “Yeah, she’s great. She is such a good actress, such a lovely person. Couldn’t believe we got her, you know? Naomi actually is the one that thought of Taylor for it and we all sort of thought, ‘Well yeah, of course and when she says no we will find a person like Taylor to do the movie.’ She miraculously said yes and was just great. We didn’t have dressing rooms or trailers or anything. It was all really down and dirty and she was totally game and into it. She was a delight and so good in the movie.”
Following Donald Trump’s statements on Mexican immigrants, NBC has officially announced it’s ending its association with the presidential candidate. The network released the following statement to show they are distancing themselves from Trump, a move already publicly made by Univision following Trump’s controversial statements.
“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values.
Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.
To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC.
In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in The Apprentice on NBC.
Celebrity Apprentice is licensed from Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group and that relationship will continue.”
The Miss USA Pageant had been scheduled to air on the network on July 12, 2015. That program will no longer air on the NBC network, and it’s unknown at this time if it will air on any major network.
Responding to NBC’s statement, Trump told CNN that he’s considering suing the network. CNN reports Trump then went on to issue a statement saying, “If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court.”
