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Review: The Americans Episode 1

By
Rebecca Murray
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Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in 'The Americans'
Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star in 'The Americans' - Photo © FX

Reviewed by Kevin Finnerty

 
Starring: Keri Russell & Matthews Rhys
Network: FX
Airs: Wednesday’s 10pm
 
“Why is everyone so prompt in this business?,” asks Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) to his wife, Elizabeth (Keri Russell), two KGB spies living in the United States and who just missed handing off a high-profile Russian defector they kidnapped in the new FX espionage drama, The Americans.
 
Phillip and Elizabeth (no, that’s not their real names) live in a suburban house in Washington D.C. in 1981 and have two children who have no clue that their parents are spies trying to undermine the US government one mission at a time. However, the two secret agents bungled their latest mission and now have the high-profile defector as a prisoner in the trunk of their Oldsmobile Delta, parked in their garage. To make matters worse, the new neighbor who just moved in across the street is a suspicious FBI agent who notices almost immediately that there seems to be “something off” about Phillip.
 
Unable to contact the Russian embassy due to the manhunt for their prisoner, the pressure starts to take its toll on Phillip and Elizabeth who begin to argue over how to best remove their unwanted guest.
 
Overly dramatic yet suspenseful, The Americans is a well-crafted new series with a strong performance from its leading lady. Keri Russell shines as the devoted KGB agent who’s willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish her missions. She is the strongest agent between the couple and will put the mission and the love of her socialist Russia before her marriage, her children, and even her life. It’s hands-down the best role of Russell’s career. She’s sexy, loving, tough, and ruthless when her cover demands it from her.
 
Matthew Rhys delivers a solid performance as Phillip the devoted father and husband to his family who’s started questioning if he’s on the right side in the fight of the cold war which is beginning to heat up. Rhys and Russell have good chemistry as a couple who’ve learned to trust and care for each other over the course of 19 years, which wasn’t easy due to their marriage and lives being one huge lie for their cover as spies in the U.S.
 
The biggest problem in the show is with the directing and writing which tends to be over-dramatic in some scenes and even contrived. A perfect example of this is in the plotline of the FBI agent who just happens to move in next door and begins to suspect his neighbors after meeting them twice. Oh please, it’s almost as silly as the nosy neighbor who kept spying on Samantha and Darren in the 1960’s sitcom Bewitched.
 
Sexy, dark, and original, The Americans is an intriguing spy drama that hopefully will improve its writing in the next few episodes.
 
GRADE: B-
 

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Check Out the New World War Z Trailer

By
Rebecca Murray
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Mireille Enos and Brad Pitt in World War Z
Mireille Enos and Brad Pitt star in 'World War Z' - Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Brad Pitt battles zombies in World War Z, based on the bestselling book and directed by Marc Forster. The action thriller is not invading theaters until June 21, 2013, however Paramount’s using the Super Bowl as the launch date for a new trailer.
 
So, zombie lovers, does it live up to your expectations? As a fan of the book, I’m still not sold on this film version.
 
Watch the trailer:
 

 
The Plot:
 
The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself. Enos plays Gerry’s wife Karen Lane; Daniella Kertesz is his comrade in arms, Segen.
 
—Posted by Rebecca Murray

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Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 Named as Grammy Performers

By
Rebecca Murray
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Adam Levine and Maroon 5
Adam Levine and Maroon 5 (Photo Provided by The Recording Academy)

The Recording Academy announced the addition of three more acts for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Set to take the stage on music’s biggest night are Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, and Frank Ocean. They’ll be joining a list of 2013 Grammy performers that already includes Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, The Black Keys, fun., the Lumineers, Mumford & Sons, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Jack White, Elton John, and Ed Sheeran.

According to the official announcement, 14-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 will be performing together. Maroon 5 is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Payphone” and Best Pop Vocal Album for Overexposed. Frank Ocean is nominated for six awards this year, including Record of the Year for “Think Bout You” and Album of the Year for Channel Orange.

Kaley Cuoco, Neil Patrick Harris, Faith Hill, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tim McGraw, Katy Perry, and Keith Urban will be presenters, and LL Cool J is returning as host.

The 2013 Grammys will be held on February 10th at 8pm.

First Look: ‘K-11′ Trailer’ Starring Goran Visnjic

By
Rebecca Murray
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Twilight star Kristen Stewart’s mom, Jules, makes her feature film directorial debut with the dramatic thriller K-11. Set for a theatrical release on March 15, 2013, K-11 has a cast that includes Goran Visnjic, Kate del Castillo, Portia Doubleday, D.B. Sweeney, Jason Mewes, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, Tara Buck, and feature film newcomer Cameron Stewart.

The Official Synopsis:

Like Alice in a brutally violent Wonderland, music executive Ray Saxx, Jr. is trapped in K-11, a very unique part of the Los Angeles County Prison System. He was out cold when he arrived and he has no idea how he got there – all he knows is he needs to get the hell out…alive and intact. To do that Ray must navigate through a maze of drug addled-transvestite-criminal politics with obstacles at every turn. Insane cellmates, corrupt guards and his own issues are just a few of what he’s dealing with while he pieces together his means of release from this dark and dangerous rabbit hole – K-11.

Teresa Palmer on ‘Warm Bodies’ and Zombies

By
Rebecca Murray
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Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer in Warm Bodies
Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer in 'Warm Bodies' - Photo © Summit Entertainment

Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four) falls in love with a zombie named ‘R’ in the zombie romantic comedy Warm Bodies. It’s an unusual love story, to say the least, and that was one of the reasons Palmer wanted to be a part of this film.

In this interview courtesy of Summit Entertainment, Palmer discusses her character, the film’s romantic storyline, and handling the action scenes – including the lab attack sequence that introduces her character to R (played by Nicholas Hoult) – in Warm Bodies.

Watch the video:

The Plot: After a zombie epidemic, R (a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human – setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world.

Warm Bodies hits theaters on February 1, 2013.

Sylvester Stallone Discusses Bullet to the Head

By
Rebecca Murray
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Sylvester Stallone’s back in action with the graphic novel-inspired film, Bullet to the Head, coming to theaters on February 1, 2013. And in this interview courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures, Stallone discusses finally having the opportunity to work with director Walter Hill and what being on his set was like. Stallone also explains the appeal of Bullet to the Head and how he feels about his character’s look.
 
Watch the video:
 

 
The Plot:
 
Sylvester Stallone stars as Jimmy Bobo, a career hitman who enters into an unlikely alliance with by-the-book detective Taylor Kwon to bring down the ruthless killer of their respective partners.
—Posted by Rebecca Murray

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A Different Take on Anne Hathaway’s ‘Les Mis’ Performance

By
Rebecca Murray
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Whether you like Anne Hathaway or you’re part of that group of moviegoers who find her irritating, it’s impossible to deny that she’s pretty much a shoo-in to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Les Miserables. Which, of course, means we’ll see her take to the stage to deliver yet another acceptance speech which will be dissected and reviewed ad nauseam.

But for those Oscar-voting fence-sitters, there’s a new For Your Consideration video that deserves some attention. Emma Fitzpatrick soars as Anne Hathaway in this new take on “I Dreamed a Dream.”

Directed by Alberto Belli with new lyrics by Robert Hill, this version of “I Dreamed a Dream” finds ‘Anne Hathaway’ singing about her new haircut, the fact she lost half her body weight for the role and then they never did a wide shot, and how she recorded all her vocals live.

Love or hate the real song, this one’s worth a listen.

‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ Season 2 Details

By
Rebecca Murray
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Who Let the Dogs Out Season 2 Poster

Hallmark Channel’s bringing back Who Let the Dogs Out, the daytime reality series that shares a name with one of the most annoying songs ever. Season two of the series starring Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog and his buddy Norman the Scooter Dog will premiere on February 1, 2013 at 1pm.

According to Hallmark, the dogs will once again be traveling America “in search of new recruits, unusual places to visit and fun experiences.” During season two, viewers will even go behind the scenes for a look at the first-ever national monument for an animal – The Military Working Dog Teams National Monument. If that sounds familiar, Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pet Foods 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade float featured a replica of the monument, which is meant to honor our canine veterans.

The Military Working Dog Teams National Monument will be installed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas in October.

Marvel Teases an ‘Iron Man 3’ Super Bowl Trailer

By
Rebecca Murray
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Marvel’s not going to be missing out on the chance to show off Iron Man 3 to Super Bowl audiences and will be delivering a new trailer during the big game. For now though, we’ve only got a 10-second tease to share. Bummer.

Coming to theaters on May 3, 2013, Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley. Shane Black directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Drew Pearce.

Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti Have Split Up

By
Rebecca Murray
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Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti split
Ashley Judd in a scene from 'Dolphin Tale' - Photo © Warner Bros Pictures

After 11 years of marriage actress Ashley Judd (Dolphin Tale) and Indy500 champion Dario Franchitti have officially announced they are getting a divorce. In a statement issued to PEOPLE, the couple stated:

“We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We’ll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity, and respect we have always enjoyed.”

Judd and Franchitti got engaged in 1999 and married in Scotland in 2001. The busy couple never had children.

In addition to the official statement, Judd tweeted this message on January 29th:

“Family forever. @dariofranchitti”

Judd is currently filming the dramatic movie The Identical and will next be seen on the big screen in Olympus Has Fallen.

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