Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Star Wars: The Force Awakens basically the same plot?
Spoilers for The Cursed Child AND The Force Awakens ahead
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is every ’90s kid who grew up with Hogwarts’ dream come true. Harry, Ron and Hermione back together again. The wizarding world recovered from the threat of Voldemort. And – finally! ­– we get to learn about our heroes’ children in a brand new JK Rowling tale. As readers devoured the 300-page script, fans began noticing something – someone – that bears a strong resemblance to a character in another of the year’s most successful sequels. If you don’t want spoilers for The Cursed Child or Star Wars Episode VII, stop reading now. WE MEAN IT. Harry’s middle child Albus Severus Potter is angry. He’s resentful to his father, and the two can’t relate to each other at all. He doesn’t fit in with his brother and sister, James and Lily. He’s the dark sheep of the Potter family, and he rebels. Basically, Albus is... Kylo Ren. Both Albus and Star Wars' Kylo Ren are misfit sons whose fathers saved the world from evil, only for their strained family ties to lead them down troublesome paths. Kylo Ren embraces the dark side of the Force to become a Sith Lord, and Albus inadvertently changes the past and brings about a new world ruled by Voldemort. Potterheads and Star Wars fans alike noticed this similarity as well, not to mention Vox, which included the reference in their review of the script. View oEmbed on the source website Albus is also giving off a few Kylo Ren vibes. Watch your back, Harry. #HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild — Pritchie Brown (@Eihctirp) August 1, 2016 View oEmbed on the source website At one point in The Cursed Child, Albus even retorts “I didn’t ask to be your son,” drawing a striking parallel to Kylo Ren. But at least Albus doesn’t kill Harry. In fact, The Cursed Child ends on a much more positive note with father and son trying to mend the gap between them. Neither Star Wars nor the Potterverse are over. Will Kylo Ren's ways change in the upcoming films? Will Harry and Albus become close in future works, like Rowling's Pottermore writings? As we don't have any Time-Turners, all we can do is wait.
Japanese Olympic gymnast racks up £4,000 phone bill after playing Pokemon Go in Rio
Kohei Uchimura needs to teach a Meowth the Pay Day move
Rio 2016 Olympic gymnastics star Kohei Uchimura has something in common with all of us – he’s dreadfully addicted to Pokemon Go. The 27-year-old Japanese gymnast, who has previously won an Olympic gold medal and four silver medals, downloaded the game after arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for pre-Rio training. He ended up with more than just Pikachus and Pidgeys – but quite a large phone bill as well. Uchimura racked up nearly £4,000 in roaming data overages while trying to catch ’em all. Teammate Kenzo Shirai described Uchimura looking "dead at the team meal that day," according to Japanese outlet Kyodo News. But in the end, Uchimura managed to doge the bill, much like Pokemon doge attacks. He called his phone company and explained he thought he had a flat rate international plan, and the charges were dropped. Don't miss a moment with your complete Olympics TV guide – on sale now
Channing Tatum to play a merman in gender-swapped Splash remake
Tatum is reprising Daryl Hannah's role in the 1984 classic
Disney is rebooting Ron Howard’s 1984 rom-com Splash with quite the catch: the lead roles will be gender-swapped, with Channing Tatum starring as an enchanting merman. In the original, a pre-fame Tom Hanks falls head-over-fins for Daryl Hannah, who saves him from drowning. But he has no idea that when his love touches water, her legs become a giant, shimmering mermaid tale. Splash launched Hanks’ and Hannah’s careers, and also helped establish Howard as a filmmaker. Combined, the three have gone on to win four Academy Awards. The remake, written by Maris Lewis-Ryan, follows the same plot of the original comedy – a child saved by a mermaid falls in love after reuniting years later – unaware that something fishy is afoot. Tatum is set to star alongside comedian Jillian Bell, who will play the human love interest. The two appeared together in 2014’s 22 Jump Street. The Magic Mike star won’t be as graceful on land, but he’s sure to win our hearts swimming through the sea.
Director David Ayer apologises for Marvel comments at Suicide Squad premiere
The DC vs Marvel rivalry has reared its ugly head
With a cast like Will Smith, Jared Leto, Viola Davis and Margot Robbie, it’s no wonder that Suicide Squad looks set to be one of the biggest debuts of the year. It’s tracking to make $130-140 million at the US box office during its opening weekend, and it looks like director David Ayer got a little worked up about it. At the world premiere in New York, Ayer exclaimed, “F*** Marvel” on stage to a crowd of cheers. David Ayer saying "Fuck Marvel" rt to save a life pic.twitter.com/qG6oBpJZmm — maya (@jokeredleto) August 2, 2016 Suicide Squad is a DC/Warner Bros. film and a rival to Marvel Studios. The two companies have been battling for superhero supremacy for nearly 80 years. Since Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, they've released three of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time, including The Avengers and Iron Man 3. DC's highest-grossing film is 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, placing 17th. Ayer later apologised for his comments on Twitter and said he was just echoing what a fan shouted at him first. View oEmbed on the source website Suicide Squad premieres in cinemas on 5th August
The Simpsons takes on Donald Trump in hilarious new clip
How would President Trump handle an advancing Chinese fleet? Just build another wall, of course
The Simpsons is no stranger to satire. In the 25+ years the show has aired, it's taken on issues including homophobia, immigration, gun control and the environment. Now, it’s tackling it’s biggest, orangest target yet – US presidential candidate Donald Trump. In the new clip 3am, Marge and Homer watch a political ad detailing how Trump would handle a national security emergency in the middle of the night. And it's not too flattering. Among other things, the video shows Trump tweeting insults from his bed, ignoring calls from the White House Situation Room, ordering another giant wall (to be built in the sea) and demanding that his name be added to the Lincoln Memorial. Oh, and he’s getting a spray tan. Watch the full clip below, and finally get an answer to why he has that hair... View oEmbed on the source website
This major character won’t appear in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Director Gareth Edwards shoots down the rumours
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is due out in December and is set right before the original film, A New Hope, takes place. The standalone story starring Felicity Jones has a great deal of hype after the success of Episode VII: The Force Awakens – but some fans might be disappointed that one major character won’t be in the upcoming instalment. In an interview with Extra, director Gareth Edwards confirmed, “I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do this, but I think I should. I can put to bed, Han Solo is not in the movie.” Rumours that a young Solo would be in the film started circulating when Rogue One began reshoots after Alden Ehrenreich signed on to appear as the fan favourite in multiple upcoming Star Wars projects. Rogue One is the first stand-alone story to be produced after Disney acquired Lucasfilm back in 2012. Jones stars as a rebel spy on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Several Star Wars spin-offs have been green lit since, including a film about bounty hunter Boba Fett. The first film in the Han Solo anthology is scheduled for 2018. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is released on 14th December
Shrek 5 is happening – and has a release date
Our favourite fairytale is returning to the big screen... eventually
Who would have thought the world would fall in love with a grumpy green ogre? That's exactly what happened when Shrek was released in 2001, launching three sequels, a spin-off film and TV series about Puss in Boots, and several shorts. 2010’s Shrek Forever After seemed to mark the end of the saga, but now DreamWorks Animation has confirmed that Shrek 5 is in the works. The uncanny success of Shrek In 1990, Shrek was merely a crudely drawn children’s story in William Steig’s picture book Shrek! It wasn’t until a decade later that Shrek got a computer-animated facelift and a Scottish accent courtesy of Mike Myers. The ogre who never wanted to leave his swamp quickly became a mass media phenomenon. Shrek was a hit. It grossed £484 million worldwide and won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He can be rude and crude at times, but Shrek says all the right things to children. The heart of Shrek lies in his own grotesqueness. He shows that it’s OK to be different, that you don’t have to be the stereotypical Prince Charming, that Princess Fiona can kick butt and that donkeys and dragons can fall in love and have little mutant babies. Shrek broke the fairytale mould. “Shrek is not handsome but he isn’t as ugly as he thinks,” critic Roger Ebert wrote in his 2001 review. “He’s a guy we want as our friend, and he doesn’t frighten us but stir our sympathy.” The details of Shrek’s fifth instalment are scarce – the film doesn’t yet have a title and won’t be released until 2019. We can only speculate what’s in store for our favourite band of misfit heroes, but we’re definitely waiting with bated ogre breath.
Norman Reedus glitter-bombed Andrew Lincoln and it was beautiful
We’ve seen Andrew Lincoln covered in many substances as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead – zombie guts, blood, mud, blood, zombie guts. And now, thanks to his co-star Norman Reedus: glitter. Reedus, who plays Walking Dead fan favourite Daryl Dixon, traded in his crossbow for a new weapon when he poured glitter into Lincoln’s air conditioner. When the zombie slayer turned on his car to drive home, sparkles flew everywhere, landing on Lincoln's lap and sticking to his sweat. View oEmbed on the source website “It’s still going, dude,” Lincoln says in a video Reedus uploaded to Instagram. “How much did you f***ing put in here?" “I put so much in there,” Reedus answers between laughter. "Have a nice ride home in the heat, bro." Lincoln had better take care to comb out his hair, otherwise Rick might have a few sparkles stuck in his beard during his next zombie fight when The Walking Dead returns in October.
11 times BoJack Horseman was the cleverest, funniest, saddest, craziest show on Netflix
He's just horsin' around, but there's a lot more to this cartoon than bad animal puns
0 BoJack Horseman is a weird little show. It’s a cartoon about humans and anthropomorphic animals living side by side. Its mane – er, main – character is a washed-up 90s sitcom star who is half man, half horse. It makes jokes, often animal puns, at lightning speed and most of them go unnoticed the first/second/third time you watch it. But for all the laughs and outrageousness, there is a darkness behind BoJack that makes the show so relatable. In the middle of series 1, a drunken BoJack steals the D of the famous Hollywood sign to impress a woman. For the remainder of the series, the D is never returned and “Hollywoo” becomes the new setting. The D is even removed in the opening credits. Series one begins with BoJack attempting to thrust himself back into the spotlight and return to social relevancy. So he signs a book deal with the penguins of Penguin Books, who are facing financial hardships – to quote Pinky the penguin, “When was the last time you saw a book?” One of the most absurd episodes of series 2 is when BoJack's friend Todd, searching for a life purpose, rescues a genetically modified chicken from being a “food chicken”. He disguises her as Becca, the booking agent for Kings of Leon. But she'd rather "Book Beck! Book Beck!" (Say it out loud.) MSNBSea’s whale anchor is enough to make you laugh on its own, but of course the show’s creators don’t just stop there. The segments of news broadcasts are packed with journalism jokes, spoofing Beyonce lyrics and hilarious headlines. Sarah Lynn is one of BoJack’s former TV children, a former pop star and current druggie. When she and BoJack get together, it’s never normal. Whether it’s days-long house parties, treasure hunting at a funeral or stabbing yourself with a rusty bayonet to cause a scene in a furniture store when Andrew Garfield breaks up with you, this duo knows how to party. She also serves as commentary on what Hollywood does to child stars. BoJack is not for the faint of heart. His anger and frustration often comes through as cruelty. There are jokes about the Holocaust, the 9/11 attacks and Afghanistan. In one episode, BoJack tells someone to “get cancer,” and – spoiler alert – the guy eventually does. In an attempt to make BoJack jealous, his agent and on-and-off-again girlfriend Princess Carolyn finds a new romantic conquest: Vincent Adultman. She starts flirting with him at a bar despite BoJack’s objections that Vincent is “very obviously three kids stacked on top of each other under a trench coat.” View oEmbed on the source website In the time between BoJack seasons, what’s a fan to do? Luckily for us, BoJack Horseman is quite active on the interwebs, and his presence can’t go unnoticed. Whether it’s responding to current events or mocking celebrities, BoJack is the horse man to follow. Insulted by Diane’s work ghostwriting his memoir, BoJack, Todd and Sarah Lynn go into a drug-induced frenzy to rewrite the book in one night. It goes just about as well as you’d think. No matter how funny the show can be, BoJack isn’t all fun and games. BoJack is sad, self-loathing, self-sabotaging, angry and lonely. It’s been praised by critics for being the realest, funniest look at depression on TV. It’s heartbreaking to watch BoJack try to feel good about himself through his blunders. If you can make it through 9-year-old BoJack’s letter to his idol Secretariat in the series 1 finale without tearing up, you have a heart of stone. The endearing thing about BoJack is he always tries to better himself despite his many, many setbacks. He tries to make amends with an old friend he betrayed. He tries to rekindle a relationship with a past love. He tries to have a more positive outlook by reciting mantras and listening to self-help audiobooks. In the series 2 finale, after a particularly rough couple of events, BoJack gets some beautiful advice from an unexpected place: “It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day. That’s the hard part. But it does get easier.” BoJack Horseman series 3 premieres on Netflix on 22 July
Grab your tissues, the new Spockumentary trailer is here
The world lost a Star Trek legend when Leonard Nimoy died in February 2015. Now Spock, the half-human half-alien outsider Nimoy created, will be remembered in the new documentary For the Love of Spock. View oEmbed on the source website Nimoy began acting at age eight and moved to Hollywood to pursue it as a career in 1949. He spent over a decade taking minor roles and small jobs that never lasted more than a handful of weeks until he landed Spock. Directed by his son Adam Nimoy, the documentary commemorates the legacy Nimoy created as his years portraying the iconic Vulcan of the 1960s television series. The trailer teases information on Nimoy’s love of his fans as well as family strain that the role put on him. The film contains never-before-seen footage of Nimoy’s original Star Trek co-stars like William Shatner, along with the new series’ cast members like director JJ Abrams and Zachary Quinto, who currently plays Spock. Nimoy may be gone, but the legacy of Spock will live long and prosper. For the Love of Spock will be available on demand from September 9th
Leslie Jones meets Rickon Stark, yells at him for not zig-zagging
The Ghostbuster and GoT super fan told actor Art Parkinson what we've all been thinking
This Game of Thrones series was rough, guys. And, honestly, by now so many terrible things have happened to beloved characters that we should be desensitised to death by now. Except we’re not. It was heartbreaking to watch a young Rickon Stark, pursued by Ramsay’s archers, run towards his big brother Jon Snow – in a straight line. The world collectively cried out “ZIG ZAG!” in the moments before Rickon was pierced and killed by an arrow – and among them was SNL cast member, Ghostbusters star and Game of Thrones super fan Leslie Jones. Ok I met Riccon today!! Watch pic.twitter.com/Mv3KpvKtJ4 — Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 9, 2016 "They wouldn't have killed you if you zig zagged!" Jones exclaims to Art Parkinson, the actor who portrays – er, portrayed – Rickon. pic.twitter.com/J2o05BXLpD — Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) July 9, 2016 Jones pretty much sums up our emotions – our tear ducts ran dry, our Twitter feeds exploded – but now there's an app where you can try to right this terrible wrong and zig zag Rickon to freedom. Come on, Rickon! It's not that hard to zig zag!
Someone taught their computer to write Harry Potter books and the result is hilarious
JK Rowling has an imagination unmatched by any living human – but what about computers? Max Deutsch is the editor of Deep Writing, a blog devoted to re-creating popular stories and songs through artificial intelligence. He fed a deep-learning algorithm the first four Harry Potter novels and programmed it to produce one chapter of a new story. The chapter presents a plethora of characters – from Snape and Mad-Eye Moody to Krum and Peeves. Though largely gibberish, the computer raises a few chuckles. “Now Malfoy from Charlie in places before he said, ‘The Mandrake forms to Hogwarts Weasley…Winky?’ “ “’Pig snout,’ they bowed back to the cabinet above the table. ‘That’s right,’ said Harry offhandedly.” The algorithm also seemed to pick up Dumbledore’s love of sweets: “Dumbledore will get out from behind a cream cake.” Read the full text here
"Robert Peston, where are you?" Angela Eagle faces awkward silence during press conference
The Labour leadership hopeful lost out to Andrea Leadsom in the battle for coverage
Angela Eagle formally launched her leadership challenge to Jeremy Corbyn today but there was a snag… The former Shadow Business Secretary’s announcement came at the worst possible time, clashing with Andrea Leadsom’s last-minute press conference to announce her departure from the Tory party's leadership race. Guess which event everyone chose to cover? Meanwhile over at Angela Eagle's #LabourLeadership launch... pic.twitter.com/FCRuNyUh0J — Conor McNally (@conor_mcnally) July 11, 2016 Undeterred, Eagle tried to answer questions from the audience but was met with an excruciating silence, captured in a video that has since gone viral. She then starts calling out journalists by name – “Robert Peston, where are you?” Silence. “Michael Crick?” Nothing. Peston later tweeted Eagle, explaining his absence. View oEmbed on the source website Awkward.
How The BFG created sounds of Snozzcumbers and Whizzpoppers
Explore the movie magic behind the giant farts
Disney’s The BFG follows a young girl, Sophie, as she is introduced to Giant Country. Based on the book by Roald Dahl, the film is filled with storybook whimsy and magic – something supervising sound designer Gary Rydstrom was responsible for bringing into the sounds of the giants. “The BFG catches dreams, so we had to figure out what that would mean to give them a sound and a personality,” Rydstrom tells The Hollywood Reporter. For example, when the giant (played by Academy Award winner Mark Rylance) approaches the London orphanage to snatch up Sophie, Rydstrom says his footsteps were edited from sonic booms of aircrafts breaking the sound barrier, but deepened to make them seem more menacing. “Spielberg himself had a lot of ideas, for instance to hum like a bumblebee but have vocalizations based on whether they were happy or sad or scary,” Rydstrom says. “We recorded a lot of kids playing, laughing, and various things that could sound like the humming of a dream that’s flying around. The dreams in the movie were spilt from happy to nightmares. The nightmares were electrical and snappy and awful, and happy dreams were ‘hummy’ and pleasant and playful.” Rydstrom and his crew, including sound mixer Andy Nelson, supervising sound editor Richard Hymns and production sound mixer Ronald Judkins, were also put in charge of creating their own original sounds for Snozzcumbers, the unpleasant vegetables. The sound they created was recorded from chopping up rotten vegetables. And then there’s the Whizzpoppers – aka, giant farts. “How many times in your career do you get to do fart jokes?” Rydstrom says. “We got to a point where they were very cartoony, that made Spielberg happy and laugh. “To record it, we bought weather balloons and inflated them; we basically made big whoopie cushions. And we’d lean on them like a bean bag chair.”
Daniel Radcliffe hasn't ruled out a return to Harry Potter
Maybe Harry's mischief is not yet managed...
With JK Rowling’s new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the upcoming spin-off trilogy Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it seems that nobody can say goodbye to the wizarding world forever. Maybe not even Harry himself. In an interview with this week's edition of Radio Times, Daniel Radcliffe said he wouldn't rule out playing The Boy Who Lived as an adult. “It would depend on the script,” he said. “The circumstances would have to be pretty extraordinary. But then I am sure Harrison Ford said that with Han Solo and look what happened there! So I am saying, ‘No,’ for now but leaving room to backtrack in the future.” Radcliffe spent a decade of his life playing the boy wizard, and for many he is still seen as the young Gryffindor. Fans can’t help but draw connections in his post-Potter works like his new film Now You See Me 2, the sequel to 2013’s movie about magicians. “I actually didn’t consider the connection to magic until somebody pointed it out to me,” Radcliffe said. “They were like, ‘You are going to get loads of questions about magic again,’ and I went, ‘Oh, damn, I guess I am!’” Read the full interview in this week’s Radio Times, available in shops and on the newsstand now.
Who is Game of Thrones' new Red Priestess Kinvara?
Look out Melisandre, there's a new witch in town...
Red Priestess Kinvara breezed into the Great Pyramid of Meereen in Game of Thrones episode five, quickly rendering Varys speechless after indicating that she knew a whole lot about his unfortunate past thanks to her hotline to the Lord of Light. So who is this apparent badass, who looks like she could give Melisandre a run for her money in the enigmatic fanatic stakes? Who is Kinvara? High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, the Flame of Truth, the Light of Wisdom, and First Servant of the Lord of Light, Kinvara has enough titles to make Daenerys jealous. The show is now moving ahead of George RR Martin's source books so we don't know a huge amount more about Meereen's Red Priestess but from her ominous introduction, we wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her. “We serve the same queen,” she tells Varys. “If you are her friend, you have nothing to fear from me.” Plus, we've totally clocked that necklace, just like the one Melisandre wears – and we all remember what happens when she takes it off... Who is Ania Bukstein? The 33-year-old Israeli actress who plays Kinvara has mostly starred in homegrown film and TV, so this may well be the first time you've seen her on screen. It's worth knowing, though, that in 2007 she won an Israeli “Woman of the Year in Cinema” award. Sounds like Ania could be as formidable as her character... She's also a singer Here's Ania at the piano with a cover of The Weekend's Can't Feel My Face... View oEmbed on the source website And here she is with one of her electro-tinged numbers in Hebrew. As one Facebook fan put it, "I don't understand anything, but I like the song..." View oEmbed on the source website So she's on social media? Yes, Ania’s quite active on Facebook, where she shares a lot of her music, although many of her posts are of course in Hebrew. But no worries, you can follow her on Instagram and stare into those hypnotic eyes to your heart’s content. View oEmbed on the source website
Game of Thrones: which is the most brutal episode 9?
Over the years, the HBO series has become notorious for the death and destruction in its penultimate episodes - but which stands out among the rest?
Game of Thrones is never for the faint of heart, but some episodes are more difficult to choke down than others. The ones where your favourite characters meet a grisly end, for instance. Over the years, it's become a series trend for the ninth episode of each season to be particularly brutal – containing either a surprising death of main character (or characters), or a big climatic battle. But which season has the best – er, worst? – ninth episode? Which penultimate peril stands out? Refresh your memory with the list below the poll, and then get voting. http://renderer.qmerce.com/interaction/5769685e2979187c0cccbed3 Stannis Baratheon's attack on King's Landing was a stand-out episode, with the tension gradually building as the action reached its incredible and explosive conclusion. S3E9: The Rains of Castamere View oEmbed on the source website While attending a wedding at the Twins, Catelyn, Robb and his pregnant wife Talisa were betrayed and brutally murdered at a banquet, in perhaps the series' most shocking scenes to date. S4E9: The Watchers on the Wall View oEmbed on the source website The wildlings march on the Wall, sparking a battle with the Night’s Watch that topped almost every action sequence that Game of Thrones had done before. S5E9: The Dance of Dragons View oEmbed on the source website To change his poor fortune in battles, Stannis allows red priestess Melisandre to burn his young daughter at the stake in a heart-wrenching death that outraged show watchers worldwide. S6E9: Battle of the Bastards View oEmbed on the source website Ramsay and Jon finally faced off, but it was Sansa who took her final revenge in this year's enormous epic battle episode. Feeling sufficiently traumatised? Then head back to the poll and vote for your favourite now! Game of Thrones continues on Sky Atlantic next Monday at 2am and 9.00pm
Here’s the first look at HBO’s Looking: the Movie
Russell Tovey and Jonathan Groff star in the trailer for the movie spin-off of the cancelled TV series
Sometimes the end is a new beginning. At least, that was the motive behind HBO’s decision to cancel gay television drama Looking in early 2015, promising to make a film to serve as the finale. It’s been over a year since show ended its two-season run – over a year since we left the characters, wondering just what happened to them after the abrupt finale. Now, HBO has finally released a trailer for Looking: The Movie. View oEmbed on the source website Starring Russell Tovey and Jonathan Groff, Looking follows a group of gay friends living in San Francisco. The film seems to pick up some years after the show left off, with Patrick (Groff) returning to California after moving from Colorado to confront his past. As Richie (Raúl Castillo) says in the trailer, “Sometimes you’ve got to leave things behind so you can move forward.” Like a television show for a TV movie. Looking: the Movie premieres Saturday 23 July at 10pm on HBO.
Sunday’s season 3 finale was actually the show's finale
Warning: major Penny Dreadful spoilers. DON'T READ ON UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS... REALLY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! ------------ Penny Dreadful has come to a surprisingly abrupt end. Series creator John Logan confirmed that the series 3 finale – ending in the death of the heroine – is, in fact, the end of the drama. It’s bad enough that Logan killed the series, but doing it by killing leading lady Eva Green just seems cruel. So why would he do it? In a Q&A with TVLine, Logan and Showtime president David Nevins talk about their decision for the last chapter of Penny Dreadful. “The show, to me, has always been about Vanessa Ives and her struggle with faith,” Logan says. “I knew, sooner or later, it would get to a point of apotheosis, where she would either accept her God or deny her God. Midway through [Season 2] – so, two years ago — as I was planning a third season, I realized, ‘Oh, I see exactly where this is heading. She’s going to have that moment, and the only way she can truly have it is at the moment of her death.’” “When John came in to lay out Season 3, he said, ‘I think I have to end the season with the death of Vanessa Ives.’” Nevins says. “Then I went through a period of like, ‘Do I try to talk John out of it? And is there a show beyond her?’ It just felt like the creative elements of this show are dependent on John Logan writing Vanessa Ives, and Eva Green playing Vanessa Ives. And I didn’t want to make the show without the creative elements that made it great.” Okay, so maybe it makes sense. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Rest in peace, Penny Dreadful and Vanessa Ives.
New poster for Eddie Redmayne's Harry Potter prequel teases “fantastic” announcement
A new poster for the highly-anticipated film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has been unleashed, along with the promise of an impending “fantastic” announcement. The poster features Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, wand and mysteriously magical suitcase in tow, surveying the skyline of New York from an ominous, destroyed building. View oEmbed on the source website The Harry Potter prequel doesn’t come out until November, but now we have something else to look forward to – what is this big surprise? Could it be the return of a beloved character? A big-name actor joining the cast? The revelation that Hogwarts is real and all our acceptance letters just got lost in the mail for a few decades? Since none of us (I’m assuming) have access to a Time-Turner, all we can do is sit and wait…
Superman will finally show his face in Supergirl season two
Kal-El will be joining his cousin Kara Zor-El against the forces of evil
After remaining hidden in the shadows for season one, Superman will finally show his face in Supergirl season two. The show’s producing team, Andrew Kreisberg, Greg Berlanti and Ali Adler released a statement promising that Clarke Kent aka Kal-El would be making an appearance in the next season. “Greg, Ali and I are beyond thrilled to welcome Clark Kent and his slightly-more-famous alter ego to the world of ‘Supergirl,’” Kreisberg said. “Superman will be appearing in the first two episodes of the new season and we cannot wait to see who next dons the red cape!” Aside from a handful of flashback sequences and brief back-lit appearances, the superhero has remained largely absent from the show. After all, Supergirl Kara (Melissa Benoist) is a strong, independent, all-powerful extra-terrestrial who don’t need no man to help her kick butt. With Henry Cavill portraying Superman on the big screen in 2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and an upcoming Justice League film, we can only guess who will take over on the telly.
Dan Aykroyd says the Ghostbusters reboot "has more laughs and more scares than the first two films"
The original Ghostbuster also praised "brilliant, genuine performances from the cast both female and male"
When the trailer for Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot was released in March, it quickly became one of the most “disliked” videos in YouTube history. The comments section overflowed with negative comments ­– as one viewer wrote, “this movie will be rated PG. For Pure Garbage.” Many see the attacks as unfair and sexist, mainly because Feig’s reimagining of the franchise stars all-female leads: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones as the supernatural-squashing team. But now, one of the original ghost-hunting scientists has given the film his official seal of approval. Dan Aykroyd, who played Ray Stantz in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II back in the ’80s, saw Feig’s revival at an advanced screening and wrote on Facebook: "As originator of the original: Saw test screening of new movie. Apart from brilliant, genuine performances from the cast both female and male, it has more laughs and more scares than the first 2 films plus Bill Murray is in it! As one of millions of man-fans and Ray Stantz, I'm paying to see that and bringing all my friends!" Aykroyd’s praise echoes Ghostbusters co-star Bill Murray, who has continually rallied behind the film. Both actors, along with original stars Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts, are rumoured to have cameos in the reboot.
Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie is set to teach university students in new Masters course
When you think of Angelina Jolie Pitt, you probably think Oscar-winning actress, writer, director, mother and humanitarian. But now she’s adding another string to her bow: teacher. The actress will be a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science from this Autumn, teaching as part of a new Masters course on Women, Peace and Security, the university announced. Jolie joins former foreign secretary Lord William Hague, Amnesty International director Jane Connors and Madeleine Rees, Secretary General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, on the new course established by the London university. “I am very encouraged by the creation of this master’s programme,” Jolie said. “I hope other academic institutions will follow this example, as it is vital that we broaden the discussion on how to advance women’s rights and end impunity for crimes that disproportionately affect women, such as sexual violence in conflict." Jolie shared a platform with Hague at a global conference in 2014 aimed at ending sexual violence in conflict. "I am looking forward to teaching and to learning from the students as well as to sharing my own experiences of working alongside governments and the United Nations.”
Without Ian McKellen, this Friends star might never have become an actor
He'd never have been there for you without good old Gandalf
Without the man who brought a wizard named Gandalf to life, Friends might have been an entirely different show – or, at least, lacking the quirks of dino-loving Ross Geller. While at a pre-screening of the pilot episode AMC series Feed the Beast, David Schwimmer credited Ian McKellen with inspiring him to become an actor: “Somewhere in high school I went to see a one-man show of Ian McKellen. At that time, he did this one man show called Acting Shakespeare. And he toured it to UCLA, and my parents took me to see him. And that was the moment that I remember sitting there and I couldn't believe it." "I watched this guy without any props, or makeup, or changes of clothing or anything — I watched him simply sit in a chair and stand occasionally, and transform into about 12 different lead characters from the greatest of Shakespeare's plays. And I couldn't believe it, it was like a magic trick. He suddenly became 300-pound Falstaff, or you know what I mean? I just watched this man change. And that's when I knew I had to try to do that. I just thought, wow; it was incredible, very moving, and very funny. I think that was the moment for me, really.” Feed the Beast stars Schwimmer as an alcoholic trying to put his life back together by opening a restaurant in New York City and will premiere in June.