Neon just acquired worldwide distribution rights to the thriller The Killing of Two Lovers which had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. In support of the acquisition, Neon released a new trailer for the drama which is currently sitting at 77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
The cast is led by Clayne Crawford (Lethal Weapon) and includes Sepideh Moafi (The Deuce), Chris Coy (The Front Runner), Avery Pizzuto, Arri Graham, and Ezra Graham.
Robert Machoian wrote, directed, edited, and produced the thriller, and Neon has already committed to producing Machoian and actor/producer Crawford’s next film. The Killing of Two Lovers is a Back40 Pictures presentation of a 433 Pictures production.
Neon is targeting a February 23, 2021 release.
The Plot:
The Killing of Two Lovers follows David, who desperately tries to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife, Nikki. They both agree to see other people but David struggles to grapple with his wife’s new relationship.
Clayne Crawford stars in ‘The Killing of Two Lovers, an official selection of the NEXT program at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Oscar Ignacio Jimenez)
CBS All Access just announced five additional actors who’ll be joining Allison Tolman and Nick Frost for season two of the anthology series, Why Women Kill. Lana Parrilla (Once Upon a Time), Matthew Daddario (Shadowhunters), B.K. Cannon (Sin City Saints), Jordane Christie (Containment), and Veronica Falcón (Perry Mason) have signed on for the series’ second season.
CBS All Access provided the following details on who the just-announced cast members will be playing:
Lana Parrilla will play Rita, the sardonic wife to the wealthy and evil Carlo Castillo. As she waits for her elderly husband to die, Rita runs the garden club with an iron fist and spends much of her time engaging in an affair with a younger lover.
B.K. Cannon will play Dee, Alma’s wry, and brassy daughter who works as a waitress in a local diner. Though self-deprecating, Dee can be vulnerable under her emotional armor and finds her illicit affair with a secret lover to be both exciting and humiliating.
Jordane Christie will play Vern, a tough, rugged private detective. Vern is intrigued and suspicious when he’s hired to investigate Rita’s younger lover, whom she suspects is cheating on her.
Matthew Daddario will play Scooter, Rita’s gorgeous, sexy and not-so-bright lover. A charming would-be actor, Scooter is well kept by Rita but pursues a secret relationship elsewhere.
Veronica Falcón will play Catherine, Carlo Castillo’s spinster daughter. Prim and proper, Catherine detests her father’s gorgeous wife, Rita, and returns to town after a mysterious accident, seeking a way to destroy her.
Why Women Kill was created by Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives, Devious Maids). Cherry serves as an executive producer along with Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Samie Kim Falvey; Acme Productions’ Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis; and Marc Webb and Francie Calfo.
The Season 2 Plot:
This season of the dark comedy features a new ensemble cast and storylines set in 1949 that will explore what it means to be beautiful, the hidden truth behind the facades people present to the world, the effects of being ignored and overlooked by society, and finally, the lengths one woman will go in order to finally belong…
The CW’s primetime lineup will finally look close to what’s normal for the network come January 2021. Premiere dates have been set for new seasons of Batwoman, The Flash, Supergirl (the final season), Black Lightning, Charmed, and Legacies. All-American, Riverdale, Nancy Drew, Two Sentence Horror Stories, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and Penn & Teller Fool Us also return for new seasons in early 2021.
New shows joining The CW’s schedule in 2021 include Superman & Lois, Trickster (a Canadian series getting its U.S. premiere), and Walker starring Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki.
The first Critics Choice Super Awards honoring the best of the Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, Action, and Animation genres in film and television will air on January 10, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT.
The CW’s New Season Premiere Dates:
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8
8:00-8:30PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (Cycle 9 Premiere)
8:30-9:00PM WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (Encore Episode)
9:00-10:00PM PENN & TELLER: FOOL US (Season Premiere)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10
8:00-10:00PM CRITICS CHOICE SUPER AWARDS (Two-Hour Special Event)
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12
8:00-8:30PM TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00PM TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORIES (Original Episode)
9:00-10:00PM TRICKSTER (U.S. Series Premiere)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 17
8:00-9:00PM BATWOMAN (Season Premiere)
MONDAY, JANUARY 18
8:00-9:00PM ALL AMERICAN (Season Premiere)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8
8:00-9:00PM ALL AMERICAN (Original Episode)
9:00-10:00PM BLACK LIGHTNING (Season Premiere)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23
8:00-9:00PM THE FLASH (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00PM SUPERMAN & LOIS (Series Premiere)
Details on Trickster:
Based on the best-selling novel Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson and created by award-winning filmmaker Michelle Latimer and Tony Elliott, Trickster stars newcomer Joel Oulette as Jared, an Indigenous teen struggling to keep his dysfunctional family above water, but when he starts seeing strange things — talking ravens, doppelgängers, skin monsters — his already chaotic life is turned upside down.
More on Walker:
Walker, a reimagining of the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger, stars Jared Padalecki as Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. He’ll attempt to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son (Kale Culley) and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenaged daughter (Violet Brinson) and navigate clashes with his family – an ADA brother (Keegan Allen) who stepped in during Walker’s absence, his perceptive mother (Molly Hagen) and his traditional rancher father (Mitch Pileggi).
Walker’s former colleague is now his Ranger Captain, (Coby Bell). Walker finds unexpected common ground with his new partner (one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history) played by Lindsey Morgan, while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. The show also stars Jeff Pierre as Trey Barnett.
The co-hosts of the 54th Annual CMA Awards will also take the stage as performers. Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are among the first batch of country stars announced as performers on the awards show set for Wednesday, November 11, 2020. Additional performers include Gabby Barrett feat. Charlie Puth, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Rascal Flatts, and Thomas Rhett feat. McEntire, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin.
This year’s CMA Awards will actually be among the first major awards to have the celebrity guests and performers in the same room since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Nashville’s Music City Center hosts the event airing on ABC.
“We are thrilled to have this incredible group of artists taking the stage at the CMA Awards this year! It is a privilege to bring these live performances to our viewing audience with the energy and excitement that the CMA Awards are known for,” stated Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “And although the show will feel a bit more intimate this year, we look forward to hosting our nominated artists and their guests as we celebrate the best of Country Music in a fully safe and physically distant environment. It will be an honor to bring the biggest Country stars in the world together – in one room – for the first time this year. You won’t want to miss it!”
The Country Music Association announced the performers and confirmed the songs and collaborations set for this year’s show:
“This year’s performers range from all-time CMA Awards record-breakers to those enjoying their first-ever nomination. Two-time CMA Awards nominee this year Barrett will be joined by Puth, making his CMA Awards debut to perform Barrett’s CMA Single of the Year nominated ‘I Hope.’ Two-time nominee this year Thomas Rhett performs his CMA Musical Event of the Year nominated ‘Be A Light’ alongside McEntire, Scott and Tomlin. McEntire will also be joined by Rucker for a showstopping collaboration, while Rucker enlists nominees Lady A to perform his new single ‘Beers & Sunshine.’
With two nominations this year, Church will perform ‘Hell of a View,’ while six-time nominated Combs will perform ‘Cold As You.’ Nominees Florida Georgia Line will perform ‘Long Live,’ while Lambert, this year’s top nominee with seven nominations, will perform ‘Settling Down’ from her CMA Album of the Year-nominated album Wildcard. Reigning CMA New Artist of the Year and three-time nominee this year McBryde will perform ‘One Night Standards’ from her CMA Album of the Year-nominated album Never Will. Morris, a five-time nominee this year, will perform her CMA Single and Song of the Year nominated ‘The Bones.’ And nominees Rascal Flatts will take the stage to perform ‘Bless the Broken Road.'”
STXfilms’ Songbird is the first feature film to not only be shot in Los Angeles during the Covid-19 pandemic but also be about the pandemic itself. The first trailer shows a world on lockdown, with the virus having mutated and now attacking patients’ brains.
The cast includes KJ Apa (Riverdale), Sofia Carson (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists), Craig Robinson (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony). Peter Stormare (American Gods), Alexandra Daddario (Why Women Kill), Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell), and Demi Moore (Empire) also star in the thriller from director Adam Mason. Mason co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Boyes.
Michael Bay, Marcei A. Brown, Jason Clark, Jeanette Volturno, Adam Goodman, Andrew Sugerman, and Eben Davidson served as producers.
In addition to the trailer, STXfilms released a poster as well as a couple of photos from the film. The studio hasn’t announced when we can expect Songbird to be released.
The Plot:
“Four years into quarantine the virus has changed and so have we…
In the terrifying thriller Songbird, the COVID-23 virus has mutated and the world is in its fourth year of lockdown. Infected Americans are ripped from their homes and forced into quarantine camps known as Q-Zones, from which there is no escape, as a few brave souls fight back against the forces of oppression.
Amid this dystopian landscape, a fearless courier, Nico (Apa), who’s immune to the deadly pathogen, finds hope and love with Sara (Carson), though her lockdown prohibits them from physical contact. When Sara is believed to have become infected, Nico races desperately across the barren streets of Los Angeles in search of the only thing that can save her from imprisonment … or worse.”
Season 17 of ABC’s critically acclaimed medical drama Grey’s Anatomy kicks off with a Station 19 crossover. Station 19 season four premieres on November 12, 2020 at 8pm ET/PT followed by the two-hour season 17 premiere of Grey’s Anatomy at 9pm ET/PT.
Station 19‘s Jason George, Stefania Spampinato, Barrett Doss, Jay Hayden, Grey Damon, Danielle Savre, and Okieriete Onaodowan guest star as the new season of Grey’s Anatomy gets underway.
Grey’s Anatomy season 17 episode one, “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” was directed by guest star Debbie Allen from a script by Andy Reaser and Lynee E. Litt. Allen also directed season 17 episode two, “The Center Won’t Hold,” which follows episode one at 10pm ET/PT. Episode two was written by Andy Reaser and Jase Miles-Perez.
The cast is led by Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens Jr. as Richard Webber, and Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt. Kim Raver plays Teddy Altman, Jesse Williams is Jackson Avery, Camilla Luddington is Dr. Jo, Caterina Scorsone is Amelia Shepherd, and Kelly McCreary is Maggie Pierce.
Season 17 also stars Giacomo Gianniotti as Andrew DeLuca, Chris Carmack as Atticus “Link” Lincoln, Jake Borelli as Levi Schmitt, Greg Germann as Tom Koracick, Richard Flood as Cormac Hayes, and Anthony Hill as Winston Ndugu.
“All Tomorrow’s Parties” Plot – In the midst of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grey Sloan Memorial and its surgeons’ lives have been turned upside down. The season 17 premiere picks up one month into the pandemic, and it’s all-hands-on-deck as Meredith, Bailey and the rest of the Grey Sloan doctors find themselves on the frontlines of a new era. Meanwhile, an unintentionally started fire has first responders from Station 19 bringing patients into the hospital for treatment.
“The Center Won’t Hold” Plot – Bailey finds herself in the middle of an argument with patients’ families as they await news about their children who were injured in a fire. Winston surprises Maggie, and Amelia and Link try to have some fun as new parents. Teddy learns her colleagues know more than she may like about her relationship woes with Owen, and Richard and Koracick go at it during the second hour of the Grey’s Anatomy season 17 premiere.
Ellen Pompeo in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 17 episode 17 (ABC)Chandra Wilson in season 17 episode 1 (ABC)Chandra Wilson in season 17 episode 1 (ABC)Ellen Pompeo in season 17 episode 1 (ABC)
The official two and a half minute trailer for Netflix’s The Crown season four shows Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher sizing each other up, and finds a young Princess Diana seeking love and acceptance from the Queen. Netflix also released a new poster for the upcoming fourth season which will premiere on Sunday, November 15, 2020.
Olivia Colman returns as Queen Elizabeth, Josh O’Connor is Prince Charles, and Helena Bonham Carter plays Princess Margaret. Gillian Anderson joined The Crown for season four playing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin takes on the role of Princess Diana. The cast also includes Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, Tobias Menzies as The Duke of Edinburgh, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne, Emerald Fennell as Camilla Parker Bowles, Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother, Georgie Glen as Lady Fermoy, and Tom Byrne as Prince Andrew.
Angue Imrie plays Prince Edward, Charles Dance is Lord Mountbatten, Stephen Boxer is Denis Thatcher, Rebecca Humphries is Carol Thatcher, and Freddie Fox plays Mark Thatcher.
The Crown‘s writer and executive producer Peter Morgan shared his thoughts on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher. “It could be said that they are two very similar women, born only months apart. They are very much defined by the Second World War, by a sense of a sense of frugality, hard work, commitment, Christianity and so much more. It was a commonly held piece of wisdom that the Queen and Thatcher didn’t get on. I think there was probably a lot of respect. But they also had many differences, it was really fun exploring their differences and their similarities,” explained Morgan. “I also get a chance to explore them both as mothers. Writing Thatcher and the Queen as mothers was probably an angle that no one has explored before. It yielded one of my favourite episodes in the season.”
Discussing her research process, Gillian Anderson said, “I think I pretty much watched everything there was to watch on her. Every doc – many many interviews. Read a few books including a good chunk of the Charles Moore biographies. The Crown has an exemplary research team and if you want something, they will get a hold of it for you. So whether it was them handing me an initial Thatcher pack or me asking for details on every last cabinet member and what their specific roles and leanings were, or even – is there archive footage of this particular joke she told while canvassing- the team was there to provide.”
The Crown Season 4 Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Season 4 picks up in the late 1970s. Queen Elizabeth (Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Anderson), tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth.
While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Corrin) provides a much-needed fairytale to unite the British people, behind closed doors, the Royal family is becoming increasingly divided.
A son searches for answers to his mother’s unsolved murder in the four-part documentary series, Murder on Middle Beach, which just debuted an official trailer. The docuseries premiering on HBO on November 15, 2020 was directed by Madison Hamburg who makes his directorial debut with this very personal story of his hunt for his mother’s killer.
The docuseries is a Jigsaw Productions, Armian Pictures, and Blue Days Films production. Ron Nyswaner, Neda Armian, Toby Oppenheimer, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Lisa Heller, Nancy Abraham, and director Madison Hamburg executive produce.
In addition to unveiling the full trailer, HBO’s released details on the docuseries’ four episodes including air dates and brief plot descriptions.
Murder on Middle Beach Description, Courtesy of HBO:
On March 3, 2010, divorced mother Barbara Hamburg was found violently murdered in the yard of her home in the upper middle-class town of Madison, Connecticut. Investigators speculated her murder from blunt force trauma was a crime of passion, but without enough evidence, the case grew cold.
Over the course of eight years, Barbara’s son, Madison Hamburg, interviewed his family members and many others, longing to learn more about his mother and gather evidence in hopes of solving her murder. He uncovered a deep web of buried familial secrets, connections to shadowy criminal figures, and years-old resentments in his deceptively serene hometown. While Madison wrestles with troubling revelations about his mother, the most unsettling conflict comes from Madison’s obligation to bring into question those inside his community and members of his own family.
Following the murder, attention first turned to Barbara’s ex-husband, Jeffrey Hamburg, who battled with her over financial issues including child support and was due in court with her that very day. With a strong alibi, and the Madison Police Department in disarray after a recent spate of corruption scandals, Hamburg was never charged. Rumors swirled about his potential involvement in foreign business deals and Barbara’s participation in an illegal pyramid scheme known as the “Gifting Tables” which may have created enemies for her. However, despite this and information about other potential suspects, the leads petered out and the case went cold.
Years later, Madison, who was just a teenager at the time of his mother’s murder, returns home determined to understand the life of the mother he had lost and to uncover the truth about her death. The family’s troubled history is explored and Madison questions whether learning the truth will provide closure or just more grief. As his investigation grows, he comes to reexamine his own memories of a childhood that was not as picture-perfect as the wealth of happy, home video footage would suggest.
Murder on Middle Beach explores the secrets that run beneath the facade of a seemingly ideal community. Through one young man’s near-obsessive pursuit of answers, a light is shone on the universal need to make sense of profound loss and to face one’s own history. As Madison searches to know the mother who was taken from him, he comes to a deeper understanding of her legacy and the abiding power of familial love.
Madison Hamburg directs ‘Murder on Middle Beach’ (Photograph by Courtesy of HBO)
Episode Descriptions:
Episode 1: “Mom’s Dead” – Debut Date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Following the brutal and unsolved murder of his mother Barbara back in 2010, Madison Hamburg returns to his hometown of Madison, Connecticut to piece together her life story. Through interviews with those who knew Barbara best, Madison dives into his parents’ divorce and the unsettling details of his mother’s life that were kept under wraps.
Episode 2: “Rooms and Tables” – Debut Date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
As he investigates the parts of his family that have been kept in the shadows, Madison explores the fallout of his mother and aunts’ involvement in the “Gifting Tables” – a multi-level marketing scheme that aimed to uplift women but, as it grew exponentially, evolved into something more insidious.
Episode 3: “Sisters” – Debut Date: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 (10:10-11:10 p.m. ET/PT)
After Barbara’s sister Conway opens up about her history with substance abuse – which fueled deep-seated familial resentments – she makes a stunning accusation against someone inside Madison’s family that leaves Madison shaken. Conway and Madison’s sister, Ali, both offer their accounts of the morning they discovered Barbara’s body, Madison consults a private investigator to help find evidence to exonerate his loved ones.
Episode 4: “Reasonable Doubts” (Series Finale) – Debut Date: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 (10:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT)
With the 10-year anniversary of his mother’s death approaching, Madison leaves no stone unturned in his quest for the truth – despite concerns that his documentary may be doing more harm than good. As Madison presses on, there are surprising roadblocks to his investigation.
Netflix has released a gripping new trailer for the docuseries Trial 4. Rémy Burkel (Sin City Law) directs the eight-episode docuseries which shines the spotlight on the story of Sean Ellis and the misconduct of the Boston Police Department.
Trial 4 will premiere on Netflix on November 11, 2020.
Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (Murder on a Sunday Morning, The Staircase) and Matthieu Belghiti (The Strange Life of Dr. Frankenstein) executive produce, with Allyson Luchak producing.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
“The eight-episode docuseries Trial 4 delves into the story of Sean Ellis, a man who served 22 years in prison after being found guilty of killing Boston Police Detective John Mulligan in 1993. Though law enforcement presented evidence linking Ellis to the murder, further investigation revealed corrupt police officers, questionable witnesses and enormous pressure within the department to solve the case.
Ellis’s story, while devastating, sheds light on timely issues of systemic racism, police corruption and criminal justice reform while offering hope that, ultimately, people have the power to change the system.”
The cast of ‘Big Brother: All-Stars’ (Photo Credit: 2020 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)
CBS has officially announced Big Brother has been renewed for a 23rd season. Season 23 will air during the summer of 2021 with Julie Chen Moonves back as host.
The renewal announcement came just hours before the live two-hour season 22 finale.
“At Big Brother, we always say ‘expect the unexpected,’ but 2020 gave us our biggest challenge to date! We could not be prouder of the entire team who delivered a fantastic season under such extreme circumstances,” stated Mitch Graham, Senior Vice President, Alternative Programming, CBS Entertainment. “It feels fitting for this unprecedented season to conclude with an announcement of the show’s return next summer.”
The reality competition series premiered in 2000. It’s consistently drawn high ratings and, according to CBS, season 22’s live feeds show a double-digit percentage increase in viewers over season 21.
The series is produced by Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan for Fly on the Wall Entertainment in association with Endemol Shine North America.
Big Brother Season 22 Details, Courtesy of CBS:
Big Brother follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with 94 HD cameras and more than 113 microphones, recording their every move 24 hours a day. Each week, someone will be voted out of the house, with the last remaining Houseguest receiving the grand prize of $500,000.
In a Big Brother first, the season premiered live and the All-Star cast was revealed as they moved into the house, during the two-hour live event on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. The cast of All-Stars includes past winners Nicole Franzel and Ian Terry; fan favorites Da’Vonne Rogers and Kaysar Ridha; the best to have never won, including Janelle Pierzina and Dani Briones; most memorable Houseguests, such as Bayleigh Dayton and Enzo Palumbo; and great gamers, including Cody Calafiore and Kevin Campbell; among others. These All-Stars have one thing in common – they all have something to prove.
