Gwen Stefani released the video for her new single ‘Used To Love You’ Tuesday afternoon on Facebook. The single comes two months after announcing her split from husband Gavin Rossdale.
“I needed to go through what I needed to go through to write the record that I needed to write. There was a lot of prayer and meditating in the sense of trying to be open and grateful with this record,” Stefani told EW. “These songs are really natural — they’re from not worrying about what happened or what’s going to happen but about living in the moment, from trying to be present and trying to feel,” said Stefani to Rolling Stone.
Debuting at his first comic convention, Mark Mallouk the co-writer of Black Mass, presented his latest work for Michael Bay’s 451 Media, with his comic Sunflower.
“I wanted to write something with a female lead, where the women didn’t need to be rescued by the man and wasn’t crying about whether a man liked her or not. So that’s the seed for Sunflower,” said Mallouk.
Sunflower focuses on a mother, CJ, looking for her daughter Sunflower who she believes has been killed. CJ finds out Sunflower is alive and seeks out the man who she believes kidnapped her, Rush Bridge, a commune leader in the desert.
“She comes to find that yes her daughter is alive but, her daughter doesn’t recognize her and her daughter has become the most violent member of the commune, so the leader of and the most violent and dangerous person. So it’s CJ the mother, joining the commune and doing what she can, to get closer and closer to Sunflower her daughter, doing more and more terrible things, to earn her daughter back,” said Mallouk.
Mallouk talked about what it was like translating his skill set to a comic book.
“I would turn it in screenplay form to those guys and what kept coming back, when I started seeing the visuals and how Lee was doing the art and interpreting everything, I thought, I started seeing it in a different way and what it could be. So I sorta slowed down on it and paid more attention, I wanted to take advantage of the graphic novel form and not just throw my script at it,” said Mallouk.
The screenwriter also spoke about the differences between working with a comic team compared to a big studio, explaining how studios can sometimes get in the way of the creative process.
“Lee, the artist, Andy who adapted it, we all want the same thing. When those guys come back with a suggestion, I know it’s only for the benefit of the graphic novel,” said Mallouk
Besides talking about Sunflower, Mallouk also expressed his excitement about the comic book industry, the buzz of New York Comic Con, a future project he has on his mind, as well advice for young writers looking to break into the business.
You can listen to the complete Mark Mallouk interview below.
SUNFLOWER #1 (OF 6)
Publisher: 451 MEDIA GROUP
(W) Mark Mallouk, Andi Ewington (A/CA) Lee Carter
Ten years ago CJ’s husband and nine-year-old daughter were murdered off a desert highway near the California/Arizona border. Since that day, CJ can feel only two things – paralyzing shame for not being with her family and quiet fury that the perpetrators were never found. CJ should have been there to defend her family. CJ should have been there to die with her family. And, in the decade since, she might as well have been dead. Until the day a letter arrives. There’s no return address, only one word in the letter. It simply reads: Sunflower. CJ’s daughter is alive. And now so is CJ. And she will stop at nothing to get her daughter back.
Sunflower will be in your local comic book store on October 21.
One of the most entertaining and interactive press roundtables at New York Comic Con 2015 was with Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer at the ADULT SWIM: The Venture Brothers press block. For those unaware, Publick and Hammer are the creators of The Venture Brothers, which has done five seasons since 2003, with a few TV specials sprinkled about, over the last twelve years.
The two creators sat down and gave some hints about season six, as well as reflecting on character deaths, their writing process and how they reach some of the most memorable quotes, from this phenomenal and sometimes underrated show.
Here are some highlights and if you’d like, at the bottom of the article will be the entire recording of the press block if you want to listen to the roundtable in full.
Seasons six of The Venture Brothers will consist of 8 episodes.
Season six will start directly after the All This And Gargantua 2 special.
There will be no “Order of the Triad” for season six, Hammer stated, “This season coming up is very Order of the Triad shy.”
In regards to Jonas Venture, “No he’s pretty dead. He’s as dead as anyone in the show, probably more dead than 24.” “Which is pretty damn dead.” “He is so dead.”
Hammer, “I’ll give you a spoiler, that’s just episode one the door opens, like what the f***.”, when talking about the promotional picture.
There will be “Bieber” Hank.
Publick and Hammer talk to each other in the character’s voices, in order to gauge how funny it’ll be. Publick, “Certain things are only funny because it’s coming out of one of those idiots mouths.”
Hammer, “We don’t really write together, we create together and write separately.”
From what it sounds like, there will be a great scene featuring The Monarch pissing in a sink coming up in the upcoming season.
It seems like Doc Hammer’s favorite jokes don’t get quoted or noticed the way he thought they would, it other jokes or gems.
Doc Hammer register’s Doctor Girlfriends voice as a real person, not a character when he uses it.
Henry Killinger lasted longer than they originally thought as a character.
In regards to the question, what will surprise fans the most, Hammer stated, “That we can change everything, but it’ll still feel like The Venture Brothers.”
Official description for The Venture Bros. Season 6:
Location, location, location! Perfectly situated in the heart of New York City, Season 6 of The Venture Bros. is a billionaire’s dream come true, offering the discerning buyer top-of-the-line drama and panoramic danger in every direction. Super–scientists, bring your loofah! Relax and unwind from a long day in the lab in your luxurious, spa-like, master bath, where floor-to-ceiling windows offer spectacular views of approaching enemies from every direction. This 8 episode, 3 BR, @ BA stunner comes with its own dedicated robot, plus servants’ quarters for the live-in bodyguard.
When it comes to the announcement of Apple TV‘s release date, waiting by the computer the past few weeks has been unbearable to say the least. But, the question has been answered, Apple TV is heading to preorders this coming Monday, October 26th for those (me) looking to get into the newest edition of Apple’s answer to the entertainment industry.
With orders set for Monday and thus reportedly shipping on the 30th, Apple is introducing a long awaited upgrade to a system that many assumed was a dead project. Boasting an upgraded A8 processor, refreshed remote and two separate storage capacities (32 GB for $149 and 64 GB for $199), Apple is looking to blow open the door for in-home entertainment, reopening a rivalry with competitive streaming/set -top boxes in Chromecast, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
Throw in a revamped UI, Siri-controlled viewing experience, an App Store and and introduction of a gaming platform, the Apple TV is a fresh take on Apple’s evolution of the TV service. Starting from the beginning, Apple TV was introduced in 2006 and first released in 2007 under the code name “iTV.” From there, we saw the interface evolve from the side bar and floating options, to a more stabilized menu option and finish right now in the current menu format, with all your tiles arranged under the iTunes Store options. With the ability to purchase or rent the newest shows and movies, as well as listen to your iTunes library, Apple looked to the living room as their next adventure, but that adventure soon became a tale lost in time.
With Generations 1 and 2 revealed in the time of Steve Jobs, and the third edition revealed just two years following his death, it was evident his dream of entering the living room were dying away. Until this September.
At the September 9th Special Event, Tim Cook announced the newest addition to the Apple TV family along side it’s brand new iPad Pro. Since then, the website has read “Coming Soon,” and my anxiety has skyrocketed. But now, with the reports that pre-orders will begin on Monday, assuming it will open at 12:01 am PT, or 3:01 am EST, we will see if the new Apple TV is going to live up to the hype, or if it is a fresh introduction to another impending neglect? If what I have seen is true, then we are looking at a new and innovative entry into a long list of Apple products.
Stay tuned to MonkeysFightingRobots for my unboxing video of the brand new Apple TV when I receive it!
There is a story going around the web that a man killed himself because the main character in Star Wars: The Force Awakens is black. This story by News Watch 33 is a hoax. We called WCNC the NBC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina to verify the story and they thought we were nuts.
The story is a great click-bait headline, but once you dig deeper you realize it is a more of a bad Onion article. The website in question is based out of India and has only been up and running for a few months.
Look, there’s no point including John Carpenter’s 1978 masterpiece Halloween in an article ranking Halloween films. It’s number one, because it’s far superior to every other film in the franchise without question. Let’s get that out of the way. Carpenter’s creepy-crawly slasher flick was a master class in mood, suspense, and the theory that less is more. Sadly, the flicks it inspired following 1978 had to amp up the gore to get any attention, and that leaked directly into the sequels to Halloween.
Carpenter’s film spawned seven direct sequels, a reboot, and a sequel to said reboot. They are all inferior, we know that, but of the nine films some are much more tolerable than others. At times, the continuing adventures of Michael Myers are barely watchable, other times they are solid entertainment. Let’s try and sort these things out…
9) Halloween II (2009) – Not only is Rob Zombie’s follow up to his own reboot a terrible Halloween film, it is a wholly unwatchable, abhorrent attempt at filmmaking. Zombie’s first reboot was thankfully locked into a plot not his own, so his typical trashy characters and bizarre nonsense was kept at bay. In Halloween II, however, the reigns have been let go. What we get then is a dark, dingy, incomprehensible film, complete with the ghost of Michael’s mother, played by Sherry Moon Zombie (of course), a dream with a white horse, and a color palette that is indescribable. Michael’s mask is barely recognizable, and Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) now follows the tired Zombie trope that all his character must be white trash. Awful, awful, awful.
8) Halloween: Resurrection (2002) – The last entry into the “original” sequels isn’t as aggressively awful as Zombie’s own sequel, it’s just flat, lazy, and uninspired. Jumping on the Reality TV craze that was taking off in the early 2000s, Resurrection puts six one-dimensional characters, or contestants, in the childhood home of Michael Myers. What could possibly go wrong? The forgettable characters are killed off in uninspiring deaths until Busta Rhymes, another relic of 2002, saves the day. The central issue with Resurrection is the fact the entire film takes place in one house. The monotony is crippling.
7) Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) – This was the first entry into the franchise produced by Dimension, and the slick prod values and vapid storytelling are evidence of the transition. The most notable thing about this sixth Halloween film is it’s credited as the film debut of Paul Rudd, wh plays the adult version of Tommy from the original (Clueless has already been released, but this was technically filmed first). Beyond that, there is literally nothing memorable about The Curse of Michael Myers. The mask looks odd, the murders are dull, and the man in black who was introduced in the fifth film is revealed and is hilariously awful.
6) Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) – Much like the first two films, Halloween 5 is a direct sequel to Halloween 4, continuing the story but without any of the charm or energy of the fourth film. Michael is blown away in 4, falls into a river, and is saved by some strange drifter. It doesn’t take long for Michael to recover and head back into town to finish what he started. His cousin, Jamie (Danielle Harris) is in the hospital after the dark events at the end of 4. Donald Pleasance is back as Loomis, and he is even more of a loon this time around than he ever has been. The nutty performance by Pleasance is the only bright spot of an otherwise drab retread of the better film which preceded it.
5) Halloween III: Season of The Witch (1982) – The second sequel to Carpenter’s original is the only film in the franchise not not star Michael Myers. He is mentioned in the film, but only in throwaway moments. This film focuses on Conal Cochran, a madman who plans on selling his popular Silver Shamrock masks to all the kids – all of them – therein brainwashing them into becoming a murderous lemming army. The plot involves a Celtic curse, Stonehenge, and any number of 50s-inspired mad scientist themes. While Halloween III is decent in its own right, it feels like a film exclusive to the franchise for obvious reasons.
4) Halloween (2007) – Rob Zombie’s reboot is his best film as a director. This is not meant to be a compliment more than it is a process of elimination. Zombie’s horribly unhinged violence is on full display here, and when Michael Myers attacks Laurie Strode and her friends his decision to uncontrollably vibrate the camera is beyond distracting. We also get 45 minutes of backstory we never really needed or wanted. Nevertheless, the aesthetics are good enough, and Michael is more imposing than he had been in quite some time. It was a competent reboot, but necessary? That’s another story.
3) Halloween II (1981) – Picking up right where Carpenter’s film left off with Laurie Strode being transported to the hospital, Halloween II is somewhat competent as a sequel. Carpenter, who produced the film, was the one who requested the violence be amped up to compete with the slasher flicks that had been released since his original film. Michael’s plodding gait is a device now, not an ominous threat. The increased gore erases the suspense from which the first film was built, and instead becomes a series of elaborate kills. And at least the film has some creativity in that department, namely the hot tub that somehow can get hot enough to boil human beings. Overall, Halloween II is a pale comparison to the original, but that’s really the status quo for all these films.
2) Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998) – Halloween “Water” has nostalgia on its side. Ignoring the four sequels between Halloween II and itself, Halloween Water brings Jamie Lee Curtis back into the fold. Now, Laurie Strode has changed her name and moved to California where she is the headmistress of a boarding school and a functioning alcoholic. Can’t blame her for that. She also has a teenage son (Josh Hartnett in his film debut) who becomes a target of Michael Myers once he returns. The film does a good job of building suspense, and is wisely the shortest entry into the franchise. The gore is toned down, and the suspense is built on a solid foundation.
1) Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) – For all of its flaws and issues, Halloween 4 still manages to have fewer flaws and issues than any of the other sequels. One of its strengths is the addition of Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd, Michael’s troubled cousin. It hearkens back to the original film, which was the story of a disturbed young child more than anything else. Jamie even dons the signature clown costume in the film’s bleak and daring finale. Michael Myers is more menacing here than he had been since the original, and Donald Pleasance had not yet gone off the rails like he did in the follow up.
If these two videos don’t make your inner fanboy and girl go crazy, then your are probably dead and you will sadly miss Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December.
The stars of The Force Awakens, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley watched the new trailer last night and their reactions are pure and honest. Boyega owns the trailer until the potential light saber battle and then he hides behind his couch. Enjoy this great moment and December can’t get here soon enough.
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as “Star Wars” returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
Conspiracy videos can be a lot of fun, no matter how far-fetched they may get. Occasionally. conspiracy videos can get pretty creepy in the way they tie one seemingly innocuous thing to the next in a series of coincidences that, at some point, stop feeling coincidental.
Which leads me to the new conspiracy video claiming Robert Zemeckis and Back to The Future correctly predicted the 9/11 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. Before getting into details, here it is:
The first half is pretty wild. The Twin Pines into Lone Pines thing was the first thing I thought about from the original Back to The Future, but I didn’t even remember the images of the Twin Towers in Back to The Future II. The end of the video goes off the rails a little, and it either loses me or intentionally creeps me right out.
The image of Marty McFly at the beginning of BTTF II and Phillip Petit from The Walk is definitely startling, not to mention the tie in with the World Trade Center and Zemeckis releasing a film in October 2015. Many, many coincidences, almost to the point where they aren’t coincidences at all…
Since the announcement of its debut, Star Wars fans everywhere were feverishly waiting for Monday Night Football (that’s a sentence I never thought I would write). The trailer didn’t disappoint as it gave us our best look yet at the soon to be released Episode 7.
The internet reacted accordingly to the monumental release with fans all around the world, young and old, famous and not-so-famous, Jedi and Sith, sharing their thoughts on Twitter.
We decided to compile all the reactions from celebrities to die hard fans to give a look at some of the funniest reactions and maybe a few easter eggs that may have gone unnoticed.
This is how a fan base reacts to the first true glimpse of Star Wars: The Force Awakens:
Just came back from fan girling over that star wars trailer .
Star Wars destroyed the internet tonight when Star Wars: The Force Awakens ticket presale crashed Fandango. The epic franchise took over Monday Night Football when Disney and Lucasfilm released the latest trailer during half-time of the game. Below is the top 10 images of from the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, with a few bonus images. The images are in chronological order to go along with the trailer.
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as “Star Wars” returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Episode VII in the Star Wars Saga, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, opens in theaters December 18, 2015.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan & Abrams, features a cast including actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. They will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker.
