News

NBC is beefing up its unscripted programming slate with the new Ellen's Game of Games TV show. The comedic reality TV series competition is hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and features games from her daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Can DeGeneres and her whimsical brand of fun win the primetime ratings game? Will Ellen's Game of Games be cancelled or renewed for season two? Stay tuned. A game show as the title suggests, Ellen's Game of Games selects competitors right from the audience for a potential four rounds and the chance to win cash prizes. They try their hands at “Blindfolded Musical Chairs,” “Dizzy Dash,” and “Scary Go Round,” as well as other contests. To advance to play “Know or Go,” a player must win in a given round. The one who makes it all the way to...

Rock star Tom Petty, who died Monday at 66, left behind a legacy of songs that reached inside and stirred the soul with a combination of frustration, wistfulness, rebellion, cynicism, elation, and restlessness. But Petty also might be remembered for some of the most iconic music videos of the 1980s — the heyday of MTV and VH1 as TV jukeboxes.

Petty’s landmark work included 1985’s psychedelic “Don’t Come Around Here No More, and The Atlantic digs in pretty deep into the backstory to how the song and video came about, which was inspired by an encounter between the Eurythmic’s Dave Stewart and Stevie Nicks.

Read More:Tom Petty Has Died at 66

Jeff Stein, who was also behind the equally trippy Cars video “You Might Think’ and Heart’s “These Dreams,” directed “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” The video was nominated for several awards at the 2nd annual...

We really can’t have enough political comedies to infuse some laughter into the current cultural climate, and with “Veep” done for the season (and soon gone for good) the necessity for a replacement is dire. Fortunately, Epix’s original comedy “Graves” is coming back for Season 2 next month, and it’s ready to satisfy our satiric withdrawals.

Golden Globe nominee Nick Nolte returns as former president Richard Graves, who’s presidential legacy is put to question when he looks back at how his decisions might have negatively affected the country 25 years after the end of his administration. His performance during the first season garnered Nolte a nod from the HFPA for Best Leading Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy).

Read More:‘Graves’ Review: Nick Nolte Tries to Save the Republican Party in a Political Comedy with Presidential Potential

The official Season 2 synopsis provided by Epix reads as...

“Get Shorty” might be about Hollywood, but is it a satire? Star Chris O’Dowd thinks so.

“Poking fun at truth is satire,” he said. “Us trying to extricate those things that we find ridiculous about Hollywood and putting them on film satirizes it. But we don’t have to fake it.”

The Epix original drama, the first three episodes of which can be watched online now, is “inspired by” the Elmore Leonard novel and subsequent Barry Sonnenfeld film. But, a la “Fargo,” the show has put its own spin on the material, creating the character of Miles (O’Dowd), a gangster who decides to pursue a new path in life after getting a taste of the Hollywood scene.

Read More‘Get Shorty’ Trailer: Chris O’Dowd and Ray Romano Star in New Epix Dark Comedy

It’s an area that O’Dowd thinks has a lot of potential. “There...

If you were hooked on “Fleabag,” one of the more striking British TV imports in the streaming era, odds are good it happened the first time Phoebe Waller-Bridge stared right into camera. As much as that stylistic choice came to cement Waller-Bridge’s unique connection with audiences in her home country and abroad, there was no guarantee that Fleabag’s instantly iconic fourth-wall moments would stick around.

“I always told myself the rule I had was that she only needed the camera there because she was constantly on the verge of needing to confess,” Waller-Bridge said of the character she writes and performs herself.

Confess what, exactly? Well, Season 1 of the Amazon series ends with Fleabag acknowledging an unexpected role she played in driving her best friend Boo to suicide.

“That was such a defining part of the show, looking at the camera, but I can’t bring myself, even as an actor,...

Ten talented acts (and also Tape Face) remained at the top of Wednesday’s America’s Got Talent season finale, but by the end of the stressful two-hour event, only one remained.

PhotosBest & Worst New Shows: The TVLine Staff Share Its Picks… and Passes

And what an event it was! Sal Valentinetti looked like he was having a great time up there with the cast of Jersey Boys; Tape Face coerced his fellow contestants into the most unsettling game of Musical Chairs I’ve ever seen; Brian Justin Crum reminded us all what a talented “Creep” he can be; Laura Bretan,...

The phrase “working actress” takes on a new dimension when discussing Tatiana Maslany. As the star of USA’s “Orphan Black,” Maslany plays her not only her character, but up to nine clones of her at a time. So imagine her relief to shoot the indie drama “The Other Half,” which premiered in SXSW’s 2016 film block. Maslany and her real-life partner, Tom Cullen, star as a bi-polar woman and a long-grieving, self-destructive man who attempt a normal life. Also Read: Watch Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs and Mike Birbiglia Play Musical Chairs (Video) The actors and their director Joey Klein visited TheWrap’s Austin,...

This weekend, all eyes will be glued to HBO when the fifth season of "Game Of Thrones" debuts. But for the kids out there who are swept off to bed so Mom and Dad can watch the very adult fantasy show, and who are wondering what the fuss is about, "Sesame Street" has got you covered. Read More: 'Game Of Thrones' Showrunner Says Show May End Up Spoiling George R. R. Martin's Upcoming Book The show has dropped another excellent parody with "Game Of Chairs." The concept is pretty simple, with Grover Aka Grover Bluejoy learning how to play Musical Chairs. And this is terrific, funny stuff with little nods to the HBO show, and nice sight gags like the Iron Throne being made out of golf clubs and golf balls. Check it out below.  ...

A choking Joffrey joke? A fire-breathing Muppet? “The monster is blue and full of errors”? Sesame Street‘s latest parody truly reigns supreme over all others.

VideosGame of Thrones Season 5: Jon Lobbies Mance, Tyrion Talks War — Plus: Sand Snake Pics and More

With less than a week before Game of Thrones‘ Season 5 premiere, the HBO series has been given the spoof treatment, like so many other age-inappropriate dramas before it. Presenting: Game of Chairs.

Posted Monday, the six-minute video stars Grover as “Grover Bluejoy,” who attempts to explain the rules of Musical Chairs — only to be set straight by a Ned Stark-looking Muppet.

Jimmy Fallon and Jennifer Garner brought a carnival atmosphere to The Tonight Show on Tuesday, debuting what could be the silliest of all Fallon's late night games: Rock, Paper, Scissors, Pie.

In the above clip, the rivals take their positions behind carnival cutouts, playing a series of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser of each turn must fire up the "pie-throwing mechanism," which randomly generates sporadic pies to the face (and, as Fallon notes, cost the show a whopping $18). Whoever takes two pie-shots is the loser.

Garner wins first with "paper covers rock,...

Jimmy Fallon loves to challenge his Tonight Show guests to silly, beer-swigging games – it was only a matter of time before he tried out "Musical Beers." On Thursday's show, the host recruited guest Hugh Jackman, Chris Hemsworth (this weekend's SNL host) and SNL cast members Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon and Colin Jost to play the frat party-styled version of children's party staple Musical Chairs.

The game is simple – or, at least, it starts out that way. In the clip, Questlove spins the Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj track "Bang Bang,...

On Thursday's Tonight Show, a question was posed we'd never thought we'd have to answer: Who's hotter with a mullet, Thor or Wolverine?

Saturday Night Live host Chris Hemsworth showed up with some cast members from the show to play Musical Beers alongside Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and X-Men star Hugh Jackman.

Upon hitting the stage, Hemsworth immediately asked for a mullet of his own after seeing how cool Jackman and Fallon looked in their wigs. The late-night host gave him the mullet off his own head.

Photos: Hollywood's Sexiest Shirtless Men

Then the Aussie men, along with the SNL stars and Fallon, competed in a game much like Musical Chairs. To the tune of "Bang Bang", the guys and girl (Kate McKinnon) walked around a table and when the music stopped, instead of sitting in a chair, they had to chug a beer. The person without a drink in their hand was tagged out.[p...

Musical chairs ... with a beer-drinking twist!Mark Ruffalo and Stephen Merchant stopped by "The Tonight Show" on Thursday, where they battled host Jimmy Fallon and The Roots' Tariq in a messy game of "Musical Beers." "The game works like musical chairs, but instead of diving into empty chairs, we're grabbing these red cups of beer," Fallon explained to the players.  "While the music's playing, we'll walk in a circle around the table; when the music stops, everyone has to grab a cup," he continued. "After each round, there will be one person left empty-handed."The contestants started to circle the table, and when the music stopped, there was a mad dash for the cups of beer -- and it got messy!Check out the video above to see who was accused of having a "drinking problem" due to his competitiveness! Read more...

A lot can happen at an award show when the cameras aren't looking, and during those lengthy commercial breaks. Here are seven things you didn't see if you watched Wednesday's Cma Awards on TV. • Oodles of Canoodles The glamorous got amorous during the long evening. Cassie McConnell could be seen planting a wet one on husband Charles Kelley of Lady A. Nicole Kidman nuzzled husband Keith Urban. Cassidy Black was affectionately scratching husband Dierks Bentley's back, while Faith Hill did the same for husband Tim McGraw. And Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert ended the evening with a romantic kiss and clench.

 

It's another busy week in area theaters, but as we start ramping up into awards season that isn't going to change too much through the end of the year. We've got a lot of new releases out this weekend along with the ninth annual Austin Polish Film Festival, which got underway yesterday at the Marchesa. The fest will screen new Polish cinema, restored classic films recommended by Martin Scorsese ... even a children's matinee of Disney's Frozen dubbed in Polish on Saturday morning. 

At Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, a 35mm print of John Carpenter's Halloween screens on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. If you're looking for even more vintage scares, check out Night Of The Living Dead (with a live score by Bird Peterson) on Sunday night, Monday night's Universal Horror double feature with The Mummy in 35mm paired with the alternate Spanish version of Dracula, which runs 25 minutes longer than the...

I think it’s safe to say that actress and trans advocate Laverne Cox is having a moment. Last year millions of bingewatchers came to know and love Cox through her role as prison hairdresser Sophia Burset on the acclaimed (and addictive) Orange is the New Black, which returns soon with a highly-anticipated second season.

But her moving and brave performance on Oitnb (in which Cox’s real-life twin brother plays her in flashbacks) is but one of Cox’s many accomplishments. There was her role in a sweet little romcom called Musical Chairs, where she played a trans woman in a wheelchair who joins a wheelchair ballroom dancing team (check out the clip below for more). She has also become a figurehead in the trans awareness movement, speaking with clarity and passion at countless conferences and events on the topic, and memorably giving Katie Couric some measured guidance on...

Musical chairs among the hosts of late-night talk shows is nothing new. Seems like barely a week goes by when a host is not leaving his or her show, starting a new show, or moving to take over someone else's old show. But when David Letterman announced this week that he'd be retiring next year, he touched off speculation about a potential late-night shuffle the likes of which we haven't seen in decades....Read more...

Truly, the Morning Show Musical Chairs Game never, never stops! Michael Strahan is expected to join the cast of ABC's Good Morning America on a part-time basis, CNN, The Associated Press and other outlets are reporting. The retired football star's current partner-in-crime Kelly Ripa needn't worry, however: Strahan, 42, will continue to co-host Live! With Kelly and Michael alongside his Gma gig. Strahan is joining the top-rated Gma during a time of transition: Longtime weatherman Sam Champion decamped recently for The Weather Channel, while co-anchor Josh Elliot [...]...

It's round number 1,999 of Morning Show Musical Chairs. Good Morning America is saying goodbye to co-anchor Josh Elliot, who is joining NBC Sports, ABC announced in a Sunday, March 30 memo. Replacing Elliot, age, as co-anchor alongside Lara Spencer, Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos, is Amy Robach. Photos: Best-dressed TV show hosts In an unusually frank memo, ABC News president Ben Sherwood revealed that negotiations with Elliot simply broke down. "We worked hard to close a significant gap between our generous offer and his expectations," Elliot [...]...

A for Aam Aadmi Pictures – Shahid, Lunchbox, Gippi, Akaash Vani, biopics and stories on common person ruled.

B for Babaji Ka Thullu – What by and large audiences believed they got after walking out at the end of most releases this year

C for Curious case of Comedies – Matru.., YPD2, Besharam, Sooper se Ooper.. Humor was lost on the audience, as was the smile of the producers after the release of these films.

D for Dhating “Naach” and all those bizarre choreography dance movies, Babli’s chest-gun shots, Ranveer’s dandruff-riddance move, ‘Tamanche pe Disco’ and then there was ‘Tooh’.

E for Ek, Do, Teen… the crore counting club that’s adding zero’s on the go.

F for Femme Fatale Konkana Sen Sharma, Nimrat Kaur, Shilpa Shukla, Supriya Pathak, Padmini Kolhapure.

G for Going Global. Big B’s appearance in The Great Gatsby, Vidya and Nandita Das’s presence on...

News

John Oliver will be leaving The Daily Show to host an HBO show focused on mixing comedy and news as Oliver will get to mock the week on Sunday nights. (Does this mean he’ll air after The Newsroom? That should be a fun combination.) For you Daily Show fans who hoped Oliver’s guest-hosting run would lead to something bigger, how do you feel about it happening away from Comedy Central?

Last night, @Midnight wrapped a four-week trial run. That won’t be the end of the late night panel/quiz show, as Comedy Central has renewed the series for an additional forty weeks, as reported by Deadline. The bad news: new episodes don’t return until next year.

And yet, I’m not sure if I think we’ve achieved Chris Hardwick oversaturation on TV.

NBC has ordered 12 episodes of Working the Engels, a first-time co-production between U.

Musical chairs, indeed. As The Voice continues through season 4, the big names who will fill the four coaches' chairs continue to rotate. An insider confirms to Us Weekly that Christina Aguilera will be returning for the fifth season of the hit NBC vocal competition, and Cee Lo Green is looking to make a comeback as well. Meanwhile, the source tells Us, this season's newbies, Shakira and Usher, will both likely be taking time off from the show -- though they may return in the future.  "Shakira wants [...]...

Today, Conan O'Brien turns 50 years old. Born in Brookline, Mass. to a doctor and a lawyer, O'Brien has spent his entire adult life evolving into the closest thing we have to a comedy superhero.

Before he turned 20, he was elected as the president of the Harvard Lampoon, an office he held onto the next year -- a feat that nobody had accomplished for decades. (For perspective, the Harvard Lampoon was the country's most respected humor publication until the advent of The Onion, and Conan was heading it up before he was legally allowed to drink.)

Immediately upon graduating, O'Brien and his Lampoon pal Greg Daniels, who would go on to create the American "The Office," moved to Hollywood to work in comedy. After a few odd jobs, they were hired as staff writers on "Saturday Night Live" in New York City. Conan worked there for two years before getting burned out.

Smash, Season 2, Episode 7: “Musical Chairs”

Written by: Becky Mode

Directed by: Casey Nicholaw

Airs Tuesdays at 10pm (Et) on NBC

Yes Smash fans, unfortunately the end is near. NBC ‘s decision to move the show to the television graveyard that is Saturday night puts the final nail in the coffin for Smash. As disappointing as it is it better not discourage viewers from watching because there is still some good stuff left here, if only for the original songwriting. We’re finally getting to the inevitable face-off between Bombshell and Hit List. Even with the schedule changes hopefully those dedicated few will continue to watch and prove to NBC that they had something pretty terrific here and ruined it.

“Musical Chairs” features directors Tom and Derek taking on their new shows. Tom fails miserably at trying to teach new choreography to the Bombshell cast since Derek refuses to sign...

The worlds of the three musicals on Smash all righted themselves on "Musical Chairs," with Jerry the one left without a place to sit.

Bombshell returned to Eileen's control with Tom directing and Ivy as Marilyn. And The Hit List got a production deal from a non-profit theater with Jimmy and Karen as the leads with Derek directing. And Liaisons got put out of its misery, but not before an epic performance.

Liaisons bombs

Ivy cracked me up when she responded to Terry's concern over the "meh" reviews. The show had improved, but it was horrible to start. Their decision to have fun with it was probably not the professional one, but it was worth it to see Terry's act. That was hilarious. Horrible, but a performance that no one in the audience will ever forget.

With the production shutting down, it freed Ivy to rejoin Bombshell as Marilyn. I liked Karen in the role,...

The question posed in the series premiere of Smash — who will play the role of Marilyn Monroe in the fictional Broadway musical Bombshell? — was finally and definitively answered tonight in Episode 7 of Season 2, the aptly named “Musical Chairs.”

If the title wasn’t already a dead giveaway, Smash has been telegraphing changes to its troika of central musicals — Bombshell, The Hit List and Liaisons — for several weeks now, so it’s not as though anything felt particularly explosive. But along the way there were some laughs (intentional and otherwise), some drama, some suspension of disbelief and a couple of really stilted line readings.

Tonight, Madonna took the stage at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards to present the Vito Russo Award to advocate, award-winning journalist, author and talk show host Anderson Cooper. The Vito Russo Award is presented to an openly Lgbt media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality. Madonna wore a Boy Scouts outfit as part of GLAAD’s year-long campaign to end the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay scouts and leaders. Madonna and Anderson Cooper joined hosts Lara Spencer, Josh Elliott and Sam Champion (Good Morning America); Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters); NFL players Brendon Ayanbadejo (Baltimore Ravens) and Chris Kluwe (Minnesota Vikings); Christian Borle, Andy Mientus, Krysta Rodriguez (Smash); Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey); Jenni “Jwoww” Farley, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi (The Jersey Shore, Snooki & JWoww); Annie Clark, Cristine Prosperi (Degrassi); Straight But Not Narrow founder Avan Jogia; Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil); John Leguizamo (Ice Age,...

"Smash's" new musical "Hit List" is moving full steam ahead and the next episode, "Musical Chairs," features a new song, "Rewrite This Story."

The song, a duet between Katharine McPhee's Karen and Jeremy Jordan's Jimmy (which you can watch exclusively above), was written by Pasek & Paul, the duo who wrote the Season 2 premiere song "Caught In The Storm."

In "Musical Chairs," new conflicts arise as Karen and the people behind "Bombshell" adjust to Tom's new role. Meanwhile, tensions at "Liaisons," Ivy's new show, come to a boil. Grace Gummer returns as Katie, Eileen's (Anjelica Huston) daughter and Jesse L. Martin also appears.

"Smash" airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Et on NBC.

Bart Layton's missing Bafta, Michael Fassbender shows off his moves and Park Chan-wook's Ott English debut, Stoker

Imposter takes Bafta

A strange case of art mirroring life at the Baftas, as the trophy awarded to The Imposter director Bart Layton went missing. Layton, along with his producing partner, Dimitri Doganis, won the prize for outstanding British debut, and was proudly clutching the golden statue at all the post-ceremony parties. Arriving at the Weinstein Company bash, Layton put down his prized possession to talk to the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Michael Fassbender. But moments later he turned round to find it had disappeared. An imposter had walked off with it. CCTV identified the culprit and it was returned to Layton at 5.30am.

Tarantino: not in the mood for dancing

Harvey Weinstein's Bafta events are like impossible dreams. A dinner pre-Bafta to celebrate Silver Linings Playbook found me in...

Oh Sit!, The CW’s amped-up, fast-paced version of musical chairs, will return for a second season Monday, April 15, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Et. The Carrie Diaries will conclude its 13-episode first season the previous week, Monday, April 8, 8:00-9:00 p.m. Et. Oh Sit! is a fun, high-stakes, high-octane musical chairs competition, in which 12 thrill-seeking daredevils race head-to-head through five physically demanding, chair-splitting obstacle course-style eliminations as they each compete to claim a chair, all to the sounds of a new live house band. At the end of the hour, only one contestant will be left sitting triumphant to seize the cash prize and the title of Oh Sit! champion. This season, the show will feature new obstacles and bridges, water rounds, mechanical rounds and slick zones. And to get your sitting muscles in shape in time for the premiere, now fans can download the Oh Sit!

Susan Seidelman is one of the few women directors who is still making films and who began when I began in the business.  In other words, she is my contemporary.  Her first film, Smithereens (1982), was a defining film for me as I had just moved to New York (to work for ABC Video) and this was a definitive New York movie.  The second, Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), was even more defining. Starring Madonna who lived a few blocks away from Susan herself who also knew the music scene where Madonna was just beginning to make a name, the film shares a certain theme...a bored suburbanite girl was the impetus to make both.  Susan S. and I were both bored suburbanite girls looking for a way out...She went to Nyu film school and I moved to the east coast for my university studies. 

In 1993 Susan made an extraordinary short, The Dutch Master, a part of Tales of Erotica produced by the German producer Regina Zeigler and made up of shorts by such directors as Bob Rafelson and Ken Russell.  Not only does Susan have a filmography that surpasses the 3 to 4 that usually top off the filmographies of most other women directors, but she remains in the top tier of truly independent filmmakers.  

Her last two films were Boynton Beach Club (2005) which did fine under the sewardship of Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films. It played the Paris Theater in N.Y. for several weeks and fared well in L.A. at the NuArt and in the Valley as well as in the heartland.  Its investors were happy and she was happy to find the audience for this story of seniors in a retirement community who were dating and interested in love and sex.

Mark Urman released her last film Musical Chairs (2011) through Paladin. Unfortunately it opened the same weekend in the same multiplex as The Hunger Games which "proceeded to predictably beat the stuffing out of the box office, scoring $155 million, the third highest opening weekend in history. "(The Playlist)  That was not so good for Musical Chairs.  What's worse, or I may be wrong, it had no international sales representation.  The film had no "names" and she was unavailable to promote the film as it rolled out theatrically because she was already in production filming The Hot Flashes.

Which brings us to the current film The Hot Flashes, which does have international representation (Lightning Entertainment) and will premiere at Afm, screening for U.S. and other distributor/ buyers on November 3 at 1pm and November 5 at 11 am.

There will also be a panel discussion with all the actresses -- Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, Virginia Madsen, Wanda Sykes and Camryn Manheim -- on November 2nd at 2:30. Eric Roberts also stars in the film.

Here's the brief imdb logline:  An unlikely basketball team of unappreciated middle-aged Texas women, all former high school champs, challenge the current arrogant high school girls' state champs to a series of games to raise money for breast cancer prevention. Sparks fly as these marginalized women go to comic extremes to prove themselves on and off the court, and become a media sensation."

Lightning came in early with a minimum guarantee based on the script and package (Susan and the stellar cast).  They believe in the film though the biggest challenge in the U.S. will be finding that underserved audience, not for art films but for a film about heartland women of a certain age showing they can still struff their stuff.  

When Susan started out 30 years ago, there was a greater variety of studio films than there are today.  With the likes Jim Brooks or Woody Allen making fun, intelligent movies, not arty but character driven, both studios and audiences were in sync.  Today it is no longer the case, though Alexander Payne may still fit that profile, there is not much in the middle between the big Hollywood movies and the smaller art house fare.  

From directing the pilot and certain episodes of Sex and the City, she knows this film is not for the upper middle class ladies who like Manolo Blahnik shoes.  This is about small town, working class women who get together to save the local mobile clinic that gives mammograms by playing basketball which will also prove that they still have "it".  Her target audience is middle America filmgoers rather than the art film lovers on the east and west coasts.  She recognizes that the film is very dependent on marketing and on having money for marketing.  

Partnerships and alliances have been made with the American Cancer Society, Wmba, Harley Davidison, Butterball Turkey who can put in some P&A and/ or in-kind advertising and promotion.  This strategy was in place at the start of the film's life.  Today Title 9 also encourages girls to go into sports, another area which has opened up only recently.

When Susan is not directing features, she directs TV and teaches a directing seminar at Nyu.  To have been able to sustain

She truly hopes that with the current changes going on now in the film world that the women who have broken down some barriers will keep their collective feet in the door and that the changes will make it easier for women to sustain careers in directing as she has been lucky enough to have done...30 years and still going strong.

Lightning Entertainment has announced that they will handle the DVD and VOD release of the zombie comedy The Revenant. We have the official press release, which also mentions a limited theatrical release this August:

“Worldwide rights holder Lightning Entertainment has struck a deal with notable New York-based independent distribution company Paladin to handle the theatrical release of the award-winning horror comedy The Revenant, it was announced today by Lightning president Robert Beaumont, and Paladin’s president Mark Urman.

Paladin plans to release the film theatrically in August in an initial 10 markets. That same day, the film will be available as a premium V.O.D., as part of an event driven day-and-date Ultra VOD bow through Lightning’s distribution arm, Lightning Media.

The DVD will be released through Lionsgate under Lightning Media’s on-going partnership with the company.

The deal with Paladin was negotiated by Lightning Entertainment’s Joseph Dickstein,...

Who’s hungry? “The Hunger Games” proceeded to predictably beat the stuffing out of the box office, scoring $155 million, the third highest opening weekend in history, and highest for a non-sequel. The fan base came out in full force, no doubt, but so did the normals, as the books don’t (yet) have nearly the support of “Harry Potter” or “Twilight.” But make no mistake, this property had a similar groundswell of opinion, including an ad blitz and news and web coverage suggesting this was the “good” version of those pre-existing properties. Within three days, Lionsgate has their highest grossing domestic release of all time, and Hollywood’s strongest new franchise. Because everyone secretly loves child murder.

Fans were notably pleased, as the picture registered an ‘A’ Cinemascore, which shifted to an ‘A+’ for younger demographics. While there’s no full demo breakdown, it’s likely much of this audience were males,...

We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming dance drama Musical Chairs, which debuts in theaters March 23. Leah Pipes stars as Mia, a ballroom dancer confined to a wheelchair after a horrific accident, who discovers the sport of wheelchair ballroom dancing with the help of Armando, portrayed by E.J. Bonilla. Take a look at this scene from Musical Chairs featuring Armando working at his parents' restaurant.

Musical Chairs: Exclusive Alone

Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility,...

 What film are you seeing in theater this weekend and why? Now that you know what films are being released this weekend thanks to the March 2012 Theatrical Film Release Schedule, which shall it be?: 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Brake, Musical Chairs, The Deep Blue Sea, The Hunger Games, The Raid: Redemption, or The Trouble with Bliss. [...]

Continue reading: Poll: What Film Are You Seeing in Theater This Weekend?: March 23-25, 2012...

Just one big release hitting theatres this weekend, and it also happens to be the first true blockbuster of the year. The Hunger Games, based on the wildly popular books by Suzanne Collins, is expected to open to well over $100 million, and could potentially break some box office records. With that kind of pull, no one is even interested in competing with it, although there are still a handful of other movies hitting select theatres today including the heavily-hyped Indonesian action flick The Raid: Redemption. It's only playing on 15 screens this weekend, but you can follow this link to find out when it will be opening near you. What will you be watching this weekend? The Hunger Games The Raid: Redemption (limited) 4:44: Last Day on Earth (limited) Brake (limited) The Deep Blue Sea (limited) Musical Chairs (limited) The Trouble with Bliss (limited) October Baby (limited)

For More Daily Movie Goodness,...

Trailer and Poster for Musical Chairs, starring Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla. Susan Seidelman (Boynton Beach Club) directs the romantic drama which opens in theaters on March 23rd, and also stars Jaime Tirelli, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, Nelson R. Landrieu, and Angelic Zambrana. Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a...

Trailer and Poster for Musical Chairs, starring Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla. Susan Seidelman (Boynton Beach Club) directs the romantic drama which opens in theaters on March 23rd, and also stars Jaime Tirelli, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, Nelson R. Landrieu, and Angelic Zambrana. Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a...

Trailer and Poster for Musical Chairs, starring Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla. Susan Seidelman (Boynton Beach Club) directs the romantic drama which opens in theaters on March 23rd, and also stars Jaime Tirelli, Laverne Cox, Morgan Spector, Auti Angel, Jerome Preston Bates, Nelson R. Landrieu, and Angelic Zambrana. Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia, an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a...

I started off 2011 by attending the Sundance Film Festival for the first time. I was only there for a few days but got to see the films Becoming Chaz and Gun Hill Road. I left the film festival feeling infinitely inspired as an actress, artist, and trans woman. I was certain that the game would be forever changed for trans folks in the media because of these two films. Chaz Bono, the subject of Becoming Chaz, of course, went on to have a groundbreaking year for transgender visibility. Harmony Santana, the transgender actress who plays Michael/Vanessa in Gun Hill Road, has won critical raves and public adulation for her moving performance as a teen struggling for paternal acceptance as she begins her gender transition. She was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role. She is the first trans woman to be so honored.

2011 has been a...

"Boynton Beach Club" director Susan Seidelman's latest, the romantic dance drama "Musical Chairs" will be released by Mark Urman's Paladin Films in March 2012. The film starring rookies Leah Pipes and E.J. Bonilla as dancers in love in contemporary New York debuted as a work in progress at the Woodstoick Film Festival and will first officially debut at Lincoln Center on January 28th as the centerpiece film of their annual “Dance On Camera” festival. Set in the world of competitive ballroom dancing, "Musical Chairs" stars Bonilla as a Bronx Latino would-be dancer; he works as a handyman at the Manhattan dance studio where East Side...

Children's game Extreme Musical Chairs made into physically demanding contest in indoor obstacle course The CW is working on the unscripted format from Gurin Co. and 405 Productions, reports Variety. Created by Philip Gurin, Richard Joel and Deena Dill, apparently Extreme Musical Chairs will take the the popular children's game and turn into a competition which is physically demanding and moves through multiple rounds of elimination, taking place on an obstacle course indoors. Gurn owns The Gurin Company which, from the time of its 1997 start by TV producer and writer Gurin, has work including the Weakest Link, vaious pageants like Miss USA, Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA, as well as The Singing Bee...