As if there was any doubt… Coming off its Emmy and Golden Globe wins, it would have been a silly move by HBO not to renew Girls for a third season. Created by and starring Lena Dunham, the comedy series has generated positive reviews while also increasing its viewership. The first episode of season 2 drew in 3.8 million viewers, according to HBO.
The network has given a 12-episode order for season three of the series which stars Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, and Alex Karpovsky.
The Plot:
Girls takes a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of four girls in their early 20s.
Michelle Williams as Glinda in Oz The Great and Powerful
Doesn’t Michelle Williams look gorgeous as Glinda? Glinda, described as “benevolent, compassionate, and above all — good,” is one of the main characters in Disney’s Oz The Great and Powerful coming to theaters on March 8, 2013.
The cast also includes James Franco, Rachel Weisz, and Mila Kunis, with Sam Raimi directing.
The Plot:
When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.
HARDCORE PAWN's Les Gold, his daughter Ashley and his son Seth celebrate the 100th episode of the hit truTV series. Photo by Mark Hill
truTV has given Hardcore Pawn a 100th episode present in the form of a renewal for season seven. The series, which takes place at American Jewelry & Loan, has been averaging 2.6 million viewers and has been one of the top-ranking shows during its time slot, according to the network.
The show takes viewers behind the scenes, following story owner Les Gold and his adult children Seth and Ashley as they deal with a colorful assortment of customers.
Seth MacFarlane will host "The 85th Annual Academy Awards" - Photo Credit: ABC/Bob D'Amico
The Academy doesn’t want movie fans to forget the Oscars are coming up in a month, releasing a series of promos with host Seth MacFarlane. The latest promo features MacFarlane in his hotel room, banging the wall and asking the screaming woman next door to keep the noise down.
Lisa Loeb’s going to be out and about greeting fans in support of the upcoming release of her seventh album. No Fairy Tale drops on January 29th, and during the week of its release, she’ll be at the NAMM show in Anaheim (1/25) and Barnes & Noble at The Grove in LA (1/30) to meet her fans. She’ll also be performing the title track on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 31st and Conan on February 18th.
No Fairy Tale features two tracks in which Loeb collaborated with indie artists Tegan and Sara. She also invited Hello Goodbye, Morgan Taylor, Maia Sharp and Marvin Etzioni to contribute to No Fairy Tale.
NO FAIRY TALE Track Listing:
1. No Fairy Tale
2. The 90’s
3. Weak Day
4. Walls
5. A Hot Minute
6. Sick, Sick, Sick
7. Matches
8. Married
9. Swept Away
10. He Loved You So Much
11. Ami, I’m Sorry
12. The Worst
The reason behind Jimmy Kimmel’s feud with Matt Damon has been revealed. Damon took over Jimmy Kimmel Live and with Kimmel tied up on stage, announced that Kimmel’s jealous of his acting career. It seems Kimmel has tried out for every role Damon snagged, and Kimmel did his nightly bumping of his acting rival to get back at him.
For a brief moment I thought about employing an age-old reviewing strategy for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters; namely using as many words as there are minutes in the runtime (88 in this case). However, I had a couple of points to make, so this review will easily pass that mark (already about 30 words away).
Obviously, when looking at a movie like this, one does not expect cinematic brilliance, award-caliber acting, and wildly innovative storytelling. Don’t worry, you won’t get it. Also, if you’re one of those people who think IMAX 3D is the bomb diggity, well … that’s … just sad really … but in any case, it doesn’t matter here. Sure it may be shown under that guise in some places, but the 3D is almost never immersive and practically always gimmicky. And if you don’t realize what’s wrong with seeing a letterbox presentation on an IMAX screen, keep throwing your money away. I doubt you had better plans for it anyway.
Okay, technical bits aside, I will provide positive points for this appropriately scheduled January release. First off, Jeremy Renner is fun. He doesn’t get to do much here you haven’t seen already, but I like his screen presence. More importantly to the title duo, I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated how beautiful Gemma Arterton is. During whatever corny or useless moments I normally might have let my brain wander with other films, I was unabashedly swept up in her visage.
Peter Stormare and Famke Janssen get little cameos and that’s cute. Actually, as far as character development goes, the right choice was made here, and there’s very little given to anyone not named Hansel or Gretel. Again, this isn’t the kind of movie one expects to be anything more than passably competent. Nor should it be when the most likable ancillary character is a troll that bears a remarkable resemblance to the Rock Biter from The Neverending Story.
What there is for a script does try to twist up the familiar fairy tale, and it does so amiably; smartly avoiding long-winded speeches and just getting on with the action. Where films like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Jonah Hex failed were in their ability to embrace the camp and forgo the notion of thinking style choices would make up for a lack of enthusiasm. Hansel & Gretel surely isn’t some remarkable piece of genius, but it delivers on its expectations so while I won’t attempt to find many words of praise, I also don’t find the need to take a hammer to it either.
Now sure, the action scenes are badly composited, full of quick cuts, and all shot far too close up, but there’s just something fun about watching two attractive people hack, slash, and shoot their way through scores of monsters. When pressed for a reaction to the film, all that came to my mind was “dumb, but moderately fun.” Still, if that’s the kind of movie you want, then it’s out there waiting for you. Just remember to find the non-IMAX, 2D version. I’m sure the Gummi Bears you can now afford will be a nice complement to the blood and silliness.
GRADE: C+
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters hits theaters on January 25, 2013 and is rated R for strong fantasy horror violence and gore, brief sexuality/nudity and language.
Paramount Pictures is running a four-minute preview of G.I. Joe: Retaliation in theaters in front of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, but for those not taking in that action film this weekend the studio’s released a new 90-second clip to check out. The clip features more of the fight scene off the side of a mountain as well as a little bit more of Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis.
The Plot:
In this sequel, the G.I. JOE team is not only fighting their mortal enemy COBRA; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Two new photos from been released from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones coming to theaters on August 23, 2013. Based on the bestselling book series by Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments takes place in a world of Shadowhunters and demons and stars Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower in the lead roles.
The Plot:
Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.
The Cast of Burning Love Season 2 - Photo by Robin Von Swank
So what happened after Mark the firefighter gave his hose to one of the eligible beauties on season one of Burning Love? The hit comedy web series earned rave reviews, with fans clamoring for a follow-up. And series creator/writer Erica Oyama and actor/director Ken Marino are answering viewers pleas with a second season of the online web series that pokes fun at reality dating shows.
Burning Love 2 debuts on February 14th, with new episodes arriving every Thursday and Friday on Yahoo!. Returning cast members include Marino, June Diane Raphael, Michael Ian Black, and Adam Scott. Jerry O’Connell, Michael Cera, Adam Brody, Colin Hanks, Joe Lo Truglio, Ryan Hansen, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, Nick Kroll, Nick Thune, Martin Starr, and Kumail Nanjiani join the cast for season 2.
Season 2 Plot:
The second season of Burning Love follows Julie (June Diane Raphael), who failed to capture bachelor Mark Orlando’s heart the first time around, as she searches for love among a group of guys who are hopefully, but probably not, there for the right reasons.
