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Tag: James Spader

  • Mary-Louise Parker Heading Back to Broadway This Fall in “Heisenberg”

    Mary-Louise Parker, known for her role on Weeds and in films including Fried Green Tomatoes, is headed back to Broadway this fall in Heisenberg, what Variety describes as a Broadway transfer of an off-Broadway play.

    Playing the role of a woman whose unexpected relationship with a considerably older man (she is 33 to his 75) leads to an uncertain future, Mary-Louise Parker–joined by Denis Arndt–is reprising her role she first played in the play’s world premiere last year.

    Parker isn’t new to Broadway. She won a Tony Award in 2001 for her role in Proof. She also appeared on Broadway in Hedda Gabler, The Snow Geese, and Reckless.

    Mary-Louise Parker–at 51–has run the gamut of captivating roles in film, on TV, and on the stage. She most recently played the role of Raymond “Red” Reddington’s (played by James Spader) ex-wife Naomi Hyland on the hit NBC show The Blacklist for four episodes.

    If you’re a Mary-Louise Parker fan, you’re likely not surprised she’s headed back to Broadway. Her diverse talent traverses many realms in the acting world–each of which she has perfected.

    If you’re not familiar with the actress, check out Fried Green Tomatoes for an early look at the actress. Follow up with The Blacklist for black and white views of her abilities. You won’t be disappointed.

    There’s been no word yet on the exact opening date for Mary-Louise Parker in Heisenberg.

  • Megan Boone: “The Blacklist’s” Elizabeth Keen Expecting Third Child

    Megan Boone is best known for starring in the NBC hit show The Blacklist. Boone plays FBI agent-on-the-run Elizabeth Keen, opposite James Spader’s Raymond “Red” Reddington. Fans are likely now wondering if next season, Megan Boone’s character might be pregnant, since the actress just announced she’s expecting her third child.
    How might Liz Keen as a pregnant woman play into the series?

    Avid Blacklist follower’s thoughts will likely first turn to Tom Keen. Once married to Megan Boone’s character, he has been trying to prove her innocence in recent episodes, as well as protect her during her time on the run. In the first season of The Blacklist, Tom and Elizabeth Keen were planning to adopt a baby.

    Megan Boone is about three months along in her pregnancy, meaning if it is written in to The Blacklist, it would impact next season’s episodes. TVLine reports The Blacklist is planning on another 22-episode season, so either they’ll write it in or Megan Boone will spend the season strategically hiding her growing belly.

    Megan Boone expressed her gratitude in an Instagram post on Tuesday for the congratulations her Blacklist family offered when she made her big announcement.

    “Home, after a long day’s work with my Blacklist family, to your “congratulations” and his shepherds pie. Life is good. Thank you for your continued love and support,” she captioned her post.

    A photo posted by Megan Boone (@msmeganboone) on

    Do you expect The Blacklist will feature a pregnant Elizabeth Keen next season as Megan Boone’s pregnancy becomes obvious?

    They’re clearly keeping Tom Keen (played by Ryan Eggold) for something more than to simply rescue Liz and help prove her innocence. If not, he’d have been gone for good last season.

    Are you a huge Megan Boone fan? Fans of The Blacklist can’t get enough of the dynamic actress.

  • Elizabeth Olsen in Record-Breaking ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Trailer

    Elizabeth Olsen in Record-Breaking ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Trailer

    Elizabeth Olsen appears in a new trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron, and if the film goes the way of the clip–with regard to viewers–it’s destined for greatness. The trailer smashed previous numbers for those of past Avengers films–tipping the charts at more than 35 million views in the 24 hours following its release.

    Deadline reports that the last trailer released for the upcoming film received 34.3 million global views in its first 24 hours.

    The film is destined to receive even more hype than this, too. Set to premiere in U.S. theaters on May 1st, the live promos will soon begin. That includes the daytime talk show circuit and press junkets. Elizabeth Olsen will be a busy lady in the coming weeks.

    In addition to Elizabeth Olsen, The Avengers: Age of Ultron’s star-studed cast includes Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and The Blacklist’s own James Spader. Add to that list Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Mark Ruffalo, and more–and the cast alone is reason enough to visit the box office.

    In The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Elizabeth Olsen plays the role of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. She is a newly recruited Avenger who harnesses magic and engage in both hypnosis and telekinesis.

    Check out the new trailer starring Elizabeth Olsen below.

    Elizabeth Olsen also appears in a new poster promoting the film.

    Will you be checking out The Avengers: Age of Ultron when it hits theaters in May? Do you suppose Olsen twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen will go see their little sister on the big screen in her latest role?

  • Katherine Heigl, ‘State of Affairs’ Filling ‘The Blacklist’s’ Slot

    Katherine Heigl stars in State of Affairs tonight (Monday, November 17th) in the NBC slot that housed The Blacklist throughout its intense and wildly popular fall season. Can Heigl draw in fans the way The Blacklist’s James Spader lured them on Monday night TV?

    The former Grey’s Anatomy star plays the role of Charleston Tucker–known as Charlie–who works as the president’s most trusted national security adviser. The president is played by Alfre Woodard.

    The New York Times describes State of Affairs as having “some of the sex and high-stepping melodrama of Scandal on ABC, but actually resembling Madam Secretary, the CBS series that stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, a maverick secretary of state who suspects that the death of her predecessor was no accident,” even more. Like Elizabeth, Charlie, “is more enmeshed in current affairs than extramarital ones.”

    The Times continues, saying, “the narrative of State of Affairs is not as outré as the one in Scandal, but it’s still preposterous and at times laughable. That’s not a disqualifier; it’s pretty much a prerequisite for a network action-adventure series. Plausibility isn’t the measure, panache is. The Fox series 24 in its heyday had it. So does Scandal. Now, The Blacklist on NBC has it–mostly because James Spader is the star.” That said, can Katherine Heigl do for NBC during this run of State of Affairs what James Spader did? She definitely has huge shoes to fill. The Blacklist is, after all, returning for its upcoming season in a coveted slot following the Super Bowl in February, in what will be a two-part season premiere. Grey’s Anatomy experienced a draw of 37.9 million viewers when it premiered in that slot back in 2006.

    Katherine Heigl, as most everyone knows by now, has a reputation for being difficult to deal with. Will her reputation follow her on to the set of State of Affairs?

    Will you be tuning in to see Katherine Heigl in her new role as Charlie Tucker Monday nights on State of Affairs? Will The Blacklist fans watch, too, hoping it fills that void that likely no one but Red Reddington can fill?

  • Debra Messing: No Go in ‘Mysteries of Laura?’

    Debra Messing: No Go in ‘Mysteries of Laura?’

    Debra Messing is set to star in a new NBC series called The Mysteries of Laura, and the L.A. Times doesn’t seem to think she’s up to speed. A recent report reminds viewers of last year’s most significant NBC offering–The Blacklist, starring James Spader–and the bullseye the network hit with that show. They are comparing Messing and The Mysteries of Laura to ‘grazing the white part around the edge of the target.’

    Fans last saw Debra Messing in Smash, and of course everyone loved her in Will & Grace. So what’s not to love about Laura Diamond in The Mysteries of Laura? It seems she’s simply not convincible as a homicide detective.

    “It certainly doesn’t help that the show opens with her in hot pursuit of some gun-wielding thug as he races through a very crowded Battery Park. Wearing a raincoat that she will then cling to throughout the episode as if it had been bequeathed to her by Mr. Peter Falk, she mutters “humorous” asides like “why are all these people in the park? Don’t they have jobs?” before pulling a gun and aiming it at said thug, who grabs a hostage. Then she fires Right At Their Heads,” the L.A. Times reports.

    It seems The Mysteries of Laura isn’t a sitcom, but Debra Messing is playing Laura Diamond as if it might be. The funny thing is, NBC is playing her character as though she is on par with Law & Order: SVU’s Mariska Hargitay and Chicago P.D.’s Sophia Bush. Have you seen that ad? Even with the little that viewers have seen thus far of The Mysteries of Laura thus far, the notion simply doesn’t gel.

    Are you a Debra Messing fan? Will you be checking out The Mysteries of Laura when it premieres tonight–Wednesday, September 17th on NBC at 10:00 PM? It will be interesting to learn what Thursday’s take will be on the new show.

    Hopefully NBC hasn’t banked on this to be this years The Black List.

  • ‘The Blacklist’ Season Finale: Did It Live Up to the Hype?

    The Blacklist season finale aired on Monday night with a dead FBI agent, the noted identity of a man who calls himself Berlin, and an even stronger feeling that Agent Elizabeth Keen (played by Megan Boone) is Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington’s (James Spader) daughter–even though he tells her that her father is dead. The season ended with the show being the most watched new series in prime time–not a bad way to go out, and a positive note to offset the blood bath the ensued during the finale.

    Meera, played by Parminder Nagra, was killed shortly after the finale began. Her throat was slit in a night club and Lizzie Keen arrived too late to save her. Director Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) was the next to fall–being strangled in his car. His name, too, is scratched off Berlin’s list of targets, but he lingers in a hospital on life support.

    Tom Keen, played by Ryan Eggold, was also a casualty on The Blacklist season finale. Shot by Red, he didn’t go down without a fight–and not without whispering in Lizzie’s ear that her father is alive.

    Megan Boone talked with Jimmy Fallon prior to the airing of The Blacklist season finale, and each did their best not to spoil the outcome.

    Later in the show Lizzie confronts Red about killing her ‘father’ Sam–the man who took her in and raised her as his own when her own father was killed in a fire from which she was saved. Sam was in a hospital dying when Red snuffed him out. He told Lizzie it was an act of compassion–that her father was ill and wanted to die, and that he loved her father as his dear friend.

    Shortly before Monday night’s finale ends, Lizzie and Red chat once again–this time about what Tom Keen told her before he died. Red assures her that her father died in that fire. A moment later, however, as Reddington tends to a bullet wound, it is plain to see that his body is horrifically scarred–by what one can only assume are burns.

    Do you think The Blacklist season finale lived up to the hype created in the weeks before its airing? The Blacklist returns in the fall, and then in 2015 gets that coveted post-Super Bowl slot.

    Will you be tuning in to see the saga continue?

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘The Blacklist’ Season Finale Recap

    Fans of The Blacklist were treated to a season finale last night that didn’t disappoint.

    One major character was killed off, another was critically injured, and we finally know who “Berlin” is. But is Red Lizzie’s dad? That we still aren’t sure of.

    The finale began with a horrific helicopter crash, in which viewers were treated to lots and lots of carnage. We even get to see a wreck survivor heavily step on a not so lucky passenger as he walks away from the scene. Score!

    We saw Red get locked up because of Lizzie’s resignation, and are left wondering if he will spend his life in a cage. Again. We didn’t have to wait too long, however, as an agreement was made to have Red transferred, during which he escaped and is now free, natch.

    Because of Lizzie’s estranged husband Tom, Berlin’s team now has a list of everyone working with Red on the Blacklist. Malik is the first victim when she has her throat slit by one of Berlin’s thugs. Cooper survives his strangulation attempt, but is left in bad condition.

    Alan and Red come to an agreement in which Alan agrees to find Berlin, and then let Red find out why the guy is so darned peeved at him.

    When Alan finds Berlin, Red goes alone to have the epic confrontation. After breezily shooting a few guards, it’s just Red and Berlin. Mano y mano. However, just as things start getting interesting, Tom bursts through the door with Lizzie in tow holding a gun to her head. Tom tells Red to let Berlin go or Lizzie gets it. Red takes things into his own hands and shoots Berlin himself.

    A struggle between Lizzie and Tom ensues, and ends with Lizzie shooting Tom in the gut several times. Red begins to aim for one last shot, when Lizzie convinces him to let her take care of it. Her and Tom share a moment, then he leans in and whispers something to Lizzie before he presumably passes. (We learn later on that the body is missing.)

    Here’s what Twitter had to say about the show:

    We then find out that who we thought was Berlin actually wasn’t. Berlin is instead the “guard” Lizzie and Ressler visited in the hospital who sawed his own hand off to get out of his cuffs in the helicopter. Lizzie and Red discuss how Berlin is still out there, and Lizzie reveals to Red that Tom told her that her real father is still alive, which Red shoots down, stating that Lizzie’s father died in that infamous fire we have heard so much about, in which Lizzie was rescued from and then taken to a man who raised her as his own.

    A few scenes later, we see Red inspect the bullet wound he sustained during the Tom and Lizzie struggle, in which he reveals some major burn scars all over his back. Could this be a hint that Red was involved in the fire and is in fact Lizzie’s dad? Looks like we will have to wait until next season to hopefully find out.

    Image via The Blacklist, Twitter

  • Dianne Wiest Is Set To Appear On “The Blacklist”

    After a long career in film, including being an Oscar winner, Dianne Wiest is heading to the small screen again for an episode of The Blacklist. She joins a group of high-caliber actors that have already appeared as guests on the show.

    The Blacklist is a show that premiered on NBC last fall, and stars James Spader as a former government agent who has been able to avoid being captured for decades.

    The show starts out with him suddenly surrendering to the FBI with an offer to help catch a terrorist, under the condition that he speaks only to Liz, a young profiler just out of Quantico.

    Dianne Wiest has landed a guest-starring role, and the news was originally announced by Megan Boone over Twitter, who plays Liz on the show.

    When she appears as a guest star on The Blacklist, she will play the kind, sympathetic head of Amnesty United, an organization that fights against the death penalty.

    In addition to the several films that Dianne Wiest did with Woody Allen, she has been seen in several other films such as Edward Scissorhands, Stepmom, and I Am Sam. Her previous television credits include Law And Order and In Treatment, which she earned an Emmy for.

    She won her two Academy Awards for Bullets Over Broadway and Hannah And Her Sisters, both of which were written and directed by Woody Allen.

    Wiest is set to appear in the 15th episode of The Blacklist, an episode titled “The Judge,” and will be the second episode that is aired after the show returns from its hiatus. Along with several other shows, The Blacklist has been off for an extended period of time, and will not return until after the Winter Olympics are over, which are being held in Sochi this year.

    The Blacklist has already welcomed A-list stars to the show such as Alan Alda and Isabella Rosselini, and will round out their run of big-time actors with Dianne Wiest’s performance on the show in episode 15.

    Image via Youtube

  • James Spader: ‘Blacklist’ Compared to ‘Columbo’

    James Spader keeps fans coming back week after week to watch the NBC hit show The Blacklist. He and costar Megan Boone have some kind of chemistry that outweighs any of the show’s absurdities and the cast of characters behind Elizabeth Keen and Red Reddington’s bizarre interactions. One must admit it’s a bit far fetched to watch Keen observe a high profile international criminal like Reddington walk in and out of the FBI headquarters per his will. But that’s how it is–and fans love it.

    Time magazine compares The Blacklist to Columbo.

    “Perhaps Peter Falk was one of those actors who, like James Spader, is so easy to pay attention to that the idea of applying any kind of critical thought seems almost frightening, in case you realize that the show was actually kind of terrible and coasting on the lead actor’s charm all along,” they recently published in their entertainment section.

    They later take a bit of a softer approach, saying, “But at least The Blacklist has the ingredients necessary for contemporary Columbo-esque greatness. We have Spader at the center (or, center-adjacent, at least), gleefully enjoying the larger-than-life quality of his character, as well as villains played by recognizable actors, who we can root against for reasons beyond their criminal activities. On Falk’s show, there was always an element of class warfare in play as Columbo regularly proved that being rich and successful didn’t let you literally get away with murder, while in Spader’s we have characters who are not only criminals, but also on some level misrepresenting themselves within society and fooling the common man for nefarious, selfish reasons.”

    The comparison between the two hit TV shows likely won’t gel with most, even when looking past the upgrades in technology, criminology and even acting that have taken place between the time Columbo reigned in the late 60s to late 70s and the inception of The Blacklist this past September. James Spader has a special finesse Peter Falk lacked–not because he wasn’t a good actor, but because that’s not what the character called for. And The Blacklist seems a bit more intricate than a standard “whodunit.”

    This past Monday on The Blacklist a mole was revealed, and fans were likely surprised to learn who it was.

    James Spader was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Blacklist but didn’t win. By this time next year he will likely have an award or two on his shelf for his unique (read: non-Columbo-esque) hit show.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Avengers: Age Of Ultron Casts New Villian

    One of the most anticipated films of 2015, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, has just cast another villain in the film that already has a handful of stars.

    The Avengers was one of the most popular and biggest box-office films of all time when it was released in 2012, and the sequel will look to be even more successful.

    The anticipation continues to build for Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and while the original film had a host of stars brought in to play the avengers, the sequel continues to bring in new cast members, and build up the already star-studded cast.

    The latest actor to be added to the ensemble cast is Thomas Kretschmann, who currently plays Abraham Van Helsing on NBC’s Dracula.

    Kretschmann has also appeared in King Kong and Wanted, in addition to the upcoming Stalingrad, the acclaimed Russian war movie that will be released on IMAX domestically in February.

    In addition to the original cast, Elizabeth Olsen has been added as the Scarlet Witch, James Spader as Ultron, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver, and the new addition of Thomas Kretschmann, who will be playing Baron Wolfgang von Strucker.

    In the comics, Von Strucker was a Nazi officer who becomes one of the heads of HYDRA, a terrorist organization. He is also one of the main antagonists for Captain America and Nick Fury.

    The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the second in the Avengers film series, and it will be written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is based on the Marvel comics that were written by Stan Lee.

    Some of the actors in the series are reprising their roles from earlier superhero films where they were the star of the film. The plot of The Avengers: Age Of Ultron will see the avengers reassemble to battle the sentient robot known as Ultron, played by James Spader.

    The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is host to many big name stars including several who are returning from the first film with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

    Avengers: Age Of Ultron is set to be released on May 1st, 2015.

    Image via Youtube

  • James Spader Cast as Next ‘Avengers’ Villain

    After the Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers proved a hit with audiences, all eyes have been focused on Marvel for details on what fans can expect from the next Avengers movie. At Comic-Con this year Whedon revealed the title for the next movie: Avengers: Age of Ultron.

    In the months that have followed, speculation has run rampant about how Ultron, a super-powerful megalomaniac robot, will be depicted on the big screen. Joss Whedon earlier this month revealed that Ultron’s powers in comic books will be scaled down for the movie, which is scheduled for a May 1, 2015 release. This week, the casting information for the infamous villain has been revealed.

    Marvel studios announced that actor James Spader has been cast as Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It is unknown whether Spader will simply voice a fully-realized computer-generated Ultron, or whether the actor will have a greater role in the character’s performance. Spader is best-known for movies such as Stargate and Secretary, as well as network TV shows such as Boston Legal, The Practice, and The Office.

    In addition to Ultron, it has been announced that Marvel heroes Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be joining the avengers in the sequel. Recent casting rumors pin younger Olsen sibling Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch and Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been cast as Quicksilver.

    (Image courtesy Marvel Comics)