‘La Brea’ Season 2 Episode 12 Recap: “The Swarm”

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February 21, 2023

La Brea Season 2 Episode 12 Recap — Rohan Mirchandaney, Veronica St. Clair, and Lily Santiago in ‘La Brea’ season 2 episode 12 (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)

NBC’s La Brea season two episode 12 opens with Gavin, Eve, and James placing flowers on Caroline’s grave. James has made contact with an ally who may help them take back the building now that Kira’s taken over.

Back in camp, Sam’s treating Silas who looks like he’s going to eventually recover. Gavin (Eoin Macken) and Izzy (Zyra Gorecki) argue over Levi, with Gavin convinced Levi’s made his choice and now they have to do what’s best for their family without him. Izzy doesn’t think they should turn their back on Levi that quickly.

Josh (Jack Martin) promises to look after Izzy while they’re off trying to get into the Tower.

A water tower’s being built in the middle of the clearing when a deep rumbling draws everyone’s attention. It’s coming from underneath them and as the earth vibrates under their feet, they hear loud buzzing.

Riley (Veronica St. Clair) and Veronica (Lily Santiago) are off in the woods looking for a sexton so Veronica can figure out where the journal’s coordinates lead. The two aren’t really close and Riley admits she misses having a friend her age to talk to. She and Josh are fighting and she doesn’t know how to fix it, so she’s happy to tag along with Veronica right now.

They make it back to the camp and it looks deserted. There’s a dead man on the ground and Scott (Rohan Mirchandaney) grabs them and forces them into a truck while warning if “they” hear them, they’re dead. Who are “they?” Huge, immensely toxic wasps. They have a nest right under the clearing and noise activates them.

They were in a dormant stage but now they’re awake.

Veronica asks about Ella and Scott explains people were screaming and fleeing. He jumped in a truck to keep from being stung. Scott says water and soap can kill them, so they could pour the water tower’s contents on them. (So the nest is exactly under the clearing and the water tower is just coincidently right above the nest. Got it.)

Riley thinks they should just leave like everyone else already did, but just then Veronica spots Ella. She’s on the ground and is barely moving.

Veronica wants to rush out and help Ella but Scott points out the wasps have “built an empire” under the dirt. (Sorry, that description was too good not to quote.) All sound vibrations disturb the wasps, including footsteps. Plus, they don’t have an anti-venom for prehistoric wasps.

Riley suggests an EpiPen and notes that there just happens to be one in her dad’s med kit on the bus. Getting to the bus won’t be a problem so they decide to take a chance and head there.

Meanwhile right outside the Tower, Kira tells Ty (Chiké Okonkwo) she’s returning the business to its primary focus of helping the world. She cuts him loose and he begs her to send his friends home once she fixes Lazarus. She refuses, unwilling to invite them into the building. It would jeopardize the project. Ty reminds her they’re only there because of the project’s mistakes. She doesn’t care and warns him to keep his people away.

Sam’s out in the woods gathering herbs to help Silas when he finds Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez) digging up explosives. Levi warns Sam to just leave him alone but Sam refuses to go.

Eve (Natalie Zea), Gavin, and James make it to a secret door and are met by James’s ally, Elliott, a guard who’s been with him for 20 years. An alarm’s going off and Elliott explains no one should go inside right now. The security network was corrupted and all the research animals escaped and are roaming the building.

Ty runs up to the group and reveals his head’s killing him. James says he needs to keep up the cancer treatment or he’ll relapse. James promises once he takes the building back, he’ll help TY.

Ty refuses to go back to the village and instead wants to stay with them and fight. Elliott warns them they need to go in now while the security cameras he disabled are still down. They’ll be back online in minutes.

Elliott remains outside and closes the door behind the group. Levi jumps Elliott and knocks him out, then uses his key card to follow the group in.

James makes it to a computer that will allow him to gain back control, but he needs Gavin’s handprint to activate it. James tells some of them to manually seal off the western corridors. He needs them to buy him some time to gain back control.

Elsewhere, Izzy’s tromping around the woods searching for Levi while Josh follows her, arguing that he’s dangerous. Izzy recalls how important Levi’s support was after her accident and she thinks she needs to be there for him now.

Their argument ends when Sam starts groaning in pain. He explains Levi beat him up and is heading to the building with explosives. Izzy races off and leaves Sam with Josh.

Ty’s in horrible shape as he and Gavin make their way to seal off the doors. Gavin tells him to go to the medical bay and get his pills, assuring him he can handle shutting the doors. Ty reluctantly agrees.

Gavin spots Levi planting the explosives and tries to get him to reconsider. Levi explains that the day his wife died, his daughter also died in that sinkhole. James has taken everything from him, and now he has to stop Lazarus.

Levi is going to destroy the entire building and warns Gavin to leave.

Kira and her team are 90% done with the machine using Dr. Moore’s work. (Did everyone ignore the evacuation order?) A guard delivers the news Gavin’s inside the building and has accessed the security network. Kira knows it’s James’s work and sends the guard off to the executive lounge to take care of him.

Levi attacks the guard before he even leaves the room and warns all the scientists to leave the building immediately. Kira grabs the journal but Levi orders her to put it down and stay put. He needs her help.

Back in camp, Scott locates the EpiPen and Riley comes up with a plan to add soap to the water tower and kill the wasps. They’ll have to do that in order to get to Ella.

They quietly pour liquid soap – which they just happen to have – into the water tower and turn on a hose leading into the wasps’ nests. Scott’s certain they’re dying excruciating deaths and Veronica decides she’s the one who will go save Ella.

Veronica walks softly toward Ella in case there are any lingering wasps. She takes a step on something that makes a noise and the wasps, which are definitely not dead and are now incredibly angry, swarm up out of the cracks.

She stumbles and then makes a run for it, grabbing Ella (Michelle Vergara Moore) and pulling her inside before they can sting again. Ella’s in bad shape and it turns out Veronica dropped the EpiPen when she fell.

Ella is about to give up and is just happy Veronica’s with her. Veronica begs her not to give up but Ella assures Veronica she’ll be fine without her.

Scott and Riley spot the EpiPen and try and come up with a plan. Scott finds a large squirt gun and needs a roll of duct tape, coolant from the engine, and a helmet. Why is there a large squirt gun, a roll of duct tape, and a helmet accessible? Don’t ask, just go with it.

Scott steps outside and lights the stream of coolant on fire, spraying the wasps. Riley runs for the EpiPen with Scott providing cover.

They make it to Ella but discover Veronica’s also been stung. They only have one EpiPen! Ella tells them to give Veronica the shot. As Ella struggles to breathe, Veronica asks for a minute alone with her.

Ella and Veronica argue over who is going to take the shot, with both insisting the other deserves to live. Ella begs Veronica to save herself but Veronica can’t do it. Ella uses the last of her strength to inject Veronica. Ella says she loves Veronica and then dies on her shoulder.

Back inside the Tower, Gavin comes face to face with a saber-tooth tiger.

Ty makes it to the infirmary but before he can get his pills he hears Gavin cry for help. He grabs an ax and takes down the tiger before it can reach Gavin. Gavin quickly tells Ty that Levi’s about to make a big mistake.

Eve joins James who insists he’s about to retake the system. But Eve’s concerned that James isn’t worried that Gavin hasn’t returned from shutting the doors. He’s strangely calm and casual about the whole thing, and Eve demands to know what he’s not telling her.

James refuses to show her what he’s working on, but she gets a look at the screen and sees he’s working on Project Blue Moon. It’s already at 95% complete!

She grabs something heavy to stop him but James pulls a gun and forces her to stand down. Eve tries to remind him he’s throwing away his family, but James insists his fix will make it so he won’t ever lose his son or his wife. Of course, that means Eve’s family won’t exist but that’s just too bad.

Eve insists this won’t make him as happy as he thinks.

She strikes out and knocks the gun from his hand and they fight, but she’s able to hold him still with a knife to his throat. Unfortunately, she doesn’t act fast enough and he picks up something from behind him and briefly knocks her out.

Levi places explosives all around the portal and demands Kira shift all auxiliary power to the portal. Kira knows that will destroy the entire building and Levi’s okay with that. Kira refuses but Levi holds her at gunpoint and forces her to do it.

Gavin and Ty show up just as Levi’s about to set off the bombs. Kira sneaks off while Levi’s distracted. Levi threatens to shoot Gavin if he gets in his way.

Izzy arrives at just that second and tells Levi he needs help. She’s going to the cafeteria and will be there when he’s ready to talk. Levi warns her the building’s about to explode but she doesn’t care. She won’t leave and that’s enough to make Levi stop the countdown.

But…and this is huge…there’s a built-in failsafe Levi didn’t know about and the countdown continues. They all run out of the room as the countdown ticks down.

The building goes up in a massive fireball as episode 12 ends.

‘La Brea’ Season 2 Episode 11 Recap: “The Wedding”

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 21, 2023

La Brea Season 2 Episode 11 — Tonantzin Carmelo as Paara and Chiké Okonkwo as Ty in ‘La Brea’ season 2 episode 11 (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)

NBC’s La Brea season two episode 11 is titled “The Wedding” but there’s a lot more going on besides the exchange of I Dos. Episode 11 opens with Caroline (Melissa Neal) and her dad, Silas, going over Dr. Moore’s notes, hoping they’ll lead to a solution on how to send Gavin and his family home. They’re not making any progress and are worried Gavin will turn to James for help. Silas (Mark Lee) regrets that he failed to protect Gavin from James all those years ago and dedicates himself to working on Moore’s notes.

He sends Caroline back to the camp to watch over her son. Seconds after she walks away, Silas is shot. The shooter picks up the now blood-spattered notes and leaves without showing their face.

The clearing’s all abuzz with wedding cheer, and Sam (Jon Seda) gives Ty (Chiké Okonkwo) a little pep talk – because that’s just a thing that Sam always does. Simon (Rohan Mirchandaney) hits up Judah for wine (Damien Fotiou) and after initially claiming he doesn’t have any, Judah finally agrees to contribute two bottles to the celebration. Ty thinks they may have it covered because he’s heard fermented corn is good. Both Simon and Judah speak for the audience in expressing how disgusting that sounds, at least compared to actual wine.

Ty asks Eve (Natalie Zea) to be his best woman and she accepts. He also reveals he went to the Tower and learned something he needs to share with her and Gavin.

They take a walk away from prying ears and Ty explains learned James wants to go back in time and change the past. That will mean Gavin (Eoin Macken) won’t meet Eve, there won’t be any Josh and Izzy, and Ty will die from cancer. Eve’s immediately on board with stopping James while Gavin, of course, sticks up for his dad. He suggests maybe Kira was lying, but Ty confesses he knows James hopes for a do-over.

Ty invited James to the wedding and thinks Gavin should ask him about Project Blue Moon.
Eve doesn’t like it, but Gavin’s certain his dad wouldn’t sacrifice Izzy and Josh. Gavin promises not to hand over the journal until he’s convinced that won’t happen. And he promises, again, not to make any choices without consulting Eve. Eve, however, doesn’t share that Levi’s returned to kill James.

Speaking of Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez), he’s heard the news about Project Blue Moon from Ty and wants to take out James ASAP. Eve insists she needs to trust Gavin, but Levi is equally certain Gavin’s not thinking straight because James is his dad.

Levi remains determined to kill James. As long as James is alive, he’s a threat. However, he can’t kill James without Eve’s help.

La Brea Season 2 Episode 11 Recap — Josh McKenzie as Lucas and Lily Santiago as Veronica in ‘La Brea’ season 2 episode 11 (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)

Veronica (Lily Santiago) and Lucas (Josh McKenzie) attempt to figure out what Aaron was doing with Dr. Moore’s journal and why he added Bible verses at the end of the book. Those Bible verses are also the ones Aaron forced Veronica and Lilly to memorize.

Aaron never said why he had the book, but Veronica’s sure the verses are important. Lucas promises he’ll do whatever it takes to figure it out with her.

The clearing people head over to the Tongva fort to celebrate Ty and Paara’s wedding. There’s dancing, plenty of food, and enough fermented corn to go around. Everyone’s having a fantastic time including Josh and Riley who are definitely a hot couple.

Scott interrupts their makeout session to say goodbye. He’s stressing out because the warriors are giving him gifts for killing Taamet and there’s a woman stalking him who looks ready to toss him over her shoulder and claim him as a prize.

Paara (Tonantzin Carmelo) shows Gavin around his old stomping grounds as a kid while Eve catches up with Levi. He grabs a poisonous flower and plans on putting its seeds in James’s drink but Eve’s not on board right now. She’s still holding out hope James can fix things when Levi confesses James took his wife from him. She fell into a sinkhole that suddenly opened. He survived but she didn’t.

James is responsible for all the sinkholes and needs to be stopped. Eve points out Levi’s not acting rationally and needs to take a moment to reconsider.

Ty welcomes James (Jonno Roberts) to the fort and James reveals that he had his first sound sleep in months after their therapy session. Ty’s helping him appreciate what’s in front of him. Gavin joins them and offers to show his dad around, while Sam and Riley (Veronica St. Clair) remain convinced it’s not a good idea for James to be there. Sam’s going to keep an eye on him during the wedding.

Josh walks up just as Riley assures her dad that Caroline’s working on getting them home using the notes she and Caroline found in the cave. Josh is upset that she lied to him and stalks off. Riley follows and they argue over the fact she didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth.

Meanwhile, Veronica’s being a wallflower, obsessed with figuring out the Bible verses. Lucas is able to convince her to get up by saying he can fix things. He takes Veronica to a hot springs and presents her with a Pop-Tart and wine. He thinks taking her mind off the Bible verses will help for a while, and she actually laughs and smiles after getting into the water. They kiss and the camera pulls back to show some pretty flowers nearby, so we aren’t privy to how far the spa action goes.

Kira arrives uninvited and unwelcome at the fort’s gate asking for Ty. She reveals James told her to send the Exiles to the clearing because he’s obsessed with getting the journal. Kira warns Ty that James will hurt whoever he needs to to get it. She begs to be let in to stop James because James is only thinking of himself. When he gets his hands on the journal, they’ll all see the real James.

Ty refuses to let her in and Kira warns it won’t end well for him.

Caroline also shows up at the fort and spots James and Gavin huddled together. Gavin breaks away from his conversation and joins his mom, and Caroline admits she found pages of Moore’s notes but she and Silas couldn’t figure them out. Gavin surprises her with Moore’s journal and she promises to take a look. She also promises to take him to a spot where they used to picnic and watch mammoths.

Gavin sends Caroline off before James sees her.

La Brea Season 2 Episode 11 The Wedding — Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott in ‘La Brea’ season 2 episode 11 (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)

Ty and Paara share their happiness with those gathered, and Ty places the ring on his bride’s finger as everyone smiles and cheers.

The party’s underway and Josh is downing drinks when James introduces himself as his grandfather. They drink more fermented corn and engage in small talk about girls just as Gavin joins them. James says he’s realized mistakes are made in every relationship and that you can’t move backward.

James is happy to have three generations gathered together and says, “I wouldn’t trade this day for anything.”

Izzy (Zyra Gorecki) informs her mom that Levi’s picking flowers Scott told them are poisonous and he seems a little off.

Scott stuck around but he’s still receiving gifts, including what he labels as one that’s completely inappropriate – a dagger. He doesn’t want to leave anymore and instead wants to keep drinking. He and Josh play a game of “no filter,” pointing out people and saying the truth about them. Sam joins them and sends Scott off to get them drinks.

He asks Josh if he likes Riley. If he does, they both shouldn’t be miserable at a wedding. Sam says relationships boil down to one question: Do you want to be right or do you want to be together?

Levi’s spying on James when he sees him approach Caroline. James asks to talk but Caroline’s terrified. She reminds him he sent agents after her and Exiles after her family, and James denies doing any of that. He says others at the Tower see things differently, but he would never hurt her.

Eve’s about to stop Levi from speaking with James when Gavin grabs her for a dance. She can’t refuse since he doesn’t know what Levi’s up to and watches as Levi hands James a drink. Eve breaks away from Gavin and takes James’s drink, claiming it’s hers.

Gavin follows Eve and Levi and forces them to tell him what’s going on. Gavin’s upset that Eve’s still keeping secrets and he orders Levi to stay away from his family.

Lucas and Veronica are relaxing next to the hot springs when Silas stumbles up in bad shape. He needs help getting to Gavin and warns they’re all in grave danger.

They make it to the fort and Silas is struggling to stay conscious. He grabs Eve’s arm and says, “They’re here.”

As that’s happening, Gavin comes upon James just feet from Caroline’s dead body. James claims he found her like this, and Gavin grabs his dad and holds him against the wall. James thinks Gavin knows deep down that he can trust him, and Gavin demands to know the truth about Project Blue Moon.

James admits Blue Moon is real but claims he changed his mind about going through with it after meeting Izzy and getting to know Gavin. He also claims Gavin’s family taught him Blue Moon is wrong. He didn’t take the journal or hurt Caroline.

Eve runs in and announces Silas has been shot. She doesn’t think James killed Caroline; she believes Kira is responsible for everything.

Kira’s made it into the fort uninvited and is now heading toward the gate when Gavin screams that she has Moore’s journal. Kira shoots two guards and then holds a gun to Ty’s head, threatening to shoot him. Paara has her arrow aimed at Kira as Ty begs her to stop, promising it will be okay.

Kira manages to get away in a waiting truck with Ty (and the journal).

Paara sends her scouts after them and will ask for more warriors from a nearby village. They’ll go after Ty with force.

Gavin can’t believe he’s lost his mom so soon after meeting her. Eve assures him Caroline loved him and that’s all that’s important. Eve also explains what happened with Levi and that she only briefly considered helping him. She assumed he wasn’t going through with it but was wrong. She begs Gavin not to stop trying to put his family back together.

They kiss and it looks like Gavin’s all in on trying to do just that.

Lucas joins Veronica as she’s taking care of Silas. (Sam thinks he’ll survive.) Veronica learned Silas knew Aaron and that he worked in the basement of the Tower as a computer engineer. Veronica thinks he stole Moore’s journal because Silas told her Aaron always tried to pass off other people’s work as his own.

Veronica figures out Bible verses are numbered and if you put the numbers together it reveals a longitude and latitude. The verses are a map but neither Veronica nor Lucas know what for. However, Veronica thinks it will eventually help get them home.

She’s thrilled that she finally beat Aaron.

Eve and Gavin speak with James, and he confesses he never suspected this would happen. Since Kira left with his guards, they can assume she’s now in charge of Lazarus. She’s always wanted power and sees anything outside Lazarus as a distraction.

James kept some secrets from Kira, including how to get back inside the Tower. They can do it together if Gavin and Eve trust him.

Twice Announce “Ready to Be” World Tour

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 21, 2023

K-Pop stars Twice will be embarking on their fifth world tour on April 15, 2023. Part one of the “Ready to Be” tour will kick off in Seoul and will hit cities including Sydney, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Chicago, before wrapping up in Atlanta on July 9th. The itinerary so far includes 17 shows, however, the K-Pop girl group expects to add additional stops to their schedule including more dates in North America.

The “Ready to Be” tour schedule includes performances at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium (June 10th) and New York’s MetLife Stadium (July 6th), making them the first female K-Pop group to play both venues. The group, made up of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu, is also set to be the first K-Pop act to earn the Breakthrough Artist Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards.

Their 12th EP, “Ready to Be,” will be released on March 10, 2023. Tickets for the North American dates on the world tour in support of the new EP will go on sale via Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan platform. Registration is open through Wednesday, March 8th.

Twice “Ready to Be” Tour Dates:

Saturday, April 15th – Korea / Seoul / KSPO Dome
Sunday, April 16th – Korea / Seoul / KSPO Dome
Wednesday, May 3rd – Australia / Sydney / Qudos Bank Arena
Saturday, May 6th – Australia / Melbourne / Rod Laver Arena
Saturday, May 13th – Osaka / Japan / Yanmar Stadium Nagai
Sunday, May 14th – Osaka / Japan / Yanmar Stadium Nagai
Saturday, May 20th – Tokyo / Japan / Ajinomoto Stadium
Sunday, May 21st – Tokyo / Japan / Ajinomoto Stadium
Saturday, June 10th – United States / Los Angeles / SoFi Stadium
Tuesday, June 13th – United States / Oakland / Oakland Arena
Friday, June 16th – United States / Seattle / Tacoma Dome
Wednesday, June 21st – United States / Dallas / Globe Life Field
Saturday, June 24th – United States / Houston / Toyota Center
Wednesday, June 28th – United States / Chicago / United Center
Sunday, July 2nd – Canada / Toronto / Scotiabank Arena
Thursday, July 6th – United States / New York / MetLife Stadium
Sunday, July 9th – United States / Atlanta / Truist Park

‘BMF’ Season 3 Adds 2 Chainz and Ne-Yo

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 21, 2023

2 Chainz and Ne-Yo BMF — 2 Chainz and Ne-Yo join ‘BMF’ (Photo Credits: Donte Maurice and Jimmy Fontaine / Provided by Starz)

2 Chainz and Ne-Yo have signed on to season three of Starz’s BMF in recurring roles. The official announcement included details on who the Grammy Award winners will be playing:

2 Chainz will play “Stacks,” an Atlanta-born and bred distributor whose wisdom and stature command respect wherever he goes. Fiercely loyal and determined to provide for his family no matter the cost, Stacks lives by the street code and challenges Meech’s leadership style.
NE-YO will play “Rodney ‘Greeny’ Green,” a local Atlanta player who’s all about making the bag. Filled with swagger and an entrepreneurial spirit, there’s more than meets the eye to Greeny.

Season two of the gritty drama is currently airing on Fridays at midnight via the Starz app. New episodes also air on Starz at 8pm ET/PT.

Randy Huggins is the showrunner, writer, and executive produces along with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Anthony Wilson, and Anne Clements. Heather Zuhlke is the interim showrunner and also executive produces. BMF is produced through Jackson’s G-Unit Film and Television in association with Lionsgate Television for STARZ.

The Season 2 Plot:

BMF returns for a second hit season inspired by the true story of two brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory (Demetrius Flenory, Jr.) and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory (Da’Vinchi), who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late ’80s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in the country, Black Mafia Family. “BMF” continues to humanize the choices of the brothers and their pursuit of the American Dream. Rooted in family, loyalty, and brotherhood, the series continues to explore the brothers’ complex familial relationships with their parents Charles Flenory (Russell Hornsby) and Lucille Flenory (Michole Briana White) who seek counsel from their spiritual advisor Pastor Swift (Snoop Dogg).

Rooted in authenticity and told with grit, heart, and humor, we parachute into the season with Meech and Terry at odds. Meech wants to expand the business beyond Detroit, yet Terry is no longer in the game and is focused on school and launching a legitimate car-ride service with his Pops. As the season unfolds, the streets implode and the brothers risk losing everything. We find out what happens to Meech and Terry as they both seek to become stronger than ever and strategically execute a new vision.

Along the way, they meet and form an alliance with Goldie (Oscar-winner Mo’Nique), a sophisticated Atlanta strip club owner, who helps Meech forge his future. As the brothers reflect on their wins, little do they know that their new beginnings will also be plagued with new obstacles.

CBS Renews ‘NCIS,’ ‘Survivor,’ and 7 Other Shows

By

Rebecca Murray

-

February 21, 2023

CBS has upped its renewal count to 19 after announcing nine more shows have been renewed for the 2023-2024 primetime season. The just-renewed series include NCIS and NCI: Hawaii, as well as CSI: Vegas. Reality competition shows Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Tough as Nails, along with the new game show Lingo, have been picked up for new seasons.

CBS also renewed 60 Minutes and 48 Hours for the upcoming primetime season.

“This season, CBS is continuing its winning tradition, delivering an unparalleled combination of top returning series and new hit shows that are entertaining huge audiences on both broadcast and streaming,” stated Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “It is a testament to the stellar work being done by our best-in-class talent in front of and behind the camera that we have had yet another exceptional season, and I know we will only continue to build on this foundation of outstanding programming as we look ahead toward next fall.”

Previously announced renewals include Fire Country, Young Sheldon, Ghosts, So Help Me Todd, The Equalizer, The Neighborhood, Bob Hearts Abishola, and all three FBI series.

Lingo just debuted on Wednesday, January 11, 2023 with RuPaul Charles hosting. The network offered this description of the new game show:

“Lingo is a new, supercharged adaptation of the word-twisting, fast-thinking game show. Host RuPaul Charles brings his one-of-a-kind personality to this clever, competitive, and unpredictable game where teams of two face off in fast-paced puzzle rounds to guess letters that reveal seemingly simple words. At the end of each one-hour episode, packed with witty commentary and gameplay, the two winning teams will make it through to a nerve-racking final showdown where one team will walk away with an additional big cash prize.”

‘Boston Strangler’ Debuts a Trailer and Poster Featuring Keira Knightley

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 21, 2023

20th Century Studios has unveiled the first trailer for the true crime thriller Boston Strangler starring two-time Oscar nominee Keira Knightley and Emmy nominee Carrie Coon. The drama’s based on the true story of reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole who went to extraordinary lengths to break the story of the serial killer known as the Boston Strangler.

The trailer’s release was accompanied by a new poster and photos.

Keira Knightley stars as Loretta McLaughlin and Carrie Coon (Fargo) stars as Jean Cole. Alessandro Nivola (Amsterdam) plays Detective Conley and Academy Award winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation) is Jack MacLaine. The cast also includes David Dastmalchian (Dune), Morgan Spector (Homeland), and Bill Camp (Joker).

Matt Ruskin (Crown Heights) wrote the screenplay and directed the thriller. Ridley Scott (The Martian), Kevin J. Walsh (House of Gucci), Michael Pruss (American Woman), Josey McNamara (Promising Young Woman), and Tom Ackerley (I, Tonya) served as producers, with Michael Fottrell (The Fate of the Furious) and Sam Roston executive producing.

20th Century Studios will release Boston Strangler on Hulu on March 17, 2023. A special three-part companion podcast titled Truth and Lies: The Boston Strangler hosted by acclaimed journalist and author Dick Lehr will premiere on March 1, 2023.

Boston Strangler Film — Carrie Coon as Jean Cole in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Boston Strangler’ (Photo © 2022 20th Century Studios)

The Plot:

The film follows Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, who becomes the first journalist to connect the Boston Strangler murders. As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims, Loretta attempts to continue her investigation alongside colleague and confidante Jean Cole (Coon), yet the duo finds themselves stymied by the rampant sexism of the era. Nevertheless, McLaughlin and Cole bravely pursue the story at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.

10 Best Real Life Serial Killers Movies

‘Mayfair Witches’ Episode 8 Photos, Cast, and Season Finale Plot

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 21, 2023

AMC wraps up season one of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches with episode eight, “What Rough Beast.” Episode seven was a game-changer, with Rowan not only discovering she’s pregnant but also taking back the necklace after Tessa was murdered. Expect the season finale, airing on February 26, 2023, to be explosive.

Alexandra Daddario leads the cast as Rowan Fielding. Season one also stars Jack Huston (Fargo) as Lasher, Tongayi Chirisa (Another Life) as Ciprien Grieve, and Harry Hamlin (Mad Men) as Cortland Mayfair. Beth Grant plays Carlotta, Hannah Alline is Suzanne, and Jen Richards is Jojo.

“What Rough Beast” Plot: Rowan inadvertently discovers her role in a prophecy that’s held the Mayfair family for generations. Sip’s investigation reaches its conclusion, uncovering secrets that could tarnish both Rowan’s family and his role in the Talamasca.

Mayfair Witches Episode 8 — Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding in ‘Mayfair Witches’ episode 8 (Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC)

Mayfair Witches Plot:

Based on Anne Rice’s best-selling trilogy, Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the 8-episode series focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon, Rowan (Alexandra Daddario), who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.

‘Wolf Pack’ Episode 5 Photos, Cast and “Incendiary” Plot

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 21, 2023

The task force discovers an important clue to the fire’s origin on Paramount+’s Wolf Pack season one episode five. “Incendiary” is set to premiere on February 23, 2023.

Season one stars Tyler Gray as Harlan Briggs, Chloe Robertson as Luna Briggs, Bella Shepard as Blake Navarro, and Armani Jackson as Everett Lang. Rodrigo Santoro plays Garrett Briggs and Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Kristin Ramsey. Additional season one cast members include Bailey Stender, Chase Liefeld, Hollie Bahar, Lanny Joon, Rio Mangini, Stella Smith, Zack Nelson, James Martinez, Amy Pietz, Bria Brimmer, John L. Adams, and Sean Philip Glasgow.

Teen Wolf‘s Jeff Davis writes and executive produces. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christian Taylor, Jason Ensler, and Capital Arts’ Mike Elliott and Karen Gorodetzky also executive produce.

“Incendiary” Plot: The unknown caller leads the pack to the site of an attack. To protect their friends, Everett, Blake, Luna and Harlan crash a party. Plus, the task force follows a trail to an abandoned construction site where they discover the fire’s point of origin.

Wolf Pack Episode 5 — Armani Jackson as Everett Lang, Bella Shepard as Blake Navarro, Tyler Gray as Harlan Briggs and Chloe Robertson as Luna Briggs in ‘Wolf Pack’ episode 5 (Photo: Curtis Bonds Baker / Paramount+ © 2022 MTVE)

Wolf Pack Description, Courtesy of Paramount+:

Based on the book series by Edo Van Belkom, Wolf Pack follows a teenage boy and girl whose lives are changed forever when a California wildfire awakens a terrifying supernatural creature and drives it to attack a highway traffic jam beneath the burning hills. Wounded in the chaos, the boy and girl are inexplicably drawn to each other and to two other teenagers who were adopted sixteen years earlier by a park ranger after another mysterious wildfire. As the full moon rises, all four teens come together to unravel the secret that connects them – the bite and blood of a werewolf.

BAFTA Film Awards 2023 Winners: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Earns 7 Awards

By

Rebecca Murray

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February 20, 2023

All Quiet on the Western Front went into the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards with 14 nominations, the most of any film, and emerged the year’s big winner. The brilliant adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic novel took home Best Film, Best Director (Edward Berger), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score, Sound, and Film Not in the English Language.

The Banshees of Inisherin scored four wins out of its 10 nominations, collecting acting wins for Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon as well as Outstanding British Film and Original Screenplay honors. Elvis also took home four wins including Leading Actor (Austin Butler), Casting, Costume Design, and Make Up & Hair.

Austin Butler, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, and Edward Berger earned their first BAFTA wins while Cate Blanchett picked up her fourth with her Leading Actress win for Tár.

Richard E. Grant hosted 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards which took place at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, February, 19, 1923.

2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards Nominees and Winners:

BEST FILM
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Malte Grunert
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
ELVIS Gail Berman, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Patrick McCormick, Schuyler Weiss
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang
TÁR Todd Field, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
AFTERSUN Charlotte Wells, Mark Ceryak, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski
WINNER – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
BRIAN AND CHARLES Jim Archer, Rupert Majendie, David Earl, Chris Hayward
EMPIRE OF LIGHT Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE Sophie Hyde, Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski, Katy Brand
LIVING Oliver Hermanus, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Kazuo Ishiguro
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL Matthew Warchus, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Luke Kelly, Dennis Kelly
SEE HOW THEY RUN Tom George, Gina Carter, Damian Jones, Mark Chappell
THE SWIMMERS Sally El Hosaini, Tim Bevan, Tim Cole, Eric Fellner, Ali Jaafar, Jack Thorne
THE WONDER Sebastián Lelio, Ed Guiney, Juliette Howell, Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
WINNER – AFTERSUN Charlotte Wells (Writer/Director)
BLUE JEAN Georgia Oakley (Writer/Director), Hélène Sifre (Producer)
ELECTRIC MALADY Marie Lidén (Director)
GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE Katy Brand (Writer)
REBELLION Elena Sánchez Bellot (Director) Maia Kenworthy (Director)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Edward Berger, Malte Grunert
ARGENTINA, 1985 Santiago Mitre, Victoria Alonso, Agustina Llambi Campbell, Axel Kuschevatzky, Federico Posternak
CORSAGE Marie Kreutzer, Alexander Glehr
DECISION TO LEAVE Park Chan-wook, Ko Dae-seok
THE QUIET GIRL Colm Bairéad, Cleona Ní Chrualaoi

DOCUMENTARY
ALL THAT BREATHES Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons
FIRE OF LOVE Sara Dosa, Shane Boris, Ina Fichman
MOONAGE DAYDREAM Brett Morgen
WINNER – NAVALNY Daniel Roher, Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae

ANIMATED FILM
WINNER – GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON Dean Fleisher Camp, Andrew Goldman, Elisabeth Holm, Caroline Kaplan, Paul Mezey
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH Joel Crawford, Mark Swift
TURNING RED Domee Shi, Lindsey Collins

DIRECTOR
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Edward Berger
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Martin McDonagh
DECISION TO LEAVE Park Chan-wook
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
TÁR Todd Field
THE WOMAN KING Gina Prince-Bythewood

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WINNER – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Martin McDonagh
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
THE FABELMANS Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
TÁR Todd Field
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS Ruben Östlund

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
LIVING Kazuo Ishiguro
THE QUIET GIRL Colm Bairéad
SHE SAID Rebecca Lenkiewicz
THE WHALE Samuel D. Hunter

LEADING ACTRESS
WINNER – CATE BLANCHETT Tár
VIOLA DAVIS The Woman King
DANIELLE DEADWYLER Till
ANA DE ARMAS Blonde
EMMA THOMPSON Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
MICHELLE YEOH Everything Everywhere All At Once

LEADING ACTOR
WINNER – AUSTIN BUTLER Elvis
COLIN FARRELL The Banshees of Inisherin
BRENDAN FRASER The Whale
DARYL McCORMACK Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
PAUL MESCAL Aftersun
BILL NIGHY Living

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
ANGELA BASSETT Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
HONG CHAU The Whale
WINNER – KERRY CONDON The Banshees of Inisherin
DOLLY DE LEON Triangle of Sadness
JAMIE LEE CURTIS Everything Everywhere All At Once
CAREY MULLIGAN She Said

SUPPORTING ACTOR
BRENDAN GLEESON The Banshees of Inisherin
WINNER – BARRY KEOGHAN The Banshees of Inisherin
KE HUY QUAN Everything Everywhere All At Once
EDDIE REDMAYNE The Good Nurse
ALBRECHT SCHUCH All Quiet on the Western Front
MICHEAL WARD Empire of Light

ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Volker Bertelmann
BABYLON Justin Hurwitz
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Carter Burwell
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Son Lux
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO Alexandre Desplat

CASTING
AFTERSUN Lucy Pardee
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Simone Bär
WINNER – ELVIS Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Sarah Halley Finn
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS Pauline Hansson

CINEMATOGRAPHY
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT James Friend
THE BATMAN Greig Fraser
ELVIS Mandy Walker
EMPIRE OF LIGHT Roger Deakins
TOP GUN: MAVERICK Claudio Miranda

EDITING
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Sven Budelmann
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
ELVIS Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
WINNER – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Paul Rogers
TOP GUN: MAVERICK Eddie Hamilton

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Christian M. Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper
WINNER – BABYLON Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
THE BATMAN James Chinlund, Lee Sandales
ELVIS Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO Curt Enderle, Guy Davis

COSTUME DESIGN
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Lisy Christl
AMSTERDAM J.R. Hawbaker, Albert Wolsky
BABYLON Mary Zophres
WINNER – ELVIS Catherine Martin
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS Jenny Beavan

MAKE UP & HAIR
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Heike Merker
THE BATMAN Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Zoe Tahir
WINNER – ELVIS Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulston, Shane Thomas
ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL Laura Blount, Naomi Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin
THE WHALE Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot

SOUND
WINNER – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Lars Ginzel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil, Markus Stemler
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
ELVIS Michael Keller, David Lee, Andy Nelson, Wayne Pashley
TÁR Deb Adair, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Steve Single, Roland Winke
TOP GUN: MAVERICK Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor, Mark Weingarten

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar, Viktor Müller, Frank Petzold
WINNER – AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon
THE BATMAN Russell Earl, Dan Lemmon, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Jeff Desom, Ethan Feldbau, Jonathan Kombrinck, Zak Stoltz
TOP GUN: MAVERICK Seth Hill, Scott R. Fisher, Bryan Litson, Ryan Tudhope

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
WINNER – THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy, Cara Speller, Hannah Minghella
MIDDLE WATCH John Stevenson, Aiesha Penwarden, Giles Healy
YOUR MOUNTAIN IS WAITING Hannah Jacobs, Zoe Muslim, Harriet Gillian

BRITISH SHORT FILM
THE BALLAD OF OLIVE MORRIS Alex Kayode-Kay
BAZIGAGA Jo Ingabire Moys, Stephanie Charmail
BUS GIRL Jessica Henwick, Louise Palmkvist Hansen
A DRIFTING UP Jacob Lee
WINNER – AN IRISH GOODBYE Tom Berkeley, Ross White

EE RISING STAR AWARD
AIMEE LOU WOOD
DARYL McCORMACK
WINNER – EMMA MACKEY
NAOMI ACKIE
SHEILA ATIM

‘The Company You Keep’ Episode 2 Photos, Cast, Plot, and Video

By

Rebecca Murray

-

February 20, 2023

Season one of ABC’s new primetime drama The Company You Keep continues with episode two, “A Sparkling Reputation.” Episode two will air on Sunday, February 26, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT.

The season one cast is led by Milo Ventimiglia as Charlie. Catherine Haena Kim plays Emma, William Fichtner is Leo, Tim Chiou is David, Freda Foh Shen is Grace, James Saito is Joseph, Sarah Wayne Callies is Birdie, and Felisha Terrell plays Daphne.

“A Sparkling Reputation” Plot: After Daphne sets a quick turnaround for payment, the Nicolettis devise a plan to steal a valuable necklace at an auction. Meanwhile, as Emma and Charlie are both pursuing Daphne, their worlds nearly collide.

The Company You Keep Episode 2 — Milo Ventimiglia and Polly Draper in ‘The Company You Keep’ episode 2 (ABC/Christopher Willard)

The Season 1 Plot, Courtesy of ABC:

A night of passion leads to love between con man Charlie and undercover CIA officer Emma, who are unknowingly on a collision course professionally. While Charlie ramps up the “family business” so he can get out for good, Emma’s closing in on the vengeful criminal who holds Charlie’s family debts in hand – forcing them to reckon with the lies they’ve told so they can save themselves and their families from disastrous consequences.