Season two of WGN America’s supernatural horror series Salem kicks off on April 5, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT with Lucy Lawless and Stuart Townsend joining the series as regulars. And this new trailer for the upcoming second season shows off the first footage of Lawless and Townsend in character.
Lawless is playing Countess Marburg, described as “one of the last remaining survivors of the legendary line of ancient German witches.” Townsend joins the cast as Samuel Wainwright, an English doctor “looking to uncover the secrets of Salem and keep his own from those who would seek to discover them.”
Returning cast members include Janet Montgomery, Shane West, Seth Gabel, Ashley Madekwe, Tamzin Merchant, Elise Eberle, and Iddo Goldberg.
The Plot:
Salem, a bold re-imagination of the infamous 17th-century witch trials, returns for season two at the dawn of a Witch War. As the disease and devastation unleashed by a deadly supernatural ritual spread through the war-torn village, Salem’s most powerful witch, Mary Sibley, must face off against adversaries old and new who are vying for her throne.
The second film of the Divergent series, Insurgent, opens in theaters on March 20, 2015 with the soundtrack set to hit stores a few days earlier on March 17th. The Insurgent Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will feature tracks by Imagine Dragons, SOHN, and Anna Calvi, and M83 with Haim’s soundtrack contribution – “Holes in the Sky” – just premiered on MTV.
“Director Robert Schwentke brought incredible nuance to the making of INSURGENT and pressed us to the frontiers of musical ingenuity,” said music supervisor Randall Poster. “There is a varied and powerful collection of songs gathered on this soundtrack. Not a group of songs for the meek but new anthems for the courageous. Music to fuel your insurgency, for sure. “
Insurgent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Track List
“Holes in the Sky” – M83 with HAIM
“Blood Hands”- Royal Blood
“Never Let You Down” – Woodkid featuring Lykke Li
“The Heart of You” – Anna Calvi
“Sacrifice” – Zella Day
“Carry Me Home” – SOHN
“Warriors” – Imagine Dragons
“Convergence” Score Suite from “Insurgent” – Composed and Conducted by Joseph Trapanese
The Insurgent Plot:
The Divergent Series: Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Kate Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them.
Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.
20th Century Fox says filming has just gotten underway on Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children directed by Tim Burton. The film’s based on Ransom Riggs’ bestselling book and will star Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Chris O’Dowd, Allison Janney, Terence Stamp, Kim Dickens, Rupert Everett, Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson.
Jane Goldman (Stardust, Kick-Ass, Kingsman) adapted Riggs’ first book of a planned trilogy for the screen. Jenno Topping and Peter Chernin are producing the project which will shoot in Florida, Belgium and the UK. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children opens in theaters on March 4, 2016.
The Plot: The unforgettable, thrilling and haunting tale centers on 16-year-old Jacob (Butterfield), who follows clues that take him to a mysterious island, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores the abandoned bedrooms and hallways, he discovers that its former occupants were far more than peculiar; they possessed incredible powers. And they may still be alive.
Madonna‘s set to kick off her Rebel Heart Tour on August 29, 2015 in Miami, Florida. The tour will hit 35 cities, including New York, LA, London, Paris, and Glasgow, before finishing up the North American and European legs on December 20th in Glasgow, Scotland. According to Live Nation, concerts in Asia and Australia will be added to the Rebel Heart Tour in the near future.
Madonna’s touring in support of her Rebel Heart album coming to North American stores on March 10, 2015. Tickets for the tour will go on sale beginning March 9th (March 3rd for Madonna’s official fan club Lifetime Legacy members).
“Madonna continues to be one of the most successful touring artists in history – her shows are legendary and we are thrilled to have her going back on tour,” Arthur Fogel, President of Global Touring and Chairman, Global Music.
Madonna Rebel Heart World Tour 2015 Dates
Aug. 29 – Miami, FL at American Airlines Arena
Sept. 2 – Atlanta, GA at Philips Arena
Sept. 5 – San Juan, PR at Coliseo de Puerto Rico
Sept. 9 – Montreal, QC at Bell Centre
Sept. 12 – Washington, DC at Verizon Center
Sept. 16 – New York, NY at Madison Square Garden
Sept. 19 – Brooklyn, NY at Barclays Center
Sept. 24 – Philadelphia, PA at Wells Fargo Center
Sept. 26 – Boston, MA at TD Garden
Sept. 28 – Chicago, IL at United Center
Oct. 1 – Detroit, MI at Joe Louis Arena
Oct. 3 – Atlantic City, NJ at Boardwalk Hall
Oct. 5 – Toronto, ON at Air Canada Centre
Oct. 8 – St. Paul, MN at Xcel Energy Center
Oct. 11 – Edmonton, AB at Rexall Place
Oct. 14 – Vancouver, BC at Rogers Arena
Oct. 17 – Portland, OR at MODA Center
Oct. 19 – San Jose, CA at SAP Center at San Jose
Oct. 22 – Glendale, AZ at Gila River Arena
Oct. 24 – Las Vegas, NV at MGM Grand Garden Arena
Oct. 27 – Los Angeles, CA at Forum
EUROPE / UK:
Nov. 4 – Koln, Germany at Lanxess Arena
Nov. 7 – Prague, CZ at O2 Arena
Nov. 10 – Berlin,Germany at Mercedes-Benz Arena (02 World)
Nov. 14 – Stockholm, Sweden at Tele 2 Arena
Nov. 17 – Herning, Denmark at Jyske Bank Boxen
Nov. 21 – Turin, Italy at Pala Alpitour
Nov. 24 – Barcelona, Spain at Palau Sant Jordi
Nov. 28 – Antwerp, Belgium at Sportpaleis
Dec. 1 – London, UK at O2 Arena
Dec. 5 – Amsterdam, Holland at Ziggo Dome
Dec. 9 – Paris, France at Bercy
Dec. 14 – Manchester, UK at Manchester Arena
Dec. 16 – Birmingham, UK at Barclaycard Arena
Dec. 20 – Glasgow, Scotland at The SSE Hydro
Twilight‘s Taylor Lautner literally runs into The 100‘s Marie Avgeropoulos in this new clip titled “Bike or Jump” from the action thriller Tracers. Directed by Daniel Benmayor, the cast also includes Adam Rayner and Rafi Gavron.
Tracers opens in theaters on March 20, 2015.
The Plot:
After he crashes his bike into a super-sexy stranger named Nikki (Avgeropoulos), Cam (Lautner) is introduced to her crew — a team that uses parkour to pull off heists. Hoping to alleviate his deepening debt to a violent crime gang, Cam quickly joins the group. As the stakes get higher with more dangerous side ventures, the payouts get bigger. Cam must use every ounce of his skill to stay alive as the crew’s heists grow more daring with each job, and gang enforcers breathe relentlessly down his neck.
Michael Almereyda adapted Shakespeare’s Cymbeline for the screen and directs the contemporary take on the tale with Ethan Hawke, Ed Harris, and Dakota Johnson in starring roles. The R-rated action film will be opening in limited release and On Demand on March 13, 2015, and Lionsgate’s just released a new trailer and poster in support of its upcoming premiere.
The Plot:
Ethan Hawke and Ed Harris lead a powerhouse cast including Milla Jovovich, John Leguizamo, Penn Badgley, Dakota Johnson and Anton Yelchin, with Bill Pullman and Delroy Lindo in a gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. When extortion, betrayal, and fiery passions threaten his criminal empire, a drug kingpin (Harris) is driven to desperate measures in this explosive, modern retelling of Shakespeare’s timeless play.
Marvel and Disney have released three more posters from the upcoming Avengers sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. The new posters feature Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury.
Coming to theaters on May 1, 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron also stars Chris Evans as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.
The Plot:
Marvel Studios presents Avengers: Age of Ultron, the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
The team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
Shannon Lee (Photo Courtesy of Bruce Lee Entertainment)
The family of Bruce Lee is behind an upcoming biopic on the legendary martial artist. Lee’s daughter Shannon will be producing along with Lawrence Grey, Ben Everard, and Janet Yang. The film’s set up with Bruce Lee Entertainment and is being made with the full support and involvement of Lee’s family.
“There have been projects out there involving my father, but they’ve lacked a complete understanding of his philosophies and artistry. They haven’t captured the essence of his beliefs in martial arts or storytelling. The only way to get audiences to understand the depth and uniqueness of my father is to generate our own material and find amazing, like-minded partners to work with,” said Shannon Lee. “Many don’t know that Bruce Lee was also a prolific writer and a creator of his own unique art and philosophy. That’s what we want to show – not just his kick-ass physicality, but the depth of his character and beliefs.”
“I have long been inspired by Bruce Lee and wanted to partner with Shannon in order to really delve into the depth of the icon in a way that has never before been seen on the screen,” said Lawrence Grey. “It is really a dream project and the perfect partnership.”
And producer Janet Yang added, “It is a tremendous privilege to be working with Shannon on these exciting ventures about her father. In this age of an increasingly globalized culture, I can’t think of a more talented and innovative individual who embodies the best of East and West, and who can inspire future generations.”
In addition to the biopic, Bruce Lee Entertainment is also working on a TV series based on an original idea by Bruce Lee.
It’s best not to focus on Focus’ trailers before watching this slick crime comedy. The heist film starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie was done a disservice by whoever cut together the clips featured in the first trailers for the Warner Bros. Pictures release. Focus is actually far more entertaining than the trailers make it appear, and the chemistry between Smith and Robbie – something that doesn’t come across at all in the trailers – is what makes this con man (and woman) caper work.
Focus comes from the directing team behind Crazy, Stupid, Love, one of the best comedies of 2011. And although Focus isn’t on par with that smartly written rom-com, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s latest project is slick and, more often than not, engaging.
Focus follows Will Smith as Nicky, a con artist whose sleight-of-hand moves are only rivaled in slickness by his ability to verbally manipulate his way into separating his mark from his or her money. Nicky’s got a good thing going with a crew of like-minded thieves, scoring big wherever high rollers gather and living the good life in between looking for his next huge payday. But his ordered life is thrown for a loop with the appearance of Jess (Robbie), a gorgeous con artist who has impressive pickpocket skills.
Jess and Nicky hit it off, and because she’s so adept at lifting items from unsuspecting marks, Nicky invites her to join the team as they work one of the year’s most profitable events: the Super Bowl. Outside of connecting over the mutual proficiency as con artists, the two connect romantically – despite their age differences (Smith is 46, Robbie is 24). Unfortunately, being in a committed relationship isn’t in Nicky’s plans, and he breaks it off with Jess who’s heartbroken over being tossed aside at the completion of their Super Bowl heist.
Flash-forward a few years and Nicky and Jess have an improbable reunion when Nicky signs up to pull off a scam involving Formula One racers in Buenos Aires, and Nicky just happens to also be there working her own scam.
The Bottom Line:
What makes Focus worth a look is the chemistry between leads Will Smith and Margot Robbie. The story itself is nothing special, and in fact, the final hour of the movie takes a ridiculous turn. However, Smith and Robbie do some sleight-of-hand work on their own, transforming an otherwise forgettable film into something that keeps you involved to the end.
Focus is definitely a case of style over substance, and no scene better illustrates why that is than an incredible sequence in which Smith, Robbie, and the gang work the streets, picking pockets, swiping jewelry, credit cards, and other valuables. The scene resembles a dance in the way it’s choreographed, with the team constantly waltzing forward as they lift items from unsuspecting victims.
Pay too much attention to the story and you’ll notice Focus losing its focus. But for all of its twists and turns, for all of its heist setups, the fact Focus is actually a fun romantic romp sneaks up on you and turns out to be a pleasant surprise.
GRADE: B-
MPAA rating: R for language, some sexual content and brief violence
Dakota Johnson and Kyle Mooney during the “Father Daughter” skit on February 28, 2015 (Photo by: Dana Edelson / NBC)
Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson marked her first Saturday Night Live hosting gig by starring in of the show’s most controversial recent skits. In a pre-recorded bit, Johnson played a young girl who says an emotional goodbye to her dad (played by Taran Killam) before heading off to join ISIS. Yes, SNL used the recruitment of young girls to the terrorist group as fodder for a comedy skit.
