Category Archives: News

An ode to ‘Hannibal’ as TV’s boldest experiment gets the axe

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This one’s tough. As I sit here nearly on the verge of sad, frustrated tears, this is something that fans have been dreading for some time now. NBC has pulled the plug on one of television’s most daring series, Hannibal.

The procedural-turned-serialized niche drama about the famed cannibal straight out of Thomas Harris’ novels and influenced by Anthony Hopkins’ stirring take on the iconic character is one for the ages. Specifically, the Golden Age of TV we currently reside in. Though it never gained in mass-popularly due to its intrinsically violent nature, Hannibal quickly proved its worth beyond the traditional scales of storytelling. Creator Bryan Fuller imagined and exquisitely executed a masterpiece program compelling its viewers with fine acting, engaging and wickedly smart dialogue, an eclectic, trancing score, and most all, with a uniquely bold direction, cinematography, and color palette that consistently evoked out-of-this-world dreamlike states of being. And yet, Hannibal always felt grounded in reality due much in part to its all-star leads. Mads Mikkelsen, who we all thought in the beginning would simply step into Hopkins’ shadow to replicate Dr. Lecter, did oh-so-much more than that with the character; with his diabolical flair for high society, Mikkelsen made Hannibal his own and swiftly managed to twist the serial killer into a deceptively compassionate–and at times–likable pro/antagonist. His match? Hugh Dancy, who effortlessly played crazy and controlled the dreamscapes that endlessly torment Will Graham throughout the series. Watching these actors revel in the cat-and-mouse game they love to play is as entertaining as it is addicting. Fuller wove a beautiful tapestry (not unlike Hannibal’s corpse-infused designs), and Mikkelsen and Dancy danced in it marvelously with grace and undeniable conviction.

As hard as it is to see the show go, the writing has been on the wall for awhile. Hannibal was never able to climb out of its low ratings hole, and so NBC had no choice but to mark season 3 as the end. It’s sad to leave these characters behind and even more frustrating to do so before their stories reach their natural conclusions. That being said, it’s hard to hate on the network that had the guts to give birth to such a peculiar kind of series. On top of the obvious violence, gore, and other “viewer discretion is advised” material that makes Hannibal what it is, Fuller wasn’t afraid to drizzle his show in copious amounts of philosophical and metaphysical exchanges you normally wouldn’t find on broadcast television. In fact, the same can be said for pretty much everything else this bizarre show set out to do. Oft-featured directors David Slade, Michael Rymer, and this season’s Vincenzo Natali wield the camera in ways that make our window into the world of Hannibal a character unto itself. Incessant close-ups of liquids like water and blood–in addition to most bizarre angles and dizzying mental lapses–successfully aided in driving viewers into the emotionally fractured abyss that Hannibal called home. You can literally pause the show at any moment and like magic you’re presented with a wonderfully construed canvas of artwork, every frame a unique painting, breathtaking to behold. Hannibal was never afraid to commit the unexpected, to look and sound and feel and taste, well, different from everything else. Now take all of these things into consideration; the network bet big on Fuller’s cinematic adaptation of this classic tale and fans should consider themselves lucky to have made it this far into the journey.

A most delicious experience it was (and continues to be) for Fannibals worldwide. As season 3 resumes, be sure to consume and enjoy every ticking second that goes by. Now that it’s grown out of its procedural roots, Hannibal has fully embraced its true design: Will hunting down his friend, his enemy, his equal in the show’s most beautiful scenery yet: Florence, Italy. And when it’s all over, an everlasting fact will remain: Hannibal, for all of its elegant flourishes and suspenseful, high-class drama, is the best premium cable show that aired on a broadcast network.

Jump after the break to see Fuller and NBC’s reactionary quotes to today’s news. Continue reading An ode to ‘Hannibal’ as TV’s boldest experiment gets the axe →

‘Bombshell,’ the Marilyn Monroe musical from ‘Smash,’ is upgrading to Broadway

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Good news, Smashers! The musical within the musical drama is coming to Broadway. Of course I’m talking about Bombshell, the fictional B’way musical featured in NBC’s short-lived drama starring Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty. After getting cut two seasons in, fans of the show we all loved to hate-watch continued to support it by buying the Bombshell soundtrack. The creatives behind the show and the music caught wind of this, teamed up with the non-profit Actors Fund, and took to Kickstarter to rake up the cash to bring the Marilyn Monroe musical to life at the Minskoff Theater for one-night only. The limited engagement sold out in minutes, and lucky fans in attendance experienced the Smash songs with more than a handful of the show’s stars belting them out, including leads McPhee and Hilty, as well as Christian Borle and Debra Messing. The show was such a success that Universal Stage Productions has decided to move forward with the idea on everyone’s minds: just bring Bombshell to Broadway already!

Smash executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who also produced live adaptations The Sound Of Music and Peter Pan for NBC, will produce the new Bombshell when its hits a stage under the bright lights of New York City. Joining them as EPs are Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote the Bombshell songs for the TV series. Though the behind-the-scenes crew is shaping up nicely, there hasn’t been any word as to whether or not any Smash actors are participating in this extended encore of sorts. (Please Megan Hilty, be our Marilyn!)

NBC head Bob Greenlight is excited for the work ahead: “There is a still a lot of love for ‘Smash’ and a rabid fan base out there, and we’re thrilled to be able to keep the dream alive as we work towards bringing ‘Bombshell’ to theatre audiences. ‘Smash’ was ambitious because every episode was a complicated musical for television and we also built the foundation of the musical-within-the-musical about Marilyn’s endlessly fascinating and tumultuous life. Over the course of two seasons an entire ‘Bombshell’ score was written to service ‘Smash’ storylines, and now that show will have a chance to stand on its own.”

“We are so thrilled that Smash isn’t over and that Bombshell gets to live on,” Zadan chimed in. “The Emmy-nominated songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, including the iconic ‘Let Me Be Your Star,’ are every bit the caliber of their Tony- and Grammy-winning Broadway work. The Actors Fund benefit reinforced how alive this material is on stage and how much the audience wants to see the Marilyn Monroe musical in its entirety.”

“As life imitates art, Joshua Bergasse, our brilliant Emmy-winning choreographer from ‘Smash,’ actually made his Broadway debut this season as a choreographer and was nominated for a Tony Award,” added Meron. “Now he will get the chance to reimagine his exhilarating ‘Bombshell’ dances for the theatre.”

Click here to catch glimpses of the one-off benefit concert, perhaps a window into what we can expect when Bombshell comes to Broadway for good!

[Via Broadway World]

Movie trailer round-up: Animated entries ‘Secret Life of Pets’ & ‘Peanuts’ pack humor, heart & fun

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Illumination Entertainment, the maker of Despicable Me and the upcoming Minions movie, has a new animated comedy in the works about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day. The first teaser trailer, embedded above, does a fantastic job of setting the scene featuring Illumination’s slick animation style and signature humor. An overarching plot isn’t being divulged just yet, but that doesn’t even matter–The Secret Life of Pets is sure to draw audiences of all ages to its adorable collection of cats and dogs and video game savvy birds. The stacked voice cast includes Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress, and Albert Brooks.

The Secret Life of Pets releases July 8, 2016.

Jump after the break to see the latest trailer for Blue Sky Studios’ Peanuts adaptation. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: Animated entries ‘Secret Life of Pets’ & ‘Peanuts’ pack humor, heart & fun →

‘Secrets and Lies’ season 2 scoop: Cornell has a new case

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When Secrets and Lies returns for its second season next year, it will do so without Ryan Phillippe’s protagonist Ben Crawford. In fact, the entire cast from the ABC investigative thriller will not be returning for season 2, except for one. From the get-go, showrunner Barbie Kligman defined Secrets & Lies to be an anthology series in a similar vein to American Horror Story: each season will take place in a new location, with a new set of characters and a new crime to be solved by Detective Andrea Cornell. Juliette Lewis, who embodies the cold-as-ice investigator, reprises her role to bridge the gap between seasons.

Looking for intel on season 2? Deadline reports that Detective Cornell will be focusing on Eric Warner–played by Michael Ealy–and the investigation into his wife’s murder. “Smart, well-educated and hard working, Warner is at the top of his game — he’s the heir apparent to his family’s private equity firm in Charlotte, NC, newly married to “the one” and walking on air. Eric is attending a party to honor dad passing over the reins when suddenly tragedy strikes — his wife Kate is murdered, and life, as he knows it, is over.”

Ealy is fresh off his villainous turn in Fox’s final season of The Following; he played serial killer Theo. Or, you might remember him as compassionate synthetic Dorian from Fox’s short-lived Almost Human.

Secrets and Lies returns in midseason to ABC.

PS- If you watched the first season, you may have missed out on a juicy bonus scene that exclusively debuted online following the finale. It’s called “14 Months Later” and it stars Crawford’s best friend Dave and daughter Natalie celebrating her 18th birthday. Cornell, of course, makes a sizzling appearance.

[Via Deadline]

E3 2015: Nintendo wields nostalgia factor to celebrate 30 years of Mario (also, Star Fox is coming!)

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As is tradition for Nintendo now, the house that built Mario did not commit to a stage for its E3 briefing but instead hosted its very own “Digital Event” on YouTube. Every year Nintendo has an obscene amount of fun with their E3 events, and this year’s hour-long showcase was no different. The theme this go-around was puppets. That’s right–company President and CEO Satoru Iwata, Nintendo of America’s President and COO Reggie Fils-Amie, and influencial Ninty game producer Shigeru Miyamoto all took the form of puppets for the 2015 Digital Event. If you fancy yourself a Nintendo fanboy or fangirl, you cracked up along with me when Fils-Amie was introduced by performing (Nintendo) 64 push-ups and proclaiming, “My puppet body is ready!”

The entirety of Ninty’s Digital Event was comprised of game unveilings and the introduction of some new amiibo figures. Fils-Amie let loose pretty early on that the company would not be discussing its next console codenamed NX; expect more information regarding it next year. 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros., so there’s more pressing game-related announcements at hand! For the full breakdown of games coming soon to Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, jump after the break. Continue reading E3 2015: Nintendo wields nostalgia factor to celebrate 30 years of Mario (also, Star Fox is coming!) →

E3 2015: Microsoft kicks Xbox One into high gear with exciting games lineup and backwards compatibility

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Microsoft kicked off E3 2015 with a media briefing that mostly included first-looks at anticipated game sequels and new IPs, and also a dash of exciting software and hardware announcements. It’s all for you after the break. Continue reading E3 2015: Microsoft kicks Xbox One into high gear with exciting games lineup and backwards compatibility →

‘The Leftovers’ moves to Texas in revamped season 2

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If you’ve been wondering about The Leftovers, you’re not alone. The gripping and sometimes downright depressing HBO drama premiered last summer, specifically on June 29. Up to this point there has been no word as to when season 2 would officially premiere. But now, thanks to this teaser, we now know that the show will return in the fall.

But why the wait? HBO hasn’t commented on that, but it’s easy to speculate. The first season of The Leftovers was based on Tom Perrotta’s book of the same name and it covered the events that unfolded in it all the way to the end. So now, Perrotta and fellow executive producer Damon Lindelof have to dream up all new source material for the series going into season two. In fact, it’s been made public already that the show is undergoing a major creative reboot: the location is moving from Mapleton, New York to a suburb in Texas; additionally, the cast is being gutted and lots of new faces are coming aboard. Confirmed to return include Justin Theroux (Kevin Garvey, Jr.), Amy Brenneman (Garvey’s wife Laurie), Margaret Qualley (Garvey daughter Jill), Chris Zylka (Laurie’s son Tommy), Christopher Eccleston (former reverend Matt Jamison), and Carrie Coon (Matt’s sister Nora Durst). Mysteriously missing like The Departed are Liv Tyler (Megan from the Guilty Remnant), Emily Meade (Jill’s friend Aimee), Max and Charlie Carver (the identical twins), Annie Q. (Holy Wayne’s groupie Christine), and the incomparable Ann Dowd (Guilty Remnant leader Patti).

In our first look at season two, this teaser introduces the town of Jarden, Texas–the one place on Earth where the Sudden Departure hasn’t claimed the lives of its residents…yet. Hence the major build-up of cars: everyone and their mother wants to reside in this place where loved ones aren’t mysteriously vanishing in thin air.

The mere fact that HBO is bringing The Leftovers back for more begs the questions again: Will Perrotta and Lindelof start delving into the overarching mysterious and answering the Big Questions: What happens to the Departed, and why were they chosen to go while others are forced to stay? Perrotta famously did not answer these questions in his novel, and season one obviously didn’t either. In a new place with a (mostly) new cast, perhaps The Leftovers will begin to satiate its intrigued fanbase with some answers.

[Via TVLine]

A&E renews ‘Bates Motel’ for two more seasons

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Carlton Cuse’s vision for a five-season tale of watching Norman Bates become Psycho is right on track. Today A&E officially renewed its creeptastic drama Bates Motel for two more seasons. Upcoming seasons 4 and 5 will each consist of 10 episodes, no change there. Cuse, along with co-showrunner Kerry Ehrin, have shared with critics and fans that they’d hope to tell this finite story across (at least) five seasons, and now that the network is fully on board with that plan, viewers don’t have to worry one bit about full resolution (er, evolution) come the series finale.

“The vision of our incredible creative team has exposed the steady breakdown of the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates,” said Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President and General Manager of A&E, in a statement. “We are thrilled to bring fans two more seasons to witness the next stages of Norman’s transformation into the most notorious psychopath in cinematic history.”

Elsewhere at A&E, Cuse’s other drama The Returned has been cancelled and will not be coming back for a second season. Though the premise intrigued in its dealings with loved ones returning from the dead, it did so without the finesse and grace of ABC’s ill-fated Resurrection; that show went on to see a second season and then fizzled out.

Kiefer Sutherland discusses the future of ’24’ without Jack Bauer

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As the “more 24” rumor mill continues to spin following the successful run of the franchise’s event series 24: Live Another Day, it’s about time we heard direct from the source regarding the series’ future. Star Kiefer Sutherland, who has played the iconic terrorist hunter Jack Bauer ten times now–across eight seasons, a TV movie, and LAD, is hanging up his gun. Or rather, he’s handing it off to young blood. In an interview with Deadline, Sutherland openly discussed where 24 may be headed in the not-so-distant future.

“I’m not coming back to do 24 because there are other things I want to do. And when they said limited-series run [re: Live Another Day], I meant it. But I’ve always felt, from Season 1 on, that 24 is such a great idea that this can go on forever. I think if you create a new cast or other characters in the telling of this story, it will bring a freshness. And let’s face it there’s only so many bad days one can have before the show becomes a mad comic. And what I don’t want it to be is a mad comic…it doesn’t rule out to one having a cameo.”

So! 24 will likely live to see another day, but this time around it will feature a new bad-ass leader at the helm. And, if we’re lucky, Sutherland will show up again as Bauer to literally hand the baton to his successor. But first, someone has to break him out of Russia firm grip! Also, can 24 exist without Jack Bauer fully involved in the day’s predicaments? Sound off! #BringTonyBack

[Via Deadline]

‘Tread Lightly’ with ‘Breaking Bad’-inspired Blue Ice Vodka

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Looking to add to your TV series-inspired alcoholic beverage collection? Blue Ice Vodka has you covered with its brand new Breaking Bad inspired vodka appropriately and simply named Heisenberg. Three special edition bottles of Heisenberg by Blue Ice Vodka will be made available for a limited time this summer; the bottles will feature famous quotes from the AMC hit series including “The One Who Knocks,” “Tread Lightly,” and “Say My Name.” Gotta catch ’em all!

Blue Ice Vodka is handcrafted in Idaho and the company prides itself on its premium, all-natural ingredients and its patented five-stage filtration process “making it among the purest products in the marketplace.” Walter White would be proud.

Even Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan shared his excitement over this fun collaboration. “The Dude had his White Russians, the Blues Brothers had their Night Train… and now Heisenberg has his very own Blue Ice Vodka! I’m counting on our fans to use it in the creation of a great many delicious cocktails. I’m getting thirsty just thinking about it.”

If you don’t want to wait for Heisenberg to hit the shelves, you can order the special edition bottles online today at Reserve Bar; the bottles go for $27 a pop, or you can buy the bundle of three for $81. Watch the official commercial for it after the break; fans of the series will get a kick out of it since it borrows the animations and styling of the show’s iconic opening credits. ¡Salud!

[Via Blue Ice Vodka; EW] Continue reading ‘Tread Lightly’ with ‘Breaking Bad’-inspired Blue Ice Vodka →

WWDC15: Apple updates OS X, iOS & watchOS, unveils Apple Music streaming service

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2015’s World Wide Developers Conference was all about software for the house that Jobs built. Apple CEO Tim Cook led an extensive first-look extravaganza at the many updates coming to the company’s myriad operating systems. The desktop OS X, the mobile iOS, and even the new watchOS are all receiving user experience and performance upgrades soon. Additionally, Apple unveiled its next revolution in the music industry: there was the iPod, and iTunes, and now Apple Music. Jump after the break to learn all about it. Continue reading WWDC15: Apple updates OS X, iOS & watchOS, unveils Apple Music streaming service →

Showtime joins the stand-alone streaming fray with… SHOWTIME

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Following in the footsteps of the Home Broadcasting Company, premium cable rival Showtime is getting in on the standalone-streaming service cord-cutting craze. HBO NOW‘s direct competition will be called SHOWTIME when it launches in July. A specific release date is still being kept under wraps, but Showtime confirms it will arrive prior to the July 12 season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex. SHOWTIME subscribers will have unlimited on-demand access to every season of the network’s original series, as well as hundreds of hours of movies, documentary and sports programming. Additionally, subscribers will have access to the live broadcast of the east and west coast feeds of Showtime–this is something HBO’s stand-alone streaming service does not offer…yet. SHOWTIME requires a monthly fee of $10.99; for comparison’s sake, NOW subscribers have to cough up $14.99 for access to HBO’s content library. Also like HBO, Showtime has signed a deal with Apple that allows customers to sign up for a free 30-day pass for the service, as long as you nab it on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV. SHOWTIME will be accessible via the network’s app or in-browser at showtime.com.

“Going over-the-top means Showtime will be much more accessible to tens of millions of potential new subscribers,” said CBS head Les Moonves in a statement. “Across CBS, we are constantly finding new ways to monetize our programming by capitalizing on opportunities presented by technology.  This works best when you have outstanding premium content – like we do at Showtime – and when you have a terrific partner like Apple – which continues to innovate and build upon its loyal customer base.”

Though the 30-day free pass will be made available exclusively on Apple devices, SHOWTIME at $10.99/month will be offered on other platforms at launch including Roku and Sony’s PlayStation Vue.