…came in the form of a dance number. Yes, a dance number. American Horror Story: Asylum returned for the second half of season two on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 with an episode that included one of the most surprising scenes yet. After getting shock treatment at the hands of the devil, Sister Jude Martin/Judy (played by the amazing Jessica Lange) broke out in song, leading the mental patients in a dance number to the tune of “The Name Game.”
Genius. Simply genius.
HBO Films has landed Oscar winner Julia Roberts and Mark Ruffalo (most recently seen hulking out in The Avengers) for the dramatic movie The Normal Heart. Filming’s expected to take place later this year on the project, which has Ryan Murphy (Glee) on board to direct. Larry Kramer adapted his own Tony Award-winning play for the screen.
nnouncing the project, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo stated: “We are so proud to be involved with this monumental project. Ryan has assembled an extraordinary cast to bring Larry Kramer’s landmark theatrical achievement to the screen for the first time, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this important film to HBO.”
The Plot: The Normal Heart tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation’s sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fought to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city in denial.
Roberts plays Dr. Emma Brookner, the paraplegic physician who treats several of the earliest victims of the disease. Ruffalo portrays Ned Weeks, who witnesses first-hand the mysterious disease that has begun to claim the lives of many in his gay community and starts to seek answers. Matt Bomer (Magic Mike) plays Felix Turner, a reporter who becomes Ned’s lover.
HBO’s premiering the five-part miniseries Parade’s End starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, and Adelaide Clemens on February 26, 2013 at 9pm. The series is based on Ford Madox Ford’s novels and was directed by Susanna White (Generation Kill) and adapted by Sir Tom Stoppard.
The miniseries also stars Roger Allam, Anne-Marie Duff, Rupert Everett, Stephen Graham, Janet McTeer, and Miranda Richardson.
Says screenwriter Stoppard about the challenge of adapting Ford: “I came to read Parade’s End when [executive producer Damien Timmer] suggested it, and I had a strong instinct that it would appeal to me, which it very much did. I consider myself unfaithfully faithful in relation to my adaptation of Ford’s books. On one hand, it is faithful to the conception of character, time and place, and on the other hand, the novels are not structured to accommodate a television series. So you have to manipulate the elements you have.
Although the war in the background is a huge factor in the story and it changed society irredeemably, Parade’s End is not a First World War story. It’s the story of a man caught between two women who he has loved and loves. They’re very different from each other, and he’s a unique, most unusual gentleman. With a project like Parade’s End, perhaps the greatest challenge for a writer is to find that balance between the personal and the public.”
The Plot:
Married to Sylvia (Rebecca Hall), a callous socialite who has given birth to a child that may not be his, English aristocrat Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch) becomes entranced by Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), a fearless young woman who unexpectedly turns his world upside down. As warbreaks out across Europe, Christopher, compelled by an outmoded code of conduct, feels obligated to remain loyal to his wife as he leaves a heartbroken Valentine to fight in France.
Christopher struggles to adapt to his new life as an army officer. When he returns to England briefly, suffering from shell shock, he is alarmed to discover himself the target of vicious rumors. Rejected by his father and brother, alienated from Sylvia, with only Valentine to support him, he attempts to hold on to sanity and meaning as the old world order collapses amidst tremendous upheaval.
Through Christopher’s experiences, Parade’s End captures the devastation of war and the end of Edwardian ideals, and bridges the gap between feudal England and the dawn of modernism.
“Even on a good day Arthur Harris is in a bad mood.”
The Weinstein Company’s put out this first look at Unfinished Song from director Paul Andrew Williams. TWC hasn’t set a firm 2013 release date yet, however I’m guessing this might be one they hold for release until closer to awards season.
The Plot:
A wonderfully, heart-warming story of a loving marriage between grumpy pensioner Arthur (Terence Stamp) and the ever-cheerful Marion (Vanessa Redgrave). Cantankerous but doting husband Arthur does not share his wife Marion’s passion for performing. While she is happy to sing her heart out with the unconventional local choir, Arthur would prefer to hide himself away and complain about how embarrassing it all is. But when heartbreak strikes, Arthur is forced to re-think his outlook on life. With the steady perseverance of choir director Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton), Arthur begins to find a way to come out of his shell and in the process forms a touching relationship with Elizabeth as well as a desire to build bridges with his estranged son James (Christopher Eccleston).
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Viewers can vote on their favorite commercial now through January 29th at facebook.com/DoritosUSA. The fan favorite will air along with the ad selected by the Doritos team. Of those ads, the one with the highest USA Today ad meter rankings will win the opportunity to work with Michael Bay on the next Transformers movie and have a shot at a $1 million bonus.
“In 1998 little did I know that my participation in a Doritos Super Bowl commercial would change the rest of my life,” stated Landry. “As I celebrate 15 years as the ‘Doritos Girl,’ I couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Doritos brand to announce the five finalists vying for a life-changing opportunity like the one I had.”
The Crash the Super Bowl finalist ads:
— “Goat 4 Sale” by Ben Callner
— “Road Chip” by Tyler Dixon
— “Fashionista Daddy” by Mark Freiburger
— “Express Checkout” by Sasha Shemirani
— “Fetch” by Joe Taranto
Commenting on his involvement in the competition, Bay said, “Similar to the opportunity Crash the Super Bowl provides to aspiring filmmakers, I also got my first big break creating ads. I am truly impressed with all five of these Doritos spots and excited to work with one of the creators as they make a name for themselves in Hollywood.”
Making the finalist list means each of the five won $25,000 and a trip to New Orleans with seats in a Super Box XLVII private luxury suite. In addition, bonus prizes will be given based on how the commercials rank:
— $1 million will be awarded for an ad that scores the No. 1 spot on the
USA TODAY Ad Meter
— $600,000 will be awarded for an ad that scores the No. 2 spot on the USA
TODAY Ad Meter
— $400,000 will be awarded for an ad that scores the No. 3 spot on the USA
TODAY Ad Meter
First of all, you should know I’m writing this before I see The Impossible. Why am I doing so? For a couple of reasons, actually. One, I think it’s fun to see just how good I can be at predicting the course and outcome of a movie based solely on the trailer. More importantly, when it comes to this trailer, it’s so laden with SPOILERS that I wondered if there even was a point to watching the full-length feature.
So here’s what I have to say about the movie based on its 2-minute, 32-second trailer:
The film is based on a true story about a lovely-looking family happily on vacation in Southeast Asia in 2004. The huge tsunami that devastated the region that year hits and they’re washed away and separated, the two little boys with Dad (Ewan McGregor) and the oldest boy with Mom (Naomi Watts). We’re told 45 seconds into the trailer, “This is one family’s true story of survival.” At this point, we already know how it ends and of course, they’ve cued a stripped-down version of U2’s “One” to start tugging at the heartstrings.
Then we find out that Dad is going to spend the movie searching for Mom and the other son, who were helped to a shelter by caring locals in the back of their truck. She’s in bad shape but tells the boy to spend their time there helping others, which he goes and does – even helping one man find his family who are strewn about the shelter somewhere. Dad is closing in, tearfully telling over the phone what is probably his wife’s family that he will find her. We then end the trailer with some shots of the two main characters reunited.
So what have we learned? Well, if you were worried this would be a downer and one of the white people who make up the main characters would die in the Asian tsunami, your worries can stop now. I mean, what’s the point of watching a fictional movie about such grave and tragic material when you’ve already eliminated the ultimate consequences?
Judging from the trailer, Ewan and Naomi deliver excellent, heart-wrenching performances and share a lovely chemistry. Their kids are precocious and exhibit the kind of resiliency and strength of character that one only wishes they could instill in their own offspring. The production quality is excellent, and the tsunami sequence will be hard for some people to watch due to its authenticity and the knowledge of its impact.
Now that I’ve seen the whole thing, I’m both happy and sad to say that I was completely right. The movie is good but if you can glean everything important that happens in a 114-minute feature in the 2 ½ minute trailer, why is anyone wasting two hours of their life and spending $38 dollars to do so? I don’t mean to be quite so rude to what is otherwise a decent film, but in being so careful not to dissuade the ever-growing population of moviegoers who don’t appreciate the notion of a movie taking them by surprise, it’s lessening the impact this can have on those of us who are looking for a heartfelt story with the possibility of poignancy and loss.
For those out there who find this kind of predictable human-interest tale up your alley but only want to see it because the ending will be happy and safe, go ahead and see it. Enjoy getting what you think you’re going to get. If you’re like me and don’t see the point in having your predictions proven right only to lose two hours better spent retooling your fantasy football team or building Lego, then skip this and do something more useful with your time.
GRADE: B-
The Impossible hits theaters on December 21, 2012 and is rated PG-13 for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity.
“The essence of Silver Linings is heartbreak and comedy – much like life,” says Bradley Cooper in this new one minute featurette for the critically acclaimed comedy/drama. Silver Linings Playbook‘s writer/director David O. Russell and stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have been earning high praise as well as award nominations for their work in the film, and this new video from The Weinstein Commpany points out a few of the honors they’ve earned.
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Direct TV’s first original series has a trailer to show off. Rogue, starring Thandie Newton, Marton Csokas, Joshua Sasse and Leah Gibson, premieres on April 3, 2013. The cast of the 10-episode 1-hour series also includes Ian Tracey, Ian Hart, Kavan Smith, Matthew Beard, Claudi Ferri, Jarod Joseph, and Martin Donovan.
The Plot:
What would you do if you came face-to-face with your child’s killer?
Grace Travis is a wife, mother of two, and the bay area’s best undercover detective. She’s adept at transitioning between suburban life and the Oakland docks where she’s been embedded for months with a criminal enterprise run by James “Jimmy” Laszlo and his sons, Max and Alec. Grace is abruptly pulled out of the field when her son, Sam, is killed in a drive-by shooting. Her life is shattered.
Four months later…
The investigation into Sam’s death has gone cold. Grace, guilt-ridden and unable to accept the loss, has begun to search for answers. With the help of her mentor, Mitch, a link is uncovered between Sam’s death and Jimmy Laszlo’s organization. Unable to convince her superiors that she is fit for duty, Grace goes ROGUE slipping back undercover as “Jackie Hays” in Laszlo’s gang. When Laszlo discovers Grace’s true identity, thru his mole in the police department, they make an unholy alliance.
Someone close to Laszlo has been working against him. He’s willing to spare Grace’s life, and help her find Sam’s killer, if she helps him uncover the traitor in his organization. It’s a deal she can’t refuse.
The auction is now underway for red carpet bleacher seats at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards to be held January 27, 2013. The auction, which benefits the SAG Foundation’s Children’s Literacy and Emergency Assistance programs, ends on January 13 at 6pm PT, with TV and movie fans bidding on 135 bleacher seats that line the red carpet.
Winning bidders will get the chance to take photos of their favorite stars – and maybe even get an autograph or two. According to SAG, the “Special VIP positioning includes four front-row seats across from the People.com platform, four across from the E! platform and four across from the wall of photographers.”
To bid or for more information, visit sagawards.org/auction.
The SAG Foundation helps support BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), reading to over 60,000 children monthly in classrooms and hospitals nationwide, and Story Online, reaching an average of 750,000 global views each month. This year’s auction will also support the Foundation’s Catastrophic Health Fund and Emergency Assistance, including the Superstorm Sandy Relief Fund.
Source: SAG
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Love the choice of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as hosts of this year’s Golden Globes, but let’s hope the show is funnier than this promotional clip. The two funny ladies joke about being out of touch with pop culture as they practice giving Daniel Day-Lewis the Golden Globe for his work in Avatar.
The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards will take place on January 13, 2013.
Watch the clip:
View the complete list of nominees: 2013 Golden Globes
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