‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 31 Sets a Special “Elvis Night”

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September 21, 2022

Dancing with the Stars Season 31 Poster — Poster for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 31 (Photo Courtesy of Disney+)

The 15 remaining Dancing with the Stars couples will be dancing to “Burning Love,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Heartbreak Hotel” – among other classic Elvis hits – on the September 25, 2022 episode. Season 31 of the dancing competition marks the first season to air on Disney+ and the first show to ever air episodes live on the streaming service.

Episodes premiere each Monday at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Voting is open during each episode’s livestream at disneyplus.com/vote.

Disney+ released the following details of the special “Elvis Night” episode:

The professional dancers will kick off “Elvis Night” with a high-energy performance to “Also Sprach Zarathustra” / “Don’t Be Cruel” choreographed by Jemel McWilliams. The evening will be split into three chronological acts, each exploring a different period of Elvis’s career: from his early days in rock music, through his Hollywood era on the big screen, and ending with his triumph in Vegas.

The couples (along with their dance styles and songs) are the following:

• Fitness model and actor Joseph Baena and pro Daniella Karagach will perform a Viennese Waltz to “If I Can Dream” by Elvis Presley
• Movie star Selma Blair and pro Sasha Farber will perform a Jive to “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley
• Actor and singer Wayne Brady and pro Witney Carson will perform a Jive to “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley
• Good Morning America contributor and WABC-TV New York’s weather anchor Sam Champion, and pro Cheryl Burke will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley
• TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and pro Mark Ballas will perform a Quickstep to “Bossa Nova Baby” by Elvis Presley
• Heidi D’Amelio (“The D’Amelio Show”) and pro Artem Chigvintsev will perform a Foxtrot to “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley
• Country star Jessie James Decker and pro Alan Bersten will perform a Foxtrot to “Trouble” by Elvis Presley
• TV star Trevor Donovan and pro Emma Slater will perform a Rumba to “Always On My Mind” by Elvis Presley
• Daniel Durant (Oscar®-winning CODA) and pro Britt Stewart will perform a Jive to “King Creole” by Elvis Presley.
• Teresa Giudice (The Real Housewives of New Jersey) and pro Pasha Pashkov will perform a Jive to “All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley.
• Vinny Guadagnino (Jersey Shore) and pro Koko Iwasaki will perform a Quickstep to “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley.
• Charlie’s Angels star Cheryl Ladd and pro Louis van Amstel will perform a Tango to “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley.
• Drag queen superstar Shangela and pro Gleb Savchenko will perform a Quickstep to “Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Elvis Presley.
• Platinum recording artist Jordin Sparks and pro Brandon Armstrong will perform a Quickstep to “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley.
• Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette) and pro Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Can’t Help Falling In Love” by Elvis Presley.

‘Nailed It!’ Season 7 Trailer: Halloween Theme Leads to Terrifying Treats

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Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

Season seven of Netflix’s addictive baking series Nailed It! has a Halloween theme, with home bakers cooking up some truly bizarre and actually a little scary creations that are meant to resemble Halloween treats. The Halloween-centric season shows off its culinary “delights” on October 5, 2022.

The unscripted cooking competition series’ seventh season consists of four 45-minute episodes hosted by Nicole Byer. Byer also serves as a judge along with series regular Jacques Torres.

Netflix offers this description of the new season: “The Emmy-nominated series is back with a season full of tricks and treats as we celebrate Halloween. Featuring ghoulish surprises from some favorite Netflix shows – The Umbrella Academy, Cobra Kai, and The Witcher, the desserts are intentionally scary this time!”

Nailed It Halloween — ‘Nailed It’ Halloween’ (Photo © 2022 Netflix, Inc.)

Nailed It! season seven’s official trailer release included details on a mobile app inspired by the popular series that will be available on October 4th. The mobile game invites Nailed It! fans to recreate their own cakes based on the game’s edible treats.

The mobile game features:
• Mini-game madness: Play sequences of rapid-fire mini-games to bake, paint and garnish your way through a wide selection of internationally themed cakes.
• Classic multiplayer mode: Compete with friends to re-create edible masterpieces under time pressure, just like the show’s contestants do.
• Earn and use distractions to make your competitors’ bakes even more challenging.
• Single-player backstage baking mode: Want to hone your baking skills at your own pace? Let Jacques take you on a confectionary world tour and create cakes without time pressure in single-player mode.

‘FBI: Most Wanted’ Season 4 Episode 2: Photos, Cast and Plot Details

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Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted welcomes Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon on season four episode two. Directed by Ken Girotti from a script by David Hudgins, episode two – “Taxman” – will air on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT.

In addition to newcomer Edwin Hodge, season four stars Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, Alexa Davalos as Special Agent Kristin Gaines, Roxy Sternberg as Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, and Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson. Rebecca Brooksher recurs as Claire Scott and Catherine Wolf recurs as Betsy Scott.

“Taxman” Plot: Rookie agent Ray Cannon (Hodge) joins the Fugitive Task Force as they hunt down a mysterious killer targeting IRS offices. The episode’s guest stars include Dani Deetté, Emma McNulty, Thomas Michael Allen, Rachel Leslie, and Steve Routman.

FBI Most Wanted Season 4 Episode 2 — Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, Keisha Castle-Hughes as Special Agent Hana Gibson, and Edwin Hodge as Special Agent Ray Cannon in ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ season 4 episode 2 (Photo: Mark Schafer © 2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

The FBI: Most Wanted Plot, Courtesy of CBS:

FBI: Most Wanted is a high-stakes drama that focuses on the Fugitive Task Force, an elite unit that relentlessly pursues and captures the notorious criminals on the Bureau’s Most Wanted list. The team’s charming but formidable new leader is Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott, who started his career in the New York FBI field office before rising through the ranks of the Bureau in Philadelphia and Las Vegas.

The team includes: Special Agent Sheryll Barnes, a former NYPD detective and forensics expert who is raising two young children with her wife; Special Agent Hana Gibson, a gifted millennial computer whiz with a sharp wit and mad hacking skills; Special Agent Kristin Gaines, a Navy veteran who became a star in the FBI’s Miami Field Office as a result of her dogged pursuit of cold cases; and their newest member, former New Orleans cop-turned-junior detective Ray Cannon, who was recently working Violent Crimes in Albany after following in his retired FBI agent father’s footsteps and graduating at the top of his class at Quantico last year.

Always in the field and always on the run, FBI: Most Wanted is a weekly adrenaline shot about the thrill of the chase.

Gerard Butler’s ‘Kandahar’ Picked Up by Open Road Films

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Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

Kandahar star Gerard Butler — Gerard Butler stars in ‘Kandahar’ (Photo Courtesy of Open Road Films)

Open Road Films has acquired the North American rights to the action film Kandahar starring Gerard Butler. The thriller reunites Butler with his Greenland and Angel Has Fallen director Ric Roman Waugh. The duo are also in pre-production on the Greenland follow-up, Greenland: Migration.

“What made Mitch LaFortune’s visceral script so compelling and unique for me is its authenticity and how he humanizes not just our heroes, but all the characters portrayed in a region that’s been locked in a perpetual cycle of violence,” said director Ric Roman Waugh.

In addition to Gerard Butler, the cast includes Navid Negahban (Homeland), Ali Fazal (Death on the Nile), Travis Fimmel (Vikings), and Bollywood star Elnaaz Norouzi (Hello, Charlie!).

Commenting on the acquisition, Open Road Films’ Tom Ortenberg stated, “Kandahar is an adrenaline ride made for the big screen. Gerry, Ric, the G-BASE team, and Thunder Road have outdone themselves with this pulse-pounding actioner that our team is looking forward to bringing to audiences everywhere.”

Mitchell LaFortune co-wrote the screenplay with Waugh, based on LaFortune’s time serving as a military intelligence officer in the Snowden leak era. Scott LaStaiti, MBC Studios’ Ali Jaafar, Capstone’s Christian Mercuri, and Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Brendon Boyea produce. G-BASE’s Gerard Butler and Alan Siegel also produce, with James Masciello, Matthew Sidari, Tom Ortenberg, David Haring, Ruzanna Kegeyan, Andrea Dimity, Jonathan Fuhrman, Peter Smith, and Sam Barnett executive producing.

Shot in the AlUla region of Saudi Arabia, Kandahar features Gerard Butler playing undercover CIA operative Tom Harris who’s stuck in “hostile territory in Afghanistan. After his mission is exposed, he must fight his way out, alongside his Afghan translator, to an extraction point in Kandahar, all whilst avoiding elite enemy forces and foreign spies tasked with hunting them down.”

Open Road Films is targeting a 2023 theatrical release.

‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ Docuseries Shoots a Follow-Up Episode

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Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

HBO’s four-part documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed will expand to five parts following the release of Syed from prison. HBO confirmed production is now underway on a follow-up episode that will include exclusive footage with Adnan Syed leading up to and following his release.

The original docuseries director Amy Berg (an Oscar nominee for Deliver Us from Evil) returns to helm the new episode, which is targeting a 2023 premiere.

Berg, who’s been working on the fifth episode since early 2021, was in Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn’s courtroom when the motion to vacate Syed’s murder conviction was announced. Details revealed in the four-part docuseries were used as evidence in support of the ruling.

“We knew the end of The Case Against Adnan Syed was not the end of this story, and we’ve been closely following every twist and turn in the case since the series premiered in March 2019. It’s gratifying to see many of the questions and issues probed in the original episodes come to bear on the events of this week,” stated Berg.

Adnan Syed’s case gained national attention when it was the subject of the “Serial” podcast. The podcast laid out the case against Syed along with the events leading up to his conviction for the murder of Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old high school student and his ex-girlfriend.

Henrietta Conrad, Jemima Khan, and Rabia Chaudry are executive producing. The docuseries is a Working Title TV, Instinct Productions, and HBO Documentary Films in association with Sky production.

Part Five Premiere Date and Trailer

‘Wednesday’ Series Opens the Doors of the Nevermore Academy

By

Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

Netflix is kicking up the publicity campaign for Wednesday, The Addams Family spinoff premiering sometime this fall, with an invitation to join the titular character at Nevermore Academy. The fictitious school’s official website greets visitors with a quiz to make sure the school’s the right fit, with questions including how you feel about fitting in and whether your peers understand you.

The Nevermore Academy application breaks from the norm by asking which outcast group you identify with: vampire, gorgon, werewolf, or siren. Or, if none of those fit, you can select “I can’t describe it.” For the purpose of writing this piece, I chose vampire. That led to a question about the academic area I’m interested in and I picked supernatural studies. (Vampire sex ed was among the choices, but let’s keep this PG.)

The last step in the application process requires personal details, including an email and physical address. If you proceed and enter your info, you’ll receive further info in the coming weeks along with a downloadable profile picture.

The Nevermore Academy website also includes details on the school’s noteworthy alumni, a video featuring Principal Larissa Weems (embedded above), and a list of upcoming activities including Parent’s Day and The Poe Cup competition.

Wednesday stars Jenna Ortega in the title role. Gwendoline Christie is Principal Larissa Weems, Jamie McShane plays Sheriff Galpin, Percy Hynes White is Xavier Thorpe, Hunter Doohan is Tyler Galpin, and Emma Myers plays Enid Sinclair. Joy Sunday is Bianca Barclay, Naomi J Ogawa stars as Yoko Tanaka, Moosa Mostafa is Eugene Ottinger, Georgie Farmer is Ajax Petropolus, Riki Lindhome is Dr. Valerie Kinbott, and The Addams Family‘s Christina Ricci plays Marilyn Thornhill.

Guest stars include Catherine Zeta-Jones as Addams family matriarch Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams. Isaac Ordonez plays Pugsley Addams, Iman Marson is Lucas Walker, and Lucius Hoyos is Young Gomez.

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are the writers, executive producers, and season one showrunners. Tim Burton, Steve Stark, Andrew Mittman, Kevin Miserocchi, Kayla Alpert, Jonathan Glickman, Gail Berman, Tommy Harper, and Kevin Lafferty are also involved as executive producers.

Wednesday will premiere on November 23, 2022.

Wednesday Series Addams Family — Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Adams in ‘Wednesday’ (Photo Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022)

The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:

The series is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy, where she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the murder mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.

‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ Sets a Thanksgiving Day Premiere

By

Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

Paramount+ is betting Criminal Minds fans will feel like relaxing in front of the TV after feasting on turkey or whatever it is they consume on Thanksgiving. The streaming service has officially set a Thanksgiving Day premiere day for the rebirth of Criminal Minds.

Criminal Minds: Evolution will launch with two episodes streaming on Thursday, November 24, 2022. Per Paramount+, the new season will consist of 10 episodes, with the mid-season finale scheduled for Thursday, December 15th. After taking a break for the winter holidays, Evolution returns on Thursday, January 12, 2023.

Returning original cast members include Joe Mantegna as David Rossi, A.J. Cook as Jennifer JJ Jareau, Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia, Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewis, Adam Rodriguez as Luke Alvez, and Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss. Zach Gilford will be a recurring guest star, playing a character named Elias Voit in a season-long arc.

The series also brought back Criminal Minds‘ Erica Messer as a writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Writer Breen Frazier, writer Christopher Barbour, director Glenn Kershaw, and Mark Gordon are also serving as executive producers.

Criminal Minds season 16 is an ABC Signature and CBS Studios production.

The Plot: CBS’s original Criminal Minds series, which ran from 2005-2020, followed the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, the best of the best who profiled the worst of the worst. In Criminal Minds: Evolution, the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time.

Season 16 of Criminal Minds Gets a New Title

‘Strange World’ Trailer: Disney Takes Audiences on an Out of This World Adventure

By

Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

The new Strange World trailer asks if we’ve ever wondered what adventures await beyond our world. I can answer that. No, not really. Negotiating the adventures this world keeps me busy enough, thank you very much. That said, the trailer and its weird and wooly beasties – as well as one very cute three-legged dog – seems inviting enough to make it worthwhile spending a few hours in this animated world.

The voice cast is led by Jake Gyllenhaal and includes Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, and Lucy Liu. Big Hero 6‘s Don Hall directs from a screenplay by co-director Qui Nguyen (Raya and the Last Dragon). Tangled‘s Roy Conli produces.

“Inspired by classic adventure stories,” stated director Don Hall, “Strange World is an original animated adventure/comedy about three generations of the Clade family who overcome their differences while exploring a strange, wondrous, and oftentimes hostile world.”

Strange World is set to open in theaters on November 23, 2022.

The Plot: The feature film introduces a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob, a three-legged dog and a slew of ravenous creatures.

Searcher Clade (Gyllenhaal) is a family man who finds himself out of his element on an unpredictable mission.
Jaeger Clade (Quaid) is Searcher’s larger-than-life explorer father.
Ethan Clade (Young-White) is Searcher’s 16-year-old son who longs for adventure.
Meridian Clade (Union) is an accomplished pilot and Searcher’s partner in all things.
Callisto Mal (Lucy Liu) is Avalonia’s fearless leader who spearheads the exploration into the strange world.

A scene from ‘Strange World’ (Photo © 2022 Disney)

‘New Amsterdam’ Season 5 Episode 2 Photos, Plot and Cast

By

Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

The fifth and final season of NBC’s popular medical drama New Amsterdam continues with episode two, “Hook, Line and Sinker.” Airing on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT, episode two finds Max trying something new to help the hospital’s patients.

Returning 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 will return as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder and has been upped to series regular for the final season.

“Hook, Line and Sinker” Plot: Max tests a bold new cost-saving program that could help both New Amsterdam and its neediest patients. Wilder struggles with a patient’s decision to refuse life-saving surgery. Reynolds comes to an important realization about his father’s behaviors. Iggy takes the leap into online dating.

New Amsterdam Season 5 Episode 2 — Ryan Eggold as Dr. Max Goodwin and Sandra Mae Frank as Dr. Elizabeth Wilder in ‘New Amsterdam’ season 5 episode 2 (Photo by: Eric Liebowitz/NBC)

Season 5 Description, Courtesy of NBC:

After a tumultuous year in which the leadership of New Amsterdam underwent 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.

‘FBI’ Season 5 Episode 2 Preview: Photos, Plot, and Cast

By

Rebecca Murray

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September 21, 2022

The team investigates the murder of an officer on CBS’s FBI season five episode two. Directed by Jon Cassar from a script by Alexander Maggio, episode two – “Love is Blind” – will air on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT.

Season five stars Missy Peregrym as Special Agent Maggie Bell, Zeeko Zaki as Special Agent Omar Adom “OA” Zidan, Jeremy Sisto as Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, and Alana De La Garza as Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille. John Boyd plays Special Agent Stuart Scola and Katherine Renee Turner is Special Agent Tiffany Wallace.

Recurring season five guest stars include Shantel VanSanten as Special Agent Nina Chase, Taylor Anthony Miller as Kelly Moran, Vedette Lim as Elise Taylor, James Chen as Ian Lim, and Paul Douglas Anderson as SWAT Agent Jones.

“Love Is Blind” Plot: When an officer is shot dead at a pawn shop along with the store’s owner, the team tries to figure out why a young, recent Ivy League dropout is tied to the crime.

Carla R. Stewart, Aimée Spring Fortier, Naren Srinivasan, and Melvin Lee Douglas guest star in episode two.

FBI Season 5 Episode 2 — Shantel VanSanten as Nina Chase and John Boyd as Special Agent Stuart Scola in ‘FBI’ season 5 episode 2 (Photo: Bennett Raglin © 2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)

FBI Series Description, Courtesy of CBS:

FBI is a fast-paced drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This elite unit brings to bear all their talents, intellect and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep New York and the country safe. Born into a multigenerational law enforcement family, Special Agent Maggie Bell commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects. Her partner is Special Agent Omar Adom “OA” Zidan, a West Point graduate via Bushwick who spent two years undercover for the DEA before being cherry-picked by the FBI.

Overseeing them is Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille, who operates under intense pressure and has undeniable command authority. The team also includes Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, the nerve center of the office whose ability to easily relate to and engage with both superiors and subordinates makes him a master motivator. The smart and outspoken Special Agent Tiffany Wallace, who spent six years with the NYPD, is partner to Special Agent Stuart Scola, an Ivy League-educated Wall Streeter-turned-FBI agent.

These first-class agents tenaciously investigate cases of tremendous magnitude, including terrorism, organized crime and counterintelligence.