Rosie McClelland (front left) and Sophia Grace Brownlee (front right), TV personalities from "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," pose with the newest Disney Princess, the brave and passionate Merida, and the rest of the Disney Princess royal court at Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Photo: Business Wire)
A Disney Princess isn’t officially a Disney Princess until she’s been inducted into the ‘exclusive’ club with a ceremony at the Magic Kingdom welcoming her into the Royal Court. And the newest member of the club is Brave‘s Princess Merida who was introduced as a Disney Princess during a ceremony held at the Disney World Resort timed to coincide with Mother’s Day festivities.
Gymnastics Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas hosted the event accompanied by her mother, with Merida accompanied by her mother, Queen Elinor.
“As a Disney Princess, Merida sets an admirable example for all, being brave, strong, passionate, determined and confident,” stated Brave producer Katherine Sarafian. “When Queen Elinor placed the crown on Merida’s head, it signified a moment of deep connection, as a mother recognized the spirit, heart and true personality of her daughter. It’s moments like these that encapsulate what is special about being a princess, but also resonate with mothers across the world.”
“I admire Merida for being determined and courageous as these are qualities that have had a big impact on my own life and helped me achieve my goals as an athlete,” said Gabby Douglas. “And like Merida, I have a strong relationship with my mom, whose support and belief in me has helped me recognize my own inner princess qualities. It’s really special for us to be here and share in Merida’s celebration, especially on Mother’s Day weekend.”
Scottish dancers and a pipe and drum band led the parade to the entrance of Cinderella’s Castle, with Merida arriving astride her horse, Angus. Sophia Grace Brownlee and Rosie McClelland entertained the crowd which included young girls from Give Kids The World, a “70-acre nonprofit “storybook” resort where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families are treated to weeklong cost-free family vacations.”
Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Great Gatsby’ (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Jay, you can’t repeat the past,” says Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). “Can’t repeat the past? Of course you can,” responds Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) to his one and only true friend in Baz Luhrmann’s screen version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel The Great Gatsby.
Nick Carraway has left the Midwest for New York to make his fortune in the stock market in the spring of 1922. He’s moved next door to the mysterious, party-throwing, wealthy stranger known as Gatsby. Nick is also right across the way from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).
After watching the extravagant parties from afar, Nick finally gets invited to one of Gatsby’s famous parties and, of course, attends. He finds himself dazzled and amazed by the glitz and glamour that’s part of this world of the incredibly rich. It’s then that Nick meets his neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and quickly becomes his friend. It’s not just by chance or even curiosity that Gatsby invited Nick but because he needs his help to get close to the one person he deeply, truly loves…Daisy.
So, Nick gets tangled up in the web of wealth, power, and romance created by Gatsby whose goal is simply to win back the only woman he ever loved and build a life with her in the center of it.
More spectacle than substance, Baz Luhrmann’s big screen version of The Great Gatsby is all glitz but has no real depth or soul. The film looks wonderful and captures the feel and style of the 1920s with its costumes, cars, set design, and the use of real footage from the era. And Leonardo DiCaprio is a solid Gatsby, showing his infatuation with Daisy and the growing friendship with Nick which becomes more important to him than he could ever have imagined. But Gatsby is still a character the audience never really connects with or gets to care about. He’s a mystery never fully revealed, and even though Nick finds a true friendship with him, the audience is left distant and out in the cold.
Carey Mulligan delivers a strong performance as Daisy, the spoiled, selfish young lady who’s cast a spell on Gatsby and who enjoys playing at love rather than growing up and committing to a real adult romantic relationship. She has solid chemistry with DiCaprio and their scenes as estranged lovers who never got over each other are effective.
Tobey Maguire comes up short as the wide-eyed storyteller whose real purpose in the film is to reveal Gatsby and his world to the audience and to help reunite his cousin Daisy with Jay. The scene after he realizes he forgot all about his own birthday by getting caught up in Gatsby, Daisy, and their crowd’s affairs – and finds all of them shallow – is empty and weak due to Maguire’s performance. It’s through Nick’s eyes that the audience is supposed to see this world is filled with shallow, superficial, self-absorbed people and it’s only Gatsby whose intentions and outlook on life is one of hope and love. This is barely accomplished by the voice-over by Maguire who sounds as though he’s having a hard time staying awake.
Baz Luhrmann’s direction is once again loud, brass, and overblown, but he does back off on incorporating modern music into The Great Gatsby, inserting only a few contemporary songs into the party scenes and relying on music of the era to help the audience get the feeling of what New York was like among the rich in 1922. The use of 3D in the film does have an affect on the audience with the snow seeming to fall around you and at times the Rolls Royce speeding right by you, but it’s not enough to merit spending the extra few dollars to see.
Bright, glitzy, but soulless, The Great Gatsby is a film that unfortunately ends up being just as shallow and empty as the people and the generation F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to expose in his classic novel.
GRADE: C
The Great Gatsby is rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.
Warner Bros Pictures unveiled this new poster for Man of Steel via social media, tweeting it out to followers and showing it off on the film’s official Facebook page. Coming to theaters on June 14, 2013, Man of Steel was directed by Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe.
The Plot:
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
The seventh season of Burn Notice will be the show’s last. USA made it official, posting a video teasing this upcoming season as the end of the series. Burn Notice, starring Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and Coby Bell, will kick off the seventh – and final – seven on June 6, 2013 at 9pm.
“Burn Notice has had an incredible run over the last six years, and we could not be more proud of the extraordinary talent both in front of and behind the cameras who have collectively made this show into one of the most popular and lauded shows on TV today,” stated Chris McCumber, USA Network co-president.
“From day one, Burn Notice‘s characters, storylines and mythology have consistently captivated a massive audience, and this final season will raise the stakes even higher, leading up to a spectacular series finale,” said Jeff Wachtel, co-president of USA Network.
Details on Burn Notice‘s Seventh Season:
The adrenaline-charged seventh season of Burn Notice will keep hearts racing as viewers uncover the details of the mysterious deal that fans’ favorite renegade spy, Michael Westen (Donovan) struck in the season six finale. Michael’s past and present collide as he tries to rebuild relationships with his family and friends while pursuing a dangerous mission involving the CIA and a lethal network of operatives.
Recurring guest stars this season include Jack Coleman, Adrian Pasdar, and Stephen Martines.
Caesar on a Horse in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' - Photo by Matt Reeves
Filming just began in New Orleans and director Matt Reeves is treating/teasing fans via Twitter with this first look at Caesar (played by Andy Serkis) on a horse in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It’s a behind-the-scenes shot and seems to show Caesar has either stumbled upon or is traveling with a group of humans. Interesting.
Heading to theaters May 23, 2014, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Enrique Murciano, Kirk Acevedo, and Judy Greer.
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.
Ben McKenzie and Shawn Hatosy in 'Southland' - Photo Credit: Doug Hyun/TNTWell, bummer. It looks like Southland won’t be returning after all. TNT has canceled the LA-based gritty police drama which has a small-but-passionate fan base. The network confirmed that after five seasons the series would not be back, stating: “TNT has made the difficult decision not to renew Southland for another season. We are enormously proud of Southland, which stands as one of the best police dramas ever made.”
The network is also giving up on the low-rated medical drama Monday Mornings – which comes as no surprise whatsoever. However, on a more positive note, TNT has announced a new unscripted series will be added to their programming slate in 2014. Inside Job has earned a six episode first season order.
Details on Inside Job:
Each week on Inside Job, one of America’s hottest companies will invite four highly qualified job candidates to compete for a six-figure executive position. For one week, they’ll live together, work together and play together as part of the interview and hiring process.
What the candidates don’t know, however, is that one of their fellow candidates is already a management executive of the company. This undercover insider will monitor every move the job candidates make – good or bad – and report the findings back to the boss. At the end of the week, the insider will be revealed, and it is the insider who will decide who is the most deserving candidate to be offered the job of a lifetime.
The packed cast of August: Osage County includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Julianne Nicholson, Juliet Lewis, Sam Shepard, and Chris Cooper, and this new trailer released by The Weinstein Company shows off a little of each of them. The film’s based on Tracy Letts’ award-winning play and was directed by John Wells.
Letts adapted the story for the screen, and Weinstein Co is aiming for a November 8, 2013 theatrical release.
The Plot:
August: Osage County tells the dark, hilarious, and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Letts’ play made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre earlier that year. It continued with a successful international run.
Grant Bowler as Joshua Nolan and Julie Benz as Amanda Rosewater in 'Defiance' (Photo by: Joe Pugliese/Syfy)Syfy wants another season of the dramatic series Defiance starring Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene and Mia Kirshner. The network’s given a 13 episode second season order to the series which debuted to the second highest numbers in Syfy’s history. Overall, Defiance posted the highest viewership for any of Syfy’s original series this year.
Filming will begin on season 2 in August in Toronto.
Announcing the renewal, Mark Stern, President of Original Content for Syfy and Co-Head of Original Content for UCP, stated: “Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been an incredible team effort. We couldn’t ask for better partners than Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds. We can’t wait to see where they take us in the second season.”
The Plot:
Set in the near future, Defiance features an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden – and tumultuous – arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully. Each week, viewers follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, Missouri, while in the game, players will experience the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area.
Gordon Ramsay with a JUNIOR MASTERCHEF contestant. Photo Credit: Greg Gayne / FOX. Copyright: FOX. Fox wants to stay in business with chef Gordon Ramsay, renewing his cooking competition shows Hell’s Kitchen and Masterchef for more seasons. Hell’s Kitchen will return for its 13th season while Masterchef‘s been given orders for two more seasons, and Fox’s deal with Ramsay also includes a brand new series, Junior Masterchef.
Junior Masterchef, based on the U.K. format, will premiere during the 2013-2014 season. The series will feature kids between the ages of 8 and 13 who love to cook.
“Gordon brings an incredible level of energy and passion to each of his series that our viewers absolutely love, so we are thrilled that he will continue building his brand here on FOX,” stated Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “He’s a global superstar, and the success and longevity of his unprecedented five series on our network proves that America just can’t get enough of Gordon.”
“We have such great teams and partners on these shows, and I’m really excited we’re able to offer this new opportunity to young budding chefs across the country with Junior Masterchef,” added Ramsay. “Having my own children who love to cook, I know firsthand the skill and passion these kids can have at such a young age, and what they can do with it. It’s just extraordinary to watch them in action.”
In addition to the above mentioned shows, Ramsay also has Hotel Hell and Kitchen Nightmares set up at Fox.
Junior Masterchef Details:
Junior Masterchef will give budding cooks the exciting opportunity to showcase their talent, culinary smarts and passion for food through a series of delicious challenges and cook-offs. Similar to Masterchef, Ramsay will be joined by restaurateur and winemaker Joe Bastianich (Del Posto, Eataly) and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot (Graham Elliot, Graham Elliot Bistro) on the Junior Masterchef judging panel. Together, the celebrated food experts will coach and encourage the promising hopefuls to cook like a pro and teach them the tricks of the trade along the way.
