With Jim Carrey as host, the October 25, 2014 episode of Saturday Night Live scored the highest ratings this season. It also had more skits that worked than didn’t which is something you can’t say about recent episodes.
One of the funniest was a graveyard musical number with Jim Carrey and Taran Killam as a couple of ghosts named Paul and Phil who keep interrupting the more frightening graveyard residents’ attempts at scaring two visitors.
Universal announced they’ll be releasing the official first trailer for the upcoming seventh film of the Fast and Furious franchise on November 1, 2014. Oh, and by the way, Fast and Furious 7 is now simply Furious 7. The trailer will debut during a special “The Road to Furious 7: Trailer Launch Event” which will stream live on the Fast and Furious Facebook page at 12pm on Saturday, November 1st.
Cast members Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Jason Statham will be answering questions from fans live on-air during the special event on November 1st. If you’re interested in asking a question, starting today you can submit a video on Instagram using the hashtag #AskFurious7. You can also submit your questions on the Fast and Furious Facebook page.
Jim Carrey returned to host Saturday Night Live on October 25, 2014, marking his third time handling hosting duties, and among one of the better bits of the night were spoofs of those Lincoln ads featuring True Detective‘s Matthew McConaughey. Carrey was spot-on and, seriously, why is McConaughey starring in those ads after winning an Oscar? Kenan Thompson also shows up as Allstate spokesman Dennis Haysbert who is accidentally taken along for a ride.
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If you’re hooked on Manhattan Love Story, then I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The half-hour romantic comedy has the dubious distinction of being the first new fall series to be canceled. The ABC show starring Analeigh Tipton and Jake McDorman premiered to 4.7 million viewers and then sank to just 2.7 million by its fourth episode.
The show’s rom-com twist was to allow the audience to listen in on the main characters’ inner dialogues. That wasn’t enough to keep viewers tuning in, and ABC’s decided to yank the show and will air back-to-back episodes of Selfie in its place on Tuesday nights. That new comedy is holding up fairly well in the ratings, averaging about 4.1 million viewers.
Both Tipton and McDorman took to Twitter to thank their fans after news of the show’s cancellation hit the internet:
“You guys are truly incredible. Thank you outpouring of love. Broken hearts all around.” – @OhAnaleigh
“You guys are amazing. Thank you for everything #ManhattanLoveStory” – @JakeMcDorman
Best known for playing Pippin in the Lord of the Rings franchise, Billy Boyd will be back in the world of hobbits as part of the final entry in The Hobbit film series. Boyd has co-written and will sing The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies‘ end title song, “The Last Goodbye.”
“It is hard, after 16 years and six films, to know exactly how to say goodbye. We knew that we wanted to speak directly to all those who have taken this journey with us, especially to the fans whose love of these films has so often kept us going. This is why we asked Billy Boyd, who has been with us from the very beginning, and whose portrayal as Peregrin Took in The Lord of The Rings films is so beloved, to help write and perform the final song in this trilogy. Billy is not just a wonderful actor but also an extremely accomplished singer/songwriter—we are so glad he agreed once again to share his talent with us,” said The Hobbit filmmakers Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh.
Commented Boyd, “I wanted the song to be a goodbye to all the fans who have been part of this amazing journey and to the whole world of Tolkien as it has been told in the cinema for our generation. No one knows the world of Tolkien better than Peter, Fran and Philippa, and I feel incredibly touched and honored to be asked to write and perform this song, and to be at the start and end of these beautiful, historic stories. To once again work so closely with them has been one of the true honors of my working life.”
The filmmakers added, “There is always something simple and truthful and heartfelt running through even the grandest of the tales of Professor Tolkien. As Thorin tells Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit, if the world valued song and cheer above gold it would be a merrier place. As much as The Battle of the Five Armies is an epic story about war and sacrifice and loss, it is also a personal tale about the importance of friendship and family and home. ‘The Last Goodbye,’ performed by Billy Boyd, is both a farewell to Middle-earth and it is also our leave-taking of the audience. We cannot imagine a more perfect voice to carry us away from the shores of Middle-earth…one last time.”
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies soundtrack is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
The Plot:
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.
Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain.
As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.
We’re halfway through the final season of Sons of Anarchy and it’s been one hard-hitting, gut-wrenching episode after another. Episode seven’s previews led SoA fans to believe Juice’s fate would be sealed, however, it was another member of SAMCRO who wound up in enemy hands.
With the finale in sight, series creator Kurt Sutter and star Charlie Hunnam discussed the journey Jax has been on and what’s motivating him at this point in his life. And Sutter and Hunnam discuss the consequences of the game-changing decisions Jax has been making.
Columbia Pictures says filming is now underway on The 5th Wave, an action-adventure film based on Rick Yancey’s bestselling young adult book and starring Chloe Grace Moretz. J. Blakeson is directing from a script by Susannah Grant, with Columbia Pictures aiming for a January 29, 2016 release date.
Yancey’s The 5th Wave spent 21 weeks on the NY Times’ bestsellers list. The second book of the trilogy (The Infinite Sea) just hit stores last month.
In addition to Moretz, the cast includes Nick Robinson, Ron Livingston, Maggie Siff, Alex Roe, Maika Monroe, Zackary Arthur, and Liev Schreiber. Tobey Maguire, Graham King, Lynn Harris, and Matthew Plouffe are producing the film, with Denis O’Sullivan and Richard Middleton executive producing.
According to the announcement, fans of the book will be able to see what’s happening with the film via updates on social media. “One of the ways Rick Yancey made The 5th Wave so special is that it feels like it’s happening right now – and the characters react as teenagers today would react,” said Dwight Caines, president, Theatrical Marketing for Sony Pictures. “To stay faithful to that, we are making sure fans are on the inside from Day One.”
The Plot:
In The 5th Wave, set in the present day, four waves of increasingly deadly attacks have left most of Earth decimated. Against a backdrop of fear and distrust, 16-year-old Cassie is on the run, desperately trying to save her younger brother. As she prepares for the inevitable and lethal 5th wave, Cassie meets a young man who may become her final hope.
“It’s not what you did, son, it’s who you did it to,” says Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). “That nobody?!,” yells his son, Iosef (Alfie Allen). “That nobody…is John Wick,” answers Viggo, trying to convey to his cocky and belligerent son that he has made the worst mistake of his life by stealing John Wick’s car and killing his puppy in the action crime thriller John Wick.
After losing the love of his life, retired hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) gets one last gift from his wife: a beagle puppy so he won’t be alone while he mourns her passing and to give him something to take care of. While filling up his 1969 Mustang, Wick is approached by Iosef who wants to buy his car. Wick quickly tells him it’s not for sale and leaves. Later that night, Iosef, along with a few other Russian thugs, break into Wick’s home, kill his puppy, beat him unconscious, and steal his car.
What Iosef and his goons don’t realize is that they just attacked the most lethal and feared ex-hitman in New York City. Having lost everything he loves, John comes out of retirement and brings out his old arsenal of weapons. While it was Iosef acting without orders, Wick targets not only Iosef but his powerful father, who’s the head of the Russian mob in New York City.
Action-packed with countless, over-the-top shoot-outs and thrilling car chases, John Wick is a compelling revenge thriller that’s this generation’s Death Wish. Reeves delivers a solid, brooding performance as ex-professional assassin Wick, who’s lost his humanity with the loss of everything he ever cared about. Michael Nyqvist is perfectly cast as the Russian Mob boss who knows his son is a careless, arrogant idiot but is still determined to try to protect him from Wick.
The best actors in the film are, unfortunately, underutilized. Ian McShane shows up in a few scenes and is terrific as Winston, the New York underworld’s referee. Equally well-cast yet underused is Willem Dafoe as Marcus, Wick’s only friend from the old days. It’s a true shame that McShane is only given two scenes and Dafoe three and a half. It’s a true waste of excellent actors who could have given the film even more depth and menace.
The production is first-rate, set in a New York City where thugs lurk in dark corners, mobsters own the streets, and the night-life is ominous and slick. The use of the Hotel Cosmopolitan for the assassins’ designated safe zone is superb for both humor and fast-paced action scenes.
Stylish and exciting, John Wick is an action, revenge thriller that will have the movie audience rooting for John right up until the credits roll.
* * * * *
John Wick is rated R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use.
Jim Parsons will be channeling his inner elf for the NBC animated special Elf: Buddy’s Musical Christmas. Parsons will be lending his voice to play Buddy in the stop-motion hour-long holiday special airing on December 16, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT.
The holiday show is based on the hit film Elf which starred Will Ferrell, as well as on the Broadway musical. In addition to Parsons, the voice cast includes Mark Hamill, Ed Asner, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer, Gilbert Gottfried, Kate Micucci, Rachael MacFarlane, Max Charles and Steve Higgins.
The Plot:
The special is an all-new retelling of Buddy’s delightfully absurd yet heartwarming story and blends the look and feel of the stop-motion animated Christmas specials of the past with the sharp sensibility of the modern-day classic holiday film.
Santa narrates the story of Buddy’s travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Along the way his unrelenting cheer transforms the lives of everyone he meets and opens his father’s eyes to the magic of Christmas.
-By Rebecca Murray
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Can we get through Halloween first before having to think about the winter holidays? Apparently not, as The Recording Academy is ready to promote their upcoming one-hour special, A Very Grammy Christmas. The music-filled holiday special has signed up Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Pharrell Williams, and Tim McGraw to perform popular holiday tunes and current hits on the show, with more musical guests to be announced later.
The Recording Academy also revealed the Album of the Year Grammy nominees will be announced during the A Very Grammy Christmas special. CBS will air the show on December 5, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT.
Tickets are on sale now for the November 18th taping of the show which will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.
-By Rebecca Murray
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