Ellen DeGeneres played short snippets (really short snippets) from Britney Spears new album Femme Fatale on her show today and teased that our dear Britney will appear on her show next week. It turns out that Britney will, in fact, guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show next Tuesday … the very day that her album is released in stores. Check out the video below of Ellen‘s fun preview of Britney’s new music.
LOL! I love this!! I am SO excited that Britney will be on Ellen next week. She’s got a bizzy few days ahead. On Friday, Britney will be in Las Vegas, NV for an MTV Spring Break event, then on Sunday she will be in San Francisco, CA taping a concert performance for airing on Good Morning America next Tuesday … the same say she will make a guest appearance on Ellen. The Britney floodgates of awesomeness are about to bust wide open … and I can’t WAIT to get DRENCHED!!!
Last month we learned that the upcoming prequel film Rise of the Apes, which tells the story leading up to the 1968 film Planet of the Apes, will be released this coming November … but today we learn that the film has been pushed up for a late Summer release. Rise of the Apes stars James Franco and it turns out that you won’t have quite so long to wait to see him in action. Instead of a Thanksgiving release, Apes will hit theaters in early August!
Earlier this year, 20th Century Fox decided to move their prequel Rise of the Apes back to Thanksgiving weekend for a number of undisclosed reasons, but they’ve now changed their mind and the Rupert (The Escapist) Wyatt-directed movie starring James Franco, Freida Pinto and Andy Serkis will now get a summer release after all on August 5, 2011. That will put the movie up against Sony’s The Smurfs (opening that Wednesday), the Universal body-changing comedy The Change-Up starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, and the 3D sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour from Summit.
This sounds like great news to me. Rise of the Apes feels more like a Summer film rather than a holiday film. I think it will do much better in August then it would do in November … plus, we get to see the movie sooner rather than later. I’m really looking forward to this prequel film … are you?
The official Facebook profile for the upcoming prequel film X-Men: First Class has been updated with a new promo photo from the film. Previously we got to see a photo of the young X-Men character Alex Summers / Havoc but today we get to see a photo of Hank McCoy / Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult) lookin’ awfully chummy with Raven Darkholme / Mystique (played by Jennifer Lawrence).
As you may know, Beast is on Team Professor X (the good guys) and Mystique is on Team Magneto (the bad guys) but it would appear when the superhuman mutants were mere young’ns, they were good friends … and more. Jennifer Lawrence, you may know, won the role of Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming film adaptation of The Hunger Games so it’ll be fun, I think, to see her in this cool role this Spring. I’ve really been impressed with everything I’ve seen of X-Men: First Class thus far. I just hope the movie turns out as good as it looks in these promo materials.
Early last month we got to see a fun photo from the set of Torchwood: Miracle Day (which was previously titled Torchwood: The New World) and today we not only get to learn when the new season of Torchwood will premiere on Starz but we also get our first look at a new promo poster for the series. Starz issued a press release that gives quite a bit of info about Miracle Day, including a premiere date of July 8.
STARZ announced today that “Torchwood: Miracle Day” will premiere on Friday, July 8th at 10pm ET/PT. The US installment of the BBC smash hit series will star Mekhi Phifer (“ER,” “Lie to Me”), Bill Pullman (Independence Day, The Grudge) and, in an extended guest role, Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under,” The Other Woman) and is currently in production in Los Angeles.
Bill Pullman, who portrays Oswald Danes, a former school teacher and convicted child killer, and Phifer, join “Torchwood” alumni John Barrowman (Capt. Jack Harkness) and Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) in the series. Also joining the cast are Alexa Havins (When in Rome, Fat Girls) as Esther Drummond, a deskbound CIA employee who dreams of active duty and who suddenly finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex; and Arlene Tur (“Crash,” Eat Pray Love) as Dr. Vera Juarez, a Washington D.C. surgeon, who finds herself on the frontline of medical care on “Miracle Day” advising the government think-tanks on the best course of action for the world’s population.
Torchwood begins with a day when nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging, they get hurt and sick, but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four month’s time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?,” he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.
I LOVE the premise of the new season of Torchwood but I am not loving this lame poster. Still, any Torchwood news is good news to me. I am a HUGE fan of the series and I am so glad to know that it has found life on a new network and that it will incorporate US characters this time around. Torchwood is a really fantastic show and I cannot recommend it enough. You have plenty of time to catch up with all 3 seasons of the show before this 4th season debuts in July. I am dying to see and hear more about Miracle Day. I just hope the promo materials get a bit of an upgrade. Any Torchwood fans in the hiz? Doesn’t it sound like this is going to be an amazing new season?
A couple of weeks ago, Lindsay Lohan made a brief appearance in court where she was given more time to consider taking a plea bargain deal in the felony grand theft charges that have been brought against her. Altho there have been reports going back and forth about whether or not she plans to take the deal, TMZ is reporting today that Lindsay has absolutely decided NOT to take the deal … and will go on trial for the theft charges leveled against her.
Lindsay Lohan will NOT take the plea deal the judge is offering in her felony grand theft case … TMZ has learned. Sources connected to Lindsay tell TMZ … Lindsay met with her lawyer, Shawn Holley Tuesday afternoon. Holley laid out the options but left the decision to Lindsay, who said she’s firm about her innocence and wants to push it to the wall at trial. Lindsay’s felony grand theft case will now be assigned to Judge Stephanie Sautner — who’s considered a tough but fair judge — and the preliminary hearing is set for April 22. Lindsay faces both jail and prison as the case moves on — jail, if Judge Sautner decides Lindsay violated her probation, and prison, if Lindsay is convicted of grand theft. We have been saying Lindsay was crazy not to accept the plea deal, not because she’d be found guilty of grand theft … but the way the system is set up, Lindsay could be thrown in jail for the probation violation before her grand theft trial. Here’s the good news for Lindsay. If she had accepted a plea deal, she would have been placed on 3 years probation — and Lindsay staying out of trouble for 3 years is highly improbable. Fact is … Lindsay has a credible defense in the grand theft case, and if Judge Sautner agrees NOT to rule on the probation violation until a verdict is reached in the grand theft case, Lindsay could get off scot-free.
Michael Lohan is due in court, but not for his daughter Lindsay Lohan’s sake. The actress’s father, 50, has been formally charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic violence, stemming from his arrest Monday, after a female accused him of hitting her in a nearby apartment. The victim was reportedly his ex-girlfriend Kate Major. Michael Lohan was initially arrested for three felonies, including false imprisonment, but the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined to pursue those charges. Lohan – who was released Tuesday afternoon from L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for problems not related to the incident – is scheduled to appear at Beverly Hills Court for his arraignment on May 23.
No big news to pass along from my uneventful day yesterday. I ended up getting out of the house last night to get some fresh air and there is nowhere better in LA to get some fresh air — along with a bit of shopping — than at The Grove. To be honest, all I did was a bit of window shopping but the cool weather was actually kinda nice so … it was kinda win win.
The only thing I ended up buying last night was a guidebook for Scotland. As I mentioned before, David and I are thinking of heading to Scotland for our next trip this Summer. Plans have not yet been made but I think it would be nice to see Edinburgh in the Summer ;) We’ll have to see how the coming months play out. Next month we are heading back East to spend Passover with David’s family in Connecticut and I have to get back to Detroit soon to see my parents but … yeah, if things work out, we may be heading over to merry ol’ Scotland later on in the year.
I am very excited to see Duran Duran live in concert here tonight. I cannot believe my luck. Watch my Twitter account for deets and pix and check back tomorrow … I hope to have a lot of great photos to share. Remember, you can stream tonight’s Duran Duran concert — which is being directed by David Lynch — online. Click HERE for all the deets. It’s gonna be hot time in LA tonight.
Keri Russell is 35, Damon Albarn of Blur is 43, Chaka Khan is 58 and Ric Ocasek of the Cars is 62 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
Early last month we learned that MTV decided to NOT air Lauren LC Conrad‘s new reality TV show based around her life as a fashion designer but today we get to see a small part of what was meant to be on that show. The opening sequence of LC‘s show, which has been posted online, was created by the design team who made those very cool stop-motion commercials for the Amazon Kindle … and you can check out the unaired opening sequence of LC‘s show in full below.
How cute is this video? And I love that the title song was going to be Roll With the Punches by Lenka — it’s such a great song! It’s a shame that LC‘s show may never see the light of day if only for the fact that this opening title sequence cannot be used. In case you are unfamiliar with the Amazon Kindle commercials that I mentioned above, check out one below:
So cool, right? Ah well … I can’t even imagine all the cool things that get made that we never get to see because the projects they are attached to get canceled or shelved. This clip is a great tease for a show we may never get to see … which is actually kinda sad.
Last week we heard a rumor that enfianced couple Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth are planning to be married in Ojai, CA this Saturday March 26 but before that big day comes, Reese had the little matter of her 35th birthday to tend to. Reese, her fiancee Jim and her children Ava Elizabeth & Deacon Reese made their way out to dinner in Brentwood, CA last night to celebrate her birthday yesterday. Despite their annoyance at being photographed, I’m sure the entire family had a nice night out together.
Because Reese will have to start promoting her new movie Water for Elephants (which co-stars Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson) all around the world in the coming weeks, the rush is on for Reese to get all her celebrations taken care of before she is forced to leave SoCal. Reese‘s birthday celebration last night is just a prelude to the big day she’s reportedly got planned for this coming weekend. Very soon, Reese Witherspoon will become Mrs. Jim Toth … can you believe it?
Yesterday we learned that singer Christina Aguilera joined Twitter in order to help promote her new NBC singing competition series The Voice and, presumably, to have direct communication with her fans. Altho Xtina‘s Twitter account went online early yesterday, it took a few hours for her to post any messages. But, at least, Xtina did post a few tweets to her growing number of Twitter followers. Check out Xtina‘s first tweets belwo.
Here goes my first Tweet! Brace yourselves… So excited to connect with all my fans here. xo – Xtina / Thanks for the welcome to Twitter. I'm getting the hang of this. Never thought I'd say the word "hashtag". Pandora’s box has been opened. / My girl @reallindaperry has a band called Deep Dark Robot with a new album released today! Check it out. / My fans are amazing. Look at what someone made for me in Russia. So creative & artistic. Genius, love it!
Granted, these tweets aren’t earth-shattering or all that interesting, to be honest, but at least it’s nice to know that Xtina now has an open line to her fans. I actually really love the set of Russian Nesting Dolls that her fan sent to her … each doll is a representation of the different eras of her music career … sooo cute! Let’s see if anything will come of the “Pandora’s box” that has been opened. I’m hoping that Xtina will offer more than just promo tweets for her new show The Voice. Give us the goods, Xtina … we’re waiting.
What is most significant about this new footage, I think, is our first glimpse of Captain America hurling his mighty shield. I still don’t know how much I’m feelin’ the WWII era-ness of the film but I am excited to see Captain America on the big screen. Here is the new promo photo of Chris Evans as Captain America that has just been released:
HMMM … I’m still not sure how I feel about this costume. While I HATE how garish and over-the-top the new Wonder Woman costume looks, I kinda feel like this Captain America costume is too muted and tame. It is very difficult to get superhero costumes to look right in live action films. I think Christopher Nolan‘s Batman looks great and I’ve been impressed (thus far) with what I’ve seen of Green Lantern and Thor. Hands down I think the Iron Man costume, worn by Robert Downey, Jr., is the most believable and coolest costume that we’ve seen in movies in recent years. I guess I’ll have to wait to see this costume in action when Captain America: The First Avenger opens in theaters in May. What do y’all think? Does this Captain America look like it’s gonna make fans happy?
Duran Duran, one of THE most iconic bands of the 1980′s and beyond, are celebrating the release of their new album All You Need Is Now (which was released yesterday on CD and in digital form) with a special concert here in downtown LA tonight at the Mayan Theater. Duran Duran is kicking off the second year of Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express live on stage tonight and YOU are cordially invited to watch the show LIVE as it livestreams online. The show, which is being directed by legendary filmmaker David Lynch, is NOT to be missed!
Grammy® award-winning rock icons Duran Duran will kick-off the second year of “Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express” on March 23rd at the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. The event (featuring all four original members: Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor) comes one day after their critically acclaimed 13th studio album, entitled ALL YOU NEED IS NOW (S-Curve Records), hits stores. Duran Duran’s performance will mark the first time an artist within the “Unstaged” music series plays from Los Angeles. Upon release, tickets for Duran Duran’s performance at the Mayan Theatre sold out in under five minutes. The 2011 “Unstaged” kick-off performance will be live-streamed at 10:00PM ET / 7:00PM PT at www.YouTube.com/DuranDuranVEVO. American Express, in partnership with VEVO, the leading online premium music video and entertainment service, and YouTube will provide Duran Duran fans worldwide with access to their “Unstaged” performance, which coincides with the start of the band’s first official tour since 2008. Award-winning filmmaker David Lynch (The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive), known for his unique cinematic style that masterfully blends imagery and sound design, has been enlisted to capture the performance, providing fans with a visually stunning home viewing experience. “I am very excited about this opportunity to experiment with the band, Duran Duran, at the Mayan Theater on March 23rd,” said filmmaker David Lynch. “The idea is to try and create on the fly, layers of images permeating Duran Duran on the stage. A world of experimentation and hopefully some happy accidents.” Speaking from a rehearsal studio in London where they are preparing for the ‘Unstaged’ show, lead singer Simon Le Bon said: “We are all beyond delighted that David Lynch has agreed to direct this show for us. It’s a dream come true quite frankly. We are all such fans of his work and think he has a creative vision like no other. In talking to him about what he is planning, we all believe this live-streamed performance is going to look nothing like anyone has ever seen before. We can’t wait” … American Express® Cardmembers and music enthusiasts can digitally connect to these live music experiences in ways that further blur the line between an at-home and in-concert experience:
Choose Your Cam: The audience can control their viewing experience throughout the show by switching between the director’s main stream and alternate “Lynchian” artistic lenses on the night. “The Now Pulse” Crowd Visualizer: Further uniting the audiences at the show and at home, this new interactive project will create a real-time visualization of crowd excitement based on social chatter online. When the social buzz reaches a climax, a special Duran Duran memento will be unlocked for fans everywhere. “All Of Us Now” Photo Project: Audiences worldwide will collaborate with David Lynch in an on-stage and online art installation, by submitting photos. In true Lynch style, the photos will be showcased on surreal displays throughout the night. Visit www.YouTube.com/DuranDuranVEVO to find out more and submit videos. On-line Pre Show: Building anticipation of the night, viewers who tune in early to the live-stream will catch an exclusive segment directed by David Lynch. Tweet The Band: Fans can Tweet questions to #amexduranduran for a chance to have them answered by the band in a series of Pre-Show vignettes.
Leading up to the March 23rd performance, fans will be able to receive insider updates by connecting with American Express at www.twitter.com/AmericanExpress or www.Facebook.com/AmericanExpress. Fans can visit YouTube for a special “Unstaged” trailer video, including highlights from previous performances.
I am very lucky to be able to attend tonight’s show and I can’t WAIT to share my experience with all y’all. I will be tweeting from the show and will have a full update tomorrow of all the fun. YOU, too, can share in the experience even if you cannot be at the show tonight. Make sure you log on promptly at 10PM ET / 7PM PT to watch the show in full LIVE as it happens. Duran Duran + David Lynch = ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Tune in … I promise this is one show you absolutely do NOT want to miss out on!!
The actress who plays the villainess Arachne in Broadway's "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" will be out of the show for the next two weeks after sustaining an injury during an onstage battle scene, the production's spokesman said on Tuesday. The specific injury to the actress, T.V. Carpio, was not disclosed, but the spokesman, Rick Miramontez, said it occurred at a performance on Wednesday, March 16. She has been out since then. An understudy, America Olivo, has been performing as Arachne and will continue to do so while Ms. Carpio is out, said Mr. Miramontez. According to a person familiar with the injury, it came during the Act II showdown between Arachne and Peter Parker, who was played at that performance by Matthew James Thomas. While "Spider-Man" has drawn attention from state and federal safety officials for its aerial sequences, the scene that brought harm to Ms. Carpio involves some fairly aggressive hand-to-hand combat between Arachne and Peter, as well as the two characters swooping and swinging from heights to confront each other on stage. The person said that Ms. Carpio appeared to have a neck injury, but had no details. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because the producers did not want to release details about the incident. Ms. Carpio is the fifth person known to suffer an injury while working on "Spider-Man" since the fall. Indeed, she won the part of Arachne only after the original actress in the role, Natalie Mendoza, quit the musical in December after suffering a concussion during the show's first preview performance. Ms. Mendoza was struck in the head with a rope while backstage; she performed again three days later, against doctor's orders, but fell ill and took time off to recover before eventually leaving the show. The most expensive (at $70 million) and technically ambitious show in Broadway history, "Spider-Man" has been buffeted with problems since the fall, most recently a creative standoff between the director, Julie Taymor, and her lead producers as well as her fellow creators, U2's Bono and Edge. Ms. Taymor was effectively sacked from the show this month because she would not make changes per the wishes of the producers, Bono and Edge. She will continue to be billed as director and one of the book writers; meanwhile, her lawyers continue to negotiate with the producers' lawyers over her contract and over allowing creative changes to the show. The producers have brought in a theater and circus director, Philip William McKinley (Broadway's "The Boy from Oz"), to succeed Ms. Taymor and oversee the changes they wanted, while also tapping the playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to rewrite the script along with Ms. Taymor's fellow book writer, Glen Berger … "Spider-Man" will go on hiatus for three weeks from April 19 to May 11 so that the actors can adapt to changes without having to also perform the standard eight performances a week. The musical is now set to open on June 14.
This is absolutely INSANE! 5 actors have been injured thus far … FIVE … and still, the show must go on. While I enjoyed the high-flying aerial acrobatics (and not much else) that are used in the show, I do not think they are worth the safety and welfare of the players involved in the show. I cannot believe that the safety procedures reportedly put into place on this show continue to result in major physical injuries. It’s a bit troubling, too, that it took a week for Carpio‘s injury to be reported. It sounds like the Turn Off the Dark folks tried to keep her injury quiet for as long as possible … which leads me to wonder what else they are keeping quiet. I am very suspicious of this plan to revamp the show in just a couple weeks’ time. My guess is that the most alluring part of the show (i.e. the flying acrobatics) is what is responsible for all of these injuries … and I doubt the acrobatics will be taken out of the show. I am utterly convinced that actors will continue to be injured on the set of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark until the show closes for good. I wonder which actor will be hurt next.
Late last week we got our first look at Adrianne Palicki in costume as the new Wonder Woman (a look, I might add, that was not well-received by anyone with eyes) and today we get our first look at Palicki on the WW set in costume as Diana Prince. As you can see from the photos below, Adrianne makes an absolutely lovely Diana Prince and will likely make a great Wonder Woman … so long as she doesn’t have to wear the tacky, cheap-looking WW costume we got to see last week.
Except for the worrisome things we’ve heard about the WW script and, of course, the cheap costume, I really think Adrianne Palicki will make a great Wonder Woman. From what I understand, she has the acting chops to pull off the role and she deffo has the look down. I am loving her on set in this simple white dress as Diana Prince (and as you recall, Elizabeth Hurley surfaced on the set early last week). I am just hoping against hope that Warner Bros. will NOT allow anyone to ruin Wonder Woman with this new TV series. I want the show to be good, I want it to succeed. THIS image of the new Wonder Woman I like. I just hope the whole thing turns out better than I fear it will.
It is with a sad and very heavy heart that I pass along the news that the iconic Elizabeth Taylor has died. Taylor, who has been hospitalized for the past few weeks due to a heart condition, passed away peacefully at Cedars-Sinai Hospital earlier today at the age of 79. It goes without saying that a great light in the world has gone out today … a light that can never be replaced and will never, ever be forgotten.
Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood icon and Oscar-winner who was practically born in the spotlight, has died. She was 79. “She was surrounded by her children – Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd and Maria Burton,” Taylor’s publicist, Sally Morrison, said in a statement. In addition to her children, Taylor is survived by 10 grand children and four great grandchildren. On Feb. 11, it was announced that she had been in taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles earlier that week for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure, and she “peacefully died there,” according to her publicist. “Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and it was hoped that she would be able to return home. Sadly, this was not to be” … For Elizabeth Taylor, nothing was ordinary – including her medical battles. For the past several years she had suffered ill health, though to the very end she was a tireless advocate for AIDS research … The beauty was not only known for her string of movie roles and generous charitable contributions: Her storied personal life, which included eight marriages and seven husbands, added to Taylor's status as a true Hollywood legend. Her other husbands (before Burton) were hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, actor Michael Wilding, producer Michael Todd, singer Eddie Fisher and (after Burton) U.S. Senator John Warner and construction worker Larry Fortensky. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Details of a memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Movie stars don’t come bigger than Elizabeth Taylor … her legendary status in Hollywood is unmatched, unsurpassed and sets a standard that will never be eclipsed. But even more important than her iconic star status was Taylor‘s unfailing generosity and will to give. Elizabeth Taylor set the standard when it comes to raising awareness and funding for AIDS research. Her tireless efforts to work toward finding a cure for the disease came at a time in our History when it was almost unheard of to even talk about the existence of the disease, let alone champion its cure. I know — absolutely — that Elizabeth Taylor worked tirelessly to find an end to AIDS for as long as she drew breath. Today is a very sad day, not only in Hollywood but around the world. Elizabeth Taylor is loved like no other … and she will be sadly, sadly missed.
UPDATE: Here is the official statement just released by Taylor‘s son Michael Wilding:
“My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love,” her son, Michael, said in a statement to ABC News. “Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”
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