News

Fans of the Netflix-era Marvel shows -- known as the Defenders Saga after they joined the rest of Marvel Studios' fare -- are no doubt waiting for "Daredevil: Born Again," not least because the show will see the return of Jon Bernthal's Punisher. Bernthal delivered what may very well be the definitive version of Marvel Comics' famed violent vigilante in "Daredevil" season 2 (2015), and returned for two seasons of a solo show called "The Punisher" (2017-2019). 

Fortunately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not only reviving the character, but we already know what Bernthal's MCU Punisher will do after "Daredevil: Born Again." His next project will be a Disney+ special directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, in the one-off vein of the fun 2022 monster movie homage "Werewolf By Night." Here's how Marvel Television chief Brad Winderbaum described this upcoming standalone: 

"It's like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has...

Earlier this week, the news broke that Jon Bernthal will reprise his role as Frank Castle in The Punisher Special Presentation. The actor, a self-confessed fan of the character he plays, is co-writing the project with director Reinaldo Marcus Green (We Own This City).

Has the Daredevil: Born Again star just dropped a hint about what we can expect from The Punisher's next solo adventure? Taking to Instagram, Bernthal shared a photo of The Punisher #53, released in 1991.

That's part of a storyline called "The Final Days" and followed The Kingpin as he set out to finally break Frank. After initially being forced to help the mobster, The Punisher was sent to jail where he had a violent reunion with his old foe, Jigsaw.

Frank is badly wounded but manages to escape and then needs to wrestle with whether the only way to live is if he changes. You can...

As soon as he answered his phone, Clayton Carmen knew he was getting bad news. It was March 2024, and by then, nearly a decade had passed since he had seen his father, Eric Carmen — the power-pop trailblazer and Raspberries frontman best remembered for the hits “Go All the Way,” “All by Myself,” and “Hungry Eyes.” Clayton’s stepmother, Amy, was on the other end of the line. The 27-year-old hadn’t seen her since his high school days, when Clayton knocked on the door of the house that Amy shared...

By Abe Friedtanzer

Those with unshakable principles are typically fascinating subjects for film and television, even if those principles contrast sharply with what audiences believe to be right and moral. In the opening scene of Quisling – The Final Days, Vidkun Quisling (Gard B. Eidsvold), the minister president of Norway during the Nazi occupation, announces the death of Adolf Hitler over the radio and frames it as a great loss for the nation. His arrest and imprisonment by the new government follow swiftly, and he remains steadfast that he did the right thing at every turn throughout the entire ill-fated process…...

The time has come for the annual presentation of the Toronto International Film Festival. The festivities will include many premieres of titles, whether it be their big world premiere, their North American premiere, or even just their Canadian premiere. Deadline has unveiled a number of upcoming films that attendees are expected to see this year.

Among those premiering are some star-studded affairs, such as the war drama Without Blood, which stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir and is directed by Angelina Jolie. The film is based on the Alessandro Baricco novel. Hard Truths from Mike Leigh stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste. That film is being described as an “Ongoing exploration of the contemporary world with a tragicomic study of human strengths and weaknesses.”

The Last Showgirl will premiere. The movie follows a seasoned stage dancer who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run and stars Dave Bautista,...

The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival have unveiled their lineup of 63 films from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. Notable titles include the world premieres of Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths and The Last Showgirl, the North American premieres of Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Harvest and Justin Kurzel’s The Order, the Canadian premiere of Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End, along with many favorites from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Check out the lineup below.

Galas 2024 (in alphabetical order)

*Previously announced

Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe Cosima Spender | UK

World Premiere

Better Man Michael Gracey | USA

Canadian Premiere

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight Embeth Davidtz | South Africa

Canadian Premiere

Sales Title

*Eden Ron Howard | USA

World Premiere

Sales Title

*Elton John: Never Too Late R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | USA

World Premiere

*Harbin Woo Min-ho | South Korea

World Premiere

Meet the Barbarians...

Rita McKenzie, the actress and singer best known for her boisterous performances in the one-woman show Ethel Merman’s Broadway, died Saturday in Los Angeles after a long illness, her husband, talent agent Scott Stander, announced. She was 76.

McKenzie first starred on stage as the powerful Merman — star of such iconic Broadway hits as Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Hello, Dolly! — in New York in 1988.

Belting out tunes like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” McKenzie toured throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia in what many consider the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history.

She also starred in parts that Merman made famous: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, the gunslinger in a 50th anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun and Rose in Gypsy.

Watch her perform here.

A native of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, McKenzie starred...

Exclusive: Picture Tree Int’l (Pti) has boarded sales on German Sophie Scholls – The Final Days Oscar-nominee and hitmaker Marc Rothemund’s heart-warming family drama Weekend Rebels, inspired by the true story of a father who forged a special bond with his autistic son through the search for a perfect soccer club.

The film, currently in post-production, is produced by Justyna Muesch, Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann.

Their Oscar-winning banner Wiedemann & Berg Film company has delivered a slew of award-winning pictures over the years including The Lives Of Others, Never Look Away and Who Am I. SevenPictures Film co-produces.

Leonine Studios is also on board and will release the film in Germany on September 28, 2023.

Florian David Fitz leads the German cast as a father who gets closer to his 10-year-old autistic son through a quest to find a soccer club they can support together,...

The award comes with 38,000, making it one of the world’s largest film prizes.

Goteborg’s lucrative Dragon Award for best Nordic film has gone to Danish director Malou Reymann’s second feature Unruly.

The drama premiered at Toronto and had its Swedish premiere at Goteborg. TrustNordisk handles sales and the Danish cinema release is planned for spring 2023.

Reymann previously directed Rotterdam Big Screen winner A Perfectly Normal Family.

Unruly is about the Sprogø Women’s Institution in the 1930s, when “morally feeble” girls and women were sent to the island to become more compliant. The story focuses on Maren,...

Martha Hart, the widow of late WWE Superstar Owen Hart, has “no relationship” with her brother-in-law Bret “Hitman” Hart, she told TheWrap. But it wasn’t always that way.

“Unfortunately, I have no relationship with Bret,” Martha Hart told us ahead of the premiere for Vice’s “Dark Side of the Ring” Season 2 finale, “The Final Days of Owen Hart.”

“Bret was supportive throughout the lawsuit, but there were a few things that were a problem with Bret,” she said. “First of all, when we were going through the lawsuit, he really was hoping that I would be able to help him get his wrestling footage. Because at the time, he had no relationship with WWE and he was hoping somehow — if we ever had a settlement — that we could work it in.”

Also Read: How Much Money WWE - and Tampa Bay - Lost When WrestleMania 36 Was Moved

In...

Image Source: Getty / Redferns Just hearing the name Jimi Hendrix conjures an electric energy; after all, this was the guy who performed a now-iconic rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock and set his guitar on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival. But just a few years after hitting it big in the music world, Jimi's life would end in a very sad way. In the days before his death, Jimi hadn't been feeling great; he was overworked, wasn't sleeping, and reportedly had the flu. On Sept. 17, 1970, Jimi was in London with his girlfriend, a German painter named Monika Dannemann. The two spent the evening at her apartment at the Samarkand Hotel in Notting Hill, chilling out, smoking hashish, and drinking tea. They had dinner and shared a bottle of red wine, then Jimi took a bath and Monika drove him to a party hosted by one of Jimi's business associates,...

‘The Salesman’ (Courtesy: Amazon Studios and Cohen Media Group)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

The one chance for the entire world to get involved with the Academy Awards has always been the best foreign language film category. Since any country can submit a film each year, though, that means the competition is intense. Let’s take a look at the countries that have snagged nominations this year and see how they’ve performed in the past in the hopes of shedding some light on what might happen come February 26.

This year the five nominees for best foreign language film are Land of Mine from Denmark, A Man Called Ove from Sweden, The Salesman from Iran, Tanna from Australia, and Toni Erdmann from Germany. The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg lists The Salesman as the frontrunner in this category — obviously due to the film’s merits and also potentially due to its director,...

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Diego Luna amongst those to join jury president Paul Verhoeven.

The 67th Berlin Film Festival has revealed its jury, homage subject and Golden Camera recipients.

Joining jury president, Paul Verhoeven, will be actors Maggie Gyllenhaal, Diego Luna, and Julia Jentsch, producer Dora Bouchoucha Fourati, artist Olafur Eliasson and director-screenwriter Wang Quan’an.

Eighteen films are vying in this year’s competition for the Golden Bear. The winners will be announced at the Berlinale Palast on February 18.

Robocop director Verhoeven is currently flying high off the success of Golden Globe-winning drama Elle.

Gyllenhaal is best known for her Oscar-nominated role in Crazy Heart, breakthrough performances in Donnie Darko and Secretary, The Dark Knight and TV series The Honourable Woman, for which she garnered a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination.

Luna, co-star of Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También, has played at the Berlinale in titles including Milk (dir: Gus van Sant, Berlinale...

The final days of President Barack Obama's time in office have been pretty emotional for a lot of people, but thankfully, chief White House photographer Pete Souza is here to cushion the blow. On Tuesday, the 62-year-old photographer, who was also the White House photographer during Ronald Reagan's presidency, shared a handful of never-before-seen images of the president playing in a 2010 blizzard with his daughters, Sasha and Malia, on Instagram. "People are always asking me to choose my favorite picture of the President. But I just can't do it. So let me tell you about my favorite day," Pete captioned one of the adorable photos. "It was a Saturday in February 2010. Washington was under siege with snow. I slept in my office overnight, knowing I probably couldn't drive to the White House the next day. And then I guessed . . . and yes, hoped . . . that the President of the United...

‘Land of Mine’ (Courtesy: Toronto International Film Festival)

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

If there’s one thing for certain about the foreign-language film category at the Oscars it’s that the Academy sure has a soft spot for films about World War II. Just this year alone there are three movies on the Academy’s shortlist that are set during that very tumultuous time — Denmark’s Land of Mine, Norway’s The King’s Choice, and Russia’s Paradise. How often has the Academy nominated or given the win to films based specifically during the World War II era?

According to Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter, the best foreign-language film Oscar race is shaping up to potentially only feature one of these World War II-set movies in the official nominations. So far Land of Mine is listed as a frontrunner along with Germany’s Toni Erdmann, Iran’s The Salesman,...

By: Carson Blackwelder

Managing Editor

The greatest thing about the best foreign-language film category is the recognition of works from all around the world. Throughout the years, movies made outside the United States of America have gotten the recognition they deserve thanks to the implementation of this specific award. With the 2017 Oscars right around the corner, let’s take a look back at the distribution of nominations and wins across the seven continents that make up this big world we inhabit.

This year’s best foreign-language film contenders are: Toni Erdmann (Germany), The Salesman (Iran), Land of Mine (Denmark), A Man Called Ove (Sweden), Paradise (Russia), The King’s Choice (Norway), My Life as a Zucchini (Switzerland), It’s Only the End of the World (Canada), and Tanna (Australia). This site’s namesake, The Hollywood’s Scott Feinberg, lists the first five of those as frontrunners and the other four as major threats.

This year’s “The People Vs. O.J. Simpson” displayed both the benefits and the drawbacks of dramatizing events that are still fresh in the public consciousness. Simpson’s story has recently received a far less sensational documentary treatment in the form of Ezra Edelman’s absorbing procedural “O.J.: Made in America,” (which you should really be watching if […]

The post J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot To Produce TV Series About The Final Days Of Michael Jackson appeared first on The Playlist.

Though DC Comics' Rebirth will see the return of the pre-New 52 Superman, the modern Last Son of Krypton introduced in the publisher's 2011 reboot will likely never meet him .  Check out a preview of Superman/Wonder Woman #28, Part 4 of "The Final Days of Superman".  It looks as if there's a third Superman in play, one who may have ties to one of Superman's more recent foes, Ulysses. Peter J. Tomasi penned the script, while Ed Benes supplied the art.  The issue goes on sale April 27 and is rated T for Teen.

New York Film Critics Awards: Best Film winner 'Carol' with Cate Blanchett. 2015 New York Film Critics Awards have enlivened Oscar race Catching up with previously announced awards season winners that will likely influence the 2016 Oscar nominations. Early this month, the New York Film Critics Circle announced their Best of 2015 picks, somewhat unexpectedly boosting the chances of Todd Haynes' lesbian romantic drama Carol, Clouds of Sils Maria actress Kristen Stewart, and László Nemes' Holocaust drama Son of Saul. Below is a brief commentary about each of these Nyfcc choices. 'Carol' Directed by Todd Haynes, starring two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Blue Jasmine) and Oscar nominee Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and adapted by Phyllis Nagy from Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel The Price of Salt,[1] Carol won a total of four New York Film Critics awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay,...

A verdict has been reached in the "Blurred Lines" trial.

Marvin Gaye's children, Frankie and Nona Gaye, won their claim that Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I.'s song "Blurred Lines" was too similar to their father's 1977 hit song, "Got to Give it Up." The jury found that the trio did infringe on Gaye's song and awarded his family nearly $7.4 million in damages.

News: The Final Days of the 'Blurred Lines' Trial

The family originally sought $25 million in alleged damages, though the song reportedly made $16,675,690 in profits – the biggest hit of 2013. According to court documents, $5,658,214 went to Thicke, $5,153,457 to Williams, and $704,774 to T.I. The remaining amount went to record companies Interscope, Umg Distribution and Star Trak.

Pharrell acknowledged in court that "Blurred Lines" has the "feel" of "Got to Give it Up," but he pointed out that "feel" does not necessarily equal "infringement."

Following the ruling, Pharrell's lawyers issued a statement expressing their client...

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

BabelColour is back with this: The Time War Chronicles: The Final Days. This is for anyone struggling to coalesce The End of Time and The Day of the Doctor - and details the Fall of Arcadia, Gallifrey’s second city. And it works really brilliantly. The best bit, of course, is towards the end, with the Doctors… well, just watch...

The post The Last Day of the Time War: Reimagined! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

By Anjelica Oswald

Managing Editor

The nine foreign-language films shortlisted by the Academy hail from three continents: South America, Europe and Africa. From South America, Argentina’s Wild Tales and Venezuela’s The Liberator made the list. From Africa, Mauritania’s Timbuktu did as well. From Europe, Estonia’s Tangerines, Georgia’s Corn Island, the Netherlands’ Accused, Poland’s Ida, Russia’s Leviathan and Sweden’s Force Majeure all made the top nine.

This year could mark the first Oscar nomination for Estonia, Georgia, Mauritania (whose film was the country’s first Oscar-submitted film) and Venezuela. Argentina, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden have each received two Oscar nominations in the past 14 years. Of those four countries, Argentina is the only one to win an Oscar, which it did in 2010 for The Secret in Their Eyes. If Russia lands a nomination, it will be the country’s second in the 21st century.

All things come to an end and the true death arrived for HBO’s True Blood earlier this year. This week, HBO Home Entertainment offers up The Complete Seventh Season along with a mammoth complete series box set. In looking back on the series, it probably hung around a little longer than necessary, especially as things spiraled from over-the-top to insane crazy after series creator Alan Ball left.

The seventy episodes veered further and further from Charlaine Harris’s The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels and even she wrapped up her prose stories recognizing the time had come.

Bon Temps is under attack as things open up, picking up where season six dropped us. The Hep V Vampires are running amuck as many of our favorite supporting characters have been threatened. Pam continues her hunt for Eric leaving Sookie as the calming voice of reason and she’s not feeling all that steady.

This week: The final days of Don Draper...Part 1. Also, Sex Tape could use more lube, the summer's hidden gem in Snowpiercer, and get used to a Purge every year. ► Oh AMC, be better than this. Rather than wait for Mad Men’s entire seventh and final season to end, here we go with another ‘half season’ boxed set. Mind you, these are seven excellent episodes, as the show’s end game finds Don...

After seven seasons, the battles between vampires and humans in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps came to an end with the series finale of True Blood. For many fans of the show, it’s been difficult to say goodbye, but a return to the vampiric community is possible with HBO’s upcoming release of True Blood: The Complete Series and True Blood: The Complete Seventh Season to Blu-ray and DVD.

HBO will release both True Blood: The Complete Series and True Blood: The Complete Seventh Season to home media on November 11th. The Complete Series Blu-ray box set can be purchased for $299.99, complete with 33 discs and all previously released bonus features from past seasons, including 40 audio commentaries.

The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray will include behind-the-scenes bonus features of the bittersweet last days during the show’s 10-episode final season. We have the official press...

A month after its launch, Rooster Teeth's first ever Indiegogo campaign has closed, and it has brought home a record-breaking amount. The project, which raised money to fund a feature film called Lazer Team, ended up hauling in $2,480,421, making it the most funded film campaign in Indiegogo history. The Lazer Team campaign began on June 6th and roared out of the gate. It met its initial $650,000 goal in just ten hours, but that did not slow it down. The campaign passed $1,000,000 a few days later and trumped Wil Wheaton's TableTop campaign (which had previously served as the most-backed Indiegogo campaign related to web video) soon after that. The final days of the Lazer Team campaign coincided with Rooster Teeth's annual Rtx convention, where co-founder Burnie Burns and Gus Sorola (pictured above) were able to rally their troops for one final push. Ultimately, the $2.4 million total broke the record for...

The sun set on Californication last night, after seven years of drug orgies and actual orgies. And finally, David Duchovny's character – the Bukowskian author Hank Moody, who took part in hilarious Dionysian fetes that would've made even Fellini wince – has gotten the bittersweet ending he deserved.

From his evolution as a well-intentioned screw-up, unwittingly entwined in an affair with a 16-year-old as he tried to win over his baby-mama Karen in Season One, to (spoiler) navigating a relationship with...

By Terence Johnson

Managing Editor

The Oscar race is never a dull one and that couldn’t be any more apparent than in the race for Best Foreign Language film. This year is certainly shaping up to be a battle of David vs. Goliath if you looked at the histories of the countries competing. In one corner, you have Italy, with a whopping 12 wins in this category, facing off with a country like Cambodia, with no Oscar nominations. But such is the beauty of the awards season and the Oscars. So before the nominations come out, here’s an Oscar primer to get you caught up on the Foreign Language films.

Belgium – 2013 Nominee: The Broken Circle Breakdown

Logline/Synopsis: Elise and Didier fall in love at first sight, in spite of their differences. He talks, she listens. He’s a romantic atheist, she’s a religious realist. When their daughter becomes seriously ill,...

The final days of the 2002-03 TV season featured the series finales of "Dawson's Creek" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," two of the biggest and most loved teen dramas of the late '90s and early aughts.

"Gilmore Girls" and "Smallville" were up and running for The WB, and "Everwood" had wrapped its first season, but it looked as though teen dramas -- which had helped fuel the rise of Fox a decade or so earlier and were keeping The WB alive at the time -- were on the wane.

Then on Aug. 5, 2003 -- 10 years ago Monday -- Fox unveiled "The O.C." A phenomenon was born almost from the first notes of Phantom Planet's "California," and the show would, in terms of ratings numbers, become the biggest teen drama since the heyday of "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Pics: Teen drama stars: Where are they now?

Four years later it was gone,...

Kelly Richardson's latest work, which opens at Spanish City on the North Sea coast at Whitley Bay today, uses data sent by satellite to create a dramatic reconstruction of the surface of Mars

Kelly Richardson's latest work Mariner 9, which opens at Spanish City on the Whitley Bay coast today, uses data sent by satellite to create a dramatic reconstruction of the surface of Mars.

Kelly, who is originally from Ontario, now lives in Whitley Bay, so it is a particularly appropriate place to host the world premiere of Mariner 9. The work, on a 12 metre long screen, shows the desert-like surface of the planet as the artist imagines it might look in a few hundred years, after a battle has taken place, with the detritus of abandoned space ships scattered over the surface of Mars. The artist has taken Nasa's own imagery and technical data to help recreate the arid Martian landscape,...

It’s a great day for Doctor Who fans everywhere! First we received the fantastic news that former Doctor Christopher Eccleston, would be the villain in Thor: The Dark World. Now, thanks to the BBC, we have the the long anticipated trailer for the show’s upcoming series accompanied by a great promo image (pictured above).

With Comic-Con appearances, casting news, and even a teaser trailer back in March, the show has kept itself relevant in the minds of fans everywhere throughout the year. It was also announced that a new companion would be introduced halfway through the series, though we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see her in action as the second half of the series won’t air until 2013.

Accompanied by Murray Gold’s great score, the new trailer features a whole collection of Daleks, dinosaurs on a spaceship, New York City, Weeping Angels, cyborg cowboys and plenty of running.

This week on the new releases shelf at your neighborhood comics shop: Supervillainy goes abroad; Proof that genre-bending still exists; Marc Spector’s last stand; The final days of the Gcpd.

Supercrooks #2–Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (for what I’m certain is not the final time): Mark Millar is a good comic-book writer, no matter what anybody might think about him otherwise. Millar has made no bones about the fact that he uses his comics as springboards into Hollywood and also the fact that he is a very talented writer indeed. This continues to ruffle the feathers of a lot of us purists in the comics community, but again as I’ve said before, a) I don’t have to watch any of his crappy movies, and b) as long as the guy backs up his claims to quality writing, he...

In less than a month the SXSW Film Festival will kick off (Friday, March 9, to be exact), and the line-up keeps getting better and better. The festival has announced some exciting additions to their already-stellar line-up including the Sundance hits Safety Not Guaranteed, Searching for Sugar Man, Chasing Ice, Shut Up and Play the Hits, Sleepwalk with Me along with the world premiere of Steve Taylor‘s Blue Like Jazz, and Todd Rohal‘s Nature Calls. They have also added the Oscar nominated Montreal film Monsieur Lazhar which we have championed since its World Premiere at Tiff.

You can find the lineup of today’s film announcements below, and check the entire schedule, complete with both screening and conference dates and times, at www.sxsw.com/film.

Narrative Spotlight

Blue Like Jazz

Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson

A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of...

After a few announcements, the 2012 South by Southwest Film Festival has firmed up their schedule, adding a number of notable films including a few we saw at Sundance. Among them include the LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits (review here), Mike Birbiglia‘s Sleepwalk With Me (review here) and Safety Not Guaranteed (review here) starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. Also jumping out as one of my most-anticipated is Todd Rohal‘s The Catechism Cataclysm follow-up Nature Calls, with Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville and Rob Riggle. Check them all out below for the festival kicking off March 9th.

Narrative Spotlight

Blue Like Jazz

Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson

A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.

Zap2it went to the set of "Chuck" during its final days of filming in December. As we count down to the Jan. 27 series finale, we'll be running interviews from that final set visit all this week. First up: two-thirds of the show's core spy team, Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin.

The final days of shooting on "Chuck" brought out a lot of emotions in the show's cast. Most of the cast, anyway.

"I can't stop crying. I cried every day, this whole month," Yvonne Strahovski says. "I've just been crying every single day. I'm going to cry now. It's horrible. I cried yesterday when I did my last fight scene ever."

Adam Baldwin, however, was remaining true to his stoic character of John Casey -- at least in front of a gaggle of reporters.

"Casey doesn't cry. I think Casey goes out with a bang, or so I've been told,...

Joe Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more games than anyone in major college football, died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 85.

Paterno had been hospitalized since January 13, stemming from complications to the cancer treatments.

His family released a statement, "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded...

Usually I’m quite cynical about end-of-year lists, as they demand a forced encapsulation of an arbitrary block of time that is not yet over into something simplified. I typically find end-of-year lists fun, but rarely useful. But 2011 is different. As Scott Tobias pointed out, while “quiet,” this was a surprisingly strong year for interesting and risk-taking films. What’s most interesting has been the variety: barely anything has emerged as a leading contender that tops either critics’ lists or dominates awards buzz. Quite honestly, at the end of 2010 I struggled to find compelling topics, trends, and events to define the year in cinema. The final days of 2011 brought a quite opposite struggle, for this year’s surprising glut of interesting and disparate films spoke to one another in a way that makes it difficult to isolate any of the year’s significant works. Arguments in the critical community actually led to insightful points as they addressed...

The Doctor will be getting a new friend soon.

Doctor Who‘s current companion Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) and her hubby, Rory (Arthur Darvill, far right), will not be returning to the British sci-fi series after the next season, executive producer Steven Moffat announced Thursday at a London press screening.

BBC America Sets Date for Ab Fab Special

“The final days of the Ponds are coming during the next series,” said Moffat, according to the show’s official Twitter feed. “Then The Doctor will meet a new friend.”

Moffat also hinted that Amy and Rory’s daughter River...

Doctor Who stars Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are to leave the hit sci-fi show during the next series, it has been announced tonight.

Karen, who plays Amy Pond, and Arthur, who plays screen husband Rory Williams, will be written out in a "heartbreaking" storyline, show boss Steven Moffat revealed.

A new companion for The Doctor is being lined up, but producers have so far given no clues about their identity.

He added: "That story is going to be a heartbreaking one."

Scottish actress Karen, who will soon be seen in a BBC drama as model Jean Shrimpton, has had a starring role for two series and has become hugely popular.

Moffatt said tonight: "The final days of the Ponds are coming. It's during the next series. I'm not telling you when and I'm not telling you how."

He said The Doctor would be "taking a new friend", adding: "I'm...

Doctor Who stars Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will be leaving the show during the next series, it has been confirmed. The actors will depart their roles as The Doctor's companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams midway through the show's seventh run in 2012 in what was described as a "heartbreaking end". Showrunner Steven Moffat confirmed at a press screening that Matt Smith's Time Lord will then be joined by "a new friend", who has yet to be cast. "The final days of the Ponds are coming during the next series," he said. "I'm not telling you when or how, but that story is going to come to a heartbreaking end... Then The Doctor will meet a new friend." Moffat added that he believes River Song (Alex Kingston) will make a return appearance, though it is unknown if the character will be (more)...

(As our editor Matt Holmes turns 25 today, he’s out of office and we are going to re-publish some old favourites.)

With the frustrating news breaking last week that Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness (based on an H.P. Lovecraft story) is ‘dead’, I began thinking about some of the other potentially great projects that audiences were tragically destined to never see. From further research it’s clear that the major directors that have worked within the industry have abandoned vast numbers of productions that would have easily been big money makers and both critical and financial successes. Indeed, filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Orson Welles have abandoned dozens of projects, even after beginning production on some of them!

Read on to discover the ten unrealised features that we’d love to have seen completed…

10. George Sluizer’S Dark Blood

George Sluizer’s...

After seven seasons with the Rescue Me "boys club," Callie Thorne says she can more than hold her own with the guys. "I developed my own truck driver mouth," the actress tells People with a laugh. But when the cast filmed the final season - which will air Wednesdays (10 p.m. Et) on FX - the gang of tough guys softened up. "The final days of Rescue Me were terrible," she says. "There were a lot of tears. Especially when people heard, 'That's a series wrap on Denis Leary.' A lot of the guys got really choked up." Even...

The final days of March proved busy for the stage world. Bret Michaels filed suit against the Tonys and CBS for the head injury he suffered during a Rock of Ages-inspired performance at the 2009 awards show. Stephen King and John Mellencamp’s musical collaboration, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, got an Atlanta premiere date in April 2012. Brothers & Sisters’ Luke Macfarlane joined Broadway’s The Normal Heart; Jon Hamm and girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt signed up to star in the L.A. production of Three Sisters; and Brooke Shields announced she’ll step in for the departing Bebe Neuwirth as The Addams Family’s Morticia in June.

With the frustrating news breaking last weak that Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness (based on an H.P. Lovecraft story) is ‘dead’, I began thinking about some of the other potentially great projects that audiences were tragically destined to never see. From further research it’s clear that the major directors that have worked within the industry have abandoned vast numbers of productions that would have easily been big money makers and both critical and financial successes. Indeed, filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch and Orson Welles have abandoned dozens of projects, even after beginning production on some of them!

Read on to discover the ten unrealised features that we’d love to have seen completed…

10. George Sluizer’S Dark Blood

George Sluizer’s Dark Blood starred River Phoenix as Boy, a widower who lives as a hermit on a nuclear testing site. In this tale of a dystopian future,...

Carl Bernstein reports on what is driving U.S. diplomats' efforts to put together-by Monday it is hoped-a plan that would leave Mubarak in place as a temporary, powerless, de facto head of state. Plus, full coverage of the Egypt protests.

For the past week, a series of realities unstated by the White House or the State Department has driven American diplomacy dealing with the momentous events in Egypt, according to high-level sources familiar with the process.

Related story on The Daily Beast: Egyptians Rejoice in Tahrir Square

First and foremost, the United States-in concert increasingly with other governments-is seeking an immediate transition to democratic pluralism and procedures that, simultaneously, will prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from overwhelming or co-opting the process to become the dominant political force in Egypt's post-Mubarak future.

To accomplish this, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, while sympathetic to the desire of Egyptian democratic...

More than a year after King of Pop Michael Jackson passed away, conspiracy theories about the legend’s demise continue to crop up. Yet another shocking revelation about the circumstances that may have lead to Mj’s death comes on the show Michael Jackson — The Final Days, which airs on CNN International at 5.30 pm today.According to the contract between Michael and Aeg, the promoters of the concert he was preparing for when he passed away, Mj was to perform 50 concerts at the 02 center in London over a nine month period. And although Mj himself ...

One year after Michael Jackson's death, CNN takes a revealing behind-the-scenes look at the King of Pop's personal life in the documentary "Michael Jackson: The Final Days," airing tonight at 8pm. In a touching tribute, CNN anchor Don lemon attempts to retrace Mj's last steps -- from dancing with his long-time choreographer Travis Payne days before his death, to returning to his rented mansion after hours-long rehearsals, where he would later collapse and die... Here's what you had to say: Terrie commented via Facebook: "Still hard to believe he's gone. And gone way too soon." Patricia wrote via Facebook: "I really enjoyed Michael's music. Like most, I grew up with him, dreamed of marrying either Michael or Jermaine."...

Filed under: TV Previews

Here's tonight's lineup of new shows and events (all times Eastern). Check your local TV listings for additional information.

* = Series/Season Premiere

** = Series/Season Finale

A mixed bag of scripted drama, a made-for-tv Disney movie, and wife swapping make for an interesting evening.

8:00 to 9:00

ABC: 'Wife Swap'

Mnt: 'WWE Friday Night SmackDown!' -- Two hours

NBC: 'Friday Night Lights'

PBS: 'Washington Week With Gwen Ifill' and 'Need to Know'

CNN: 'Michael Jackson: The Final Days'

Disney: '16 Wishes' -- Starring Debbie Ryan ('Suite Life on Deck') as a girl whose 16 birthday wishes come true

ESPN2: '2010 Espy's Nomination Special'

Hgtv: 'The Outdoor Room With Jamie Durie'

The rest of the schedule, and the late night talk shows, after the jump.

 

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Tomorrow, June 25, marks the anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death. In addition to the mass moonwalks that undoubtedly will pop up all over the globe, TV networks are scrambling to provide coverage for still-grieving fans of the fallen King of Pop. Aside from the reverent tribute specials — including the Bet Awards, which will honor Jackson this Sunday — there will be video countdowns, tours of Neverland Ranch, and documentaries on the Jackson family. For those still interested in the tabloid-fodder side of Mj’s life, never fear: Specials on his entourage, children, and several docs on the conspiracy theories surrounding his death are also airing.

Ordinarily I like to collect series in the order of broadcast. Classic Dr. Who is a nightmare to do this way unless you get everything from overseas (and even then it's a chore to find it all). But the new series has enjoyed a nice steady run of releases that bring the home viewer steadily up to date through all the various incarnations of the Doc over the last few years. This collection of specials is nice in that it indeed collects not only the specials but over seven hours of extras, much of it never available before. The Bluray is the obvious choice but the DVD is identical (another nice touch) for those who need to go that route. 

Content on this set breaks down as follows: Disc 1: The Next Doctor, Disc 2: Planet of the Dead, Disc 3: The Waters of Mars, Discs 4-5: The End of Time,...