Before Andrew Lincoln led a ragtag group of survivors during a zombie apocalypse and before Richard Armitage helped a hobbit on his journey, they both starred in the UK series Strike Back: Origins. And now US viewers will get to see the show for the first time when it kicks off a six-episode run on Cinemax on October 25, 2013 at 10pm ET/PT.
Strike Back: Origins, originally known as Chris Ryan’s Strike Back, will take over the spot Strike Back normally occupied on Cinemax. Based on the book by Ryan, Strike Back: Origins aired in 2010 on Sky and led into the Cinemax show starring Sullivan Stapleton and Philip Winchester.
The Plot:
Strike Back: Origins tells the story of John Porter (Armitage), an SAS soldier who realizes a connection between a current hostage situation and a mission he ran in Iraq in 2003. He appeals to Hugh Collinson (Lincoln), a fellow team member from that mission who now runs the stealth counterterrorism unit Section 20 for the UK government, to allow him to join the rescue mission. Porter and Collinson have gone in sharply different directions in the years since their original mission went awry, with one enjoying a successful military career and the other’s life falling apart.
Porter makes an appearance in the first season of Cinemax’s Strike Back, during which he is captured on a mission and Section 20 head Col. Eleanor Grant (Amanda Mealing) brings in U.S. Special Forces soldier Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) to work with Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester) and the team. Scott previously ran a mission with Porter in Iraq and had knowledge of their target, terrorist Latif.
Katy Perry’s “Roar” video finds the pop singer donning a leopard-skin bikini, swinging from a vine, and singing about having the eye of the tiger to a jungle filled with monkeys, elephants, colorful birds, and, of course, tigers.
The Weinstein Company doesn’t want audiences or critics to say much about the documentary Salinger but instead let moviegoers discover Salinger’s secrets for themselves. However, the studio has released a new two-minute trailer for the film, which opens in limited release today.
Directed by Shane Salerno (writer of Savages, Aliens vs Predator: Requiem), the PG-13 film includes interviews with John Cusack, Tom Wolfe, Edward Norton, Martin Sheen, and many others.
The Details:
For more than fifty years, J.D. Salinger, the elusive author of The Catcher in the Rye, has been the subject of a relentless stream of newspaper and magazine articles as well as several biographies. Yet all of these attempts have been hampered by lack of access and the recycling of inaccurate information. Thus, Salinger has largely remained an enigma to the public and media alike.
During the nine years in which Salinger was in production – including the six years while the project was being shot under wraps – filmmaker Shane Salerno interviewed hundreds of people the world over, many of whom had previously declined to go on the record about their relationship with the iconic author.
Salerno’s much speculated-upon documentary, which has made front page news since 2010, offers direct eyewitness accounts from Salinger’s World War II brothers-in-arms, his family members, his close friends, his lovers, his classmates, his neighbors, his editors, his publishers, his New Yorker colleagues, and people with whom he had relationships that were unknown even to his own family.
Providing unparalleled access to never-before-published photographs, diaries, letters, legal records, and documents, the highly anticipated Salinger paints a definitive portrait of one of the most fascinating figures of the twentieth century. Particularly illuminating the last fifty-six years of the writer’s life-a period that, until now, had remained completely dark to biographers – Salerno has, for the first time, gotten beyond Salinger’s meticulously built-up wall.
Gina Gershon as Donatella Versace in 'House of Versace' (Photo by Jan Thijs-Copyright 2013 Lifetime)
Lifetime’s pairing up the original dramatic film House of Versace with the documentary Versace: Beyond the Headlines for a Versace-filled night on October 5, 2013. House of Versace is set to premiere at 8pm ET/PT followed by at 10pm by the documentary which focuses on Gianna Versace’s career in fashion.
The documentary features interviews with fashion designers, police investigators, and friends of Gianna who talk about his life and murder on July 15, 1997 in front of his mansion in Miami, FL.
Lifetime’s original movie House of Versace was directed by Sara Sugarman (Vinyl) and written by Rama Stagner (American Dreams). The cast is led by Gina Gershon as Donatella Versace, Raquel Welch as Aunt Lucia, Enrico Colantoni as Gianna Versace, and Colm Feore as Santo.
The Plot:
Based on Wall Street Journal reporter Deborah Ball’s widely-read book House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival, the movie brings to light the story of Donatella, who, following the brazen murder of her brother, world-renowned designer Gianni Versace (Colantoni) at the height of his success, is suddenly thrust into the spotlight as head designer of his fashion empire. At first ridiculed by critics worldwide, Donatella falls victim to drug addiction and nearly bankrupts the company.
With the help of her family, including daughter Allegra, Aunt Lucia (Welch) and brother Santo (Feore), she enters rehab to confront her demons and soon comes back stronger than ever to re-ignite the beloved Versace brand with her own vision and builds one of the most powerful and influential fashion houses ever known.
With filming expected to begin this month in Cape Town, South Africa, Syfy has just officially confirmed the addition of three actors to the Dominion cast. Christopher Egan (Kings), Tom Wisdom (300, the upcoming Romeo and Juliet), and Alan Dale (Once Upon a Time, Lost) have all signed on to the supernatural drama based on the 2010 horror film Legion which starred Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, and Tyrese Gibson.
The series pilot will be directed by Scott Stewart, co-writer and director of Legion. Stewart’s also on board as an executive producer alongside Bold Films’ Michel Litvak and David Lancaster. Dominion‘s pilot was written by co-executive producer Vaun Wilmott.
The Plot: Dominion is an epic supernatural action drama set 25 years after the events of the movie and picking up in the aftermath of a catastrophic war between an army of angels and mankind that has transformed the world. The series follows the perilous journey of a rebellious young soldier who discovers he’s the unlikely savior of humanity, set against a backdrop of the ultimate celestial battle as it touches down on earth.
Christopher Egan plays “Alex Lannen,” an orphan with both a rebellious and protective streak. Handsome, heroic and fearless, Alex is classified as a “grunt” soldier in Michael’s Archangel Corp. Still, he is destined for more than his lowly classification in Vega’s post-Extermination War society might indicate.
Tom Wisdom plays “Michael,” the greatest of the warrior archangels. Scarred by millennia of battle, Michael is stoic, inscrutable and haunted. Instrumental in helping humanity defeat the angels during the Extermination War, Michael is now entrenched in Vega, using his superior supernatural abilities to defend the city’s inhabitants from enemy attacks.
Alan Dale plays “Rysen,” the general who led the humans to victory against the angels during the “Extermination War.” Responsibilities weigh heavily upon him as ruler of Vega (once known as Las Vegas), one of four cities left standing after the war. He now finds himself negotiating politics in the heavily militarized city, maintaining calm over its stratified society and keeping a watchful eye on his daughter, Claire.
“Don’t know how many times I’ve been left for dead, so this ain’t nothing new,” says wanted escaped convict Riddick (Vin Diesel) who’s been left for dead on a desolate sun-scorched planet in this third entry of the science fiction franchise, Riddick.
Struggling against the elements and fighting extremely dangerous alien lifeforms, Riddick soon realizes his only hope for survival is to escape from this deadly planet. Activating an emergency beacon, Riddick alerts two different groups of bounty hunters who quickly land on the planet looking to capture and kill Riddick so they can cash in on their bounty.
The first ship is led by Santana (Jordi Molla) and has a small handful of mercenaries who seem to be tougher and more violent than any bounty hunters Riddick has gone up against before. The second ship is led by Boss Johns (Matt Nable), a man who has a special interest in Riddick and has been hunting him for years for very personnel reasons. With a storm on the horizon that will ultimately lead to the unveiling of the most lethal aliens on the planet once the rain arrives, Riddick knows that time is running out him and his only friend – a weird but loyal animal he trained as a young pup that’s almost a cross between a coyote and a tiger – to con, trick, intimidate, and, of course, fight their way off the inhospitable planet.
Slow and lacking in originality, Riddick is an uninspired retake on the original film Pitch Black which started the series back in 2000. Once again the anti-hero is fighting creatures who prefer darkness to hunt in (although this time they love the water as well), and yes the bounty hunters will need to trust and work with Riddick if they hope to have any chance of surviving, much like the pilot and passengers who survived the space crash in the first film. One of the major differences is that in Pitch Black there was some character development, but here in Riddick all the characters are barely one-dimensional.
The film also lifts ideas from much better and more original science fiction films such as Enemy Mine, I Am Legend and Dune, from part of the look of the planet to the friendship between Riddick and his Beastdog.
The special effects are impressive and much stronger than Pitch Black, with the water aliens looking disgusting and extremely deadly. The Beastdog is given enough personality – even though it’s only a CGI special effect – that the best part of the film is with Riddick training and interacting with his loyal companion.
Tedious and unexciting, Riddick is a perfect example of a movie sequel that is completely unnecessary because it’s nothing more than a reworking/retelling of the original film.
GRADE: D
Riddick opens in theaters on September 6, 2013 and is rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content/nudity.
British boy band One Direction can currently be seen on the big screen in the documentary/concert film One Direction: This Is Us, but being filmed for their first movie isn’t the only thing that’s been keeping the boys busy. Sony Columbia Records just announced the group will release their third studio album on November 25, 2013 and the group announced the album’s official title.
Midnight Memories will be available for pre-order on September 9th and will feature their hit single “Best Song Ever.” That song’s official music video broke records on VEVO by generating 12.3 million views in less than 24 hours.
Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have also been busy on the road with their Take Me Home World Tour which stopped in 21 countries. They also managed to fit in time to record “One Way or Another” to benefit the 2013 Red Nose Day charity effort and raised over $3 million to date for their efforts.
One Direction will be on the road again in 2014 for the Where We Are Stadium Tour.
The first song off The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack has been released and it’s a gorgeous number by Coldplay. The “Atlas” lyric video features the solar system, with the end of the song culminating in a display of stars that forms the Mockingjay pin.
The song marks Coldplay’s first original contribution to a movie soundtrack as well as the first new song they’ve released since 2011.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Plot:
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will arrive in theaters on November 22, 2013.
The Fifth Estate stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Laura Linney, Stanley Tucci, and Daniel Bruhl along with director Bill Condon discuss bringing Julian Assange and WikiLeaks’ story to the screen in The Fifth Estate. Condon stresses this isn’t a documentary but instead a thriller, while Linney reminds viewers this story isn’t over yet.
DreamWorks Pictures will open the R-rated thriller in theaters on October 18, 2013.
Triggering our age of high-stakes secrecy, explosive news leaks and the trafficking of classified information, WikiLeaks forever changed the game. Now, in a dramatic thriller based on real events, The Fifth Estate reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century’s most fiercely debated organization. The story begins as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his colleague Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl) team up to become underground watchdogs of the privileged and powerful.
On a shoestring, they create a platform that allows whistleblowers to anonymously leak covert data, shining a light on the dark recesses of government secrets and corporate crimes. Soon, they are breaking more hard news than the world’s most legendary media organizations combined. But when Assange and Berg gain access to the biggest trove of confidential intelligence documents in U.S. history, they battle each other and a defining question of our time: what are the costs of keeping secrets in a free society—and what are the costs of exposing them?”
A dramatic thriller based on real events, The Fifth Estate reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century’s most fiercely debated organization.
Christopher Palu, Jeffrey Sebelia, Melissa Fleis, Korto Momolu, Viktor Luna, Ari South, Seth Aaron Henderson, Mychael Knight, Elena Slivnyak, Daniel Esquivel, and Irina Shabayeva in Project Runway All Stars season three (Photo by Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2013)
Season three of Project Runway All Stars will be hosted by actress Alyssa Milano and will once again feature judges Isaac Mizrahi and Georgina Chapman. In addition, Marie Claire’s Senior Fashion Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi is joining the show as a mentor to the Project Runway contestants.
Season three kicks off on October 24, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT with 11 former Project Runway contestants getting one more shot at winning the competition and earning a prize package worth nearly $1 million. The winner of this season’s all star competition will collect the following prizes as a reward for their creativity and hard work:
_ fashion spread in Marie Claire and a position at the magazine as Contributing Editor for one year;
– Next Generation technology and office space from HP and Intel to help grow their business and bring their creative vision to life;
– a year’s supply of resource® Natural Spring Water and an all-expenses paid, luxurious trip for two to South East Asia courtesy of resource® Water;
– professional hair styling and photography for all of the designer’s upcoming fashion shows throughout the year, courtesy of Alterna Haircare;
– from Mary Kay, an entire year’s worth of beauty products for their fashion shows as well as professional makeup artist services for their debut show;
– and a cash prize of $150,000 and a complete custom sewing studio to launch the winning line from Brother Sewing and Embroidery.
Among the celebrity guest judges confirmed for season three are Abigail Breslin, Kristin Chenoweth, Gabourey Sidibe, Elisabeth Moss, Nick Cannon, Debbie Harry, Bar Refaeli, Gayle King, Lisa Robertson, Nate Berkus, and Michael Urie.
Project Runway All Stars Season Three Designers:
* Jeffrey Sebelia (Los Angeles, CA) – Season Three, Winner – This self-proclaimed “God of Chaos,” known for his grunge and punk style, made his mark on Project Runway by surprising the judges during Fashion Week, making him the season three winner. Since his win, Jeffrey has developed a successful high-end kid’s line called La Miniatura.
* Mychael Knight (Atlanta, GA) – Season Three, Fourth Place – Season three’s fan favorite Mychael has made a big name for himself since his appearance on Project Runway and is hoping to make it to the end this season. His labels include Mychael Knight, Kitty & Dick (female and male lingerie) and MajK (unisex fragrance), and his designs have been worn on the red carpet by celebrities such as Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Rowland and Queen Latifah.
* Korto Momolu (Little Rock, AR) – Season Five, Runner-up – Throughout her season, Korto was known for embracing color, diversity and her African roots into her designs. Since her time on Runway, she continues her success by selling her collections and keeping things eco-friendly with the garment line “Green Love,” and has designed for Leila Lopes (Miss Universe 2011), the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and for the Walton Family (Wal-Mart).
* Irina Shabayeva (New York, NY) – Season Six, Winner — Being the season six winner and never receiving any low scores by the judges, Irina has what it takes to win again. She started a bridal line after Runway and has designed for many celebrities, including the butterfly dress worn by Selena Gomez for the 2011 People’s Choice Awards and the dress for Grammy®-winning singer Carrie Underwood in her album cover Blown Away.
* Seth Aaron Henderson (Vancouver, WA) – Season Seven, Winner — This self-taught designer already proved once to the world he was the best, and knows he is capable of winning again. His designs are inspired by music, specifically New Wave, Punk and ‘80s Goth, and he is committed to a sustainable future, so his designs feature organic fabrics and recyclable plastic bottles. Since winning Project Runway, Seth has done red carpet commentary for E! and served as a part of the fashion judging panel for past Runway seasons.
* Ari South (Honolulu, HI) – Season Eight, Third Place — Wildly successful fashion designer and fan favorite Ari South (formerly Andy South) is ready to reintroduce herself to Runway fans and win the competition. Ari feels that living her life as an openly transgendered person gives her ability to impact not only who she is as a designer but also others. After Runway, her first collection was picked up by Neiman Marcus in Hawaii and has been carried there ever since.
* Viktor Luna (New York, NY) – Season Nine, Third Place — Being a photographer, as well as a designer, Viktor gains inspiration for his fashion from nature’s overlooked oddities. His collection is geared towards woman who is empowered, elegant and edgy, and some celebrities who have worn his designs include Ciara, Carly Rae Jepson, Big Boi and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
* Melissa Fleis (San Francisco, CA) – Season Ten, Third Place — From growing up in a tiny town in Michigan to competing on Project Runway, Melissa knows how to make a big impact on the fashion world. She designs for “independent, savvy girls who like to wear black” and is inspired by the Dada and Bauhaus art movements, wanting to give women a feeling of strength and edge. After Runway, Melissa has been creating custom leather jackets and clutches, and one day hopes to create a lifestyle brand that includes interior design and furniture.
* Christopher Palu (Massapequa, NY) – Season Ten, Fourth Place — Although he didn’t win his season, Christopher is coming into this All Star season with the most challenge wins among his fellow competitors. He has training from the Fashion Institute of Technology and his speed gives him an advantage when it comes to designing. Christopher is excited for this opportunity, since his last season gave him courage, strength and confidence.
* Elena Slivnyak (San Francisco, CA) – Season Ten, Sixth Place — Futurism and luxury are the key influences for Elena’s designs. When it comes to fashion, shoes and accessories are musts and her icon is Lady Gaga. Although Project Runway was one of the most stressful things Elena claims she has done, she is prepared and ready to compete for the win.
* Daniel Esquivel (Austin, TX) – Season Eleven, Fourth Place — Project Runway’s most recent alum and best team player, Daniel, is ready to show his more competitive side this time around. His styles root from upbeat happy music and are described as free, modern and sexy. Since Runway, Daniel has returned to designing for elite clientele in Austin.
