CW Goes Full Season With "Nikita", "Hellcats", And "One Tree Hill"

The CW Network gave full season, back nine episode orders to both of its freshman hits “Hellcats” and “Nikita,” as well as “One Tree Hill,” now in its eighth season, it was announced today by Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, The CW.

“This fall, The CW made several strategic scheduling moves, including adding two of the most buzzed-about new series, ‘Hellcats’ and ‘Nikita,’ to our line-up, and we’re thrilled that they’ve paid off for us,” said Ostroff. “By giving our two freshman series and proven performer ‘One Tree Hill’ full orders, we’ll be able to continue our success and momentum throughout the rest of the season.”

Of The CW’s new shows receiving back nine episode orders, first-year drama “Hellcats,” starring Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale, has proven itself by scoring the best retention of any show to follow veteran reality hit “America’s Next Top Model.” Since its premiere, “Hellcats” has dramatically improved The CW’s Wednesday 9-10pm time period by 80% in women 18-34 (1.8/5), 100% in adults 18-34 (1.2/4) and 126% in total viewers (2.5mil). With breakout star Maggie Q, “Nikita” has become the second most-watched show on The CW (3.6mil), paired with the network’s most watched series “The Vampire Diaries.”

“Hellcats” is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Tom Welling Productions, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Murphy (“Desperate Housewives,” “Reefer Madness”), Tom Welling (“Smallville”) and Allan Arkush (“Heroes,” “Crossing Jordan”).

“Nikita” is from Warner Bros. Television in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, with executive producers Craig Silverstein (“Bones,” “K-Ville”), David Levinson (“The Commish”), Danny Cannon (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Chuck”), McG (“Supernatural,” “Chuck,” “The O.C.,” “Charlie’s Angels”), and Peter Johnson (“Supernatural,” “Chuck”).

“One Tree Hill” was created by Mark Schwahn and is executive produced by Schwahn, Joe Davola, Greg Prange, Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins. “One Tree Hill” is produced by Mastermind Laboratories and Tollin/Robbins Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

New "Star Wars" Trilogy Planned?

Not sure who is running the site known as Inland Empire Strikes Back, there has been so many changes over there the last several months it might be R2D2.

That being said, the site has released a rumor about the possibility of some new "Star Wars" films. After weeding through a couple paragraphs championing the sites past scoops, you finally get to the meat of the story.

After the announced 3D release of the previously released six "Star Wars" flicks, which is already mind blowing news to the freaks and geeks, Darth Lucas is planning on dropping another three films on the public.

The rumor is that the movies will have nothing to do with the live action series no in development and will be financed by Lucas and company using the obvious gold mine they will make from the 3D re-release.

The films will be sequels to the already established 6-film foundation but most likely will deal with a whole new set of characters.  So same universe different tales of space cowboyism.

I know, sounds completely crazy. Could it be an attempt to overwhelm a website with a crazy amount of hits, or is it so out there in a galaxy far, far, away it could be true? Of course a LucasFilm spokesperson came out and denied the story:

“This is, of course, completely false,” Lucasfilm spokesman Josh Kushins told Wired.com in an e-mail Saturday about the report. “George Lucas has plenty of projects to keep him busy right now — including plenty of Star Wars projects — but there are no new Star Wars feature films planned.”

The Powers That Be denying a story doesn't exactly mean anything, happens all the time. I guess we'll have to wait until just under a decade to find out if this is true or not.

Check Out The "Meskada" Trailer

The trailer for "Meskada" is now available for download on Apple Trailers.

Meskada follows a small-town detective named Noah Cordin as he struggles to solve the brutal murder of a boy in the peaceful, affluent town of Hilliard. The killers left behind no clues at the crime scene, with the exception of a scrap of paper leading Cordin back to his hometown of Caswell. Here, Cordin and county detective Leslie Spencer consult with Cordin's old friends, all of whom are suffering from the economic troubles that have plunged Caswell into near-destitution. As their search fails to turn up a suspect, feverish tensions rise between the towns of Hilliard and Caswell, until the film reaches its shocking climax.

The film captures a snapshot of quintessential American small-town life. The story calls to mind our nation’s history, the brutal clashes over land and territory, the class-divides and the improbable victories for equal opportunity. Meskada portrays a vivid picture of the rift between characters in two towns, people bound by loyalty, family, community, and a battle born of circumstances beyond their control.

Magnet Releasing Acquires U.S. Rights To "Black Plague"

The Wagner/Cuban Company's Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures announced today that it has acquired US rights from HanWay Film to Christopher Smith’s BLACK DEATH. Starring Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings), BLACK DEATH is a creepy, pitch perfect medieval period film that expertly channels such UK classics as The Wicker Man and Witchfinder General. Christopher Smith’s cult hit Severence was distributed by Magnolia in 2007.

BLACK DEATH made its US debut last week at LA’s Screamfest, where it took home several major awards: Best Director (Chris Smith),  Best Actor (Sean Bean), Best Cinematography (Sebastian Edschmid) and  Best Musical Score (Christian Henson).

Bean stars as Ulric, a grim emissary from the Church, who leads a young monk (Eddie Redmayne) and a band of violent vigilantes and war veterans through the English countryside. Armed with blood-chilling torture devices, their mission is to stamp out suspected paganism in a village that remains untouched by the black plague, even as the rest of Europe grimly succumbs to the pestilence.

“BLACK DEATH simmers with a kind of terror that’s all the more haunting cause it’s real,” said Magnet SVP Tom Quinn.  “It’s another great example of why

Chris Smith is one of the most versatile directors working today.”

“BLACK DEATH is a film that I am immensely proud of, and I’m so pleased it has found such a great home for its US release,” said director Smith. “On the one hand it is a violent historical drama and on the other, a terrifying horror movie, in which the more realistically I shot the past, the more it reflected the present. A time when in spite of the fact people were dying of the plague, they still found the time to torture and kill each other.” 

The US deal was negotiated by Magnet/Magnolia SVP Tom Quinn with Tim Haslam from Hanway. Magnet is planning a first quarter 2011 theatrical release. BLACK DEATH marks Magnet’s third major acquisition announcement this week, following André Ovredal’s The Troll Hunter on Monday, and Brad Anderson’s Vanishing on 7^th Street on Tuesday. 

"I Love You Phillip Morris" Red Band Trailer

Bad Santa co-screenwriters Glenn Ficara and John Requa re-team for this fact-based black comedy starring Jim Carrey as a Texas police officer-turned-con man who makes the leap to white-collar criminal after being sent to prison and falling in love with his sensitive cellmate. Steve Russell (Carrey) is a small-town cop. Bored with his bland lifestyle, Russell turns to fraud as a means of shaking things up. Before long, Russell's criminal antics have landed him behind bars, where he encounters the charismatic Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Smitten, Russell devotes his entire life to being with Morris regardless of the consequences -- which could well include a life sentence. 

"Casino Jack" Trailer

High rollers in Indian casinos, hookers in Saipan, a murdered Greek tycoon, Cold War spy novels, plush trips to paradise... and the United States Congress. These are among the intriguing clues that add up to the epic mystery behind one of the greatest attempted heists in American history. It’s a twisting tale in which a small group of charming con men use the power of the purse, the zealotry of religion and bare-knuckled political brawling to loot the American government for fun, ideals and profit. It’s about ambitious young men who wanted to change the world, the politicians who needed their money, the corporations and gambling-rich tribes who desired their influence -- and how millions were extorted and the foundations of our democracy imperiled in the toxic mix of power and cash.

Aurra Sing Is Back In "Star Wars: The Clone Wars"

She's BACK! Left for dead after her failed gambit at the end of The Clone Wars' second season, deadly assassin Aurra Sing has returned – and she's out to redistribute the balance of power in "Assassin," an all-new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, October 22 on Cartoon Network.

Tasked with protecting Senator Padmé Amidala during a political mission to Alderaan, Ahsoka Tano is plagued by recurring visions of Sing's return. Unable to clear her mind, Ahsoka begins to worry that the stress of war is finally taking its toll on her – until the blood-letting assassin reveals herself with an attempt on Padmé's life. And after their last confrontation left Sing humbled, humiliated and presumed dead, the lean and mean bounty huntress is only happy for a chance at a rematch with the young Padawan…

"Aurra never dies. She gives what she takes and she kind of enjoys it," laughs Jaime King (My Bloody Valentine 3D, Sin City, The Spirit), who voices Sing in The Clone Wars. "She does have a bad taste in her mouth [after the events of Season Two], but rather than being bitter and angry, she is doing what she needs to do. It's a very cut-and-dried thing for her. Everything that happens makes her more intense and ruthless. She says bring it."

Sing's cruelty and merciless methods have certainly made her a favorite among fans; fascinating audiences with her blink-and-you'll-miss-it introduction in the live-action Episode I, she's since been elevated into the upper echelons of Star Wars icons. Her distinctive appearance – creepy yet seductive – plays into that mystique, giving her a visual flair that complements her ruthless demeanor.

"She's long and lean and lanky, but she has curves. She's perfect," says King. "She's got those long fingers; they're spidery like she is. Predatory. Her physicality is very much a part of her, and it's sexy. There are so many people who aren't inherently beautiful, but their qualities and gifts make them so stunning. It's the It Factor, and Aurra's got It. Men love her because she's hot and badass, and women love her because she's strong and badass. There aren't a lot of strong female characters like Aurra."

Still, while Sing may be "badass," that doesn't necessarily mean that she's all bad, according to King. She may not necessarily be a friendly, compassionate type, but Sing nonetheless has a backstory that provides the drive behind her bad behavior, But don't expect a comprehensive explanation of those motivations anytime soon.

"There's a history we haven't been told," says King. "It's up to George [Lucas] and Dave [Filoni] what they choose to show. I have my ideas, but those are secrets I like to hold on to; those are the layers that inform the character when I'm playing her. I'm never just pretending; it's my job to understand why she does what she does, so that it comes from a place of truth. Each episode reveals more. It's Star Wars; it touches lives, and I believe it will last forever. I love that."

Roadside Attractions Harvests "Hemingway's Garden Of Eden"

Roadside Attractions has acquired U.S. rights to Hemingway's Garden of Eden, directed by John Irvin and starring Mena Suvari, Jack Huston, Caterina Murino, Richard E. Grant, Matthew Modine and Carmen Maura. The screenplay was adapted from the Ernest Hemingway book by former Paris Review  editor James Scott Linville, and is based on Hemingway's final novel, a jazz-age set, erotically-charged romance that was published posthumously in 1986. Hemingway's Garden of Eden  was produced for Tranquil Seas by Lorne Thyssen and Timothy J. Lewiston. The acquisition was announced by Roadside Attractions co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff and Ian Jessel, president of Tranquil Seas, USA.

"Ernest Hemingway is one of a handful of genius writers whose work leaps from the page to the screen brilliantly," said Cohen, "and his 'Garden of Eden' is lush and vibrant, in the tradition of other great Hemingway adaptations like 'The Sun Also Rises.'"

"The Garden of Eden" remains one of the author's most debated novels, and is considered a departure from his usual work as it is widely accepted the novel is far more reflective of his personal life, perhaps even semi autobiographical. The fact the book was not published until after his suicide has sparked debate as to whether the erotic nature of it was such that he never wished it published at all.

Set in the jazz age of the 1920s, the story follows a successful young American writer, David Bourne (Huston), and his beautiful wife, Catherine (Suvari), on their extended honeymoon in Europe. Catherine soon becomes restless and starts to test her husband's devotion, pushing him to the limits of her erotic imagination and luring a sultry Italian girl, Marita (Murino) into their inner circle. With the stakes continually ratcheting higher, the events that follow change their lives forever.

Roadside will release the film in theaters on December 10.

TV Spot For "Paranormal Activity 2"

Yahoo Movies! has a tv spot for "Paranormal Activity 2". This flick looks like it is going to make some money, just like the first one did. As long as they don't drag it out like the "Saw" franchise, I'll be happy. So if you're listening studio heads, no "Paranormald Activity 3D".

Trailer For "Biutiful"

A love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds, his sacrifices for his children know no bounds. Like life itself, this is a circular tale that ends where it begins. As fate encircles him and thresholds are crossed, a dim, redemptive road brightens, illuminating the inheritances bestowed from father to child, and the paternal guiding hand that navigates life's corridors, whether bright, bad - or biutiful.