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Exclusive: HBO and British broadcaster Channel 4 are exploring the world of Islamic terrorism with their latest feature doc about controversial extremist Jihadi John.

The two companies have commissioned a high-end doc from Jane Root’s production company Nutopia and director Anthony Wonke, who has made films including Syria: Children on the Frontline and Ronaldo.

It is the latest project between the WarnerMedia-owned network and C4 and comes ahead of the launch of controversial Michael Jackson doc Leaving Neverland. The two have previously worked on a number of films including 2012’s The Battle for Marjah, about a platoon of marines in Afghanistan, directed by Wonke.

HBO will air the film in the U.S. as Unmasking Jihadi John: Anatomy of a Terrorist, while C4 will launch the series later this year as The Hunt for Jihadi John.

Jihadi John, also known as Mohammed Emwazi, was one of the most...

Many celebrities are reacting with shock and disdain to reports that President Donald Trump plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, a joint effort among nearly 200 nations to combat global warming.

The agreement – which was negotiated by former President Barack Obama two years ago – was a focus of Trump’s campaign, with the longtime businessman arguing that it was a burden on U.S. consumers and energy producers.

Stars and politicians alike turned to Twitter to express concern over abandoning the agreement, with Chelsea Handler writing, “Yeah, who cares about climate change? Only every single person with a child.

Colin Farrell is returning to TV with a starring role in Amazon’s new limited series about the Iran-Contra affair, TheWrap has learned. Farrell will play former U.S. marine Oliver North, who was integral in the 1980s scandal involving sales of U.S. weapons to Iran through back channels and profits being distributed to Contras in Nicaragua. “The Lobster” director Yorgos Lanthimos is reteaming with Farrell on the project. Enzo Mileti and Scott Wilson are writing the script. Also Read: Colin Farrell Held Hostage by Southern Belles in Sofia Coppola's 'Beguiled' Remake (Video) “Great projects can stand out for the filmmaker,...

Calm down, everybody; Richard Simmons is still a man. A spokesman for the fitness guru has shot down a National Enquirer report that Simmons has transitioned into a woman, calling the report a “complete fabrication.” “It’s a complete fabrication and not true,” Simmons’ publicist, Tom Estey, told TheWrap on Wednesday. Also Read: Richard Simmons Says He's Not Being Held Hostage in His Own Home The National Enquirer report, released Wednesday, claims that Simmons underwent “two years of secret surgeries,” receiving breast implants and hormones. The Enquirer claims that Simmons is “sparing no expense to make the transformation complete!” The tabloid quotes a source as.

This is something of a departure from the stuff we usually cover, but being kidnapped by extremist terrorists is undoubtedly one of the most terrifying experiences that anyone can go through in today’s world. The upcoming Year in Captivity (Indiegogo)… Continue Reading →

The post Year in Captivity Explores the Horrors of Being Held Hostage by Extremist Militants appeared first on Dread Central.

Another project from the illustrious Annapurna Pictures in development. An official press release sent out announces that Annapurna is developing an adaptation of NY Times bestseller A House in the Sky by co-authors Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett. The project will star Oscar nominated actress Rooney Mara (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Side Effects, Her) as Amanda Lindhout, who was abducted in 2008 in Mogadishu, Somalia by a rebel terrorist group. Annapurna's Megan Ellison will produce the film about Lindhout's 15 months in captivity. No writer or director are officially named in the press release, so we're not sure who else is involved yet. It looks as if they're going out to find the right people now. Synopsis of A House in the Sky from Amazon adds: Held hostage for 460 days, Amanda converts to Islam as a survival tactic,...

Ever since her transformative performance in David Fincher’s amazing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo adaptation, Rooney Mara has been highly in-demand. She’s had her pick of projects over the past few years, appearing in such great films as David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects and Spike Jonze’s Her. Mara’s upcoming schedule looks equally promising – she’s got Stephen Daldry’s Trash, a Terrence Malick film, Todd Haynes’ romantic drama Carol and Joe Wright’s blockbuster Pan on the way. Now, the actress has joined another exciting project – Annapurna Pictures’ memoir adaptation A House in the Sky.

Mara will star in and produce the adaptation, based on Amanda Linhout’s account of the ordeal she underwent after being abducted by a rebel terrorist group whilst exploring Somalia in 2008. Amazon’s synopsis for the book reads as follows:

As a child,...

Review Rachael Kates 30 Jan 2014 - 07:29

Beauty and the Beast's second season takes a rare misstep. Here's Rachael's review...

This review contains spoilers.

2.11 Held Hostage

The term “You can't win ‘em all” is what comes to mind with this episode of Beauty and the Beast, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Literally, this was not a winner. Although in eleven episodes to have only one leave a bad taste in my mouth is a good run. It’s a very bad taste, though. That was not the worst hostage situation episodes I’ve ever seen but it was in the top five. If you can’t do that type of thing with razor precision, don’t do it. Just don’t. There is a reason Dog Day Afternoon is a classic, and it's because that type of scenario is hard to execute. I was happy...

Halfway through Season 2, "Beauty and the Beast" seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis. This is not uncommon, but it is a little troubling for a show that used to have a clear focus. So what's going on?

The source of confusion is simple: Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent (Jay Ryan) have a relationship that is, by its very nature, at the center of "Beauty and the Beast." Unfortunately, television rules dictate that this relationship can never run smoothly. But Cat and Vincent have already done the star-crossed lovers thing and the secretly-dating thing and the disappeared-beloved thing and even the amnesia thing.

What's left? The answer seems to be the dating-other-people-and-distracting-everyone-with-a-new-plot thing. As this extreme hyphenation indicates, this isn't the simplest solution for any show.

After the "Held Hostage" episode of "Beauty and the Beast," we have Vincent dating Tori and Cat semi-dating Gabe. The Vincent-Tori...

New Beauty And The Beast season 2,episode 11 intense spoilers & clips hit the net. Last night, CW released the new spoilers and sneak peek/spoiler clip (below) for their upcoming "Beauty And The Beast" episode 11 of season 2. The episode is entitled, "Held Hostage," and it appears to be very intense and drama-filled as Catherine and Tori finally fight it out over Vincent, and more! In the new "Held Hostage" episode, Catherine,Tori, and Tess will end up, getting taken hostage. A group of criminals looking to steal a rare necklace in Tori's possession, will take Catherine, Tori and Tess hostage at the precinct, leaving Vincent to be their only hope for a happy outcome. However, Vincent will be forced to make a very tough decision ,since helping them, could reveal his true identity to the whole force. Sendhil Ramamurthy, Nina Lisandrello ,and Austin Basis will also make appearances in the episode.

New Beauty And The Beast season 2,episode 11 official spoilers,plotline revealed by CW. Recently, CW released the new,official,synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "The Beauty And The Beast" episode 11 of season 2. The episode is entitled, "Held Hostage," and it sounds like things will get very interesting and extremely intense as Catherine,Tori,and Tess all get kidnapped, Vincent has to rescue them, and more! In the new,11th episode press release: Cat,Tori, and Tess are going to be taken hostage. A group of criminals looking to steal a rare necklace in Tori's (guest star Amber Skye Noyes) possession, are going to take Catherine, Tori and Tess hostage at the precinct, leaving Vincent as their only hope for help. Vincent will be forced to make a decision since helping could reveal his true identity to the entire force. Sendhil Ramamurthy, Nina Lisandrello ,and Austin Basis will also appear in the episode.

So terrifying! Three ‘deeply traumatized’ women that were held as slaves in a London home for at least 30 years have thankfully been rescued from horrible conditions by police. Read on for more details on their condition!

A documentary on forced marriages connected to to an anti-violence organization, Freedom Charity, inspired one of the women in servitude to call the charity for help. The call lead to the women’s captors’ arrests on Nov. 21 in Lambeth, a district within London, after the women were rescued weeks before.

Three Women Held As Slaves For 30 Years Three Women Held Hostage In London For 30 Years: Women Were Kept As Slaves

Aneeta Prem, founder of the Freedom Charity, said the three women, a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman, and a 30-year-old British woman, wanted to contact the charity after they saw her on the emotional TV program.

“It was very difficult for them,...

With the federal government shutdown until further notice, Stephen Colbert stepped up to lead our country as Erlord of the Afterscape, complete with animal fur shrug and a skull-topped scepter. “Bow before me! Bring me tributes of sheep and unsoiled daughters!” he commanded. “I also accept Visa.” Colbert said he could do what thousands of federal government employees currently cannot, becoming the Fda (he tried a few of stage manager Brenda’s birth control pills to test them out. Also read: ‘Breaking Bad’ Creator Vince Gilligan Held Hostage by Stephen Colbert (Video) He was even able to replace the much-loved National Zoo Panda cam.

Charlie Rose made an appearance on the penultimate episode of “Breaking Bad,” and on Tuesday morning it was time for “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan to return the favor. Gilligan, who apparently was able to escape Stephen Colbert’s clutches Monday popped in on “CBS This Morning” to talk about the hit AMC meth drama — and particularly Rose’s cameo. Also read: ‘Breaking Bad’ Creator Vince Gilligan Held Hostage by Stephen Colbert (Video) (On the series, veteran interviewer Rose played host to Walter White’s former Gray Matter partners Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz, who downplayed White’s involvement in the company,...

★★☆☆☆ Stunt coordinator turned director David Barrett's debut feature Fire with Fire (2012) sees Josh Duhamel star as orphaned firefighter Jeremy Coleman and Bruce Willis ring one in as protective police officer Mike Cella. What promises to be a 'hot' revenge thriller begins when Coleman finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Held hostage by expat hard-nut Boyd (Vinnie Jones), Coleman is brutally exposed to the murder of a convenience store owner and his teenage son. After escaping, Coleman makes a run for it leaving gang leader David Hagan (Vincent D'Onofrio) and his dangerous accomplices hot on his heels.

When the killer makes bail, Cella (Willis) advises Coleman to enrol in the witness protection programme. He quickly leaves town, so that he can testify against the man who's been a longtime target of the authorities. Whilst hiding out in New Orleans, the witness falls in love with agent Talia...

Ethan, 5, is laughing and talking as he’s reunited with his mother during a cautionary overnight stay at the hospital. The FBI shot dead the survivalist captor who held the boy hostage in his Alabama bunker on Feb. 4.

The five-year-old boy held hostage in an underground bunker for a week has been reunited with his mother! Ethan, spent his first night of freedom in the hospital, where he’s being held for observation, but he’s playing, eating, laughing and joking around with his favorite toy dinosaur.

Sheriff Wally Olson said, “[Ethan is] a very special child who’s endured a lot and by the grace of God he’s okay. It is a relief to reunite a mother with her child.”

Ethan’s reunion with his mother took place at Flowers Hospital in Dothan, Alabama, where Ethan was taken following his rescue. He arrived sitting up in a stretcher — a good...

In a tragic ending to a horrifying ordeal, the little Alabama boy, Ethan, was freed from the underground bunker where he was being held hostage by Vietnam War veteran Jimmy Lee Dykes. The assailant, however, is dead — read on for more details.

After a six-day standoff, the Midland City, Ala. boy who was taken off of his school bus on Jan. 29 and held captive in an underground shelter has been safely released, but his kidnapper, Jimmy Lee Dykes, is now dead.

The child, 5-year-old Ethan, was spotted emerging from the underground bunker safely and appeared to be Ok, officials tell CNN. Ethan was taken to a hospital in nearby Dothan, Alabama state Rep. Steve Clouse tells CNN.

Steve Richardson, FBI FBI Special Agent in Charge at the scene, said that the kidnapper was “observed holding a gun,” according to CNN. The FBI team thought little Ethan was in immediate danger,...

A crazed gunman charged a school bus full of children on Jan. 29, and kidnapped an innocent boy, 6. The shooter killed the driver, and then fled with the boy to an underground bomb shelter where he is still holding him hostage.

An Alabama school bus full of children was attacked on Jan. 29 on its way home from school when an armed man stormed the vehicle and screamed at the kids to get off. He then grabbed a little boy, and shot the bus driver four times before fleeing with the 6-year-old.

The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., was killed trying to save the boy. As of Jan. 30, the gunman is keeping the boy hostage in an underground bunker — and authorities are trying desperately to release the boy to safety.

Gunman Charges School Bus In The Middle Of The Afternoon

The incident started on Jan. 29 near a church in Midland City,...

Hands up: who actually thought It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia could pull off a bottle episode? While the show’s economic storytelling usually keeps the adventures contained to only a handful of sets, “The Gang Gets Analyzed” takes place almost entirely in a psychiatrist’s office. What’s more interesting, is that squishing everyone into one place for 20 minutes doesn’t require an elaborate setup; “The Gang Gets Held Hostage” and “Who Got Sweet Dee Pregnant” both took place within the confines of the bar, but relied on direct parody, or a unique framing device to carry the story. While having each member get there own individual segment might seem uncharacteristic, it’s a smart way of giving the characters their own plot the same way they do every week, just without cutting to a different location.

Because the season has delved into weirdness so wholeheartedly, “The Gang Gets...

HFPA: Our Rights Are Being Held Hostage Freelance journalist Dominic Patten is covering the trial for Deadline. It looks like it’s going to be awhile before there’s a decision in the trial between the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions over TV rights to the Golden Globes. In an order issued late Friday afternoon, Judge A. Howard Matz has reset the start clock to at least February 28. And as a source close to the case told Deadline, “This could take 30 or 60 days, so expect to see a decision by no earlier than late March or early April.” One week after closing arguments ended, the judge in the two-week long non-jury case issued a one-page order asking the plaintiffs and the defendants for a revised Proposed Findings of Fact. The judge ordered “the parties to supplement their previously lodged Proposed Findings of Fact by providing specific, concrete support from the trial record.

Directed By: C.M. Downs

Written by: Trent Haaga, C.M. Downs

Starring: Ashlynn Yennie

There are few things in life that I hate more than really shitty and lazy movies. But perhaps more aggravating than a really shitty movie is trying to figure out how on earth these really shitty movies get funded and distributed. I don't get it! Did someone give Satan a blow job? Are people working the streets? Why doesn't the world make sense anymore? In case you are wondering, yes American Maniacs is a really shitty film.

In a small town in Kansas, six members of an evangelical Christian group are kidnapped by a psychotic group of ex-cons, perverted cops and murderers. Held hostage for the sadistic pleasure of their tormentors, the victims slowly begin to realize that outside help will not be back to save them from their twisted tormentors and there's no hope of survival.

by Brian Phares

After hearing that Jason Statham may be a possible replacement for Shia Labeouf as the lead in a fourth installment in the "Transformers" franchise, my mind began to race with awesome plot possibilities. Below are the first five that came to mind. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments section.

Jason Statham as... Optimus Prime?

Yes, that’s right. In some bizarre twist of fate, the Autobots have discovered a new technology allowing them to transform into humans, T-1000 style. First in line to try this new technology? Optimus Prime. Who does he decide to transform into? You guessed it. Because other than Optimus, who on this planet is more badass than Jason Statham?

The Transphormer (a very, very soft H)

Jason Statham is once again Frank Martin, going about his business being a ridiculous driver/transporter of illegal wares, when he finds himself asked...

Apparently I have permission to talk about myself again, for a while I was getting comments on any intros that related to me that were basically "shut up and tell me more about TV" which, ok, but it doesn't change week to week that much. Have you ever tried to write about exactly the same thing week after week after week? It's a little rough, so I'm glad there are some of you out there willing to forgive if I lapse into an anecdote now and then instead of another rehashing of why television is depressing me That night. So! In things which are unrelated to TV but are related to me, some of you may recall that our lovely Lady of the Links posted an item about a contest to pick people to be a part of the American Gods audio book yesterday in Pajiba Love. I entered. You...

Bloody Disgusting got word that Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport (Parasomnia) and Natasha Calis (Held Hostage) have been cast alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Losers, Watchmen, Jonah Hex, The Resident) in Lionsgate's horror thriller Dibbuk Box, with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert producing via their Ghost House Pictures shingle. Danish director Ole Bornedal (Just Another Love Story, The Substitute) is directing from a script -- inspired by true events -- by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White (Boogeyman, Knowing, Poltergeist). In theaters October 28, Morgan will star as a recently divorced father whose youngest daughter becomes strangely connected to an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. As his daughter's behavior becomes more erratic, the father senses a dark presence building until he discovers that the box was built to contain a dibbuk -- a dislocated spirit that inhabits and ultimately devours its human host.

If it were not for the sappy, message-laden ending, "Held Hostage" would have been quite the spectacular thriller. After all, the movie hits the ground running with an action-packed first act that draws you into the story followed by a second act that knows how to tug on your emotions. However, the third act threatens to destroy everything, first by abruptly disregarding many of those aforementioned emotional tugs, then by cheapening the experience with a moral. Based on victims' advocate Michelle Renee's memoir of the same title, "Held Hostage" stars Julie Benz...

Yesterday, the nominees for the 2010 Leo Awards were announced. The objective of this award is to celebrate all the things that have been done in the film and television industry of the Prairies and the province British Columbia along with people who are based in these regions. Furthermore, foreign TV series and films that are produced in Canada's West are also included in the party. Obviously, this is not the full list of nominees. In fact, this is the presentation of the nominees for dramatic TV series, feature films, comedy series and web series.

Feature Length Drama

Best Feature Length Drama:

* A Shine Of Rainbows

* Alice

* Cole

* Excited

* The Thaw

Best Direction in a Feature Length Drama:

* Vic Sarin - A Shine Of Rainbows

* Carl Bessai - Cole

* Bruce Sweeney - Excited

* Mark A. Lewis - The Thaw

Best Screenwriting in a Feature Length Drama:

* Vic Sarin, Chatherine Spear and...