Hot in Cleveland‘s live episode…yes, live…set to air on June 19, 2013 at 10pm ET (live-to-tape at 10pm PT) has signed up William Shatner as a guest star. The show’s also snagged The Office‘s Brian Baumgartner for the summer premiere episode.
“At long, long last, I am working with someone who is older than me,” joked William Shatner about joining Betty White and the cast for the live episode.
Emmy-winner Suzanne Martin writes, directs, and executive produces the series. Sean Hayes (Will and Grace), Todd Milliner, Lynda Obst, Larry W Jones, and Keith Cox also executive produce.
The Details:
The show will begin where the winter season finale left off with Joy (Jane Leeves) discovering what Elka (White) and Mamie (Georgia Engel) have been up to all season – it’s illegal and dangerous and they are in way over their heads, cutting into the business of some very scary locals. Melanie (Valerie Bertinelli), Victoria (Wendie Malick) and Joy try to step in to “help.” There will be mobsters, mistaken identities, special guest stars, and twists and turns – all LIVE, when anything can happen.
August 6, 2013 – that’s the date of the release of the self-titled album from The Civil Wars. The Grammy Award-winning duo’s second album finds them reuniting with Barton Hollow producer Charlie Peacock, with the album tracks recorded in Nashville from August 2012 to January 2013.
Barton Hollow was released back in 2011 and The Civil Wars’ Joy Williams and John Paul White appreciate the patience of their fans in getting out this second album. They’ve been on the road touring and recorded the self-titled sophomore album when they were able to, with Joy saying she’s fiercely proud of the new album. “A lot of soul, sweat and tears went into its creation,” said Joy on the group’s official site.
Check out the official audio for the first single, “The One That Got Away:”
The Civil Wars Track Listing:
1. The One That Got Away
2. I Had Me a Girl
3. Same Old Same Old
4. Dust to Dust
5. Eavesdrop
6. Devil’s Backbone
7. From This Valley
8. Tell Mama
9. Oh Henry
10. Disarm
11. Sacred Heart
12. D’Arline
Amazon customers have selected Rysa Walker as the winner of the sixth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest for her young adult book, Timebound. The Carey, North Carolina writer will receive a publishing contract with a $50,000 advance. Timebound will be available on October 22, 2013 via Amazon Children’s Publishing’s Skyscape.
“Rysa’s novel is one of those up-til-dawn reads that you just can’t put down, so it’s no surprise Amazon customers gave her this award,” stated Daphne Durham, Editor-in-Chief, Amazon Publishing. “We are looking forward to sharing all of the 2013 ABNA winners’ books with readers this fall.”
Other contest winners included Ken Moraff in the General Fiction category for It Happened in Wisconsin. Jo Chumas was named the winner of the Mystery/Thriller category for The Hidden and Evelyn Pryce won for her romance, A Man Above Reproach. J. Lincoln Fenn is the Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror winner for POE. These four winners will each received contracts from Amazon Publishing with a $15,000 advance.
The Timebound Plot:
Walker’s Timebound was inspired by her love of history and science fiction and explores how the choices we make affect our future. In the novel, 17-year-old Kate learns that she’s inherited a genetic license to time travel when her grandmother shares a strange blue medallion, an even stranger tale about future historians, and the unshakeable conviction that the fate of half the planet lies in Kate’s hands.
Actress Lake Bell wrote, directed, and stars in In a World, a romantic comedy that won Bell the Sundance 2013 Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Roadside Attractions is showing off this new trailer and has set an August 9, 2013 theatrical release date for the romcom which also features Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Nick Offerman, Alexandra Holden and Geena Davis.
The Plot:
Lake Bell stars in In a World…, a romantic comedy about a struggling vocal coach who strikes it big in the cutthroat world of movie-trailer voiceovers, only to find herself in direct competition with the industry’s reigning king—her father.
It looks like Vin Diesel will be making a trip to San Diego soon for the annual gathering of geeks known as the San Diego Comic Con, this year taking place Thursday, July 18 through Sunday, July 21. Diesel posted a new poster for Riddick on his Facebook page and pretty much confirmed he’ll be on hand to promote the film, saying:
It’s been over decade, since I’ve been to Comic-Con…
Grrr…
The Furyan…
P.s. First look at the 2013 Comic-Con, Riddick poster.”
The Plot:
Riddick, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick, reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.
The Soup Investigates with Joel McHale (Photo Credit: E!)
Joel McHale is expanding his outlets for tackling pop culture silliness with the new E! series, The Soup Investigates. The Soup Investigates is a spin-off of McHale’s The Soup and is set to premiere on E! on June 19, 2013 at 10:30pm immediately following the show that spawned it.
The Details [Courtesy of E!]:
How DOES that rose get from the grower’s field to The Bachelor’s hand just in time for the all-important rose ceremony? What do people, like Tila Tequila, really keep in their storage lockers? And how deep does the “Beliebers” dedication to their main man run?
Host Joel McHale and our investigative reporters will be working around the clock to get to the truth by probing, penetrating and thrusting themselves into any and all forbidden places, shady sources, and promising leads. The hot topics being covered in The Soup Investigates include:
The Journey of a Rose – Correspondent Michael Kosta traces the dramatic path of one of reality TV’s most enduring symbols: the rose from The Bachelor. From a manure-caked greenhouse to its ultimate destination at a picturesque rental mansion in Agoura Hills – we follow a lone rose from humble beginnings, to its moment in the spotlight… to its bittersweet end as a stagehand scoops it out of a pool filter and tosses it in the trash.
Packed Full of Crap – Recently, a former star of A&E’s Storage Wars sued the production for allegedly faking the results of the show’s reliably profitable dumpster diving excursions. And frankly, we were shocked – shocked that it took this long for people to realize it’s not all real. Our correspondent Sarah Tiana now goes inside to examine real-life storage space exposés – only to find out that in the real world, it’s just a lot of water-stained newspapers, long-forgotten lawn furniture, and old pornography.
Lots and lots of old pornography. And to cap it all off, we’ll unveil the contents of a storage locker belonging to none other than Tila Tequila – a once-in-a-lifetime television event sure to burn its way into your memory, and also your soul.
Beliebe It… or Not? – Canadian pop wunderkind Justin Bieber has made headlines for being late onstage, and – once he gets there – either vomiting or losing consciousness. Have any of these antics put a dent in tween girls’ adoration for Biebs? And just how deep does their dedication run? Our correspondent Eli Olsberg will sit down with a focus group of teenage Bieber fans, and – using the latest in age progression technology – proceed to educate, enlighten, and horrify them with a glimpse at the haunting visage of Bieber future.
Hot on the heels of the release of three new character posters comes the new trailer for Only God Forgives from director Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas. Due in theaters on July 19, 2013, Only God Forgives is rated R for strong bloody violence including grisly images, sexual content and language. The trailer, however, has been approved for ‘appropriate’ audiences.
The Plot:
Julian (Gosling), an American fugitive from justice, runs a boxing club in Bangkok as a front for his drug business. His mother, the head of a vast criminal organization, arrives from the US to collect the body of her favorite son, Billy. Julian’s brother has just been killed after having savagely murdered a young prostitute. Crazy with rage and thirsty for vengeance she demands the heads of the murderers from Julian.
But first, Julian must confront Chang, a mysterious retired policeman – and figurehead of a divine justice – who has resolved to scourge the corrupt underworld of brothels and fight clubs.
“Around here…darkness lives on both sides of the law”
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have teamed up for a new dramatic series on HBO. True Detective isn’t arriving on the network until 2014, however HBO’s offered up this brief look at what we can expect from the series. Make that a very brief look, and make that kind of expect from the series. What the teaser really does is just give clues as to the tone of the series.
Season one consists of eight episodes and if the series is picked up for a second season, a new mystery along with a new cast will be put in place.
The Bling Ring, based on the true story of high school students who burglarized the Hollywood hills homes of the rich and famous (including Paris Hilton’s mansion), arrives in theaters on June 21, 2013. In support of its upcoming release, A24 has put out this new sort-of behind-the-scenes video offering details on the characters.
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola (Somewhere), the cast includes Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Claire Julien, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, Georgia Rock, and Gavin Rossdale.
The Plot:
In the fame-obsessed world of Los Angeles, a group of teenagers take us on a thrilling and disturbing crime-spree in the Hollywood hills. Based on true events, the group, who were fixated on the glamorous life, tracked their celebrity targets online, and stole more than 3 million in luxury goods from their homes. Their victims included Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, and Rachel Bilson, and the gang became known in the media as “The Bling Ring.”
In The Bling Ring, Coppola takes us inside the world of these teens, where their youthful naivete and excitement is amplified by today’s culture of celebrity and luxury brand obsession. The members of the Bling Ring introduce us to temptations that any teenager would find hard to resist. And what starts out as youthful fun spins out of control, revealing a sobering view of our modern culture.
Starz is increasing their original content by adding another one-hour drama. Power, created by Courtney Kemp Agboh (The Good Wife) and produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, is the story of a New York City nightclub owner/drug kingpin. Season one will consist of eight episodes and will start shooting later this year.
“This is a passion project for me and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have found a home with STARZ. I look forward to working with this incredibly talented team on making Power a hit show,” said Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
The executive producing team includes Mark Canton and Randall Emmett. “Courtney has crafted an incredible modern story from an idea we developed with Fifty and Randall Emmett. She’s without hesitation one of the best writers and storytellers that I’ve had the privilege to work with,” stated executive producer Mark Canton. “I’ve had a long relationship with Chris Albrecht and Randall and I look forward to raising the bar together with him, his colleagues at STARZ and our partners and CBS Studios. I know we are at the right time and right place with this powerful project.”
The official synopsis: “Power tells the story of James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick, a wealthy New York City nightclub owner who caters to the city’s elite. He wants to build an empire, turn the club into a Fortune 500 business, but there’s just one problem: Ghost is living a double life. When he is not in the club, he is the kingpin of the most lucrative drug network in New York for a very high-level clientele. His marriage, family and business all become unknowingly threatened as he is tempted to leave his criminal life behind and become the rags-to-riches businessman he wants to be most of all.”
Starz Chief Executive Officer Chris Albrecht said the network’s thrilled to add Power to their 2014 slate. “Curtis has a unique and specific vision for the series, lending it an authenticity and voice rarely seen. Courtney has created a rich world and characters not often explored in contemporary drama. There is a rawness and soul to the character of Ghost as he struggles to live between these two worlds that we believe will leave an indelible mark on the audience and stay with them after the credits roll,” offered Albrecht.
“Starz has given our team an opportunity to explore a world of beauty, luxury, danger and death, all against the struggle of one man to define his nature and his soul,” added series creator Courtney Kemp Agboh. “While the power and peril of Ghost’s world are specific, we hope to address the truly universal questions we all face when we look in the mirror: who am I? Where am I going? Who do I want to become?”
Amazon customers have selected Rysa Walker as the winner of the sixth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest for her young adult book, 
