CBS’s upcoming series Supergirl has found its Jimmy Olsen. Mehcad Brooks has snagged the role of Jimmy, the intrepid photographer and love interest of Supergirl, in CBS’s series.
The comic book-inspired show is being developed by DC Entertainment, Warner Bros, and Berlanti Productions.
Melissa Benoist (Glee) is attached to play Supergirl/Kara Zor-el.
Brooks’ credits include Desperate Housewives, The Game, The Deep End, My Generation, and Necessary Roughness. He also had a supporting role in HBO’s True Blood playing ‘Eggs’.
Disney’s finally going to introduce a Latina princess. The Disney Channel announced Elena of Avalor, an animated TV series starring Princess Elena (voiced by Aimee Carrero), will debut in 2016. The series is a spin-off of Sofia the First and is executive produced by Craig Gerber, with Harvard professor Doris Sommer and El Camino Project Marcela Davison Aviles serving as cultural advisors.
“Our creative team has delivered a universal story with themes that authentically reflect the hopes and dreams of our diverse audience,” said Nancy Kanter, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Disney Junior Worldwide. “What excites us most is the chance to use distinctive animation and visual design to tell wonderful stories influenced by culture and traditions that are familiar to the worldwide population of Hispanic and Latino families and reflect the interests and aspirations of all children as told through a classic fairy tale.”
The Plot:
Princess Elena’s journey began long ago when her parents and kingdom were taken from her by the evil sorceress, Shuriki. Elena bravely faced the sorceress to protect her little sister, Princess Isabel, and grandparents but in the process, her magical amulet pulled her inside its enchanted jewel, saving her life but imprisoning her at the same time. Decades later, Princess Sofia of Enchancia discovers the truth about the amulet she has worn since joining her royal family and sets out to restore Elena to her human form and help her return to the kingdom of Avalor.
While Elena is the rightful heir to the throne, she is only age 16 so she will rule Avalor with the help of a Grand Council comprised of her Grandfather Tito, Grandmother Cici and Royal Advisor, Duke Esteban.
With some magical friends by her side – Mateo, a wizard-in-training, and Skylar, a magical flying creature – Princess Elena’s further adventures will lead her to understand that her new role requires thoughtfulness, resilience and compassion, the traits of all truly great leaders.
Fox’s Gotham takes place in the dark, dangerous, and seedy streets of Gotham City where ruthless supervillains rule empires, the majority of cops are corrupt, and the boy who will become Batman is just getting used to living without his parents. In a series packed with colorful characters, Fish Mooney is the most lethal female of the bunch. Jada Pinkett Smith tackles the key role in the series, and in a conference call with journalists she discussed how she’s able to get into character, the appeal of being a part of this comic book-inspired world, and Fish’s future.
Jada Pinkett Smith Interview
Fish Mooney has an amazing wardrobe. Do you have any input into her style?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “I actually do. Our fantastic costume designer usually just comes to me and says, ‘What do you think about these fabrics? What do you think about this idea?’ So I pretty much told Lisa [Padovani] to do what she feels, because she’s such a fantastic artist. We usually just talk about shape and color.”
At the end of the Jan 26th episode, “Welcome Back, Jim Gordon,” Fish appears to be leaving. Can you tease us about what’s coming or maybe when she’s coming back?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “Well, it’s not quite over yet but we’ll see if Fish survives the season. It’s a little tense from here on out, that’s for sure. It’s a little rough on Fish from here on out.”
What’s been your favorite scene to do thus far?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “I think one of my favorite scenes would have to be that Maroni scene when I go to Maroni and I hear that Penguin’s alive but I have yet to see him, and then he comes from the back in the kitchen and I see him for the first time. I think that’s probably one of my favorite scenes that I’ve done so far.”
What was it like preparing for this role since there wasn’t any source material to reference?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “That’s one of the reasons why the role was so interesting to me because it was something that Bruno [Heller] really wanted a partner in creating this Fish Mooney character. I love female gangsters. I just really love them. I think they’re really interesting characters and interesting people. There’s one, Griselda Blanco, who I had studied and I really love the character from Sunset Boulevard and it was kind of a mishmash of those two. Bruno had some suggestions and [we came] together and I said, ‘Well, I would really like to do a mixture of these two women.’
Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney in ‘Gotham’ (Photo by Jessica Miglio, FOX)
One thing I love about the supervillains in Gotham is that they’re always so colorful. I really wanted her to be grounded but also have quite a flair.”
Are you enjoying being a part of a comic book universe?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “Yeah, I am enjoying it. I love comic books and so it’s been a real pleasure to be able to participate in this way, for sure.”
What did you add to Fish that wasn’t originally scripted for you?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “I would say some of her Fish-isms. Her ‘tik, tik, tik.’ A lot of her mannerisms and just some of those little added attitude phrases that Fish has. I would say that would be pretty much what I would add. Thank goodness I have a lot of room on set just because Bruno and the writers know that we’re still trying to find the voice of this character so I have a lot of room to improv at times when it comes to Fish, so that’s been fun as well. Just adding those little flavors that I think make Fish Mooney, Fish.”
Are you enjoying the instant fan feedback you’ve been getting on Twitter during the episodes?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “I have so much fun. Yeah, I have a lot of fun. This is such an enthusiastic genre. The fans that participate in this particular genre are just so much fun, so I have a good time when I’m on Twitter talking about the show. I have a blast.”
Are there specific acting challenges in developing a character people love to hate and yet root for?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “That’s a really good question. As I was saying before I love how powerful Fish can be but at the same time you still want her to be relatable, you know what I mean? You still want people to be able to look at this woman and they might not necessarily know her story but be able to relate to her. I think that this world of Gotham, sometimes in finding where you need to be emotionally or how grounded you need to be in a scene or how far you can actually go with the colors of Fish Mooney, sometimes tends to be a bit challenging. That’s always a seesaw; it’s always trying to find that balance. That aspect is the most challenging of trying to keep her grounded and real. That can be really challenging.”
How would you describe her relationship with Penguin? What have you enjoyed most in seeing that relationship develop?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “I would say that I think she saw Penguin as one of her adopted orphans, somebody she took off the street and helped him become something, so I think that she felt deeply betrayed by Penguin. It will be interesting to see where their relationship goes from here. Right now they’re not getting along too well [laughing] and she’s still pretty upset with him, you know? But it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.”
There have been comments about people noticing a change in your delivery style. Is this a conscious decision for you to be playing Fish Mooney the thug pretending to be Fish Mooney the sophisticated gangster? Is that something you discussed with Bruno?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “Yeah. You know, the thing about Fish Mooney is that you’ll see, especially in the upcoming shows, you will see the many faces of Fish Mooney. I think Fish Mooney is a woman who because of her background and because of who she really is has taken it upon herself to do a lot of cover-ups. She has all of these different kinds of personalities that she picks and chooses to use during certain times. You have this kind of sophisticated Fish, what she considers to be sophisticated – what a sophisticated woman sounds like, what a sophisticated woman looks like – but then there are times when she loses her cool and you kind of see her original essence, which can get a little gutter. And then sometimes when she has to be influential with men, you’ll see her put on her little sexy kitten voice, which is coming up.
This is a woman who has created all these different masks to fit different times just depending on what she’s trying to do at that point in time. It’s interesting because when you watch people in real life, you’ll see that happen often. She just does it in a more extreme way.”
Is it true that when you came in to audition for Fish Mooney you came in with a man on a leash and liar written across his forehead? What gave you the instinct to show the people that’s what Fish embodied?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “Well, it wasn’t for an audition. I know that’s a better story, but it wasn’t for an audition. We were actually doing a work session about Fish Mooney and trying to find the character. That was one of the reasons I decided to do something as extreme as that because I felt like instead of talking about it, just show it. I just felt like from the psychology that I had put together in regard to who I thought Fish was, that’s something better to show than to explain verbally. And so that was one of the reasons why I decided for that particular creative session that I had with Bruno and Danny [Cannon] at the time, which it had already been decided that I would play Fish, I decided to come in with the guy on the leash to just go, ‘This is who this woman is. This is what I see.’ They’re like, ‘Okay, got it.’ [Laughing] It was a very short session to say the least!
They’re like, ‘Okay, we’re clear.’ I was done up and I had this guy on a leash with no shirt on with liar written across his head in red lipstick and they are like, ‘We are clear.’ It gave Bruno a nice foundation to work from, for sure.”
You are known for playing strong characters. Which one would you say is your favorite to play?
Jada Pinkett Smith: “I would say I love playing Fish Mooney. I think you’re going to see a lot more color from Fish in the next episodes to come. I think you’re going to see a lot more vulnerability, you’re going to see a lot more of a human side of Fish Mooney. I see Fish Mooney as a more extreme version of a woman who wears many faces, a woman who is strong but yet afraid. I would say that the Fish Mooney character has, especially in these coming episodes, has been really fun and I love how smart and perceptive she is.
She’s just decided to use her skills and not…you know, she’s a criminal. She decided to be a criminal instead of, you know, a doctor. But I really love her and what she’s becoming, too. I think in the next few episodes and definitely toward the end you’re going to see a whole different Fish and a woman that definitely has some heart. You’ve seen the ruthless, now you’re going to see some heart.”
Is there a character you’d like to play in the future?
“I think there’s a character coming up in Magic Mike that I’m really happy about that is totally different from anything I’ve done thus far, once again. And this woman is strong in a much different way also, and I think that from the response that we’ve been getting in regards to the character that I play in Magic Mike I’m really happy with how that turned out. She’ll probably end up being one of my favorites as well.”
Can you talk more about the sexuality of the character and what that’s been like?
“It’s been great. I think with the Fish Mooney character everything pretty much goes as far as she’s concerned. By any means necessary is kind of her motto. I definitely think that Fish doesn’t discriminate when it comes to her sexuality.”
What did you find so fascinating about the world of Gotham?
“Because Gotham is so mysterious, you know? There’s this kind of undertone to Gotham and the idea that the city itself is kind of this underbelly. It’s just like, ‘What is going on in these alleys? What’s going on in these so-called high rises? What is happening? Why is it that this place has some of the most incredible villains and you have one of the most beloved superheroes which is Batman, that comes from this dark, gritty atmosphere?’
I just felt like Gotham itself has been such a mystery and I’ve always been drawn to it. What is Gotham? What is the city about? Who’s there, and why is it this place? What is it about this place? And so that has always fascinated me about the Batman story, is just his backdrop which has been Gotham.”
Was there a particular scene or episode where you felt like you really clicked with Fish and became her?
“I think, funny enough, it really felt like as soon as I put on that wig, Fish is there. As soon as I put on that wig and her gear because it’s so specifically her, it’s like it’s a unique and immediate transformation. So the first day as soon as I put on that wig and that dress I just felt like, ‘Oh, there she is.’ And every time I do it, she just arrives. It’s a really beautiful thing to have. As an actress, you just don’t have to work hard for it. That, I’m grateful for. That wig and those heels and the nails really conjure her.”
Seth MacFarlane and Mark Wahlberg team up again for Ted 2, the continuing saga of an R-rated talking teddy bear and his childhood best friend. The sequel, which is premiering its first official trailer, finds Ted taking the big step and getting married, however before he can become a father he’s forced to prove he’s really alive.
MacFarlane directs, writes, and provides the voice of the trash-talking teddy bear. Universal Pictures is releasing Ted 2 into theaters on June 26, 2015.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke are featured in Paramount Pictures’ new trailer for Terminator Genisys set to air during the 2015 Super Bowl. The new trailer shows young and old Arnold and has him uttering the classic Terminator line: “I’ll be back.”
Directed by Alan Taylor from a script by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier, the Terminator reboot also stars Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, J. K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Matthew Smith, Courtney B. Vance, and Byung-Hun Lee.
The Plot:
When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…
For the first time in their Super Bowl commercial-buying history, Mars Chocolate North America has released their Snickers commercial prior to game day. The 30-second spot finds Marcia Brady complaining Peter hit her in the nose with a football and mom, Carol, suggesting she eat a Snickers to calm down. Then Jan shows up to mutter the classic line, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.”
Of course, keeping with the Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” ad campaign, the ax-wielding Marcia is played by Danny Trejo and the whiny Jan is played by Steve Buscemi.
“We’ve learned that Super Bowl season extends well beyond the game, which is why we gave the keys to our fans to unlock the commercial early,” said Allison Miazga-Bedrick, Director, SNICKERS Brand. “Since we released a teaser of the commercial on January 21, millions of consumers have rallied and requested to see the full spot. It’s even more proof of the power of our brand and this campaign.”
The goofy yellow guys from Despicable Me have their own movie (Minions) coming out this summer and now they have their own special Super Bowl video. Directed by Pierre Coffin, the Minions voice cast includes Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, and Allison Janney – although none of those famous voices are featured in the TV spot.
Minions opens in theaters on July 10, 2015.
The Plot:
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters — from T. Rex to Napoleon — the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he — alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Katie Holmes has signed on to season three of Showtime’s Ray Donovan starring Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, and Paula Malcomson. According to the network, Holmes has a season-long arc on the upcoming season playing Paige, “the daughter of billionaire producer Andrew Finney (Ian McShane), who enlists Ray’s services.”
Filming is currently underway on season three’s 12 new episodes.
The Plot: Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, Ray Donovan stars two-time Golden Globe nominee Liev Schreiber as L.A.’s best professional fixer, the man called in to make the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls’ most complicated and combustible situations go away. In season two of this powerful drama, Ray’s life erupted when the FBI, his father Mickey (Voight), and his own family slip out of his control, testing his roles as protector, provider and patriarch like never before.
Timur Nesterov (Gary Oldman) and Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy) in ‘Child 44’ (Photo Credit: Larry Horricks)
The first trailer’s now online for the gritty thriller Child 44 directed by Daniel Espinosa (Safe House). Child 44 is based on the book by Tom Rob Smith and stars Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, and Vincent Cassel.
Child 44 opens in theaters on April 17, 2015.
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.”
Stuart Townsend and Janet Montgomery in ‘Salem’ season 2 (Photo Courtesy of WGN America)
WGN America announced the 13 episode second season of the supernatural horror series Salem will premiere on April 5, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT. The network also revealed the first official photo from the series, which is currently shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Leading the cast once again are Janet Montgomery as Mary Sibley, Shane West as Captain John Alden, Seth Gabel as Cotton Mather, and Tamzin Merchant as Anne Hale. Season two guest stars include Stuart Townsend and Lucy Lawless.
Salem was created by Brannon Braga and Adam Simon who also executive produce the series with Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, Josh Barry, and Jeff Kwatinez.
The Salem Season Two Plot:
Salem season two opens at the dawn of the witch war set into motion at the end of season one, with its catalyst and Salem’s deadliest witch, Mary Sibley at the center of the mayhem as she faces off against new and old adversaries vying for her throne. In the wake of the destruction caused by the Grand Rite, completed by Mary and inadvertently triggered by Isaac Walton (Iddo Goldberg) in the season one finale, the fates of Captain John Alden, Cotton Mather, Tituba, Anne Hale, Mercy Lewis (Elise Eberle) and Isaac hang in the balance.
New to the embattled 17(th)-century village for the second season of Salem are Lucy Lawless as Countess Marburg, one of the last descendants of a legendary line of ancient German witches; Stuart Townsend as Samuel Wainwright, a mysterious doctor looking to uncover the secrets of Salem as he keeps a few of his own; Joe Doyle as Baron Sebastian Marburg, the charming and cultured son of the Countess; and Oliver Bell as Mary’s long-lost son, who was revealed in the season one finale to have been secretly kept alive all along by her coven.
