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Time’s Up Raises $20 Million To Combat Sexual Harassment

Time’s Up is a movement against sexual harassment founded on January 1, 2018 by Hollywood celebrities in response to the Weinstein reports and #MeToo movement. It’s mission is to combat sexual harassment, assault, and inequality in the workplace. Since the launch of Time’s Up, the organization has raised $20 million and has helped over 1,000 people. Tina Tchen, Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff who now administers the fund, made the announcement during a Time’s Up panel at the 2018 Makers Conference on Monday.

Actress Rashida Jones was on the panel and added, “There is no change unless you bring every single person along who has spent time being marginalized, harassed, [or] assaulted.”

Tchen said the movement is uniting whose voices too often are fragmented and siloed by interests.

“This is all about bringing everything together,” she said. “I have to give a lot of credit to the women of Hollywood who really brought this together, gave a voice to it.”

To read more about it head over to: www.deadline.com

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Tenant Spotlight: Baily/Thomas Casting

IMG_8658This month’s Tenant Spotlight feature is Baily/Thomas & Associates. This highly sought after casting agency have been long time tenants at our Gower location. You will find their casting prowess on Hulu’s critically acclaimed The Handmaid’s Tale, AMC’s Better Call Saul, AMC’s heavy hitter The Walking Dead and Fox’s hit show Gotham. Ariana caught up with co-founder Sharon Bialy on a warm Friday morning to talk about the agencies beginnings and everything in between.

  • Walking Dead Question: Which are you: a survivor or a walker? Survivor
  • You ladies receive all sorts of gifts, does that ever help with making or breaking a decision? We get really weirded out or uncomfortable when we get a gift from an actor we interview. It absolutely does not help, it might hurt because it’s not appropriate. But we are comfortable when an actor wants to say an extra special thank you, if it’s a huge role or if they know we went out of our way to help them.
  • Have you received anything that was strange? Oh yeah, we got a bloody bat in the mail when we were casting “Negan” for The Walking Dead we were at Sony at the time and Sony took that very seriously. They called the police and it was pretty scary.
  • In the lobby we get a lot of actors who drop off their headshots and resumes for you two. Do you ladies every look at those? And have you ever cast someone who’s dropped those off? I look at every piece of mail that comes in and I appreciate when they drop them at the front with you ladies ::chuckles::

But yes we have cast from drop offs, more than once.

  • Do you accept actors that don’t have proper representation? What could or should an actor do to get through to you two. We’ve hired actors that don’t have agents but if they want to get through, they should be in a play or be in a web series. The reality is there are thousands of actors so you can’t focus on getting into our office. They should stop worrying about that and go out and start doing work – we read the trades, we read the reviews on plays. We’ll find you.
  • Is there a movie that inspired you to be a casting director growing up? I have a lot of movies that I loved growing up and they’re so diverse. From Revenge of The Nerds to James Bond movies to Gone With The Wind. When I was young it was Gone with The Wind. When I was an adult already casting, it was Shawshank Redemption, that was a perfect film.
  • How did you meet Sherry Thomas? Sherry and I met through Debi Manwiller  – a former partner and still a best friend. I was looking for an associate after I was on my own for about six months. I called Debi to see if you she knew of anyone because I had a big job and needed an associate. She recommended Sherry Thomas who had worked with her on 24. We met at a Starbucks and I had four people lined up to meet with and she was the first one and I canceled the others. I was like, ‘That’s it, we’re on!’
  • You have two have worked together for over 16 years. The first two – three years she was my associate and then I made her partner.
  • Why do you think you two work so well together, what clicks with you guys? Complete and utter respect and trust in each other. No competition ever.
  • What are some of the ways studios and showrunners, convey what they’re looking for? At beginning of a project we’ll get on a concept call, and really discuss the character with the creator. Sometimes with the studio or network people involved but usually with the creator of the project because it’s their vision that we’re serving. That’s where it starts – sometimes they will mention an actor that they have in mind. But really, we don’t like to work that way. It’s more so, what are the qualities they’re looking for in a character, so that you we a complete blank slate to really use the casting process the way it should be used –  to really find something exciting.
  • Do you have a database you use? Yes we have a database, we have these books ::points to a wall of five tiered bookcases packed with big binders with shows labeled on the spines::  that I’ve been compiling since I’ve started, with notes on all the actors we’ve ever seen. We use a service called Breakdown Services, where we send out to all the agents and managers and we get ideas and we go through them all.
  • Some actors on your shows, I don’t see or hear of them coming in, do you interview remotely? Well some people self-tape because they’re not in LA, so we’ll get their tape and Skype with them. If it’s a big role, we’ll have to do a test at the studio. It also may be someone that we’re offering to, or maybe for example- Elizabeth Moss came on The Handmaid’s Tale before we did.
  • I’ve spoken to some of the parents that come in for casting for other agencies in the building and they’ve expressed that their kids may or may not get cast based off their social media following. Does Bialy Thomas practice this? It’s definitely very common, but we do not do that at all. Someone’s social media following is not a factor in our casting decisions.
  • You don’t have to tell me who it was obviously… But what was the most horrific casting session you’ve ever had? I’ve had a knife pulled on me once. We were in session and this actress had a knife and got really close to me. This was for a feature, so the next actor, I asked if they had a knife or gun and I said OK you need to go put that back in your car! That was the most horrific.
  • The Handmaid’s Tale has been nominated for 13 Emmy’s. Congratulations! How did you two find out about the nominations? I was at home and Sherry text Russell and I. She told us and I couldn’t find it, so I think Russell text her back asking “Are you sure??”::laughing:: But yes, Sherry told us the great news.
  • Is there a show on air right now that you watch and think I could have done that better? Not better, but more of, I wish I could have cast that, it’s more out of respect. The Night Manager was so well cast and I’m like, damn I would have loved that job!
  • Where do you see Bialy Thomas & Associates in the next 3 years? I think I can speak for Sherry and myself. We’d like to continue to do work that we really believe in and we’re really passionate about- like The Handmaid’s Tale, The Last Tycoon, Barry, or Alan Ball’s Here, Now. When the work really resonates with us, we do better work. We want to work with the people that respect what we do and keep our incredible staff in this beautif
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2016 Oscar Nominations

The 2016 Oscar Nominations were released today with many surprises and obvious contenders. “The Revenant,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio led the nominations with 12 nominations for the 88th Academy Awards.  The nominations include Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor (DiCaprio).  This will be the fifth time that Leonardo DiCaprio is nominated for an Academy Award, with many hoping that the fifth time will be the charm.

With 10 nominations, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” directed by George Miller, was the second-most-honored film. Their nominations include Best Picture, Best Director, and Cinematography.

Sylvestor Stallone was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in “Creed,” in which he plays the same character, Rocky Balboa. Unfortunately, Michael B. Jordan who plays the lead in “Creed” was not nominated.

As the previous year, that has been some heated debate over the fact that the award there was an absence of performers of color. All 20 of the acting nominees are white. Once again, #OscarsSoWhite was trending on social media. “Straight Outta Compton” was nominated for Best Original Screenplay but not for any other category which many thought it might be nominated for best picture.

 

The Oscars will be held February 28 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre. Chris Rock will host.

 

Read more and check out to the full list of nominations: laist.com

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Celebrity News Hollywood News Glendale News Movies/Television

Golden Globes 2016

The Golden Globes aired last night and it was a night filled with many highlights for the winners and fashion on the red carpet. Taraji P. Henson won “Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Drama” for her role as Cookie on ABC’s “Empire” beating out Viola Davis, Robin Wright, Caltriona Balfe, and Eva Green. On her way up to take her acceptance speech, she passed out cookies. Her speech went over and when they tried to stop her she said, “”I’ve waited 20 years for this! You gon wait.” Taraji’s win at last night’s award show marks her first Golden Globe award.

Sylvester Stallone also won for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture award for his role in “Creed”. He paid tribute to his late son, Sage, wat the award show. His son died of heart disease at just 36 years old in 2012 – and he appeared alongside his dad in 1990’s Rocky V. “Wow, that’s a very heavy question,” Stallone said after his big win Sunday when reporters asked him about the loss’s impact on his work. “Any time you can do things that are real, I think it’s very, very helpful, and with my son, I want to respect his memory, and I think we did so.”

He was also very shocked having one stating, “I didn’t expect it all, and I don’t remember a standing ovation. I’m shocked, was there really? You’re kidding me. I have to get a Tivo,” he said. “I did not expect to win at all so, I made a promise to myself that I would be very aware the whole time – it proves I’m not aware. I got really caught up in emotion. Thank you very much. Just the mere fact that these incredible people applauding, it makes me realize that in life, it’s really never over ’til it’s over, and it indicates that people should never give up trying, so I think it was a very, very positive message for everybody.”

Ricky Gervais hosted this year’s Golden Globes awards.

To read more: people.com

For a full list of winners head to: cnn.com

 

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Glendale News Celebrity News HPC News

Tenant Spotlight: JIG Reel Studios

jigreelJIG Reel Studios is owned by Justin Galindo who was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Having a strong aspiration to start his own business he decided to leave Ohio and make his way to Los Angeles. From there, through hard work and determination he started what is now JIG Reel Studios. The company is known for creating actor demo reels, but is also a full-time production company that creates music videos, commercials, shorts, web series, and new features.  For more information  head to: www.jigreelstudios.com

If there is one person to thank for your success who would it be and why?

There isn’t just one person to thank. Every  person that has worked in this company has helped it to become what it is today. We have all grown together and we are still growing.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

That we get the chance to create NEW projects with our clients. We help to make their visions, a reality. Plus, it is gratifying to see even our own crews dreams and projects come to life.

 

Who are your biggest influences?

Mark Walhberg. Mainly because of how focused he is about business.

Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions?

To expand and become bigger and better than 2015. We also want to finish our feature film that we have been working on for over a year. We’re super excited about this project and can’t wait to get it in Sundance. Crossing fingers. 🙂

What was your favorite part of 2015?

That the company has grown so much and created a really strong team. The coolest part was meeting ROB FREAKING DYRDEK. Growing up and watching him on TV to actually meeting him in person was awesome. I’m a huge fan!

2015 seemed to be a good year for you business wise, is there anything new in store for 2016? 

We have a new feature coming out and we hope to collaborate with some new people.

What’s in the future for JIG Reel Studios?

We are going to be working with Disney on some new projects. Be on the look out!

 

 

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HPC News Hollywood News Movies/Television Celebrity News

Tenant Spotlight: Byron Balasco creator of Direct TV’s hit show Kingdom

Kingdom

In this Halloween edition of Tenant Spotlight, Ariana caught up with writer/producer Byron Balasco on a warm fall day in Hollywood. Byron is the creator of Direct TV’s hit show Kingdom and is currently writing Season 3 while Season 2 is scheduled to premiere on the Audience Network October 14th at 9/8c. Kingdom is set in Venice Beach and focuses on a family’s mixed martial arts gym and the relationships and addictions of the characters. Kingdom Stars Nick Jonas (Singer/Songwriter) and Frank Gillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Purge: Anarchy).

 

Wow, Byron you are just cranking out these episodes. What can fans expect in Season 2? The theme of season 2 is the painful ascent. So the gym is on the rise, some of the fighters are on the rise but with that success comes some shifting dynamics with the characters. Not everyone gets dragged along at the same pace and so, many tensions arise.

 

How did the idea for Kingdom come about and how did Venice, California come into the shows setting? I’ve been a fan of MMA for a long time; I really wanted to dive into the MMA world in a way that is different than how the sport itself is marketed. The more and more I got to learn about these fighters and got to know them personally, their lives are filled with the same struggles as anybody else’s but often times a little more extreme. They don’t have a safety net, it’s very dramatic, very risky, there is a lot of high stakes so it was a great place to set a family drama. A lot of things these guys and girls struggle with, mirror what everybody does, so there is universal themes in their lives. But distilled down to a more visceral level.

 

And Venice? Venice came into the setting because there is a ton of MMA in LA so it’s an organic place to have it. Venice is a very interesting setting, where you have a little bit of the glamour of LA but you still have the grit and sort of the danger. It’s sort of all mixed together which is a lot of how the world of MMA is.  

 

The show is centered on Mixed Martial Arts, do you have onset trainers and is craft service a donut free zone? We do have a lot of trainers, professionals on set at all times. All of our background in the gym are real fighters. We have a guy named Joe “Daddy” Stevenson who is a very famous UFC legend and coach who is on set with us every day. He is our onsite technical advisor and he trains all the actors one-on-one, together and while we’re shooting. Joe is on the show a lot. We also have another technical advisor by the name of Greg Jackson. He is a legend in the sport and is the top trainer in the world right now. Greg is based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico but he is the guy I talk to on a regular basis. He and I go through all the scripts. I always go out and spend a couple of weeks with him before every season starts.  

 

One of your fans, Julie Plec, who has tweeted about Kingdom, her writers take daily walks as a group around the facility. What sort of daily rituals do your writers do to get the creative juices flowing? When we come in, we all have coffee and then we beat the shit of Johne Frye, who is our writers assistant. [Laughs] So we beat him around for a while and then when we tire, we’re ready to go.

 

Which character do you most identify with? This isn’t a copout, but really and truly, they all are my favorites in that… As a writer, a little piece of you is in everything, so they each kind of have a thread running through them that is personal or at least interesting. If it’s not the literal thing that they’re dealing with it still has an emotional resonance to me. All of these guys.

 

Ronda Rousey is killing it in the UFC world and has a little feud with Floyd Mayweather. Who do you think would win that fight? Ronda versus Floyd… I think if Ronda could get a hold of him, get him on the ground, she might be able to beat up on him. If it’s stand up, I think he’d probably smoke her. But if she can get a hold of him, who knows.

 

More and more woman are creating a lasting impression in the MMA world, will you have more women in Season 2? We definitely have that this coming season. It’s a huge part of the sport, it’s an incredibly fast growing side. I think Ronda Rousey has been amazing for it and she is dominating and I think in the future the talent pool will become a lot deeper. There will be more rivals for people like Ronda and a little more parody. Right now, she’s just a superstar and everyone else is kind of new.

 

Do you think there is anyone that can beat Ronda right now? No, I don’t think she really has a challenger. But I think it’s great for the sport, it’s happening at every gym you go to. There are women training all the time.

 

Nick Jonas plays Nate Kulina and in Season 1 he battled a lot with his sexuality. Will Nick’s character continue to battle with his sexuality in Season 2? Not only Nate’s character, it’s sort of everyone trying to figure out their identity and who they are and where they fit in. So Nate’s struggle will continue, it’s not so simple. He’s not in a theatre troupe he’s in a fighting family and a very aggressive testosterone driven world. His family loves him, his immediate family of course, but also the family at the gym and the world. They love him. But I think he’s scared and afraid of how his sexuality might re-contextualize him in relation to those people. Even if he is accepted, he doesn’t want to be thought of as other, you know, different.  

 

Mark Consuelos will be guest starring in this coming season as a friend from Alvey’s past. Tell us a little bit about his character. He plays a guy named Sean Chapas, who was a guy who fought with Alvey back in the day. They were contemporaries. They haven’t really seen each other in several years. But in the meantime Chapas has gone off and become very successful. He comes back to see Alvey and I think they both feed each other’s dark side.  

 

What kind of drinking game should Kingdom fans play while watching the Season 2 premiere? Take a show of tequila every time somebody says “fuck”. You’ll get pretty drunk by the time you get out of the teaser.

 

What shows are you binge-watching at the moment? I’m not really binge watching. Well, what’s your go-to when you get home? College football. [laughs] Project Greenlight has been pretty good. I love Veep. I think Veep is such an amazing show. I really like Fargo.

 

What advice would you give to some of our readers who are currently trying to produce a dramatic series? I say, number one, there’s a lot of different ways to do it. I don’t like to know exactly where I’m going. I mean, I like to know the kind of global truth of what I’m going towards. But I don’t like to know plot wise exactly what I’m heading towards. I like to be able to kind of discover as you go, and that’s just how this show works. Not all shows can work that way. But for me, I don’t like to get slaved to a premise or like a hook for the show. I really like it to be about the characters because that’s really what I think, in my opinion, is what people come back for: falling in love with the people populating the show. Versus the hook or the gimmick which, you know, I think you have to have in a lot of ways to sell a network show. But for me, it’s find a great world that you could put your characters in. A world where the premise doesn’t swallow up the characters.   

Last question, it being our Halloween edition, what are you going to be for Halloween? Oh man, a fern.

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Movies/Television Celebrity News Hollywood News

Emmys 2015

This year’s Emmy award show was hosted by Andy Samberg and there was a lot of wins and shockers during the night!
Transparent! Director Jill Soloway took the time during her acceptance speech for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series to bring awareness to the fact that in 32 states, trans-people still face legal discrimination when doing something as simple as renting an apartment. “We don’t have a trans-tipping point yet—we have a trans equality problem,” Soloway said.

There were also two more hot headlining wins that night. First came to Jon Hamm. After 16 nominations and seven seasons of Mad Men, Jon Hamm finally received his Emmy—and to a standing ovation, no less. “It’s incredible and impossible for me personally to be standing here,” he said in his speech.

Then came the powerful win of Viola Davis for Best Actress! As the first African American actress to win an Emmy in the drama category, she started off by quoting Harriet Tubman: “In my mind I see a line. And over that line I see green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me…but I can’t seem to get over there no how. I can’t seem to get over that line.”
Davis continued: “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that simply are not there. So here’s to all the writers, the awesome people…Thank you for taking us over that line.”

Read more at: glamour.com

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Movies/Television Celebrity News Hollywood News

2015 Emmy Award nominations

The 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on July 16 and HBO’s “Game of Thrones” received the most nominations.

Andy Samberg will host the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20. Fox will broadcast them live from the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

The nominees are below:

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

“Better Call Saul”

“Downton Abbey”

“Game of Thrones”

“Homeland”

“House of Cards”

“Mad Men”

“Orange is the New Black”

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

“Louie”

“Modern Family”

“Parks and Recreation”

“Silicon Valley”

“Transparent”

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

“Veep”

LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA

Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Kyle Chandler, “Bloodline”

Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”

Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Jeff Daniels, “The Newsroom”

Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”

LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA

Taraji P. Henson, “Empire”

Claire Danes, “Homeland”

Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”

Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black”

Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”

Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

LEAD ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Timothy Hutton, “American Crime”

Ricky Gervais, “Derek Special”

Adrien Brody, “Houdini”

David Oyelowo, “Nightingale”

Richard Jenkins, “Olive Kitteridge”

Mark Rylance, “Wolf Hall”

LEAD ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”

Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”

Queen Latifah, “Bessie”

Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Honorable Woman”

Frances McDormand, “Olive Kitteridge”

Emma Thompson, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street”

LEAD ACTOR, COMEDY

Anthony Anderson, “black-ish”

Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”

Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”

Will Forte, “The Last Man On Earth”

Louis C.K., “Louie”

William H. Macy, “Shameless”

Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”

LEAD ACTRESS, COMEDY

Lisa Kudrow, “The Comeback”

Lily Tomlin, “Grace And Frankie”

Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer”

Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”

Amy Poehler, “Parks And Recreation”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”

REALITY-COMPETITION SERIES

“The Amazing Race”

“Dancing With The Stars”

“Project Runway”

“So You Think You Can Dance”

“Top Chef”

“The Voice”

VARIETY SERIES

“The Colbert Report”

“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”

“Jimmy Kimmel Live”

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”

“Late Show With David Letterman”

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”

LIMITED SERIES

“American Crime”

“American Horror Story: Freak Show”

“The Honorable Woman”

“Olive Kitteridge”

“Wolf Hall”

VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

“Drunk History”

“Inside Amy Schumer”

“Key & Peele”

“Portlandia”

“Saturday Night Live”

TELEVISION MOVIE

“Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case”

“Bessie”

“Grace of Monaco”

“Hello Ladies: The Movie”

“Killing Jesus”

“Nightingale”

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA

Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul”

Ben Mendelsohn, “Bloodline”

Jim Carter, “Downton Abbey”

Peter Dinklage, “Game Of Thrones”

Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”

Michael Kelly, “House Of Cards”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA

Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”

Lena Headey, “Game Of Thrones”

Emilia Clarke, “Game Of Thrones”

Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”

Christina Hendricks, “Man Men”

Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is The New Black”

GUEST ACTOR, DRAMA

Alan Alda, “The Blacklist”

Michael J. Fox, “The Good Wife”

F. Murray Abraham, “Homeland”

Reg E. Cathey, “House of Cards”

Beau Bridges, “Masters Of Sex”

Pablo Schreiber, “Orange Is The New Black”

GUEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

Margo Martindale, “The Americans”

Diana Rigg, “Game of Thrones”

Rachel Brosnahan, “House Of Cards”

Cicely Tyson, “How To Get Away With Murder”

Allison Janney, “Masters Of Sex”

Khandi Alexander, “Scandal”

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY

Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Adam Driver, “Girls”

Keegan-Michael Key, “Key & Peele”

Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”

Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

Tony Hale, “Veep”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY

Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”

Niecy Nash, “Getting On”

Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”

Allison Janney, “Mom”

Kate McKinnon “Saturday Night Live”

Gaby Hoffmann, “Transparent”

Jane Krakowski, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”

GUEST ACTOR, COMEDY

Mel Brooks, “The Comedians”

Paul Giamatti, “Inside Amy Schumer”

Bill Hader, “Saturday Night Live”

Louis C.K., “Saturday Night Live”

Bradley Whitford, “Transparent”

Jon Hamm, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

GUEST ACTRESS, COMEDY

Christine Baranski, “The Big Bang Theory”

Gaby Hoffmann, “Girls”

Pamela Adlon, “Louie”

Elizabeth Banks, “Modern Family”

Joan Cusack, “Shameless”

Tina Fey, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”

SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Richard Cabral, “American Crime”

Denis O’Hare, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”

Finn Wittrock, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”

Michael Kenneth Williams, “Bessie”

Bill Murray, “Olive Kitteridge”

Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Regina King, “American Crime”

Sarah Paulson, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”

Angela Bassett, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”

Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story: Freak Show”

Mo’Nique, “Bessie”

Zoe Kazan, “Olive Kitteridge”

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

“The Americans” • Do Mail Robots Dream Of Electric Sheep? • FX Networks • Fox 21 Television

Studios and FX Productions

Joshua Brand, Written by

“Better Call Saul” • Five-O • AMC • Sony Pictures Television / Gran Via Productions

Gordon Smith, Written by

“Game Of Thrones” • Mother’s Mercy • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead,

Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions

David Benioff, Written by

D.B. Weiss, Written by

“Mad Men” • Lost Horizon • AMC • Lionsgate Television / UROK Productions

Semi Chellas, Written by

Matthew Weiner, Written by

“Mad Men” • Person To Person • AMC • Lionsgate Television / UROK Productions

Matthew Weiner, Written by

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

“Boardwalk Empire” • Eldorado • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions

Tim Van Patten, Directed by

“Game Of Thrones” • Mother’s Mercy • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead,

Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions

David Nutter, Directed by

“Game Of Thrones” • Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with

Bighead, Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions

Jeremy Podeswa, Directed by

“Homeland” • From A To B And Back Again • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Fox 21, Teakwood

Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet

Lesli Linka Glatter, Directed by

“The Knick” • Method And Madness • Cinemax • Cinemax Entertainment in association with Ambeg

Screen Products, Anonymous Content and Extension 765

Steven Soderbergh, Directed by

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

“Episodes” • Episode 409 • Showtime • SHOWTIME Presents, Hat Trick Productions, Crane Klarik

Productions

David Crane, Written by

Jeffrey Klarik, Written by

“The Last Man On Earth” • Alive In Tucson (Pilot) • FOX • 20th Century Fox Television

Will Forte, Written by

“Louie” • Bobby’s House • FX Networks • Pig Newton, Inc. and FX Productions

Louis C.K., Written by

“Silicon Valley” • Two Days Of The Condor • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with

Judgemental Films, Alec Berg, Altschuler Krinsky Works and 3 Arts Entertainment

Alec Berg, Written by

“Transparent” • Pilot • Amazon Instant Video • Amazon Studios

Jill Soloway, Written by

“Veep” • Election Night • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Dundee Productions

Simon Blackwell, Teleplay and Story by

Armando Iannucci, Story by

Tony Roche, Teleplay and Story by

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

“The Last Man On Earth” • Alive In Tucson (Pilot) • FOX • 20th Century Fox Television

Phil Lord, Directed by

Christopher Miller, Directed by

“Louie” • Sleepover • FX Networks • Pig Newton, Inc. and FX Productions

Louis C.K., Directed by

“Silicon Valley” • Sand Hill Shuffle • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Judgemental

Films, Alec Berg, Altschuler Krinsky Works and 3 Arts Entertainment

Mike Judge, Directed by

“Transparent” • Best New Girl • Amazon Instant Video • Amazon Studios

Jill Soloway, Directed by

“Veep” • Testimony • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Dundee Productions

Armando Iannucci, Directed by

WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

“American Crime” • Episode One • ABC • ABC Studios

John Ridley, Written by

“Bessie” • HBO • HBO Films in association with Flavor Unit Entertainment and the Zanuck Company

Dee Rees, Screenplay and Story by

Christopher Cleveland, Screenplay by

Bettina Gilois, Screenplay by

Horton Foote, Story by

“Hello Ladies: The Movie” • HBO • HBO Entertainment in association with Four Eyes Entertainment,

Quantity Entertainment and ABC Studios

Stephen Merchant, Written by

Gene Stupnitsky, Written by

Lee Eisenberg, Written by

“The Honorable Woman” • SundanceTV • Drama Republic and Eight Rooks Productions for BBC TWO,

co-produced by SundanceTV

Hugo Blick, Written by

“Olive Kitteridge” • HBO • HBO Miniseries in association with Playtone

Jane Anderson, Teleplay by

“Wolf Hall” • PBS • A Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures Production for BBC and

MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience

Peter Straughan, Written by

DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

“American Horror Story: Freak Show” • Monsters Among Us • FX Networks • 20th Century Fox

Television

Ryan Murphy, Directed by

“Bessie” • HBO • HBO Films in association with Flavor Unit Entertainment and the Zanuck Company

Dee Rees, Directed by

“The Honorable Woman” • SundanceTV • Drama Republic and Eight Rooks Productions for BBC TWO,

co-produced by SundanceTV

Hugo Blick, Directed by

“Houdini” • HISTORY • Lionsgate Television and A+E Studios for History

Uli Edel, Directed by

“The Missing” • Starz • New Pictures & Company Pictures in association with Two Brothers Pictures,

Playground Entertainment & the BBC

Tom Shankland, Directed by

“Olive Kitteridge” • HBO • HBO Miniseries in association with Playtone

Lisa Cholodenko, Directed by

“Wolf Hall” • PBS • A Playground Entertainment and Company Pictures Production for BBC and

MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Worldwide, Altus Media and Prescience

Peter Kosminsky, Directed by

HOST, REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM

Tom Bergeron, “Dancing with the Stars”

Jane Lynch, “Hollywood Game Night”

Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, “Project Runway”

Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance”

Anthony Bourdain, “The Taste”

STRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

“Antiques Roadshow”

“Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”

“MythBusters”

“Property Brothers”

“Shark Tank”

“Undercover Boss”

UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM

“Alaska: The Last Frontier”

“Deadliest Catch”

“Intervention”

“Million Dollar Listing New York”

“Naked And Afraid”

“Wahlburgers”

VARIETY SPECIAL

“Bill Maher: Live From D.C.”

“The Kennedy Center Honors”

“Mel Brooks Live At The Geffen”

“The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special”

“Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE!”

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES

“The Colbert Report”

“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”

“Inside Amy Schumer”

“Key & Peele”

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL

“The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards”

“Key & Peele Super Bowl Special”

“Louis C.K.: Live At The Comedy Store”

“Mel Brooks Live At The Geffen”

“The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special”

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES

James Hoskinson for The Colbert Report, “Show 11040″ from Comedy Central, Hello Doggie, Inc. with Busboy Productions and Spartina Productions

Chuck O’Neil for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, “Show 20103″ from Comedy Central, Central Productions

Amy Schumer and Ryan McFaul for Inside Amy Schumer, “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer” from Comedy Central and Jax Media

Jerry Foley for Late Show With David Letterman, “Show 4214″ from CBS and Worldwide Pants Inc.

Dave Diomedi for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “Show 203″ from NBC, Universal Television and Broadway

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL

Natalie Johns for “Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live In Concert” from PBS, A Tricycle Logic Production in association with Blue Note Records and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET

Louis J. Horvitz for “The Kennedy Center Honors” from CBS and The Stevens Company

Hamish Hamilton for “The Oscars” from ABC and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Don Roy King for “The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special” from NBC, SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video

Glenn Weiss for “68th Annual Tony Awards” from CBS and White Cherry Entertainment

SPECIAL CLASS PROGRAM

“Beyoncé And Jay Z On The Run”

“The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards”

“The Oscars”

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street”

“68th Annual Tony Awards”

SHORT-FORM LIVE-ACTION ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM

“Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis: Brad Pitt”

“Billy On The Street With First Lady Michelle Obama, Big Bird And Elena!!!”

“Childrens Hospital”

“Key & Peele Presents Van And Mike: The Ascension”

“Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show Starring Katy Perry”

SHORT-FORM NONFICTION PROGRAM

“American Horror Story: Extra-Ordinary Artists”

“Parks And Recreation: Behind The Final Season”

“30 For 30 Shorts”

“Transparent: This is Me”

“A Tribute To Mel Brooks”

INTERACTIVE PROGRAM

“@midnight With Chris Hardwick”

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”

“Saturday Night Live: SNL40″

“Talking Dead”

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

“Alan Alda And The Actor Within You: A YoungArts Masterclass”

“Degrassi”

“Dog With A Blog”

“Girl Meets World”

“Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Coming Out”

NARRATOR

Neil deGrasse Tyson for “Hubble’s Cosmic Journey”

Anthony Mendez for “Jane The Virgin”

Miranda Richardson for “Operation Orangutan”

Peter Coyote for “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History”

Henry Strozier for “Too Cute!”

DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SPECIAL

“The Case Against 8″

“Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief”

“Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck”

“Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All”

“Virunga”

DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SERIES

“American Masters”

“Cancer: The Emperor Of All Maladies”

“The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst”

“The Roosevelts: An Intimate History”

“The Sixties”

INFORMATIONAL SERIES OR SPECIAL

“Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown”

“Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways”

“Inside The Actors Studio”

“StarTalk With Neil deGrasse Tyson”

“Vice”

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING

“Citizenfour”

“The Great Invisible”

“Hot Girls Wanted”

Read more at: www.emmys.com

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Hollywood News Movies/Television Celebrity News Music/Concerts

Billboard Music Awards 2015

The Billboard Music Awards took place yesterday and was filled with performances and many awards. Taylor Swift took home the most awards winning eight in total, followed by Sam Smith, Pharrell, and Iggy Azalea each winning three. Swift is the most successful artist in the show’s history with 20 wins, beating Garth Brooks’ 19-win record. The show opened with the premiere of Taylor Swift’s video for Bad Blood which featured a star studded cast. She also swapped her first two verses with new ones from rapper Kendrick Lamar for her performance of “Bad Blood.”

Mariah Carey performed a medley of “Vision of Love” and her new song “Infinity.” Some criticized her due to her performance sounding too pitchy. Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea debuted their first live performance of their song “Pretty Girls,” which many said was a great performance. Kanye West closed out the show with a medley of his songs, “All Day” and “Black Skinhead.” For the most part, his performance was censored and you could not really see him due to the stage being so smoky. Which was your favorite performance of the night?

To see a full list of winners and photos head on over to: billboard.com

 

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Movies/Television Celebrity News

Two and a Half Men ending


After 12 seasons, Two and a Half Men is finally coming to an end. The show received an hour-long series finale date; CBS announced that the series finale will air next year on Thursday, February 19 at 9PM. Two and a Half Men is the longest running sitcom on television right now.

The series earned 47 Emmy Award nominations, with co-star Jon Cryer winning twice. For five years straight, the comedy was the most-watched sitcom on TV (2005-2009). Producer, Chuck Lorre, said to expect a lot of surprises in the last season of the show, especially the season finale. Charlie Sheen has said that he would be interested in reprising his role before the series ends. No word as to whether he will be featured in the last season of the show.

The sitcom has been through a lot of major changes throughout the years. In 2011, Charlie Sheen was fired by the network after being under a lot of media scrutiny during the time. He was the highest paid TV actor at the time earning $1.25 million per episode. The show also saw the loss of another main cast member, Angus T.  Jones after he spoke negatively about the show.

The series finale will mark the debut of remake sitcom of The Odd Couplestarring Matthew Perry.

Read more at: www.ew.com

 

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Music/Concerts Celebrity News

2015 Grammy Nominations

A partial list of the 2015 Grammy nominations were announced early this morning on CBS This Morning at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran announced four categories for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. The remaining list of the nominees will be revealed through Twitter throughout the rest of the day from celebrities and artists. The first round has already been revealed by celebrities, Ryan Seacrest, Jared Leto, and Alanis Morissette.

Sam Smith is currently leading the amount of nominations with five- record of the year, best pop vocal album, best pop solo performance, song of the year, and best new artist.

In all, there are 83 categories at the Grammys this year. We just have to keep checking throughout the day to see who the other nominees are! But they are announcing the most coveted award last…

Nominees for album of the year – the Grammy’s biggest award – will be announced on A Very GRAMMY Christmas, which will air at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. There will be performances by Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Sam Smith, Maroon 5 and Tim McGraw. The show will be hosted again by LL Cool J. The 2015 Grammy Awards will air live on February 8 on CBS.

 

Read more at: usatoday.com

For the full list of nominees: grammy.com

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Movies/Television Celebrity News Music/Concerts

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards were last night with performances from a multitude of today’s top artists, including Lorde, Taylor Swift, and J. Lo. The award show was hosted by Pitbull this year which he also performed his latest single alongside Ne-Yo. Taylor Swift opened the show with her single, “Blank Space,” and brought the music video to life in her performance. Taylor Swift won the honor of the night with the Dick Clark Award for Excellence, which was presented to her by Diana Ross.

During her acceptance speech, Swift reiterated her stance towards pulling her music from Spotify.

“To the fans who went out and bought over a million copies of my last three albums, what you did by going out and investing in music and albums is you’re saying that you believe in the same thing that I believe in,” she said during her speech. “[You believe] that music is valuable and that music should be consumed in albums and albums should be consumed as art and appreciated.”

The show ended with the award for Artist of the Year, which was awarded to One Direction! Also, closing off the performances was the highly anticipated world tv premiere performance of J.Lo’s “Booty” remix featuring Iggy Azalea.

Read more at: billboard.com

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Hollywood News Celebrity News Music/Concerts

Taylor Swift Pulls All Songs From Spotify

 


Taylor Swift shocked everyone this week on Spotify when her label, Big Machine Records, pulled all her music from the streaming service. Spotify did not have “1989” available to stream when it came out, which was not a surprise since Swift has made clear her distaste for free streaming sites.

The 40 million subscribers to Spotify won’t be able to listen to her new album, “1989,” or any of Swift’s past albums.

Swift told The Wall Street Journal last summer that “piracy, file sharing and streaming have shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically and every artist has handled this blow differently.”

She also has been quoted saying, “Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for.”

Swift isn’t the first artist to withhold her music from Spotify. For instance, Beyonce’s lastest album only offers 4 songs available to stream.

As Big Machine Records pulled Swift’s songs Monday, Spotify responded by saying how much the company loves Swift.

“We hope she’ll change her mind and join us in building a new music economy that works for everyone. We believe fans should be able to listen to music wherever and whenever they want, and that artists have an absolute right to be paid for their work and protected from piracy,” Spotify posted on its blog.

Spotify also posted playlists, “A Little Playlist Poetry for Taylor Swift,” and, “What to Play While Taylor’s Away.”

Swift’s music, including “1989” — which sold 1.3 million copies in just the first week of release — is still available on iTunes.

Read more at: abcnews.com

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Hollywood News Celebrity News

Jan Hooks dies at age 57


Jan Hooks, the actress and comedian who rose to fame by starring on “Saturday Night Live” passed away on Thursday in New York City. She was made popular by portraying Ivana Trump, Tammy Faye Bakker, Sinead O’Connor and as part of the lounge-singing Sweeney Sisters during skits. She passed away at age 57.

The cause of death has not yet been revealed. But some sources told TMZ that she had been suffering from an illness, no word yet as to whether that’s true.

Hooks was on “SNL” from 1986 to 1991.

“She was totally amazing as a sketch player,” said one of her colleagues, Kevin Nealon, who also was in a previous relationship with her.

“She so immersed herself in her characters and her timing was amazing. She got it from some crazy stratosphere, and I was so attracted to that talent in her, and I don’t think she ever knew how well respected and admired she was for her talent,” said Nealon.

Hooks was also known from starring on “Designing Women” right after SNL.  She played Carlene Dobber for two seasons on the show, which was set in Atlanta, right next to her hometown.

She also had a popular role in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.”

Read more at: cnn.com

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Movies/Television Celebrity News Hollywood News

How To Get Away With Murder and Blackish picked up by ABC for full seasons



ABC announced today that they were picking up drama How to Get Away with Murder and comedy Black-ish for full season orders.

How to Get Away with Murder created and executive produced by Pete Nowalk and executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, has been the standout this fall. The series delivered a whopping 14 million viewers and a 3.8 rating among adults 18-49 in its debut. It has been breaking DVR records and, with a monster time-shifting viewing lift, it ranks as the biggest 10 PM drama debut in two years in Adults 18-49.The season will have 15 total episodes. The show stars Viola Davis as a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university who, with her students, becomes entwined in a murder plot.

The Anthony Anderson comedy Black-ish, debuted strong with 10.8 million viewers. The comedy centers on an upper-middle-class African-American family. The series was able to hold on to most of the Modern Family viewers. The show held the highest Modern Family viewers for a regular comedy debut in the post-Modern Family slot. The season will include 22 total episodes total.

It has still been undecided about ABC’s other freshman series that have already debuted, Manhattan Love Story and Selfie, whose ratings have been pretty low.

Read more at: entertainmentweekly.com

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Hollywood News Movies/Television Celebrity News

Ghostbusters returning with a female cast!

Ghostbusters third installment is finally in the works but it is coming back with a twist. Katie Dippold, who wrote Paul Feig’s comedy The Heat, is reteaming with the director for Sony’s new Ghostbusters movie.

It has been an anticipated production for the third installment of the movie, which Dippold is said to co-write with Feig.

After years of development as a sequel with the intent to bring back the original team (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis), script setbacks eventually led a path to focus on a new generation with younger comic actors.

Feig came on board to take on the project in August after Ramis had died earlier this year and the original director pulled out of the movie. But he came with a new perspective and direction for the movie: the Ghostbusters would now be a female team and it would no longer be connected to the earlier movies but an entirely different series.

Feig is already known for his female comic movies: he directed Bridesmaids (which gave Kristen Wigg and Melissa McCarthy career breakouts), and The Heat, which starred McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

We can’t wait to see how the new reboot of the movie turns out!

Read more at: thehollywoodreporter.com

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Hollywood News Movies/Television Celebrity News

Jennifer Lawrence speaks out on nude photo scandal

Jennifer Lawrence finally spoke out to Vanity Fair about the hacked nude photo scandal that targeted her, Ariana Grande, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Upton in what was said to be the biggest celebrity hacking scandal in history.

“Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this,” said Lawrence in the magazine’s November issue cover story. “It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting. I can’t believe that we even live in that kind of world.”

She continued by saying anyone who looked at those photos should be ashamed.

“Anybody who looked at those pictures, you’re perpetuating a sexual offense. You should cower with shame. Even people who I know and love say, ‘Oh, yeah, I looked at the pictures.’ I don’t want to get mad, but at the same time I’m thinking, I didn’t tell you that you could look at my naked body,” the actress says.

And she reveals that it was particularly difficult when she had to break the news to her father.

“When I have to make that phone call to my dad and tell him what’s happened…I don’t care how much money I get for The Hunger Games,” she says. “I promise you, anybody given the choice of that kind of money or having to make a phone call to tell your dad that something like that has happened, it’s not worth it.”

She told Vanity Fair that while she was tempted to write a statement or apology, she just ended up crying or getting angry when she tried.

“I don’t have anything to say I’m sorry for. I was in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years. It was long distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he’s going to look at you,” Lawrence adds.

In Vanity Fair, the actress advocates for a legal solution to the incident.

“It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime,” she says. “It is a sexual violation. It’s disgusting. The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. That’s why these Web sites are responsible. Just the fact that somebody can be sexually exploited and violated, and the first thought that crosses somebody’s mind is to make a profit from it. It’s so beyond me.”

Vanity Fair‘s November issue hits newsstands Thursday.

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Movies/Television Celebrity News Hollywood News

Walking Dead Renewed for a Sixth Season!



It is only a few days before “The Walking Dead” kicks off its fifth season on October 12 at 9PM, but that didn’t stop AMC from announcing that the show has been renewed for a sixth season.

The hit zombie apocalypse show, “The Walking Dead,” is the top-rated series among adults ages 18 to 49 and the highest-rated series in cable television history.

“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of The Walking Dead with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier in a statement. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”

The network also recently announced a pilot for a potential companion series for “The Walking Dead” based on a new story and new characters from Kirkman.

We can’t to see The Walking Dead season premiere this Sunday to see what drama happens! We heard there will be more dramatic deaths this season. We hope one of them isn’t Daryl!

Read more at: latimes.com

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Hollywood News Movies/Television Celebrity News

Twin Peaks Revival

There was some big news today that sparked many people’s interests and has been trending all day. That is the announcement that Showtime is reviving the cult favorite, Twin Peaks, from David Lynch and Mark Frost. They announced on Monday that it will air as a nine-episode limited series for a 2016 premiere. Lynch and Frost will write all episodes, with Lynch directing. Production is expected to begin in 2015. It has not been stated whether any original cast members will appear.

“What more can I say — Twin Peaks with David Lynch and Mark Frost on Showtime in 2016!” said David Nevins, president of Showtime Networks. “To quote Agent Cooper, ‘I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.’ ”

Lynch and Frost added in a joint statement: “The mysterious and special world of Twin Peaks is pulling us back. We’re very excited. May the forest be with you.”

Lynch and Frost both teased on Friday the possible revival of the show on Twitter.

Twin Peaks became a phenomenon when it premiered in April 1990, with the two-hour premiere drawing in 34.6 million viewers. It aired on ABC and followed a police investigation of the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer. It was one of the top-rated programs of 1990, earning a renewal before it ended its run on June 10, 1991.

Twin Peaks has continued to maintain a following in popular culture despite its short run. Kyle MacLachlan, Madchen Amick, Michael Ontkean, Dana Ashbrook, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Beymer, Warren Frost and Peggy Lipton were among the stars in the original series.

Read more at: thehollywoodreporter.com

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Dwayne Johnson is set to star in Baywatch movie

Paramount is moving forward with its big-screen adaptation of Baywatch and has casted Dwayne Johnson for the movie. Justin Malen is set to rewrite the script and Sean Anders and John Morris are set to direct.

Johnson has long been rumored to star in a Baywatch movie. He would be the perfect fit for the film considering he has a toned physique he recently made apparent through the Hercules film that was released this summer. The film will take place in the beaches of Santa Monica.

Dwayne Johnson put the rumors to rest earlier this morning by confirming his involvement in the film on Twitter and Instagram. He posted a photo of him on the beach with the caption, “’This is my beach bitch!’ Rumors are true… we’re making #BAYWATCH the movie. Edgy, raunchy and hopefully, funny as all hell. Cue slo mo running on the beach…”

Paramount has been trying to make a Baywatch movie happen for years and not it seems it finally is set in motion. A number of previous writers have attempted to take a shot at the script including Jeremy Garelick and Peter Tolan. The plot of the movie was set to revolve around a series of shark attacks that led the Baywatch team to investigate a drug-smuggling operation. It is unclear now what the plot will focus on, but only time will tell.

Read more at: hollywoodreporter.com

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Tenant Spotlight with Rob Thomas

If you have ever seen Dawson’s Creek, 90210 (2008) or Veronica Mars. You have Rob Thomas to thank in part for your television viewing pleasure. We caught up with Rob on a busy Monday here in Hollywood- who is finishing up CW’s soon to be hit- iZombie. If you’re a Veronica Mars fan we have some exclusive information for you.

You are known for many literary works including bestselling novels and hit television shows. When did you begin writing fiction and who influenced your style and genre? What do you like most about young adult fiction?

I started writing my first novel when I was 27, finished it when I was 28. I’m sure I was influenced by John Hughes, Chris Crutcher, Paul Zindel. I think there is inherent high-drama in teenagers’ lives. There are so many firsts, everything seems so important, every failure is absolute tragedy, every romance feels like it’s the one.

There is such a big Veronica Mars following. What can fans expect in the future? Will there be another Veronica Mars feature or the possibility of continuing the TV show?

There will be at least one more novel that will come out in early 2015. We also have episodes of Play It Again, Dick, the Veronica Mars spinoff webseries, coming out for the next six weeks. We all hope there will be another Veronica Mars movie but there’s nothing in the works yet on that front.

We dug up a fun fact about you… You played in a few bands back in Texas. What instrument did you play and who were your biggest influences in your music?

I played bass guitar because it had the fewest number of strings. And I had never played an instrument before joining the band. It seemed like the quickest path. I wanted to play like Tommy Stinson of The Replacements because it wasn’t very complicated. It felt like you could have a six pack before the show and you could still deliver.

How has your love for the Texas music scene play out in your writing and have you gone to SXSW yet?

My band played the first few years of SXSW back when you could be a mediocre local band and make it into the festival. Most of my friends back in Austin played in bands in the 80s and 90s and I still use a lot of music from that time and from those musicians in the shows I write.

What are some songs that are currently in heavy rotation in your car or mp3 player?

The new Spoon album. The new Tom Petty album. The last Okkervil River album. And the last Mark Lanegan album.

iZombie is gaining a lot of momentum on the social media front. What are you most excited about with this project? And when will iZombie air?

Because we’re midseason, we’re unsure when we’re going to air. But I’m starting to see cuts of the first episodes and I’m really proud of how they’re turning out. This one has a good feel to it.

What advice do you have for some of our readers in regard to focusing and honing in on a writing style.

Blood on the page. Don’t be too easily satisfied. It’s easy to write a scene that sounds like it could be on television. It’s usually an arduous journey to actually get something down that will be special or memorable.

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Movies/Television Celebrity News

Gotham premiere tonight



Gotham, based on the DC Comics of Batman, premieres tonight! The show mainly features the characters of Detective James Gordon and Bruce Wayne. Ben McKenzie plays a young Detective James Gordon with the series serving as a straightforward story of Gordon’s early days on the Gotham City police force. The idea evolved not only to include the Bruce Wayne character, but will also tell the origin stories of several Batman villains, including Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Joker, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange, Harvey Dent and Mr. Freeze. We can’t wait to see how all the stories unfold for each of the characters!

Bruce Wayne is only eight years old in the beginning of the show. This has been one of the most highlighted pilots of this fall season, so we can’t wait to see how it does. The show has been heavily advertised and seems very promising. Everyone tends to love the movies and television shows that are based of popular comic books. The pilot is said to start off with a flashback with young Bruce Wayne.

Bruce’s parents are gunned down in the street as he watches as they are on their way home from the theater. In the show “Gotham,” the murders are also witnessed by a rooftop prowler, who will turn out to be Selina Kyle, the future Catwoman. Sounds like it is going to be good, we will definitely be tuning in.

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Hollywood News Celebrity News

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus break records



The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were unveiled last week during Apple’s Live Event. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch screen and the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch Retina HD display. Both phones are thinner than the previous versions of the iPhone.

Apple broke records after the new unveiling of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They are the next best thing for Apple, who had a great amount of sales for their latest model of the phone. Over 4 million people ordered the newest iPhones in the first 24 hours, which was more than their inventory according to Apple.

The latest version of the iPhone went on sale at Apple.com and through carrier partners at 3 a.m. Eastern Friday. This was the best sale ever for Apple; their launch of the iPhone 5 drew in over 2 million orders for the phone, which the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus doubled.

The iPhone 6 features iOS 8, the latest device operating system with a string of enhancements. The smartphones also mark the debut of Apple Pay, a new mobile-payments system that supports credit and debit cards from American Express, MasterCard and Visa issued by major banks.

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Married with Children Spinoff

 



Married with Children might be coming back to television according to E! in the form of a spinoff. The spinoff is in the works at Sony Pictures Television. The iconic family of four had a reunion earlier this week when Katey Sagal, who played Peggy Bundy, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame.

“We’ve talked about it every year, but then there are so many pieces that have to be in alignment that for some reason it never happens,” she spilled. “But we love each other. Well, we’re all working now, so it’s hard to find the time!”

The spinoff is set to focus on David Faustino’s character, Bud. Katey Sagal, Christina Applegate, and Ed O’Neill do not plan to reprise their roles as they are focused on their other projects going on. It would be interesting to see if they would guest star on the new spin off.

Married … With Children was one of the first original series on Fox. The show ran for 11 seasons from 1987 to 1997 and was created by Michael G. Moye and Ron Leavitt. It was the longest-lasting live-action sitcom to air on Fox.

Read the full story at: eonline.com

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Celebrity News

Serena Williams makes her NYFW debut

New York Fashion Week is already underway with many designers showcasing their Spring/Summer 2015 collections.  Serena Williams made her “Serena Williams Signature Statement” debut at New York Fashion Week this year. Her debut took place just two days after winning her sixth U.S Open title.

Many celebrities were in attendance, including Anna Wintour and her U.S. Open finals opponent Caroline Wozniacki who was there to support her.

She designed the looks for the shopping network HSN. She described the line, which featured “easy fitting, yet bold, edgy and contemporary silhouettes,” as toned-down Dior. She made sure that her clothes were stylish, yet affordable so that they can appeal to everyone.

Many of the items in her line included animal print, which should not come as a surprise since Serena has been seen wearing animal print dresses during the Open. The pieces were also sleek and sporty, which represents Serena and her personality.

The clothes will be sold on HSN this coming spring at affordable prices. Leggings can be purchased for $14.95, sweaters for $49.90 and sateen blazers for less than $30. Prices range from $29.90 to $79.90.

Read the full story at: usatoday.com

 

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Celebrity News Music/Concerts

U2 Free Album on iTunes



On top of unveiling the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple also announced today the new release of U2’s thirteenth studio album.  Not only is it the first U2 album in five years, but it is also free to all iTunes users. The greatest part is that the album is already in your iTunes, under Albums or Purchased.

At Apple’s live event, the band debuted and performed a new song, “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) from their new album Songs of Innocence. The album is only available on iTunes, iTunes Radio, and Beats Music for now. The physical album will be available for purchase on October 13.

Frontman Bono described the album as deeply personal and called the release “instant gratification”. The day before the Apple event, Bono told Rolling Stone. “We wanted to make a very personal album,” Bono explained. “Let’s try to figure out why we wanted to be in a band, the relationships around the band, our friendships, our lovers, our family. The whole album is first journeys — first journeys geographically, spiritually, sexually. And that’s hard. But we went there.”

This isn’t the first time that an artist or band has released an album without announcing it prior to the release date. Beyonce dropped her self-titled visual album in December without any prior announcement to fans.

Read the full story at: cbsnews.com

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Movies/Television Celebrity News

Damon Wayans Jr. Now a Regular on ‘New Girl’

Damon Wayans Jr. is now a regular on New Girl. Wayans starred in the pilot episode as Coach on New Girl, but left after that. He made his return to the show this year, during season 3, and he’s been given “regular cast member” status for season 4 since then.

Damon Wayans Jr. made his first appearance on New Girl in 2011 for the pilot episode, but had to exit the show after it was picked up by Fox because of a second season renewal of his prior commitment, ABC’s Happy Endings. The show ended after season 3 in 2013, and Wayans made his return to New Girl just in time for season 3 in 2013. Fox added him for a 6-episode arc, but was soon after signed on as a special guest star for the remainder of the season. His title as a regular on the cast comes as no surprise as he starred in 17 consecutive episodes in season 3.

Wayans plays Coach, the basketball playing roommate who Jess, played by Zooey Deschanel, replaced in the loft. The other loft mates are Nick and Schmidt, played by Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield. Damon Wayans Jr. has been highly sought after for numerous pilots during the recent pilot season, turning down projects this time for New Girl.

Read full story at The Hollywood Reporter.

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Music/Concerts Celebrity News

Beyonce and Jay-Z ‘On The Run’ Tour Announced

Beyonce and Jay-Z fans rejoice. The Carters have announced their On The Run tour to take place this summer. The duo will be doing a 16-date stadium tour, which is set to kick off in Miami on June 25 and finish in San Francisco on August 5. The tour will be stopping in Los Angeles as their second to last date, which will take place on August 2nd at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. It is also said that there are tentative plans to take the tour to Europe.

This will be Beyonce and Jay-Z’s first tour together. Jay wrapped up his Magna Carter tour (with Justin Timberlake) earlier this year. Beyonce’s Mrs. Carter tour finished up in March.

The couple got married in 2008 and has since had a beautiful baby girl, Blue Ivy Carter. Beyonce did the unexpected last year when she dropped her self-titled album without any prior promotion. The visual album came with a music video for every song, which became her 5th consecutive number-one album in the US. Jay-Z and Beyonce also appeared at weekend one of Coachella this year, Jay-Z joining Nas’ set, and Beyonce with her sister Solange.

See full story at The Hollywood Reporter and LA Times.

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Movies/Television Celebrity News

Zach Galifianakis to Star in ‘Keeping Up With the Joneses’

Zach Galifianakis exploded on the internet this week with his interview with President Obama. The President starred in Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis on Funny or Die (in case you missed it, watch here). With so much internet buzz this week, we were happy to see him continue that buzz with a recently announced Fox 2000 film that was just picked up. Zach is set to star in Keeping Up With the Joneses, a comedy that he will star alongside with Jon Hamm. The Hangover franchise star’s new film is about a suburban couple that comes to find out their neighbors are undercover spies.

Keeping Up With the Joneses has Greg Mottola attached to direct, who was responsible for comedies such as Superbad and Paul. The project will be produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.

Zach Galifianakis stars in Funny or Die’s Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, where he interviews celebrities while sitting being two potted fern plants. The short show is off-beat and funny, and Zach is known to make fun of his interviewees. Some of his past stars have been Bradley Cooper, Michael Cera, Natalie Portman, Will Ferrel and Steve Carell to name a few. Zach’s most recent film credits include The Hangover III and You Are Here.

See full story at The Hollywood Reporter.

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Hollywood News Movies/Television Celebrity News

Charlie Cox in CBS’ Wall Street Pilot

Charlie Cox will be starring in CBS' new untitled pilot.
Boardwalk Empire’s Charlie Cox will be starring in CBS’ new untitled pilot.

Charlie Cox will be taking the lead role in CBS’ upcoming untitled television show. The Boardwalk Empire alum will be returning to CBS in a pilot described as a “Wall Street drama” from executive producer John Cusack. The drama will take place in the world of Wall Street, which includes money and power. Cox will be starring as Jackson, an inherently good Wall Street hedge fund trader who has returned from service in Iraq. The story was written by Justified writers Taylor Elmore and Ben Cavell, and was based on an idea created with the aid of Elmore, Cavell, Cusack and Kevin McCabe. The pilot will be executive produced by Justified’s Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly.

Charlie Cox is no stranger to CBS as he starred in last season’s pilot The Ordained. Cox is also a veteran of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, in which he starred in for two seasons. In addition, his long resume includes Stardust, Moby Dick and Hello Carter.

CBS has a great lineup of drama pilots for this new season. We can expect Extant and Battle Creek, which have both already received direct to series orders for this summer. Other dramas include Madame Secretary, Scorpion, and CSI and NCIS spinoffs.

See full story at The Hollywood Reporter.