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USA Network Has Charlize Theron, Rob Reiner and The Rock Projects in Development

By
Rebecca Murray
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USA Network Announces 2015/2016 Development Slate
Dwayne Johnson (Photo © Richard Chavez)

USA Network has nine scripted dramas and an “alternative project” from Dwayne Johnson in development for 2015/2016. The network’s slate of development projects includes dramas from Charlize Theron, Rob Reiner, Barry Sonnenfeld, Eric Kripke, Aaron Korsh, and Catherine Hardwicke, with a 1940s-set drama and Swamplandia! based on Karen Russell’s critically acclaimed bestselling book among the projects in the works. And The Rock’s new series has yet to be titled and will be an unscripted show he’s developing and executive producing with Dany Garcia.

Here’s the details on the development slate, courtesy of USA Network:

PARADISE PICTURES

PARADISE PICTURES is about ambitious people striving to get to the top in 1940s Hollywood, when the dream factory was at its peak. Little do they know the challenges they’re about to face: the end of studio monopolies, the blacklist and the new disruptive technology of television. From Universal Cable Productions, PARADISE PICTURES is written by Rick Muirragui (SUITS). Muirragui executive produces the project along with SUITS creator Aaron Korsh.

STARCHITECTS

A serialized workplace drama set in the high stakes world of international architecture and design, STARCHITECTS follows the embattled rise of a talented young architect taking on the cutthroat competition at a top tier firm based in Los Angeles. The project is from writer and executive producer Mark Steilen (Mozart in the Jungle) and executive producer Christina Wayne (Copper) and co-executive producer Miura Kite (Game Change). Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) is attached to direct and also executive produces. STARCHITECTS is from Endemol Shine Studios and Universal Cable Productions.

AMPED

When a neurotic family man buys an online “smart pill” to increase his focus and jolt him out of his slump, he gets much more than he bargained for. To his surprise, the pill gives him incredible strength and power. The project examines both the mighty highs and humiliating lows of being a real-life super hero. AMPED is based on the characters created for an upcoming comic book by Eric Kripke (Supernatural, Revolution) for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint. Kripke will serve as executive producer/writer of AMPED, from Kripke Enterprises in association with Warner Horizon Television.

THE TAP

THE TAP takes place at Yale University in 1969 and explores the height of America’s cultural and political revolutions as one of its students, Jay Butler, is simultaneously recruited into the country’s two most secretive and powerful organizations, the CIA and Skull and Bones. THE TAP is written and executive produced by Andrew Lenchewski (ROYAL PAINS) and Aaron Tracy (Law & Order: SVU). Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally), Alan Greisman (The Bucket List) and Charlie Ebersol (The Profit) will also executive produce, with Reiner attached to direct. This historical spy thriller is from Universal Cable Productions.


MYTHOS

MYTHOS is a serialized adventure in which everything we believe to be myth turns out to be a guarded truth that has been concealed by members of two opposing groups — each with differing agendas for the fate of humanity. Caught in the middle is Nate Brigman, an ordinary man thrust into an extraordinary situation by the mysterious disappearance of his wife. This high stakes drama from Universal Cable Productions, is written by Spenser Cohen (Macklemore’s Big Surprise) and executive produced by Charlize Theron (Monster) and Laverne McKinnon (CSI: Miami) from Denver & Delilah Productions, along with Anna Halberg (Inner Demons).

AWOL

Written and executive produced by Carey and Shane Van Dyke (Chernobyl Diaries), AWOL deals with the gritty world of an ex-military operative who, after returning home, experiences trouble re-entering the real world and providing for his family. Desperate, he gets involved with the criminal underbelly of Los Angeles where he utilizes his military expertise in an unexpected way. AWOL is executive produced by Len Wiseman (Sleepy Hollow, Total Recall), Mike Connolly (Hemlock Grove) and Andrew Plotkin (Related). Wiseman is also attached to direct. The project comes from Fox 21 Television Studios.

SWAMPLANDIA!

Based on Karen Russell’s best-selling novel and Pulitzer Prize finalist, SWAMPLANDIA! is an offbeat family drama that centers on the Bigtrees, owners of Florida’s top alligator-wrestling theme park. The family is reeling from a recent tragedy and is struggling to maintain its livelihood when a competitor moves in across the swamp. Liz Tigelaar (Life Unexpected) is adapting the novel and executive producing the project. Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black franchise) will also executive produce and is attached to direct. Russell will serve as executive consultant. SWAMPLANDIA! hails from Tigelaar’s Best Day Ever, in association with Warner Horizon Television.

COOLEY & THE TANK

An homage to the decade that ushered in modern television, COOLEY & THE TANK goes behind-the-scenes of the fictional 1981 detective drama of the same name to explore the complicated lives of its two feuding stars. Daniel Arkin (Suits, Alias) is writing the pilot script with Anton Cropper (Suits). Arkin and Cropper will executive produce with Rain Management’s Jonathan Baruch and Rob Wolken. Cropper is also attached to direct. The project is from Universal Cable Productions.

MILE HIGH

Two best friends, a Wall Street broker and a struggling entrepreneur, team up to capitalize on the newly legalized cannabis enterprise in Colorado. The series follows the young duo as they enter into this highly lucrative growth industry, but their new venture is not without its obstacles such as dangerous criminals and stringent law enforcement. From writer and executive producer Josh Parkinson (Eastbound & Down) and executive producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers franchise) and Dan McDermott (Zero Hour, Human Target), MILE HIGH is from Legendary Television and Universal Cable Productions.

THE RECESSIONISTAS (Limited Series)

Based on the book by Wall Street executive Alexandra Lebenthal, RECESSIONISTAS is an ensemble drama that follows a group of elite Manhattan women and their ruthless Wall Street husbands as they adjust to the new world order in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse. From Universal Cable Productions and writer/co-executive producer Melissa London Hilfers and executive producers Alan Gasmer (Vikings) and Peter Jaysen, RECESSIONISTAS is being developed as a limited series.

-By Rebecca Murray

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2015 Billboard Music Awards Nominees Announced

By
Rebecca Murray
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2015 Billboard Music Awards Nominees
Taylor Swift at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards (Photo by Sara De Boer / STARTRAKS PHOTO via ABC)

Taylor Swift tops the list of the 2015 Billboard Music Awards nominees with 14 followed closely by Sam Smith with 13 and Iggy Azalea with 12. Meghan Trainor picked up nine nominations, John Legend earned seven, and Ariana Grande and Pharrell Williams both received six nominations.

This year’s Billboard Music Awards will take place on May 17th and air live on ABC at 8pm ET (tape delayed on the West Coast).

In addition to revealing this year’s nominees, Billboard announced Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa will be performing “Uma Thurman” during this year’s awards show.

THE 2015 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS FINALISTS:

Top Artist:
Ariana Grande
One Direction
Katy Perry
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift

Top New Artist:
5 Seconds of Summer
Iggy Azalea
Hozier
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor

Top Male Artist:
Drake
Pharrell Williams
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Justin Timberlake

Top Female Artist:
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

Top Duo/Group:
5 Seconds of Summer
Florida Georgia Line
MAGIC!
Maroon 5
One Direction

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
One Direction
Pentatonix
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift

Top Hot 100 Artist:
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

Top Digital Songs Artist:
Iggy Azalea
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

Top Radio Songs Artist:
John Legend
Maroon 5
Ed Sheeran
Sam Smith
Taylor Swift

Top Touring Artist:
Lady Gaga
One Direction
Katy Perry
The Rolling Stones
Justin Timberlake

Top Social Artist:
Justin Bieber
Miley Cyrus
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Taylor Swift

Top Streaming Artist:
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Nicki Minaj
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

Top R&B Artist:
Beyoncé
Chris Brown
John Legend
Trey Songz
Pharrell Williams

Top Rap Artist:
Iggy Azalea
J. Cole
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Rae Sremmurd

Top Country Artist:
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line
Brantley Gilbert
Blake Shelton

Top Rock Artist:
Bastille
Coldplay
Fall Out Boy
Hozier
Lorde



Top Latin Artist:
J Balvin
Juan Gabriel
Enrique Iglesias
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos

Top Dance/Electronic Artist:
Avicii
Clean Bandit
Disclosure
Calvin Harris
Lindsey Stirling

Top Christian Artist:
Casting Crowns
Hillsong United
Lecrae
MercyMe
Newsboys

Top Billboard 200 Album:
Maroon 5 “V”
Pentatonix “That’s Christmas to Me”
Ed Sheeran “x”
Sam Smith “In the Lonely Hour”
Taylor Swift “1989”

Top Soundtrack:
“The Fault in Our Stars”
“Fifty Shades of Grey”
“Frozen”
“Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix: Vol. 1”
“Into the Woods”

Top R&B Album:
Beyoncé “Beyoncé”
Chris Brown “X”
Michael Jackson “Xscape”
John Legend “Love in the Future”
Pharrell Williams “G I R L”

Top Rap Album:
J. Cole “2014 Forest Hills Drive”
Drake “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”
Nicki Minaj “The Pinkprint”
Iggy Azalea “The New Classic”
Eminem “The Marshall Mathers LP 2”

Top Country Album:
Jason Aldean “Old Boots, New Dirt”
Garth Brooks “Man Against Machine”
Luke Bryan “Crash My Party”
Brantley Gilbert “Just As I Am”
Miranda Lambert “Platinum”

Top Rock Album:
AC/DC “Rock or Bust”
The Black Keys “Turn Blue”
Coldplay “Ghost Stories”
Hozier “Hozier”
Lorde “Pure Heroine”

Top Latin Album:
Juan Gabriel “Los Dúo”
Enrique Iglesias “Sex and Love”
Romeo Santos “Formula: Vol. 2”
Santana “Corazon”
Marc Anthony “3.0”

Top Dance/Electronic Album:
Avicii “True”
Disclosure “Settle”
Calvin Harris “Motion”
Skrillex “Recess”
Lindsey Stirling “Shatter Me”

Top Christian Album:
Lecrae “Anomaly”
Casting Crowns “Thrive”
MercyMe “Welcome to the New”
NEEDTOBREATHE “Rivers in the Wasteland”
Chris Tomlin “Love Ran Red”

Top Hot 100 Song:
Iggy Azalea Feat. Charli XCX “Fancy”
John Legend “All of Me”
Sam Smith “Stay With Me”
Taylor Swift “Shake It Off”
Meghan Trainor “All About That Bass”

Top Digital Song:
Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!”
Sam Smith “Stay With Me”
Taylor Swift “Shake It Off”
Meghan Trainor “All About That Bass”
Pharrell Williams “Happy”


Top Radio Song:
John Legend “All of Me”
MAGIC! “Rude”
Nico & Vinz “Am I Wrong”
Sam Smith “Stay With Me”
Pharrell Williams “Happy”


Top Streaming Song (Audio)
Iggy Azalea Feat. Charli XCX “Fancy”
Hozier “Take Me to Church”
John Legend “All of Me”
Sam Smith “Stay With Me”
Tove Lo “Habits (Stay High)”

Top Streaming Song (Video)
Idina Menzel “Let It Go”
Bobby Shmurda “Hot Boy”
Taylor Swift “Blank Space”
Taylor Swift “Shake It Off”
Meghan Trainor “All About That Bass”

Top R&B Song:
Chris Brown Featuring Lil Wayne, French Montana, Too $hort & Tyga “Loyal”
Jason Derulo Feat. 2 Chainz “Talk Dirty”
Jeremih Featuring YG “Don’t Tell ‘Em”
John Legend “All of Me”
Pharrell Williams “Happy”

Top Rap Song:
Iggy Azalea Feat. Charli XCX “Fancy”
Iggy Azalea Feat. Rita Ora “Black Widow”
Big Sean Featuring E-40 “I Don’t F**k With You”
Nicki Minaj “Anaconda”
Bobby Shmurda “Hot Boy”

Top Country Song:
Jason Aldean “Burnin’ It Down”
Luke Bryan “Play It Again”
Sam Hunt “Leave the Night On”
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Luke Bryan “This Is How We Roll”
Florida Georgia Line “Dirt”

Top Rock Song:
Bastille “Pompeii”
Coldplay “A Sky Full of Stars”
Fall Out Boy “Centuries”
Hozier “Take Me to Church”
Paramore “Ain’t It Fun”

Top Latin Song:
J Balvin Featuring Farruko “6 AM”
Enrique Iglesias Featuring Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona “Bailando”
Romeo Santos “Eres Mía”
Romeo Santos Featuring Drake “Odio”
Romeo Santos “Propuesta Indecente”

Top Dance/Electronic Song:
Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne “Rather Be”
Disclosure Featuring Sam Smith “Latch”
DJ Snake & Lil Jon “Turn Down For What”
Ariana Grande Featuring Zedd “Break Free”
Calvin Harris “Summer”

Top Christian Song:
Francesca Battistelli “He Knows My Name”
Hillsong United “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”
MercyMe “Greater”
Newsboys “We Believe”
Carrie Underwood “Something In The Water”

FAN VOTED AWARD

Billboard Chart Achievement Award presented by Samsung:
Iggy Azalea
Taylor Swift
Meghan Trainor

-By Rebecca Murray

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Jon Snow Goes to a Dinner Party with Seth Meyers

By
Rebecca Murray
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Jon Snow Goes to a Dinner Party
Kit Harrington during an interview with host Seth Meyers on April 2, 2015 (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop / NBC)

With the talk of red weddings, beheadings, the death of his first love, and the constant “Winter is Coming” threat, small talk isn’t Jon Snow’s forte. Kit Harington’s visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers resulted in one of the late night talk show’s best skits thus far. Seth took Game of Thrones‘ Jon Snow to a casual dinner party and Jon had no idea how to keep the conversation light. Even with Seth’s schooling, Jon couldn’t quite grasp what topics of conversation should be off limits.

Watch the video:


-By Rebecca Murray

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Interview with ‘The Last Man on Earth’ Star Will Forte

By
Rebecca Murray
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Will Forte Interview on Last Man on Earth Season 1
Mel Rodriguez, January Jones, Will Forte, and Kristen Schaal in ‘The Last Man on Earth’ (Photo by Frank Ockenfels © 2015 Fox Broadcasting Co)

It turns out that The Last Man on Earth‘s title isn’t meant to be taken literally as Phil Miller (played by the series’ creator/writer/producer Will Forte) wasn’t the last surviving human on planet Earth after all. The Fox comedy debuted on March 1, 2015 and while poor Phil was alone for a while, he soon found other people alive in Tucson.

Kristen Schaal, January Jones, and Mel Rodriguez play random strangers who were apparently immune to the virus, and at the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim, Forte talked about the decision to expand the cast, his co-stars, and what fans of the comedy series can expect from the remainder of season one.

Asked about the process that went into deciding when to bring in supporting characters, Forte replied, “Well, that was in the early going always a discussion of how long before you introduce another person. I think that I would always go to the side of having more time with fewer people. I think in the early going, there was some nervousness around that and there was the hope that more characters would come in earlier. And I’m really proud of the show in general, but those first couple of episodes there’s something really special about them.

If there’s one thing I could change it would be spending a little more time in that world. More time with just Phil alone, and then a little more time with just Phil and Carol. And then a little more time with just three, because once you get these people there’s no going back – unless you kill somebody off. But everyone’s so nice I don’t want to kill anybody. So, it’s tricky. A lot of thought went into that and it was the decision of a lot of people that this was the way to go. I’m very happy of it and proud of it. I stand behind it, but it’s a tricky question.”

In our interview, Forte confirmed they have plenty of material to cover if the show is picked up for a second season.

“Originally we had a rough arc for the first season, but there were a ton of ideas that we had. I’ve never run a show before so getting in and figuring out everything and learning just how much you can do in a 21-minute 30-second episode is pretty eye-opening,” explained Forte. “There’s so much stuff that we didn’t get a chance to cover that we would hopefully cover if we got a second season.”

And speaking of material they’ve come up with, Forte was amazed at the fact that he was able to pitch a project featuring a lead character who doesn’t talk all the time.

“I remember when we were pitching, one of the people involved in our pitch process said, ‘You maybe could get away with not really talking for a cold open. But maybe not even that much.’ That was the plan and thank god they were very supportive of what we wanted to try to do, so that’s a big thing. It’s interesting what you’re not allowed to do. That is an example of something we were able to do, but the stuff like the sex scenes with no movement…it’s pretty bonkers when you look at some of the more violent stuff on TV and see just how rigid the restrictions are on anything that seems like sex. It’s pretty bonkers. It’s actually maddening. Maddening is a good word for it.”

Watch the complete interview for more on this first season:





David Anders on ‘iZombie’ and ZomRomComDrams

By
Rebecca Murray
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David Anders Interview - iZombie Season 1
David Anders as Blaine DeBeers and Rose McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore in ‘iZombie’ (Photo: Diyah Pera © 2015 The CW Network)

At the 2015 WonderCon promoting the new The CW series iZombie, David Anders (‘Blaine’) said that what drew him to the project in the first place was the humor Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright injected in the first script. “It was very, very funny,” explained Anders. “I went into it with a name like iZombie, and I was like, ‘Okay, that’s kind of lame,’ but it was a real page-turner. For the whole of my career, they haven’t – Hollywood hasn’t – really let me do comedy, so I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this.”

But in addition to the comedy, Anders says he still gets to do his fair share of “mustache-twirling” in the show. The audience doesn’t really know quite yet what to make of him or where his allegiances lie, and Anders said that he also doesn’t know all that much about Blaine yet. “It took a leap of faith for me to sign on, but I’m glad I took it because there’s a lot of good things that we’re doing.”

Another major reason for Anders to say yes to playing a zombie was because of Rob Thomas’ involvement. “Rob’s been great,” said Anders. “I’ve heard only wonderful things from Kristen Bell and seen only wonderful things…Veronica Mars, Party Down. Yeah, he was another thing that made me jump at this show and want to be a part of it.”

The series is loosely based on the comic books by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, and Anders says he check out the source material in order to get a better grasp on iZombie. “I took a look at it. I took a look at a couple of books, just to see the artwork and see the tone and stuff. And of course, we use it as a template but go off in our own procedural direction, so it’s fun. I’m calling it a zom-com-rom-dram. #zomcomromdram. But we have that cool procedural element too so zom-com-rom-dram cop.”

But as far as drawing anything from the comics on how to play his character, Anders wasn’t able to do that as Blaine’s not in the comic books. “In the character breakdown, they said we want Blaine to be the James Spader-type sleazeball in Pretty in Pink. I read it as more James Spader in Less Than Zero so that’s how I [approached it]. I put my best Spader smack on it,” said Anders.

Going into the show, Anders was a fan of zombie films and TV shows including The Walking Dead. “Shaun of the Dead, one of the best zombie movies ever as far as I’m concerned. 28 Days Later‘s fantastic. I did a movie called The Revenant that’s kind of a cult hit that I’m very proud of. So, yeah, I’ve been a fan of the zombie genre.”

So, what can fans expect from the rest of season one? Anders revealed there’s love in the air. He also said that we’ll see more of his brains dealing operation. “You’re going to meet some of my zombie army. I don’t know what I can tell you,” said Anders, laughing. “Just expect more.”

– More iZombie interviews: Rose McIver / Robert Buckley / Malcolm Goodwin / Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright

Watch the interview:




‘Star Wars’ Digital Movie Collection Available in HD for the First Time

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Star Wars Digital Movie Collection Available for the First Time

The rebirth of the Star Wars film franchise is being celebrated with the release of all six original Star Wars movies in The Star Wars Digital Movie Collection on Digital HD. Lucasfilm, Disney and 20th Century Fox worked together on putting out the Star Wars collection which will be available on April 10, 2015.

“Since the debut of the first film nearly 40 years ago, Star Wars has become a worldwide phenomenon with legions of fans from every generation,” stated Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “It’s only fitting that audiences enjoy this legendary Saga and its many fascinating behind-the-scenes stories on a wide variety of platforms, and we’re very excited to finally bring all six films to Digital HD for the first time.”

“We’re thrilled that fans will be able to enjoy the Star Wars Saga on their digital devices wherever they go,” added Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “These films broke new ground in technology, design, sound, and visual effects, and we’ve created some very special bonus material which delves into the Saga’s rich history, including new and never-before-released conversations between legendary Star Wars artists – the masters who helped George bring his iconic universe to life.”

The Star Wars Digital Movie Collection, Courtesy of Lucasfilm, Disney and 20th Century Fox:

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace

Conversations: Doug Chiang Looks Back
Discoveries From Inside: Models & Miniatures
Legacy content includes “The Beginning”; The Podrace: Theatrical Edit; plus eight deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE II: Attack of the Clones

Conversations: Sounds In Space
Discoveries From Inside: Costumes Revealed
Legacy content includes “From Puppets To Pixels: Digital Characters In Episode II”; State Of The Art: The Previsualization Of Episode II; and “Films Are Not Released, They Escape”; plus Episode II Visual Effects Breakdown Montage and six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE III: Revenge of the Sith

Conversations: The Star Wars That Almost Was
Discoveries From Inside: Hologram & Bloopers
Legacy content includes documentaries “Within A Minute: The Making Of Episode III”; The Journey Part 1; and The Journey Part 2; plus six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A New Hope (20th Century Fox)

Conversations: Creating A Universe
Discoveries From Inside: Weapons & The First Lightsaber
Legacy content includes “Anatomy Of A Dewback”; Star Wars Launch Trailer; plus eight deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE V: The Empire Strikes Back

Conversations: The Lost Interviews
Discoveries From Inside: Matte Paintings Unveiled
Legacy content includes “A Conversation With The Masters” (2010); “Dennis Muren: How Walkers Walk”; “George Lucas On Editing The Empire Strikes Back 1979”; and “George Lucas On The Force: 2010”; plus six deleted scenes.

STAR WARS EPISODE VI: Return of the Jedi

Conversations: The Effects
Discoveries From Inside: The Sounds Of Ben Burtt
Legacy content includes “Classic Creatures: Return Of The Jedi”; “Revenge Of The Jedi Teaser Trailer”; Return Of The Jedi Launch Trailer; “It Began TV Spot”; “Climactic Chapter TV Spot”; plus five deleted scenes.




‘The Flash’ Extended Trailer for the Final Season 1 Episodes

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Flash Season One Final Episodes Trailer
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak, and Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer in ‘The Flash’ (Photo: Cate Cameron © 2015 The CW Network, LLC)

The CW’s The Flash put on a panel at the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim and after debuting a special preview trailer to attendees, the network’s released the season one final episodes preview online for The Flash fans who weren’t fortunate enough to make it to WonderCon. The new trailer provides a sneak peek at footage from upcoming episodes and even includes Emily Kinney (The Walking Dead) as Brie Larvan/Bug-Eyed Bandit.

Also featured in the new footage are the Weather Wizard and Rainbow Raider. In addition, the special extended season one trailer shows Stephen Amell as Arrow alongside his cousin Robbie as Firestorm.

The next new episode of The Flash starring Grant Gustin, Tom Cavanaugh, Danielle Panabaker, Candace Patton, and Carlos Valdes airs on April 14, 2015.

Watch the trailer:

Inside ‘Last Man on Earth’ with Phil Lord and Chris Miller

By
Rebecca Murray
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Phil Lord and Chris Miller Interview on The Last Man on Earth
Chris Miller and Phil Lord from Fox’s ‘The Last Man on Earth’ at WonderCon (Photo by Russell Einhorn © FOX BROADCASTING)

Where are all the cars that jam freeways and side streets in most post-apocalyptic shows and films? That was one of the questions I put to Fox’s The Last Man on Earth directors/producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller at the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim, CA. Lord and Miller were on hand to take questions from fans of the series, and they also took part in a small roundtable interview with a few members of the media to delve further behind the scenes of the popular new comedy series.

“It was a very orderly plague,” said Lord when asked about the lack of cars (and the lack of bodies). “We talked a lot about this. First of all, with something kind of eerie about, ‘Oh, it’s just like regular life but there’s no people in it,’ that was just an aesthetic choice. But also, people got the flu and stuff…it’s not like they started coughing and then swerved off the road and crashed into a building and then coughed some more. That was what we talked about.”

“I always imagined it as a flesh and bone-eating virus,” interjected Miller.

“Then it gobbled up all the bodies,” said Lord.

“Because it’s hilarious. Then there’s nothing left. Dust, afterwards,” said Miller.

Miller and Lord said there were a few things in this first season that they couldn’t believe Fox actually allowed them to put into the episodes, including a guy about to commit suicide by crashing full speed into a boulder and threatening animal murder (but not committing it) for a laugh.

Phil Lord said, “Turning the hero of the show into the villain of the show for a short time. And, just serializing the show that much where you just don’t know what pattern it’s going to hit, which for us is the dream that you never feel like you’re in this rhythm and you know what happens every single time.”

And touching on that ‘villain’ aspect of Will Forte’s character Phil Miller, producers Lord, Miller, and star/writer Forte did talk about the line of how far they could push the character without losing the support of viewers. “The whole show is the arc of this character, and it was always Will’s plan to have him kind of go crazy and have a dark period where he needed to learn a lot of things,” explained Miller. “We’re midway through that journey now of him learning to be a better person. This first season – hopefully there will be more – sort of tells one chapter of the story of Phil Miller.”

“That’s in the first episode at the end, she points a gun at him and says, ‘Are you a nice person?’ He says yes because he doesn’t want to die,” added Lord. “But that was a big theme of the season and still is. If you take away all of the societal pressure, like the police and stuff, how will people behave? Is this person going to be redeemable? Can he find that moral center in himself? That’s what’s exciting. It’s crazy to do that in a comedy.”

As for how populated the world can become given the show’s title of The Last Man on Earth, Lord and Miller don’t have a set number of new characters that could possibly be introduced into the series. “In theory, we could just keep adding people for a thousand episodes,” answered Lord. “I just like that the show surprises you. I honestly don’t have an answer. I’m like those Lost writers, we don’t know how it’s going to end. That’s what’s exciting about it. We were just sitting here going like if we kept making more of these, what would they be like? The possibilities are really broad and open, and I think that’s exciting.”

Watch the complete interview for more on the animals, the cast, what could happen if there is a season two, and if we’ll ever see how the world actually ended:





Rose McIver Interview – ‘iZombie,’ Eating Brains, and Her Zombie Makeup

By
Rebecca Murray
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Rose McIver Interview - iZombie and Eating Brains
Rose McIver stars in ‘iZombie’ (Photo © 2015 The CW)

Rose McIver tackles the lead role of Liv Moore, a zombie whose work in a coroner’s office allows her access to brains, in The CW’s new hit series iZombie airing on Tuesday nights at 9pm ET/PT. At the 2015 WonderCon in Anaheim to chat about the series, McIver promised there are plenty of surprises packed in season one, most of which she had no idea were coming until she read the scripts. She’s nosy and wanted to know everything about the upcoming episodes, but like the audience, McIver was kept in the dark, which she admitted was probably for the best.

When I asked McIver what she thinks of Liv’s physical appearance, she said she really likes it. “Do you know I’m alarmed…at the start, I was like, ‘This is cool. I get to play like a gritty character. It’s not glamorous.’ So many people have come back to me on Twitter like, ‘You look way better as a zombie.’ Like, ‘Wow, that’s a real life-questioner.’ But I think it’s fun. It’s really different. I think it’s striking. It’s nice for a young female audience to see that not every girl on television has to look a certain way. You kind of take whatever it is that you are and have and work with that, and make that the most beautiful version of you.”

As for those brains Liv survives on and that help her solve murders along with Detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin), they’re made out of gelatin and definitely not that delicious. “They’re like coconut agar. It’s pretty disgusting,” said McIver. “It isn’t real brains but it’s not something I would ever choose to eat. I’m never having jelly ever again outside of work. We also have a spit bucket that I keep very close at hand.”

McIver believes it’s very liberating to play this sort of zombie that’s unlike anything we’ve seen on television before. “There’s not really perimenters to work within. We sort of just did our own thing. I think it’s really helpful that Diane and Rob did have a really strong voice and a strong sense of the tone that they wanted for the show. I felt very guided. I think I didn’t know how much freedom and creativity I had, which is probably lucky. It just sort of unfolded the way it did. We had fun with making sure that she was still accessible and very human. That was my focus was, ‘Yeah, she happens to be a zombie but she’s also still trying to interact with people and her loved ones and go about her job, and learn about zombies through pop culture. You know, she’s watching movies to try to research. I think keeping her a very accessible human was my most strong focus.”

– More iZombie interviews: Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright / Robert Buckley / Malcolm Goodwin / David Anders

Watch the full interview with Rose McIver for more about season one, her co-stars, and the source material:




Netflix Gets ‘Special Correspondents’ with Ricky Gervais and Eric Bana

By
Rebecca Murray
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Netflix Gets Special Correspondents with Eric Bana and Ricky Gervais
Eric Bana (Photo by Richard Chavez / ShowbizJunkies)

Netflix announced the original comedy movie Special Correspondents will debut in 2016 exclusively on their service. Ricky Gervais wrote and directed the film and stars alongside Eric Bana (Deliver Us From Evil).

Gervais is also producing Special Correspondents along with Chris Coen, Aaron L. Gilbert, Manuel Munz, and Larry Sanitsky.

“Having shaken up the TV industry, Netflix is about to do the same to Hollywood,” said Gervais, commenting on his continuing relationship with Netflix. “It’s great to be part of the changing future. Ted Sarandos is the new Godfather of entertainment and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Special Correspondents is classic Ricky Gervais: smart social satire with heart,” added Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “It’s the kind of great grown-up comedy that studios rarely make anymore, one that’s perfect for Netflix members around the world.”

The Plot:

Bana plays a struggling New York based radio journalist, whose arrogance and decadent lifestyle has hindered his career. With his job on the line he fakes front line war reports from the comfort of his hideout above a Spanish restaurant in the heart of Manhattan.

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