Will you think less of me if I admit I’ve watched the trailer twice and still have no idea what Cabin in the Woods is about? I know Chris Hemsworth and some pretty girls take off for a camping trip in a really nice motorhome when something horrible happens…and maybe that’s all we honestly need to know.
Watch the trailer:
—Posted by Rebecca Murray, December 6, 2011
True Blood, Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire are returning to the lineup and HBO Latin America also plans on offering up Harry Potter & the Deadly Hollows Parts 1 and 2, Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides and Cars 2.
“HBO thrives on providing subscribers with the best content on paid TV. Throughout the years, we have continued to invest in top of the line productions that exceed in creativity, talent and technology. These, along with our offer of the most competitive cable packages available, have been key for our leadership,” stated Emilio Rubio, President of HBO Latin America Group, in the official press release.
From the press release:
Series and Miniseries:
After an intense fourth season, True Blood returns sexier and more captivating than ever, with fantastic plot twists featuring fairies, vampires, witches and werewolves. Similarly, highly acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire, created by Emmy® winning screenwriter Terence Winter of The Sopranos and produced by Academy Award® and Emmy® winning director Martin Scorsese, will also return for a third season. The new season follows politician/gangster Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi) in the fascinating, and occasionally dangerous, Atlantic City of the 1920’s.
Returning to HBO’s lineup is also the Emmy® award-winning fantasy series, Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s novel, A Clash of Kings. In this new season, the epic-drama incorporates scintillating new characters and adventures.
Among the year’s series premieres is Luck, starring Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner Dustin Hoffman in his first appearance on TV, alongside Golden Globe® winner Nick Nolte and produced by Academy Award® nominated director Michael Mann, who also directs the pilot episode. Luck features a stellar team of actors, writers and producers and portrays the enticing world of horse racing.
Other series premiers include Veep, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a comedy series that centers on former Senator Selina Meyer, who becomes Vice President only to discover that the job is nothing like she expected and everything everyone warned her about. Another new HBO series is Girls, a refreshing comedy following the lives of three New York girlfriends in their twenties.
How to Make it in America III, Curb Your Enthusiasm IX, Bored to Death IV, Treme III, Enlightened II and Hung IV return to television screens throughout the Caribbean with brand new seasons.
Other HBO productions premiering in 2012 include Hemingway & Gellhorn, a film starring Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe® winner Clive Owen and Academy Award® and three-time Golden Globe® winner Nicole Kidman, which recounts the romance and marriage of literary master Ernest Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. Game Change, staring Academy Award® nominees Julianne Moore, as Sarah Palin – one of the most talked-about politicians of recent times – and Woody Harrelson, together with Golden Globe® winner Ed Harris. Game Change will give viewers an inside peak into the United States’ tumultuous 2008 elections.
Also airing for the first time will be two HBO Documentaries: The Weight of the Nation, a project co-created in partnership with The Institute of Medicine, the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which addresses teen obesity and its devastating effects on our youth; and George Harrison: Living in the Material World, a production directed by Academy Award® and Emmy® Award winner Martin Scorsese. The latter documentary features never-before-seen footage and interviews from music industry hard-hitters such as Eric Clapton, Eric Idle, George Martin, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty and Ringo Starr.
Movies:
For next year, HBO Latin America continues to have exclusive rights to the biggest blockbusters from major movie studios. From Warner Bros. Entertainment, HBO premieres Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, joined by figures such as Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter and produced and directed by David Heyman, David Barron, J.K. Rowling and David Yates.
Also premiering in 2012 are Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cars 2, Horrible Bosses, Due Date and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Other hits include Friends with Benefits, Colombiana, Moneyball, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Hangover 2, Green Lantern and Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Other series:
HBO Latin America will also bring back Don Draper with the much-awaited fifth season of Mad Men, the multiple Golden Globe® and Primetime Emmy® award-winning series, which, as always, promises to be full of twist and turns that will once again engage its viewers. Also, the series premiere of House of Lies that explores the life, ambitions and twisted dreams of a self-loathing management consultant from a top-tier firm, stars Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell. The Big C returns for its second season staring the brilliant Laura Linney, who will come back, stronger than ever, fighting her Stage 4 Melanoma with her unconditionally supportive husband, played by Oliver Platt, by her side.
Source: HBO Latin America – December 5, 2011
HIP-O Records/UMe have revealed the release date for Ringo Starr’s 17th solo album, Ringo 2012. The simply titled album will drop on January 31, 2012 in the United States (one day earlier internationally) and feature nine songs Ringo recorded in LA.
Also contributing to the album are musicians Michael Bradford, Ann Marie Calhoun, Matt Cartsonis, Steve Dudas, Charlie Haden, Amy Keys, Kelly Moneymaker, Richard Page, Van Dyke parks, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, Bruce Sugar, Benmont Tench, Joe Walsh, Don Was, and Edgar Winter.
1. Slow Down (Richard Starkey/Joe Walsh)
2. In Liverpool (Richard Starkey/Dave Stewart)
3. Wonderful (Richard Starkey/Gary Nicholson)
4. Step Lightly (Richard Starkey)
5. Rock Island Line (Arrangement by Richard Starkey)
6. Samba (Richard Starkey/Van Dyke Parks)
7. Think It Over (Buddy Holly/Norman Perry)
8. Wings (Richard Starkey/Vince Poncia)
9. Anthem (Richard Starkey/Glen Ballard)
Honestly, I have no idea who the Duncans are, but apparently, they’re expecting a baby and Disney wants you to name him or her. The premiere of Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! revealed the details, and Disney Channel viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite name (Disney’s offering a choice of five popular girl and five popular boy names). The baby will be born during the third season of the network’s hit series Good Luck Charlie.
Voting began on December 2, 2011 and continues through December 16th. Vote for your favorite name at DisneyChannel.com/BabyVote.
The possible names are:
For a Boy – Noah, Jonah, Toby, Bobby Jr. or Bo
For a Girl – Sydney, Erika, Mallory, Talia or Jenny
Stated Adam Bonnett, Senior Vice President, Original Programming, Disney Channels Worldwide: “There’s no greater excitement than the arrival of a new baby in the house, and we are eager for our viewers to share in the relatable anticipation of a baby girl or baby boy joining the Duncan family that they’ve come to know and love.”
More on Good Luck Charlie [Courtesy of the Disney Channel]:
Good Luck Charlie, a sitcom geared towards the whole family, ranks as TV’s No. 1 program on Sundays (8:00 p.m.) among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14. Overall, the series ranks No. 2 for the year among Kids 6-11 (1.9 million/7.6 rating) and No. 3 among Tweens 9-14 (1.6 million/6.6 rating).
Joy of joys in Season Three — the Duncan household prepares to expand with the impending arrival of a new baby, rubber duckies and choo-choo trains, while parents Bob and Amy juggle their jobs, and their kids, PJ, Teddy and Gabe, cope with both their teen years and their mischief-making toddler sister, Charlie.
Starring are Bridgit Mendler as Teddy Duncan, Leigh-Allyn Baker as Amy Duncan, Bradley Steven Perry as Gabe Duncan, Mia Talerico as Charlie Duncan, Eric Allan Kramer as Bob Duncan, and Jason Dolley as PJ Duncan.
Written and directed by Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil), West of Memphis was produced by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Damien Echols, and Lorri Davis. Jackson and Walsh helped get the case pushed into the spotlight in 2005 with an infusion of case that funded a new investigation.
More on West of Memphis [Courtesy of WingNut Films]:
Starting with a searing examination of the police investigation into the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old boys – Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, the film goes on to reveal hitherto unknown evidence surrounding the arrest and conviction of the other three victims of this shocking crime – Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr.; all three of whom were teenagers at the time of their arrests and all three of whom spent 18 years and 17 days in prison for crimes they did not commit.
How the documentary came in to being is in itself a key part of the story of Damien Echols’ fight to save his own life; it reveals how close he and his wife Lorri Davis, along with his legal team, friends and supporters, came to losing that battle.
As Echols has stated: “September 2008 was one of my lowest points. Judge David Burnett had refused to hear any new evidence – this included new DNA testing… as if proof of our innocence was somehow irrelevant. I thought we had come to the end of the line, that there was nowhere else to go. It was at this point that Fran and Peter suggested that maybe there was another way of fighting back… that if the evidence was not going to be allowed to be heard in a court of law, it would be heard in another forum. That was when they said to me and Lorri, ‘We should make a film’.”
West of Memphis reveals the exhaustive research that uncovered startling new findings pointing to the innocence of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley Jr. and includes new forensic evidence that points to other suspects that the West Memphis police chose to overlook. It was this new evidence as highlighted in the documentary that ultimately prompted the Arkansas Supreme Court to overturn previous denials of appeals and allowed for a new evidentiary hearing to proceed.
Faced with the very real prospect of a new trial being granted and in order to avoid potentially large compensation claims for wrongful imprisonment, the State of Arkansas struck a deal with the West Memphis Three, as Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley Jr. had come to be known, whereby the men agreed to enter an Alford plea; an unusual and rarely used legal maneuver through which the defendant is able to assert their innocence whilst accepting it is in their best interest to allow a guilty plea to be entered against them, in exchange for their freedom. The film follows these events and examines how the State Prosecutor’s declaration that the case is now closed, leaves three innocent men convicted of a crime they did not commit and a triple child murderer still at large.
Director Berg says, “This film represents the trial these men didn’t have. With the support of Damien and Lorri, along with unprecedented access to those closest to the case, we were able to make a film that shows the inner workings of the defense – the investigation, research, and appeals process, in a way that has never been shown before. This film began as a study about innocence; but I feel it goes beyond that now – it asks the question, what value do we, as a society, place on the truth?”
Says Jackson, “Seven years ago, Fran and I began this journey with Damien and Lorri, having no idea where it would lead. We now realize that journey is not over, that even though these men have been released from prison – they are not free. Our hope is that continuing evidence testing and further investigation will lead to the unmasking of the killer of these children and that one day Damien, Jason and Jessie will be exonerated.”
In addition to never before seen footage about the case and the trial, West of Memphis includes interviews with Echols, Davis, Baldwin, Misskelley Jr. and Jackson as well as interviews with friends and families of the victims, defense lawyers, state prosecutors, local law enforcement, judges, forensic experts, journalists, surprise witnesses and prominent supporters including Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins and Natalie Maines.
Original music for the film has been written by acclaimed songwriters and composers Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
The film has been Executive Produced by Ken Kamins who will be leading discussions with potential distributors.
Source: WingNut Films – December 4, 2011
Grammy winners Evanescence will be performing on December 11, 2011 at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Norway, one day after the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize honorees include President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, women’s right activist Leymah Gbowee, and democracy activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen. Also set to perform at the prestigious event are David Gray, vocalist Jill Scott, Sugarland, and Glee‘s Matthew Morrison.
130 countries will broadcast the concert which will also be streamed live on CNN International.
In addition to performing at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, Evanescence has announced seven dates off of their North American tour with Rival Sons. Tickets will go on sale on December 7, 2011. For more info, visit the band’s official site www.evanescence.com.
TOUR DATES:
DATE CITY VENUE ON SALE
January 13 Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC Dec. 9
January 14 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA Dec. 9
January 16 Morsani Hall Tampa, FL Dec. 9
January 17 Hard Rock Live Hollywood, FL Dec. 10
January 18 House of Blues Orlando, FL Dec. 10
January 20 IP Casino Biloxi, MS Nov. 18
January 21 Verizon Arena Little Rock, AR Dec. 16
More on Evanescence:
Evanescence is fronted by one of rock’s most recognizable female voices, Amy Lee. Going into the release of their third studio album, the band has sold more than 23-million records world-wide and have amassed multiple music awards including 2 Grammys. Their 2003 debut studio album, Fallen, sold 17 million copies world wide and produced the global hit “Bring Me To Life,” which reached #5 on the American Billboard charts. The album earned the band two Grammy Awards in 2004 for Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance. The band’s follow up was 2006’s The Open Door, which sold more than 6 million copies worldwide and spawned the hit “Call Me When You’re Sober.” Evanescence is Amy Lee (vocals, piano), Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass) and Will Hunt (drums).
The rumors have been confirmed. The NFL has officially announced Madonna will perform during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show on Sunday, February 5, 2012. Bob Costas made the announcement during the halftime of the Sunday, December 4, 2011 Detroit vs New Orleans game (side note: thank you Darren Sproles for helping me win my fantasy football game).
According to the NFL and NBC, Madonna’s performance will be “imagined” by Cirque Du Soleil and Jamie King.
Last year’s Super Bowl was watched by 162 million U.S. viewers.
More on Madonna [Courtesy of the NFL and NBC]:
A world-class entertainer, singer, songwriter, producer, director, and video visionary, Madonna has sold more than 300 million records in the course of her three-decade career as The Material Girl. She is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Her last tour was the most successful tour by a solo artist in history. Madonna is currently in the recording studio working on a new album scheduled to be released next year.
Her new film W.E., which she directed, wrote and produced, is opening in a limited one-week release Dec. 9 in Los Angeles and will open nationally on Feb. 3, two days prior to Super Bowl XLVI.
Watch the trailer with an introduction by Liam Neeson and his co-star Frank Grillo:
The 14th Moët British Independent Film Awards were held on December 4, 2011 with Bridesmaids scene-stealer/comedian Chris O’Dowd as host and Tyrannosaur as the evening’s big winner. The directorial debut of actor Paddy Considine picked up the Best British Independent Film, Best Actress (Olivia Colman), and the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director. We Need to Talk About Kevin‘s helmer Lynne Ramsay earned the Best Director award while Michael Fassbender (who will likely be adding a lot more trophies to his collection as the awards season heats up) was named Best Actor for his performance in Shame.
Coriolanus‘ Vanessa Redgrave won Best Supporting Actress and Michael Smiley won Best Supporting Actor for Kill List. In addition, Coriolanus director Ralph Fiennes was the recipient of the Richard Harris Award for “outstanding contribution by an actor to British film.”
Stated the joint directors of the Moët British Independent Film Awards Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson: “What a fantastic year for British film! This year’s nominees embodied a diverse range of genres and those walking away with awards tonight are representative of the high quality of outstanding talent we have in this country. Congratulations to them all.”
Source: BIFA – December 4, 2011
Grammy winner Jason Mraz will be helping out charities with the formation of his Jason Mraz Foundation, which kicked off with a sold out benefit concert on December 3, 2011 at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California. The Jason Mraz Foundation will, according to the official press release, focus on “human equality, environment preservation, arts and education, and recovery and assistance.”
The organizations that will be benefiting from Mraz’ philanthropic efforts include Free The Slaves (www.freetheslaves.net), dedicated to eradicating child slavery around the world; True Colors Fund (www.truecolorsfund.org), which promotes the advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality; Surfrider Foundation (www.surfrider.org), dedicated to protecting our world’s oceans, beaches, and waves; the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (www.nrdc.org), which works to protect wildlife and wild places and to ensure a healthy environment for all life on earth; youth organizations VH1 Save The Music Foundation (www.vh1savethemusic.com) and Free the Children (www.freethechildren.com); the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC) (www.sparconline.org); and the health/rehabilitation charities MusiCares® (www.musicares.org) and Life Rolls On (www.liferollson.org), dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizes action sports as a platform to inspire infinite possibilities despite paralysis.
Mraz and percussionist Noel “Toca” River, who also performed at the December 3rd benefit, will wrap up their 2011 tour on December 19th with another benefit performance at Richmond, Virginia’s Carpenter Theater. Proceeds from the sold-out concert will go to one of the Jason Mraz Foundation’s beneficiaries: the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC).
For more information on the Jason Mraz Foundation, visit JasonMraz.com.
More on Jason Mraz [Courtesy of Atlantic Records]:
Hailed as one of the modern era’s most gifted pop troubadours, Mraz has shared stages with Rivera for more than a decade. The two musicians first met back in 2000, when Mraz was just making his mark on the San Diego coffee house scene. Enthralled by the young songwriter’s free-flowing lyrical mastery, Rivera invited Mraz to join the eponymous trio he fronted alongside his brother Carlos.
The group hit the road, traveling California’s highways and byways together in a beat-up Winnebago, inspiring Mraz’s classic song, “Dream Life of Rand McNally.” When Carlos decided to take time off, Jason and Toca continued to collaborate as a duo, earning acclaim and passionate audience responses wherever they performed. Mraz’s guitar and vocals match beautifully with Rivera’s intuitive djembe playing, and the two maintain a long friendship and collaborative relationship, recording and touring together to this day.
Mraz has taken his musical journey from coffee houses to stadiums globally and now has two GRAMMY® Awards and six nominations to his credit. His latest album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. proved a global blockbuster, earning platinum and multi-platinum certifications in 17 countries around the world. The Mraz-penned “I’m Yours” was ASCAP’s 2010 “Song of the Year” and also holds the record for being the longest-running song in the history of the Billboard “Hot 100” chart.
A prolific songwriter, Mraz has been feted with a number of honors, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s esteemed “Hal David Starlight Award,” presented to gifted songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.
