Return to ‘Twin Peaks’ in this scenic, mysterious first look

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Twin Peaks, the cult mystery drama from David Lynch and Mark Frost, is primed to make its comeback 25 years after it aired his season 2 finale in June 1991. Just like Laura Palmer promised. Well, 26 years later to be exact now that Lynch and Showtime are confirming a 2017 premiere window. Still, that’s pretty eerie if you ask me and that’s just how Lynch likes it. The official logline for the new season doesn’t spill much of anything, but it’ll remind you about what’s come before.

Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential broadcast series of all time, TWIN PEAKS followed the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town who were stunned after their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered. The town’s sheriff welcomed the help of FBI agent Dale Cooper, who came to town to investigate the case. As Cooper conducted his search for Laura’s killer, the town’s secrets were gradually exposed. The mystery that ensued set off an eerie chain of events that plunged the inhabitants of Twin Peaks into a darker examination of their very existence. Twenty-five years later, the story continues…

Much of the original cast is expected to return, though it’s only Kyle MacLachlan’s FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper who’s officially confirmed to reprise. Well, MacLachlan and now Michael Horse who played Deputy Tommy “Hawk” Hill during the series’ original incarnation. Horse, who still looks pretty much the same minus a few grey hairs, is featured in this first look at the long-anticipated return to Twin Peaks.

“Location sometimes becomes a character,” Horse says in the scenic clip first shared by Lynch via Twitter. “There are a lot of holy places up here, a lot of sacred places. Can’t put my finger on how I would describe it. It just touches something in the psyche. It’s almost like being in a moving painting.”

It feels good to be home, you know, “five miles south of the Canadian border, and twelve miles west of the state line,” in the bizarre wilderness that is the fictional town of Twin Peaks. The iconic waterfall and surrounding lush forest look absolutely stunning filmed in HD. Curious to see that the same number of residents reside in the town, even 25 years later; the sign counter remains stuck at 51,201. Also remaining in tact is composer Angelo Badalamenti’s memorable theme and the same credit font, now even shinier than before. The teaser ends just as it should, strange and mysterious. An unfocused man with white hair holding his arms up shakes the camera and the music goes haywire before fading out. Who could it be? Some might say it’s the return of Leland Palmer, but my bet’s on Lynch. This could be the series co-creator having fun with fans, and let’s not forget that he played FBI Agent Gordon Cole so this could hint at another character reprisal.

Stick it here for the latest Twin Peaks scoops; you can be sure I’ll be all over it like Agent Cooper would a good cherry pie and a damn fine coffee.

Status update #4 on your favorite new and returning shows

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Before we close out the year, let’s take one more look at the survival status of your favorite shows.

CBS is a fan of the high-flying Supergirl so much so that it’s granted the Greg Berlanti-produced superhero series a full season order. The DC Comics-based drama will run for 20 episodes in its debut season.

NBC can’t get enough of Raymond Reddington. The network has renewed the James Spader vehicle The Blacklist for a fourth season ensuring its comeback next fall. The high-octane drama took a daring turn into more serialized storytelling this year and it’s reaping the rewards in the creative department. Also on the Peacock’s nice list is Dick Wolf’s latest spinoff Chicago Med; the medical procedural has been given a five-episode back order bringing its first season tally to 18 hours. Remember, ChiMed debuted late in November, so this can be considered a full season order. On its naughty list is Neil Patrick Harris’ primetime variety show Best Time Ever; it won’t be coming back for more.

Fox‘s summer breakout Wayward Pines will in fact return for a 10-episode second season. The M. Night Shyamalan-produced mystery drama based on author Blake Crouch’s novels hooked viewers with its jaw-dropping twists, fun action sequences, and most of all, its homages to The Twilight Zone and Twin Peaks. Shyamalan will return to EP, but showrunner Chad Hodge is handing off the reigns to Mark Friedman (Believe).

For more, jump after the break. Continue reading Status update #4 on your favorite new and returning shows →

The Beatles comes to streaming services just in time for the holidays (Update)

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Nearly five years to the day that The Beatles finally embraced the digital world of music by releasing their famed catalog on iTunes, the Fab Four are now officially offering their 13 studio albums and 4 essential collections on music streaming services. The most prolific streamers like Spotify and Apple Music are featuring The Beatles music today, along with other industry players including Google Play, Amazon Prime Music, Tidal, Deezer, Slacker Radio, Rhapsody, and Microsoft Groove. Back in 2011 when the band landed on iTunes, it quickly sold 2 million songs and 450,000 albums during its first week on Apple’s music store. Looking forward to finding out how the streaming community picks up on their sudden inclusion.

The Beatles dropped its catalog on Christmas Eve; a special gift to the world, indeed. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! Celebrate with the band’s announcement video posted after the break.

Update (12/27): Spotify has released some streaming data re: The Beatles, including the most streamed songs around the world. Skip after the break for the intel. Continue reading The Beatles comes to streaming services just in time for the holidays (Update) →

Kid Cudi returns to his childhood high school for inspirational TED talk

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It’s been fun following Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi’s career over the years, from his humble rap beginnings to his recent exploration into rap-punk-rock fusion. He never lets his fans forget where he comes from–that’s Cleveland, Ohio if you didn’t know. Last February, he went home to give a TED talk at his old high school, Shaker Heights High, where he shared with an excitable audience his experiences growing up in the music industry. For Cudi fans, it’s a brief but intriguing trip inside the mind of the rapper turned rocker/actor. In general, though, it’s an informative speech with an aim to push everyone to make goals and reach to fulfill them. Cudi gets surprisingly candid with the crowd (at one point he even invites up an old high school friend he hasn’t seen in many years) and offers sound advice for his fans, the haters, and all.

Click here to watch the 20-minute TED talk on YouTube.

The new ‘Ghostbusters’ are ready to play

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The Ghostbusters are ready to kick some ass, again. Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) hand-picked his rag-tag heroines for the upcoming reboot and we’ve already glimpsed behind the curtain during the film’s production. While Feig remains mum on juicy plot details, he continues to share stills from the set and this next one does not disappoint. Check out Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Kristin Wiig, and Leslie Jones welding their modern proton packs in the ghoulish pic hanging above.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feig had nothing but praise for the funny ladies of SNL (plus McCarthy). “They are four incredibly talented women, each with a unique voice and style of comedy,” he said. “The fact that they meshed so well and complemented each other so well made this team of paranormal warriors a very interesting and fully-rounded group. The funniest people who come from sketch, stand-up, or just comedy, in general, work well together because the good ones know they are only as good as those they are playing off, against, and with. The set was a fun, supportive and creatively fertile environment.”

And there’s more! Be sure to pop into the gallery below to view movie posters featuring the four leads. The new Ghostbusters arrives July 15, 2016.

Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update)

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Director Bryan Singer is ready to introduce the world to Apocalypse, the first mutant from which all mutants descend. Also, he’s totally evil and stuff and wants to annihilate mankind and create a new world order over which he will reign. Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) plays the villainous mutant who has amassed the powers of many other mutants since the beginning of recorded time, becoming immortal and invincible in the process. A disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender) joins the dark side once again to take on Professor X (James McAvoy) and his team of misfit mutants in an epic war to save the world from irreversible destruction. Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) also make impressions in this debut trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse as young versions of Mystique and Jean Grey, respectively. The wide ensemble cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, and Ben Hardy.

Singer’s followup to his successful Days of Future Past hits theatres May 27, 2016.

Update (12/13): 20th Century Fox has dropped the first official trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence and you can watch it now after the break.

Update 2 (12/14): Following a leak in Germany, Paramount has released the first trailer for Star Trek Beyond a tad early, but we’re not complaining! Find it after the break.

Update 3 (12/15): Warner Bros. is giving Harry Potter fans a peek at the anticipated spinoff Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. By now you know where to find it. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ & ‘Fantastic Beasts’ (Update) →

‘Serial’ podcast returns and its new case will have global consequences

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Serial is back. This morning at precisely 6am, host Sarah Koenig and her crack team at NPR’s This American Life debuted the first chapter in the second season of her wildly popular podcast. While season 1 was all about a captivating murder case, season 2 will investigate a new, compelling story surrounding U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Apparently Bergdahl left his small outpost in eastern Afghanistan and ventured into hostile territory to later be taken hostage by the Taliban; he would be the terrorist organization’s prisoner for almost five years. In May 2014, a deal was struck and the Taliban handed Bergdahl back to the United States. But things were not all peachy for the rescued solider upon his return; a celebration hosted by his hometown of Hailey, Idaho was promptly cancelled when Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers started labeling him a deserter and traitor to his country. In this season of Serial, Koenig–with the assistance of filmmaker Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker)–will explore the mystery behind Bergdahl’s decision to leave his post and the global ramifications that followed. “It’s a story that has played out in unexpected ways from the start. And it’s a story that’s still going on,” reads a post featured on the Serial site.

“Unlike our story in Season One, this one extends far out into the world,”  Koenig blogs. “It reaches into swaths of the military, the peace talks to end the war, attempts to rescue other hostages, our Guantanamo policy. What Bergdahl did made me wrestle with things I’d thought I more or less understood, but really didn’t: what it means to be loyal, to be resilient, to be used, to be punished.”

And now, without further ado, I present “DUSTWUN,” the 44-minute premiere of Serial‘s second season. You can stream it free at Serial‘s site and on Pandora, or alternatively you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. In addition to complementary posts, the Serial team will be providing interactive 3D maps, graphics, and videos to help explain the story as it unfolds. Look out for new installments on a weekly basis.

Excuse me while I fall back into the trance that is Sarah Koenig’s investigative prowess. I’ve missed you, MailChimp. See you all on the other side.

Netflix and the streaming services dominate Golden Globe nominations

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Popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon made a considerable splash at the Golden Globe nominations ceremony today. Netflix, the maker of original content like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, leads the TV competition including streaming services, cable and broadcast networks with a total of 8 nominations. Not so far behind is premium cable networks HBO and Starz with 7 and 6 nods, respectively, and Amazon ties FX with 5.

Speaking of the streaming services taking over, you needn’t look further than the Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy category which is utterly dominated by offerings from Netflix (Orange is the New Black), Amazon (Transparent), and Hulu (Casual). They’ll be facing off against HBO’s Silicon Valley and Veep. You’ll notice not a single broadcast network comedy enters the race here; the times, they are a-changin’. Fox’s Empire managed to squeeze into Best Drama Series where it is instantly overshadowed by HBO’s Game of Thrones, USA’s Mr. Robot, Starz’s Outlander, and yet another Netflix show, Narcos.

Actresses across the comedy TV category up for Globes include Rachel Bloom (The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jamie Lee Curtis (Fox’s Scream Queens), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (HBO’s Veep), Gina Rodriguez (The CW’s Jane the Virgin), and Lily Tomlin (Netflix’s Grace and Frankie). Leading actors include Aziz Ansari (Netflix’s Master of None), Gael Garcia Bernal (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), Rob Lowe (Fox’s The Grinder), Patrick Stewart (Starz’s Blunt Talk), and of course Jeffrey Tambor (Amazon’s Transparent).

In the drama department, the following actresses are vying for the shiny statue: Caitriona Balfe (Starz’s Outlander), Viola Davis (ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder), Eva Green (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful), Taraji P. Henson (Fox’s Empire), and Robin Wright (House of Cards). Leading actors nominated include Jon Hamm (AMC’s Mad Men), Rami Malek (USA’s Mr. Robot), Wagner Moura (Netflix’s Narcos), Bob Odenkirk (AMC’s Better Call Saul), and Liev Schreiber (Showtime’s Ray Donovan).

Elsewhere, ABC’s American Crime, FX’s American Horror Story: Hotel and Fargo, Starz’ Flesh and Bone, and PBS’ Wolf Hall have all been nominated for Best TV Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. Shout outs to Kirsten Dunst (Fargo), Lady Gaga (AHS: Hotel), Felicity Huffman & Regina King (American Crime), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Ben Mendelsohn (Netflix’s Bloodline), and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) for scoring lead and supporting acting nods.

Moving onto the snubs… Where’s the love for stellar shows like HBO’s The Leftovers, FX’s The Americans, AMC’s The Walking Dead, A&E’s Bates Motel, Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, FXX’s You’re the Worst, NBC’s Parks & Rec, Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and and The Last Man on Earth? The decision to completely omit these shows and their stellar casts makes me scratch my head indefinitely.

Now let’s not forget that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) also votes on the best films of the year. Movies nominated for best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy include The Big Short, Joy, The Martian (??), Spy, and Trainwreck. Best Dramas include Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Room, and Spotlight. The movies up for Best Animated Picture: Anomalisa, Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out, The Peanuts Movie, and Shawn the Sheep Movie.

Click here for the full list of Golden Globe-nominated TV series, movies, actors, actresses, screenplays, directors, scores, and songs. The 73rd Golden Globes airs live Sunday, Jan. 10 at 8pm (ET) on NBC.

Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift & The Weeknd lead 2016 Grammy nominations

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Seemingly always on the rise rapper Kendrick Lamar leads with the most Grammy Award nominations this year. His 11 nods fall within major categories including Album of the Year (To Pimp A Butterfly) and his track “Alright” landed him numerous nods in the following fields: Song of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. Trailing not so far behind is Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, both earning 7 nods apiece.

Let’s take a quick look at the General Field nominees, the four most prominent categories that Swift managed to dominate this year thanks to her record-breaking album, 1989. Her popular single “Blank Space” is competing for Record of the Year with D’Angelo And The Vanguard’s “Really Love,” Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” and The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face.” In the Album of the Year category, 1989 is up against Alabama Shakes’s Sound and Color, Kendrick’s Butterfly, Chris Stapleton’s Traveller, and The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness. “Blank Space” and “Alright” are joined by “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town, “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, and “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran in competition for Song of the Year. Last, Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly, and Meghan Trainor are all vying for the coveted Best New Artist award.

Click here for the full list of this year’s nominees. The 58th Annual Grammy Awards airs Monday, Feb. 15 at 8pm on CBS.

Harmonix & Oculus team up to bring ‘Rock Band’ to virtual reality in 2016

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Rock Band just made its comeback on consoles with Rock Band 4 on Xbox One and PS4, but that wasn’t enough for developer Harmonix. The company behind the original incarnations of Guitar Hero is hard at work on bringing the Rock Band experience to virtual reality via the Oculus Rift. Rock Band VR–as it’s being called for now–will suitably place the gamer on stage in front of a roaring crowd ready to hear some rock and roll. Harmonix and Oculus are keeping pretty mum on the exciting project. All we’ve got to go on is this quick clip that invites Dragonforce into the fold. Any Guitar Hero fan will remember the classic (arguably hardest) track featured in Guitar Hero III, Dragonforce’s heavy metal “Through the Fire and Flames.” The VR version of the game will come with this song in tow. The video has fun with the musicians paling around with Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos and Oculus founder Palmer Luckey. It’s the final 20 seconds, though, that’ll get your heart racing in anticipation of the VR title; the nostalgic track plays as you catch a glimpse of what it’ll be like to live our your rockstar dreams like never before. How cool would it be to look around and see your bandmates playing right alongside you, feeding off your stage presence and the crowd’s energy? Both the Rift headset and the game aren’t due out until next year, so there’s still plenty of time for Harmonix and Oculus to invent imaginative ways to bring Rock Band into the untapped world of virtual reality.

Kid Cudi drops his next genre-busting effort, ‘Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven’

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The sixth studio album from Kid Cudi, Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven, has finally arrived. Like WZRD (2012), Indicud (2013), and Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon (2014) before it, SB2H continues to defy the musical boundaries Cudder successfully defined for himself early in his career with the Man on the Moon records. Cudi doesn’t consider himself a hip-hop or rap artist but instead an “alternative” one. SB2H emanates alt-grunge-rock vibes with emphasis on guitar strings, not electronic beats. “I’ve ripped my heart out and carved it into tiny pieces of musical madness,” Cudi has previously said about his latest effort. And it’s true: SB2H is an emotional record that drives into the depths of the experimental rapper-turned-rocker.

The 26-track album is split into an A-side and B-side. The first half features singles including “Confused!,” “Judgemental Cunt,” and “Wedding Tux.” Sprinkled throughout are skits featuring Beavis & Butt-Head voiced by the cartoon’s creator Mike Judge; Cudi enlisted Judge to record the new bits in-studio and how cool is that? The B-side includes eight tracks, half of which are demo recordings. Longtime Cudi fans will take solace in the fact that SB2H welcomes back Cudi’s Man on the Moon producing partner Plain Pat behind-the-scenes.

Wondering about Cudi’s tour plans? He was expected to kick things off this month, but due to production issues he’s postponing until “the top of next year.” Our consolation prize? The release of a third single, “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven,” side-A’s penultimate track produced by Cudi and Plain Pat.

Dig Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven‘s album artwork above, plug in your headphones, and rock out to dat new-new Kid Cudi via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, or Google. Holding out for the physical CD? Cudi promises that’ll release Dec. 18, and you can preorder it today at Amazon. Also coming soon: vinyl and a “special limited run of cassette tapes.” Rad.

Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ returns later this month

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With the holiday season upon us, many of your favorite shows broadcasting on network and cable are going into hibernation for winter. But that surely doesn’t mean there’s nothing to watch until they reemerge in the new year. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are showing TV viewers with all kinds of grade-A content right now, including last month’s recommendations Masters of None, Jessica Jones, and The Man in the High Castle.

Joining that list this month is Amazon’s most lauded original work, Jill Soloway’s Transparent. Jeffrey Tambor walked away with an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his riveting and realistic portrayal of a transgender person going through the growing pains of coming out to his tight-knit family. Tambor truly is a tour-de-force in the role, and he’s proven to be an inspiration for the transgender community. And underneath all this lives and breaths a relatable, quirky family drama supported by a fantastic cast including Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, Gaby Hoffmann, and Judith Light. Transparent effortlessly tells its important life lessons on inclusivity with healthy doses of humor and love. It’s hard not to get completely entangled and mesmerized by the trails and tribulations of the Pfeffermans.

The 10-episode second season of Transparent debuts on Amazon all at once on Friday, December 11. Feeling the itch to get things started early? Amazon is offering up the first episode, “Kina Hora,” today; watch it here. And here’s the season 2 trailer.