The new HBO boxing series, On Freddie Roach, is set to premiere on Friday, January 20, 2012. HBO just confirmed the premiere date along with details on the first two episodes of the six-episode series which is executive produced by Peter Berg (the upcoming sci-fi action film Battleship), Jim Lampley, Sarah Aubrey, and Michael Price.
The Story:
The unscripted show focuses on Freddie Roach, who owns and operates the famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, where he has produced a host of world champions. This intensely personal look at the world-famous boxing trainer chronicles his life and career against the backdrop of Parkinson’s disease, an ailment very likely linked to his own boxing past.
A native of Dedham, Mass., Freddie Roach has an extensive amateur boxing background. He fought as a professional under the tutelage of legendary Hall of Fame trainer Eddie Futch, ending his professional boxing career in 1987 with a record of 41 wins and 13 losses. Upon retiring, Roach became Futch’s apprentice.
In 1992, Mickey Rourke financed Roach’s first gym, the Outlaw Boxing Club. He has gone on to train more than 20 world champions, including Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, Oscar de la Hoya and Mike Tyson. Roach has been honored five times as Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America and has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. On Dec. 6, 2011, he was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced a unique partnership with Roach in an effort to ensure that America’s top amateur fighters have access to the finest training in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. This partnership will create a program allowing up to ten Olympic hopefuls to train at the Wild Card Gym, which has become synonymous with world-class performance.
On Freddie Roach January 2012 Episode Guide:
Episode #1: “Body Blow”
Debut: FRIDAY, JAN. 20 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Jan. 21 (10:30 a.m., midnight), 22 (10:00 a.m.), 23 (7:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 25 (6:00 p.m.) and 26 (10:45 a.m., 9:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 22 (11:50 p.m.) and 24 (9:30 p.m.)
Introduction to the life of Freddie Roach, boxing trainer and Parkinson’s patient.
Episode #2: “The Wild Card”
Debut: FRIDAY, JAN. 27 (9:30-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Jan 28 (11:30 a.m., 12:30 a.m.), 29 (11:30 a.m.) and 30 (7:30 p.m., 11:50 p.m.), and Feb. 1 (7:30 p.m.) and 2 (9:30 a.m., 8:30 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Jan. 29 (11:00 p.m.) and 31 (9:30 p.m.)
A routine day at the Wild Card Gym is suddenly thrown into chaos.
In this video courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures, Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock discusses her reaction to the Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close script and preparing to play a woman who loses her husband in the 9/11 attacks. Bullock also chats about working with big screen newcomer Thomas Horn, how they worked on their characters’ relationship, and how the film affected her as a mom.
Watch the video:
The Plot:
Based on the acclaimed novel of the same name, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close tells the story of one young boy’s journey from heartbreaking loss to self-discovery, set against the backdrop of the tragic events of September 11. Eleven-year-old Oskar Schell is an exceptional child: amateur inventor, Francophile, pacifist. And after finding a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11, he embarks on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. As Oskar roams the city, he encounters a variety of individuals, all survivors in their own way. Ultimately, Oskar’s journey ends where it began, but with the solace of that most human experience: community.
IGN and Machina have two new clips to show off from 20th Century Fox’s upcoming thriller, Chronicle. Set to hit theaters on February 3, 2012, Chronicle isn’t your ordinary superhero movie…
The Plot:
Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over.
Watching a horror movie audience watch a horror movie is almost as good as watching a good horror movie. Whoa, that sentence even gave me headache. Anyway, Paramount’s just released a video clip of a preview audience taking in an advance screening of The Devil Inside.
All American Rejects (Photo Courtesy of Interscope Records)
The All-American Rejects will be releasing their first single since 2009’s number 1 most-played Top 40 song “Gives You Hell” on January 24, 2012. “Beekeeper’s Daughter” was written by Tyson Ritter and guitarist Nick Wheeler and, according to DGC/Interscope’s press release, “captures a tumultuous time while Ritter was living in Los Angeles after wrapping two years of touring behind the band’s 2008 album When The World Comes Down.”
“‘Beekeeper’s Daughter’ is a story about a guy who thinks he can get away with anything and always have a girl there waiting for him,” said Ritter. “He never backs down from that opinion. At the end of it, he’s even stronger and more snide and thinks he’s invincible no matter what. He’s an asshole, but at that point in my life, I was kind of an asshole. As we were making Kids In The Street, I went from that to being a completely humbled guy who’s looking at his reflection saying, ‘Wow, what have I done?’ It may make me not seem very likeable, but it was important that I be truthful and really open up on this album about what I’ve been through.”
Kids In The Street was produced by Greg Wells, a Grammy nominee who’s worked with Adele, Katy Perry, and OneRepublic.
“Greg was the first producer we’ve worked with who really spoke my language, which translated into the sound of the album,” Ritter explained. “If you really want to know what Kids In The Street sounds like, it sounds like The All-American Rejects finally got their shit together and wrote a record that was going to keep them around.”
More on The All-American Rejects [Courtesy of Interscope Records]:
Since forming in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999, The All-American Rejects have released three studio albums: their platinum self-titled debut, featuring the breakthrough hit “Swing Swing,” followed by 2005’s double-platinum Move Along, which spawned the Top 10 hits “It Ends Tonight,” “Dirty Little Secret,” and “Move Along,” as well as the gold-certified When The World Comes Down, featuring the 4-million seller “Gives You Hell,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Top 40 charts, and more than 13 weeks in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The All-American Rejects, which also includes rhythm guitarist Mike Kennerty and drummer Chris Gaylor, have sold more than 4 million albums and 16 million singles worldwide. More information about Kids In The Street will be announced in the coming months. Until then, stay tuned to allamericanrejects.com.
(Pictured: Edward Zwick)
The Writers Guild of America, West has named Writers Guild Award-winning writing-producing-directing partners Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick (thirtysomething) the winners of the 2012 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television (a lifetime achievement in outstanding television writing).
WGAW President Christopher Keyser explained why Zwick and Herskovitz were chosen for the honor: “Beginning in the 1980’s, Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz were among a small group of writers who revolutionized the television drama. So much of what is on television today is a direct or indirect descendant of their seminal work, thirtysomething. So many writers of this generation were drawn to television because of what Marshall and Ed told us, in that show and then in show after show, it was possible to do – to write stories about real people, with honest and compelling emotional stakes, about what it feels like to be alive. All of us who have come after owe them a great debt of gratitude. We stand on the shoulders of giants.”
Zwick and Herskovitz will pick up their award at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards to be held on Sunday, February 19, 2012 at the historic Hollywood Palladium.
More on Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz [Courtesy of WGA]:
Under the long-running banner of their Bedford Falls Company, creative partners Herskovitz and Zwick have carved out a career as one of the most prolific duos in Hollywood, working together for three decades in both television and film as rare triple threats: often writing, directing, and producing the projects they create.
Bringing their signature stamp of edgy, articulate drama to the small screen, their shared television credits include co-creating, executive producing, and directing such acclaimed TV series such as thirtysomething, Once and Again, and My So-Called Life, and Quarterlife – one of the first original web series – as well as penning and executive producing acclaimed telefilms such as Extreme Close-Up (teleplay by Marshall Herskovitz, story by Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick), nominated for a Humanitas Prize, and the Zwick-directed Special Bulletin (teleplay by Marshall Herskovitz, story by Edward Zwick), the story of a reporter and his cameraman held hostage by terrorists, for which the pair received the Humanitas Prize in 1983.
Nine-time Emmy Award nominees as writers, producers, and directors, Herskovitz and Zwick have received four Emmy Awards, two for their work on thirtysomething (1988, Outstanding Drama Series, shared with Paul Haggis and Scott Winant; Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, Herskovitz shared with co-writer Paul Haggis for the episode, “Business As Usual”), as well as two Emmys for the TV movie Special Bulletin (1983, Outstanding Drama Special, shared with Don Ohlmeyer; and Outstanding Writing in a Limited Series or Special).
Three-time WGA nominees, they have received a pair of Writers Guild Awards: one for the pilot of thirtysomething (1989, Episodic Drama, tied that year with another thirtysomething episode, “Therapy,” written by Susan Shilliday) and another for their work on Special Bulletin (1984, Original Drama Anthology), for which Zwick also shared a DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials. For his work on thirtysomething, Herskovitz also received consecutive DGA Awards 1988 and 1989 for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series. The pair received their second Humanitas Prize in 2001 for the TV family drama Once and Again, for their co-written episode, “Food for Thought.” In 2006, Herskovitz and Zwick received AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Award in recognition of artistic achievement.
On the big screen, Herskovitz and Zwick’s co-screenwriting credits include the recent romantic comedy Love and Other Drugs (screenplay by Charles Randolph and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz, based on the book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman by Jamie Reidy), which the pair co-produced while Zwick directed, and the epic action film The Last Samurai (screenplay by John Logan and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz, story by John Logan), which the pair co-produced while Zwick directed, sharing a PGA nomination for Motion Picture Producer of the Year with Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner.
Zwick’s additional writing/directing credits include the WWII drama Defiance (screenplay by Clayton Frohman & Edward Zwick, based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec), the story of Jewish brothers combating Nazi forces in occupied Poland in order to protect hundreds of Jewish refugees (which Zwick directed and produced, with Herskovitz serving as executive producer), as well as the hi-octane thriller The Siege (screenplay by Lawrence Wright and Menno Meyjes & Edward Zwick, story by Lawrence Wright), which Zwick also directed and produced.
Zwick’s other directorial screen credits include such acclaimed films as Blood Diamond, co-produced with Herskovitz, Courage Under Fire, Legends of the Fall, co-produced with Herskovitz, for which he received a 1995 Golden Globe nomination for Best Director – Motion Picture, Leaving Normal, the Civil War drama Glory, focusing on the Northern Army’s first black regiment (for which he received a 1990 Golden Globe nomination for Best Director – Motion Picture), and his directorial screen debut, the romantic comedy About Last Night.
The pair’s other producing credits include the films I Am Sam, for which they shared the PGA’s 2002 Stanley Kramer Award with producers Jessie Nelson and Richard Solomon, Traffic, for which they shared an 2001 Oscar nomination for Best Picture with producer Laura Bickford, and Shakespeare in Love, for which they shared a 1999 Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as a BAFTA Award for Best Film, with producers David Parfitt, Donna Gigliotti, Harvey Weinstein, and Marc Norman.
Born in Chicago in 1952 and a WGAW member since 1977, Zwick received an A.B. from Harvard University in 1974, and graduated with an M.F.A. from the American Film Institute in 1975. While still in college, he landed a writing gig as a journalist for Rolling Stone and soon after found work in television as a writer and producer on critically-acclaimed ABC-TV show, Family. He got his start directing such early ’80s TV movies as Paper Dolls and Having It All.
Also born in 1952 and a WGAW member since 1977, early in his career Herskovitz wrote for such hit TV shows as The White Shadow, CHiPs, and Family, as well as the series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. In addition to helming multiple episodes of thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Once and Again, and Family, Herskovitz also directed the feature films Dangerous Beauty and Jack the Bear.
Named after one of the most influential writers in entertainment history, the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television is the WGAW’s highest award for television writing, given to writers who have advanced the literature of television throughout the years and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the television writer. Past Television Laurel Award recipients include Steven Bochco, Susan Harris, Stephen J. Cannell, David Chase, Larry David, and, most recently, Diane English.
Source: Writers Guild of America, West – January 4, 2012
Which singer hits "The Boardroom" to help children? (PRNewsFoto/Children International)
Donald Trump announced today the celebrities set to appear on Celebrity Apprentice Season 5, and now singer/songwriter/Celebrity Apprentice participant Debbie Gibson has revealed the charity she’ll be playing on behalf of. Gibson’s designated charity is Children International, and she’s hoping through her Celebrity Apprentice participation to help 5,000 poor children in India with medical and dental care and educational support.
Children International president and CEO Jim Cook stated, “Children International is fortunate to have such a dedicated supporter as Debbie Gibson. She has proven she is an ardent advocate for children living in the most extreme poverty.”
Gibson has been working with the U.S.-based humanitarian organization since 1991. Per the charity’s press release, Gibson currently is helping support “7-year-old Helen, her mother and five siblings living in a cemetery in Manila, Philippines. Helen and her family guard a cemetery crypt, and live on less than $11 a month. With Gibson’s help, Helen and her siblings now receive medical and dental care and attend school.”
More on Celebrity Apprentice:
Celebrity Apprentice is a reality television show where celebrities compete in weekly challenges and donate any winnings to their personal charities. Every week, the celebrity contestants will work in two teams, each under the guidance of a designated project manager, to compete in business-driven tasks around New York City, using their fame, along with their proven business acumen, to win challenges.
Contestants are subjected to long hours, grueling deadlines, intellectual challenges, personality clashes, and intense scrutiny under the careful watch of Donald Trump and his advisors. The last person standing will be chosen as the Celebrity Apprentice and have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to their designated charity.
About Children International:
Established in 1936, Children International is an award-winning humanitarian organization with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. The organization has been recognized by the Philippine and Colombian governments for its humanitarian and disaster relief work. Children International’s programs help more than 340,000 children and their families in 11 countries around the world including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Zambia, Honduras, India, the Philippines and the United States. For more information about Children International or to sponsor a child, visit www.children.org. Follow Children International on Facebook and Twitter.
Crunch Calhoun (Kurt Russell), a third rate motorcycle daredevil and semi-reformed art thief, agrees to get back into the con game and pull off just one more lucrative art theft with his untrustworthy brother Nicky (Matt Dillon). Crunch reassembles the old team and comes up with a plan to steal a priceless historical book, but the successful heist leads to another, far riskier, plan devised by Nicky. What the brothers don’t realize is they each have their own agenda and their plan goes awry in this con movie about brotherhood, honor and revenge.
Michael Fassbender had a terrific 2011, with starring roles in four vastly different films serving to prove just how talented he is and just how capable he is at handling any role. Fassbender completely disappears into his characters, whether it’s playing an angry mutant in X-Men: First Class or a sex addict in Shame, Fassbender totally embraces any and all genres and character types.
In this new featurette from Shame, Fox Searchlight showcases Fassbender’s work while the actor talks about his character, Brandon, from this NC-17 adult drama.
Carey Mulligan and Michael Fassbender in ‘Shame’ – Fox Searchlight
The Plot:
Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment, Brandon’s world spirals out of control. From BAFTA award-winning director Steve McQueen (Hunger), Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.
How does Syfy come up with these projects? If the world is really going to end this year, the network that celebrates imagination has two projects that perfectly fit the end-of-the-world theme.
First up, Syfy is launching Collision Earth on Saturday, January 14th at 9PM (ET/PT). Collision Earth finds Mercury on a collision course with Earth after a solar flare has blasted it out of its orbit. “With global devastation quickly approaching, the secret military initiative, ‘Project 7,’ must be activated to save the world from disaster.”
Swamp Volcano erupts on Saturday, January 28 at 9PM (ET/PT) starring Rachel Hunter and Brad Dourif. In Swamp Volcano, “oil rig drillers in the Gulf of Mexico accidentally hit an underground lava flow, causing a massive volcano to form in Miami. Now a volcanologist and her sister attempt to blow the whistle on an illegal oil drilling scheme before it sets off the eruption that will destroy civilization.”
Here’s hoping neither of these scenarios ever comes true.
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