‘A Very Demi Holiday Special ‘ poster (Photo Credit: Roku)
Roku’s set a December 8, 2023 premiere date for A Very Demi Holiday Special starring Grammy nominee Demi Lovato. Lovato will be helping fans get into the holiday spirit with performances of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” Fans can also expect to hear a few of Demi’s original songs during the musical holiday special.
Additional artists will be announced closer to the premiere.
“The holidays are such a special time of year, and I can’t wait to put my special twist on the celebrations!” stated Demi Lovato.
A Very Demi Holiday Special is produced by OBB Pictures and executive produced by Demi Lovato, Todd Yasui, and OBB’s Michael D. Ratner, Scott Ratner, Kfir Goldberg, and Simone Spira.
“We’ve had the honor of collaborating with Demi a number of times, and across documentaries, music videos, live performances, and podcasts, we’ve seen first-hand how uniquely multi-talented Demi is,” said OBB Founder and CEO Michael D. Ratner. “Yet again, in typical Demi fashion, A Very Demi Holiday Special delivers. We’re excited to be working with the Roku team on a project that brings some much-needed joy for the 2023 holidays!”
Roku describes the special as heartwarming and captivating, with “out-of-this-world surprise.” The streaming service also promises this holiday special will be a very Demi twist on the festive spirit.
“Together with Demi and the OBB Pictures team, we’ve created a truly fun and unique holiday experience for viewers to connect with and laugh over,” said Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals, Roku Media. “We can’t wait for audiences to unwrap this one-of-a-kind Roku Original special.”
Lovato is currently working on her directorial debut, the documentary film Child Star for Hulu.
Jack Osbourne calls on his friend Jenny McCarthy to help explore things that go bump in the night at the Tinker Swiss Cottage in Rockford, Illinois on the October 8, 2023 episode of Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror. Travel Channel unveiled a two-minute clip from the season’s second episode which shows McCarthy and Jack communicating via a ghost box with an unknown male.
The “Tinker Swiss Cottage” episode will air on Travel Channel on Sunday, October 8, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT. Travel Channel offered this description of the episode:
“Jack and guest investigator Jenny McCarthy head to Tinker Swiss Cottage in Rockford, IL. Recent construction at the museum has upset the ghosts of the Tinker family, leading to aggressive activity. Can Jack and Jenny soothe these restless souls?”
The current season premiered on October 1st with Jack’s mom, Sharon, joining him to investigate the Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula, California. Additional episodes will include Jack’s dad, Ozzy, and sister, Kelly, with Jack taking his fascination with the paranormal to locations including Nevada State Prison, Illinois’ Ashmore Estates, and Virginia City, Nevada’s Piper’s Opera House and the Washoe Club.
Writer/actor Felicia Day made the trek to the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con in support of her fantasy adventure audio series Third Eye, debuting on Audible on October 5, 2023. The seven-hour audio series stars Day as Laurel Pettigrew, a not-so-ordinary San Francisco resident who was supposed to rid the world of the evil Tybus. Unfortunately, Laurel couldn’t fulfill her destiny.
Audible offers this description: “Now, instead of being a legendary hero, Laurel’s the resident pariah of the magic realm. And what’s worse, the dark wizard Tybus swooped in, took over the realm, and forced all supernatural creatures to live under his tyrannical rule. He’s even stripped away the magical powers of those who refused to join his wicked cause. Yeah, everyone hates her. Well, everyone except her two roomies—Sybil, the sassiest diva of a fairy, who could throw shade with the flick of a wing. And Frank, the vampire who rocks a bald spot and a serious paunch. They are the real MVPs, the ride-or-die buddies who have her back, no matter how many colossal fails she racks up.”
During our Comic-Con interview, Day explained that Third Eye was originally conceived as a TV show she wanted to star in, but that never came to fruition. “But when I got the opportunity to approach Audible, and they wanted to do this as an Audible Original, I was so thrilled,” said Day. “I think it turned out exactly the way I wanted. Probably better and more realized from my mind than it would have ever done as a TV show because they were just supportive of everything that I wanted to do from the get-go.”
Asked where the idea for Third Eye came from, Day said, “I was driving around Los Angeles one day and I saw these Cash for Gold shops, and I was like, ‘Just how much gold is there out there that will pay these guys’ rent?’ So, I was just like, ‘What if there are dwarves back there melting it down for their purposes?’ And then I just started seeing places that could be fronts for supernatural worlds or supernatural people who live amongst us. That was kind of one of the impetuses for it.”
Day continued: “And then the other was I wanted to talk about a failed prodigy. I like taking things that people are familiar with and turn them on their head a little bit. And a chosen one who failed – I haven’t seen that. How do you live with yourself when you fail everyone, and life is crap because of you? I kind of wanted to just explore that.”
Transforming the original idea from a television series to an Audible series allowed more opportunities to open up this epic fantasy world and bring it to life. It also gave her the ability to cast everybody she wanted. Day gathered an incredibly talented cast to bring her seven-hour audio series to life, including London Hughes, Wil Wheaton, Sean Astin, Neil Gaiman, LilyPichu, Christopher Judge, Carolyn Seymour, Laraine Newman, Danny Pudi, and Alan Tudyk.
“Getting them all at once to be in something, at this high-profile level of talent, would have been really impossible,” explained Day.
Day writes with actors in mind when she’s creating characters, and Wil Wheaton’s part was written specifically for him. “He was my ideal, and thank goodness he could do it,” said Day.
However, Day wasn’t sure who should provide the voice of her character’s best friend, Sybil, and it was director Jonah Ray who suggested London Hughes. 15 seconds of watching Hughes’ stand-up confirmed Ray was right.
“It was like light from the heaven,” said Day. “She is so perfect for this role, and she brought so much to it.”
London Hughes joined Felicia Day and director Jonah Ray at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con and spoke about getting into her character, Sybil the Fairy, in Third Eye. Asked what she fell in love with about Sybil, Hughes laughed and replied, “I saw a lot of myself in her, and that was easy to fall in love with!”
“She’s so funny, so feisty, but she’s also very loyal. We have the same traits. It was very easy to bring her to life. I did not worry…I wasn’t thinking, ‘Would she say this? Yes.’ If I would say it, Sybil would say it. So, yeah, it was a great experience,” explained Hughes.
Third Eye deals with supernatural creatures residing on Earth, and Hughes offered a surprise suggestion of what sort of supernatural being she’d like to know exists. “Oh god, an emotionally intelligent man. That would be great! I would love that – emotionally intelligent, emotionally available. You know, just a nice, good-looking man – a nice husband for me. That would be the supernatural creature I want on Earth. It doesn’t exist right now, so, yeah, that’s what I’m looking for,” laughed Hughes.
Hughes enjoyed the entire experience, describing Third Eye as a dream project. Hughes thinks fans will become obsessed with the characters and get addicted to the audio series.
“The characters are so deep. There’s so much backstory. Felicia’s put so much work into the world. I want them to fall in love with us, fall in love with the world. And then it would be very cool if just while they were driving, they were like, ‘Oh, could dwarves own a Cash for Gold shop? Could that be real?’
Look, the world is hard enough right now as it is. We all need a bit of escapism, a bit of imagination and fun. This does that. It transports you to another world in a way that watching a movie couldn’t because it’s so…it envelops all your senses, especially with all the sound effects,” said Hughes.
Hughes added: “I really hope they become as addicted to the show as I am and that it turns into a world-wide global franchise, and there are theme parks all over the world. That’s what I hope happens!”
A24’s released the official trailer for Priscilla, which currently sits at 95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The drama delves into the life of Priscilla Presley from age 14, when she met Elvis, to age 24 when she moved out of Graceland.
Cailee Spaeny (Mare of Easttown, Devs) transforms into Priscilla Presley and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, The Kissing Booth) stars as the King of Rock and Roll.
Priscilla‘s based on the bestselling memoir Elvis and Me, and was adapted and directed by Sofia Coppola.
“Reading Priscilla’s story for the first time, I was struck by how relatable her story was even in such an unusual setting, and how we saw her as such a striking figure next to Elvis, but she wasn’t looked at beyond that,” stated Coppola in production notes provided by A24. “Priscilla was mainly seen in the world of entertainment tabloids as ‘Elvis’s child bride’ but I felt there was a much more interesting story to tell — about a girlish wish that came true but wasn’t what she imagined, about coming-of-age inside both incredible fame and great loneliness, about how people learn to live inside of bubbles and also feel the need to burst them, about the strength it took to for her to realize that as much as she loved Elvis, she had to go.
Elvis was such a vital part of American cultural history, but Priscilla’s life is equally part of that history.”
Priscilla opens in theaters on November 3, 2023.
Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi in ‘Priscilla’ (Photo Courtesy of A24)
The Plot, Courtesy of A24:
When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.
The CW’s dramatic thriller The Swarm continues season one with episode four, “The Mystery.” Directed by Barbara Eder from a script by Steven Lally, Marissa Lestrade, Chris Lunt, and Michael A. Walker, this exclusive clip shows a South African town under attack by crabs marching out of the sea.
Episode four airs on October 3, 2023. New season one episodes arrive on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT.
The ecological thriller is based on Frank Schätzing’s bestselling novel and stars Alexander Karim as Dr. Sigur Johanson, Cécile de France as Dr. Cécile Roche, and Krista Kosonen as Tina Lund. The ensemble also includes Leonie Benesch as Charlie Wagner, Joshua Odjick as Leon Anawak, Takehiro Hira as Riku Sato, and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Alicia Delaware.
Barbara Sukowa is Professor Katharina Lehmann, Oliver Masucci is Jasper Alban, Klaas Heufer-Umlauf is Luther Roscowitz, Lydia Wilson is Sara Thompson, Eidin Jalali is Rahim Amir, Takuya Kimura as Aito Mifune, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster is Samantha Crowe.
“The Mystery” Plot: Dr. Roche (de France) informs a commission about the dramatic situation on the French Atlantic coast. Meanwhile, Sigur (Karim) and Tina (Kosonen) are back on board the Thorvaldson to survey the seabed again for ice worms and find the worms have continued to spread dramatically.
Around the world, strange happenings, borne out of the oceans: Whales destroy boats, deep sea crabs attack beaches, mussels block container ships. An unknown ice worm destabilizes continental slopes and triggers tsunamis. A deadly pathogen spreads into the drinking water. Across the globe, lives are increasingly imperiled, the situation worsening by the day — and yet, nobody can draw a connection between the seemingly random attacks. Except for a group of scientists who come together through their shared sense that something bigger is at play: an intelligent life force, dwelling in the deep — capable of manipulating the ocean, and everything that resides in it.
A being which has borne witness to our destruction of the seas and has decided to drive us to extinction. But hardly anyone believes their findings. And so, the group is forced to undertake a life-threatening mission, tracking the intelligent life force within the Arctic Ocean. It is a mission they know may claim their lives.
Expats, based on the bestselling novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, will premiere on Prime Video on January 26, 2024. The streaming service’s premiere date announcement was accompanied by the first teaser poster for the six-episode limited series.
Expats stars Oscar and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours, Big Little Lies) as Margaret, Sarayu Blue (Never Have I Ever) as Hilary, and Ji-young Yoo (The Sky is Everywhere) as Mercy. The ensemble also features Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Clarke, Jack Huston (Fargo) as David, Amelyn Pardenilla as Puri, Ruby Ruiz (Iska) as Essie, Will Or as Tony, and Bonde Sham (MidNight Lila) as Charly.
Lulu Wang created the limited series and serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Vera Miao (Two Sentence Horror Stories), Gursimran Sandhu (Game of Thrones), Alice Bell (The Beautiful Lie), and author Lee also serve as writers. Additional executive producers include Bell, Stan Wlodkowski, Per Capita Productions’ Theresa Park, Local Time’s Daniele Melia, and Blossom Films’ Nicole Kidman and Per Saari.
Prime Video released this synopsis of the limited series:
“Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Expats centers on three American women — Margaret (Kidman), Hilary (Blue), and Mercy (Yoo) — whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred.”
Season one episode three of NBC’s new drama The Irrational will find Professor Mercer attempting to figure out why a plane crashed and if the pilot was responsible. Episode three, “The Barnum Effect,” airs on Monday, October 9, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.
Jesse L. Martin stars as Professor Alec Mercer, Maahra Hill is Marisa, Travina Springer is Kylie, Molly Kunz is Phoebe, and Arash DeMaxi plays Rizwan. Executive producers include Arika Lisanne Mittman, Mark Goffman, Sam Baum, and David Frankel.
“The Barnum Effect” Plot: After a passenger plane crashes into the Potomac River, suspicions focus immediately on the pilot. Prof. Mercer and the team are asked to investigate the pilot’s personal motivations and piece together clues in the hopes of revealing the truth.
Brian King as Jace Richards, Maahra Hill as Marisa, and Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer in ‘The Irrational’ episode 3 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)
Season 1 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
A new spin on the procedural genre, The Irrational follows world-renowned professor of behavioral science Alec Mercer (Martin) as he lends his unique expertise on an array of high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations. His insight and unconventional approach to understanding psychology and human behavior lead him and the team on a series of intense, unexpected journeys to solve illogical puzzles and perplexing mysteries.
Brian King as Jace Richards and Owen Kalagian as Josh Blacker in episode 3 (Photo by: Robert Falconer/NBC)Arash DeMaxi as Rizwan and Molly Kunz as Phoebe in “The Barnum Effect” episode (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer and Travina Springer as Kylie in episode 3 (Photo by: Robert Falconer/NBC)Molly Kunz as Phoebe in episode 3 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer in episode 3 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)Travina Springer as Kylie in episode 3 (Photo by: Robert Falconer/NBC)
Sullivan’s Crossing, based on the novels by Robyn Carr, makes its debut on The CW on October 4, 2023 after premiering on CTV in March 2023. The new drama kicks off with an episode titled “Coming Home” airing at 8pm ET/PT before the series premiere of The Spencer Sisters at 9pm ET/PT.
Morgan Kohan leads the cast as Maggie Sullivan. Chad Michael Murray stars as Cal Jones, Scott Patterson plays Harry “Sully” Sullivan, Tom Jackson is Frank Cranebear, and Andrea Menard is Edna Cranebear. Lynda Boyd plays Phoebe Lancaster, Amalia Williamson is Lola Gunderson, Lindura is Sydney Shandon, Reid Price plays Rob Shandon, and Allan Hawco is Andrew Mathews.
Virgin River‘s Roma Roth and Christopher E. Perry executive produce along with Michela Di Mondo and Hilary Martin. Roth guides the series as showrunner, and Mike Volpe and Mark Gingras produce.
The CW offered this description of the series premiere, directed by Bradley Walsh from a script by Roth and Kerri MacDonald:
“When neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan’s Kohan) seemingly perfect life in Boston is turned upside down, she leaves the city and her boyfriend Andrew (Hawco) to return to her childhood home of Sullivan’s Crossing, a picturesque Nova Scotia campground owned by her estranged father, Sully Sullivan (Patterson) whom she hasn’t seen in years. While there, Maggie attempts to reunite with her father as well as her old friends as she butts heads with Cal Jones (Murray), the irritating, yet handsome mysterious stranger who has been helping her father around the campground.”
Apple TV+’s Messi Meets America documentary series will kick off on October 11, 2023 with the release of the first three episodes. The release date announcement was accompanied by a teaser trailer for the six-part docuseries that focuses on soccer superstar Lionel Messi.
The docuseries takes fans behind the scenes and into the world of Lionel Messi. Tim Pastore, Scott Boggins, Patrick Milling Smith, Brian Carmody, and SMUGGLER Entertainment’s Matt Renner executive produce the series, which was produced in association with Major League Soccer.
“After over twenty unforgettable and record-breaking years of excellence between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, and winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with the Argentina national football team, Leo Messi made a landmark decision that forever changed the face of soccer in North America by joining Major League Soccer and Inter Miami CF. Now, with unprecedented access to Messi and his new Inter Miami CF family, Messi Meets America takes viewers behind-the-scenes as the greatest player to ever step on the pitch leads his new team to a Leagues Cup title and beyond,” states Apple TV+’s synopsis.
The synopsis continues: “From selling out record crowds across America at breakneck speed, to his incredible last-minute game-winning goal in his very first match, to moments with Messi and his Inter Miami CF teammates, the series chronicles Leo’s immersion in America, the remarkable journey and transformation of Inter Miami CF, and most significantly, the impact he is currently having on soccer in North America as ‘Messi Mania’ crisscrosses the continent.”
Netflix’s first teaser trailer for Leave the World Behind starts off with a conversation setting up the story, and then hits the gas pedal as terrifying events wreak havoc across the globe.
The apocalyptic thriller is based on Rumaan Alam’s bestselling novel and stars Oscar winner Julia Roberts, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon. Mr. Robot‘s Sam Esmail adapted Alam’s novel and directed.
Sam Esmail and Julia Roberts serve as producers along with Chad Hamilton, Marisa Yeres Gill, and Lisa Gillan. Author Alam, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Stillman, and Nick Krishnamurthy executive produce.
Esmail’s behind the scenes team includes costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas, editor Lisa Lassek, production designer Anastasia White, and director of photography Tod Campbell.
Netflix will release Leave the World Behind in select theaters on November 22, 2023. It will be available to stream on Netflix on December 8.
Myha’la, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Julia Roberts in ‘Leave the World Behind’ (Photo CR: JoJo Whilden/NETFLIX)
The streaming service released this description of the thriller:
“Amanda (Roberts) and her husband, Clay (Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Evans) and Rose (Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Ali) and his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.”
Julia Roberts as Amanda, Ethan Hawke as Clay, Mahershala Ali as G.H. and Myha’la as Ruth (Photo CR: Courtesy NETFLIX)Farrah Mackenzie as Rose, Julia Roberts as Amanda, Charlie Evans as Archie and Ethan Hawke as Clay (Photo CR: Courtesy NETFLIX)Myha’la and Mahershala Ali (Photo Courtesy of Netflix)Julia Roberts as Amanda (Photo CR: Courtesy NETFLIX)Mahershala Ali as G.H. (Photo CR: Courtesy NETFLIX)
