Category Archives: Entertainment

Leo, ‘The Revenant’ & ‘Mad Max’ win big at 88th Oscars

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Let’s not bury the lead here. Last night at the 88th Annual Academy Awards, audiences were witness to a feat once thought maddeningly impossible: Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar for Best Actor. We did it! His movie, Revenant, went into this years Oscars with 12 nominations and came away with 3; in addition to Leo’s momentous win, the Academy also awarded the painstakingly gritty film’s director Alejandro G. Iñárritu with his second consecutive Best Director win (see last year’s Birdman) and it also won for Best Cinematography. The film with the most wins of the night was Mad Max: Fury Road. It swept the majority of technical categories including Best Sound Mixing and Editing, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Production and Costume Design. Spotlight surprised at the end of the ceremony when it was crowned Best Picture; earlier in the night it won Best Original Screenplay. Elsewhere, Inside Out was named Best Animated Feature, 87-year-old composer Ennio Morricone was recognized for his already iconic score set to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, and Ex Machina deservedly managed to beat out Star Wars, Mad Max, The Martian, and The Revenant for Best Visual Effects. Click here for the full list of winners.

The show itself, though it ran long by 30+ minutes, was relatively entertaining throughout. Host Chris Rock ran with the #OscarsSoWhite diversity problems surrounding the telecast leading into it. No doubt his controversial monologue resonated with audiences; muted laughs and applause told the story well. Personal highlights throughout the night included surprise appearances from Star Wars, Toy Story, and The Minions characters and a powerfully emotional musical performance by Lady Gaga. And of course, Leo is now an Oscar-winning actor.

Inside The 1975’s album release NYC pop-up shop

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Rising British band The 1975 released their second studio album today, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. A mouthful, I know; apparently that’s something frontman Matthew Healy said to an ex-girlfriend. Anyway, to celebrate their new LP, The 1975 hosted a pop-up shop in New York City and I was there to take in all the excitement surrounding the anticipated release. Continue reading Inside The 1975’s album release NYC pop-up shop →

Help Leonardo DiCaprio grab the Oscar in hilarious button-mashing browser game

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There are those of us who are just as desperate as Leonardo DiCaprio to see the actor win the Oscar. And then there’s The Line, a London-based animation studio who has gone out of its way to create a hysterical and addicting platformer that puts you in control of Leo’s chase for the gold. Leo’s Red Carpet Rampage is a free-to-play arcade-style browser game that has you button-mashing your frustrated feelings away as you make The Revenant star run down the red carpet towards Oscar. But watch out for the many distractions including pushy photographers, icebergs, and Lady Gaga. Along the way you’ll earn Golden Globe, Emmy, SAG, and BAFTA combos. Things get intense during bonus games including “Quaalude Overdose,” “Act Harder,” and “Find the Black Nominee.”

Though the Oscar might seem like a lock for the veteran and wholly deserving actor, anything can happen come the Academy Awards. Help Leo finally win the big prize! The game’s an absolute riot. Click here to play now.

Kendrick Lamar steals the show at performance-heavy Grammys

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The 58th Annual Grammys were all about the performances last night, and for the most part, they did not disappoint. Among the many beautiful duets, it’s hard to point a finger at which one was best. Early on we got Andra Day and Ellie Goulding belting out “Rise Up” and “Love Me Like You Do” and later breakout artists Tori Kelly and James Bay showed off their magical harmonies with their hit songs “Hollow” and “Let It Go.” Sandwiched in-between there was an impromptu performance shared by a cappella group Pentatonix and the iconic Stevie Wonder. The awards ceremony also showcased a stripped down version of “In the Night” by The Weeknd, the one and only Adele (whose technical issues couldn’t take away from her remarkable rendition of “All I Ask”), Brittany Howard’s pipes with her soulful band Alabama Shakes, and Lady Gaga–assisted by Chic’s guitarist Nile Rodgers–wowed the crowd with a colorful tribute to the late, great David Bowie. The ultimate showstopper, though, was Kendrick Lamar who eloquently rapped his way through his To Pimp A Butterfly hits “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright.” The theatrically poignant performance started with Kendrick in prison chains and ended with a freestyle that touched on the “modern slavery” plaguing African American communities in our nation today. It truly was one for the ages and I think we can all say in unison that Kendrick Lamar is the voice of hip hop for our generation.

Kendrick is among the big winners of the night; he took home a Grammy for Best Rap Album (To Pimp a Butterfly). Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars claimed Record of the Year with “Uptown Funk,” Taylor Swift’s 1989 was crowned Album of the Year, and Ed Sheeran’s popular ballad “Thinking Out Loud” was named Song of the Year. Meghan Trainor (somehow) ended up beating out James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly, and Courtney Barnett for Best New Artist.

Head over to Grammys.com to view the full list of winners.

Kanye West finally releases new album, but it’s a Tidal-exclusive (for now)

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At last, Kanye West has dropped his seventh studio album, now officially titled The Life of Pablo. Originally, it went by So Help Me God, and then it turned into Swish, and then Waves. Moving on! The album was first previewed to the public at Madison Square Garden last week where ‘Ye hosted a massive gathering to also show off his Yeezy Season 3 fashion line. The plan was to drop TLOP on Friday, Feb. 12, but due to production delays, he ended up formally announcing its availability following his two live performances on SNL. Interestingly, the album does not include previously released tracks such as “Only One,” “FourFiveSeconds,” and “All Day.” Of the 18 total tracks, fans will instantly recognize these four: “Real Friends,” “Wolves,” “No More Parties in LA,” and “Facts.” Production and vocals on the final versions of these songs, mind you, were tweaked from their original incarnations, so you might want to hold onto both versions in your collection. Eye the album’s questionable artwork after the break.

And now for some sour news for Kanye fans all over. On SNL, West told fans to head to Tidal to stream The Life of Pablo. News came out that the album would be a Tidal-exclusive during its initial launch period of about a week or so. Turns out that window will go on indefinitely. The meddling rapper has been ranting on Twitter lately, and a tweet that stuck many fans (myself included) right in heart reads, “My album will never never never be on Apple. And it will never be for sale… You can only get it on Tidal.” This very well may be a marketing ploy to get his fanbase to sign up for Tidal subscriptions, and TLOP may still be on track for a regular major release across the other music streaming services. But this stings. If Kanye indeed has this power over his label, he is doing a massive disservice to his fans who don’t subscribe to Tidal and instead rely on iTunes/Amazon/Google or even the collection of physical copies of CDs. As a longtime fan and supporter of West’s contributions to music and the rap scene, I am incredibly displeased with all of this. Not cool.

Among his many recent Twitter rants, Kanye is pleading Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other wealthy individuals to give him money so he can live out his creative dreams. Hey Kanye: If you released your new album on more than one platform you’d make yourself some more money! According to TorrentFreak, “an estimated 500,000 people” have illegally downloaded a copy of TLOP on torrent sites like BitTorrent and The Pirate Bay. Of course, illegal sharing and downloading of albums, movies, etc. is a normal occurrence these days, but I think it’s safe to say that ‘Ye could have curbed this astronomical number by selling his album on the industry’s most popular platforms like iTunes. Here’s to hoping he comes to his senses, or his label strong-arms him into sharing his latest work (which has been receiving solid reviews) with the rest of us.

Update (2/17): Kanye’s uploaded the album’s credits on his website; big talents like Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, Rihanna, and The Weeknd can be spotted. Unfortunately, there’s no update on TLOP extending its reach beyond Tidal. For now, make due with Stephen Colbert’s scathing review of the rapper’s recent tweetstorm. Continue reading Kanye West finally releases new album, but it’s a Tidal-exclusive (for now) →

‘Sports Illustrated’ unveils three sexy ‘Swimsuit Issue’ cover models

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As is tradition, here’s your look at 2016’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover models. Going against tradition, however, is SI‘s decision to feature not one but three separate cover models. In the past, the print magazine has featured three models on a single cover, but this year marks the very first time it’s releasing three different covers with each showcasing a different model. How about that!

This year’s Swimsuit Issue cover models are Hailey Clauson, Ashley Graham, and Ronda Rousey. SI assistant managing editor MJ Day elaborates on the zine’s support to promote varying body types.

“The three covers of Hailey, Ronda and Ashley celebrate the new SI Swimsuit. All three women are beautiful, sexy, and strong. Beauty is not cookie cutter. Beauty is not ‘one size fits all.’ Beauty is all around us and that became especially obvious to me while shooting and editing this year’s issue.”

Clauson, 20, appeared in last year’s Swimsuit Issue and the blonde bombshellbe the obvious choice to grace the cover. In a surprising and gracious move, SI is proud to present to the world newcomer and plus-size model Graham, 28, and fierce MMA fighter Rousey, 29, in their respective covers. Clauson’s topless cover is certainly the most risqué. Graham exudes confidence in her purple and yellow-laced bikini. And Rousey sports nothing but intricate body paint.

Enjoy photos and video from the trio’s photoshoots in the links provided above (get a taste below), and click here to browse the full collection of 2016’s Swimsuit Issue models. See full-size versions of the three covers after the fold. Oh, and did you notice the VR logo on the covers? Brace yourselves because now you can experience the models in virtual reality. Even if you don’t have a VR headset paired with your mobile device you can still watch SI‘s shot-for-VR beachside video featuring past cover models Irina Shayk, Nina Agdal, and Hannah Davis. You’re welcome.

[Via Sports Illustrated] Continue reading ‘Sports Illustrated’ unveils three sexy ‘Swimsuit Issue’ cover models →

Cameras roll on ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ as principal photography begins (Announcement video inside!)

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens is smashing box office records, currently banking $2 billion in worldwide gross and rising. More importantly, its director J.J. Abrams managed to successfully reignite the aging, iconic franchise by infusing the classic characters and tropes from the original trilogy with fresh protagonists and exhilarating, awe-inspiring storytelling.

The saga continues with Star Wars: Episode VIII. Abrams is handing the reigns to Rian Johnson, and the Looper director initiated principal photography on the highly anticipated sequel at Pinewood Studios in London today. Disney and Lucasfilm welcome  Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and newcomer Kelly Marie Tran into the Star Wars universe. They join the talented cast from The Force Awakens including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. In typical Star Wars fashion, the new trio’s roles are being kept tightly under wraps.

Now, skip after the break to watch the exciting “Episode VIII Production Announcement” video. From the looks of it, we’ll be picking up right where we left off in The Force Awakens, (spoiler alert) cliffside with Rey offering a bearded Luke Skywalker his familial lightsaber.

Star Wars: Episode VIII, originally slated for a spring 2017 release, hits theatres December 15, 2017.
Continue reading Cameras roll on ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ as principal photography begins (Announcement video inside!) →

Illumination ‘Sing’s its way into the holiday season with its next catchy animated film

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Ahead of its next major release in The Secret Life of Pets, Illumination Entertainment–the makers of Despicable Me and Minions–is previewing Sing, the animation studio’s next picture that’s got a remarkable voice cast. Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, and Tori Kelly, just to name a few. Together they’ll be singing over 85 hit songs, some of which are included in this first official teaser. A detailed synopsis follows.

Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Sing stars Buster Moon (McConaughey), a dapper Koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal optimist—okay, maybe a bit of a scoundrel—who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now facing the crumbling of his life’s ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world’s greatest singing competition.

Five lead contestants emerge: A mouse (MacFarlane) who croons as smoothly as he cons, a timid teenage elephant (Kelly) with an enormous case of stage fright, an overtaxed mother (Witherspoon) run ragged tending a litter of 25 piglets, a young gangster gorilla (Egerton) looking to break free of his family’s felonies, and a punk-rock porcupine (Johansson) struggling to shed her arrogant boyfriend and go solo. Each animal arrives under Buster’s marquee believing that this is their shot to change the course of their life.

Not unlike its previous efforts, Sing looks like a ton of fun for kids and adults alike. The Garth Jennings (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) written and directed pic hits theatres in time for the holidays on December 21. Continue reading Illumination ‘Sing’s its way into the holiday season with its next catchy animated film →

Status update #6 on your favorite new and returning shows

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It’s time for the sixth status update in regards to the fate of your favorite new and returning series of the 2015-16 TV season. It’s renewals all around, that is, if you’re not including the swift removal of a low-rated CBS sitcom and the formal announcement of the end of a long-running CBS drama. More, below.

After airing only five episodes, CBS pulled the Jane Lynch (Glee) and Maggie Lawson (Back in the Game) sitcom Angel from Hell from its primetime schedule. Replacing the single-cam comedy on Thursday nights at 9:30pm is multi-cam comedy 2 Broke Girls which is currently airing its fifth season. Elsewhere, in addition to letting go of veteran sitcom Mike & Molly, the Eye is also saying goodbye to its critically acclaimed drama The Good Wife. During the Super Bowl, CBS aired a commercial formally announcing that the Julianna Margulies political drama’s current seventh season will be its last.

NBC is staying in business with Dick Wolf, the creator of the Law & Order and Chicago franchises. Law & Order: SVU and Chicago Med have been renewed for 18th and 2nd seasons, respectively. Previously, the Peacock had upped SVU‘s current season episode count from 22 to 23 and gave ChiMed a five-episode back order. Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. have already been renewed for fifth and fourth seasons, respectively. Elsewhere, Jennifer Lopez crime drama Shades of Blue will return for a second season.

Showtime was quick to renew its sizzling Wall Street drama Billions; the season 2 announcement was made after only two episodes had aired. Starring Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti, Billions is off to a creatively strong start with slick dramatic turns and smartly utilized humor.

Last let’s turn to the streaming services. House of Cards will continue on to see a fifth season set to bow in 2017 on Netflix without its creator and showrunner, Beau Willimon. He’s amicably parting ways with the show, and Netflix hasn’t announced who’ll take over his position yet. HoC‘s fourth season debuts next month. Netflix has also renewed Orange is the New Black for three more seasons. Season 4 streams this summer, with seasons 5, 6, and 7 in the wings to be spearheaded by series creator and showrunner Jenji Kohan. Over on Amazon, Golden Globe winner Mozart in the Jungle (whose second season hasn’t even aired yet) has been renewed for a third run.

Zero gravity stars in OK Go’s latest music video marvel

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OK Go – Upside Down & Inside Out

Hello, Dear Ones. Please enjoy our new video for "Upside Down & Inside Out". A million thanks to S7 Airlines. #GravitysJustAHabit

Posted by OK Go on Thursday, February 11, 2016

 
Ready? Set? OK Go is back with its latest gold-star achievement in music video making. The band is still promoting Hungry Ghosts, its fourth studio album released in 2014, with a very special music video for the album’s opening track “Upside Down & Inside Out.” The seemingly innocuous line “Gravity’s just a habit” played a major role in influencing the band’s decision to shoot its next music video in zero gravity, the first of its kind.

The video was shot inside an airplane provided by Russia’s S7 Airlines that flies parabolic maneuvers to provide brief periods of weightlessness. This is where zero g comes into play. And in typical OK Go fashion, the band remained hellbent on shooting the video in one continuous shot. In this particular case, however, that simply wasn’t possible but frontman Damian Kulash and company used movie magic (read: a little bit of fancy editing) to string together the moments of non-weightlessness. It’s explained in an informative post at the band’s site:

The longest period of weightlessness that it is possible to achieve in these circumstances is about 27 seconds, and after each period of weightlessness, it takes about five minutes for the plane to recover and prepare for then next round. Because we wanted the video to be a single, uninterrupted routine, we shot continuously over the course of 8 consecutive weightless periods, which took about 45 minutes, total. We paused our actions, and the music, during the non-weightless periods, and then cut out these sections and smoothed over each transition with a morph.

From the floating laptops to the exploding pinatas, exploding briefcases full of bouncy balls, and exploding balloons filled with paint, there’s a breathtaking level of color and vibrancy to be had here. The expertly time choreography by the band and the wonderfully acrobatic airline stewardesses adds to the jaw-dropping nature of the mesmerizing clip.

Taking advantage of zero gravity is the latest accomplishment in a string of groundbreaking efforts concocted by alt-rock group. Click here to browse OK Go’s other music video marvels featuring perfect coordination of motorized scooters and drones and a Rube Goldbergian contraption for the ages.

Update (2/12): Boy have I got a fun behind-the-scenes video for you. Stereogum‘s released a special inside look at the making of the grand finale sequence of OK Go’s music video. Nicknamed “The Thunderdome,” said balloon splatting sequence took eight attempts to get right, and this clip goes through the band’s motions of eventually getting it right. Witnessing the many failed attempts is just as entertaining as watching the music video itself! God bless the poor soul who had to clean and reset the plane cabin after each take. Press pray after the break. Continue reading Zero gravity stars in OK Go’s latest music video marvel →

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ will be told in book form, too

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J.K. Rowling is releasing a new Harry Potter book! Well, sorta. As previously reported, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a stage play coming to the West End in London this summer. Today, Pottermore announced that Rowling and her Cursed Child creative team including Jack Thorne and John Tiffany will release a script book of the play. It isn’t entirely made clear what this means exactly, but I guess we are to assume that the new book, transcribed from the stage play, will read more like a play than the typical narrated Potter books we’re accustomed to. Still, this is huge for Potter fans everywhere; if you can’t make it to London to see Cursed Child live, you’ll still be able to enjoy “the official eighth story in Harry Potter canon.” Score!

The stage play is broken up into two separate performances meant to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or across two consecutive evenings. The script book will combine it all together and is officially titled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 & 2. Do you consider yourself a devout Potter-head? If so, take note: Rowling & co. will release two different versions of the book this summer. The first is being dubbed the “Special Rehearsal Edition” and it will comprise of the version of the play script at the time of the play’s preview performances (which begin June 7). Eventually, that will be replaced with the “Definitive Collector’s Edition” following the first official performance of the play that’s planned for July 30.

Looking for more details about the play’s plot and cast? For that you’ll have to jump after the break! Continue reading ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ will be told in book form, too →

It’s official: Disney’s ‘Frozen’ is coming to Broadway in 2018

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Step aside, Aladdin and The Lion King. A new Disney musical is coming to town and it’s primed to be a guaranteed sensation. Today, Disney Theatrical Productions made it official: Frozen is making its long-anticipated bow on Broadway in Spring 2018. It will be based on the original movie and not the in-the-works sequel. Fans of the critically acclaimed animated film will surely revel in the fact that Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez–composers of the the movie’s classic tunes–are leading the musical’s creative team. The dynamic husband-and-wife duo, who previously worked on Broadway musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, will adapt the Frozen songs you know and love (“Let It Go“, and so on) for the stage; additionally, they are currently concocting brand new songs that will feature exclusively in the musical. Also coming over from the movie to collaborate on the musical is Frozen‘s screenwriter and co-director Jennifer Lee; she’s penning the performance’s book.

The rest of Frozen: The Broadway Musical‘s creative team is dominated by Tony Award winners and nominees including director Alex Timbers (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), choreographer Peter Darling (Billy Elliot), scenic and costume designer Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins), lighting designer Natasha Katz (Aladdin), sound designer Peter Hylenski (Motown), and music supervisor Stephen Oremus (Wicked).

Performance dates, the venue, and the cast have yet to be finalized. First things first, though; an out-of-town tryout performance will play in summer 2017. Do you think you’d have what it takes to channel Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff under the bright lights of Broadway? Stay tuned for details as they come!

[Via Disney; Playbill]