‘Downton Abbey’ Season 6 read through: Maggie Smith (Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham) and Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley). Photo credit: (C) Nick Briggs / Carnival Film & Television.
It’s official: Carnival Films and Masterpiece have confirmed the award-winning, critically acclaimed dramatic series Downton Abbey will finish up its run with season six. The period drama is the top PBS dramatic series of all time and also one of the most popular shows in Masterpiece’s history. Season five averaged 12.9 million viewers, just slightly less than season four, and established new records for tweets of a PBS series.
“The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard. People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea. Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain. But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience. I suspect the show will always be a principal marker in most of our careers as we set out from here, and if so, I consider that a blessing and a compliment,” stated writer/creator Julian Fellowes.
Announcing the final season, Carnival’s Managing Director and Executive Producer of Downton Abbey Gareth Neame said, “Millions of people around the world have followed the journey of the Crawley family and those who serve them for the last five years. Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception. We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans. We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up…”
“PBS and our member stations have been so proud to be the home of Downton Abbey on MASTERPIECE in the United States,” added Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS. “We, like the fans, simply cannot wait to see what will happen to the Crawley family and their beloved staff as this incredible series culminates in Season 6. The series has enjoyed such success over the past five seasons and we’ll certainly be working alongside Carnival, MASTERPIECE and PBS member stations to make Season 6 the biggest yet. Until then, Sunday nights on PBS continue to offer fans a full slate of ‘must view’ British and, soon, American historical drama.”
Downton Abbey is executive produced by Gareth Neame, Julian Fellowes, Liz Trubridge and Nigel Marchant.
Michael Keaton on stage at the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater / NBC)
Oscar nominees Michael Keaton and Taraji P. Henson will be hosting April 2015 episodes of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Keaton will be making his third appearance as a host on SNL with the April 4th episode. The Birdman star will be joined by musical guest Carly Rae Jepsen who’ll be making her SNL debut. Jensen’s “Call Me Maybe” sold over 17 million copies and her “I Really Like You” single is currently climbing the charts.
Empire star Taraji P. Henson will make her Saturday Night Live hosting debut on the April 11th episode of the long-running late night show. Making their second appearance as music guests will be Mumford & Sons. Wilder Mind, their third studio album, will be released on May 4th and they’ll be touring this summer.
Juan Pablo Di Pace as Jesus and Adam Levy as Peter in ‘A.D. The Bible Continues’ (Photo by: Joe Alblas / LightWorkers Media / NBC)
NBC’s A.D. The Bible Continues is set to premiere on Easter Sunday at 9pm ET/PT with Juan Pablo Di Pace taking on the daunting task of playing Jesus. Di Pace’s previous work in Mamma Mia!, Camp, and Dallas didn’t prepare him for playing Jesus, and after having taken on the role Di Pace says the experience has been life-changing.
Sitting down with a few journalists to discuss A.D. The Bible Continues during the Television Critics Association’s press event in Los Angeles, Juan Pablo Di Pace provided a little insight into what it’s like to star in this sequel to the miniseries The Bible from producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.
Juan Pablo Di Pace Interview
You’ve said that you became more of a listener while playing Jesus. Did that change your acting moving forward?
“Completely. As I’ve said before, it’s actually an exercise in focusing, you know? As Roma [Downey] said, I went into the desert. I decided the best way to prepare for the role was to sleep in the desert for three nights. I did, and it was just the stars, the sand, and myself, and every single time when I had a doubt about a scene or a moment in the show, I would always go back to the desert. I would always go back to that moment where it was just focus and quiet and simplicity.”
How do you choose your next project after playing Jesus?
[Laughing] “That’s a great question. I don’t know. It certainly feels like the responsibility that came with this role, and also the excitement to learn all these things in the process, makes every other role quite hard to want to play. Before this I was a drug dealer and now I’m Jesus.”
Do you feel a responsibility after playing a role like this?
“Yes, you feel the responsibility with the role. So actually a selfish part of you goes, ‘I want this responsibility every time,’ you know? Because it’s wonderful. It feels like you’re doing something that really matters.”
What did it feel like to shoot the scenes on the cross?
“Well, yes, it’s painful. You’re in a harness and you’re hanging, but actually for me it was absolutely stunning because to have that view from up there, all the people down there looking up, maybe cursing at you, maybe crying. And then we the real mountains and deserts all beyond…it was just an incredible experience. And then to have my mother [painter Marta Maineri] there was emotional. I talked to her during the filming, during that day and she was like, ‘Well done. That was great.’ She didn’t say anything and then months later she was like, ‘I never told you but I actually had a heart problem when I saw you. My heart actually hurt.’ She actually had to go to the hospital. She said it was really hard to see her own son doing that because it felt too real.”
Have you gone on with life with more compassion for things you might not have had as much patience for before?
“Completely. I think about patience with people and patience with the situation and appreciating each moment. The fact that this man died at 33 it makes me think he lived his life fully every second of his life, so I want to do the same.”
Jim Caviezel got struck by lightning while filming The Passion of The Christ. Did you have any heavenly mishaps?
“Mishaps? Well, just the blood was kind of…there was just a lot of it. There was all kinds of blood. There was blood that was sticky, there was gooey blood. There was liquid blood, scabby blood, and so I remember walking around every single day like a robot because if I touched anything the prosthetics would just be destroyed. Fun and games.”
The Oak Ridge Boys will join the Country Music Hall of Fame in the Modern Era Artist category. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Webster & Associates)
The Oak Ridge Boys, Jim Ed Brown and The Browns, and Grady Martin will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year during the annual Medallion Ceremony. The Oak Ridge Boys will be included in the Modern Era Artist category while Jim Ed Brown and The Browns will be inducted in the Veterans Era Artist category. Grady Martin was chosen to be part of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Recording and/or Touring Musician Active Prior to 1980 category.
“Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor achievable for a Country Music artist, songwriter, or industry leader and this year’s inductees are all highly deserving,” stated Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer.
“Today is an overwhelming day not just for me, but for the Brown family” said Jim Ed Brown. “Receiving this honor with my sisters, Maxine and Bonnie, is something I had dreamed about for years, but never knew if it would happen or not. Fame is fleeting, hit records change every week, award show winners and nominees change every year, but being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame will be forever!”
“The induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor I could ever imagine receiving,” added Allen of The Oak Ridge Boys. “It still gives me chills when I think about it really happening. I am humbled to the core. I know I speak for the other Boys when I say how grateful and honored we are to be chosen. I have seen tears in the eyes of Richard Sterban only two times. The first was when we were made members of the Grand Ole Opry. The second was when we were informed that we would be among the next inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Richard LOVES baseball, so, when we were about to depart, he turned around to me and said, ‘This is Cooperstown!’”
This year’s inductees will bring the total number of inductees to 127.
“We are in the business of celebrating legendary artists, and today we have the privilege of honoring a very special group of legendary artists, the class of 2015 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees,” said Kyle Young, Director of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “These remarkable entertainers – The Oak Ridge Boys; Jim Ed Brown and his sisters, Maxine and Bonnie; and the late, great guitarist Grady Martin – all represent quality and precision in their music. They exemplify harmony, whether in the blending of their magnificent voices, or in the tightly knit ensemble playing of an accomplished musician.”
William H. Macy will direct and Lea Michele (Glee) and Kate Upton (The Other Woman) are confirmed to star in The Layover, a road trip sex comedy from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia writers David Hornsby and Lance Krall.
Macy will also star in the film, which is set up with Unified Pictures and Bron Studios.
“The minute I met Lea and Kate, the film began to focus for me. They are singular, ambitious, funny women in full. This is going to be fun,” said Macy.
Unified Pictures’ Keith Kjarval and Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert are producing, and Patricia Cox and Jason Cloth are executive producing.
“We’re delighted to be working again with Bill Macy on his new feature, which will showcase his comedic talents,” said producers Kjarval and Gilbert.
The Plot: Lea Michele and Kate Upton will play a pair of lifelong best friends who decide to avoid their problems by taking a vacation, only to find that their plane has been rerouted due to a hurricane warning. To make matters worse, the two friends find themselves in a hilarious battle for the same guy during an extended layover in St. Louis.
Abigail Breslin and Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Maggie’ (Photo credit: Tracy Bennett)
Abigail Breslin’s on the verge of turning into a zombie in this new trailer for Lionsgate and Roadshow Attraction’s Maggie, directed by first time feature film director Henry Hobson. The zombie thriller finds Breslin infected with a zombie virus and Arnold Schwarzenegger playing her loving dad who isn’t willing to give up on his soon-to-be-zombie daughter.
Maggie will open in theaters and On Demand on May 8, 2015.
The Plot:
The film tells the story of a deadly zombie virus that has put a plague on the world. When Maggie, a vivacious young woman becomes infected, her father brings her home to let her be with their family. As Maggie’s condition worsens, their relationship is tested, a father’s love holding on stronger than the disease. This heart-wrenching twist on the zombie apocalypse puts a human face on an inexplicable horror.
Showtime has announced the 2015 summer premiere date for two of its critically acclaimed dramas: Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. Both shows will kick off their 12-episode third seasons on July 12th, with Ray Donovan airing at 9pm ET/PT and Masters of Sex airing at 10pm.
According to the network, Ray Donovan averaged 5.3 million viewers while Masters of Sex‘s second season averaged 3.4 million viewers.
Joining the cast of Ray Donovan as guest stars for season three are Ian McShane, Katie Holmes, and Elliott Gould. And Showtime’s released this brief synopsis as to what we can expect from the upcoming season: Season three finds Ray (Liev Schreiber) adrift from his family and those closest to him, while he focuses on his business and desires to be his own boss. Meanwhile, his father Mickey (Jon Voight), who had narrowly escaped last season’s heist debacle, finds himself charting a similar course to build his own empire.
Showtime also released details on the new season of Masters of Sex starring Michael Sheen as William Masters and Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson: The year is 1966, and Masters of Sex season three finds the famed duo of Masters (Sheen) and Johnson (Caplan) dealing with the glare of the national spotlight as their sex study is finally unveiled. It’s the start of the Sexual Revolution – and Masters and Johnson’s work will have a profound impact on contemporary relationships, especially their own evolving three-way “marriage” with Masters’ wife Libby (Caitlin FitzGerald).
Frankie J. Alvarez, Jonathan Groff, and Murray Bartlett in ‘Looking’ (Photo: Richard Foreman / HBO)
The season two finale of HBO’s Looking turned out to also be the end of the show’s full season runs. However, the network’s going to allow fans of the series one last chance to hang out with Patrick and his friends with a ‘special’ that will air on an undisclosed date. The cancellation wasn’t unexpected as Looking, starring Jonathan Groff, Patrick Alvarez, and Murray Bartless, has been averaging less than 300,000 viewers.
HBO announced the special in a statement released today: “After two years of following Patrick and his tight-knit group of friends as they explored San Francisco in search of love and lasting relationships, HBO will present the final chapter of their journey as a special. We look forward to sharing this adventure with the shows loyal fans.”
There’s no word yet on when the special will shoot, but at least fans of Looking won’t be left wondering what a season three might have looked like.
Iain de Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge in ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ (ABC/Patrick Wymore)
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s season two episode 14 aired on March 24, 2015 and found key players attempting to come to terms with who they are and even, in one case, their physical appearance. Here’s an in-depth look at all the back-stabbing and revealing moments of “Love in the Time of Hydra:”
At a diner, Ward (Brett Dalton) and Agent 33 (Maya Stojan) are having dinner. They share how lucky they are to have found each other. Suddenly, they see their mark and stand up, shooting. They corner a man in his booth and tell him he’s going to fix Agent 33’s face.
At SHIELD headquarters, Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) finishes examining Skye (Chloe Bennet), telling her that Skye’s stress fractures haven’t healed yet. Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) starts talking about how Skye could possibly wind up with “Avengers-like” powers, but Simmons argues that’s not necessarily a good thing. The room starts to shake, and they realize Skye is upset. Skye walks out.
In Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) office, May (Ming-Na Wen) and Coulson are discussing what to do about Skye. May is adamant that Skye needs to be removed from SHIELD, while Coulson counters that they’re talking about one of their own. May is still worried, but Coulson tells her that she’ll find a way to handle Skye.
In a hotel room, the man who Ward and Agent 33 kidnapped is fixing Agent 33’s face. She’s able to scan him and recreate his face. He tells her that the chip in her mask can hold three facial scans at a time and that she can be anyone she wants to be. He suggests that Ward find an old picture of her from before the accident, but Ward says he has no idea where to get one, and that he’s never even seen her real face.
Mack (Henry Simmons) is leading Hunter (Nick Blood) into the “new SHIELD” headquarters. Mack takes him into a conference room where he meets the new people, including Robert Gonzales (Edward James Olmos). They tell Hunter that they didn’t like how Nick Fury had so many secrets and that they don’t like how Coulson is following the same path. Hunter sees their point, but he also feels that Coulson is doing just fine. Hunter starts to argue that there’s no way Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) would go along with this conspiracy, but then she walks in and sits down next to Mack.
In the meeting room, everyone’s talking about all the ways that Coulson’s alien DNA and his behavior have led to deaths and other tragedies. Mack explains to Hunter that he and Bobbi have been gathering intel on Coulson. When Hunter asks Bobbi how she really feels about spying on Coulson, she tells him she agrees with their assessment.
In Coulson’s office, Simmons brings him something to do with Skye. She expresses, again, that she’s not sure his decision to keep Skye around is a good one. But he reaffirms his decision.
In Skye’s cell, Coulson tells Skye that they’re going to take a ride. When she questions him, he keeps mum but tells her to pack a bag. Skye gets nervous.
In a hotel room, Agent 33 is practicing changing her face to match the ones she sees in a magazine. Ward comes in and tells her that he’s off to pick up a surprise for her. When she expresses reluctance to continue what they’re doing (whatever that is), he tells her he has a plan and to be patient.
Up in the plane, Coulson and Skye are talking about what’s happened to her. He tells her that, no matter what’s going on, she’s still the same person inside.
Ward comes back to the hotel room. He sits down to eat and Agent 33 comes up to him from behind, telling him that she has figured out a way to repay him for his help. She sits on his lap, and we see that she’s wearing Skye’s face.
Ward stops Agent 33 from kissing him, telling her that he doesn’t want Skye. She’s confused, then disappointed. She tells him that she was hoping they could be together. He tells her there’s a chance for that, but only if she’s herself. She smashes a vase, saying that person doesn’t exist. She walks away.
At the new SHIELD headquarters, Robert sends Mack back to Coulson. Then he questions Bobbi about whether or not she can remain loyal if Hunter is on the fence. She tells him she’s all in.
Back at the hotel room, Ward tells Agent 33 his life story (leaving out the bit about killing his entire family) and tells her that she needs closure. He shares with her that Bakshi (Simon Kassianides) is being held in Air Force custody and that they can get to him so that she can get closure. She agrees.
At the Air Force base, Agent 33 is attempting to get in by wearing General Talbot’s (Adrian Pasdar) wife’s face. After some confusion, Talbot lets her in.
Coulson and Skye are at a remote cabin. She realizes that she’s there as a pseudo-prisoner. Coulson tells her that while it’s true she can’t leave, she can use the time to get a handle on her powers. He shows her a pair of gloves that Simmons has been working on that will inhibit her powers, but they have side effects. Skye asks Coulson what he would do in her situation, and he tells her that he doesn’t know, but that he believes in her.
At the Air Force base, Agent 33 infiltrates the offices and takes out the security cameras. When Talbot gets a phone call from his wife, he realizes what’s going on. He gives orders to lock down the base and warns his lieutenant that if she sees him acting strangely, it’s not really him.
He orders all the female personnel into one room and tells them there’s a mole.
At SHIELD HQ, May catches up with Mack. She questions him about why Hunter didn’t return. Mack gives her a story, but we’re left wondering if May believes him or not.
At the cabin, Coulson takes Mack’s call and bids Skye goodbye.
At the Air Force base, Talbot is questioning the female personnel. He thinks he has found the spy, but the woman’s face won’t come off, so he’s wrong. At the front desk, Ward is with the guard he killed when a soldier walks in. It’s Agent 33! They take the dead guard’s security card.
She and Ward enter Bakshi’s cell. Bakshi realizes she’s gone rogue and tries to talk her down, but she punches him instead.
In the hallway, Talbot’s real wife shows up, but because he’s confused, he pulls a gun on her. Finally, he realizes that she’s really his wife.
At the “real” SHIELD, Bobbi apologizes to Hunter for dragging him into a mess. They talk about their history, and he tries to convince her to leave with him. But she tells him that she needs to finish her mission. He tries to leave, but the guards attack him. He gets away from them, only to discover that he’s out to sea on an aircraft carrier.
Bobbi and the guards are searching for Hunter. She heads out on deck and finds a vessel taking off.
At SHIELD, Fitz asks Coulson where Skye is, but Coulson says that’s classified. Fitz turns to Simmons and asks her what she gave to Coulson. She won’t tell him, and they argue about how she’s afraid because of what happened to him.
In Coulson’s office, May and Coulson are talking to Talbot on video. He tells them that not only did Agent 33 break out Bakshi, but Grant Ward was with her. They killed two men. Coulson promises they’ll get Ward and Agent 33. Talbot signs off. Coulson confesses that he didn’t feel right putting Skye in the cabin. May reassures him. Then Coulson and May agree that Mack is hiding something, and they’re going to find out what it is.
We see Mack calling the other SHIELD. He tells them that Coulson is hiding Skye.
In the “real” SHIELD meeting room, the operatives are discussing what to do about Hunter, who will reach shore (and be free) in 12 hours. Bobbi says that Coulson is the real threat, and she wants to go back in to eliminate him. When she’s questioned about Hunter blowing her cover, she says that she only needs 6 hours to get the job done.
In a hotel room, Agent 33 reveals her true face to Ward. She introduces herself as Keira. Then we see Bakshi is tied up, being brainwashed Hydra-style.
Lionsgate’s just unveiled three new character posters for the dramatic movie Child 44 directed by Daniel Espinosa and based on the book by Tom Rob Smith. The stunning new posters feature three of the film’s stars: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, and Noomi Rapace. The cast also includes Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, and Vincent Cassel.
Richard Price adapted the book for the screen, and Lionsgate’s planning an April 17, 2015 theatrical release for the thriller.
The Plot:
A politically-charged serial killer thriller set in 1953 Soviet Russia, Child 44 chronicles the crisis of conscience for secret police agent Leo Demidov (Hardy), who loses status, power and home when he refuses to denounce his own wife, Raisa (Rapace), as a traitor. Exiled from Moscow to a grim provincial outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with General Mikhail Nesterov (Oldman) to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. Their quest for justice threatens a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo’s psychopathic rival Vasil (Kinnaman), who insists “There is no crime in Paradise.”
