Starz has confirmed season seven of the critically acclaimed, incredibly popular time-traveling drama Outlander will premiere in the summer of 2023. The premiere month was revealed in a one-minute teaser trailer for the upcoming season.
A new poster for season seven reveals the tagline: “When Do You Belong?”
The season seven cast includes Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser, Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser, Sophie Skelton as Brianna MacKenzie, and Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie. John Bell returns as Ian, David Berry is back as Lord John Grey, Caitlin O’Ryan returns as Lizzie Beardsley, and Paul Gorman reprises his roles as twins Josiah and Keziah Beardsley.
Season seven newcomers include Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom, Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel Hunter, and Joey Phillips as Denzell Hunter. In October 2022, the network confirmed series favorites Graham McTavish, Nell Hudson, Lotte Verbeek, and Steven Cree will pop in during season seven.
Matthew B. Roberts, Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Toni Graphia, Luke Schelhaas, Andy Harries, Jim Kohlberg, Caitríona Balfe, and Sam Heughan serve as executive producers.
The award-winning drama is based on Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling book series, with season seven inspired by An Echo in the Bone. Author Gabaldon’s official website describes book seven of the Outlander series as focusing on four main storylines:
Jamie and Claire Fraser are now in the midst of the American Revolution;
Their daughter Brianna, her husband Roger MacKenzie, and their two children settled at Lallybroch in the 1970′s (finding their feet after their return from the past – but are unaware that that past is just about to leap out at them again);
Lord John Grey and his step-son William (Jamie’s unacknowledged illegitimate son) are embroiled in the Revolution on the British side with William in the army and Lord John on the clandestine side of intelligence; and
Jamie’s nephew Young Ian: his troubled love life is about to take another sharp left turn.
Poster for ‘Outlander’ season 7 (Photo Credit: Starz)
The cast of That ’70s Show reunites in the official trailer for Netflix’s That ’90s Show. Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon, and Wilmer Valderrama pop in as special guests, reprising their roles as Eric, Jackie, Kelso, Donna, and Fez, respectively. And, of course, Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp return to lead the cast of sequel.
The follow-up also stars Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Mace Coronel, Maxwell Donovan, Reyn Doi, and Sam Morelos.
That ’70s Show creators Bonnie and Terry Turner joined with Lindsey Turner (their daughter) and Gregg Mettler in developing the sequel. The Turners, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, showrunner Gregg Mettler, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Chrissy Pietrosh, Jessica Goldstein, and Gail Mancuso executive produce.
Gail Mancuso directed the first eight episodes, with Laura Prepon directing episodes nine and 10.
Netflix has set a January 19, 2023 premiere date for the 10-episode season.
It’s 1995 and Leia Forman is desperate for some adventure in her life or at least a best friend who isn’t her dad. When she arrives in Point Place to visit her grandparents, Red and Kitty, Leia finds what she’s looking for right next door when she meets the dynamic and rebellious Gwen.
With the help of Gwen’s friends, including her lovable brother Nate, his smart, laser-focused girlfriend Nikki, the sarcastic and insightful Ozzie, and the charming Jay, Leia realizes adventure could happen there just like it did for her parents all those years ago. Excited to reinvent herself, she convinces her parents to let her stay for the summer.
With a basement full of teens again, Kitty is happy the Forman house is now a home for a new generation and Red is, well…Red.
Kurtwood Smith as Red – A classic never goes out of style. When the new kids bring out the old Red, the spring in Red’s step puts a spring in Kitty’s too!
Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty – A whole new world opens to Kitty with the new generation and she is right at home. It has never been cooler to be Kitty.
Callie Haverda as Leia Forman – Smart like her mom, awkward like her dad, Leia is craving adventure. She’s just not quite sure where or how to start. Until she discovers a best friend in the most unlikely of places: next door to her grandparents’ house in Point Place.
Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen – Life gets more interesting for Leia when she meets this Riot Grrrl. Equal parts loyalty, rebellion and heart, Gwen is a dynamic powerhouse and the unofficial leader of the new generation of Point Place kids.
Maxwell Donovan as Nate – When you first meet Nate he seems like a big, dumb jock… but he’s actually not that athletic. Nate has a huge heart and it’s hard to tell who he loves more: his girlfriend, his best friend, or his beat-up, old van.
Mace Coronel as Jay Kelso – Jay is charming and flirty – at least, he tries. It doesn’t always come out right. He considers himself a deep thinker, nobody else does.
Reyn Doi as Ozzie – Everyone loves them some Ozzie. He’s insightful, sarcastic and has perspective beyond his years. Ozzie is gay and impatient with the world for not being as accepting as his friends.
Sam Morelos as Nikki – Nikki is focused, smart, and driven. She approaches maintaining her GPA with the same energy an MMA fighter brings to a cage match. She can truly relax when she’s with her boyfriend, Nate and his friends, even though sometimes she’s not laughing with them, she’s laughing at them.
Andrea Anders as Sherri – This single mom to Nate and Gwen is warm and breezily blunt. She rolls through life in a state of “pretty sure” – pretty sure the kids ate, pretty sure there’s gas in the car… When Leia makes friends with her kids, Sherri makes friends with Red and Kitty, and their coffee, and their couch, and their advice.
Jessica Henwick as Peg, Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc and Janelle Monáe as Andi in ‘Glass Onion’ (Photo Cr: John Wilson / NETFLIX)
Writer/director Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery sends 2022 off on a high note. Johnson leaps over the high bar he set with 2019’s Knives Out and outdoes himself with this clever, fast-paced, and incredibly fun second installment.
Everything from the mystery at its core to the ensemble cast bringing the whodunit to life is bigger, broader, and more ballsy. Johnson’s script takes razor-sharp swipes at narcissistic billionaires, and the zingers fly by so fast repeat viewings are mandatory.
The fictional tech billionaire roasting on Johnson’s skewer is Miles Bron (three-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton), head of the massive Alpha corporation which apparently has its tentacles in all sorts of industries. Bron invites his nearest and dearest friends – a group he’s dubbed his “beautiful disrupters” – to his private Greek island estate for a murder mystery party.
A weirder, more eclectic group of friends would be difficult to find. Birdie Jay (Oscar-nominee Kate Hudson) is on the downside of fame as an influencer/model/fashion designer after being canceled for offensive social media postings. Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) is a men’s rights activist…okay…and wannabe YouTube star whose gorgeous girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) is the brains of the operation. Connecticut Governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) is attempting to keep the door to her closet full of skeletons closed while engaged in a competitive Senate campaign. And Lionel Toussaint (two-time Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr.) is an actual rocket scientist forced to act on Miles’ wacky suggestions.
The odd-women out are Peg (Jessica Henwick), Birdie’s long-suffering assistant, and Mile’s ex-business partner, Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe, the standout of the ensemble), the very epitome of cool, calm, and collected. However, looks can be deceiving and Andi’s anything but cool on the inside. The acrimonious dissolution of Miles and Andi’s working relationship has driven a wedge between the disrupters, and her presence sets the group on edge.
Each of Miles’ disrupters received a puzzle box containing an invitation to the reunion party. One is also delivered to detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who, although confused as to why Bron would invite him, jumps at the opportunity.
Benoit isn’t the only one confused by his invitation. It’s quickly revealed Miles didn’t send a box to Benoit’s abode. It’s only because Benoit’s famous – and tech bros like to hang with the famous – that Benoit is allowed to stay and participate in what Miles believes is an incredibly complicated, difficult-to-solve murder mystery.
Unfortunately for Miles, Benoit ruins the game before dinner’s even finished. Fortunately for the audience, the end of Miles’ game is just the start of the real murder mystery.
Each of Miles’ invited guests has a legitimate reason to want the egotistical billionaire dead. But Agatha Christie would be proud of Rian Johnson’s well-crafted twists and turns, and whatever you expect from that setup isn’t what Johnson dishes up. There’s one dizzying, tantalizing twist after another, and Johnson’s juggling of oodles of narrative threads without cheating is a major accomplishment.
Everything that made Knives Out such an entertaining romp is incorporated into Glass Onion and then improved upon. There’s so much to love about Glass Onion, not the least of which is watching Daniel Craig fully embrace this wildly entertaining character and listening to him wrap his tongue around Benoit’s unique Southern drawl.
Johnson asked a lot of his cast, and to a person, they threw themselves into these gloriously over-the-top characters. I’d be shocked if there was a single piece of scenery left standing at the end of filming, and I mean that as a compliment. The more outrageous the better when it comes to Glass Onion’s ensemble.
So, who did it? Rian Johnson, twice, and we can hope his Knives Out franchise sticks around for many more installments. Johnson’s an incredible storyteller and peeling back the layers of his Knives Out whodunits is an absolute pleasure.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language, drug content, some violence, and sexual material
Running Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Release Date: November 23, 2022 in theaters, December 23, 2022 on Netflix
Antonio Cipriano, Zuri Reed, Lisette Olivera, and Jake Austin Walker in ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ episode 3 (Disney/Brian Roedel)
Disney+’s National Treasure: Edge of History episode two ended with a very shocked and confused Jess (Lisette Olivera) learning her mother was the author of an unpublished academic paper that provided Liam’s (Jake Austin Walker) dad with information on rare artifacts. Episode three opens with Jess confirming she now believes her mom knew about the treasure.
Jess, Tasha (Zuri Reed), and the gang’s newest member, Liam, show up at Ethan’s place to use Oren’s (Antonio Cipriano) old camcorder. They watch a tape and Jess acts as interpreter, explaining her mom is delivering a lecture about women fleeing as war broke out. They brought with them sacred objects so their history would be preserved.
One brave woman, Malinche, risked her life to save the treasure from the Conquistadors. Her name was dragged through the mud for what others perceived as helping Cortes, but she was actually keeping an eye on the Conquistadors while her underground alliance of women smuggled the treasure away.
Tasha points out that all the women in the drawings are wearing the same necklace as Jess. Jess has a quick flashback to Peter Sadusky telling her the necklace is a secret oath.
The tape continues, and Jess’s mom explains the women created a treasure map and broke it into three pieces.
Jess’s mom’s lecture is disrupted by a man who claims everything in her dissertation is a fantasy. The three tribes that had the maps never associated with each other, and Malinche wasn’t a hero; she was a traitor.
Jess is once again shocked when her father appears on the video, adamantly defending her mother and saying he and her mother will prove it’s real by finding the treasure.
Jess needs a moment to collect herself after seeing her father in the video. Liam, too, has a moment and comes to the realization that their families weren’t crazy; the treasure is real.
Ethan (Jordan Rodrigues) shows up during the Scooby gang’s meeting and questions Jess. He thought she was done with this treasure stuff. (He’s wrong.)
Over at the FBI, Agent Ross (Lyndon Smith) receives a call from the coroner’s office which verifies she went against her boss’s orders and asked for a toxicology report on Peter Sadusky. As Agent Ross hurriedly gets off the phone, her boss stops by and delivers a pep talk about wanting her to be eager and assuring her that he believes in her.
After going over everything with Ethan, he becomes the newest member of the treasure-hunting group.
They meet up in Peter’s secret room and Oren geeks out over the artifacts, realizing Liam’s granddad is the redacted FBI agent referenced in Riley Poole’s podcast. Liam says his dad had one of the relics but died in a diving accident a few days later. No one knows where the relic is, but there was a clue that his dad and grandpa couldn’t figure out: “A message was passed to Sun King born to Peace.”
Jess and Ethan bounce ideas off each other and come up with King Louis and the Louisiana territory. And Tasha finds a note to beware of someone named Salazar.
Liam disagrees with the King Louis thing; he thinks it’s a different kind of king – Elvis. Elvis had a label called Sun Records and Oren chimes in that Elvis was a Freemason. They explore this theory and figure out Elvis’s great-great-great-grandmother was Cherokee. Her name was Morning Dove White, and that’s why “Peace” was capitalized in the quote. (Dove is a sign of peace.)
More and more clues seem to be pointing to Elvis. They realize they need to go to Graceland, break into a hidden room that Oren knows about, and retrieve a secret guitar that no one knows about.
One of Billie’s minions, Kacey (Breeda Wool), goes over Jess’s history with her boss. Another of Billie’s associates, Nate (Patrick Brennan), is about to open the relic they took from Jess when Billie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) realizes the clues with the map are on the inside of it, not the outside. She has someone bring her another relic now that she knows what to do with them.
Meanwhile, the coroner questions Agent Ross about investigating the death of a decorated FBI agent. She comes clean about how her boss wanted her to cancel the toxicology report. The coroner reveals much of the report is inconclusive. There were a lot of unknown substances in his system. And in a bizarre twist, Peter’s hand was stained orange as though he was clutching something.
Billie and her team seem to think that because they have two-thirds of the map, it will lead them to the other relic. Billie’s certain it’s in Mexico.
Zuri Reed and Lisette Olivera in ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ episode 3 (Disney/Brian Roedel)
As Jess and her friends go over their plan to steal Elvis’s guitar, Oren’s busy freaking out. He believes they’re being followed and thinks it could be Salazar. It turns out he’s wrong and they make it into Graceland. Once there, Oren releases moths that get inside a display case, and Liam and Ethan show up posing as exterminators.
Graceland’s head of security asks Liam and Ethan to split up to check for moths anywhere else on the property. Ethan is led to the secret underground room and the head of security informs him he’ll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement before he leaves.
Ethan spots the guitar with the dove on it.
When the real exterminator shows up, Oren is given the task of stalling him.
Ethan shares photos of the guitar and Jess realizes they have to go back in when she spots Elvis’s gold record of “La Paloma.” Aside from the fact the name translates to “the dove,” what catches her eye is that song never went gold. Why would a gold record of it be hanging on the wall?
Jess and Liam head in, but Jess is momentarily stymied when she doesn’t know the code for the access panel. Ethan says he couldn’t see what the man entered to get in, and Liam helps out by borrowing a man’s guitar and singing an Elvis song, drawing attention to himself.
Jess manages to enter the secret room and plays the record that was hanging on the wall.
Unfortunately, Liam’s plan isn’t working and the head of security is on his way down in the elevator. A suspenseful moment passes when he examines the room and notices the record on the wall is crooked. However, he’s drawn back to Liam who’s now causing a scene to allow time for Jess to get out safely.
Tasha successfully wipes the security footage.
Jess plays them what she recorded, and it sounds like distorted voices. Liam thinks they can mess with some music software to try to clean it up.
Billie and her team are in a cave in Iztaccihuatl, Mexico, where she finds drawings of Incan, Aztec, and Mayan symbols on the walls. As Nate’s trying to fix the drone they’re using, Billie realizes this is a trap. She’s too late and Nate plummets to his death.
Ethan shows up at the bar to talk to Liam, hoping he understands they all have to be careful with Jess and not let her break the law. Liam reminds him that Jess let herself into Graceland. “How about I do me and you do you?” isn’t something Ethan wants to hear from Liam, and it seems to upset him. After Liam tells Ethan if he can’t handle it maybe he should bail out, Ethan blurts out that Jess is undocumented which catches Liam by surprise.
Ethan, visibly upset, shows up at Jess’s place and tells her what he did. She brushes it off like it’s not a big deal.
Jess goes to see Liam and tells him she knows what Ethan told him. He is her oldest friend, but she wishes he hadn’t done that. Liam admits if he knew that, he wouldn’t have let her go inside Graceland. Jess confesses that’s exactly why she doesn’t like to tell people right away.
Jess thought she knew all there was to know about her family, but now knows she was wrong. She believes the only thing that can help her figure out her family is finding the treasure.
Liam’s able to clean up the voices on the recording and it’s Elvis Presley claiming to have a message from Miss Morning Dove White: “The twin-tongued serpent’s tail is revealed in fair weather by the bend in the new found land.”
Kacey suggests to a sulking Billie that maybe there isn’t any treasure. Maybe the Daughters of the Plumed Serpent put these clues out there to keep the Conquistadors busy. After quoting Nelson Mandela, they raise a glass to Nate. Just then Billie receives an alert on her phone. She listens to the recording of Elvis…the same one Jess and Liam just heard.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star in ‘The Last of Us’ (Photograph by Courtesy of HBO)
The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey star in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Last of Us, premiering on HBO Max on January 15, 2023. The streaming service’s January lineup also includes the new adult animated series Velma which delves into the backstory of Scooby-Doo’s Velma Dinkley. And Aquaman‘s Jason Momoa hosts the competition series The Climb featuring amateur climbers battling for a $100,000 cash prize.
HBO Max will also be debuting live sports beginning with coverage of the U.S. Women’s National Team vs. New Zealand soccer match on January 17th. In With the Old returns for its third season on January 11th and Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? is back for a second season starring January 6th.
SERIES & FILMS ARRIVING ON HBO MAX IN JANUARY 2023:
January 1:
20 Feet From Stardom, 2013 (HBO)
American Hustle, 2013
American Ultra, 2015 (HBO)
At Middleton, 2013 (HBO)
Back to School, 1986 (HBO)
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, 2022
Black Butterfly, 2017 (HBO)
Captain Phillips, 2013 (HBO)
Catch a Fire, 2006 (HBO)
Child’s Play, 2019 (HBO)
Cold Pursuit, 2019 (HBO)
Cops and Robbersons, 1994 (HBO)
Coup de torchon, 1981
Crocodile Dundee, 1986 (HBO)
Crocodile Dundee II, 1988 (HBO)
Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles, 2001 (HBO)
Cruising, 1980 (HBO)
Death Warrant, 1990 (HBO)
Dim Sum Funeral, 2008 (HBO)
Dom Hemingway, 2013 (HBO)
Every Secret Thing, 2014 (HBO)
Extortion, 2017 (HBO)
Fool’s Gold, 2008 (HBO)
Flashpoint, 2007 (HBO)
From Here to Eternity, 1953
Gemini, 2017 (HBO)
Geronimo: An American Legend, 1993
Ghostbusters, 1984
Ghostbusters II, 1989
Hereditary, 2018 (HBO)
Hoodlum, 1997 (HBO)
Insidious: Chapter 2, 2013
Jennifer Eight, 1992 (HBO)
John Wick, 2014
John Wick: Chapter 2, 2017
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, 2019
Jumping the Broom, 2011
Jury Duty, 1995 (HBO)
Kill The Irishman, 2011 (HBO)
Kusama: Infinity, 2018 (HBO)
Law Abiding Citizen, 2009 (HBO)
Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
Line of Duty, 2019 (HBO)
Marley & Me, 2008 (HBO)
Matilda, 1996
Nine, 2009 (HBO)
Oasis: Supersonic, 2016 (HBO)
Our Idiot Brother, 2011
Piranha 3D, 2010 (HBO)
Piranha 3DD, 2012 (HBO)
Planet 51, 2009
Precious Cargo, 2016 (HBO)
Quartet, 2012 (HBO)
Regression, 2015 (HBO)
Rememory, 2017 (HBO)
Sarah’s Key, 2010 (HBO)
Skate Kitchen, 2018 (HBO)
Stephen King’s Graveyard Shift, 1990 (HBO)
Stephen King’s Silver Bullet, 1985 (HBO)
Support the Girls, 2018 (HBO)
Teen Wolf, 1985 (HBO)
Teen Wolf Too, 1987 (HBO)
The Artist, 2011 (HBO)
The Book of Life, 2014 (HBO)
The Brink, 2019 (HBO)
The Cabin in the Woods, 2012 (HBO)
The Company Men, 2010 (HBO)
The Cookout, 2004
The Crying Game, 1992 (HBO)
The Guilty, 2021 (HBO)
The Haunting, 1999 (HBO)
The Homesman, 2014 (HBO)
The Hunter, 2011 (HBO)
The Iron Lady, 2011 (HBO)
The Last Face, 2016 (HBO)
The Lobster, 2015 (HBO)
The Master, 2012 (HBO)
The Perfect Score, 2004 (HBO)
The Promise, 2016 (HBO)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, 1974 (HBO)
The Unborn, 2009 (HBO)
The Whole Ten Yards, 2004 (HBO)
This Boy’s Life, 1993 (HBO)
This One’s For The Ladies, 2018 (HBO)
Urge, 2016 (HBO)
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, 2016 (HBO)
Vendetta, 2022 (HBO)
When We Were Kings, 1996
White Chicks, 2004 (HBO)
Wild Rose, 2018 (HBO)
Woman at War, 2018 (HBO)
Zero Dark Thirty, 2012
January 3:
The Menu, 2022 (HBO)
January 6:
DC’s Stargirl, Season 3
The Nun, 2018 (HBO)
Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, Season 2
January 8:
We Baby Bears, Season 1F
January 10:
Horrible Bosses 2, 2014 (HBO)
January 11:
In with the Old, Season 3
Poster for ‘The Climb’ competition series (Photograph by Courtesy of HBO Max)
January 12:
Blended, 2014 (HBO)
The Climb, Max Original Series Premiere
Velma, Max Original Series Premiere
January 13:
The Big Soirée (El Gran Sarao), Max Original Premiere
I Don’t Like Driving w/t (No Me Gusta Conducir), Max Original Premiere
January 15:
The Last of Us, Series Premiere (HBO)
January 17:
Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons
Sesame Street Mecha Builders, Season 1E
USWNT @ New Zealand #1, Live Sports
January 20:
Game Theory with Bomani Jones, Season 2 Premiere (HBO)
Real Time with Bill Maher, Season 21 Premiere (HBO)
The Cabin Chronicles, Season 3
USWNT @ New Zealand #2, Live Sports
A scene from ‘Fire of Love’ (Credit: National Geographic Documentary Films / Neon)
The list of potential 95th Oscars nominees has narrowed, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing shortlists in select categories. The field has been reduced in 10 categories including Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects.
Nominees for the 2023 Oscars will be announced bright and early on Tuesday, January 24th. The 95th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 12th in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel has been tapped to host the ceremony airing live on ABC.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
144 films were eligible in the category and 15 remain in competition. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“All That Breathes”
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
“Bad Axe”
“Children of the Mist”
“Descendant”
“Fire of Love”
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song”
“Hidden Letters”
“A House Made of Splinters” “The Janes”
“Last Flight Home”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Navalny”
“Retrograde”
“The Territory”
Surprisingly, neither Good Night Oppy nor Wildcat made the cut.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
98 films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton”
“Anastasia”
“Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison”
“As Far as They Can Run”
“The Elephant Whisperers”
“The Flagmakers”
“Happiness Is £4 Million”
“Haulout”
“Holding Moses”
“How Do You Measure a Year?”
“The Martha Mitchell Effect”
“Nuisance Bear”
“Shut Up and Paint”
“Stranger at the Gate”
“38 at the Garden”
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Films from 92 countries and regions were eligible in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Argentina, “Argentina, 1985”
Austria, “Corsage”
Belgium, “Close”
Cambodia, “Return to Seoul”
Denmark, “Holy Spider”
France, “Saint Omer”
Germany, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
India, “Last Film Show”
Ireland, “The Quiet Girl”
Mexico, “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
Morocco, “The Blue Caftan”
Pakistan, “Joyland”
Poland, “EO”
South Korea, “Decision to Leave”
Sweden, “Cairo Conspiracy”
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Sunday, January 15, 2023. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
147 scores were submitted and 15 were chosen. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“All Quiet on the Western Front” “Avatar: The Way of Water”
“Babylon”
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Devotion”
“Don’t Worry Darling”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“The Fabelmans”
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Nope”
“She Said” “The Woman King”
“Women Talking”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
15 songs advance out of 81 that were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“Time” from “Amsterdam”
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from “Avatar: The Way of Water”
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Til You’re Home” from “A Man Called Otto”
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
“My Mind & Me” from “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me”
“Good Afternoon” from “Spirited”
“Applause” from “Tell It like a Woman”
“Stand Up” from “Till”
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”
“Dust & Ash” from “The Voice of Dust and Ash”
“Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing”
“New Body Rhumba” from “White Noise”
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
81 films qualified in the Animated Short Film category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“Black Slide”
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
“The Debutante”
“The Flying Sailor”
“The Garbage Man”
“Ice Merchants”
“It’s Nice in Here”
“More than I Want to Remember”
“My Year of Dicks”
“New Moon”
“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”
“Passenger”
“Save Ralph”
“Sierra”
“Steakhouse”
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
200 films qualified in the category. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation, Directors, Producers and Writers Branches vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“All in Favor”
“Almost Home”
“An Irish Goodbye”
“Ivalu”
“Le Pupille”
“The Lone Wolf”
“Nakam”
“Night Ride”
“Plastic Killer”
“The Red Suitcase”
“The Right Words”
“Sideral”
“The Treatment”
“Tula”
“Warsha”
SOUND
10 films will advance in the Sound category for the 95th Academy Awards. All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 12, 2023, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by New York, London and Los Angeles. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”
“Babylon”
“The Batman”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” “Elvis”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Top Gun: Maverick”
VISUAL EFFECTS
10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 95th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 14, 2023. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”
“The Batman”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
“Jurassic World Dominion”
“Nope”
“Thirteen Lives” “Top Gun: Maverick”
It’s stunning to see Doctor Strange and Jurassic World capturing spots but no love from the Academy for either RRR or Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The much-anticipated Luther film starring Idris Elba has an official title: Luther: The Fallen Sun. Netflix just announced the title and released three new photos from the upcoming feature film which is described as “a continuation of the award-winning television saga.”
Luther premiered in 2010 and earned 11 Primetime Emmy nominations over its five-season run. In addition, Elba won Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice awards, as well as two Image Awards (NAACP) for his lead performance as detective John Luther.
Luther: The Fallen Sun stars Elba, Dermot Crowley reprising his role as Martin Schenk, two-time Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), and Emmy nominee Andy Serkis (Little Dorrit).
Emmy nominee Jamie Payne (The Alienist) directs from a screenplay by Luther series creator Neil Cross. Elba, Cross, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and David Ready produce, with Dan Finlay, Brendan Ferguson, Miki Emmerich, Kris Thykier, and Priscilla Parish executive producing.
The Luther: The Fallen Sun Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
In Luther: The Fallen Sun a gruesome serial killer is terrorizing London while brilliant but disgraced detective John Luther (Elba) sits behind bars. Haunted by his failure to capture the cyber psychopath who now taunts him, Luther decides to break out of prison to finish the job by any means necessary.
Paranormal investigators Amy Bruni and Adam Berry in ‘Kindred Spirits’ season 7 (Photo Credit: discovery+)
Season seven of Travel Channel and discovery+’s Kindred Spirits will find paranormal investigators Amy Bruni and Adam Berry investigating a former poorhouse in Pennsylvania, a haunted library in Rhode Island, and the haunted town of Palmyra, New York. The new 10-episode season will kick off on January 20, 2023, with new episodes airing on Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.
Bruni and Berry will once again be joined by psychic medium Chip Coffey as they attempt to help people who are experiencing terrifying paranormal activity.
SEASON 7 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS:
SEASON PREMIERE: “Broken Spirits” – Premieres Friday, January 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
In the season premiere, the investigators travel to Greene County Historical Society and Museum, a former poorhouse in Pennsylvania. For nearly 100 years, the institution was said to be a safe haven for the impoverished and disenfranchised. But, in reality, it was run more like an asylum.
In the 1890s, a cruel and sadistic overseer named William B. Cage took over the institution. He was known to beat the inmates and he was even accused of chaining individuals in the basement rooms where he allowed them to starve as punishment for minor infractions. Interestingly, all of the inmates who made these reports disappeared from the records. Were they sent away, did they move or were they permanently silenced by Cage is uncertain.
When the knowledge became public, Cage was removed. In 1968, the facility reopened and became a cultural center. Today, employees and guests report unexplained footsteps and many have witnessed full-bodied apparitions. Does William Cage or troubled inmates still walk the halls? Bruni, Berry and Coffey investigate multiple locations on the site, including the basement where shackles can still be seen, in hopes of resolving the pains of the past.
Episode 2 “What Lies Below” – Premieres Friday, January 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey are called to the haunted town of Palmyra, New York, to investigate aggressive paranormal activity at a museum. Has a recent fire triggered a family of spirits? Or is the ghost of a barbaric doctor behind the haunting?
Episode 3 “Beware the Occult” – Premieres Friday, February 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey undertake a case of biblical proportions when a distressed widow calls for help after an explosion of paranormal activity in her home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Are spirits attached to an old family bible, or is her late husband to blame for the haunting?
Episode 4 “Ghost Ships” – Premieres Friday, February 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey investigate a freighter that once sailed the Great Lakes and now serves as a floating museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Something lurks onboard the massive ship, and it’s becoming more aggressive. Could the ghostly activity be tied to artifacts from one of the worst shipwrecks in American history?
Episode 5 “The Angry Ghost” – Premieres Friday, February 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey answer a desperate family’s plea for help in Albion, New York. Dark apparitions are showing extreme aggression in their home, scratching and attacking all who live there. Can the team get to the bottom of who is haunting the house?
Episode 6 “Ghost Wars” – Premieres Friday, February 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey go to Providence, Rhode Island, to investigate a haunted library that began displaying paranormal activity decades ago. Books fly from shelves, objects launch off desks and names are called out in the night. The spirits seem angry, but why?
Episode 7 “Living With the Dead” – Premieres Friday, March 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey rush to Raynham, Massachusetts, to help a family in need. An aggressive spirit lives in their home and will not leave them alone. The haunting is so bad that they’ve sealed off part of the house to contain it. Can the team find answers before it’s too late?
Episode 8 “Shadow in the Night” – Premieres Friday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey help a mother and her children who are haunted by a terrifying shadow figure. The family fears it might have entered their home in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, through a portal, but could the entity be tied to a nearby penitentiary? The team is determined to find out.
Episode 9 “The Undertaker’s Return” – Premieres Friday, March 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey embark on a horrifying case in world-famous Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They investigate a home haunted by an eerie shrouded figure that seems to have an obsession with the caretaker. Who is this spirit? And is the caretaker safe?
Episode 10 “The Country Club Murders” – Premieres Friday, March 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel and Streaming on discovery+
Bruni, Berry, and Coffey visit a country club in Beckley, West Virginia, notorious for an unsolved double homicide on a secluded lovers’ lane. Do the murdered lovebirds now haunt the halls of this grand establishment? Or is there something more sinister at play?
NBC’s New Amsterdam will return on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT with the first of the final three episodes of the series. Season five episode 11, “Falling,” finds Max conflicted about what to do when Helen (Freema Agyeman) texts him out of the blue and wants to meet up.
Season five cast members include Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin, Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom, Jocko Sims as Dr. Floyd Reynolds, and Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome. Sandra Mae Frank returns as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder and has been upped to series regular for the final season. Conner Marx guest stars as Ben Meyer.
“Falling” Plot: When Helen unexpectedly returns to New York, Max escapes to the wilderness on a corporate retreat with Bloom, Dr. Wilder, and Iggy. Fun soon turns into catastrophe that threatens a life. Reynolds agrees to perform a risky surgery on a medical school colleague’s young son only to be faced with unexpected challenges outside his control.
Sandra Mae Frank as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder and Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in ‘New Amsterdam’ season 5 episode 11 (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)
Season 5 Description, Courtesy of NBC:
After a tumultuous year in which the leadership of New Amsterdam underwent a dramatic change, the idealistic and beloved Max Goodwin is back at the helm.
As Max takes back the reins at New York City’s busiest public hospital, he must first address his own personal life, which was thrown into uncertainty at the conclusion of season four. Max and the team will forge ahead with optimism and a renewed commitment to their own lives – reaching for more joy and forging deeper connections with the people they love.
Dr. Bloom will continue to navigate her own personal journey, including a complicated relationship with her estranged sister, Vanessa. Dr. Frome will tackle the mess he has made of his marriage to Martin. And, after a year full of significant family developments, Dr. Reynolds will continue to sort out the relationship with his long-lost father, Horace.
Finally, Dr. Elizabeth Wilder, who joined the staff last year, will continue to build on her firm foundation as a critical member of the New Amsterdam team and a vital friend and confidante.
Tyler Labine as Dr. Iggy Frome and Max Malas as Kid in season 5 episode 11 (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom and Sandra Mae Frank as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder in season 5 episode 11 (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom and Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in the “Falling” episode (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin and Janet Montgomery as Dr. Lauren Bloom in season 5 episode 11 (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)Toya Turner as Gabrielle and Jocko Sims as Dr. Floyd Reynolds in season 5 episode 11 (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)Rob McClure as Dave August and Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin in season 5 episode 11 (Photo by: Francisco Roman/NBC)
The new drama Will Trent is joining ABC’s primetime lineup on January 3, 2023, airing in the 10pm time slot following new episodes of The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds. The series is based on Karin Slaughter’s bestselling book series and stars Ramón Rodríguez (The Affair) as the titular character.
The season one cast also includes Erika Christensen (Ten Days in the Valley) as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson (This Is Us) as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin (Quantico) as Michael Ormewood, and Sonja Sohn (The Chi) as Amanda Wagner.
Liz Heldens, Daniel Thomsen, Karin Slaughter, and Oly Obst serve as executive producers.
“Pilot” Plot: When a murder investigation reveals there’s more to the story than meets the eye, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) relies on his keen instincts and unique experience to uncover the truth. Along the way, he also reunites with a part of his past that helped shape him into the agent he is now.
Sonja Sohn and Ramon Rodriguez in ‘Will Trent’ season 1 episode 1 (ABC/Kim Simms)
Will Trent Synopsis:
Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was abandoned at birth and endured a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta’s overwhelmed foster care system. But now, determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was, Will Trent has the highest clearance rate in the GBI.
Iantha Richardson and Sonja Sohn in episode 1 (ABC/Kim Simms)Jake McLaughlin and Erika Christensen in the pilot episode (ABC/Kim Simms)Jake McLaughlin in episode 1 (ABC/Kim Simms)Sonja Sohn, Ramon Rodriguez, and Danny Burstein in episode 1 (ABC/Kim Simms)Iantha Richardson and Jennifer Morrison in episode 1 (ABC/Kim Simms)Ramon Rodriguez in the pilot episode (ABC/Kim Simms)
