http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/28/paranormal-activity-2-director-now-back-at-saw-series/
Paranormal Activity 2 Director Now Back at Saw Series
Just a week after announcing that ‘Saw VI’ director Kevin Greutert will be replacing Oren Peli on ‘Paranormal Activity 2,’ ‘Saw’ distributors Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate proclaimed on January 26 that he will be coming back to the series to direct ‘Saw VII 3D.’ This leaves the sequel to last year’s surprise hit ‘Paranormal Activity’ currently without a director.
David Hackl, who directed the fifth ‘Saw,’ was originally chosen to helm ‘Saw VII 3D.’ While he was promised a two movie deal with Lionsgate, who said he will be given a second film quickly, maybe in a twist of fate Paramount will choose him to direct ‘Paranormal Activity 2.’ The next installments in both series, which became rivals after ‘Paranormal Activity’ earned $21.1 million against the $14.1 million ‘Saw VI’ made last October, have a slated October 22 release date.
Peli will be back for ‘Paranormal Activity 2,’ as he is producing it along with Jason Blum. Steven Schneider is executive producing the movie. “These guys get it, and the fans won’t be disappointed,” Peli said of Perry and Greutert’s participation.
Gruetert’s return to the ‘Saw’ series will mean he has participated in the creation of all seven of the movies, as he was an editor on all the earlier editions. His second time at directing a ‘Saw’ movie will see him not only go up against ‘Paranormal Activity 2,’ if it is indeed still released that day, but also Summitt Entertainment’s adaptation of the graphic novel ‘Red.’
Written by: Karen Benardello
Thursday, January 28, 2010
WWE Studios Developing First Sitcom
http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/28/wwe-developing-first-sitcom/
WWE Developing First Sitcom
WWE Studios is developing its first television sitcom, wrestler Santino Morella announced on January 25 at the ‘Monday Night RAW’ event in Columbus, Ohio. Morella announced publicly for the first time that the studio, which was founded in 2002 and has only released movies to date, including ‘The Marine’ and ‘12 Rounds,’ is developing the ‘Santino Morella Sitcom.’
Obviously, Morella will star in the show, alongside co-WWE stars Beth Phoenix and Vladimir Kozlov, who will play his girlfriend and best friend. Morella didn’t give away many of the details, but said it will be more of a traditional multi-camera sitcom, as opposed to a reality show. “I think we’re going to use one or two cameras. It will kind of be like a ‘Seinfeld,’ but with me. You know, it will only be a reality show if you consider wrestling reality,” he said. Morella added that the show will be filming its first three episodes in two weeks.
The show will debut on-line, and then move to network television. USA Networks, which broadcasts ‘Monday Night RAW,’ will most likely air the sitcom, as it has been the home of ‘WWE Monday Night RAW’ for years. While USA Executive Vice President Chris McCumber said the company isn’t currently actively looking for sitcoms, it would consider airing one if it goes along with its “Characters Welcome” theme.
Since its inception, WWE Studios has co- and solely produced both theatrical and straight-to-DVD movies, all of which have starred at least one WWE wrestler. Some of these have been at least somewhat successful, including ‘The Scorpion King’ and ‘Walking Tall,’ both starring The Rock. Others have received negative reviews from critics and flopped at the box office, including ‘See No Evil,’ starring Kane, and ‘The Condemned,’ starring ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Written by: Karen Benardello
WWE Developing First Sitcom
WWE Studios is developing its first television sitcom, wrestler Santino Morella announced on January 25 at the ‘Monday Night RAW’ event in Columbus, Ohio. Morella announced publicly for the first time that the studio, which was founded in 2002 and has only released movies to date, including ‘The Marine’ and ‘12 Rounds,’ is developing the ‘Santino Morella Sitcom.’
Obviously, Morella will star in the show, alongside co-WWE stars Beth Phoenix and Vladimir Kozlov, who will play his girlfriend and best friend. Morella didn’t give away many of the details, but said it will be more of a traditional multi-camera sitcom, as opposed to a reality show. “I think we’re going to use one or two cameras. It will kind of be like a ‘Seinfeld,’ but with me. You know, it will only be a reality show if you consider wrestling reality,” he said. Morella added that the show will be filming its first three episodes in two weeks.
The show will debut on-line, and then move to network television. USA Networks, which broadcasts ‘Monday Night RAW,’ will most likely air the sitcom, as it has been the home of ‘WWE Monday Night RAW’ for years. While USA Executive Vice President Chris McCumber said the company isn’t currently actively looking for sitcoms, it would consider airing one if it goes along with its “Characters Welcome” theme.
Since its inception, WWE Studios has co- and solely produced both theatrical and straight-to-DVD movies, all of which have starred at least one WWE wrestler. Some of these have been at least somewhat successful, including ‘The Scorpion King’ and ‘Walking Tall,’ both starring The Rock. Others have received negative reviews from critics and flopped at the box office, including ‘See No Evil,’ starring Kane, and ‘The Condemned,’ starring ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Rob Lowe Leaving Brothers and Sisters
http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/26/rob-lowe-leaving-brothers-sisters/
Rob Lowe Leaving Brothers and Sisters
Rob Lowe has decided to leave another hit television series. The actor, who plays California Senator (and husband to Kitty Walker, portrayed by Calista Flockhart) Robert McCallister in ABC’s drama ‘Brothers & Sisters,’ felt he was being underused on the show and asked the network to release him from his contract early, according to EW.com.
Lowe will leave ‘Brothers & Sisters’ at the end of this season, which is the fourth for the series and will conclude next month. ABC decided to amicably let the former ’80s “brat packer” go, as it wants him to return to other shows in the future. He is reportedly in talks about creating a new series with him in the lead. According to Deadline Hollywood, the president of the ABC Entertainment Group, Stephen Mcpherson, verified Lowe’s exit and the network’s desire to keep him, saying “We would like to keep Rob at ABC; we feel he should be anchoring his own franchise. We are in talks now.”
After a sex scandal and numerous minor film roles in the early ’90s, Lowe made a comeback with his role in the Austin Powers films and the NBC hit drama ‘The West Wing.’ He left the show in 2003 to headline two other TV series, that year’s ‘Dr. Vegas’ and 2004’s ‘The Lyon’s Den,’ both of which were cancelled after one season. He joined such stars as Sally Field (who won an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy in 2007 for her role as the family’s matriarch, Nora Holden Walker), Rachel Griffiths, and Balthazar Getty in ‘Brothers & Sisters’ a third of the way through the series’ first season, which premiered in September 2006.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Rob Lowe Leaving Brothers and Sisters
Rob Lowe has decided to leave another hit television series. The actor, who plays California Senator (and husband to Kitty Walker, portrayed by Calista Flockhart) Robert McCallister in ABC’s drama ‘Brothers & Sisters,’ felt he was being underused on the show and asked the network to release him from his contract early, according to EW.com.
Lowe will leave ‘Brothers & Sisters’ at the end of this season, which is the fourth for the series and will conclude next month. ABC decided to amicably let the former ’80s “brat packer” go, as it wants him to return to other shows in the future. He is reportedly in talks about creating a new series with him in the lead. According to Deadline Hollywood, the president of the ABC Entertainment Group, Stephen Mcpherson, verified Lowe’s exit and the network’s desire to keep him, saying “We would like to keep Rob at ABC; we feel he should be anchoring his own franchise. We are in talks now.”
After a sex scandal and numerous minor film roles in the early ’90s, Lowe made a comeback with his role in the Austin Powers films and the NBC hit drama ‘The West Wing.’ He left the show in 2003 to headline two other TV series, that year’s ‘Dr. Vegas’ and 2004’s ‘The Lyon’s Den,’ both of which were cancelled after one season. He joined such stars as Sally Field (who won an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy in 2007 for her role as the family’s matriarch, Nora Holden Walker), Rachel Griffiths, and Balthazar Getty in ‘Brothers & Sisters’ a third of the way through the series’ first season, which premiered in September 2006.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Inglourious Basterds, 30 Rock Win Big at SAG Awards
http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/25/inglourious-basterds-30-rock-win-big-at-sag-awards/
Inglourious Basterds, 30 Rock Win Big at SAG Awards
The Quentin Tarantino-helmed war movie ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and the hit NBC sitcom ‘30 Rock’ were the most honored at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild (or SAG) Awards ceremony on January 23, which was presented at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California.
The ceremony, which is unique in the fact that all winners are voted on by SAG members and only awards actors and actresses, handed the first award for film to Christoph Waltz of ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ He won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role trophy, which is a statuette of a man holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy and is called the Actor, for role as SS Colonel Hans Landa. The cast of the movie also won the final trophy of the night, for best film ensemble.
The SAG awards also seemed to be a replay of last week’s Golden Globes telecast, as many of the winners won at both ceremonies. Jeff Bridges won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a down-on-his-luck country singer in ‘Crazy Heart.’ Sandra Bullock won her first SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role as a football player’s mentor in the true story ‘The Blind Side.’
Comedienne Mo’Nique also proved she can be a serious actress by winning her first SAG award as well for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role as an abusive mother in ‘Precious.’
As for television, Michael C. Hall, who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is still undergoing treatments while in remission, won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award for his portrayal of the title role in the Showtime series ‘Dexter.’ Julianna Margulies won her seventh SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for the CBS drama ‘The Good Wife.’ She won her previous six trophies for her role on NBC’s ‘ER.’
NBC received some positive news for the week, with Alec Baldwin winning the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series award for his portrayal of network executive Jack Donaghy on ‘30 Rock.’ Tina Fey, who also created, writes and produces the show, won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series award for her portrayal of Liz Lemmon. She added that she was completely shocked by the win, and joked that at 16 inches tall and 12 pounds, it’s the heaviest of any award.
AMC’s ‘Mad Men,’ which tells the story of Madison Avenue admen in the 1960s, won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The FOX fan favorite ‘Glee,’ a musical comedy-drama that features 19 cast members and focuses on a high school glee club, won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Inglourious Basterds, 30 Rock Win Big at SAG Awards
The Quentin Tarantino-helmed war movie ‘Inglourious Basterds’ and the hit NBC sitcom ‘30 Rock’ were the most honored at the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild (or SAG) Awards ceremony on January 23, which was presented at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California.
The ceremony, which is unique in the fact that all winners are voted on by SAG members and only awards actors and actresses, handed the first award for film to Christoph Waltz of ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ He won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role trophy, which is a statuette of a man holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy and is called the Actor, for role as SS Colonel Hans Landa. The cast of the movie also won the final trophy of the night, for best film ensemble.
The SAG awards also seemed to be a replay of last week’s Golden Globes telecast, as many of the winners won at both ceremonies. Jeff Bridges won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a down-on-his-luck country singer in ‘Crazy Heart.’ Sandra Bullock won her first SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role as a football player’s mentor in the true story ‘The Blind Side.’
Comedienne Mo’Nique also proved she can be a serious actress by winning her first SAG award as well for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role as an abusive mother in ‘Precious.’
As for television, Michael C. Hall, who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is still undergoing treatments while in remission, won the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award for his portrayal of the title role in the Showtime series ‘Dexter.’ Julianna Margulies won her seventh SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for the CBS drama ‘The Good Wife.’ She won her previous six trophies for her role on NBC’s ‘ER.’
NBC received some positive news for the week, with Alec Baldwin winning the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series award for his portrayal of network executive Jack Donaghy on ‘30 Rock.’ Tina Fey, who also created, writes and produces the show, won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series award for her portrayal of Liz Lemmon. She added that she was completely shocked by the win, and joked that at 16 inches tall and 12 pounds, it’s the heaviest of any award.
AMC’s ‘Mad Men,’ which tells the story of Madison Avenue admen in the 1960s, won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The FOX fan favorite ‘Glee,’ a musical comedy-drama that features 19 cast members and focuses on a high school glee club, won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Monday, January 25, 2010
Hesher Disappoints at Sundance
http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/25/hesher-disappoints-at-sundance/
Hesher Disappoints at Sundance
Leading up to its premiere at the Eccles Center in Park City on January 22, director Spencer Susser’s ‘Hesher’ was one of the most anticipated movies as this year’s Sundance Film Festival. But during the post-screening question and answer period, the audience’s reaction to the film was less than stellar, according to Indiewire.com.
Representatives from numerous studios, including Focus Features and Summit Entertainment, showed up to see what the hype was about. But the consensus among the movie-goers was the comedy was too dark, lewd and oversentimental, and overall, the film felt messy.
Though most of the dirty humor was delivered by Sundance favorite Joseph-Gordon Levitt, who played the title character of ‘Hesher,’ his performance garnered the most positive reaction and laughter from the audience. He also received a warm round of applause during the Q-and-A session.
Modestly, Gordon-Levitt attributed his performance to the script. “I read a lot of scripts, and most of them don’t make me feel much. This one, I was instantly up on my feet and wanted to try it. It’s really just a well-written character. I can’t say it has much to do with me, per se.” Susser quickly responded that that was a lie, and the audience seemed to agree.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Hesher Disappoints at Sundance
Leading up to its premiere at the Eccles Center in Park City on January 22, director Spencer Susser’s ‘Hesher’ was one of the most anticipated movies as this year’s Sundance Film Festival. But during the post-screening question and answer period, the audience’s reaction to the film was less than stellar, according to Indiewire.com.
Representatives from numerous studios, including Focus Features and Summit Entertainment, showed up to see what the hype was about. But the consensus among the movie-goers was the comedy was too dark, lewd and oversentimental, and overall, the film felt messy.
Though most of the dirty humor was delivered by Sundance favorite Joseph-Gordon Levitt, who played the title character of ‘Hesher,’ his performance garnered the most positive reaction and laughter from the audience. He also received a warm round of applause during the Q-and-A session.
Modestly, Gordon-Levitt attributed his performance to the script. “I read a lot of scripts, and most of them don’t make me feel much. This one, I was instantly up on my feet and wanted to try it. It’s really just a well-written character. I can’t say it has much to do with me, per se.” Susser quickly responded that that was a lie, and the audience seemed to agree.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Arrested Development Movie in Works
http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/25/arrested-development-movie-in-works/
Arrested Development Movie in Works
The critical television series hit ‘Arrested Development’ is indeed making its way to the big screen, one of the show’s stars, Will Arnett, recently confirmed to PopEater. While the actor admitted he wasn’t supposed to leak the announcement, which came after months of speculation, he did reveal some details about the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of the sitcom.
“As of now there is no start date, because we’re still waiting for the script to be completed,” Arnett said. But everyone involved in the show has agreed to move forward with the movie once the script is finished, “…so hopefully we’re going to start shooting sometime this year,” he added.
Arnett joked about what he would like to see in the script, saying “I did tell the writers that maybe it should be revealed that Gob (his character) is like this higher power, this deity, this figure that it turns out is almost god-like.” He also said that anyone like Gob, who is both clueless and has a kind of blind confidence, really makes him laugh. “Gob was very much written that way. For me he was a godsend.”
‘Arrested Development’ debuted in fall 2003 on the FOX network, and focused on the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, habitually dysfunctional family, and was presented in a pseudo-documentary format. While it won six Emmy awards, one Golden Globe and a spot on Time’s 100 Greatest Shows of All Time, the show never picked up in ratings, and was cancelled after its third season. But since it went off the air in February 2006 it has developed a cult following.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Arrested Development Movie in Works
The critical television series hit ‘Arrested Development’ is indeed making its way to the big screen, one of the show’s stars, Will Arnett, recently confirmed to PopEater. While the actor admitted he wasn’t supposed to leak the announcement, which came after months of speculation, he did reveal some details about the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of the sitcom.
“As of now there is no start date, because we’re still waiting for the script to be completed,” Arnett said. But everyone involved in the show has agreed to move forward with the movie once the script is finished, “…so hopefully we’re going to start shooting sometime this year,” he added.
Arnett joked about what he would like to see in the script, saying “I did tell the writers that maybe it should be revealed that Gob (his character) is like this higher power, this deity, this figure that it turns out is almost god-like.” He also said that anyone like Gob, who is both clueless and has a kind of blind confidence, really makes him laugh. “Gob was very much written that way. For me he was a godsend.”
‘Arrested Development’ debuted in fall 2003 on the FOX network, and focused on the Bluths, a formerly wealthy, habitually dysfunctional family, and was presented in a pseudo-documentary format. While it won six Emmy awards, one Golden Globe and a spot on Time’s 100 Greatest Shows of All Time, the show never picked up in ratings, and was cancelled after its third season. But since it went off the air in February 2006 it has developed a cult following.
Written by: Karen Benardello
Pilot Ordered for Comic Series The Walking Dead
http://www.shockya.com/news/2010/01/24/pilot-ordered-for-comic-series-the-walking-dead/
Pilot Ordered for Comic Series The Walking Dead
One of the television developments from last year that garnered attention from horror fans was the news that the AMC network wanted to create a series based on Robert Kirkman’s zombie comic series The Walking Dead. The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Blog has now announced that the network has ordered a pilot for the show, which almost certainly guarantees that the show will be picked up to become a full series. AMC claims it has a 100 percent track record of turning every pilot it picks up into a series.
Interest in the series also grew when it was announced that Frank Darabont, who has directed such Stephen King-based films as ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ ‘The Green Mile’ and ‘The Mist,’ would write, direct and executive produce the series. The comic follows former cop Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors who are trying to find a safe place to live after a zombie apocalypse.
In a press release about the comic’s imminent pick-up as a series, Kirkman stated “The Walking Dead’s road to the small screen has been a long one, but so far it’s looking like the best of all worlds. Given AMC’s track record, combined with (Frank) Darabont writing and directing, I couldn’t possibly be more excited for this to come together. Having the pilot green-lit is a huge leap forward to this becoming a reality.”
Written by: Karen Benardello
Pilot Ordered for Comic Series The Walking Dead
One of the television developments from last year that garnered attention from horror fans was the news that the AMC network wanted to create a series based on Robert Kirkman’s zombie comic series The Walking Dead. The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Blog has now announced that the network has ordered a pilot for the show, which almost certainly guarantees that the show will be picked up to become a full series. AMC claims it has a 100 percent track record of turning every pilot it picks up into a series.
Interest in the series also grew when it was announced that Frank Darabont, who has directed such Stephen King-based films as ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’ ‘The Green Mile’ and ‘The Mist,’ would write, direct and executive produce the series. The comic follows former cop Rick Grimes and his fellow survivors who are trying to find a safe place to live after a zombie apocalypse.
In a press release about the comic’s imminent pick-up as a series, Kirkman stated “The Walking Dead’s road to the small screen has been a long one, but so far it’s looking like the best of all worlds. Given AMC’s track record, combined with (Frank) Darabont writing and directing, I couldn’t possibly be more excited for this to come together. Having the pilot green-lit is a huge leap forward to this becoming a reality.”
Written by: Karen Benardello
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