A few days ago Warner Bros.-Discovery announced that both DOOM PATROL and TITANS will end with their fourth seasons each consisting of 12 episodes supposedly broken into two groups of six.  Fans are not amused.

One thing to know about television is that these decisions are usually made months before they are announced to the public so it is likely the producers of bother shows knew a long time ago and all the actors and crews have long been released from contracts under a strict non-disclosure about the cancellation dictate.

One of the people catching flack over these cancellations is James Gunn, the new man in charge of the DC filmed universe along with Peter Safran.

Gunn took no time at all responding to the comments and pointing out that this decision was made before he and Safran took over and there’s nothing he can do about it.

“The decision to end the series precedes us. But I certainly wish the best for the talented group of creators, actors, and the rest of the crew that produced both shows. ” https://t.co/jdqDc9TqU1— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 26, 2023

Disney is undergoing a major restructuring that includes layoffs and a shakeup in its leadership. In a insightful move, the company fired Bob Chapek from the job of CEO of Disney following his dismal performance with the company including colossal mistakes with the theme parks and dealing with stars like Scarlett Johansson (see the article about her suing them after getting ripped off on money due her ). In a smart follow up to that firing Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, returned to an executive role as executive chairman, which he had until 2020 and the hope of many is that he can undo the damage Chapek did.

According to a recent article in Deadline, Disney is undergoing a major restructuring that includes layoffs and a shakeup in its leadership along with rumors of restructuring and shuffling of execs and new organization set ups. All this is in preparation for the next quarterly earnings report February 8, 2023. They need to come out with plans and results.

Chapek killed a lot of good will Disney had amongst the industry and fans and families. Hopefully Iger will hit the ground running and do what needs to be done.

Deadline reports that the movie studio, currently riding high with Avatar: The Way of Water, is not expected to be part of the pending cuts and reorganizations.

One this immediately on the chopping block was the Chapek created “Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution ” – This division was created as a way of centralizing distribution decisions under Kareem Daniel, a Chapek installed exec who left the company the day after his boss was fired. It’s being reported that Iger is not a fan of this division and it shows with his immediate changes there.

Areas still in question are ABC Studios and 20th Century Fox Television studios who are unlikely to merge but need to be sorted out.

As already mentioned there is an earnings report coming up and Iger and his team need to appease Wall Street and investors while most normal people are just thrilled to see Chapek gone and Iger back to fix the mess.

As the world continues to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hollywood is no exception. With film and television production grinding to a halt various times in the last two years, the industry has been working hard to come up with protocols and guidelines to ensure a safe return to work. Not only safe by financially viable since a sudden wave of infections can shut down a production down for days and weeks costing millions.

One issue that has been front and center in these discussions is the question of vaccine mandates for cast and crew members. According to a recent article in Deadline, Hollywood unions are pushing for a vaccine mandate, arguing that it is necessary to ensure the safety of all those involved in production. On the other hand, production companies are said to be more hesitant, citing concerns about employee privacy and the feasibility of enforcing such a mandate which is nonsense. Having cast and crew safe and if they do get sick out as short a period of time is worth every moment of grief.

ollSAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, to no one’s surprise, has been leading the charge against the mandate and put out a survey of members the guild about their views. One of the questions on the survey asks:“Do you approve of employers requiring Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of access to the set?” It’s no surprise because Drescher hasn’t even addressed the horrible decisions her predecessors made two years ago about health benefits and has ignored the issue completely.

It’s no secret that the entertainment industry relies heavily on close contact and large groups of people, making it particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. With that in mind, it’s understandable that unions would want to take every precaution to protect their members. However, it’s also important to consider the concerns of production companies, who may have logistical and legal challenges in implementing a vaccine mandate.

One possible solution to this could be offering incentives for cast and crew members who choose to get vaccinated, rather than mandating it. Things like priority access to work, bonuses, or other perks. By offering incentives rather than mandating vaccinations, production companies could still ensure the safety of all those involved in production while also getting around the perceived privacy and autonomy concerns of employees and producers.

Whatever the outcome of negotiations, it’s clear the future of film and television production in Hollywood will be majorly influenced by the way the industry chooses to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Cast and crews working together in small confines or in close ways need to protect themselves, others and the production. It’s important that the industry leaders come to a decision that is both practical and safe for all parties involved.

Every computer you touch today, every smartphone and every tablet computer you owe to Turing. He was without reservation, without hesitation and without a doubt the father of computing.

Turing’s genius saved millions of lives in World War II when he, along with many dedicated people at Bletchley Park created from theories and ideas the equipment and computers that could crack the codes of the germans and win the war.

Turing’s death was a tragedy not only for those around him and his family but for the world and the future. At the time of his death his most advanced work was still top secret and could not be talked about nor revealed. When Alan Turing died the news papers couldn’t print “Man Who Saved Millions Of Human Lives Has Passed Away” or the other accolades he deserved.

In most biographies and stories about Turing it is said he committed suicide but if you read the EXCELLENT, incredibly well researched and documented biography of Turing ‘Alan Turing: The Enigma’ (amazon link to purchase) by Andrew Hodges he puts forth in recent updates that this is very likely not the case but an accidental self-poisoning.

From reading his work, explanation and interviews, I totally agree with this finding.

I invite everyone to read this amazing book but also visit Hodges website where he is constantly updating his biography and information on Turing, his life and work. Andrew Hodges’ Turing Web Site

Here’s a link to the BBC page for Turing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/alan_turing

Here’s a link to a video of the biography film BREAKING THE CODE staring Derek Jacobi as Turing.
http://youtu.be/S23yie-779k

The brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch, who will play Turing in an upcoming film based (loosely) on Hodges’ book, reads a letter Turing wrote to friend and colleague Norman Routledge:
http://youtu.be/EpSwP1XapTI

The tragedy of Turing’s death was that he was persecuted for who he was but also that his contributions to humanity were cut short. I can only imagine what innovations, creations, discoveries and breakthroughs Turing would have made in the next 40 years… we can only imagine and weep. 

I chose these pictures to accompany this piece because they’re ones of Alan smiling. It’s from the same sitting where his ‘official’ and most often seen portrait was taken but I like them because he’s smiling.

Turing’s genius cannot be put into words by me nor can the loss we as a species were stuck with by losing him be completely verbalized. In past years i’ve taken days to write something about Alan Turing, his life and contributions. This year, short and sweet and off the top of my head.

One thing I am grateful for is that with each year more and more people learn of him, what he did and how his influence impacts EVERY one of our lives on a daily basis in this technological world we live in.

Celebrate today as your fingers touch a keyboard, when your computer gives you what you want or helps you find something. Alan is there in those moments.  Celebrate the runner, the genius, the young god struck down before his time… Celebrate Alan Turing.

A notorious criminal must break an evil curse in order to rescue an abducted girl who has mysteriously disappeared.

But that doesn’t seem to cover it… check out the trailer:

yeah… insane. Cage stars in this film from Japanese Director  Sion Sono with the amazing Sofia Boutella and  Bill Moseley, Nick Cassavetes, Tak Sakaguchi, and Yuzuka Nakaya.

Nick Cage has gotten to a point where he can do anything he wants and is starting to get a chance to do that with some amazing filmmakers

Official Plot Synopsis

Prisoners of the Ghostland‘s plot synopsis: “In the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town, a ruthless bank robber (Nicolas Cage) is sprung from jail by a wealthy warlord known as The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within only five days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman — and his own path to redemption.”

Prisoners of the Ghostland will be released in the U.S. theaters and VOD through RLJE Films in September 17, 2021.

I don’t have a lot of excuses outside of having a business to run, having a family and the mass insanity of the last two years.

Yes, the majority of stories here are over a year old and I’m going to work hard to get new and current news and cool crap up here— if you found this I appreciate it and if you haven’t you aren’t reading this so it doesn’t matter.

Thanks and let me know if you’re here.

KB

You knew this story was only going to get bigger with more details and more players weighing in on it.

Super talent agency CAA’s Co-Chairman Bryan Lourd is one of the first to step up and defend his client Scarlett Johansson against The Walt Disney Company’s response to her lawsuit.

The lawsuit Johansson filed against Disney states that Disney violated her agreement with Marvel Studios that BLACK WIDOW would get an exclusive theatrical release as part of her compensation for the film would be based on Box Office. They allege that Disney released the film on Disney+ day and date with the theatrical release to help grow the streaming service but also to pull a little Hollywood accounting moving revenue over to the streaming service side of the company to avoid paying out to Johansson and others the potential bonuses they were due.

Disney responded with a statement saying: “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

Hollywood Reporter got the full statement from Lourd and he doesn’t pull any punches:

I want to address the Walt Disney Company’s statement that was issued in response to the lawsuit filed against them yesterday by our client Scarlett Johansson. They have shamelessly and falsely accused Ms. Johansson of being insensitive to the global COVID pandemic, in an attempt to make her appear to be someone they and I know she isn’t.
*
Scarlett has been Disney’s partner on nine movies, which have earned Disney and its shareholders billions. The company included her salary in their press statement in an attempt to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman, as if that were something she should be ashamed of.  Scarlett is extremely proud of the work that she, and all of the actors, writers, directors, producers, and the Marvel creative team have been a part of for well over a decade.

This suit was filed as a result of Disney’s decision to knowingly violate Scarlett’s contract. They have very deliberately moved the revenue stream and profits to the Disney+ side of the company, leaving artistic and financial partners out of their new equation. That’s it, pure and simple.
Disney’s direct attack on her character and all else they implied is beneath the company that many of us in the creative community have worked with successfully for decades.

As I said in the initial reporting on the lawsuit, this is going to get ugly and a LOT of major stars are calling their agents telling them to renegotiate deals that involve any kind of box office performance compensation deals.

Johansson’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, states that Black Widow was guaranteed a wide theatrical release when she signed her deal with Marvel Studios. According to her complaint, Disney interfered with that deal for its own advantage.

The complaint specifies: “Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,”

The complaint says of the decision to release day and date both theatrically and on the streaming service Disney+:

“On information and belief, the decision to do so was made at least in part because Disney saw the opportunity to promote its flagship subscription service using the Picture and Ms. Johansson, thereby attracting new paying monthly subscribers, retaining existing ones, and establishing Disney+ as a must-have service in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Disney has, to no ones surprise countered with a statement quoted at the Hollywood Reporter and Wall Street Journal:

“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

Yeah, box office is crap right now and with the resurging across the country of Covid-19 and the deadly Delta Variant there’s no doubt people are hesitant to return to the theaters. Yes, in many ways releasing it sooner than later on Disney+ makes some sense but they could have held it for a week or two but would that have made much difference? Even if they held it for a month you’re still going to have the people who have said for years things like “I don’t care, it will be on DVD in 2 months, I’ll wait for it..”

Now here comes the fine point of this suit alleging some Hollywood Accounting: The complaint makes specific note that Disney “not only increased the value of Disney+, but it also intentionally saved Marvel (and thereby itself) what Marvel itself referred to as ‘very large box office bonuses’ that Marvel otherwise would have been obligated to pay Ms. Johansson.”

In other words: They are saying that Disney saw a chance to move some of the money made from BLACK WIDOW from the Theatrical Box Office column and put it into the Online Streaming Service column thereby avoiding payouts / bonuses / percentages to Johansson and others that would be based on Box Office.

Rumor has it early on that Marvel Studio’s Kevin Feige is “Angry and embarrassed” by this.

According to the What I’m Hearing… newsletter from former Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni, Feige apparently lobbied Disney to keep Black Widow a theatrical-only release to not upset Johansson.

“Feige is a company man, and prone to corporate showdowns or shouting matches. But I’m told he’s angry and embarrassed,” Belloni says. “He lobbied Disney against the day-and-date plan for Black Widow, preferring the big screen exclusivity and not wanting to upset his talent.”

Furthermore, the report says that when “the shit hit the fan, the movie started tanking and Johansson’s team threatened litigation,” Feige tried to get Disney to “make this right with her.”

This looks like Disney CEO Bob Chapek has stepped into it big time.

So there goes any chance of cameos in flashbacks from Natasha Romanoff in any future Marvel film or TV project. There goes any chance of her promoting or doing press for any anniversary or special edition release of any of her Marvel films and there goes any chance of any of the other cast of any Marvel film doing a similar backend deal on future projects. It also makes many wonder how the rest of the Marvel family actors are reacting to this news.

There’s currently a vague rumor that Emma Stone may sue over a similar deal she had for the film CRUELLA.

I’m sure there’s more to come on this story and it’s only going to get uglier if Disney doesn’t back down and write a check.

Yeah, RoboCop. Yeah, Peter Weller. Yeah, KFC.

There’s more commercials too- check them all out:

Of course it’s not Peter Weller in the suit but it’s sure his voice.

Yep, that’s none other than Mrs David Tennant… LOL!

This season sees some new faces including Odette Annable as the worldkiller Reign; Adrian Pasdar as Morgan Edge, Carl Lumbly as Martian Manhunter’s father M’yrnn J’onzz, Yael Grobglas as psychic villain Psi, and Emma Tremblay as street kid Ruby.
#supergirl #cw #arrow #theflash

Featuring guest star Lynda Carter!

An attack is made on the President (guest star Lynda Carter) as hot-button, alien vs. human rights issues heat up in National City. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist),Alex (Chyler Leigh) and the DEO are assigned to protect the President and bring in the responsible party.

#Supergirl

#BornOnThisDate

I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having more speedsters on the show and still am not but I like Violett Beane and I like her Jessie and how they brought her back was good…. plus ANYTHING that brings Tom Cavanaugh back to the show is a good thing…

Here you go, Jessie Quick’s uniform:

#TheFlash

Here’s a moderately spoilerific description of the film due to premiere in March 2017

Set in the future of 2024, Logan and Professor Charles Xavier must cope with the loss of the X-Men when a corporation lead by Nathaniel Essex is destroying the world leaving it to destruction, with Logan’s healing abilities slowly fadingaway and Xavier’s Alzheimer’s forcing him to forget. Logan must defeat Nathaniel Essex with the help of a young girl named Laura Kinney, a female clone of Wolverine.

While you are at it, do yourself a favor and check out the amazing MERCURY MEN (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC95giF3Mgcg4cO8kwEMXVMA – yes, start with episode 1)  on that same channel. It’s a great throwback to the adventure serials and stories that inspired Indiana Jones and so many other great things!!

#echotorch

https://youtu.be/qSW1HRYRPCs

#LegendsOfTomorrow #arrow #TheFlash #Supergirl

Out first look at footage and behind the scenes shenanigans from Peter Capaldi and company…

#doctorwho

What do you think it means????

#doctorwho

Well, ABC has killed Agent Carter and before people start asking Netflix or a cable channel to pick it up Hayley Atwell has already gotten the lead role on the new ABC show Conviction.

What that tells you is the decision to kill Carter was made a while ago probably.

The show was a fan and critical favorite but it appears that this and even the connections to the huge money making Marvel film universe wasn’t enough to save it from getting canceled.

Part of the reason is also the new entertainment president, Channing Dungey and her making her mark on the network calling a lot of shows and renewing selectively. Deadline.com details her and her decisions in cancelling Carter, Castle, The Muppets, The Family and others.

I think cancelling the summer hit Agent Carter is a dumb move but in smart news, ABC has killed the Agents Of Shield spin off starring Adrianne Palicki: Marvel’s Most Wanted.

I never understood why anyone thought this was a good idea. Why spin off characters from a so-so show? What exactly was going to be different about this show from Agents of SHIELD? The Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter characters are fine as supporting characters on SHIELD but I don’t think they could carry a show.

Sure, I enjoy Adrianne Palicki in tight shirts as much as the next person but can you build a show around that?

The official plot of “Marvel’s Most Wanted” went something like this:

Centers on Bobbi Morse (a.k.a. Mockingbird) and Lance Hunter of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., two ex-spies and ex-spouses who are on the run with no friends, no S.H.I.E.L.D. and a long list of enemies looking to claim a bounty on their heads. Able to trust no one but each other, Bobbi and Hunter form an uneasy alliance with Dominic Fortune, a rogue adventurer with a wealth of resources and even more adversaries, who agrees to protect them so long as they help him with his own agenda. These two heroes will help anyone in need, all while trying to uncover the conspiracy that put their own lives in jeopardy.

The first season’s ratings on the surface didn’t look good, but when you looked deeper at it especially taking in the “live plus-7” estimates it was a very successful show in a highly desirable demography.  Supergirl averaged a 2.5 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.03 million viewers overall in Nielsen’s “live plus-7” (meaning people watching live or watching it on DVR within seven days) estimates. This made it CBS’ top-rated rookie drama this season in that demo and was also its youngest-skewing drama with a median age of 55.6.

The stories going around were that Warner Bros TV was trying to work out a deal and bring down the budget for a renewal by CBS. Part of the major issue was that the show was shot in LA (as I detailed in this post: Supergirl Renewal Drama Continues – Possible Move To Vancouver ) and how they had expected tax credits to offset the cost but they never got approved. WB started the steps to move the show from LA to Vancouver where production is much less expensive and tax credits from the canadian government are more assured.

Throughout all this the stories that the show would move to The CW abounded and with CBS owning a portion of CW it was a possibility just like The Flash crossing over from his CW show.

In the end CBS has cancelled Supergirl and The CW has picked up the show with budget cuts and a move for the production from LA to Vancouver Canada to save money.

This makes perfect sense and should result in dramatic savings not for the least reason of the other Berlanti shows are based there and Supergirl can share some of the facilities and support staff of Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow.

Will this also mean some of the cast may not get picked up for Season 2? Possibly. One of the hollywood reports I read said that some weren’t happy at the move.

It will absolutely mean a lot of production crew will lose their jobs since the show will need Vancouver based Canadian crew to meet the production requirements.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing from the cast sooner than later on how they publicly feel about the move and get details on how the show will change with this but for the fans, it’s a win:

Supergirl lives to fight another day and we get more of the Danvers Sisters.

Actor John Barrowman gave a hint about a return to Cardiff for a mysterious reason and the speculation has risen to a fever pitch.

In a facebook post John said:

“I will be back in Cardiff in about a week and a half. But I’m not telling you what for…sssh!”

Could it be that he will be heading to Roath Lock studios at Cardiff Bay, where Doctor Who is currently ramping up for its 2016 Christmas episode? That’s also the same studio where they are shooting the spin off series CLASS.

The Radio Times collected all the speculation and John’s video message but nothing conclusive.

It could be something major or it might be John promoting his Torchwood comic book too.

We’ll see.

The Supergirl Renewal Drama Continues: Supergirl Eyes Move To Vancouver To Reduce Costs As Season 2 Stays In Limbo

Negotiations between CBS and Warner Bros TV continue over the fate of Supergirl. Now Deadline is reporting that part of the thought is moving Supergirl to Vancouver to reduce costs and possibly take advantage of the fact that the prodco already has two shows running there: ARROW and THE FLASH. In case you didn’t know, Supergirl is shot in Los Angeles and that’s expensive but they were expecting some tax credits from the state since the state is desperate to keep productions there rather than running off to Canada or elsewhere… the tax credit for Supergirl’s production wasn’t approved.

Deadline is also reporting that some on the show aren’t happy about the possible move (I’m guessing most of the crew would not be carried over for a move across the border) they are thinking a deal will be made.

Deadline points out that the ratings haven’t been as bad as they have previously looked when you look at the demographics:

Still, despite the fact that its numbers tapered off significantly after a strong start, Supergirl, aided by a solid DVR play, averaged a 2.4 rating among adults 18–49 in a competitive time slot, ranking as the No. 1 new CBS drama and No. 4 new network series overall (behind only Blindspot, Life in Pieces and Quantico) in the demo this season.

CBS needs to make a decision VERY FAST with the upfronts coming soon and Supergirl isn’t the only show on the bubble with them but some of the others (Limitless, Code Black, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders) being owned by CBS makes it more questionable for a very expensive, licensed show to make it into the final schedule.

I’m sure there will be more to this drama before a final decision is made.

CBS is still screwing around about whether or not to renew SUPERGIRL and it looks like things aren’t going well.

The show didn’t knock down any records with ratings and is expensive so CBS is negotiating. Whether it stays at CBS or moves to CW you can expect budget cuts in the $3 mil an episode budget.

That’s a HUGE license fee for a first year show, especially for one that hasn’t been a huge ratings win for the network. The premiere brought in about thirteen million total viewers back in October but has lost about half the audience over the rest of the season according to Nielsen numbers.

but that most of them revolve around reducing the budget and a possible move away from CBS.

I know I was one of the ones who complained about the first half of the season because for some bizarre reason they seemed to think that since the lead of the show was a young woman the ‘A Story’ should be her relationship angst and the related BS of it.  I think they figured out this was a mistake and pulled back at mid point and the show got better.

Time will tell what CBS will decide but I’m pretty assure it will involve some budget cuts for the production and cast.

(Obviously don’t watch unless you’ve seen this week’s)

https://youtu.be/IyTi8qkw7rY

You can learn more about the band and Katrina at: http://soundboardfiction.com

I am hoping that some folks keep a tight reign on Oliver Stone when this film was being made to keep him close to the truth— it’s a fascinating story without adding to it.

This is my current favorite Kickstarter!!! Taylor Swift: Girl Detective – The Secret Of The Starbucks Lovers.

LOL!

What fun.

I pledged and so should you!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/311966506/taylor-swift-girl-detective

Taylor Swift: Girl Detective

An exciting (and illustrated) Nancy Drew-esque mystery story starring everyone’s favorite pop star as a Girl Detective.

The Hollywood Reporter has published the first look at Scarlett Johansson as The Major in the live action film version of GHOST IN THE SHELL.

The film is being directed by Rupert Sanders and is currently filming in Wellington, New Zealand, and the schedule is for it to hit theaters on March 31, 2017.

: #GhostInTheShell

This is the new japanese Godzilla film trailer – I wasn’t sure if it were for real at first but it is.

The film is due to be released in Japan on July 29, 2016 and is being directed by Hideki Anno and Shinji Higuchi.

This is not a sequel to the US Godzilla film but a Toho Studios return to making films with the King of All Monsters.

The film is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Rachel McAdams,Benedict Cumberbatch,Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Scott Adkins, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong and Amy Landecker.

Marvel plans on releasing it on 4 November 2016

The film is directed by Scott Derrickson and stars Rachel McAdams,Benedict Cumberbatch,Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Scott Adkins, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benedict Wong and Amy Landecker and will be released November 4, 2016.

The film is written by Rowling, Directed by David Yates and star Eddie Redmayne and Ezra Miller.

https://youtu.be/gCFABhWtqVc

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Hits Theaters in December of 2016.

The film is directed by the great Garth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones and Diego Luna.

The blurb for the film, in case you didn’t know, is this:

Resistance fighters (Felicity Jones, Diego Luna) embark on a daring mission to steal the Empire’s plans for the Death Star.

Don’t believe everything you see… he’s still the hero of the story. Wait and see… wait and see… I still believe in Jay.

You can search out a lot of Greta Kline’s videos on YouTube, buy her albums off the usual places and you can read these articles about her and her music:

http://www.wmagazine.com/people/on-the-verge/2016/03/greta-kline-frankie-cosmos-next-thing-interview/photos/

Frankie Cosmos Is Ready to Be Herself

Now you know.. and knowing is half the battle.

Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins, Vivian Oparah and Katherine Kelly have been announced as the cast for the Doctor Who spin off called CLASS which will take place at the iconic Coal Hill School. No word if any characters from classic or new Who will be showing up but we can hope and expect some, I’m sure.

I’m thrilled they have gotten Katherine Kelly who some might know as the darker haired Lady Mae from Mr. Selfridge.

Check out the article for more details on some of the characters but we still don’t know tons about the show although in Moffat’s comment below I think we have a clue.

Award-winning YA writer and Class creator Patrick Ness, says: “We searched far and wide for this amazing cast, fantastic actors who understand what we’re aiming for with this show. And how lucky we are to get Katherine Kelly! She’s been stunning in Happy Valley, The Night Manager and Mr Selfridge, just wait until you see her here.”

Steven Moffat, Class and Doctor Who executive producer, says: “There’s nothing more exciting than meeting stars that nobody’s heard of yet. We had the read through of the first few episodes last week, and there was a whole row of them. Coal Hill School has been part of Doctor Who since the very first shoot in 1963, but this new show is anything but history. Class is dark and sexy and right now. I’ve always wondered if there could be a British Buffy — it’s taken the brilliant Patrick Ness to figure out how to make it happen.”

I think in Moffat’s quote about the show we get a major clue about what we are in for with CLASS.

https://youtu.be/bHBq_PF7va4

If you haven’t seen the brilliant Season 7 Magnum PI promo, you really need to:

https://youtu.be/LhaEowME4T0

https://youtu.be/mqY7pNKrMYw

He said, “Do you know who I am?” and I said, “No. Why are you calling me?” He said, “I’ll get to that. I’m a producer. Did you ever see The Three Musketeers?” I said I did see it, and he said “I produced that.” And I said, “The way I hear it, they tried to release a second picture without paying the actors.” He said, “Well, that’s a long story. I’m making Superman. I don’t have a director and I’ll pay you a million dollars.”

I’ve heard most of these stories from Dick Donner but it’s still amazing how he managed to produce the classic films under these conditions. The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Donner and he shared some of these stories about saving the film from being a flaming pile of insulting crap to avoiding casting people like Stallone in the lead.  Check out the interview.

What Donner accomplished still stands as a triumph of film and filmmaking.

If you’ve never seen “SUPERMAN II: The Richard Donner Cut” you should. (Click This or the image to buy from Amazon – It’s only $9.99 for Blu Ray and totally worth it)

Fanboys and critics alike are arguing over how director Zack Snyder has portrayed Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel and the new Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. But when director Richard Donner brought the superhero to the big screen in 1978’s Superman, there were no such debates. The movie promised, “You will believe a man can fly,” and audiences bought it enthusiastically. The film grossed $300 million worldwide — the equivalent of $1.09 billion today

Michael Stipe performs the David Bowie song The Man Who Sold the World in tribute to the late superstar.

https://youtu.be/y2nOrw6NYDE

From ‘The Music of David Bowie at Radio Music City Hall’.

Jherek Bischoff, Amanda Palmer & Anna Calvi, with the Kronos Quartet.

Live at Radio City Hall NYC – April 1st 2016.

Our friends at Amnesty International call on countries worldwide to support strong encryption.

Amnesty International: Encryption is a Human Rights Issue

New Report Analyzes How Crypto Backdoors, Interference with Crypto, and Compelled Disclosure of Encryption Keys All Impact Free Expression and Privacy Defending encryption is a human rights issue, according to a new Amnesty International report. The report calls on nation-states to promote the use of encryption tools as part of their international human rights obligations to protect the privacy of their populations.

Oh, this breaks my heart…. One of the wonderful ones.

Anna ‘Patty Duke’ Pearce passed away this morning March 29, 2016 at 1:20 am,” his statement read. “Her cause of death was sepsis from a ruptured intestine. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a mental health advocate and a cultural icon. She will be missed.”

Oscar-winning former child star Patty Duke dies, age 69

As a teen she won an Oscar for playing Helen Keller in ‘The Miracle Worker’ and went on to have a long career, championing the cause of mental health and, of course, gave us Sean Astin.

RIP

SPOILER ALERT: This story from Deadline.com contains details of tonight’s Supergirl and The Flash crossover episode on CBS.

‘Supergirl’-‘Flash’ Crossover: EP Andrew Kreisberg On How It Came Together & What Else The Multiverse Might Bring

“I think that one of the best parts about the show is it already seemed like Grant has been on Supergirl for a long time,” executive producer Andrew Kreisberg says of Flash star Grant Gustin’s crossover appearance tonight on the CBS superheroine series. Now, crossovers are nothing new to the small-screen versions of the DC Universe, but Monday they jumped worlds and networks with freshman Supergirl and star Melissa Benoist welcoming The CW’s The Flash, which is in its second season.

 

Right after the pacific time airing of the Supergirl / The Flash crossover episode of Supergirl tonight on CBS you can watch the episode again with commentary from Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg on the CBS website.

Supergirl – Watch Full Episodes & Video Clips – CBS.com

Read this story from the Hollywood Reporter and find out why I probably won’t be watching Supergirl until Tuesday night after seeing this week’s The Flash.

7 Things to Know About ‘Supergirl’s’ Crossover With ‘The Flash’

Executive producers Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg break down why this crossover is happening on CBS’ ‘Supergirl’ instead of The CW’s ‘The Flash.’

The fantastic site One Perfect Shot has a brilliant video about the stunning cinematography for the USA series MR ROBOT.

[WATCH] NO CODE: THE FRAMING OF ‘MR. ROBOT’

The cinematography of MR. ROBOT has re-written the rules for how to shoot episodic television. Characters creep at the bottom of the screen, occupying a small quadrant of the frame which allows for brilliant negative space. Rami Malek is often in focus while the world around him is blurred, creating a paranoia and urgency. Tod Campbell, the show’s director of photography, uses the camera to create subtext, every move has purpose. You aren’t a viewer, you’re participant.

“Rules were meant to be broken.”

POWERS, the PlayStation Original Series, returns May 31 with new episodes with season 2 focusing on the shocking murder of the world’s most famous superhero, Retro Girl, and the mysteries it uncovers and exposes.

Being a fan of the original comic book and of the first season I’m anxious to see if they can step up and make season two even better and bigger than season one.

The final casting of Finn Jones, Loras Tyrell on HBO’s “Game of Thrones, as IRON FIST brings the full roster of Marvel & Netflix’s DEFENDERS to a close.

Finn will play Daniel Rand who is a practitioner of martial arts and the wielder of a mystical force known as the Iron Fist, which allows him to summon and focus his chi. It’s assumed he will first appear in the upcoming LUKE CAGE series this fall on Netflix and get his own series after that. In the comics Rand partnered with Cage many times.

All the individual series will culminate in a Defenders miniseries alongside Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

Originally there was some speculation that an IRON FIST series wouldn’t happen since rumors had it they couldn’t “crack” the character to make it work for a series. I guess that happened when they brought in ‘Dexter’ EP Scott Buck as Showrunner.

*OH!!! BUT WAIT!* All are not happy about the casting… specifically it being a white, non-asian playing the part.

*First Point:* Yes, in the comics the character in a white, blond dude. That’s a fact and he was created in the 1970’s so no one should be surprised by that Marvel at the time wanted a white dude in the part.. although I think you’d need to talk to his creators, the legendary Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, to see if there was ever a question of him being asian.

Many people have been calling on Marvel and Netflix to push past that and cast an asian actor for the role for over a year.

Marvel writer Marjorie Liu has been pretty outspoken on the casting of Iron Fist. In December, she tweeted, “Let me be blunt: I won’t watch Iron Fist if they cast a white dude. I can’t do it anymore. I’ve reached my limit. Peace out.”

With Finn’s announcement she cranked it up and tweeted this:

She’s not alone, TheWrap.com collected a lot of comments and tweets on the subject including a great letter to Marvel from 1974 about this very subject.

http://www.thewrap.com/marvel-writer-criticizes-netflix-for-casting-white-iron-fist/

it’s too late for change and Marvel and Netflix will have to defend their decision or ignore the furor and let the show stand on it’s own—- we’ll see which it will be.

No word on when the series will premiere but I’m guessing spring next year but like I said, I’m betting he’ll make an appearance in the Luke Cage series later this year.

#GameOfThrones #daredevil #IronFist #lukecage #jessicajones #marvel #netflix

The official description:

Just when Matt thinks he is bringing order back to the city, new forces are rising in Hell’s Kitchen. Now the Man Without Fear must take on a new adversary in Frank Castle and face an old flame – Elektra Natchios.

Bigger problems emerge when Frank Castle, a man looking for vengeance, is reborn as The Punisher, a man who takes justice into his own hands in Matt’s neighborhood. Meanwhile, Matt must balance his duty to his community as a lawyer and his dangerous life as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, facing a life-altering choice that forces him to truly understand what it means to be a hero.

 

A great musical tribute to the genius of David Bowie featuring Lorde who Bowie always spoke so well of.  This video also includes the opening comments of Annie Lennox and Gary Oldman’s acceptance of the Brit Award for Bowie.

Here’s what Lorde posted the morning after Bowie’s death:

 When a hero dies, everyone wants a quote. I woke up this morning with a tender head from tears and that big red cup of Japanese whiskey, gulped last night just after the news came. People were already asking me what I thought. It feels kind of garish to talk about oneself at a time like this, when the thing that has happened is so distinctly world-sized. But everything I’ve read or seen since the news has been deeply intrinsic in tone, almost selfish, like therapy. That’s who he was to all of us. He was a piece of bright pleated silk we could stretch out or fold up small inside ourselves when we needed to.

Mr. Bowie, I guess right now we have to hang this thing up for a minute.

The night I met him I played at an expensive Vogue benefit with a lot of fresh flowers, honouring Tilda. I was not quite seventeen, America was very new to me, and I was distinctly uneasy and distrustful toward everything happening in my life that was putting me in these flat-voiced, narrow-eyed, champagneish rooms. I played my three songs, thrashing and twitching in platform boots. Afterward, Anna clasped my hand and said “David wants to meet you,” and led me through people and round tables with candles and glasses and louder and louder talk, and he was there.

I’ve never met a hero of mine and liked it. It just sucks, the pressure is too huge, you can’t enjoy it. David was different. I’ll never forget the caressing of our hands as we spoke, or the light in his eyes. That night something changed in me – i felt a calmness grow, a sureness. I think in those brief moments, he heralded me into my next new life, an old rock and roll alien angel in a perfect grey suit. I realized everything I’d ever done, or would do from then on, would be done like maybe he was watching. I realized I was proud of my spiky strangeness because he had been proud of his. And I know I’m never going to stop learning dances, brand new dances.

It’s not going to change, how we feel about him. For the rest of our lives, we’ll always be crashing in that same car.

Thankyou, David Bowie

#bowie #davidbowie

The official Episode Description:

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow 1×06 “Star City 2046” – guest starring Stephen Amell – When a malfunction sends the Waverider crashing into 2046 Star City, our heroes face a startling version of their own future where they never stop Savage (guest star Casper Crump) and never return home. The city is in ruins and overrun by criminals, which thrills Rory (Dominic Purcell). Sara (Caity Lotz) is despondent over the destruction of her home and stunned when she learns what happened to her old friend, Oliver Queen (guest star Stephen Amell). Steve Shill directed the episode written by Marc Guggenheim & Ray Utarnachitt (#106).

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Legends will follow time traveler Rip Hunter (Doctor Who’s Arthur Darvill) collecting a group of heroes and villains to a threat by the immortal Vandal Savage (Flash / Arrow crossover guest star Casper Crump) across time.

Recruited by Hunter are Firestore aka Dr. Martin Stein and Jax Jackson (Flash‘s Victor Garber and Franz Drameh), Ray Palmer aka The Atom (Arrow‘s Brandon Routh), Sara Lance/White Canary (Arrow‘s Caity Lotz), Captain Cold and Heatwave (The Flash‘s Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell), and Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl and Carter Hall/Hawkman (The Flash‘s Ciarra Renee and Arrow guest star Falk Hentschel).

The group travels across time to stop Savage and his plans.

The story follows eccentric magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). In this story Scamander travels to New York with a magically expanded briefcase that houses a number of dangerous creatures who escape causing all sorts of trouble for wizards and No-Maj (American for Muggle) alike.

Set in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling and directed by David Yates, who directed Harry Potter 5-8. The film stars Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Ron Perlman, Dan Fogler, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Gemma Chan, and Jon Voight.

Once again, Bryan Singer returns after his return into the X-Men franchise hit, X-Men: Days of Future Past, with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

The film stars  James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, Ben Hardy

#doctorwho   #riversong   #alexkingston   #petercapaldi

Now they’ve released a poster for the show that will premiere on January 21 2016.

Is it just me or does this poster look badly photoshopped to add in all the actors?

#arrow #theflash #legendsoftomorrow

– Sad News – One of the greats. Known for so many things: Independence Day, BIG, Scarface and hundreds of other roles.

I met him once when he was doing a film called Innocent Blood with the wonderful Anne Parillaud. A very focused actor.

#RIP

#BatmanvSuperman

Oh, and the title of this special written by Steven Moffat will be “The Husbands Of River Song”

Hmmmmm…..

#Doctorwho #riversong

Not everyone has seen it yet. Be kind to fellow fans.

Wow. Incredible. Amazing. Stunning. Powerful. Classic. Beautiful. Scary.

#DoctorWho

Well, I’m back again to warn people to probably avoid the Internet and social media today since some people can’t wait to spoil new episodes and surprises for everyone.

Yes, there are a LOT of rumors and items about tonight’s Doctor Who episode HEAVEN SENT (and next week’s season finale too) and I’m warning everyone to watch out for yourselves.

#doctorwho

Here’s the official synopsis:

It’s Christmas Day on a remote human colony and the Doctor is hiding from Christmas Carols and Comedy Antlers. But when a crashed spaceship calls upon the Doctor for help, he finds himself recruited into River Song’s squad and hurled into a fast and frantic chase across the galaxy. King Hydroflax is furious, and his giant Robot bodyguard is out of control and coming for them all! Will Nardole survive? And when will River Song work out who the Doctor is?

All will be revealed on a starliner full of galactic super-villains and a destination the Doctor has been avoiding for a very long time

If you missed the post about where in River Song’s insanely confusing timeline this adventure takes place, Steven Moffat said this:
It doesn’t really matter, but for those who care it’s immediately after The Angels Take Manhattan: River’s just seen Matt Smith’s Doctor lose Amy and Rory, and obviously before The Name of the Doctor because she’s dead in that.

#doctorwho