That’s a lot of seasons hunting down things that go bump in the night…
Syfy announced the return of the spooky series Ghost Hunters on January 16, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT. The show, Syfy’s longest running original reality series, will have a 16 episode ninth season featuring TAPS team members – led by Jason Hawes – using new technology to help them locate ghosts.
“Ghost Hunters has proven itself to be an enormously popular paranormal series that continues to evolve successfully with each new season,” stated Mark Stern, President Original Content, Syfy and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. “While the Ghost Hunters mission of helping those in need remains at the heart of each investigation, we’re thrilled by the increased scope of the cases being undertaken and the series’ revitalized style and energy, all of which contribute to making Ghost Hunters an even more vibrant, visually stimulating and exciting experience going into its ninth season.”
Ghost Hunters season 8 has been averaging 2.2 million viewers. The current season will conclude with a visit to the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut on December 5th.
Source: Syfy
Ghost Hunters Returns for Season 9
Oz The Great and Powerful New Trailer
“Are you the great man we’ve been waiting for?” “I think I could be,” answers Oscar Diggs (played by James Franco) in Walt Disney Pictures’ Oz The Great and Powerful. Set before The Wizard of Oz, this fantasy adventure delves into the past of the Wizard of Oz. Directed by Sam Raimi, Oz The Great and Powerful stars Franco, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, and Mila Kunis.
The Plot:
When Oscar Diggs, 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 (Kunis), Evanora (Weisz) and Glinda (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 and powerful wizard but into a better man as well.
Watch the trailer:
Oz The Great and Powerful comes to theaters on March 8, 2013.
Callan McAuliffe Nabs a Breakthrough Award
17-year-old Australian actor Callan McAuliffe is now the youngest winner ever of the GQ Magazine Men of the Year Breakthrough Award. McAuliffe was presented with the award in a “virtual presentation” by filmmaker Rob Reiner who directed McAuliffe in Flipped.
McAuliffe’s other credits include the sci-fi action film I Am Number Four starring Alex Pettyfer and Diana Agron and the upcoming 3-D take on the classic story, The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann. McAuliffe plays the young Jay Gatsby to Leonardo DiCaprio’s adult Jay.
He also recently completed work on Aron Gaudet’s coming of age film Blue Potato as well as Underground, a dramatic movie based on the life of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and starring Anthony La Paglia and Rachel Griffiths.
McAuliffe was just cast in Amy Redford’s The House That Jack Built based on a true story.
Blake Shelton Hosts His First Christmas Special
Blake Shelton’s ready to help fans ring in the holidays with his very first Christmas special airing on NBC on December 3, 2012 at 10pm. The Blake Shelton’s Not So Family Christmas special will feature Shelton’s close buddies Kelly Clarkson and Reba as well as one of Country’s favorite singers, Miranda Lambert, who just happens to be Blake’s wife.
Among the holiday tunes the Country stars will be performing are “Let It Snow,” “There’s a New Kid in Town,” “Oklahoma Christmas” and “Home.” The special will also include a duet with Blake’s mom, Dorothy Shackleford, who will be performing a song they wrote together: “Time for Me to Come Home.”
In addition, special guests Christina Aguilera, Larry the Cable Guy and Jay Leno will be featured in comedy skits.
“I love Christmas music,” stated Shelton, discussing his upcoming holiday special. “I listen to it year-round. I had always wanted to do a Christmas album so getting to do Cheers, It’s Christmas was exciting for me, and then to have NBC let me do a special around the CD, well, I still can’t believe it. I am so proud of the performances on the show, the skits are hilarious and the icing on the cake was having the opportunity to perform with my mom, a song we co-wrote together. Christmas has always been about family to me so having my mom and Miranda there — that made it Christmas.”
Shelton recently won the Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year awards at the CMAs. His latest album, Red River Blue, entered Soundscan’s Top Current Albums chart at #1 and his “Honey Bee” is the record-holder for the “fastest-selling digital platinum single for a male country solo artist.” Shelton has 11 #1 hits to date and none of his singles have peaked outside of the Top 10 since 2007.
Liza Minnelli to Guest Star on ‘Smash’
Liza Minnelli will guest star as herself in an episode of Smash titled “The Surprise Party.” Minnelli’s episode will air in spring 2013 and will find the Oscar-winner singing an original song with series star Christian Borle. The show’s composer and lyricists Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman wrote the number.
Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment made the announcement, stating: “Liza Minnelli is the essence of a multi-talented, singular show business sensation, particularly for her extraordinary contributions to Broadway. So what could be more fitting than to have her legendary talent on a show that celebrates a world Liza has dazzled for decades? I had the pleasure of working with Liza when we restored her landmark television special Liza With a Z at Showtime, and to see her artistry up close and personal is a thing to behold.”
Smash returns for season two on February 5, 2013 at 9pm and then moves to its normal 10pm time slot on February 12th. Other guest stars set for the second season include Jennifer Hudson, Jesse L. Martin and Sean Hayes.
The Plot: Smash is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire – to be a Broadway star. The series stars Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, Jack Davenport, Tony Award winner Christian Borle, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan, Andy Mientus, Leslie Odom Jr. and Krysta Rodriguez.
Filming is Underway on ‘Unidentified’
Jason R. Miller’s directorial debut, Unidentified, is currently in production and Dark Sky Films has announced they’ve come on board to produce and distribute the sci-fi thriller. Miller wrote the script for the film, which stars Parry Shen, Colton Dunn, Eddie Mui, and Eric Artell. Miller, Shen, and Mui are also producing Unidentified.
Commenting on Dark Sky’s involvement, Jason R. Miller said, “I am grateful and thrilled to be partnered with Dark Sky and MPI. Together, they have been responsible for some of my favorite horror films.”
The Plot: The movie is an original mix of sci-fi-thriller and horror. During a wild weekend in Las Vegas, four young friends get into trouble with a loan shark and must skip town in a hurry. But gambling problems may be the least of their worries after they get stranded in the Nevada desert. One of the guys discovers a mysterious metal fragment, then promptly goes missing during the night. When the remaining three catch up with their lost friend, there’s something different about him. As his condition worsens, the others realize that something unearthly might be stalking them in the desert.
New Artist Spotlight: Kelleigh Bannen
Kelleigh Bannen never made the trek to Nashville — she was already there. Born and raised in Music City, she was singing and writing songs when she was 2 years old. Well, actually, as she notes in her self-written bio, “it was a little song with two lines that I would sing to myself inspired by the ‘word of the day’ from ‘Sesame Street.’”
Safe to say, at least, that her ears were wide open at an early age, taking in music beyond the Country playlist and kiddie show themes to include Frank Sinatra, Patty Griffin and other eclectic performers. However, Country proved to be her true calling, so after graduating from college in Virginia, she hastened back home to develop her writing and discover her own sound as a singer.
That sound shines on her upcoming debut album, produced by Paul Worley and Jerry Smith and set to release on EMI Records Nashville. Written by Bannen and Troy Johnson, its first single, “Sorry on the Rocks,” recounts a relationship melting down, like ice in an untended glass past last call. Bannen’s strong, assertive vocals underscore the clever metaphor that flows through each verse and chorus.
Similarly, the words on another Bannen/Johnson tune, “Rose Colored Glasses,” balance playfully between the prosaic poetry of getting up in the morning and more elevated appreciations of how love can add color to “the whole world covered in ashes.” The music, strutting at medium tempo over a guitar riff that might recall “American Woman,” underscores Bannen’s ability to animate a sunny tale as handily as a lost-love lament. Her confidence and her Country soul make it sound like she never left Nashville at all.
IN HER OWN WORDS
CD IN YOUR STEREO
Lee Brice’s Hard 2 Love and the Gotye record (Making Mirrors).”
SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN
“Easy — ‘The House That Built Me.’”
PET PEEVE
“Loud chewing noises at the dinner table — gross!”
MOMENT YOU WISH YOU COULD RELIVE
“The last Christmas before my little brother passed away.”
SOMETHING WE’D NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU
“I was bitten by a rattlesnake the summer before my freshman year in high school.”
* * * * * * * *
Used by Permission © 2012 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
Details on the ‘Boardwalk Empire Season Finale
Will Gyp get what’s coming to him? Will Nucky’s no-good cronies abandon him for good? Will Harrow actually find love and happiness with a woman who doesn’t care about his disfigured face? Will we find out the answers to any of these burning questions during the season three finale of Boardwalk Empire? If you want to know the very basics on the December 2nd season finale episode, read on.
Boardwalk Empire Season Three Finale:
Episode #36: “Margate Sands” (season finale)
Debut: SUNDAY, DEC. 2 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Dec. 2 (10:05 p.m., 11:10 p.m.), 4 (11:00 p.m.), 5 (10:00 p.m.), 6 (10:00 p.m.) and 8 (9:45 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Dec. 3 (9:00 p.m.), 6 (11:00 p.m.), 7 (10:00 p.m.) and 9 (3:15 p.m.)
Desperate to weaken Gyp’s (Bobby Cannavale) alliance with Masseria (Ivo Nandi) and reclaim Atlantic City, Nucky (Steve Buscemi) cedes control of one of his prized assets to Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg). Harrow (Jack Huston) returns to Gillian’s (Gretchen Mol) brothel for some unfinished business; Luciano (Vincent Piazza) is forced to take on a new heroin partner after being arrested in New York; Chalky (Michael Kenneth Williams) and Capone (Stephen Graham) put their enmity on hold while taking on Masseria’s men; Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) decides to end one relationship and considers resuming another.
Written by Terence Winter and Howard Korder; directed by Tim Van Patten.
‘She Made Them Do It’ With Jenna Dewan Tatum Debuts in December
Lifetime’s set a December 29, 2012 premiere date for the dramatic original movie She Made Them Do It starring Jenna Dewan Tatum (currently seen running for her life in an insane asylum in American Horror Story) and Mackenzie Phillips. Based on the true story of felon Sarah Pender, She Made Them Do It will air at 8pm ET/PT.
The Plot:
She Made Them Do It follows the twisted life of Sarah Pender (Dewan Tatum) a charismatic, intelligent young woman who would become one of the country’s most sought after fugitives. Purportedly on the road to a productive and successful life after being abandoned by her mother at the age of three, Sarah enrolls in college. While she was dealing drugs out of her home with her boyfriend Rick Hull as a means to pay for school, Sarah’s two roommates are tragically shot to death in what appeared to be a deal gone bad.
Although she claimed she was not home when the murders occurred, all evidence pointed to Sarah and Rick, and she was eventually found guilty of masterminding the double murder and sentenced to 110 years in prison.
A model inmate studying law in hopes of appealing her case while also helping fellow convicts with their cases, Sarah becomes increasingly desperate as her appeals continue to be denied. At the end of her wits, she uses her charm to seduce a prison guard and convince former cellmate Jamie Long (Phillips) to help her escape, leading authorities on an intense search that attracts national attention and puts her on the top of the list of America’s Most Wanted.
Daniel Day-Lewis Acceptance Speech Includes an Eastwood Moment
Odds are that Daniel Day-Lewis will be one of the busiest actors come awards season, as his performance as the United States’ 16th President in Lincoln has been generating solid awards buzz. But it’s also likely we’ll never see him deliver an acceptance speech like the one he delivered at the 2012 Britannia Awards.
Introduced by his Lincoln director Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis took to the stage to thank everyone for their support and for naming him as the recipient of this year’s Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film. And then, unexpectedly, he pulled an Eastwood, thanking President Obama – an empty chair on the stage – for showing up at the event.
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