12 MONKEYS is back with another season of time twisting. Stars Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull return to give us a peek at what’ s ahead. Then we look at what happens to comedians after the show when the lights go out and they go back home. LIVING WITH FUNNY gives you a different view of some funny folks.
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The BBC have announced that the identity of the newest Companion for the record-breaking science fiction series Doctor Who will be announced Saturday, April 23rd, live on BBC One’s Match of the Day. During half-time of the FA Cup semi-final between Everton and Manchester United, the BBC will announce the name of the new actor to join Peter Capaldi on the TARDIS.
With the return of the series in 2005, each new face to join the series has been met with an increasing sense of occasion. Peter Capaldi’s announcement, for example, was announced in a global simulcast. Each castmember has been shrouded in secrecy previous to their introduction. When Karen Gillan was auditioning for her role, she was told to use the code name “Panic Moon”, an anagram of “Companion”. Jenna Coleman had to tell people she was auditioning for “Men on Waves”, an anagram for “Woman Seven”.
Things have changed greatly for Who-lumni in the modern era — typecasting is largely a thing of the past. Like the role of The Doctor, a spot as Companion can have an amazing effect on an actor’s cache. Karen Gillan has landed roles in numerous series on both sides of the proverbial (forgive me) Pond, including Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy. Jenna Coleman will soon be playing Queen Victoria, and Noel Clarke (Morty Mickey Smith in series one) has become an established director with films like Kidulthood.
With Match of the Day‘s kickoff scheduled for 5:15, half-time is expected at about 6PM. The BBC will also share the news on their various social media sites, followed immediately by a worldwide flurry of Googling and IMDBing the new actor for their resume, to see how long ago they showed up on Eastenders.
Doctor Who will be making only one dramatic appearance this year, the Christmas special, followed by a proper season 10 in 2017, which has already been announced to be showrunner Steven Moffat’s last. Rumors still abound as to Peter Capaldi’s future with the series after said season.
BURBANK, CA (April 20, 2016) From executive producers Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars, 90210, Party Down) and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (Veronica Mars, The Ex List), Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment’s Vertigo bring iZOMBIE: The Complete Second Season to DVD on July 12, 2016. iZOMBIE, The CW’s hit series, that over 2 million people are tuning into weekly*, stars Rose McIver (Once Upon a Time, Masters of Sex), Malcolm Goodwin (Breakout Kings), Rahul Kohli (Eastenders), Robert Buckley (One Tree Hill) and David Anders (Once Upon a Time, The Vampire Diaries). The 4-disc DVD set includes all 19 episodes from the second season, plus deleted scenes and the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con panel. iZOMBIE: The Complete Second Season is priced to own at $39.99 SRP.
*Source: Nielsen Galaxy Explorer L+7 US AA%; excluding repeats, specials & <5 TCs; Season to Date = 09/21/15-01/17/16.
Additionally, due to overwhelming fan demand, iZOMBIE comes to Blu-rayTM courtesy of Warner Archive as individual Season 1 and Season 2 offerings. The Blu-rayTM releases of iZOMBIE will include all bonus features on the DVD versions of Season 1 and Season 2, respectively. Also available on July 12, 2016, the Blu-ray releases will be found at Amazon.com and all online retailers.
Power up with your favorite brain food, and prepare for more fun and thrills! iZOMBIE stars Rose McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore, a medical resident on the fast track to a perfect life … until she’s turned into a zombie. But Liv finds her calling — and an endless supply of food — working at the Seattle coroner’s office, helping to solve crimes with her “visions,” while her boss and sole confidante, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, works on a cure for her unthinkable condition. As season two begins, Liv’s ex-fiancé and love, Major, is reeling from recent events and the knowledge that Liv is a zombie. Meanwhile, Blaine — now human — struggles to maintain his zombie world; Clive searches for Blaine and suspects Major’s involvement in the Meat Cute massacre; and Ravi remains devoted to finding an antidote to the zombie virus. Unlikely alliances will be struck, relationships will be challenged and the line between good and evil will blur for both zombies and the fully living.
“In only its second season on the air, it’s a no brainer that iZOMBIE continues to be a fan-favorite with its compelling characters and visionary plotlines,” said Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice President, Television Marketing. “We are delighted to bring iZOMBIE: The Complete Second Season to DVD.”
iZOMBIE is based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred for Vertigo from DC Entertainment. The series was developed for television by Thomas and Ruggiero-Wright, who executive produce along with Danielle Stokdyk (Veronica Mars, Party Down) and Dan Etheridge (Veronica Mars, Party Down). iZOMBIE is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
19 ONE-HOUR EPISODES
DVD BONUS FEATURES
BASICS
4 DVD-9s
$39.99 SRP
Street Date: July 12, 2016
Audio: English (5.1) and Portuguese (2.0)
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, and Thai
Aspect Ratio: Presented In 16×9 Widescreen Format
Approx running time: Feature – 800 minutes, Enhanced Content – Approx. 42 minutes
Independence Day – 20th Anniversary Edition
Experience the original OSCAR®-Winning* sci-fi epic that launched a new era in blockbuster filmmaking. Director Roland Emmerich, producer Dean Devlin and an all-star cast including Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman join forces to deliver the ultimate encounter between powerful aliens and the human race. When massive spaceships appear in Earth’s skies and blast destructive beams of fire down on cities all over the planet, a determined band of survivors must unite for one last strike against the invaders before it’s the end of mankind.
*1997; Best Visual Effects
Special Features
Independence Day – 20th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD™ Disc
Street Date: June 7, 2016
Screen Format: 16:9 (2.39:1)
Audio: English DTS: X / Spanish 5.1 DD / French Parisian 5.1 DTS
Subtitles: English / French / Spanish
Total Run Time: Approximately 145 minutes (Theatrical Cut) / Approximately 154 minutes (Extended Cut)
U.S. Rating: PG-13 (Theatrical Cut)
BURBANK, CA – Fighting crime is a full-time job and Batman NEVER takes a vacation. That is until he finally agrees to let Batgirl and Nightwing take him on a long overdue trip – leaving Gotham City under the watchful eye of the Justice League in LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and the LEGO® Group, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on on July 12, 2016 on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD. The Blu-rayTM and DVD releases will include an exclusive Nightwing LEGO® figurine, while supplies last.
LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout will be available on Blu-rayTM Combo Pack for $24.98 SRP and DVD for $19.98 SRP. The Blu-rayTM Combo Pack includes a digital version of the movie on Digital HD with UltraViolet. Fans can also own LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout on Digital HD on June 21, 2016 via purchase from digital retailers.
When Batgirl and Nightwing take Batman on a trip down memory lane – literally – to visit one of the key mentors from his formative years, it’s up to the Justice League to keep Gotham City crime-free. But neither situation proves to be a “vacation” as the Bat trio encounters old nemeses on their adventure, and the Justice League discovers just how busy Batman is on a regular basis. It’s a brick-tastic battle on two fronts as Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing take on Bane and Deathstroke, while the Justice League – with some help from a few Teen Titans – fends off an assault by many of Batman’s infamous adversaries to ensure Gotham City’s safety.
Modern Family star Sarah Hyland joins the cast of LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout as the voice of Batgirl alongside some of the top actors in the industry voicing a quartet of Justice League super heroes: Troy Baker (Batman), Nolan North (Superman), Grey Griffin (Wonder Woman) and Khary Payton (Cyborg). Eric Bauza (Bane), John DiMaggio (Deathstroke), Tom Kenny (Penguin), Jason Spisak (Joker), Tara Strong (Harley Quinn) and Vanessa Marshall (Poison Ivy) comprise the rogues’ gallery of villains that Batman and the Justice League must confront. The Teen Titans also join the fray, vocally represented by Will Friedle (Nightwing), Greg Cipes (Beast Boy), Scott Menville (Robin) and Hynden Walch (Starfire). Amy Hill adds to the fun as the voice of Madame Mantis.
LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout is directed by Matt Peters and Mel Zwyer from a script by Jim Krieg. Sam Register, Jill Wilfert and Jason Cosler are executive producers. Benjamin Melniker & Michael Uslan are co-executive producers, and Brandon Vietti is supervising producer.
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS
LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout will be available for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on their favorite devices from select digital retailers including Amazon, CinemaNow, Flixster, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. Starting June 21, 2016, LEGO® DC Comics Super Heroes – Justice League: Gotham City Breakout will also be available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles.
BASICS
Street Date: July 12, 2016
Run Time: 72 minutes
Blu-ray Combo Price: $24.98 SRP
DVD Price: $19.98 SRP
DVD Audio – English
It’s Round 5, starring the Elite Eight of ComicMix’s April Armageddon 2015 Webcomic Tournament. Driving forces in webcomics standing toe to toe, going head to head. Being pitted against each other, fans standing together voting for their favorite until there is just one winner. Who will it be? Every survivor has chance at the brass ring. All they need is your vote!
Speaking of votes…give yourself a round of applause for the strong support for The Hero Initiative, with donations totaling $71.00 in round 4.
The Elite Eight will narrow the field yet again, So vote soon and vote often… and tell your friends. Polls close 12 midnight, Friday, April 22nd EDT!
Hold onto your chimichangas, folks. From the studio that brought you all 3 Taken films comes DEADPOOL, the block-busting, fourth-wall-breaking masterpiece about Marvel Comics’ sexiest anti-hero: me! Go deep inside (I love that) my origin story…typical stuff…rogue experiment, accelerated healing powers, horrible disfigurement, red spandex, imminent revenge. Directed by overpaid tool Tim Miller, and starring God’s perfect idiot Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller and Gina Carano, DEADPOOL is a giddy slice of awesomeness packed with more twists than my enemies’ intestines and more action than prom night. Amazeballs!
DEADPOOL will be available on Blu-ray and DVD May 10
from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
BURBANK, CA â Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has accepted the MPAAâÂÂs âÂÂRâ rating for its upcoming animated film, Batman: The Killing Joke, choosing to remain true to the landmark DC Comics graphic novelâÂÂs violent, controversial story, and making the film the first non-PG/PG-13 rated movie in the nine-year history of the DC Universe Original Movie franchise.
Batman: The Killing Joke, one of the best-selling graphic novels in history, tells the tale of The JokerâÂÂs origin story â from his humble beginnings as a struggling comic, to his fateful encounter with Batman that changes both of their lives forever. Actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their Batman: The Animated Series roles as Batman and The Joker, respectively.
Since its inception in 2007, the DC Universe Original Movie franchise has brought classic and current DC Comics stories and characters to animated life through a series of primarily PG-13 rated films. Throughout the 26-film history of this popular franchise, Warner Bros. Animation, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have crafted animated productions that appeal to the adult fan â from adaptations of fan favorite stories (Superman: Doomsday, Justice League: The New Frontier, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) to liberal adaptations of contemporary tales (Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, Batman: Bad Blood, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox) to original narratives (Batman: Gotham Knight, Wonder Woman, Justice League: Gods & Monsters).
Animation visionary Bruce Timm guided the DC Universe Original Movie franchise for its initial 16 films, then returned last summer with his own original story, Justice League: Gods & Monsters. Timm takes the reigns once again for Batman: The Killing Joke, reuniting a trio of actors (Conroy, Hamill & Tara Strong) from the game-changing Batman: The Animated Series cast to add even greater reverence to this heralded tale. Recognizing the fansâ dedication to the highly acclaimed graphic novel, Timm has worked meticulously to accurately maintain the intense adult content of The Killing Joke.
âÂÂFrom the start of production, we encouraged producer Bruce Timm and our team at Warner Bros. Animation to remain faithful to the original story â regardless of the eventual MPAA rating,â said Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation & Warner Digital Series. âÂÂThe Killing Joke is revered by the fans, particularly for its blunt, often-shocking adult themes and situations. We felt it was our responsibility to present our core audience â the comics-loving community â with an animated film that authentically represented the tale they know all too well.âÂÂ
At this time, there are no plans for an edited, PG-13 version of the film.
A two-time Eisner Award winner written by renowned comics author Alan Moore, Batman: The Killing Joke has maintained an unparalleled popularity throughout its 28 years of existence â as evidenced by its ranking as the best-selling graphic novel of 2015. Batman: The Killing Joke was greenlit in 2013 and announced in July 2015 at Comic Con International in San Diego.
Batman: The Killing Joke also features the voices of Tara Strong (Teen Titans; Batman: Arkham games), as Barbara Gordon and Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, RoboCop) as Commissioner Gordon. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will host the filmâÂÂs World Premiere at Comic-Con International this summer, and see a subsequent release in 2016 on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD.
This was supposed to be a lighter column for me. I had seen Iggy Pop play over at The Capital Theatre in Port Chester last Thursday. I was going to write about how it was an absolutely incredible show, talk a bit about Iggy Pop’s career and how he was a major influence on the comic book series The Crow. Then I read this. And this. I saw friends of my get incredibly upset over this. Hell, I’m upset too. So without putting up much of a fight with myself, I decided this week I’d tackle the growing embarrassment that is the Ghost In The Shell live action adaptation.
Ghost In The Shell was one of the first anime movies I had watched. When I was a kid, I grew up on Voltron, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, and many others. The Sci-Fi channel (before it was the SyFy channel) used to do Saturday Anime in the mid to late 90s. That exposed me to a lot of different anime movies. They had commercials for the anime movie adaptation of Ghost In The Shell and I eventually got the DVD. It was fantastic. Visually stunning and engaging in a similar way to me as Akira or Serial Experiment Lain.
Dreamworks Pictures is currently deep into the production of the Ghost In The Shell live action movie, slated for release on March 31, 2017. It’s been reported that this has been a long anticipated project. Personally, I’m fine with my anime movie staying an anime movie without a live action adaptation. We all saw how movies like Speed Racer and Dragon Ball: Evolution turned out. Ghost In The Shell may prove to be worse than those.
Let’s get into some details that we know about the movie so far. It’s being directed by Rupert Sanders. It’s written by Jonathan Herman and Jamie Moss. It’s starring Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Michael Pitt, Takeshi Kitano, and Juliette Binoche. Notice something a bit off about all this? If the answer is “no” congratulations! You’re part of the problem. If your answer is “I thought this was a Japanese property. Isn’t nearly every single person listed here white?” then we’re on the same page.
In addition to all of that, Dreamworks Pictures admitted to using VFX technology to attempt to “shift the ethnicities” of white actors in the film with CGI to make them appear more Asian in post-production. While plans to go through with this have been scrapped, I do want to make something clear for everyone. At least one person working high enough on this movie identified that barely any Asian actors on screen was a problem.
That person managed to convey that was a problem. Either that person or another person high enough in the production proposed that they could try to use a modern version of yellow face that they don’t have to call yellow face because it’s done by computers now and we all know that yellow face is bad, but the intentions behind yellow face apparently aren’t to those working on Ghost In The Shell. Person with this idea to use modern yellow face was able to get enough traction from the production for them to actually try it. The fact that we are even so inclined as to say that at least they didn’t go through with it in the end shows just how low the bar is for institutional racism in Hollywood.
Now the fault here certainly lays heavily on the production team, but how much of it is on the actors themselves? Scarlett Johansson is certainly a talented actress that’s a proven cash grab at the box office. So few women in Hollywood have been elevated to this level. Shouldn’t we celebrate Scarlett Johansson being elevated like this and ignore the fact that the character she is playing is supposed to be Asian?
No. Nope. Never.
Nearly every single woman that has been elevated to a similar position to Scarlett Johansson in Hollywood has been cis straight and white. The reason is because they’re the ones given a disproportionate about of the opportunities. Scarlett Johansson is not desperate to break into the industry. She’s a leader there. Someone that’s admired by many. She is successful enough to turn down a role like this. She should have turned it down. I’m sure she’s turned down plenty of roles in her career to play characters that she actually fits the description of. Why did she have to take this one? Or Pilou Asbaek? Or Michael Pitt? Or Juliette Binoche?
It’s because of casting decisions like this that predominantly straight cis white men and women dominate the box office. Arguments are made about needing big names to get butts in the seats. However, there are plenty of examples that counter that point. One prominent example related to comics is Superman: The Movie. Other than a couple of names who all had smaller roles, the movie was led primarily by unknowns. Also movies like, you know, Star Wars. And if Johnny Depp has taught us anything lately, it’s you can still be a Hollywood giant and star in box office disaster after box office disaster and still get picked over someone whose background and ethnicity better fits the role he’s playing. He is 1/16th Native American though, so that must count for something to someone apparently.
So how does this happen? The short and obvious answer is because not enough people see this as a problem. And it is a problem. It’s a hard problem to combat, and even gigantic box office bombs like 2013’s The Lone Ranger can’t seem to discourage Hollywood. It would require a sea-change. One of which would be going against one of the current cash cows they’ve been milking, comic book movies which technically Ghost In The Shell as a manga falls into. Movies that are primarily dominated by straight cis white men. It’s okay though, Black Panther is finally getting his own movie over at Marvel only about 54 years after the civil rights act, and Captain Marvel only 99 years after the 19th amendment.
You know, progress.
HOLLYWOOD, CA (April 14, 2016) – “Star Trek Beyond” director Justin Lin announced today a first-ever fan event to take place on May 20 in celebration of the series’ milestone 50th Anniversary this year and the film’s release this summer.
The one-time only special event, taking place at the historic Paramount Pictures studio lot, will include the premiere of the newest “Star Trek Beyond” trailer, an exclusive first-look of never before seen footage from the upcoming film, a Q&A with Lin and the cast and crew, special guests appearances, and other surprises. The Q&A will be streamed via Facebook Live.
Said Justin Lin, “As a lifelong fan of Trek, we wanted to do something special for the fans and we couldn’t think of a better way to do that than creating an event dedicated to them in the year that we also come together to celebrate the series’ amazing 50th year.”
Opening July 22, 2016 from Paramount Pictures and Skydance, “Star Trek Beyond” is a Bad Robot, Sneaky Shark, Perfect Storm Entertainment production. The film stars John Cho, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin and Idris Elba. Directed by Lin, the third film in the franchise series is produced by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber, and Lin; and executive produced by Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Tommy Harper. Based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, the screenplay is written by Pegg & Doug Jung.
Columns / Glenn Hauman / News
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