Rooster Teeth, the Austin-based production company, has a host of popular online shows. Among those are the beloved cartoons RWBY and Red vs. Blue. Both shows are 3-D action shows, involving a lot of motion capture and “machinimating“, in the case of the latter. While RWBY’s fourth season is currently running, the company has announced its renewal, among its other shows.
Rooster Teeth’s announcement of new programming from last year
RWBY and Red vs. Blue are considered two of the flagship series for the production company. Red vs. Blue is notable for being one of the longest running web series of all time. “Red vs. Blue started us on this journey 14 seasons ago, and RWBY has skyrocketed us to where we are now,” said RT head of animation Gray G. Haddock.
While RWBY’s fourth season will end in early February, the fifth season will be back in the fall of 2017. Red vs. Blue will be coming back with its 15th season in April. Rooster Teeth also renewed RWBY Chibi, a RWBY spin-off, returning for a second season in May. Camp Camp, another Rooster Teeth original, will get a second season in June. This block of summer programming will continue the company’s “Summer of Animation” season, which it began last year.
Death Battle, a show created by fellow Fullscreen acquisition ScrewAttack, will return on February 1st. Additionally, Rooster Teeth has included the premiere date for its newest animated series Sex Swing. Created in part by Funhaus, a gaming channel under the Rooster Teeth banner, the series follows the adventures of an 80’s glam rock band. The new series will begin airing February 18th.
Missing from the animation slate is X-Ray & Vav. The parody superhero show followed an inept duo of superheroes. X-Ray & Vav was based off two personalities from Achievement Hunter, the Rooster Teeth gaming channel. The lack of a renewal date is likely due to one of the stars, Ray Navarez Jr, leaving Achievement Hunter. While it’s possible the series will still get a third season, it’s hard to say when it would happen.
Until the shows come back, you can catch up on all the episodes on Rooster Teeth’s YouTube page. New episodes will be on YouTube as well, but will come out first on Rooster Teeth’s website, exclusively for their FIRST members.
This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled the Oscar nominees for their 89th ceremony. As is always the case, there were a few surprises, some notable snubs, and plenty of status quo to go around. Thankfully, however, the Academy learned from their mistakes last year (and too many years in the past to count), and the field is wonderfully diverse and full of terrific actor sand actresses who all deserve their moment in the sun.
It also helps that so many wonderful films from minorities came out in 2016. But don’t be confused, many if not all of these films were in some form of production prior to the Oscars So White controversy last year. This isn’t reactionary, it’s serendipitous.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Best Picture
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester By the Sea
Moonlight
Best Cinematography
Arrival (Bradford Young)
La La Land (Linus Sandgren)
Lion (Grieg Fraser)
Moonlight (James Laxton)
Silence (Rodrigo Prieto)
Best Supporting- Actor
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
Best Documentary Feature
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th
Best Foreign Language Film
Land of Mine, Denmark, Martin Zandvliet, director
A Man Called Ove, Sweden, Hannes Holm, director
The Salesman, Iran, Asghar Farhadi, director
Tanna, Australia, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors
Toni Erdmann, Germany, Maren Ade, director
Best Actor
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)
Best Costume Design
Allied (Joanna Johnston)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Colleen Atwood)
Florence Foster Jenkins (Consolata Boyle)
Jackie (Madeline Fontaine)
La La Land (Mary Zophres)
Best Original Score
Jackie (Micachu)
La La Land (Justin Hurwitz)
Lion (Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka)
Moonlight (Nicholas Britell)
Passengers (Thomas Newman)
Best Original Song
“Audition” (La La Land)
“”Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (Trolls)
“City of Stars” (La La Land)
“The Empty Chair” (Jim: The James Foley Story)
“How Far I’ll Go” (Moana)
Best Sound Editing
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
Best Sound Mixing
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours
Best Documentary Short
4.1 Miles (University of California, Berkeley)
Extremis (f/8 Filmworks in association with Motto Pictures)
Joe’s Violin (Lucky Two Productions)
Watani: My Homeland (ITN Productions)
The White Helmets (Grain Media and Violet Films)
Best Production Design
Arrival (Patrice Vermette)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Stuart Craig)
CW has announced the casting for the villain in an upcoming superhero crossover event. Hot off the heels of the “Heroes vs Aliens” event, Supergirl and The Flash will have a musical event. Darren Criss, known mostly for his work on Glee, has now been cast as the maniacal Music Meister. He will be going up against Supergirl and Flash in the two-episode crossover event.
CW executive Andrew Kreisberg told TV Line about the casting earlier today, singing Criss’ praises (though not literally). “With our Flash and our Supergirl being Glee alums, how could we not have them go up against another Glee favorite like Darren Criss?” said Kreisberg. “We have been blown away by his talent over the years and we can’t wait to see what he brings to the Music Meister.”
This event will also serve as a Glee reunion, as both heroes had recurring roles on the show. Gustin, in fact, played Sebastian, an antagonist-slash-ex-lover of Criss’ Blaine. Beonist, meanwhile, played the nicer Marley Rose. Along with these actors, the episodes will also feature the voices of Cisco (Carlos Valdes), Winn (Jeremy Jordan), and Joe West (Jesse L Martin). The event has also recruited CW songbirds Dr. Stein (Victor Garber) from Legends of Tomorrow, and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) from Arrow.
No doubt Criss is seeking revenge on Gustin for this incident.
Darren Criss has been singing and acting for years, beyond his work on Glee. He’s played the leads in Starkid’s A Very Potter Musical, as well as the Broadway show Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Interestingly enough, Criss took over the roll from Neil Patrick Harris, who played Music Meister in the cartoon series Batman: The Brave and The Bold. While Criss has never played a flat-out villain before, he certainly has the chops for a potentially great performance.
Aside from the casting, it’s hard to say what can be expected of the CW event. Much like “Heroes vs Aliens,” the Supergirl episode won’t be as heavily involved in the crossover as The Flash. We don’t know much about the plot, or if the soundtrack will feature original tracks or pop song covers (a la Glee). The hope is that this Glee reunion won’t feel like a… well, like a Glee reunion. Not to say that Glee wasn’t good, but it certainly wasn’t an action-packed adventure show. Regardless, it will no doubt be fun to watch these former co-stars team up once again.
Last week America swore in our 45th President. Whole libraries exist dedicated to the lives of our leaders. Indeed any bookstore worth its salt includes a biography section dedicated to our Presidents. But what about the other leadership position in the White House? No, not the Vice President–the title that comes with no description, but a whole lot of responsibilities: the First Lady.
The History of the First Lady
Not every President has taken his oath with a wife standing by. However, the role of First Lady is filled with every new leader, by nieces, sisters, or close family friends. Even if a First Lady enters the office along with the new POTUS, but dies while he is in office, a new person always fills the position for the remainder of his tenure. First Ladies have been everything from actresses to career politicians, advocates for social change and even once taking over when the Chief became too ill to fulfill his duties alone.
In honor of this diverse and oft-overlooked post, we’ve put together a reading list of books about our First Ladies, from Martha to Michelle.
Finally! An Update On Legendary Picture’s ‘Godzilla 2’!
Days after it was announced ‘Krampus‘ director Michael Dougherty will be re-teaming with writer Zach Shields for ‘Godzilla 2: King of Monsters‘, it looks like there’s more to the story! According to Variety, Michael Dougherty is now officially set to direct the sequel.
This comes as some positive news to fans as Dougherty as directed two great horror films with ‘Trick r Treat’ and ‘Krampus‘, as well as co-writing the acclaimed X2!
It was reported way back in 2014 that the sequel will feature iconic monsters like Mothra and King Ghidorah. I hope Dougherty still keeps them in this film unless those were all plans from the original director Gareth Edwards.
What do you think of this directing choice? Will Michael Dougherty follow the success of 2014’s ‘Godzilla‘? Legendary Pictures is just starting to creating a wonderful “Monsterverse” so there’s hope this film will continue the roll they’re on.
‘Godzilla 2′ a.k.a ‘Godzilla: King of Monsters‘ is set to be released on March 22, 2019. The film follows 2017’s ‘Kong: Skull Island‘ and will be followed by a planned crossover called ‘Godzilla vs Kong‘ in 2020.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has kicked the live audience out, and let the streaming world in. The 89th Oscar Nominations will be announced via a global live stream, on Tuesday, January 24, beginning at 8:18 a.m. EST. Jennifer Hudson, Brie Larson, Emmanuel Lubezki, Jason Reitman and Ken Watanabe will join Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs to reveal the nominations.
Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars live on Sunday, February 26, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET.
What film do you think will win the Best Picture? Comment below.
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the original Roots mini-series. For those not in the know, Roots aired on ABC over eight nights starting on January 23, 1977. Based on the best-selling novel by Alex Haley, the star-studded series details the story of African slaves from the Colonial era to Reconstruction. It’s one of the most powerful, watched, and beloved mini-series of all-time. I know for me, it left a lasting impact. And for those of you who might think it’s a “black thing,” scroll down because, as a pale Cuban-American I’m here to say it’s not. It’s a human thing.
My perspective of race relations is a little skewed by what I call the South Florida bubble. Human skin-tone variations (there’s only one race after all) are fairly balanced down here and, for the most part, we all get along. So, when I watched Roots for the first time, I was left confused. Granted, I was around 10 years old and probably wasn’t ready for such content. I was also a little bored. Face it, at 10 years old, a week-long mini-series about slavery wasn’t targeting me as its audience.
As for an audience, the eight-night event drew a massive one. Back in 1977, television options were limited, so people often ended up watching the same things. Having fewer channels meant there was less variety, but the limitations oddly created more unity. Movie theaters closed for a week, while bars and living rooms filled with viewers. Americans who watchedRoots, from South Florida to the Midwest to the West Coast, were all presented with the same dilemma of historical horror. There was no echo chamber hide within. Dealing with the reality of the past and the questions it raised created conversation and communication. For modern audiences, it’s a stark reminder that once, only white lives mattered.
As it should be, Roots is one of those epic pieces of film that plays somewhere on television year after year. So, I saw bits and pieces here and there all through my formative years. And the plight of African Americans in the United States at the time became engrained in me. The horrors they faced, for generations on end, was something I held dear to me as one of the most important things humanity should never forget so as never to repeat. Of course, we did repeat it, again and again, from segregation to the Holocaust to Boko Haram. Humanity seems to have a penchant for finding someone to oppress and doing it with utmost brutality.
Oppression looms over every minute of Roots. The series, and these stories of humanity overcoming the worst in itself, serves as a brilliant way to teach empathy. And frankly, we all need it. Empathy is what stops us from fighting each other and gets us working together instead. And just like the brave slaves who fought for freedom, and the brave soldiers who fought for freedom, and the lawmakers, journalists, Muslims, musicians, Native Americans, artists, Italians, actors, Germans, Cubans, men, women, and more who fight for freedom, working together is when humanity is at its strongest.
Roots isn’t a black thing or a white thing or a ratings thing or a corporate thing. It’s a human thing. It’s a moving painting of suffering and perseverance. Nothing is more human than that.
Over the weekend I watched The Dark Knight for the millionth time. It’s one of the Batman movies that never gets old. Maybe because he ventures beyond the parameters of the typical superhero movie.
DC Comics and Warner Bros. launched their extended movie universe with Man of Steel, which – for the most part – was a baby seal clubbed to death by some fans and the press for its ultra dark look at Superman. A bad start considering the success that Iron Man gave Marvel and Disney as the launching point for its extended movie universe.
The DCEU followed up with 2016’s Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, the latter collecting far more money than the former. Despite both movies’ interpretations of Batman and his array of characters, improvements can and should be made.
Let’s face facts: Beside Batman, DC and Warner Bros. have been unable to create another successful superhero franchise. That may change with Wonder Woman later this year, but if it doesn’t, there’s always Batman to fall back on.
Affleck is hard at work on a script for The Batman, but there’s more to mine from that mythology than just the Caped Crusader. Here are a few ideas…
1) TAKE A LESSON FROM BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
I recently read the bible for the animated series and it offers insight into how Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Eric Radomski, and Paul Dini created the successful series. Most notable was their insistence that Batman’s origin was ALMOST NEVER to be entirely focused on.
That’s a tip the movies could use. Christopher Nolan’s brilliant retelling of the character’s origin in Batman Begins pretty much cements the fact that it shouldn’t be the focus of another movie. That should include any flashbacks to the Wayne murders like in BVS. Don’t rehash the same story we know and have seen depicted numerous times since Tim Burton’s Batman.
2) TAKE A LESSON FROM JEPH LOEB AND TIM SALE
In my opinion, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are responsible for THE greatest Batman story ever told, The Long Halloween. Even its follow-up, Dark Victory, has its moments.
During Loeb and Sale’s collaboration, not once do they give a lot of pages to the Wayne murders. When they show us Thomas and Martha, it’s in flashbacks to when Bruce was a child, often having some relation to the case Batman is currently working on.
Take Batman: Madness for example. Batman is hunting the Mad Hatter, who has kidnapped Barbara Gordon for a Halloween tea party. Until Leob and Sale’s depiction of the Hatter, the character was D-List, at best. But they made the Hatter a villain who disturbs Batman like no other.
How? By linking the Alice and Wonderland theme to Bruce growing up. “It’s just the thing for a rainy day,” is what Martha Wayne told her son Bruce during a torrential storm. She read Alice to him and sparked his imagination. Unfortunately, this happened on the same day when Bruce’s parents would be murdered. The Hatter’s mania causes Batman to think about his mother, showing us his sorrow in a different way.
Just because Thomas and Martha Wayne are dead doesn’t mean they can’t add to the depth of Batman.
3) MAKE A ROBIN SPIN-OFF FRANCHISE
Many people don’t know there have been more Robins other than Dick Grayson. When I started reading Batman comics in the early 1990s and Robin was referred to as “Tim”, I had no idea what the hell was going on.
We know Batman’s past, but we don’t know Robin’s. Giving Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake their own individual movies to tell their stories would be refreshing. Plus it would help to explain the importance of a Robin to Batman.
The Grayson movie could cover the death of his parents, teaming up with Batman, and taking down Tony Zucko.
The Todd movie could begin a year after the previous movie. Grayson goes off to Gotham University and Batman takes in Jason Todd as a new Robin. It’s clearly a mistake and ends with Jason’s death at the hands of the Joker.
A Tim Drake movie could begin months after Todd’s death, with Batman on a rampage, violently taking out his villains in a way to excise his pain and guilt. Grayson can’t help. It’s only through Tim Drake, who deduces Batman’s identity and shows Batman the importance of a Robin by his side, that Batman starts to become whole again.
I’d say do a Damian Wayne movie, but… Ugh. That character’s like Scrappy-Doo.
4) MAKE A BATGIRL MOVIE
This is a no-brainer. Why it hasn’t been done yet is a real mystery. The movie would more or less draw from three comic book storylines: Wanted (from The New 52), The Killing Joke, and The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder. While her torture and crippling by the Joker would be a factor, it wouldn’t be the main event. The protagonist here would be her brother, James, Jr. It’s an opportunity to not only show what makes Barbara Gordon tick, but to go deeper into the Gordon family.
These are just a few ideas, but ones that could bring more of the Batman mythology to life. What do you think? Maybe some of the villains could have their own movies
When Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were both released in 2008 fans probably did not expect the sheer volume of films to be released that centered around the characters that were created by Marvel Comics. These films became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe which also included TV shows Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D and Agent Carter. There had been films released before this date such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four that were based on Marvel comic characters but these were all stand alone movies that just concentrated on those characters. This was also true of the X-Men movies and some spin-off movies were also made in this particular franchise.
Films were released that focused on a particular superhero and these included Captain America, Thor as well as the previously mentioned Hulk and Iron Man. In the first Avengers movie all of these characters teamed up along with the Black Widow and Hawkeye to fight an alien threat that had been unleashed on New York by Thor’s brother Loki who was also the protagonist in the first Thor film. The heroes are all put together by Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D who had previously been featured in the Iron Man films. The film shows the struggle that is faced by the different characters in working together when they all have different ideas about the way that they should move forward although they eventually do work things out and manage to prevent the alien invasion.
In the majority of Marvel films characters cross from one film to the other, particularly the Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. for example has starred in three Iron Man movies, two films featuring the Avengers, Hulk and Captain America: Civil War. This helps to remind viewers that all films are set in the same universe, with many members of the supporting cast also appearing in a number of different movies. Playing at Vegas Palms online casino and taking part in the biggest Casino promotions could allow you to win a sum of money that would let you experience the kind of lifestyle that Tony Stark is shown enjoying in most movies that he stars in. While you are probably not going to become a billionaire, playing on a slot machine that has a progressive jackpot can give you the chance to win a life-changing sum of money. You could even pay a visit to New York just to check that it has not been destroyed as was shown in the first Avengers movie.
Two more Avengers films are planned for release in 2018 and 2019 and so it seems unlikely that interest in these films and the characters that they feature will diminish any time soon. The comics have been incredibly popular with fans since the 1960s when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby came on board and created the characters that are featured in the films today. Stan Lee has a cameo role in almost every Marvel film that has been made and you should try and look out for him in the next movie that you watch.
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