Robin Thicke will be following up Blurred Lines with a new album set for release on Star Trak/Interscope Records on July 1, 2014. The new album features songs written and produced by singer/songwriter Thicke, with more details promised soon as to what his fans can expect from the July 1st release.
Thicke’s Blurred Lines hit the charts in 2013, debuting in the top spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The album’s single “Blurred Lines” was a steady presence on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 weeks and it hit #1 on the Top 40, Rhythm, Urban, Hot AC & Urban AC simultaneously, marking the first time an artist has managed to pull off that feat.
Thicke’s first single from the upcoming album is “Get Her Back” which he performed on the 2014 Billboard Music Awards as well as on the season finale of The Voice with contestant Josh Kaufman.
After 13 seasons of hosting Fox’s American Idol, Ryan Seacrest made the leap to actually performing on the singing competition. Joining Richard Marx on the AI stage, Seacrest did his best to make it through “Right Here Waiting” while the audience cheered him on.
Marx was Seacrest’s first concert and that’s why the AI host asked him to perform a duet. The whole thing was top secret, with Marx asked not to announce he was going to perform on the show and avoiding the red carpet before taking the stage.
In other Richard Marx news, the first single from his upcoming album, Beautiful Goodbye, is now available. “Whatever We Started” can be downloaded at iTunes and will be debuting a music video today on Marx’s official Youtube channel. Beautiful Goodbye will be released on July 8, 2014, marking Marx’s first studio album of new material in a decade.
“The songs on this record were influenced greatly by everyone from Sade to Bebel Gilberto to various EDM artists to even Chopin,” said Marx, describing the new album. “I’m known for romantic music in the past, but this music I wrote is all more sensual and cinematic, and the lyrics are more adventurous than I’ve been willing to go in the past.”
CBS’ new crime drama Reckless is described as hot, sexy, and set in the South. Set to premiere on June 29, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT, Reckless stars Cam Gigandet (Twilight, Plush) as a City Attorney who meets his match in and out of the courtroom in a gorgeous Chicago attorney (played by Anna Wood) who moves to Charleston and immediately stirs up the town.
Chatting about the show during the CBS summer press day, Gigandet explained his attraction to the series and what audiences can expect from Reckless.
The Reckless Plot:
Reckless is a sultry legal drama set in Charleston, S.C., where a gorgeous Yankee litigator and a charming southern attorney must hide their intense mutual attraction as a police sex scandal threatens to tear the city apart. Jamie Sawyer is enviously cool, confident and armed with south side of Chicago street-smarts as she takes on the good ol’ boys in the South. Her handsome courtroom rival is Roy Rayder, a divorced father of two, embodies the Old South and is the newly minted City Attorney, thanks to his influential former father-in-law, Dec Fortnum. When disgraced cop Lee Anne Marcus hires Jamie to represent her in a lawsuit against the police department, Jamie and Roy discover that Lee Anne is at the epicenter of a sinister case with dire implications for the members of the Charleston PD.
Cam Gigandet Interview
Were you looking for a series? You have a lot of movies in the works.
Cam Gigandet: “No, I wasn’t looking for a series but it’s one of those things that comes up and it’s shocking at first to think of that as a path that I’m going to take. Once you sit down with it and see, ‘All right, this is what my path is going to be,’ I couldn’t find any reason not to take that opportunity.”
Was it just a coincidence that Catherine Hardwicke was directing the pilot or had you been talking about it while it was in the works?
Cam Gigandet: “No, it was a coincidence to me. We had previously shot a movie together by the name of Plush. We had shot that just a few months before, and I still didn’t know anything. When I went to the meeting and I found out it was her directing, I just kind of… You know, we have a great relationship and it was good luck.”
Will the sexual tension be going on all season long?
Is it one of those shows where if they get together, it sort of ruins the magic?
Cam Gigandet: “That’s always a concern. Yeah, you can look at it so many different ways. My personal opinion is, yeah, when that happens – especially when it happens so early on – you have to tear them apart as quickly as you brought them together. I prefer shows that draw it out a little longer. Not obsessively long, not where it gets silly, but I’m sure Devon [Greggory, the writer] has a plan.”
Will your character still be wanting to defend the police a few episodes in?
Cam Gigandet: “He still will. That’s his job; that’s his duty and I think he still believes 100% that truth is on his side.”
Does playing a lawyer give you some opportunities to have great speeches to deliver?
Cam Gigandet: “Yeah. That’s been one of the more difficult parts of this particular project for me, because it’s just something entirely new. I mean, you never really have … none of the things that I’ve done have these long legal speeches with so many technical, semantically-charged things going on. But I’ve enjoyed it when I don’t have anxiety going through the roof. You also have the entire jury, just so many people there that it’s nerve-wracking. But, I do enjoy it.”
You’ve said you’re a fan of The Good Wife. Is that what attracted you to this show?
Cam Gigandet: “Yeah, there are obviously similarities. This is a more youthful version of that. But I’ve been watching that show since the beginning and I absolutely love it so anything similar it – definitely caught my eye.”
Does the fact that TV’s so good these days weigh in your decision?
Cam Gigandet: “Of course. That’s a part of everyone’s decision. The quality of television that’s out there rivals movies. We can push that envelope even further and do the best we can with that.”
What was it like filming in South Carolina?
Cam Gigandet: “Warm. It was warm, but I loved it. The only difficult thing for me was my family wasn’t there with me the whole time. The traveling was a lot. But as far as the city goes it’s just gorgeous and unbelievable. I grew up in Seattle so I didn’t have anything even similar to that. This was a whole new experience. Just the restaurants, the people, I loved it.”
Walt Disney Pictures’ latest batch of clips from the action adventure film Maleficent includes scenes of Maleficent soaring through the skies and smiling at the warmth of the sun on her wings, as well as a scene featuring Maleficent walking through the Moors to take her place on the throne. Disney also released a behind-the-scenes video of one of the battle scenes showing Jolie doing wire work.
Jolie leads a cast that includes Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Lesley Manville. Directed by Robert Stromberg, Maleficent opens in theaters on May 30, 2014.
The Plot:
Maleficent explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic Sleeping Beauty and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy.
Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.
Warner Bros announced filming is now underway in Boston on a Whitey Bulger film based on Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. Scott Cooper (Out of the Furnace) is directing the dramatic film based on Bulger’s life and starring Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger and Joel Edgerton as FBI Agent John Connolly.
Cooper, Brian Oliver, Tyler Thompson, John Lesher, and Patrick McCormick are producing the untitled Whitey Bulger movie. Peter Mallouk, Lauren Selig, Brett Granstaff and Gary Granstaff are on board as executive producers.
In addition to Depp and Edgerton, the cast includes Benedict Cumberbatch as Whitey’s brother, Billy Bulger, who is a Massachusetts State Senator; Jesse Plemons as Whitey’s longtime partner in crime, Kevin Weeks; Sienna Miller as Whitey’s lover, Catherine Greig; Dakota Johnson as Lindsey Cyr, Whitey’s former girlfriend and mother of his only child; Rory Cochrane as Steve Flemmi, another member of the Irish mob; Julianne Nicholson as John Connolly’s wife, Marianne; and Adam Scott as FBI Agent Robert Fitzpatrick. Corey Stoll, David Harbour, Jeremy Strong, Brad Carter, and W. Earl Brown have supporting roles in the film.
The Plot:
In 1970s South Boston, FBI Agent John Connolly (Edgerton) persuades Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Depp) to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. The drama tells the true story of this unholy alliance, which spiraled out of control, allowing Whitey to evade law enforcement, consolidate power, and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history.
The first trailer for writer/director Woody Allen’s upcoming romantic comedy Magic in the Moonlight has arrived featuring Emma Stone and Colin Firth in gorgeous settings. Stone plays a psychic while Firth co-stars as a stage magician trying to debunk her visions, and there appears to be a little romantic tension between the two (despite the 30 year age difference).
The cast also includes Marcia Hay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Eileen Atkins, Hamish Linklater, and Simon McBurney.
Sony Pictures Classic will release Magic in the Moonlight in theaters on July 25, 2014.
YANUA International will be helping out giant pandas by donating $1 from every Saving Pandas game downloaded at the Apple app store through June 4, 2014. The game, which is available for $1.99 and can be played on iPhones, iPods, and iPads, was launched in collaboration with China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
No one can resist a panda, and by downloading the game you can be a part of helping to raise much-needed money for the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy. The Conservancy is working to assist endangered species and save them from extinction, and YANUA’s goal is to raise $10,000 for the project.
“We appreciate YANUA’s interest in contributing to San Diego Zoo Global’s work with giant pandas,” said Ted Molter, chief marketing officer for San Diego Zoo Global. “We hope this campaign will raise money and awareness for our conservation programs.”
YANUA is also hosting a special interactive experience on May 25th from 9am through 6pm at the World Famous San Diego Zoo. Zoo visitors can play the game which involves saving baby pandas from space aliens, get a free Saving Pandas tattoo, and take part in panda-themed photo opportunities.
Enter for a Chance to Win Panda Plushies!
For those of you who can’t make it to the San Diego Zoo over Memorial Day Weekend, we have a special Saving Pandas prize pack of plushies to give away to one lucky winner, courtesy of YANUA. Entering is easy: send us an email at [email protected] with “Saving Pandas Contest” in the subject line. The winner must be located in the continental United States. Entries will be accepted through June 4, 2014 at 9pm PT. And don’t forget to download the Saving Pandas app to help out giant pandas!
Details on the Saving Pandas Game:
In an age where our children are so involved with screens – be it TV, tablet or phone – why not educate and create awareness about something positive while they’re at it? And it’s a topic that almost every child and adult loves: Giant Pandas!
Saving Pandas is a fun and educational game that raises awareness around Giant Panda conservation. The characters in the game, the P-5 (Pandas Five), were inspired by a real group of Giant Pandas that reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. These five pandas each have their own unique identity, but together they represent a force for positive change in the world.
In addition to adorable child-appropriate game play with the P-5, in between challenge levels, facts about Giant Pandas help educate players and remind all about the importance of caring for the well-being and conservation of one of the world’s most loved animals.
The game requires players to use their skills to overcome obstacles, hurdles and enemies on unfriendly planets to save baby pandas abducted by evil space aliens. Players select a P-5 hero based on the five giant pandas living at the Chengdu Research Base, each with its own personality. The game pandas represent a force for positive change in the world, and players use their panda to collect hearts during their journey. In between levels, facts help educate players about giant pandas.
Jin Shi (Golden Lion) ‘The Explorer’ – Adventurous and curious. He is willing to flow with new ideas and loves to wander. Courageous, analytical mind; the advisor of the P-5.
Ying Ying (Welcome) ‘The Rockstar’ – He is avant-garde, fun, talented and musically inspired by everything. Ability to charm others. Loves attention. Likes ‘The Dancer.’
Xi Le (Good News, Happy) ‘The Sportsman’ – Highly competitive, focused, a team player and physical leader of the P-5. Daring, bold. Always comes to the rescue, a champion.
Le Le (Happiness) ‘The Artist’ – A sculptor, a renaissance revivalist. Sees opportunities in everything. Believes in her art as a force for good. Loves the planet and eco-products.
For more information, visit www.savingpandas.com or follow @SavingPandasApp on Twitter and SavingPandasApp on Instagram.
Justified‘s Joelle Carter and Californication‘s Madeleine Martin star in the original movie My Daughter Must Live coming to LMN on June 15, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT. My Daughter Must Live was directed by John L’Ecuyer, written by Al Kratina and Ronald Weir, and produced by Stefan Wodoslawsky.
The two-hour thriller also stars Paul Popowich (DeGrassi: The Next Generation) and Sergio Di Zio (Flashpoint).
The Plot:
Katie O’Malley (Martin) is a promising dancer. When she has trouble keeping up with the rest of the dance troupe during rehearsals for an upcoming competition, her mother, Meghan (Carter) suspects she might be using drugs. When her father, Stu (Popowich), finds Katie unconscious in her room, she is rushed to the hospital. The doctors determine that Katie’s liver is not functioning and without a partial liver transplant, she will die. Meghan, Stu and all of their close relatives agree to be tested as potential donors but no one qualifies. When Meghan questions how neither parent could be a match, she is told the blood tests reveal that Stu is not Katie’s biological father.
Meghan pieces together the timeline of her pregnancy and realizes that the one night stand she had with her old boyfriend, Dan (Di Zio), at a high school reunion when she was 22 (and engaged to Stu) means that Dan is Katie’s biological father. Meghan begins searching for him but he has disappeared. When she finally tracks Dan down, she discovers that he has moved away and changed his name. He agrees to be tested but when he turns up a match, he refuses to become a donor.
We can now stop referring to the upcoming Batman and Superman movie as the “untitled Batman vs Superman movie.” Warner Bros has announced the official title and it’s…wait for it…Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Filming is now taking place on the action epic starring Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman. Zack Snyder (Man of Steel) is directing from a script by Chris Terrio (screenplay by David S. Goyer), with Goyer, Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, and Geoff Johns executive producing.
The cast also includes Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, and Holly Hunter.
Warner Bros Pictures is eyeing a May 6, 2016 release date for the newly titled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. According to the studio, the Batman v Superman film will be shooting in Michigan, Illinois, Africa, and the South Pacific.
Take a look behind the scenes at what it takes to bring an ape to life on screen in this Dawn of the Planet of the Apes video. The split-screen video features Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, and other actors in their performance capture suits on one side while the other side of the screen shows the finished clips of the apes.
20th Century Fox will release Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in theaters on July 11, 2014.
The Plot:
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.
Stumble It! 
YANUA International will be helping out giant pandas by donating $1 from every 
