ABC hasn’t issued an official press release announcing it, but the Twitter account for Cristela says it’s official. The half hour comedy series starring Cristela Alonzo has been given a full season order.
Cristela kicked off its first season run on Friday, October 10, 2014 and has posted good but not outstanding ratings. ABC already cancelled Manhattan Love Story and Selfie, and Cristela could really have gone either way. Fortunately for fans, the series has been saved by the network – at least for its first season – even though it’s only drawing in around 5 million viewers each week after opening to 6.5 million viewers.
Michael Keaton and Edward Norton in ‘Birdman’ (Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight)
Birdman earned six nominations while Nightcrawler, Boyhood, and Selma each picked up five nominations as just announced by the Film Independent Spirit Awards – the Oscars of the independent film world. The 30th Independent Spirit Awards will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015, one day prior to the Oscars. And unlike the Academy Awards ceremony, the Spirit Awards are a more casual affair, taking place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.
“As we celebrate 30 years of great independent film,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent, “this year’s nominees are an astonishingly strong group of films and filmmakers which demonstrate the uniqueness of vision we honor at this show.”
Although neither film was eligible to receive individual nominations based on the Spirit Awards rules, Inherent Vice and Foxcatcher were singled out to receive special awards, with Inherit Vice earning the Robert Altman Award for its ensemble cast, casting director, and director. Foxcatcher was chosen to receive the Special Distinction Award for “its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and achievement on every level of filmmaking.”
2015 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash
BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Ava DuVernay – Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
David Zellner – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski – Big Eyes
J.C. Chandor – A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch – Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias – Love is Strange
BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah
Dear White People
Director/Producer: Justin Simien
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe
Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy
Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Obvious Child
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Producer: Elisabeth Holm
She’s Lost Control
Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt
Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Desiree Akhavan – Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo – Little Accidents
Justin Lader – The One I Love
Anja Marquardt – She’s Lost Control
Justin Simien – Dear White People
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Blue Ruin
Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
It Felt Like Love
Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman
Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner
Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Man From Reno
Writer/Director: Dave Boyle
Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman
Producer: Ko Mori
Test
Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Chris Martin
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Marion Cotillard – The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi – Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton – Only Lovers Left Alive
BEST MALE LEAD
André Benjamin – Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
John Lithgow – Love is Strange
David Oyelowo – Selma
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo – Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz – Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Riz Ahmed – Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Alfred Molina – Love is Strange
Edward Norton – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Darius Khondji – The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Sean Porter – It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young – Selma
BEST EDITING
Sandra Adair – Boyhood
Tom Cross – Whiplash
John Gilroy – Nightcrawler
Ron Patane – A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard – The Guest
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
20,000 Days on Earth
Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson
CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Stray Dog
Director: Debra Granik
Producer: Anne Rosellini
The Salt of the Earth
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders
Producer: David Rosier
Virunga
Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel
Producer: Joanna Natasegara
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
Force Majeure
(Sweden)
Director: Ruben Östlund
Ida
(Poland)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Leviathan
(Russia)
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Mommy
(Canada)
Director: Xavier Dolan
Norte, the End of History
(Philippines)
Director: Lav Diaz
Under the Skin
(United Kingdom)
Director: Jonathan Glazer
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon
SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum
18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson
21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
H.
Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
The Retrieval
Director: Chris Eska
20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Approaching the Elephant
Director: Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal
Director: Darius Clark Monroe
Apparently no one learned anything from Jurassic Park as once again scientists have unleashed dinosaurs there’s no way to contain in Jurassic World, the fourth film of the franchise. Universal Pictures has released the official trailer for Jurassic World and it features a new female hybrid dinosaur who we don’t get to see a full shot of but what we do see confirms that creating this creature was a terrible idea.
Jurassic World was directed by Colin Trevorrow and will open in theaters on June 12, 2015. The cast is led by Chris Pratt and features Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Judy Greer.
Steven Spielberg executive produces and Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley produced the action adventure film.
Gina Torres and Gabriel Macht in ‘Suits’ (Photo by: Shane Mahood / USA Network)
Both Suits and Sirens will return to USA Network in January 2015. The network announced Suits‘ fourth season will continue on January 28th at 10pm ET/PT and Sirens‘ second season will kick off on January 27th at 10pm. The fourth season of Suits, thus far, has a total audience of 14.1 million viewers. The half-hour comedy Sirens averaged 1.62 million over its first season and ranked as one of the best basic cable new comedy series in 2014.
In addition to announcing the premiere dates, USA Network also released details on the shows’ upcoming seasons:
Suits: The mid-season premiere of Suits picks up from the stunning cliffhanger, with Louis gaining the leverage needed to finally achieve his ultimate goal — becoming a partner of the firm. Meanwhile, the team at Pearson Specter is dealing with the major fallout of Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) learning Mike’s (SAG Award nominee Patrick J. Adams) secret. With six episodes remaining, Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Jessica (Gina Torres) are faced with critical changes at the firm and defending one of their own.
Sirens: Season two of the popular comedy series Sirens, from executive producers Denis Leary and Bob Fisher, returns Tuesday, January 27 at 10/9c with two back-to-back episodes. The season reunites Chicago’s best EMTs Johnny (Michael Mosley), Hank (Kevin Daniels) and Brian (Kevin Bigley) as they navigate their way through professional and personal drama. Together the comedy-trio discusses and debates its way through life issues, including chance versus coincidence, white knights versus nightingales and strippers versus magicians. Sirens also stars Jessica McNamee, Bill Nunn and Josh Segarra. Guest stars appearing in the 13 episode season include Lenny Clarke, Nora Dunn, Loretta Devine, John Scurti, Steve Schirripa, Jonathan Sadowski, Nikki DeLoach, Aya Cash, WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, Brian Doyle Murray, Wayne Knight and Andy Kindler.
The first-ever authorized documentary on Nirvana’s front man Kurt Cobain is currently in production and will air on HBO in 2015. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is, according to HBO, a “fully authorized” look into the life of singer/guitarist/songwriter Cobain. Set up with HBO Documentary Films and Universal Pictures, Crossfire Hurricane‘s director Brett Morgen is writing, directing, and producing the documentary. Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean Cobain is executive producing.
Cobain’s family is cooperating on the documentary and have provided access to his archives which contain recordings, photos, journals, songbooks, and demos. Morgen will be including unheard Cobain recordings as well as Nirvana songs and performances in Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.
“I started work on this project eight years ago,” said Morgen. “Like most people, when I started, I figured there would be limited amounts of fresh material to unearth. However, once I stepped into Kurt’s archive, I discovered over 200 hours of unreleased music and audio, a vast array of art projects (oil paintings, sculptures), countless hours of never-before-seen home movies, and over 4000 pages of writings that together help paint an intimate portrait of an artist who rarely revealed himself to the media.”
“Run, RUN!” yells Alfred (Sean Pertwee) to young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) and Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) when he realizes the woman pretending to be injured in a car accident is really a professional assassin after either Bruce or Selina in episode 10 of the gritty crime thriller series Gotham.
After Alfred fights off – rather remarkably – the assassins sent to kill Selina, he calls Detective Gordon (Ben McKenzie), who arrives at Wayne Manor with his partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue). Alfred tells him what happened and gives him hell for putting Bruce in danger by hiding Selina Kyle, the only living witness to the Wayne murders, on the estate.
Bullock, realizing Gordon has re-opened the Wayne murders investigation behind his back, has a bit of a fit but quickly teams up with Alfred to chase down a few leads on where Selina might take Bruce to lay low and hide. James Gordon heads off to confront the new D.A. Harvey Dent to find out how the assassins knew Selina was at Wayne Manor, believing he may have leaked that information.
Meanwhile, Bruce is following Selina’s lead as he’s introduced to the tough and disturbing underbelly of Gotham City. Not wanting to lose his company – Selina’s been trying to get Bruce to kiss her since the last episode – she lies to Bruce, saying the killers must be after him because they showed up at his home. Scared and a bit too trusting of Selina (it’s obvious he has a crush on her), Bruce agrees to let her be in charge and do what she says as they travel the rooftops and gutters of Gotham, trying to avoid the hired killers.
Suspenseful and extremely well-acted, Gotham episode 10 titled “Lovecraft” ends the first half of season one of the comic book-inspired series with a thrilling fight, chases on rooftops, a shoot-out, a tender reunion, and a sweet first kiss.
Two stand-out performances in this episode are delivered by the show’s younger cast members. David Mazouz and Carmen Bicondova truly shine as Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle on the run from hired guns while awkwardly flirting with each other and starting to become friends. They have great chemistry together and capture charmingly the playfulness and sensitivity kids experiencing crushes exude.
Another first-rate performance in this episode is given by Sean Pertwee as Alfred, who reveals two different sides of Alfred’s personality. First is the lethal hand-to-hand combat Alfred who takes out two of the three assassins trying to murder Selina, and second is the worried, caring guardian/surrogate father to young Bruce, who’s willing to do anything to get to Bruce before any harm comes to him. The scene where the two are finally reunited is tender and touching.
McKenzie and Logue are solid as Gordon and Bullock, the two tough detectives determined to find the kids before the killers do. However, this time the usual two leads of the show take a welcome back seat to the drama and adventure of Bruce and Selina. Finally, the show is spending time again showing the early origins of two of the major players in the Batman universe and their early encounters.
The camera work, set design, atmosphere, and lighting are still some of the show’s best elements, bringing to life a corrupt and dark Gotham City, which still has a long way to plunge down before desperately needing the Caped Crusader to save it.
With strong performances, gripping chases, crisp dialogue, and a strong noir look and feel to the series, it’s going to be tough to wait until January to return to Gotham.
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum on FOX’S CAUSE FOR PAWS: AN ALL-STAR DOG SPECTACULAR (Photo by Frank Micelotta / FOX)
The list of celebrities who will be celebrating dogs during Fox’s Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular has expanded by seven. Fox just announced Channing Tatum, Miley Cyrus, Kaley Cuoco, Queen Latifah, Gavin DeGraw, Wayne Brady, and Roselyn Sanchez have joined the two-hour special which will air on Thanksgiving at 8pm ET/PT.
Hilary Swank and Jane Lynch co-host the special that will feature appearances by Paula Abdul, David Arquette, Wayne Brady, Kristin Chenoweth, Whitney Cummings, Josh Duhamel, Fergie, Max Greenfield, Kathy Griffin, Julianne Hough, Randy Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Kesha, Miranda Lambert, and Wendie Malick. Plus, Cesar Millan, Olivia Munn, Olivia Newton-John, Jerry O’Connell, Kelly Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, P!nk, Amber Riley, Rebecca Romijn, Emmy Rossum, Jenna Dewan Tatum, and Betty White.
Details on Fox’s Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular:
Fox’s Cause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Spectacular is an uplifting special for the whole family and an entertaining celebration of rescue dogs and the joy they bring to our lives. It will feature inspiring and funny stories of rescue dogs, honor the best viral videos starring rescue pups, include games featuring dogs and celebrity participants and feature stories honoring people who dedicate their lives to rescuing animals in need.
The special will include awards and celebrity presentations showcasing a variety of canine categories, and viewers will also be provided with information regarding adoptable animals in their local areas.
In support of OK Go‘s new album Hungry Ghosts, the group will be on the road next year with their interactive live show. Kicking off on March 21, 2015 in San Francisco, the tour will take the band through cities including Chicago, Atlanta, and Denver before finishing up on May 2nd in Los Angeles.
OK Go – Spring 2015 North American Tour Dates
3/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
3/23 – Portland, OR @ McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom
3/24 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
3/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
3/27 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom
3/28 – Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall
3/29 – Saskatoon, SK @ Louis’ Pub
3/31 – Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Center
4/2 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
4/3 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
4/4 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
4/6 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
4/7 – Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
4/9 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
4/10 – Ithaca, NY @ The State Theatre
4/11 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
4/12 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Inn
4/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
4/15 – Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theatre
4/17 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
4/18 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
4/20 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
4/21 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
4/24 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
4/25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
4/26 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
4/28 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
4/30 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
5/1 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
5/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams on ‘The Voice’ (Photo by: Trae Patton / NBC)
The Voice coaches Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani have been tapped to provide an original song for Paddington, the live-action/CGI mix that brings to the big screen the adorable bear featured in Michael Bond’s beloved books. Williams and Stefani co-wrote and sang “Shine” which is featured in Paddington directed by Paul King and starring Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, and Nicole Kidman. Ben Whishaw provides the voice of Paddington.
“What a wonderful opportunity, as a parent, to contribute to something as classic, authentic and generational to all of our lives, as Paddington Bear,” said Pharrell Williams.
“I am honored to join forces with Pharrell and be part of bringing this beloved classic to life for Paddington’s next big adventure,” added Gwen Stefani.
TWC-Dimension’s Paddington will open in theaters on January 16, 2015.
The Paddington Plot:
Paddington tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you,” and offer him a temporary haven.
It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist. The film features an entirely computer-generated bear who interacts with a cast of esteemed actors.
Taylor Kitsch (Photo by Richard Chavez /Showbiz Junkies)
Filming has begun on season two of HBO’s critically acclaimed dramat True Detective with Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in starring roles. And as production gets underway, HBO’s confirmed Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Kelly Reilly have joined the cast.
Eight new episodes featuring new characters and a new story will air in 2015. Justin Lin is directing the first two episodes from scripts by series creator Nic Pizzolatto.
Here are the details on the story and who the lead actors are playing:
The Plot: Three police officers and a career criminal must navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder.
– Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him.
– Vince Vaughn as Frank Semyon, a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner.
– Rachel McAdams as Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff’s detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves.
– Taylor Kitsch as Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle officer for the California Highway Patrol, running from a difficult past and the sudden glare of a scandal that never happened.
– Kelly Reilly as Jordan, Frank Semyon’s wife, a former D-list actress who is a full partner in his enterprises and ambitions.
