A new UK trailer has just arrived for the supernatural horror film Ouija based on the popular (and creepy) boardgame and heading to theaters on October 24, 2014. The Universal Pictures release is timed to scare audiences close to Halloween and stars Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos, and Ana Coto. Stiles White directs and co-wrote the script with Juliet Snowden.
The Plot:
In Ouija, a group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board.
Magnolia Pictures has picked up the North American distribution rights to The Little Death, a sex comedy starring Damon Herriman, Bojana Novakovic, and Kate Mulvany. Josh Lawson wrote, directed (marking his feature film directorial debut), and plays a supporting role in the comedy. Jamie Hilton, Michael Petroni, and Matt Reeder produced the film, with Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, Josh Pomeranz, Viv Scanu and Stephen Boyle executive producing.
Announcing the acquisition, Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles said, “The Little Death is a terrifically funny film that elegantly walks the line between a shockingly funny sex humor and a warmly affectionate look at adult relationships.”
The Little Death will enter theaters in 2015.
The Plot:
Both an edgy sex comedy and a warm-hearted depiction of the secret lives of five suburban couples, the film weaves together a story that explores a range of sexual fetishes — from run-of-the-mill to hilariously obscure — and the repercussions that come with sharing them.
Barbie (Mike Vogel) leads the townsfolk down into a cave in the season 2 finale of ‘Under the Dome’
In Stephen King’s Under the Dome, which other than the title and the idea of a dome over a city bears no resemblance to the CBS series, both Big Jim (Dean Norris) and Junior (Alexander Koch) made too many visits to the Psychos R Us store. In the CBS series, Junior’s transformed from a guy who kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and held her hostage in a cellar to an upstanding member of the town who is quite possibly the most reliable police officer left standing.
And for most of season one and nearly all of season two, Big Jim has been a pain in the butt who more often than not, makes bad decisions but normally has the best interests of his town at heart. However, with the season two finale of Under the Dome, Big Jim’s lost his hold on sanity and has gone…pardon my language…batsh*t crazy. There really is no other way to describe the manner in which Jim snapped upon finding the love of his life, Pauline, the psychic painter, dead when he believed there was no way the dome would ever allow her to die.
Of course, after seeing Rebecca (Karla Crome) standing in the corner still holding the syringe she used to put an end to Pauline’s suffering, Jim had every right to go a little crazy. But he took things to a whole new level by killing Rebecca with a hammer (Crome really nailed that emotional exit) after she told him Pauline asked her to do the humane thing. Jim’s killing spree didn’t end with Rebecca as he decided that since the dome didn’t save his woman, then he was going to kill everyone who mattered to the dome because…well, just because. Never question any character’s motivation in Under the Dome; it’s a pointless exercise that will only lead to an increased level of frustration as well as tension headaches.
Meanwhile, Barbie (Mike Vogel) easily convinced everyone to follow him down into the crater that’s opened up under the town. Only one adult questioned this but didn’t follow up with any further questions once Barbie said he’d used the tunnel/cave/whatever it is to exit the town before. Now, most normal people would immediately respond to that disclosure with an expletive-laden demand for further information. But not in this town…no, they just follow Barbie, who, if you recall, was once about to be hung in front of these same townspeople before the dome stepped in and shut down the execution blindly into the abyss.
Back to Big Jim – he went on a rampage and held Andrea (Dale Raoul, who also died during the final season of True Blood) hostage in order to get Julia (Rachelle Lefevre) to come to her rescue. Jim killed Andrea and then set his sights on taking out Julia (side note: at this point in viewing the episode, I cheered out loud with great enthusiasm). Unfortunately, she survived and ran through the forest to get to Barbie’s group, which was busy doing their best lemming imitations and climbing down into a hole.
Julia ran into Junior and Sam (Eddie Cahill) and told them Jim just killed Andrea. Sam knows Jim also killed Rebecca and Lyle so he took Julia at her word, not that anyone in this town ever stops to actually think things through. When Jim appeared on the scene Junior told him, “I’m not your son anymore. I’m not going to let you hurt anyone else,” right before firing a shot into his dad’s shoulder at relatively close range, a shot which incredibly didn’t even knock Big Jim down.
Back in the pit, the group ran into a dead end. The exit has caved in and hundreds of glowing butterflies appeared on the ceiling before fluttering their way out of the cave over the heads of all the townspeople who, of course, didn’t react at all to this new development. Whoa, cool effect but what does it all mean? It means that Norrie, who thus far into the episode had been way less annoying than usual but who I still want to see at the top of Jim’s hit list, had an opportunity to yell at the wall, begging whoever/whatever is controlling the dome to tell them what’s going on.
In response, a single butterfly returned and landed on the wall, and Barbie decided to put his hand where the butterfly landed. Don’t ask why. And then…drumroll please…the wall cracked open and the twice-dead Melanie appeared, looking all luminescent and saying, “Follow me. We’re going home.” Fade to black.
Will there be a season three? CBS hasn’t revealed any plans for another season of Under the Dome nor have they announced that season two’s finale will be the show’s finale. However, other than the fact that we didn’t get an answer as to the origin of the dome, it would be okay to end the series’ run after these two seasons as escaping from the dome was really the whole point all along – and the survivors seem to have done just that. Or maybe they’re all dead and Melanie’s leading them to heaven or wherever. Nothing about Under the Dome made a lick of sense so don’t expect Melanie’s arrival and subsequent demand to be followed to add up to anything logical.
Under the Dome has taken itself so seriously and yet it’s one of the most nonsensical primetime shows to ever survive more than three episodes. The rules constantly changed, new characters popped in to fill the slots left by those killed by the dome itself or by one of the good folks who survived the initial landing of the dome, and the dialogue was atrocious. Conclusions were jumped to by characters who had no business knowing what was happening or why but who only knew what was going on (a rumbling noise means the dome’s shutting down, a crack in the dome means a wi-fi signal is now accessible, etc.) because that’s the direction the episode needed to go in. Logic be damned, on with the show!
This show is loaded with characters lacking basic human emotions other than anger. When someone close to them dies, they mourn for a minute and then move on. No one really seems to be concerned about their predicament other than a small group that does all the worrying, wondering, exploring, and analyzing of the evidence for the entire town. The rest apparently just hang out in the local stores and wait for someone to tell them what to do (like crawl into a hole in the pitch dark under the dome that is shrinking on an hourly basis).
Under the Dome did, however save the best for last, with this season two finale easily that best episode of the show’s run. It was more focused than usual, less about the dynamic teenage duo (Norrie and Joe), and Jim was allowed to let his loony flag fly. If there’s a season three, I hope that Jim survives being shot by Junior, and each episode concentrates on him methodically checking names off his list of people to kill in order to piss off the dome. Maybe the season three finale could be a final showdown of Jim versus Barbie in a no holds barred fight to be the last man standing. Sure, it has nothing to do with the dome, but who cares? It would be fun to watch.
Kristy Osmunson and Jon Stone of American Young (Photo Credit: Reid Rolls / 2014 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.)
When two artists, already wise to the ways of the Country Music world, form a duo, the result can be more varied than what you often get from sibling pairs.
When the twosome is Kristy Osmunson and Jon Stone, it can also be close to magic.
They have plenty in common. Both are American and, though well established in Nashville, young. Stone’s writing credits include “Me and My Gang” for Rascal Flatts, “A Woman Like You” for Lee Brice and “It Ain’t Yours to Throw Away” for fictitious superstar Gunnar Scott on “Nashville.” Osmunson sizzled on fiddle with another duo, Bomshel.
On June 24, Curb Records released their first digital EP, whose six tracks bubble with their chemistry and daringly defy convention. Their first single, “Love Is War” (written by Billy Montana, Kylie Sackley and Jonathan Singleton), eschews slamming backbeats and hillbilly swagger for simple, quiet harmonies and unisons over delicate, lutelike plucks and an almost evanescent drum part. Each takes a turn in the spotlight — Stone with tangible urgency on “Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight” (Lee Brice, Billy Montana and Stone), Osmunson with muted desperation on “God Sends a Train.”
Expect American Young to be making music this memorable well into adulthood.
For more on American Young, visit www.CMACloseUp.com.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND
OSMUNSON: “The Do’s and Don’ts of Twerking.”
STONE: “Touring for Dummies.”
PET PEEVE
OSMUNSON: “Jon.”
STONE: “I don’t have a pet. I travel too much.”
FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
OSMUNSON: “Horse.”
STONE: “Teleportation – anything besides the back of a cop car.”
TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OSMUNSON: “Eat Dessert First.”
STONE: “Confusion Gets You Far in Life.”
FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD
OSMUNSON: “Carrot juice and veggies – I’m pretty much a rabbit.”
Colin Farrell (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)
The casting rumors have been confirmed: Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn have committed to starring in season two of HBO’s True Detective. According to HBO, the eight-episode series will begin shooting later this year in California.
Justin Lin (the Fast and Furious franchise) is attached to direct the first two episodes of the new season. Series creator Nic Pizzolatto wrote both season one and season two.
The first season, which starred Matthew McConaughey and his offscreen friend Woody Harrelson, won five Emmys, a Critics’ Choice Award, and a Television Critics Association Award.
Per HBO, here’s the very basic details on True Detective season two:
Three police officers and a career criminal must navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder.
The Cast:
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 career criminal in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner.
“However dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light. There will be light, Bruce,” says new police detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) while trying to comfort young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) who’s just witnessed his parents being robbed and murdered in the pilot of FOX’s gritty crime series, Gotham.
Before Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, and the Caped Crusader himself -Batman – there is Gotham, the new crime series that focuses on rookie Gotham City detective Jim Gordon working with his more experienced and not so moral or ethical partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue). The two have been assigned to solve the murder of the wealthy couple Thomas and Martha Wayne, who were two of the most powerful and socially connected people in Gotham City. While investigating the high-priority case, Gordon is introduced to Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), a lieutenant in the Carmine Falcone crime family who runs the underworld of the city. It soon becomes clear to Gordon that the District Attorney’s office and the police department fear Falcone and would rather not upset his way of doing business.
Following a lead from Mooney, Gordon ends up in a chase and deadly fight with the main suspect in the Wayne murders. He is saved when Bullock shoots and kills the man just before he’s about to kill Gordon. However, during the aftermath of the shooting, Gordon begins to piece together that the man was set up and just a fall guy, meaning the real killer is still out there. Worse yet, his own partner may be part of the cover-up.
Starting to realize he has no one he can truly trust in the Gotham PD and that Gotham is in fact, run by the crime boss Falcone, Gordon sets out to try to find the Waynes’ real killer while seeming to play along with the rules of the corrupt police force.
Dark, brooding, and gritty, Gotham – The Pilot Episode is an uneven, heavy-handed crime thriller with a solid cast and a stunning set design. The city glows with yellow and white lights while the television viewer can almost feel the steam and dampness from the streets.
McKenzie is a great choice for the young, tough, straight-laced detective in a city filled with corruption at every turn. This is a young, idealistic Jim Gordon learning just how alone he is and struggling not to become like his older partner. Donal Logue gives the best performance as Harvey Bullock, the seasoned detective who lost some of his morals and ethics in order to stay a cop in the city where the crime bosses control everything.
Throughout the course of the episode, his attitude toward his younger partner changes, evolving into a friendship in which he actually puts himself in danger to protect Gordon, who only days earlier he’d fought with Captain Essen to get transferred. His character is by far the most interesting of the group.
Jada Pinkett Smith gives an over-the-top performance as Fish Mooney, Falcone’s right-hand woman who yearns to be number one. Robin Taylor is perfectly cast as Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, an up-and-coming thug in the Mooney crime ring. He gives a creepy and disturbing performance as a young thug learning the ropes of how to beat a confession out of a colleague and enjoying it too much.
Another big plus for the new series is the look and set design of the city. It glistens, and the wonderful use of shadows and streetlights help bring alive the feeling of danger lurking around every corner. It’s very reminiscent and a cross between the Gotham City in Christopher Nolan’s first film Batman Begins and Tim Burton’s Batman.
With the promise of more origin stories of classic Batman villains, including The Riddler, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy – all of whom made brief appearances in the pilot – and the new friendship between Gordon and young Bruce Wayne (plus the evolving relationship between Bruce and Alfred Pennyworth, played by Sean Pertwee), Gotham looks to be one of the best new shows of the season for anyone who enjoys noir crime dramas. An added bonus is that it plays well to both those who know their DC Comics inside and out as well as though only familiar with the Batman universe via the films.
10-time Grammy Award winner Bob Dylan has been chosen as the 2015 MusiCares® Person of the Year and will be presented with the honor on Friday, February 6, 2015. The MusiCares Person of the Year tribute ceremony is set for two weeks prior to the 57th Annual Grammy Awards and serves as a major fundraiser for the program, which helps people in the music industry in need of financial and medical assistance.
Among the artists confirmed to perform at the 2015 event include Beck, the Black Keys, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Norah Jones, Tom Jones, Los Lobos, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Vedder, Jack White, Neil Young, and John Doe.
“In celebrating the 25th anniversary of our MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, it is most fitting that we are honoring Bob Dylan, whose body of creative work has contributed to America’s culture, as well as that of the entire world, in genuinely deep and lasting ways,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the MusiCares Foundation® and The Recording Academy®.
“Bob Dylan’s songwriting ability is unmatched, and it will be an extraordinary evening to hear his work showcased by such a remarkable group of artists,” added Bill Silva, Chair of the MusiCares Foundation Board.
ABC’s Forever features a main character who’s immortal…but not to worry, this isn’t another vampire series. Instead, Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd) hasn’t the slightest idea why he hasn’t been able to die in 200 years. He’s been killed numerous times, yet he always wakes up naked in a body of water, which of course, leads to run-ins with the cops.
Henry carefully chose his job as a New York Medical Examiner because it allowed him to look for clues to unlock the secrets of his immortality. As he investigates deaths, Henry holds out hope that whatever it is that’s causing him to outlive everyone he loves and cares about will be revealed. According to the voice-over narrative, eternity is not a blessing but a curse.
We also learn shortly into the first episode that only one person on earth is privy to his secret: his best friend, Abe (Judd Hirsch). If his secret ever gets out, Henry believes he’ll be tortured and repeatedly killed by whoever discovers his immortality in a quest to find out how to obtain eternal life. 172 years ago, his organs were drained and he was hung. Because he can feel the pain of his deaths, Dr. Morgan never wants to go through that experience again.
The pilot also introduces Detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza), a recent widow who’s not adjusting well to life without her husband. She drinks and engages in one-night stands to distract herself and make the pain of her loss go away.
Martinez is charged with investigating the deaths of 15 people killed when a subway car crashed, a subway car Henry just happened to be on at the time. Before discovering that interesting tidbit, Martinez visits Henry at the Medical Examiner’s office, revealing that he believes the conductor was poisoned before the crash.
Martinez then finds footage of Henry boarding the subway prior to the accident, but instead of really questioning him about it, the two team up to find whoever killed the conductor.
Martinez’ personal life may be in shambles, but she’s a capable detective. While she’s not as intuitive as Henry, they work together well as a team. Once Henry determines the poison he’s looking for, the newly formed investigative team tracks down the man responsible who has bigger plans than simply crashing a subway train and killing a dozen people.
The Bottom Line:
A brief backstory at the start of the premiere episode didn’t explain anything other than why he always comes to in the water. What’s left hanging is what physically happens to his dead body immediately following his death. Do witnesses see the body, and then, poof, it’s gone? And if so, why isn’t that a major news story? Does his body always disappear before emergency crews show up?
Also, why hasn’t any witness or random passersby captured his death on a cell phone, and why isn’t he on surveillance footage all over the city? He died three times during this first episode alone, and at least one of them happened in public in a location that should have had cameras. And what about his clothes? He wakes up naked but do his clothes disappear with his body every time? Maybe these questions will all be answered in the upcoming episodes. Or maybe not. The rules of Henry’s immortality aren’t actually explained in depth, and it could be that series creator Matt Miller just wants us to play along and not ask questions.
As with so many cop shows, Forever doesn’t waste time away from the two leads so it’s possible to come away from the episode believing there are only two people working on solving murders in the city. Still, overall Forever has an interesting premise and Gruffudd and De La Garza’s chemistry carried the show over its rough spots. But with the many police procedurals out there, Forever needs to concentrate on Dr. Henry Morgan’s backstory in order to stand out from the pack and not get caught up concentrating on solving a case each week.
Filming’s about to start on Life on the Line and Marro Films and Elite Film Productions announced John Travolta, Kate Bosworth, and Devon Sawa will be taking on starring roles. The action thriller will start shooting on September 29, 2014 with David Hackl (Saw V) at the helm directing from a screenplay by Primo Brown, Dylan Scott, and Peter Horton.
According to the production companies, Life on the Line is about a crew of “eccentric linemen who do the dangerous high-wire work of fixing the electrical grid, struggle to hold on to the women they love, until a massive storm threatens to rip their lives apart.”
“The last film made in and around the lineman industry was in 1937, Slim the Lineman, and starred Henry Fonda,” said Marvin Peart, CEO of Marro Films. “It’s an honor and a career highlight to tell this modern-day story about these unsung heroes. With John Travolta, Kate Bosworth and Devon Sawa lending their extraordinary talents to this project, the sky’s the limit.”
Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, and Pharrell Williams (Photo by Trae Patton/NBC)
Season seven of NBC’s singing competition series The Voice kicked off with a performance by veteran coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton along with The Voice newbies Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani. The foursome teamed up to sing No Doubt’s “Hella Good” which was released back in 2002 and was co-written by Stefani, Pharrell, and Tony Kanal, and is one of No Doubt’s biggest singles of their career.
The Voice season seven airs on NBC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm ET/PT.
