A scene from 'Ravenswood' (Photo Courtesy of ABC Family)ABC Family’s new series Ravenswood will return for the the final episodes of season one on January 7, 2014. The Pretty Little Liars spinoff will air its midseason finale on November 19, 2013 and then take a break until early next year. And after Ravenswood airs its last season one episode, Twisted will return to the ABC Family schedule.
According to the network, Ravenswood‘s October 22, 2013 premiere set a new record for ABC Family in female viewers between 18-34. The series also was the subject of more tweets than any new series premiere this season, collecting over 16 million impressions.
Additionally, Switched at Birth, The Fosters, and Pretty Little Liars will return in January.
Details on Twisted [Courtesy of ABC Family]:
Twisted will return with all-new episodes on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, from 9:00PM – 10:00PM ET/PT. With Danny now on the run, the town of Green Grove is even more convinced that he killed Regina, unaware the real killer is someone they never suspected. Jo continues to grapple with how much Danny and Lacey had been keeping from her, but is soon swept into the truth about what really happened to Danny’s Aunt Tara. Meanwhile, Tess, being the only one who knows Danny’s long-thought dead father is still alive, has summoned Vikram back to town, but even she is not aware of the depth of secrets the Desai family holds.
The Return of Pretty Little Liars:
The hit ABC Family original series Pretty Little Liars returns on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, from 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT. As the Liars go looking for answers about Alison and try to make sense of their lives for the past year, a darker side of Ezra emerges. ABC Family will air a special Pretty Little Liars marathon on Tuesday, January 7, 2014, from 12:00PM – 8:00PM ET/PT, leading up to the premiere.
More on Switched at Birth:
The third season of ABC Family’s Peabody Award-winning drama series, Switched at Birth, begins Monday, January 13, 2014, from 8:00PM – 9:00PM ET/PT. Senior year means big changes for Bay and Daphne, as the Carlton School for the Deaf receives an influx of hearing students who are not happy to be there. Daphne begins working at a free clinic as part of her probation from the Senator Coto blackmail scandal, and Bay takes an art class at a local college. Toby tries to unite a divided Carlton by coaching girls’ field hockey, and the parents face the specter of the impending empty nest in unexpected ways. RJ Mitte, Max Adler, Sandra Bernhard, and Alec Mapa will guest star in the premiere episode and recur throughout the season. ABC Family will air a special Switched at Birth marathon on Monday, January 13, 2014, from 12:00PM – 8:00PM ET/PT, leading up to the premiere.
The Scoop on The Fosters:
Winner of 2013’s Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Show, The Fosters will return with all-new episodes on Monday, January 13, 2014, from 9:00PM – 10:00PM ET/PT, picking up from the summer cliffhanger. The repercussions of Callie’s decision to run away impact every member of the Foster family, including newlyweds Stef and Lena, who had offered to adopt the troubled teen. Will Jude be able to accept the love of this family without his sister in the picture? And how will Brandon deal with the news that Callie has run away? Meanwhile, Jesus and Mariana prepare for the reality of Lexi leaving. Mike and Stef continue to deal with the fallout of the shooting, while Lena must come to terms with Stef returning to the force, post-shooting. How will Stef and Lena navigate all this chaos and change as a married couple? The winter season will also include Rosie O’Donnell in a recurring role as Rita Hendricks, a tough yet compassionate woman who works in the foster care system. ABC Family recently announced a second season pick-up for the critically-acclaimed series. ABC Family will air a special The Fosters marathon on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, from 11:00AM – 6:00PM ET/PT.
How did NBC’s Saturday Night Live handle the controversy over the lack of black women as part of the show’s cast on the November 2, 2013 episode with Kerry Washington (Scandal) as the host? By having Washington play Michelle Obama, Oprah, and even the voice of Beyonce during the show’s opening, with a voice-over apologizing to the Emmy-nominated actress for how many black women she would have to play over the course of the show.
Among the night’s best skits was a parody of Ylvis’ “What Does the Fox Say?” in which Washington played a jealous girlfriend who goes through her boyfriend’s (played by Jay Pharoah) phone as well as his iCloud to find out what other women he’s been talking to.
Ella Watts-Gorman as Luisa, Sophia Caruso as Brigitta, Grace Rundhaug as Marta, Michael Nigro as Friedrich, Carrie Underwood as Maria, Ariane Rinehart as Liesl, Peyton Ella as Gretl, Joe West as Kurt -- (Photo by: Giovanni Rufino/NBC)Seven young actors have landed the key roles of the von Trapp children in the NBC production of The Sound of Music Live!. The musical will air live (thus the Live! portion of the title) on December 5, 2013 at 8pm ET with Grammy-winner Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer (‘Bill Compton’ in True Blood) in the lead roles of Maria and Captain Georg von Trapp.
Winning the roles of the von Trapp children are Ariane Rinehart as Liesl, Michael Nigro as Fredrich, Ella Watts-Gorman as Louisa, Joe West as Kurt, Sophia Caruso as Brigitta, Grace Rundhaug as Marta, and Peyton Ella as young Gretl. The cast of the three hour NBC production also includes Audra McDonald as Mother Abbess, Laura Benanti as Elsa Schrader, and Christian Borle as Max Dettweiler.
Beth McCarthy-Miller and Rob Ashford are co-directing this adaptation of the 1959 Broadway hit. The story follows “a young woman who who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the seven children of a naval officer widower.”
Miles Teller hugs a teddy bear, Michael B. Jordan drowns his sorrows in ice cream, while Zac Efron just looks freaked out on this new poster for the relationship comedy That Awkward Moment. Written and directed by Tom Gormican, the cast also includes Imogen Poots and Jessica Lucas.
Focus Features is set to release That Awkward Moment on January 31, 2014.
The Plot:
Zac Efron, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan star in the R-rated comedy, That Awkward Moment, about three best friends who find themselves where we’ve all been – at that confusing “moment” in every dating relationship when you have to decide “So…where is this going?”
Free Birds‘ Reggie and Jake (voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson) have been named the spokesturkeys for Farm Sanctuary’s 2013 Adopt a Turkey Project. The annual event helps to raise funds for the non-profit organization which is the largest farm animal rescue and protection organization in the US.
Did you know turkeys are actually smart, social, and form attachments to other turkeys? Farm Sanctuary says they do, and for just a $30 donation, you can sponsor one of the turkeys housed at either their New York or California shelter. Each donor will receive an adoption certificate along with a color photo and facts about the chosen turkey.
“After more than 25 years of caring for rescued turkeys through our Adopt a Turkey Project, we’re delighted to team up with Reggie and Jake this Thanksgiving,” stated Farm Sanctuary President and Co-founder Gene Baur. “We hope their amazing adventure will inspire even more people to adopt a turkey as part of their holiday tradition.”
Among the 2013 adoptable turkeys are:
– Tulip, who lives at Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter; she is sensitive and kind to her flockmates and loves grapes and cranberries,
– Minerva, an attention-loving turkey with a passion for sunflower seeds, who resides at the rescue group’s shelter near Los Angeles, and
– Tibbott, an outgoing guy who resides at Farm Sanctuary’s Northern California Shelter; he loves to meet new people and snack on lettuce and grapes.
For more information, visit adoptaturkey.org or call the Turkey Adoption Hotline at 1-888-SPONSOR.
70 years ago Earth was attacked and ravaged by an alien race called the Formics who almost destroyed humanity. The world was saved by a great space commander named Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley) who was able to find a weakness during a climatic battle.
Saying goodbye to his sister Valentine (Abigail Breslin) and the rest of his family, Ender leaves home to train and learn in an advanced space station in orbit around the Earth. Trained in all different kinds of combat and getting promoted faster than any other cadet, Ender is on the fast track to becoming the most empathetic killer the world has ever seen.
Visually breathtaking with impressive special effects and two strong performances, Ender’s Game is one of the better science fiction adventure films to come along in years. Harrison Ford delivers his second best performance of the year as Colonel Graff, a man determined to save mankind no matter how large the sacrifice or how devastating the outcome for those who must fight the upcoming war. He handles the balance of his characters admiration for Ender along with his fear of losing his prized pupil to stress and loneliness perfectly. Newcomer Asa Butterfield gives a stand-out performance as Ender, the quiet, sensitive yet extremely competitive and at times deadly young man whhose, perhaps, one salvation is the love he feels for him family, especially his sister Valentine. Ford and Butterfield have solid chemistry together in the film and the best acted scenes are between these two actors.
The special effects in Ender’s Game are truly marvelous, with the young cadets battling in the space station in zero gravity trying to get promoted to space commander and lead the best soldiers to battle the aliens everyone is convinced are coming back to invade Earth and annihilate the human race.
It’s unfortunate that the very talented young actress Abigail Breslin is pretty much wasted in the film as Valentine, Ender’s loving and overly-compassionate sister. She’s only given two scenes with Butterfield and both feel extremely forced and fake.
Another weakness is with the script which hints at and reveals too much of an unknown truth the audience is sure to figure out way too early in the film, thus removing one of the surprises near the end of the movie.
Still, with extraordinary special effects and Ford’s and Butterfield’s performances, Ender’s Game is a sci-fi adventure that should be seen up on the big screen to truly appreciate its movie magic.
GRADE: B-
Ender’s Game is rated PG-13 for some violence, sci-fi action and thematic material.
Laurie Metcalf, Jalida Chung, and Alex Borstein in 'Getting On' (Photo: Dale Robinette / HBO)
HBO’s introducing the new comedy series Getting On, based on the BBC series of the same name, on November 24, 2013 at 10pm. The new half-hour comedy show will have a six-episode season one run with Laurie Metcalf, Alex Borstein, Niecy Nash, and Mel Rodriguez in starring roles.
Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer (Big Love‘s creative team) are behind the American version of Getting On which follows “the daily lives of overworked nurses and doctors as they struggle with the darkly comic realities of tending compassionately to their aging charges in a rundown, red-tape-filled hospital extended-care wing, blending outrageous humor with unexpected moments of tenderness.”
Guest stars include Molly Shannon, Daniel Stern, Harry Dean Stanton, June Squibb, and Irma P. Hall.
The Plot: At the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital in Long Beach, Cal., the staff attends to the needs of female patients who are often “getting on” in years while dealing with the challenges of a health-care bureaucracy in need of an overhaul. Even as they attempt to serve their charges under less-than-ideal circumstances, the lives of this ragtag crew are complicated by conflicting agendas, both professional and personal.
Getting On Premiere Episode:
Episode #1: “Born on the Fourth of July”
Debut: SUNDAY, NOV. 24 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Nov. 24 (midnight), 25 (11:30 p.m.), 27 (midnight), 28 (8:00 p.m.) and 29 (10:30 p.m.), and Dec. 1 (6:15 p.m.), 6 (10:00 p.m.) and 11 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Nov. 25 (10:30 p.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.), and Dec. 1 (8:10 a.m.)
It’s July 4th at the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of Mt. Palms Hospital. On her first day of work, nurse DiDi Ortley (Niecy Nash) discovers feces on a lounge chair, and is torn between the conflicting orders of veteran nurse Dawn Forchette (Alex Borstein), who wants to file an “incident report” before removing it; temporary medical director Dr. Jenna James (Laurie Metcalf), who is in need of a stool sample for her medical study; and supervising nurse Beverly Raymes (Telma Hopkins), who has had endemic issues with floor cleanliness and wants the seat sterilized.
In a heated argument with Nurse Raymes, Dr. James has a public meltdown and ends up permanently assigned to this dead-end job. Meanwhile, the staff tries to determine the identity of an Asian woman who was found wandering on a highway and debate what to do with a deceased patient’s birthday cake. Teleplay by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; directed by Miguel Arteta.
There’s a lot going on in this new one minute trailer for Vampire Academy including a lot of action, biting, witty quips, and a short shirtless one-on-one clip. Coming to theaters next Valentine’s Day, The Weinstein Company’s hoping their first foray into the world of young adult novels-turned-potential-franchise films will lure in a wide-ranging audience and not just those into vampires.
Vampire Academy was adapted from Richelle Mead’s first book of the Vampire Academy series by Daniel Waters and is directed by Mark Waters. The cast is led by Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, and Danila Kozlovsky, and includes Sarah Hyland, Cameron Monaghan, Gabriel Byrne, Joely Richardson, Sami Gayle, and Dominic Sherwood.
The Plot:
Vampire Academy tells the legend of Rose Hathaway and Lissa Dragomir, two 17-year-old girls who attend a hidden boarding school for Moroi (mortal, peaceful Vampires) and Dhampirs (half-vampire/half-human guardians). Rose, a rebellious Guardian-in-training and her best friend, Lissa – a royal vampire Princess – have been on the run when they are captured and returned to St. Vladamirs Academy, the very place where they believe their lives may be in most jeopardy.
Thrust back into the perils of Moroi Society and high school, Lissa struggles to reclaim her status while Rose trains with her mentor and love interest, Dimitri (Danila Kozlovsky), to guarantee her place as Lissa’s guardian. Rose will sacrifice everything to protect Lissa from those who intend to exploit her from within the Academy walls and the Strigoi (immortal, evil vampires) who hunt her kind from outside its sanctuary.
Writer/director Ken Scott, Vince Vaughn, and Cobie Smulders provide some insight into the upcoming comedy film Delivery Man from DreamWorks Pictures in this new behind-the-scenes video. Coming to theaters on November 22, 2013, the cast of the PG-13 film also includes Chris Pratt, Britt Robertson, Jack Reynor, and Bobby Moynihan.
The Plot:
DreamWorks Pictures’ Delivery Man stars Vince Vaughn as affable underachiever David Wozniak, whose anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years earlier resulted in 533 children. David must now embark on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but also the father that he could become.
Millennium Entertainment’s unveiled this new restricted (not safe for work or anyone under 17) trailer for the dramatic film Charlie Countryman and my reaction is the same after watching this trailer as it was after seeing the trailer approved for general audiences: I’ve no idea what this film is about. Fortunately, the studio’s also supplied a synopsis for all of those in the same boat.
Charlie Countryman was directed by Fredrik Bond and stars Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Melissa Leo and Rupert Grint. It’s premiering in theaters and OnDemand on November 15, 2013. Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood in ‘Charlie Countryman’ (Photo Courtesy of Millennium Entertainment)
The Plot:
When his late mother appears in a vision and tells him to go to Bucharest, Charlie immediately boards a plane across the Atlantic. But when he meets a fellow passenger, Charlie finds himself with another promise to fulfill. Charlie does so – and falls head over heels in love with Gabi, a beautiful musician. However, a vicious gangster has already laid claim to Gabi, and has no intention of letting her go.
Determined to protect her, Charlie enters into the hallucinatory Romanian underworld filled with violence and, strangely enough, love.
Stumble It! 
