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Tag: Television

  • Netflix May Soon Add DVD-Like Extras For Its Streaming Content

    As previously reported, Netflix is slowly rolling out a big update to its Android app. This was revealed by the company at the GigaOm Mobilized conference.

    This isn’t the only interesting piece of news from the company from that event, however. Engadget reports that they also revealed they will start offering supplemental material for their shows via the streaming service. This means users may soon be seeing DVD-like special features accompanying their favorite Netflix originals. Nicole Lee writes:

    Netflix’s VP of Product Innovation, Todd Yellin, mentioned at the GigaOm Mobilized conference today that the company will begin testing enhanced content or extra features around its original shows such as House of Cards or Orange is the New Black. If that works out, he says Netflix is open to offering DVD extra-style content to other partner providers as well. “Hopefully if we try something like that,” said Yellin, “We have that lightning bolt of an idea that it’s more than just a tiny percent user game.” For those who’re in the process of giving up physical media, additional extras like these could certainly be welcome.

    Hear that? That might be the sound of DVDs becoming obsolete. If you’re thinking they already are, think again. There’s a reason Netflix still offers its DVD-by-mail service. In fact, it’s the only way Netflix currently has of getting the majority of its titles to customers.

    But even for titles that Netflix offers via streaming, subscribers are missing out on a lot of great content. While obviously it varies from title to title, many DVDs are loaded with interesting extras – behind the scenes clips, director/actor/writer commentaries, trailers, alternate endings, deleted scenes, etc.

    If Netflix is able to start offering this kind of stuff to streaming users, it’s going to amount to a whole lot more time spent watching Netflix. It’s probably also going to mean a decrease in DVD/Blu-ray sales, so it will be interesting to see how this evolves.

    Even if Netflix never gets past its own shows with this stuff, it could add a lot of interesting content to the service. There is already plenty of extra stuff making its way to YouTube right from Netflix itself. It would actually make a great deal of sense for Netflix to provide this stuff straight to its users, rather than sending them to YouTube, which is in some ways a competitor, though it does serve as a great marketing vehicle.

    In fact, if Netflix posted all of the content it does to YouTube to the actual Netflix streaming service, it could serve as an effective, untapped (and somewhat obvious) marketing channel for its upcoming content.

    Image: Netflix (YouTube)

  • Michael C. Hall To Star In Broadway Play

    Michael C. Hall To Star In Broadway Play

    Michael C. Hall, better known to most as Dexter Morgan, is slated to be one of several big name stars in a new Broadway play. Hall, along with Toni Collette, Marissa Tomei and Tracy Letts are set to be in a Broadway production of The Realistic Joneses, a play by Will Eno. For those of you that are already missing Hall’s beloved character, cheer up, you will be able to see him on Broadway as early as March.

    Hall, of course, is most well-known for his role in Dexter, which just finished up its 8th and final season on Showtime recently. He starred on the HBO hit Six Feet Under, which ran for five seasons. He has also been in several films, and is getting ready to appear in one of the most anticipated film of the fall, Kill Your Darlings, alongside former Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe.

    In addition to Hall, his co-stars are more well-known as film actors and are likely to gain even more attention. Toni Collette has also appeared on Broadway once before in The Wild Party. Like Hall, she also had a starring role in a Showtime series, The United States of Tara. Tomei is well-known for her Oscar winning role in My Cousin Vinny, and has also appeared on Broadway in Wait Until Dark, Salome, and Top Girls.

    Bryan Cranston, who recently ended his run on AMC’s hit Breaking Bad is also starring in a broadway play called All The Way, in which he will portray former President Johnson.

    The play tells the story of two couples, both with the last name of Jones. It is set in a small rural town, and presents the intertwining lives of two neighboring couples who live in identical houses and share the same last name. In somewhat of a utopia like setting, the two couples are forced to choose between perfect fantasies and imperfect realities.

    A theater has been chosen for the play yet, but previews are set to begin in February, with an opening weekend of sometime in late March. Hall has appeared on Broadway twice before this, in Chicago and Cabaret.

    The author of the play, Will Eno, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Thom Pain, and also wrote Middletown, Title and Deed, and Oh, The Humanity and Other Exclamations. The Realistic Joneses first premiered at the Yale Repertory in 2012 with Tracy Letts on board already. Sam Gold will also return as the director of the Broadway version.

    Michael C. Hall, the 42-year-old native of North Carolina, is certainly a fan favorite, and news of his casting should excite all of his Dexter fans.

    Here he is, as featured in the musical Cabaret.

    Image via Youtube

  • “South Park” Won’t Air Tonight Due To Power Loss

    “South Park” Won’t Air Tonight Due To Power Loss

    “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have announced that the newest episode, which was set to air tonight on Comedy Central at its usual time, won’t air until next week due to a power outage at the South Park Studios.

    “On Tuesday night, South Park Studios lost power,” read a statement from the show’s website. “From animation to rendering to editing and sound, all of our computers were down for hours and we were unable to finish episode 1704 “Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers” in time for air tonight.”

    The show has famously always been done in a week, from conception to final product, and Parker says that although they hate to miss a day, it was sort of inevitable.

    “It sucks to miss an air date but after all these years of tempting fate by delivering the show last minute, I guess it was bound to happen,” he said.

    The duo talked about the stressful process in their documentary, “Six Days To Air”, which shows Parker and Stone and their team of writers, animators and actors going through a typical week for the show. In an incredibly ambitious, nerve-wracking six days, the minds behind “South Park” come up with the storyline and jokes over the first couple of days, then spend the rest of the time fine-tuning the episode, creating animation, and recording the voice actors. In the end, the episode is literally handed over to the guys in charge of putting it up on the small screen just hours before air time.

    The episode that was supposed to air tonight will be aired next week instead, and in its place will be a rerun of “Scott Tenorman Must Die”…one of the best episodes, IMHO.

    Image: SouthParkStudios.com

  • Ruben Studdard Sheds The Pounds On “Biggest Loser”

    Ruben Studdard entered the Biggest Loser Ranch as the contestant with the most weight to lose; at 462 pounds, he knew going in that he had a long, hard road ahead of him. But during the premiere episode of season 15 this week, Studdard showed the trainers that he’s committed to a healthy lifestyle and dropped an incredible 21 pounds.

    “I have to get up every day and give myself the two hours that I need to keep myself together before I even get into any music stuff, and that’s just going to have to be how I do it,” Studdard said before entering the competition.

    The “American Idol” alum has seen some heartbreak over the past few years, going through a divorce that ultimately helped him creatively.

    “I had the opportunity to be married to a wonderful person. And for some reason two good people couldn’t make a good thing work. But in life, the one thing that I love about being an artist is that you can sometimes use the pain that you go through to make beautiful things,” he said.

    The new season of “The Biggest Loser” has a few twists, not the least of which is the addition of a “trainer save”–a way for the trainers to keep one of their team members in the event of a bad week–which helped a member of Jillian’s group, Craig. This season may be as interesting as any we’ve seen yet, with several contestants all working overtime to prove themselves. In fact, Craig lost the least amount of weight during the premiere episode but had dropped a whopping 13 pounds.

    “Thirteen pounds sounds really good when you’re at home … ,” Craig said. “I was devastated …. I came in here thinking I would be the leader. But it turns out I was the weakest link.”

    Image: WikimediaCommons

  • Mischa Barton Breaks Silence About Her Breakdown

    Mischa Barton recently spoke for the first time about the issues she suffered after becoming an overnight star on “The O.C.”, and said she felt that no matter what she did, the media would scrutinize her.

    Barton was just 17 when the Fox show became a hit, and her star immediately began to rise. Soon, she found herself a Hollywood “It” girl; invited to the best parties and clubs, hanging out with other celebrities, and enjoying long nights that included some hard partying. It’s a tale told many times in Hollywood; unfortunately, it can be a town that eats young stars and spits them out. Barton said she was just living it up, without thought to the consequences.

    “We thought, ‘Work hard, play hard,’” she said.

    Even after a DUI arrest in 2007, she still couldn’t change her ways. By 2009, her parents were ready to stage an intervention. That same year, the young actress suffered ill effects after taking a sedative and eventually landed in a psych ward after threatening to kill herself.

    “It was terrifying,” Barton said. “Straight out of ‘Girl, Interrupted.’ Story of my life…I was never suicidal. I was just overworked and depressed. But one slip of the tongue in a heightened moment and you find yourself in that situation.”

    Even after she managed to pull her life together and get healthy, she says, the media wasn’t happy with her looks.

    “It was a full-on breakdown,” she said. “I was under enormous pressure…It was always, ‘She’s too skinny, she must be sick,’ Then it was, ‘She’s too big.’ I was never the right weight.”

    Now, Barton says she’s a stronger person and has learned to focus on the positives in her life, which include getting back into acting and opening her own boutique in London.

    Screengrab via ABC News

  • ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ Premiere Gets Director Commentary

    American Horror Story returned to FX last week with the debut of its third season, Coven. The season follows the series’ established pattern of telling a different story from the previous one. This time it’s about witches.

    Early reactions have been pretty positive (having Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett probably helps).

    The official American Horror Story YouTube channel has released a new seven-minute video of director/co-executive producer Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and director of photography Michael Gol talking about the first episode, titled “Bitchcraft”.

    The second episode debuts on FX tonight.

    Image: American Horror Story (YouTube)

  • Netflix Gets Another Big Disney Deal With Exclusive Rights In Netherlands

    Netflix Gets Another Big Disney Deal With Exclusive Rights In Netherlands

    Netflix has reportedly struck a new deal with Disney, which will make it the exclusive pay-TV rights to all animated and live action films in the Netherlands.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s a multi-year deal, and will take effect early next year. Scott Roxborough reports:

    Highlights include Marvel’s The Avengers, Pixar’s Monsters University and Disney’s The Lone Ranger, as well as back-catalogue titles including The Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Wall-E and Ratatouille. ABC television productions, including episodes of Lost, are also part of the Dutch deal.

    Netflix announced a huge deal with Disney late last year to gain exclusive access to some Disney titles from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel and Disneynature. The deal here in the U.S., however, doesn’t go into effect until 2016. Earlier this year, however, the company also announced a deal with Dreamworks, which will see more titles from the animation studio (including originals) hitting Netflix much sooner.

    The company did recently add more Disney titles to its streaming offerings here in the U.S.

    Netflix just launched in the Netherlands last month. Obviously this new Disney deal will be huge in getting the service to generate some steam over there.

    Image: Disney (YouTube)

  • Bryan Cranston’s Awesome Fan Letter from Anthony Hopkins

    The series finale of Breaking Bad was one of the most watched finales of all time, with more than 10 million viewers, and people are still talking about it two weeks later. While it’s a given that Bryan Cranston, the man behind meth kingpin Walter White, has a ton of fans, he recently received a glowing fan letter from a pretty major actor.

    Steven Quezada, who played DEA agent Steve Gomez on Breaking Bad, posted a fan letter to his Facebook page that Cranston received from none other than Sir Anthony Hopkins.

    Quezada removed the letter shortly after posting it, but a publicist for Hopkins confirmed that the fan letter is real.

    One can only imagine the Heisenberg reaction to the letter would be something like this:

    Excerpts from the fan letter Hopkins sent Cranston are below.

    Dear Mister Cranston.

    I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.

    I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.

    I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!

    Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.

    I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.

    From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.

    You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.

    That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.

    Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.

    Best regards

    Tony Hopkins.

    I’m not sure which is more shocking–the fact that Hopkins doesn’t sign his letters with “Sir Anthony Hopkins” or that a man of his caliber took the time to send a fan letter regarding a TV show. Regardless, it’s cool to see that Anthony Hopkins agrees with the rest of the world on Bryan Cranston and Breaking Bad.

    Do you agree with Hopkins’ take on Cranston and the rest of the Breaking Bad cast? Respond here.

    Buzzfeed has the full letter here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Watch ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 4 Premiere Online For Free, Courtesy Of AMC

    AMC debuted the season premiere of The Walking Dead: Season 4 on Sunday. Keeping in tradition with past seasons, AMC has now made the episode available to stream from its website for free.

    Here’s the link.

    The episode is called “30 Days Without an Accident”. If you’ve already watched it, AMC has plenty of supplemental material for you to check out on its YouTube channel. You’ll find behind-the-scenes videos about the episode and a look at the next episode, as well as a handful of clips from Talking Dead discussing the episode.

    Don’t expect AMC to hand you over the whole season on its website for free.

    “This is the ONLY episode being made available without a log-in requirement,” the network notes. “Future episodes of The Walking Dead will be available on amc.com the day after broadcast and accessible via log-in for select cable providers.”

    Of course there are always the Amazon and iTunes routes.

    Image: AMC

  • ‘Hemlock Grove’ Season 2 Gets A New Shelly [Netflix]

    Netflix’s Hemlock Grove has added a new cast member for an old character.

    According to a report from Deadline, Madeleine Martin has been tapped to replace Nicole Boivin in the role of Shelly Godfrey (pictured above). Martin has reportedly joined the series as a regular.

    Many will recognize her as Hank Moody’s daughter on Showtime’s Californication:

    Last week, we learned (also via Deadline) that Hemlock Grove has also added Orange is the New Black’s Madeline Brewer, who will play a “graphic novelist entering town,” have a recurring role.

    According to producer Eli Roth, there are going to be “so many cool surprises” in Hemlock Grove’s upcoming season.

    Season 2 is due out in 2014. Production has only just begun.

    Image: Hemlock Grove (Netflix)

  • Netflix To Release Untitled Thriller From ‘Damages’ Creators

    Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos recently mentioned that the company intends to double its investment in original content. You can now add a yet to be titled psychological thriller from the creators of FX’s Damages to the list of upcoming projects.

    The company has ordered thirteen episodes of the show from Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler to be produced by Sony Pictures TV (which also produced Damages).

    “We are absolutely thrilled to be creating an original series for Netflix — a company committed to cutting-edge storytelling in a vibrant, new space,” the writers said. “We’re equally excited about our relationship with Sony Pictures TV, which continues to provide us with unwavering creative support. We’ve always wanted to put our spin on a family saga and examine universal themes of family in a way that has never been seen before on television.”

    The show is said to center around a family of adult siblings whose “secrets and scars are revealed when their black sheep brother returns home.”

    “The series is a tightly wound thriller that explores the complex bonds between parents and children, brothers and sisters, and the rivalries, jealousies, and betrayals at the core of every family,” they said.

    “We were spellbound after hearing Todd, Glenn and Daniel’s pitch, and knew Netflix was the perfect home for this suspenseful family drama that is going to have viewers on the edge of their seats,” said Cindy Holland, VP of original content for Netflix. “Their work on ‘Damages’ was truly ahead of its time and we’re proud to be bringing our viewers this upcoming series.”

    “The guys worked so hard to come up with the right idea after the success of Damages,” said Jamie Erlicht, president of programming and production for Sony Pictures Television. “It took almost a year to fully develop the pitch and their patience paid off with the incredible reaction in the community, especially at Netflix, the perfect home for this show.”

    The series is set to begin production in early 2014. Also coming next year are sci-fi thriller Sense8, historical drama Marco Polo and Narcos, which tells the story of drug lord Pablo Escobar. That is in addition to more House of Cards, Hemlock grove and Orange is the New Black, all three of which are at various stages of production for their respective second seasons.

    You can also now watch the entire Damages series on Netflix, as they just added the final season.

    Netflix’s latest exclusive content appeared on the service today in the form of a stand-up comedy special and docu-series from comedian Russell Peters.

    Image: Netflix

  • Bruce Willis Hosts SNL, Has a Hit with “Boy Dance Party” [VIDEO]

    For anyone who thinks Bruce Willis’s talents are limited to saving the world from asteroids, taking out terrorists or delivering classic lines such as “Yippee-ki-yay…” (you know the rest), think again.

    Willis hosted SNL last night and really showed off his funny side. Many of us already knew it was there, but seeing Willis parodying himself as a Navy SEALs officer and participating in a wildly hilarious dance video served as a nice reminder.

    “The last time I hosted the show was back in 1989 and if you had told me back then that were going to be six Die Hards I would have said ‘that seems a little too many,’” Willis joked. Is that even possible?

    One of Willis’s funniest moments on SNL was during the “Boy Dance Party” video. The music video shows how guys really act while watching football when the wives are away.

    “In the older days, the ladies stayed at home and went to work. Now it’s time for the ladies to get out so the boys can stay home and twerk,” Bobby Moynihan sang. Maybe Miley Cyrus, who hosted SNL last Saturday, could learn a thing or two from “Boy Dance Party.”

    Bruce Willis played a tough-as-nails Navy SEAL officer in another sketch:

    What were your favorite moments during the Willis-hosted SNL? Respond below.

    More funny SNL sketches, including one that takes a jab at the government shutdown:

    Image via YouTube

  • Ginnifer Goodwin Engaged To Co-Star Josh Dallas

    Ginnifer Goodwin, the actress known for her role as Mary Margaret, or Snow White on Once Upon A Time, is engaged to her co-star, Josh Dallas. Fans of the show know what that means for her character, as the show combines the real world with fairy tales. Throughout the first season, it slowly reveals the true identities of all of the townspeople living in a fictional town in Maine, conveniently called Storybrooke. On the show, Goodwin and Dallas play Snow White and Prince Charming, lovers in the show and apparently that love affair translated to their real lives as well.

    The couple have been dating since the fall of 2011, when Once Upon A Time premiered. Goodwin has also appeared in several films, before her role in the popular ABC show, including Mona Lisa Smile, and most recently, romantic comedies such as He’s Just Not That Into You and Something Borrowed. The actress also starred in the HBO show Big Love from 2006-2011. She is set to play Jacqueline Kennedy in a TV movie called Killing Kennedy, which premieres on November 10. According to E Online, this will be the second marriage for Dallas, and the first for Goodwin, who broke off her engagement to Joey Kern in May of 2011.

    There is no word on a wedding date yet, but Dallas popped the big question to Goodwin on Wednesday October 9th, in Los Angeles. The couple met on the set before the show started, but did not go public with their relationship until April of 2012. Part of the reason for this was that they had to remain as friends in the beginning due to Dallas’ marriage to Lara Pulver, but it appears that the couple felt a connection with one another right away. The couple said in a statement to People Magazine, “We are so thrilled to announce our engagement and can’t wait to celebrate with our friends and family, including our second family at Once Upon a Time.”

    They certainly make the perfect couple on the show, and fans of the show can now be even more excited, knowing that they will be able to carry that over into a real-life marriage. Once Upon A Time just started started its third season on September 29, and airs on Sundays at 8 p.m.

    Image via Youtube

  • These Titles Are Hitting Netflix In The Coming Week

    Netflix is a revolving door of movie and television content, particularly on the streaming side of things. Though titles often disappear from availability, new ones are also frequently added. Sometimes these come in the form of Netflix original shows or even exclusive access to certain programming, but sometimes it’s just older titles that many find to be still worth watching.

    Content is added to Netflix streaming each week, and it can be difficult to keep up with what’s available all the time. With that, here’s a look at some new additions.

    Note: This is for the U.S.

    This time, Netflix is expanding on its Goosebumps offerings and launching its latest exclusive stand-up special from Russell Peters, in addition to its companion docu-series.

    Available on 10/11:

    Deadliest Catch: Season 8

    The waters are frigid, the swells are 30 feet and rising, and the risk of injury is ever present: Game’s on for another season of this documentary series that follows the Dutch Harbor, Alaska, fishing fleet in its pursuit of “red and orange gold.”

    Paranormal Activity 4: Unrated Edition (2012)

    Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Stephen Dunham, Matt Shively, Alexondra Lee

    The chilling saga of the young and psychotic Katie turns a new page, and the homicidal spirit she embodies claims a new gallery of victims. As the atmosphere goes from strange to stranger, a mysterious husband, wife and child move in down the block.

    Available on 10/12:

    I (Almost) Got Away with It: Season 5

    Murderers, drug dealers, bank robbers or jail escapees. The stories are different, but the motive is always the same: to stay out of prison. See what pushed these fugitives to their crimes, and how they changed their identities to evade the law.

    Available on 10/14:

    Damages: Season 5

    Emmy winner Glenn Close is riveting as lawyer extraordinaire Patty Hewes, whose intellect is as boundless as her morals are skimpy. With her devoted colleague, Tom Shayes, and conflicted protégé, Ellen Parsons, Patty rules the New York legal scene.

    Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids: Season 2

    Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids brings you the drama as Brides battle their BFF’s over what they wear on the wedding day. Disagreements on style, color, and hefty price tags are enough to turn any Bride’s fantasy wedding into her worst nightmare.

    Russell Peters vs. the World: Season 1

    Comedy superstar Russell Peters travels the world with his new standup show “Notorious” in this four-part documentary series that provides a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the globe-hopping funnyman on tour.

    Russell Peters: Notorious

    The Netflix comedy special “Notorious” was filmed live at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia and features global phenomenon Russell Peters as he brings his laugh-out-loud observational comedy to audiences for his world tour of the same name. He uses humor and blends in stories about his Anglo-Indian family to touch on racial, ethnic, class and cultural stereotypes

    Available on 10/15:

    Goosebumps: Specials: A Night in Terror Tower

    Suspense reigns supreme in this pair of chilling tales that originally aired as episodes of the “Goosebumps” television series. In “A Night in Terror Tower,” two siblings (Kathryn Short and Corey Sevier) are forced to go back in time to visit a London torture chamber. Then, in “Stay Out of the Basement,” a brother and sister (Blake McGrath and Rebecca Henderson) fear their father (Judah Katz) is up to something sinister … and they’re right!

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Haunted Mask

    Carly Beth will terrify everyone with the amazingly life-like horror mask she got from the creepy man at the novelty store.

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Haunted Mask II

    Just when they thought it was safe to go trick-or-treating, Carly Beth and her friends face another Halloween visit from the monstrous masks with minds of their own in this edition of the hair-raising series based on R.L. Stine’s novels. This time, Steve, one of Carly Beth’s archenemies, comes across a creepy mask and sets out to scare the group of teens … but soon finds that he can’t get the mask off.

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Night of the Living Dummy III

    Grab the family for a night of spooky fun based on best-selling author R.L. Stine’s horror novels. In this installment, a brother and sister are convinced their father’s collection of ventriloquist dummies hold a powerful secret.

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

    R.L. Stine’s Werewolf of Fever Swamp will thrill kids and parents alike. In this installment, a young man must move from the big city to a swamp. He’s lucky enough to make one friend in the swampland, which is seemingly deserted. But when his new friend introduces him to a werewolf, his character and family are threatened.

    Goosebumps: Specials: Welcome to the Dead House

    Adapted from R.L. Stine’s first book of the Goosebumps series, this scary story follows two kids who moved into a home their dad inherited, known as “Dead House.” Josh and Amanda set out to explore their new town, Dark Falls, and their odd neighbors.

    Available on 10/16:

    Emily Owens, M.D.: Season 1

    This medical drama follows the ups and downs of Dr. Emily Owens, a klutz who’s fresh out of med school and excited to work as a hospital intern — only to find that there’s not much difference between working in a hospital and life in high school.

    21 & Over (2013)

    Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, Sarah Wright, Jonathan Keltz, Francois Chau

    Jeff’s straight-and-narrow life changes abruptly when his buddies take him out for a 21st birthday bash designed to make up for lost time — the night before a crucial med school interview.

    Devil (2010)

    Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O’Hara, Bojana Novakovic

    In this edgy thriller, Det. Bowden (Chris Messina) must save five people trapped in an elevator: a mechanic, a young woman, an old woman, a guard and a salesman. But Bowden must act fast, because one of them is the devil.

    In Bruges (2008)

    Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy , Jérémie Renier

    After killing an innocent boy in London, hit men Ray and Ken are ordered to lay low at a bed-and-breakfast in Bruges, Belgium, until their boss phones with further instructions. But when he calls, Ken doesn’t like the assignment.

    Image: Paranormal Activity 4 (YouTube)

  • ‘Damages’ Season 5 (The FInal Season) Gets A Netflix Release Date

    Netflix is about to add the fifth and final season of FX’s legal thriller Damages to its streaming catalog. The other four seasons are already available, so subscribers will be able to watch the entire series.

    Season 5 will become available on October 14th.

    Here’s the Netflix description for the show, just in case you’ve never watched it:

    Emmy winner Glenn Close is riveting as lawyer extraordinaire Patty Hewes, whose intellect is as boundless as her morals are skimpy. With her devoted colleague, Tom Shayes, and conflicted protégé, Ellen Parsons, Patty rules the New York legal scene.

    Netflix has been adding a lot of TV content lately, with more on the way. This past week, they also released the final season of Gossip Girl.

    To see more recently added titles, go here.

    Image: Netflix

  • Netflix Is About To Get More Goosebumps

    Back in August, Netflix announced the addition of all episodes of Goosebumps to its streaming catalog. That’s 74 episodes.

    Today, we learn that Netflix is going to be getting even more Goosebumps next week. On Tuesday (10/15), Neflix will get a handful of Goosebumps specials:

    Goosebumps: Specials: A Night in Terror Tower

    Suspense reigns supreme in this pair of chilling tales that originally aired as episodes of the “Goosebumps” television series. In “A Night in Terror Tower,” two siblings (Kathryn Short and Corey Sevier) are forced to go back in time to visit a London torture chamber. Then, in “Stay Out of the Basement,” a brother and sister (Blake McGrath and Rebecca Henderson) fear their father (Judah Katz) is up to something sinister … and they’re right!

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Haunted Mask

    Carly Beth will terrify everyone with the amazingly life-like horror mask she got from the creepy man at the novelty store.

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Haunted Mask II

    Just when they thought it was safe to go trick-or-treating, Carly Beth and her friends face another Halloween visit from the monstrous masks with minds of their own in this edition of the hair-raising series based on R.L. Stine’s novels. This time, Steve, one of Carly Beth’s archenemies, comes across a creepy mask and sets out to scare the group of teens … but soon finds that he can’t get the mask off.

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Night of the Living Dummy III

    Grab the family for a night of spooky fun based on best-selling author R.L. Stine’s horror novels. In this installment, a brother and sister are convinced their father’s collection of ventriloquist dummies hold a powerful secret.

    Goosebumps: Specials: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

    R.L. Stine’s Werewolf of Fever Swamp will thrill kids and parents alike. In this installment, a young man must move from the big city to a swamp. He’s lucky enough to make one friend in the swampland, which is seemingly deserted. But when his new friend introduces him to a werewolf, his character and family are threatened.

    Goosebumps: Specials: Welcome to the Dead House

    Adapted from R.L. Stine’s first book of the Goosebumps series, this scary story follows two kids who moved into a home their dad inherited, known as “Dead House.” Josh and Amanda set out to explore their new town, Dark Falls, and their odd neighbors.

    Netflix first added Goosebumps titles earlier in the summer, but added the other episodes later after seeing how popular they were. As users are about to see, there’s more where those came from. And just in time for Halloween.

    If you subscribe to Netflix’s DVD service, you can find quite a few Goosebumps titles available through that as well.

    Image: Netflix

  • Google Reportedly Ditching Google TV For Android TV

    When Google first revealed Google TV at Google I/O back in 2010, it showed a lot of promise, but even then, many were skeptical of its potential.

    It seems that now, Google is giving up on the brand, but not the concept, moving toward an Android TV strategy, and leaving Google TV in the past.

    Google has not announced this branding change so far, but GigaOm’s Janko Roettgers spoke with a consumer electronics manufacturer, which produces Google TV devices, and said, “They are calling it ‘Android TV’.”

    Roettgers notes that partners like Sony, LG and STMicroelectronics have already subtly stopped referring to “Google TV” in favor of things like “Google services for TV”. He writes:

    Even members of the original Google TV team have started to drop that name when talking about their work. A recently-scheduled developer event in Seoul was officially called “Android TV Developer Day,” and some developers have started to change affiliations in their online biographies from “Google TV” to “Android TV.”

    Ultimately, the Android brand makes a great deal of sense. When people think of Google, they think of search and web services. When they think of Android, they think of consumer electronics like phones and tablets. TVs and other connected devices for TV viewing would seem to fit in here as well.

    I expect Google will make an announcement about this in the near future now that the news is out. An Android rebranding could be just what Google TV needs to capture more interest from consumers, many of which are already using Android devices.

    Image: Google

  • Marvel’s Agents Of SHIELD Gets Full Season Order

    Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, quite possibly the most anticipated new show of the fall batch of shows, has been picked up for a full season. This was certainly an expected move to be made, but nonetheless, fans of the new show can rejoice and know that they will be able to watch their new favorite characters for a full 22 episode season. The show’s pilot was picked up by ABC, and fans of the superhero franchise everywhere were immediately excited about the news.

    The show is based on The Avengers film and comics, and in a way like never before, the show will focus on the characters that are normally ignored in the major films of the Marvel universe. It focuses on the agency that recruits the superheroes that everyone is already familiar with, such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor. SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, and is led by Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who works to recruit and train the younger agents. The show will follow Coulson and his new team of agents as they attempt to track down people with superhero abilities.

    The cast is certainly happy about ABC’s decision and took to twitter to show their excitement.

    While none of the superheroes from the films are expected to star on the show, the agency does retain its star in Clark Gregg from the films to play Agent Coulson. The show is directed by Joss Whedon, and this will mark his full broadcast season since the WB’s final season of Angel concluded in 2004, although Dollhouse aired for two short seasons on Fox. Dollhouse was cancelled early, however many fans of Whedon’s work, who also created Buffy The Vampire Slayer, adored the show during its short run on the network. Whedon is known for his show’s similarities in a number of ways, including the types of dialogue, relationships between characters, and recurring cast members.

    While the Marvel comic books have inspired numerous films and earned a countless amount of money, this is the first time that the franchise has been featured on TV. The series is co-created by Joss Whedon, his brother Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen. Although none of the Marvel stars are main characters on the show, it has been stated that certain fan favorites may show up at some point during the series, and as Gregg teased to all of the fans, “Anybody could show up at any time.” Samuel L. Jackson already showed up briefly to reprise his role as Nick Fury, and Colbie Smulders, who had a small part in The Avengers, appeared briefly as Agent Maria Hill. We are guaranteed to see more of these characters throughout the show, but who will they be?

    Agents Of SHIELD has already had great success with both fans and critics, opening to a incredibly high premiere of almost 12 million viewers. This made it TV’s best drama debut in four years, since ABC’s remake of the sci-fi series V, which coincidentally starred Morena Baccarin, who was also in Whedon’s cult favorite Firefly.

    Stay up to date with one of the most popular new shows on television, and tune in to ABC on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. to see new episodes of Agents of SHIELD.

    Image via Youtube

  • Richard Belzer Leaving Law And Order: SVU

    Richard Belzer Leaving Law And Order: SVU

    Richard Belzer has announced his departure from the hit crime drama, Law And Order: SVU. The news came on Wednesday, October 9th, when he gave fans a big surprise, and it was announced that his character Sergeant John Munch would be retiring on the show, and that he would be leaving the show as a result. The show has enjoyed a great amount of success over the years and has been on the air since 1999, currently in its 15th season.

    Belzer has been with the cast from the beginning and will surely be missed by the show’s beloved fans. The only other actors to remain on the show for the entire 15 seasons are Mariska Hargitay and Dann Florek, although Ice T, joined the show shortly after it premiered and has stuck with it ever since. Belzer’s character Munch has appeared in not only Law And Order: SUV, but also several other crime shows, first being seen in NBC’s Homicide: Life On The Street. The famous cop character has also appeared in episodes of The X-Files, The Beat, Law And Order, and Law And Order: Trial By Jury, according to US Weekly.

    In the episode on October 9th, Captain Cragen told Olivia Benson in a huge shock that Munch had put in his papers. While this was hard news for her to grasp, he told her that nothing changes, and that everything will be okay. Unlike his former co-star Chris Meloni, Munch will be given a proper farewell on the show, and the cast will be throwing him a retirement party in the episode that will air on October 16th. Chris Meloni played Detective Elliot Stabler, Benson’s longtime partner.

    For a character that has had a television career of more than 20 years, fans will be sad to see him go. However, fans of the show do not have to worry too much since, although he will be leaving the show as a series regular, it has been confirmed that he will make recurring appearances on the show. Law And Order: SVU airs Wednsedays at 9 p.m. on NBC.

    Image via Youtube

  • Here’s A Sneak Peek At ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 4 Premiere Courtesy Of AMC

    Here’s A Sneak Peek At ‘The Walking Dead’ Season 4 Premiere Courtesy Of AMC

    AMC has just uploaded the following “sneak peek” of the upcoming season premiere of The Walking Dead.

    You can expect to see some new faces.

    In case you need a reminder about where the previous season left off, they put this out as well:

    If you have Netflix, you’ll be happy to know that they recently added Season 3, so you can also try to hurry up and get caught up there as well. If you really don’t have anything to do over the next few days, the first two seasons are still on there as well.

    AMC also put out some new webisodes to go along with the new season.

  • ‘House Of Cards’ Season 2 May Be The Last, Suggests Producer

    The upcoming second season of Netflix’s House of Cards may be the last despite its critical acclaim and recent Emmy wins (and nine nominations). That is according to one report anyway.

    The news comes from Gold Derby, which recaps some comments reportedly made by Rick Cleveland, co-executive producer on the first two chapters of the series, at the Vancouver International Film Festival this past Friday.

    Riley Chow reports:

    Although showrunner Beau Willimon tweeted in August that he hopes to write further seasons, Cleveland thinks that these two are all that will ever be produced. “‘House of Cards’ is only going to go a second season and I think that’s it,” he said before immediately explaining that “Kevin Spacey likes to do movies and Robin Wright likes to do movies.”

    Although the pair reaped lead acting nominations at this year’s Emmys, Cleveland thinks that they do not want to be held down for years by a commitment to series television. If the actors do not renew their contracts and the series ends so soon, it would qualify as something of an anomaly in terms of Emmy-nominated fare.

    Recent reports have already indicated that creator David Fincher, who won an Emmy for the show, is not directing any episodes of the forthcoming season. Spacey and Wright, however, have both been said to be directing an episode each. Jodie Foster also directs one.

    Netflix’s original deal for the show was for two seasons, though many of us assumed it would continue if successful. It still could. This is hardly conclusive news, but it is something of a rain on the proverbial parade.

    The Gold Derby report also suggests that the second season will come out later in the year than the first one did, to get closer to the Emmy nominations deadline. The first season came out in early February.

    Image via Redbox