Harrison Ford on 'Conan' - Photo Credit: Meghan Sinclair / Team Coco
Harrison Ford’s sci-fi/Western Cowboys and Aliens battled it out against The Smurfs starring Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays at the box office last weekend, and when the dust settled the alien invasion movie had pulled just barely ahead of the little blue creatures. And on Conan, Ford confessed his son actually paid money to see The Smurfs in theaters this weekend…because he’d already watched Cowboys and Aliens for free, early. O’Brien then let Ford take out his anger on a stuffed smurf.
How many big storylines can True Blood squeeze in during one season? The answer is apparently five more than necessary, judging by what was packed into the sixth episode of the 2011 season.
Episode six found Jesus and Lafayette searching for a creature to sacrifice in order to be protected from vampires, Arlene and Terry surviving a horrifying fire while baby Mikey laughed on the lawn at a figure only he could see, and the full moon sending Jason into a panic over the prospect of becoming a werepanther.
Meanwhile, Jessica was feeling all protective of Jason after giving him her blood to heal, and she’s still feeling guilty over cheating on Hoyt. Jason finally opened up to his sister, Sookie, about what happened in Hotshot, while Sookie continued to have major league vampire problems of her own after being caught nearly naked with Eric by her ex-vampire lover/now the King of Mississippi Bill Compton. Eric, still suffering from amnesia as the result of a witch’s spell, attacked Bill before bending his knee to his king and being taken away to die.
Pam spent the episode doing her best Wicked Witch of the West impression as her flesh continued to melt away at an alarming rate. Tara’s lover arrived to confront her with her lies, while Sam’s little brother Tommy freaked out in front of a mirror and unexpectedly shapeshifted into Sam. That storyline allowed actor Sam Trammell the chance to stretch his muscles and act like Marshall Allman as Tommy would act if he was inside Sam Merlotte’s body.
While all the shapeshifting was going on, Sam’s new girlfriend Luna showed up and Tommy as Sam never let on he was not his brother. And speaking of shifters, Debbie Pelt and Alcide argued over whether to join the werewolf pack and helped Sookie out with a were question.
On the witch front, Marnie went into a trance and witnessed Antonia being fed on by vampire priests. Once again we got to see Antonia tied to a stake with the fire ready to consume her, but this time the scene expanded to show Antonia casting a spell to call out the vampire priests into the sun to meet with their true deaths.
And, finally, we return to the most important storyline of True Blood – the Bill/Sookie/Eric love triangle. Bill asked for and received permission to kill Eric after telling Nan that Eric could be used as a powerful weapon against vampires by Marnie or whoever she’s channeling. But, seriously, did anyone believe Alan Ball and HBO would kill off Eric? No, not unless they wanted to put a quick, unsatisfying, and totally ridiculous end to the show.
Killing off Sookie’s fairy godmother was one thing, but to kill off Eric would have drained the blood from True Blood and there was no way that was going to happen (Alan Ball’s contract has already been renewed for season five). Instead, Team Eric members (yes, I’m an Eric fan) were finally treated to the scene we’ve been waiting for years to enjoy. It wasn’t the same as what happens in book four of Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, but considering how incredibly far from the source material True Blood wanders, it was satisfying in its own way.
Summit Entertainment has taken the unusual step of publicly identifying and issuing a press release regarding the identity of the person responsible for stealing unreleased materials from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn and posting them on the internet for all to see. According to the official press release, Summit will be pursuing civil action against “Daiana Santia, along with others, as being involved in stealing photographs, unfinished images and video from both parts of the yet to be released The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn which first appeared on the internet of March 31 of this year. Criminal action in Argentina has also been filed.”
The studio further revealed the investigation spanned four continents and that they believe more individuals are likely to have been involved in the crime.
“While we very much appreciate the legions of committed fans of the franchise and encourage them to create community online, we cannot ignore that property was stolen,” said David C. Friedman, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Summit Entertainment. “It is not fair to the majority of fans that want to see the final chapter of the Twilight Saga film franchise fully realized by the filmmaker and dedicated cast and crew to have these images out and available on the Internet.”
Immediately after the images made their way illegally onto the internet, the studio reached out to Twilight fans to help slow/stop the spread of the images with this message:
“As some of you may know pictures and screen grabs of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn as a work in progress have leaked on the internet. We are extremely proud of this film and also extremely heartbroken to see it out there at this stage. The film and these images are not yet ready or in their proper context. They were illegally obtained and their early dissemination is deeply upsetting to the actors, the filmmakers and Summit who are working so hard to bring these movies to fruition to you in November 2011 and November 2012.
Please, for those who are posting, stop. And please, though the temptation is high, don’t view or pass on these images. Wait for the film in its beautiful, finished entirety to thrill you.
Sincerely,
Bill Condon, Wyck Godfrey, Summit Entertainment and Stephenie Meyer”
True Blood star Ryan Kwanten has signed up to star in the romantic comedy, Not Suitable for Children, so says The Hollywood Reporter. The Australian romantic comedy will be directed by Peter Templeman (an Oscar nominee for the 2007 live-action short film The Saviour) from a script by Michael Lucas.
Filming on the Aussie-based production is expected to begin this week.
According to THR, Kwanten will be playing a “freewheeling guy in the prime of his life, who after learning he will become infertile in a month, needs to find someone to have a baby with before it’s too late and sets out to procreate as much as possible.”
“Jodi and Peter presented the script by Michael Lucas and everyone at Arclight Films fell in love with it,” stated executive producer Gary Hamilton. “We are thrilled to be involved with Peter’s first feature after the huge success and talent of his short films. With this cast, including Ryan Kwanten and Bojana Novakovic and rising stars Ryan Corr and Sarah Snook, Not Suitable For Children is poised to be one to watch.”
In addition to keeping busy as Jason Stackhouse on HBO’s hit vampire show, Kwanten’s been taking on feature film projects in his downtime from True Blood. He was recently at the San Diego Comic-Con to promote Knights of Badassdom (easily the coolest title of any film participating at that annual gathering of comic book/movie fans) and he has Griff the Invisible set to hit theaters this month.
Kings of Leon’s July 29, 2011 shortened concert in Dallas will be the group’s last for a while. The band has decided to cancel the rest of their US tour as announced in a press release:
“We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion. The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break. Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band’s international tour schedule.
Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase. Tickets purchased online or via phone will be automatically refunded. The band will resume touring in Canada at the Rogers Center in Vancouver, BC, on September 28th. That show was originally scheduled for September 14th.”
The band’s been updating and reaching out to fans via Twitter since the Dallas performance.
On July 30th, Jared Followill tweeted: “Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words.”
He added: “I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren’t stupid. I can’t lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.”
And today Jared Followill wanted to assure fans the group’s not breaking up. “Don’t jump to conclusions guys. We’re not breaking up. BRB. Just got a text from Nathan….. Ummm…. Eesh. So about what I just said…….”
Nathan Followill also wanted to put the break up rumor to rest using Twitter (what did we do before this instant form of communication?): “Bummed about the tour not happening. So sorry 4 all the fans. We just need some rest. Thanks 4 understanding. WE ARE NOT BREAKING UP!”
Ryan Reynolds (The Green Lantern) and Jason Bateman swap bodies and lives in the R-rated comedy The Change-Up hitting theaters on August 5, 2011. And in this interview video provided by Universal Pictures, the two talk about the set-up, their characters, working together and working with director David Dobkin, and who they’d actually switch bodies with in real life (hint: she’s more often in the news for being in trouble with the law than for starring in films).
The Plot: Growing up together, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) were inseparable best friends, but as the years have passed they’ve slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child who has never met a responsibility he liked.
To Mitch, Dave has it all: beautiful wife Jamie (Leslie Mann), kids who adore him, and a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm. To Dave, living Mitch’s stress-free life without obligation or consequence would be a dream come true. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave’s worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other’s bodies and proceed to freak the &*#@ out.
Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other’s lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. Further complicating matters are Dave’s sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde), and Mitch’s estranged father (Alan Arkin). With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.
The final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, entered a very exclusive club this weekend. Deathly Hallows Part 2, the only film of the series released in 2D and 3D, entered the $1 billion club on July 31st after collecting $318.46 million domestically and $690 million internationally.
Deathly Hallows Part 2 is the ninth film in history – and the first film of the Harry Potter series – to make it to $1 billion during its theatrical release, and it managed to do so quicker than any other film with the exception of Avatar (they tied in the amount of days in release it took to make it to $1 billion).
Warner Bros. Pictures President of Domestic Distribution Dan Fellman stated, “What’s truly astounding is that these kinds of numbers are being achieved so early in the film’s release. The movie’s excellent reviews, outstanding word-of-mouth and repeat business will ensure that Harry Potter will be charming moviegoers for months to come.”
President of International Distribution Veronika Kwan-Rubinek said, “To say that the global response to the film has been extraordinary would be an understatement. We are so proud that this last film in the series has not only reached such heights but has reached them in record time. It is now Warner Bros.’ most successful release ever, and there is still plenty more to come.”
A scene from 'Walking Dead Season 2' - Photo Credit: Greg Nicotero/AMC
AMC has announced season two of the zombie drama The Walking Dead will premiere on Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 9pm ET/PT. The network also revealed there will be twice as many episodes this year as there were in the show’s debut season.
Based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead follows a rag-tag group of survivors who band together to fight zombies and stay alive. Returning cast members from season one include Andrew Lincoln (‘Rick Grimes’), Jon Bernthal (‘Shane Walsh’), Sarah Wayne Callies (‘Lori Grimes’), Laurie Holden (‘Andrea’), and Steven Yeun (‘Glen’). Norman Reedus (‘Daryl Dixon’), Jeffrey DeMunn (‘Dale Horvath’), Chandler Riggs (‘Carl Grimes’), Iron E. Singleton (‘T-Dog’) and Melissa McBride (‘Carol Peletier’) also star.
Guest stars for season two include Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, and Pruitt Taylor Vance.
In addition to announcing the season two premiere date, AMC released the first full-length trailer for the upcoming season.
“When we last left the cast of The Walking Dead, they were in the midst of a high-intensity struggle to survive. In season two, they are on the move and suffice it to say, things have not gotten any easier,” stated Charlie Collier, AMC’s president.
Collier added: “We’re ecstatic to have more than twice the amount of episodes for the fans as we did in season one, and this year we’ve decided to kick-off our 15th annual Fearfest with The Walking Dead. This event will unquestionably keep fans on the edge of their seats.”
Colin Farrell leads the cast of this sci-fi remake based on a Philip K. Dick short story and directed by Len Wiseman. Rated PG-13, Total Recall is set to open in theaters on August 3, 2012.
Colin Farrell stars as Douglas Quaid, Kate Beckinsale plays Lori Quaid, Jessica Biel is Melina, and Bryan Cranston is Cohaagen. Bill Nighy plays Matthias, John Cho is McClane, Will Yun Lee is Marek, and Dylan Scott Smith is Hammond.
The Plot:Total Recall is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man.
Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.
Nicolas Cage returns to star in the Ghost Rider sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Directed by Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, the PG-13 action drama is set to open in theaters on February 17, 2012.
Nicolas Cage plays Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, Idris Elba is Moreau, Johnny Whitworth is Ray Carrigan, Violante Placido is Nadya, and Ciaran Hinds is Roarke. Fergus Riordan stars as Danny, Spencer Wilding is Grannik, Anthony Head is Benedict, and Christopher Lambert is Methodius.
The Plot: Johnny (Cage) – still struggling with his curse as the devil’s bounty hunter – is hiding out in a remote part of Eastern Europe when he is recruited by a secret sect of the church to save a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from the devil (Ciarán Hinds). At first, Johnny is reluctant to embrace the power of the Ghost Rider, but it is the only way to protect the boy – and possibly rid himself of his curse forever.
