OneRepublic’s “Ordinary Human” is featured in the upcoming sci-fi thriller The Giver and the music video actually shows off some brand new footage from the much-anticipated film. Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Lois Lowry, The Giver comes to the big screen with Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgard, Cameron Monaghan, Odeya Rush, and Taylor Swift in starring roles.
The Plot:
The haunting story of The Giver centers on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who is the sole keeper of all the community’s memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community’s secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined – a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all – a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before.
Alan Thicke still stays in touch with his fellow Growing Pains cast members and says that his new show, Unusually Thicke, is in many ways a lot like that classic sitcom. Airing on TVGN on Wednesday nights, Unusually Thicke features Alan’s real life family including his younger wife Tanya and sons Carter and Brennan along with an occasional appearance by Robin (singer of “Blurred Lines”). Most of the series takes place at Thicke’s home in Santa Barbara and features the actor/writer just trying to relax away from the hustle of life in Hollywood.
“Alan’s real-life persona is just as likable, engaging and funny as the television characters he’s played over the years, and we’re excited to bring viewers an original reality sitcom featuring his real-life modern family,” stated Brad Schwartz, President, Entertainment and Media, TVGN. “This is Alan Thicke in the role of his life.”
Sitting down for a brief chat at the summer 2014 Television Critics Association press day, I asked Thicke about being back as the star of a new comedy series:
Are there some storylines on Unusually Thicke that are so incredible you just couldn’t make them up?
Alan Thicke: “Yeah. Her mother being thrown in jail for murder in Bolivia last year was extravagant. We did one where I was offered a male enhancement pill – the commercial where I’d become the face of a male enhancement product. [Carter] getting invited to a prom by a guy, and that’s a bit of a twist on stuff that already happened where Taylor Swift gets a prom invitation from a high school kid and actually goes. There’s been quite a bit of that…this just takes it to a whole other level.”
Is this an opportunity for you to deliver any fatherly wisdom that Growing Pains was famous for but in a reality context?
Alan Thicke: “I think a lot of our story could very well have taken place on Growing Pains. We have the classical sitcom format but with real people. That’s what makes this a bit of a different hybrid. But our stories could be told on Modern Family or Growing Pains, the way they’re structured and they way the plot unfolds, and the message or the moral, if you will. There’s at least a subtext of that in pretty much every episode.
We’re trying for a happy ending so that means resolution, automatically.”
How long were the cameras with you?
Alan Thicke: “It wasn’t too intrusive. You know, although we’re not scripted we are at least structured. We would know that we were going to do a certain scene and then we would be at our house or somewhere else to do those scenes. It wasn’t a question of ad-libbing where they follow you around in your underwear and wait for something fabulous to happen. I know that works for some shows, but I never had the confidence to think we were that interesting. We better have a plan. We always went with a plan and that helped us structure the time.”
Columbia Pictures’ 2014 San Diego Comic-Con roster will include two upcoming 2015 summer movies: Goosebumps and Pixels. Goosebumps director Rob Letterman and star Jack Black will be on hand at the Con to discuss the big screen adaptation of R.L. Stine’s books.
According to the studio’s official announcement, Black and Letterman will be participating in a panel discussion in which they’ll talk about how they’re bringing the creatures in Stine’s book series to life on film. The Goosebumps panel will take place on Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 12:30pm.
Columbia Pictures is also set to debut a special video announcement from Pixels director Chris Columbus. Columbus is offering one Comic-Con attendee a chance to win a walk-on role in the movie, which will be heading to theaters on May 15, 2015.
Here’s the details on the walk-on contest:
PIXELS – ELECTRIC DREAMS FACTORY ARCADE – Arcaders 13 years of age and older with Comic-Con badges will have the chance to engage with original, 80s-era classic arcade games at the Pixels Electric Dreams Factory arcade at the Hard Rock Hotel – and expert gamers will have the chance to win a walk-on role in Pixels, starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad.
Each day, the top-five scorers on the leaderboard by the end of the day on any of the eight participating games will be automatically entered in two drawings: a daily prize drawing for a chance to win a PlayStation 4, and the grand prize drawing for a chance to appear in a walk-on role in Pixels. Official Rules* and restrictions are available on-site at the Electric Dreams Factory arcade.
Location: Hard Rock Hotel (209 5th Avenue, San Diego)
Dates: 7/24 – 7/27
Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 9am to 9pm, Sunday 9am to 6pm
Preview Day: Wednesday July 23, 2014 5pm-9pm (competition not active on Wednesday)
Details on Pixels:
In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Dinklage and Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Monaghan plays the team’s unique weapons specialist.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Robbie Amell will be joining The CW series The Flash in the juicy role of ‘Ronnie Raymond.’ The character is one-half of Firestorm and is also the fiance of Caitlin Snow (to be played by Danielle Panabaker).
“Geoff Johns, Andrew Kreisberg, and myself designed the pilot and series to include Ronnie (aka Firestorm) — and to actually have someone with Robbie’s talent playing the role is beyond exciting. We can’t wait for viewers and fans of the character to check it out,” stated Berlanti to THR.
The Flash is from co-creators Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, and Amell previously worked with Berlanti on The Tomorrow People. “I’m so excited to join forces with Greg Berlanti and The CW again on The Flash,” said Amell. “Being brought into the DC Universe is a dream, I can’t wait to get started!”
The cast of The Flash is led by Grant Gustin and features Candice Patton as Iris West, Rick Cosnett as Eddie Thawne, Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon, Tom Cavanagh as Harrison Wells, and Jesse L. Martin as Detective West.
The Flash will debut on The CW on October 7, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT.
Nickelodeon will be bringing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sanjay and Craig, and The Legend of Korra talent to the San Diego Comic-Con, with the Sanjay and Craig gang even performing an episode live during the show’s panel on Sunday, July 27th. The network’s also pulling off another first by holding an open call during the Con for original animated project ideas.
Per the official announcement, Nickelodeon will have a team on hand throughout Comic Con to listen to pitches and, ultimately, greenlight a project to be included in their Animated Shorts Program. For those interested, visit nickshortspitches.com< to reserve a one-on-one timeslot during the event.
Nickelodeon’s Comic-Con Panels
Friday, July 25, 11:15a.m.–12:15p.m. — Nickelodeon: Legend of Korra: Book 3 — Join executive producer and creator team Mike Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko as they give a behind-the-scenes peek at how they create one of animation’s most stunning television productions. Special guests include voice actors: Janet Varney (Korra); David Faustino (Mako); Seychelle Gabriel (Asami); Mindy Sterling (Lin Beifong) and John Michael Higgins (Varrick). The panel includes an exclusive sneak peek screening of a new Book 3, Change episode. Room: Ballroom 20.
Saturday, July 26, 11:15a.m.–12:15p.m. — Nickelodeon: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Booyakasha! – Revel in the mutation madness as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nunchuk their way through bad guys, eat pizza and kick Kraang butt! Executive producers Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman pull back the curtain to give an in-depth look at the creation of the current series and talk with the amazing voice talent behind NYC’s most dangerous teenagers: Sean Astin (Raphael); Rob Paulsen (Donatello); Greg Cipes (Michelangelo); Seth Green (Leonardo); Mae Whitman (April O’Neil); Josh Peck (Casey Jones) and Kelly Hu (Karai). Room: 6A.
Sunday, July 27, 10:00a.m.–11:00a.m. — Nickelodeon: New Animated Comedies – Bringing you Buds, Baps & Bad Seeds! — Be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek of Nickelodeon’s all new LOL-inducing animated comedies! You’ll also get an insider’s look at the creative process behind these funny, warped, endearing and booty-shaking shows. The panel features Breadwinners creators Steve Borst and Gary “Doodles” Di Raffaele; Bad Seeds (working title) creator C.H. Greenblatt; Pig Goat Banana Cricket creators JRyan and Dave Cooper; and executive producer David Sacks. Room 7AB.
Sunday, July 27, 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. — Nickelodeon: Sanjay and Craig – Dude! What’s up? — For the first time ever at Comic-Con, the rad-awesome stars of Sanjay and Craig will perform an episode live, accompanied by clips and storyboard panels from the series. Co-creators Jay Howell and Jim Dirschberger will operate a sound board and pepper the performance with noiice SFX.
Scheduled to perform are Chris Hardwick, Maulik Pancholy, Tony Hale, Matt Jones, John DiMaggio, Nika Futterman and other special guests. Following the performance will be an exclusive sneak peek at an upcoming episode and audience Q&A with cast and creators. All children, doom babies, chicken-wing-eaters and talking snakes are welcome! Room: 6A.
Lionsgate continues to tease The Hunger Games fans with videos and posters from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, however we’ve still yet to see an actual trailer for the third film of the series. This new video from President Snow (Donald Sutherland) shows the leader accompanied by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Johanna (Jena Malone) addressing Panem. Fortunately for all freedom fighters, Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) is able to break in with a special message of his own.
CITIZENS OF PANEM:
Never have we been more unified as a nation. The Capitol and the districts are bound together in solidarity, striving to forge a stronger future.
To commemorate this resolve, the Capitol mandates your viewing of President Snow’s Second Panem Address: “Unity.”
Admire your President’s official portrait and watch this latest address now at www.TheCapitol.PN, then voice your Capitol Concerns to further improve communication throughout this great nation.
Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 opens in theaters on November 21, 2014.
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino puts his past life of boozy bar-hopping behind him with the new TVGN series The Sorrentinos. Debuting on July 15, 2014 at 10pm ET/PT, The Sorrentinos features the Jersey Shore alum and his family as they deal with “life after reality.” And as we head toward the show’s premiere, I had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with The Situation about his life and career.
When you were doing Jersey Shore did your family express any interest in doing something together?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “Well after I did it for years, they were sort of on the same ride as me. My brother traveled with me and helped me manage my career. Other family members helped me with various endorsements and business things because there’s things that I’m good at and there’s things that I’m not good at. I’m good at being in front of the camera but I’m not good at some of the business aspects of it. So, I needed help for that stuff.
When it came time for them, I assured them that if I was going to be involved I would make it good. [Laughing] I guess we’ll see about that.”
How long after Jersey Shore did you want to wait before getting back on TV?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “Me personally, I don’t know about karma or what it was but we were pitching the show for about a year or two after Jersey Shore. We wanted to get it picked up. And then me personally, I wanted to make sure that I was healthy, as in sober, and looking good and looking my best and being the best I thought I could be. I hoped that if it got picked up – when it got picked up – that it was the right timing in my life. I worked very hard to get myself healthy and back to being the Michael that I wanted to be. And right around that time is when the show got picked up.”
Did we see you at your lowest/worst on Jersey Shore?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “During Jersey Shore? You probably saw me at my wildest but as for worst, no, because I was making millions of dollars a year and that wasn’t my worst. But once Jersey Shore ended, that’s when you go home and you sort of have a little bit of time to rebuild your life and see who you are, and see what you really want to do in life. What I really want to do in life is what I love and that’s being in front of the camera.”
Are you always going to be based in Jersey?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “No, I actually would like to move to Miami or LA. But I guess we’ll see what the network says because I’m in the middle of finishing up the season. We’ll see if it’s going into a second season – I have no idea. It seems like things are going fairly well. My social media has jumped up unbelievably recently.”
How crazy are the Sorrentinos compared to the gang on Jersey Shore?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “It’s a different type of crazy. Jersey Shore was college crazy and this is a family life crazy. Once you graduate college, you’re really in life. That’s what I compare it to.”
Since you want to stay in front of the camera, do you have any desire to play other characters and do projects that don’t require you just to be yourself?
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: “Yes. I’ve always dreamt since I was little of being in TV and films so whatever it is, if a sitcom comes along I’ll do my best at it. If a film comes along, I’ll do my best at it. If another reality show comes along, I would have to make sure that it’s good. I’ve been blessed to be on a couple of shows where the ratings were great, so if I ever was on something where things weren’t that great, I’m sure my ego would be hurt.”
Actress Halle Berry rolls with host Jimmy Fallon on July 8, 2014 (Photo by: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC)
Halle Berry isn’t just an Oscar winning actress, she’s also a good sport as demonstrated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Berry showed up on the July 8, 2014 episode to promote her new series, Extant, and Fallon asked her if she’d help him show how they roll. Fallon meant ‘roll’ literally as the two then formed a human hamster wheel to roll across the stage.
Stephen Amell will be hitting the stage at the San Diego Comic Con to MC the special “Warner Bros. Television Presents A Night of DC Entertainment” on Saturday, July 26, 2014. Best known for his portrayal of Oliver Queen on The CW’s Arrow, Amell will be the master of ceremonies at the DC Entertainment and Warner Bros Television event scheduled to begin at 8pm PT in Hall H.
The “Night of DC Entertainment” will include the world premiere of the much-anticipated new series Gotham. It will also feature the pilot of The Flash along with footage from Constantine and season three of Arrow.
In addition to the exclusive sneak peeks, Amell will be introducing special invited guests from each of the series to the stage.
Details on Arrow:
In Arrow, Stephen Amell plays Oliver Queen, who returned home to Starling City after being gone for five years, during which time he suffered unimaginable ordeals. With a mysterious agenda and armed with a new set of skills, Oliver moonlights as the Arrow, a crime-fighting hero looking to clean up the streets of his city. Joined by his team — John Diggle (David Ramsey), Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) — Oliver protects the people he loves, becoming a beacon of hope for the city’s most vulnerable, and a weapon of justice against those who prey upon them. Arrow returns for season three on October 8, airing Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
The first trailer for Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings has arrived online and it’s sure to create quite a buzz for the 20th Century Fox release. With Christian Bale as Moses and a nearly unrecognizably tanned Joel Edgerton as Ramses, Fox is launching the action-adventure film in theaters on December 12, 2014.
Directed by Scott from a screenplay by Steve Zaillian, the cast also includes Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley.
The Plot:
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Prometheus) comes the epic adventure Exodus: Gods and Kings, the story of one man’s daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
