Poster for 'Fast & Furious 6'Along with launching the final trailer for the sixth film of the Fast and the Furious franchise – Fast and Furious 6 – Universal Pictures also revealed two advance ticket offers through Fandango and MovieTickets.com. F&F fans who purchase six tickets to any screening of F&F 6 via Fandango will receive one of those tickets at no cost. Also, anyone who purchases two or more tickets for screenings on May 23 or 24th via MovieTickets.com will receive $5 off their purchase.
Directed by Justin Lin, Fast and Furious 6 stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, John Ortiz, Gal Gadot, and Elsa Pataky.
The Plot:
Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian’s (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.
Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.
As people begin to break out the shorts and swimsuits, big-budget films head to the multiplex. Which can only mean it’s time once again for the Big Summer Movie Preview. This year two superheroes fly back onto the big screen, The Enterprise and its crew head out into space to face its most deadly enemy yet, and a masked cowboy and his loyal Indian companion fight to clean up the Old West.
MAY
IRON MAN 3 – Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Guy Pearce
Plot: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), still recovering from the battle with Thor’s brother Loki in The Avengers, faces a new deadly enemy: a terrorist mastermind named the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who’s determined to destroy Stark and everything dear to him.
Outlook: With perhaps the best villain yet in the franchise for Tony Stark to go up against and stunning action scenes highlighted in the trailer, Iron Man 3 looks to be the best one in the series yet.
Plot: An unstoppable force of terror from within Starfleet destroys most of the fleet leaving the world in chaos. Captain Kirk and his loyal crew head out on board the Enterprise to a war-zone to capture the one man weapon of mass destruction and bring the person responsible to justice.
Outlook: With a bigger budget and a more intelligent villain than the first film from director J.J. Abrams, Star Trek Into Darkness is almost sure to be the sequel to surpass the original film in every way.
THE GREAT GATSBY – Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton
Plot: Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) gets caught up in the lavish world of his dynamic neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), in the roaring 1920s in this retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel.
Outlook: With the film being pushed back from an original December 2012 release date and the story focusing on an era long since gone, The Great Gatsby just might be the huge flop of the summer.
THE HANGOVER PART 3 – Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha
Plot: After the death of his father Alan (Zach Galifianakis) turns to his buddies Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) for help, ultimately deciding to go to the hospital to deal with his mental issues. However, on the way the wolf pack is ambushed and Doug (Justin Bartha) is kidnapped. Now the gang needs to find Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) and trade him to a gangster for Doug before time runs out.
Outlook: Promising to be the last in the series, The Hangover Part 3 hopefully will have enough laughs and some original antics to have the wolf pack’s comedic adventures end on a high note.
FAST & FURIOUS 6 – Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson
Plot: Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) reaches out to Dominic (Vin Diesel) and his crew to help him bring a more dangerous gang to justice.
Outlook: This is sure to be nothing more than another silly, outrageous and forgettable entry in the car chase series.
JUNE
MAN OF STEEL – Starring: Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, and Michael Shannon
Plot: Being sent to Earth from a dying planet, Clark Kent aka Superman (Henry Cavill) grows up into the greatest superhero Earth has ever known and is forced to face enemies from his old planet.
Outlook: With an A-list cast, impressive special effects, and what seems to be a strong script, Man of Steel might just be the big winner at the box office this summer – soaring past all the competition.
THE HEAT – Starring: Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy
Plot: By the book FBI special agent Sarah Asburn (Sandra Bullock) is paired with wild card Boston detective Shannon Mullins to take down a ruthless crime boss.
Outlook: Trying to be a female Odd Couple in police work, The Heat‘s success will greatly depend on whether or not its two stars have solid comedic chemistry and a funny script.
Plot: A Capitol policeman (Channing Tatum) struggles to save both his child and the President of the United States during a terrorist attack in D.C.
Outlook: Being almost identical to the film Olympus Has Fallen which opened this past March, it’s unlikely movie audiences are going to be in the mood for another ‘White House under attack’ thriller.
AFTER EARTH – Starring: Will Smith and Jaden Smith
Plot: Crash-landing on Earth 1,000 years after all of mankind has evacuated, young Kitai (Jaden Smith) must travel across what has become one of the most dangerous planets for mankind in the galaxy. His mission: to find their rescue beacon and turn it on to signal for help while his father Cypher (Will Smith) lies seriously wounded in the ship’s cockpit.
Outlook: Jaden Smith has not shown the talent or the charisma for being able to carry a major motion picture on his own, and the unimpressive special effects in the trailer leave this picture most likely to be lost at the multiplex while movie goers seek out better entertainment.
THIS IS THE END – Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco and Danny McBride
Plot: While attending a party at James Franco’s house, Seth Rogen and a handful of friends face the apocalypse and struggle to survive.
Outlook: With a solid comedic cast and two trailers which have already had test audiences laughing-out-loud, This Is The End might just be the comedy hit of the summer.
WORLD WAR Z – Starring: Brad Pitt and Mireille Enos
Plot: The world is at war with zombies and it’s all seen through the eyes of one man, Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who will become an important part of the fight to save mankind from the undead.
Outlook: Yet another zombie film but this one deals with the actual war before all is lost and has mega-star Brad Pitt leading his family to safety. Still, it has a feeling of being all too familiar and audiences are already getting their zombie entertainment from AMC’s television series The Walking Dead. World War Z could just end up being a colossal flop.
Plot: Sully and Mike attend college to learn how to become scary monsters in this prequel to the 2001 Monsters Inc..
Outlook: With both stars back to bring these classic monsters to life on the screen in a film that shows how their friendship began, Monsters University is sure to be both a hit with parents and children.
THE BLING RING – Starring: Emma Watson, Israel Broussard, Katie Chang, and Taissa Farmiga
Plot: Inspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to stalk celebrities and find their homes and rob them.
Outlook: With Emma Watson taking on the role of a sexy, bad girl in this teen drama, The Bling Ring is sure to draw both Harry Potter fans as well as young men who are interested in seeing the young Watson as a sexy siren.
Plot: Two salesman whose careers have been ended by the digital world struggle to win an internship with Google. To do so, they have to go up against young, smart and eager students who are ahead of them in every way in the technical world.
Outlook: The re-teaming of Wilson and Vaughn is sure to bring fans of the film The Wedding Crashers to the multiplexes. But what looks to be missing is an engaging story and a strong supportive cast.
Plot: Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales of the masked man who he rode with and how they teamed up to fight injustice and corruption in the Old West.
Outlook: Directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean films) and with what looks like solid chemistry between Depp and Hammer, The Lone Ranger should be the great Western adventure of the summer.
PACIFIC RIM – Starring: Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba
Plot: When gigantic aliens come up from the depths of the oceans and begin to attack, giant robots – piloted by humans – are created to fight them off.
Outlook: It’s Godzilla meets Transformers. Hopefully the movie-oing public will be wise enough to stay away.
Plot: Wolverine travels to modern day Japan and meets up with an old enemy from his past.
Outlook: This is the latest installment in a superhero franchise that lost energy, creativeness, and fun after its first two films in the series. It’s not likely to return.
Plot: Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to go up against a new dangerous super-villain.
Outlook: If the film is as funny as the trailer, then Despicable Me 2 should be the sequel hit of the summer.
R.I.P.D. – starring: Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges
Plot: A murdered cop is recruited by the afterlife police department and tries to find the man who killed him.
Outlook: R.I.P.D. seems to be nothing more than a rip off of Men in Black only instead of hunting aliens the cops are hunting ghouls and ghosts. YAWN!!
Plot: During summer break a teen-age boy starts to slowly become the man he is destined to be, in part due to a friendship he strikes up with a manager of a park.
Outlook: A sweet, silly, funny and charming coming-of-age story might just be the sleeper hit of the summer and the year.
Plot: Set in the year 2154, the film focuses on a man who threatens the social structure where the extremely wealthy live in a space station while the rest of humanity struggle to survive on an almost uninhabitable Earth.
Outlook: With impressive sets and a visually unique look, Elysium could be the science fiction hit moviegoers are looking for near the end of summer.
Plot: When her mom is attacked and taken by a demon, Clary Fray (Lily Collins) heads out to save her and discovers some shocking truths about her past and her bloodline that will change her life forever.
Outlook: Based on a series of teen novels, The Mortal Instruments hopes to be a successful mixture of Twilight and Harry Potter but looks as though it lacks the imagination, budget, talent and special effects to pull it off. It’s possible it could be a mortal flop.
DON JON – Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson
Plot: Jon fights against his addiction to online pornography and seeks to find a real relationship with a woman who he could make a life with.
Outlook: With a solid cast but a sleazy and ugly storyline, it’s doubtful moviegoers will seek this film out.
WE’RE THE MILLERS – Starring: Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis
Plot: A career pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his cover to move a huge shipment of marijuana into the United States from Mexico.
Outlook: With a solid comedic cast, this should be a very funny comedy to close out the summer.
Life at the Marmont by Raymond Sarlot and Fred E. Basten was first published in the 1980s. Now being published again with a new afterward and photographs, the book gives the reader an insight into the passion, happiness, love, and sadness of some of Hollywood’s most famous – and infamous – characters. Sadly, some will remember the hotel as the place where John Belushi died, but there is so much more to learn about this famous Sunset Strip icon.
The book details the history of the hotel itself, which was built in the 1920s as an apartment house but soon was made into a hotel. When it was first built, there wasn’t much in the area, but the Marmont quickly became a home-away-from-home for Hollywood’s elite; from Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow to Scarlett Johansson and Johnny Depp.
The fact that practically every star of stage and screen, writers, producers, and directors have stayed there at one time or another, lends itself to just the sort of stories you would expect: the all-night parties, infidelity, and the family life of famous people. More than a history of the landmark hotel or gossip about the artists who have stayed there, Life at the Marmont also details the lives of the hotel’s staff. The staff was the glue that held the hotel together during very tumultuous times, be it the Depression, two wars, or an invasion of hippies in the ’60s. Staff members also became confidantes of many of the hotel’s guests, enabling them to add previously unknown, colorful and sometimes poignant anecdotes.
The ups-and-downs of the Marmont, the Sunset Strip, and Hollywood, follow the trends of life outside of Los Angeles. From the Depression to World War II, Vietnam to hippies, the book tells of people who, though they lived and live far different lives than you or I, still must face problems with families, finances, and careers.
In 1975, Raymond Sarlot made a business decision to purchase Chateau Marmont. As he learned more about the amazing history of the hotel, he wanted to share this history. Not being at all familiar with the hotel, after reading Life at the Marmont, I plan on including it on my list of places to stay. Of course, I will take my copy of the book with me so I can search for rooms of some of my favorites: Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Glenn Ford, just to name a few. Whether you are looking for Hollywood history, especially its Golden Age, or gossip and scandals, you will find it in Life at the Marmont.
Note: HBO is currently adapting Life at the Marmont into a miniseries produced by Aaron Sorkin (Newsroom, The Social Network, The West Wing) and John Krasinski (The Office).
Yes, yes it does. After a decent season five that brought back some of the sexiness and humor from season one, waiting for the next season of True Blood does suck. And while season six doesn’t premiere until June 16, 2013, HBO’s just released a couple of videos featuring Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman, Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse, and Joe Manganiello as Alcide Herveaux to tide us over.
These behind-the-scenes clips find Eric trying to figure out what’s really going on, Jason ready to kill all vampires, and Alcide on a quest for pack supremacy.
Says Pedowitz: “[…] Both series continue to be creatively strong and compelling, and their fans are incredibly passionate. I’m very happy to have all three series on the schedule for next season.”
Beauty and the Beast won the Favorite New Drama award at the 2013 People’s Choice awards. And Hart of Dixie with Rachel Bilson is one of The CW’s “top performers on digital platforms,” according to the network.
Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reunite for the third time for Before Midnight, the sequel to 1995’s Before Sunrise and 2004’s Before Sunset. Hawke and Delpy also co-wrote the script with director Richard Linklater, with Sony Pictures Classics planning a May 24, 2013 release in theaters.
The Plot:
In Before Midnight, we meet Celine and Jesse 9 years on. Almost 2 decades have passed since that first meeting on a train bound for Vienna, and we now find them in their early 40’s in Greece. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story.
The cast of Project Runway season 11 at the runway finale - Photo by David Russell
16 designers competed on season 11 of Project Runway, but there could only be one winner. The three finalists for this “game-changing” season were Patricia Michaels, Stanley Hudson, and Michelle Lesniak Franklin who battled it out to the end for the shot at being named this season’s Project Runway winner. And when the dust settled and the judges – including finale guest judge Michael Kors – voted, it was Franklin who emerged as the big winner.
A look back on the season shows that the competitors had to work hard to impress big-name guest judges that included Susan Sarandon, Emmy Rossum, Miranda Lambert, and Bette Midler as well as the judging panel of Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Zac Posen.
Franklin began the season on the losing teams, but her talent and tenacity allowed her to remain in the game. As the winner, Lesniak earned $100,000 from L’Oreal Paris to start her own line, a fashion spread with Marie Claire, a 2013 Lexus GS 350, a $50,000 technology suite by HP and Intel, and the chance to design and sell an exclusive collection at Lord & Taylor.
Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell at the 2013 Golden Globes (Photo By: Paul Drinkwater/NBC)Saturday Night Live will be finishing up season 38 … just let that sink in for a moment … with hosting appearances by Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Wiig, and Ben Affleck. Galifianakis, star of The Hangover Part 3, was previously announced as the host for the May 4, 2013 episode. The gig will mark his third time playing host on the show, and he’ll be joined by Of Monsters and Men who’ll be making their first appearance as musical guests.
The May 11 episode of SNL will see former cast member Kristen Wiig returning to the series, making her debut as the host. Wiig, who’s been keeping busy since leaving SNL with roles in Girl Most Likely, Despicable Me 2, Anchorman: The Legend Continues and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, will be the host while Vampire Weekend is confirmed as the May 11th musical guest (their 3rd time on the show).
And the 38th season will come to a close with Oscar-winner Ben Affleck returning for his fifth time as host. Also becoming a member of the five-timer club is Kanye West who’ll be the May 18th musical guest.
Anthony Jeselnik, star of "The Jeselnik Offensive" - Photo Credit: Tyler Golden/Comedy Central
Comedy Central wants more of The Jeselnik Offensive and Nathan for You. Both shows have been renewed for second seasons as just announced by Kent Alterman, President, Content Development and Original Programming, Comedy Central.
“Anthony and Nathan share dashing good looks and razor-sharp wit,” stated Alterman. “One of them is also a humanitarian.”
“I don’t know what joke Kent Alterman attempted in this press release, but I’m sure it’s terrible,” responded Jeselnik.
Season two of The Jeselnik Offensive starring Anthony Jeselnik will premiere 10 new episodes starting in July. Nathan for You will be back in 2014.
More on The Jeselnik Offensive:
Premiering in February, The Jeselnik Offensive has unleashed Jeselnik’s wicked take on must-see news ripped from the headlines of Gawker, Reddit and the places we all troll for the darker, more shocking and lurid stories. Recurring segments include “Sacred Cow,” during which Jeselnik takes on topics too sensitive to make a joke about, and then makes a bunch of jokes about, such as “cancer,” “missing children” and “bullying,” as well as audience-participation games including “Search and Destroy,” “Black Name Spelling Bee” and “Which Kind of Asian is This?”
Each episode also features two guest panelists to further bash pop culture and gleefully rip the veil of sanctity from off-limit topics in segments like “Best Worst Thing” and “Latino Voices,” as well as making Twitter a better place with “Defending Your Tweet.” Panelists from the first season have included Aziz Ansari, Billy Eichner, Abby Elliott, Pete Holmes, Nick Kroll, Jason Matzoukas, T.J. Miller, John Mulaney, Kristen Schaal, and Amy Schumer.
More on Nathan for You:
In the docu-reality comedy Nathan for You which also premiered in February, Nathan Fielder uses his real-life business degree and prior real-life experiences to help struggling companies with strategies that no traditional business consultant would dare to attempt. Whether he’s coming up with ideas to create buzz for a yogurt shop by introducing a “poo” flavored offering, finding a legal way for a gas station to charge $1.75 per gallon and still make money, or creating a world-wide sensation with a viral video of a pig rescuing a goat to boost attendance at a petting zoo, Nathan goes as far as it takes to make his ideas come to life.
But because of his unorthodox approach, his sincere efforts to do good don’t always work out how he’d hoped and often draw real people into an experience far beyond what they signed up for.
The 3rd Annual Boot Ride and Rally will be held on Sunday, August 25, 2013 in Los Angeles, and registration is now open at BootRide.com for those who want to participate or find out about volunteering. Once again, cast members of FX’s Sons of Anarchy will be hosting the event which provides awareness of and assistance to veterans through The Boot Campaign.
Says SoA‘s Theo Rossi: “I’m proud to be an Ambassador for the Boot Campaign, and couldn’t be more excited to participate in the 3rd Annual Boot Ride & Rally. I am in complete awe of our military men & women and their families, and seeing the general public come from all over to participate, wear their boots and embrace this event, is truly inspiring.”
The annual fundraising event allows participants to ride alongside the SoA cast and military veterans. But don’t forgot to register early – spots are limited. Following the ride there will be a ‘Boot Rally’ at the Happy Ending Bar and Restaurant on Hollywood’s Sunset Blvd. Live performances are planned by Blackberry Smoke as well as surprise guests, there will be a special military tribute ceremony, and there will be a chance to hang with the Sons of Anarchy cast at the Happy Ending Bar.
About The Boot Campaign:
The Boot Campaign is a national 501c3 patriotic movement that is dedicated to showing tangible appreciation of our active military, raising awareness of the challenges they face upon return and supporting their transition home. Through the sale of its signature military combat boots, general public donations, and corporate sponsorship, the Boot Campaign operates five distinct initiatives — Housing, Jobs, Wellness, Urgent Assistance and Family Support– that are caring for military personnel, past and present, healing from a variety of physical and emotional combat wounds, embodying the campaign motto that, “When They Come Back, We Give Back”.
The 3rd Annual Boot Ride and Rally will be held on Sunday, August 25, 2013 in Los Angeles, and registration is now open at 
