Jenna Elfman and Guf (Photo by Andrew Rubenstein/NBC)Fill this one under the most “awww”-inducing news items of the day. NBC has just announced they’re sponsoring an 8-week old Yellow Labrador as he goes through the extensive training process to become a guide dog for a visually impaired person. The cost to put one puppy through the training by the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind is about $55,000, which is worth every penny spent to the individual who winds up with the assistance dog. The visually impaired person isn’t responsible for the training costs.
The puppy selected to be sponsored is named Guf and he’s been adopted by the Growing Up Fisher gang. He’ll be spending the next year and a half being trained by a “puppy raiser” and will hopefully graduate to official guide dog status following his lengthy training.
Growing Up Fisher finds J.K. Simmons playing a blind father who doesn’t let the disability get him down. The series is inspired by the family of executive producer DJ Nash and executive producer Jason Bateman provides the voice-over narration.
“Getting a guide dog didn’t just change Dad’s life, it changed our family’s life,” said Nash. “Not every family will get a TV show out of it. But what they will get is so much better.”
For more info on the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, visit the organization’s official site at www.guidedog.org.
Harry Treadaway and Rose Leslie in 'Honeymoon' (Photo by Kyle Klutz)
When your new bride asks you on your honeymoon if you’ve ever killed anything, just say no. And you might want to add that you don’t want to kill anything and you definitely don’t want to be killed. That’s the best advice we can offer after seeing this new teaser trailer for Honeymoon. The thriller stars Game of Thrones‘ Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway and was written/directed by Leigh Janiak.
The Plot:
Young newlyweds Paul (Harry Treadaway) and Bea (Rose Leslie) travel to remote lake country for their honeymoon, where the promise of private romance awaits them. Shortly after arriving, Paul finds Bea wandering and disoriented in the middle of the night. As she becomes more distant and her behavior increasingly peculiar, Paul begins to suspect something more sinister than sleepwalking took place in the woods.
Every teaser trailer from Relativity Media’s Oculus ups the creepy factor, and this new official trailer is truly scary. Don’t check it out if you aren’t into horror movies…you’ve been warned.
Coming to theaters on April 11, 2014, Oculus was written and directed by Mike Flanagan and stars Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane and Katee Sackhoff.
The Oculus Plot:
Ten years ago, tragedy struck the Russell family, leaving the lives of teenage siblings Tim and Kaylie forever changed when Tim was convicted of the brutal murder of their parents. Now in his 20s, Tim is newly released from protective custody and only wants to move on with his life; but Kaylie, still haunted by that fateful night, is convinced her parents’ deaths were caused by something else altogether: a malevolent supernatural force¬¬ unleashed through the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror in their childhood home. Determined to prove Tim’s innocence, Kaylie tracks down the mirror, only to learn similar deaths have befallen previous owners over the past century. With the mysterious entity now back in their hands, Tim and Kaylie soon find their hold on reality shattered by terrifying hallucinations, and realize, too late, that their childhood nightmare is beginning again…
The creative minds that brought us the critically acclaimed films Coraline and ParaNorman are set to release their new animated film The Boxtrolls on September 26, 2014. Based on the novel Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls comes to the big screen with voices provided by Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, and Tracy Morgan.
The Plot:
A family event movie that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Sir Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning).
Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.
Singer/actress Lea Michele sat down with Ellen DeGeneres for her first interview after Cory Monteith’s death. Michele also chose to make her debut television performance of “Cannonball” off of her album Louder on Ellen in December 2013.
The 27-year-old Glee star has been busy promoting her new album, which has been earning rave reviews and has been doing well on the Billboard and iTunes charts.
The Catch The Throne: The Mixtape will have 10 songs and is inspired by the themes and storylines of Game of Thrones. According to HBO, the mixtaple “samples music from the original Game of Thrones soundtrack.”
“We are excited to create an additional fan touch point with Catch The Throne: The Mixtape,” says Lucinda Martinez, SVP of Multicultural Marketing at HBO. “This is a unique opportunity to give fans great original music and an innovative way to highlight the electrifying Game of Thrones series.”
The tracks are songs that represent specific seasons and include:
– The theme song by Wale
– Season 1 by Big Boi, Bodega Bamz and Magazeen
– Season 2 by Daddy Yankee, Kilo Kish and Dominik Omega
– Season 3 by Common, Snow Tha Product and Dee Goodz
The mixtape will be available free at www.soundcloud.com/catchthethrone. Once you get yours, share your reaction at #CatchTheThrone.
Conan O’Brien’s set to make his debut as the host of the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, April 13, 2014. The annual awards show doesn’t have much in common with other awards events and offers up categories other groups don’t pay attention to, like the Best Scary as S**t performance and the Best Shirtless Performance.
The Emmy-winning talk show host and comedian had this to say about signing up for hosting duties: “After eight years of intense negotiations, I am honored to announce I am hosting MTV’s second most prestigious awards show.”
The 2014 MTV Movie Awards will be held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
2013’s MTV Movie Awards marked the first year the show shifted from around Memorial Day to April. Fans responded by increasing the show’s ratings by 20%, with 3.8 million people tuning in.
Matt Passmore and Stephanie Szostak are onboard in starring roles.
“This is a powerful new addition to our drama slate and marks the next generation of sophisticated storytelling for USA,” said USA Network President Chris McCumber. “Through a culturally resonant story of an imperfect marriage, the series takes a captivating look at real modern day issues facing couples in today’s complicated world.”
Other new series recently greenlit include Dig (a six-episode event series), Sirens from Denis Leary, and Chrisley Knows Best.
The Plot:
A provocative drama that explores a marriage that has grown stagnant, the untitled Sean Jablonski pilot follows investment banker Neil Truman (Passmore) through the accidental discovery of his wife’s involvement with a male escort. When Neil gains possession of the escort’s phone, he uncovers a unique perspective on his life and what motivates women to stray, as his wife Grace (Stephanie Szostak) contemplates whether her needs are being met and if her marriage is worth saving.
Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell (soon to be seen in Veronica Mars) have joined with PetSmart Charities to show their support for shelter pets. Duhamel and his production company Dakotakid Media are working with PetSmart Charities on a special Rescue Waggin’: Tales from the Road series. The eight-episode web series spotlights homeless dogs and puppies in need of second chances and searching for forever homes.
And Kristen Bell is just the first of eight celebrities to be featured in a Rescue Waggin’: Tales from the Road episode. Bell is a big advocate for adopting from animal shelters, and her dog Mr. Shakes was up next to be euthanized at a shelter when she fell in love and adopted him. He still shakes, but he’s a happy member of Bell’s home now.
Executive produced by Duhamel and Jude Weng, the web series also includes appearances by Adam Shankman and Bret Michaels.
Duhamel became involved in an expanded role this year after being a part of the Rescue Waggin’ program in 2013. “Adopting my dachshund, Meatloaf, changed my life,” said Josh Duhamel. “He was a clumsy little dude with horrible breath–but we adored him.”
“I tell anybody who’s going to get a pet that adoption is the only way to go, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because they make incredible pets. I’m honored to partner with PetSmart Charities to help share the joy of pet adoption with others,” added Duhamel.
Josh Duhamel (Photo Provided by PetSmart Charities)
“The Rescue Waggin’ program is an extension of our adoption program and unites animal shelters from across the country in an effort to avoid euthanizing healthy adoptable dogs,” said Jan Wilkins, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. “We are excited to show the world how our Rescue Waggin’ program gives thousands of beautiful dogs and puppies a second chance at life.”
The Details:
Rescue Waggin’: Tales from the Road puts viewers in the passenger’s seat of the Rescue Waggin’ vehicle to experience the shelter pet transport process from start to finish. The web series chronicles real stories of dogs and puppies from communities with more pets than adopters to communities where adoptable pets are in demand. Visit rescuewaggin.org to view a new webisode each Monday in March.
Rescue Waggin’ vehicles travel up to 3,000 miles a week giving hopeless pets a new “leash” on life. The program has saved the lives of more than 70,000 dogs and puppies since 2004.
Set to make its debut at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, Stage Fright‘s all about the horrors of musical theater. You know, the bad singers, the bad productions, and the bad blood which apparently is spilled all over the place in this upcoming release from writer/director Jerome Sable. Come on, any film that teams up Minnie Driver and Meat Loaf has to be worth checking out, doesn’t it?
Magnet Releasing’s set an April 3, 2014 debut on iTunes and OnDemand followed by a theatrical run launching May 9th. The cast also includes Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, and Brandon Uranowitz.
The Plot:
Starry-eyed teenager Camilla Swanson wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a Broadway diva, but she’s stuck working in the kitchen of a snobby performing arts camp. Determined to change her destiny, she sneaks in to audition for the summer showcase and lands a lead role in the play, but just as rehearsals begin, blood starts to spill, and Camilla soon finds herself terrified by the horror of musical theatre.
Stumble It! 
Every teaser trailer from Relativity Media’s Oculus ups the creepy factor, and this new official trailer is truly scary. Don’t check it out if you aren’t into horror movies…you’ve been warned.
