"Homeland" Gets Second Season At Showtime

On the heels of HOMELAND's biggest numbers yet, for this past Sunday's airing, SHOWTIME has ordered a season two, consisting of 12 new one-hour episodes. The announcement was made today by David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc. Developed for American television by executive producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, HOMELAND stars Emmy® Award winner Claire Danes, Golden Globe® nominee Damian Lewis and Emmy and Tony® Award winner Mandy Patinkin. HOMELAND debuted as the network's highest-rated freshman drama series ever, generating 4.4 million viewers across platforms in its first week. The series has continued to increase overall viewership since its premiere, with its most recent episode delivering the series' best ratings to-date this past Sunday. Season two will begin production in spring 2012.

"HOMELAND is just getting started," said Nevins. "Clearly, the overall audience growth from week one to week four demonstrates that this show is hitting a nerve in the cultural zeitgeist. Alex and Howard have created a psychological thriller that holds special relevance in the post 9/11 world. I'm quite confident that its passionate audience will be riveted as the season unfolds and people discover where this story is going."

The countless accolades for HOMELAND keep coming as the show gets deeper into its debut season. Newsweek calls HOMELAND "the most addictive show of the season." The New York Times notes "Homeland is well made and gripping…impossible to resist" and TV Guide says "Hands-down the best new drama on TV." USA Today raves "Stands out as the season's best new drama." "Grade: A" says The Boston Globe. The LA Times relays "It's the first telling of a post-9/11 story that is all the things it should be: politically resonant, emotionally wrenching and plain old thrilling to watch."

HOMELAND is a one-hour drama series that tells the story of Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), a CIA officer battling her own demons, who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to the rescue of Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. soldier who had been missing and presumed dead for eight years, was a setup and may be connected to an Al Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil. The series also stars Morena Baccarin, David Harewood, Diego Klattenhoff, Morgan Saylor and Jackson Pace. HOMELAND is based on the original Israeli series "Prisoners of War," by Gideon Raff. Along with Gordon and Gansa, the executive producers for season one are Avi Nir, Ran Telem, Gideon Raff and Michael Cuesta. The series is produced by FOX 21.

More Henry Cavill Uncensored "Man Of Steel" Set Photos

Not that set photos mean much besides wetting the appetites of fans, but it seems obvious to me that the studio is putting their best foot forward in order to cater to all demographics. Shirtless Cavill shots aren't going to do much for most dudes but I'm sure females browsing the interwebs might be on high alert.

Bryan Singer went with a romantic tale featuring lost love and the realization that even though Lois and Superman were reunited physically, it wasn't their time to reconnect emotionally. While some might call "Superman Returns" your father's Superman, this version is set up to be the definitive Superman film of this generation.

While you can be sure this is the thought process, the execution and perception is where it all matters once those film reels hit our local theaters. While we wait, enjoy some more male skin courtesy of SocialiteLife.Com, I know I won't be. Hit up the site if you want over twenty more photos.

Affleck To Direct Damon In Whitey Bulger Biopic

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are finally getting back together on the big screen post "Good Will Hunting", Dogma doesn't count because I didn't like it. According to Deadline the duos' next project is going to use the recently captured Whitey Bulger as their subject matter.

Along with producing Damon will take on the role of Bulger, we'll see Bulger over the years similar to what Eastwood is doing with Dicaprio in "J. Edgar". The story is said to cover the career criminal's youth through his years as an FBI informant. Affleck will not only direct the flick, he will also co-star and produce. Casey Affleck, Ben's brother, is also set for a role in the film.

The Brothers Warner sure love themselves some "Big Ben", he passed on "Gangster Squad" and was a strong candidate for "Man Of Steel" at one point before Snyder took on the directing duties. Sounds to me like the studio wants to keep him in the family after a strong showing with "The Town". They're looking for another Christopher Nolan. Affleck might be their guy.

Ben Affleck:

“Matt and I have been looking for something to do together for some time. We’ve heard about Whitey Bulger since we were kids, and we are excited by the prospect of putting it on screen."

Greg Silverman (WB President Of Production):

“When Ben mentioned this to Jeff and Sarah, they jumped immediately. It’s a perfect fit of story with the ideal artists to bring that story to the screen, and it’s so great to be heading back to Boston with Ben and Matt.”

Clone Wars: Darkness on Umbara Preview

If you're still waiting around for that Phantom Menace 3D trailer be allowed back online (psst, Fox...we're still not going to pay to see The Three Musketeers in 3D just to watch that), here's some Star Wars goodness to keep you entertained.  TheForce.net has a preview up of the upcoming episode of The Clone Wars, entitled "Darkness on Umbara":

As much as I enjoy The Clone Wars, I'm sure I'm not the only one still peeved that hardly any of this awesome battle action showed up in any of the prequel movies.  Oh well.

The Clone Wars airs Fridays on the Cartoon Network.

South Park Skewers Broadway

I never thought I hear the names Trey Parker and Matt Stone in the same sentence as the words "Tony Award winners", but then again...I never thought I see a Broadway musical where a dysentery outbreak was turned into part of a musical number.  Thanks to Matt and Trey's monster hit Broadway show The Book of Mormon, all of that has now happened.  Who knew?

A big part of the success of Book of Mormon is due to co-composer Bobby Lopez, who was also one of composers of the equally hilarious Sesame Street parody Avenue Q, and oddly enough, this summer's Winnie the Pooh movie.  Lopez joined Parker and Stone on this week's South Park episode, "Broadway Bro Down", which has Stan's parents Randy and Sharon becoming musical theater addicts after attending a touring production of the musical Wicked. 

Here's a (very) quick preview of the episode, courtesy of TV Blend.

OK, that was really short.  But the commercials running on Comedy Central for this episode also show Randy and Sharon tearing out of a performance of Broadway's Sister Act while the music to Book of Mormon's opening number "Hello!" is playing in the background.  That should be pretty hilarious.

At least they haven't let it all go to their heads.  South Park airs on Wednesday nights on Comedy Central.

Henry Cavill Is Topless Again In New "Man Of Steel" Photos

I'm still not sure why, but for some reason fanboys (and girls) become obsessed with the bodies of the actors or actresses playing their favorite characters on screen. There is debate from everything to the size of an actresses thighs to the parting of an actors hair. I don't quite understand the focus on what some might consider trivial, but I guess I can't knock it until I try it.

One of the debates on the forums and blogs involve the muscle mass of one Henry Cavill, who we all know is now playing Superman.

"Is he bigger than Routh?"

"Is he wearing a muscle suit?"

"Is that his natural crotch?" (What??)

Previous pictures of a beardo Cavill with his chesticles hanging out have proven the dude has murdered the Soloflex. There is some padding under the suit to provide definition just like Routh had, but for those who are obsessed with these types of things, the below photos courtesy YVRshoots might help your cause.

Looks like our bearded Superman is saving some gentleman from an oil rig or Alaskan miners, maybe the cast of "Deadliest Catch"?

A Nixon & Elvis Movie: Need I Say More?

It's fitting to have such strange casting given the subject matter.

The meeting of Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon remains one of the strangest pairing of figures in pop culture. Not the first time we've seen the event recreated but Cary Elwes (Yes, the same actor from The Princess Bride and Saw) is stepping behind the camera for his directorial debut on the event for the adequately titled Elvis & Nixon.

Variety reports Danny Huston will fill out one half of the duo as Nixon. Not the "strange casting" I alluded to earlier. Quite the opposite, Huston looks more like our thirty-seventh President than Anthony Hopkins or Frank Langella. No, I'm referring to who will grow the side-burns, puff up his cheeks and sport that jumpsuit: Eric Bana. One of those brilliant out there choices that makes you go, "Of course!" once it settles in. Couldn't you imagine Bana (so good at disappearing into roles) walking around with that Elvis swagger?

If anything the hiring of Bana and Huston has ensured Elwes already sold one ticket in advance even before cameras roll: mine.

"Unforgettable" & "Person of Interest" Go Full Season

UNFORGETTABLE, the season's #1 new drama in viewers, is averaging 14.00 million viewers, 4.2/10 in adults 25-54 and 3.0/08 in adults 18-49. UNFORGETTABLE has improved the Tuesday (10:00-11:00 PM) time period by +3% in both viewers and adults 18-49 and by +5% in adults 25-54 versus last season. UNFORGETTABLE wins its time period in all key ratings measures.

PERSON OF INTEREST, the #2 new drama in viewers, is averaging 13.97 million viewers, 4.6/11 in adults 25-54 and 3.3/08 in adults 18-49 in its Thursday (9:00-10:00 PM) time period.

UNFORGETTABLE stars Poppy Montgomery, Dylan Walsh, Michael Gaston, Kevin Rankin and Daya Vaidya. Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman and Ed Redlich are executive producers for Sony Television Studios in association with CBS Television Studios.

PERSON OF INTEREST stars Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Taraji P. Henson and Kevin Chapman. J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Jonathan Nolan and Greg Plageman are executive producers for Bonanza Productions Inc., in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

International "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" Trailer

"The Pirates! Band Of Misfits" opening in North America on March 30, 2012, Hugh Grant is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

Empire

"The Secret World of Arrietty" Trailer

In the film, opening in North America on February 17, Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to "borrow" scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive  Arrietty's family from the home and straight into danger.

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