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'The Haunting in Connecticut 2: The Ghosts of Georgia' Official Trailer & Poster

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The producers of 2009’s The Haunting in Connecticut are set to release a companion film to the chiller entitled: The Haunting in Connecticut 2: The Ghosts of Georgia.

IGN has the exclusive first poster and plot synopsis for the film, which follows the story of a new family facing a whole new house of horrors. The connective tissue between the two projects is the original inspiration for the tales.

Both stories aired as a part of the Discovery series The Haunting, which featured “real life” ghost encounters. The pilot episode became the foundation for The Haunting in Connecticut, while the second ghostly tale has been adapted to become The Haunting in Connecticut 2: The Ghosts of Georgia.

The film is set to open in a limited theatrical release and VOD on February 1st.

A young family is tormented by the horrors of the past in The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, a chilling new film based on a true story from the producers of The Haunting in Connecticut.

Building on the terror of A Haunting in Connecticut, this horrifying tale traces a young family’s nightmarish descent into a centuries-old Southern hell. When Andy Wyrick (Chad Michael Murray, House of Wax) moves his wife Lisa (Abigail Spencer, TV’s Mad Men) and daughter Heidi to an historic home in Georgia, they quickly discover they are not the house’s only inhabitants. Joined by Lisa’s free-spirited sister, Joyce (Katee Sackhoff, TV’s Battlestar Galactica), the family soon comes face-to-face with a bone-chilling mystery born of a deranged desire…a haunting secret rising from underground and threatening to bring down anyone in its path.

Source 1 and 2

Gotta love how they changed the title of this from 'The Haunting in Georgia' (which actually made sense) to include Connecticut even though the movies really have no connection and this doesn't take place anywhere near Connecticut...

India sitar maestro Ravi Shankar dies

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Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar has died in a hospital in the US, aged 92.

Shankar was admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego last week after complaining of breathing difficulties, reports say.

Shankar, who helped bring Indian music to the world, played at Woodstock and the 1967 Monterey Pop festival.

His daughters, sitar player Anoushka Shankar and Grammy award winning singer Norah Jones, are also acclaimed musicians.

Shankar - a three time Grammy winner - and Anoushka had been nominated for the 2013 Grammy awards in the world music category.

Ravi Shankar popularised the sitar - a long-necked Indian lute - and gained widespread international recognition because of his association with George Harrison of The Beatles.

Harrison once called him "the godfather of world music".

Shankar also composed a number of film scores - notably Satyajit Ray's celebrated Apu trilogy (1951-55) and Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) - and collaborated with US composer Philip Glass in Passages in 1990.

In 1999 he was awarded the highest civilian citation in India - the Bharat Ratna, or Jewel of India.

Born into a Bengali family in the ancient Indian city of Varanasi, Ravi Shankar was originally a dancer with his brother's troupe.

He gave up dancing to study the sitar at the age of 18.

For the last years of his life, Ravi Shankar lived in Encinitas, California, with his wife Sukanya.

Source:BBC



Rest well, Ravi. :( I'm so thankful I got to see him and Anoushka perform in Toronto in 2005. One of the most incredible performances I've ever seen. RIP.

Florence Welch Isn't Here For Your Tomfoolery

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Just call her Florence Welch, friendship healer. The quirky singer drew cheers from her fans during a show in Aberdeen, Scotland, Sunday night after she put her set on pause to break up a brawl in the audience.

Welch, 26, was about halfway through a rousing performance of her hit, "Shake It Out," when she noticed two female fans in the crowd having an argument. She called for her band to stop, and then directly addressed the offending hotheads.

"I can't have a fight in front of me while I'm singing this song! No fighting allowed," she scolded the duo. "I don't know what's happening but I would quite like it to stop. It doesn't matter whose fault it is."

"Excuse me, all of you – stop it," she called out to her fans, who had begun to chuckle nervously. "I'm sorry all of you if you're upset."

One of the quarreling girls appeared to be crying at this point, so the "Cosmic Love" singer then turned concerned.

"Is she OK? Is she going to be alright?" she asked.

Welch then hopped off the stage – barefoot – and gave the girl a hug, insisting that "everyone who's friends, kiss and make up and be good to each other."



The fire-haired singer then climbed back up onto the stage and picked up where she left off.

Longer video:

SRC

ONTD members, if you were in the crowd, then would you tell the people arguing to stop/chill the fuck out?

Brenda ♫ to guest star on 'New Girl'

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The 24-year-old Suite Life of Zack and Cody star will play a love interest for Winston (Lamorne Morris) on the Fox series, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Daisy (Song) will fall for Winston when he gets knocked back by the attractive Holly - played by previously-announced guest star Brooklyn Decker.

Song's previous credits include a role on ABC drama Scandal and in 2010 film The Social Network.

Nate Corddry (Harry's Law, Studio 60) has also been cast on New Girl as a man who unsettles Jess (Deschanel) with his creepy behavior.

The series continues on Tuesdays on Fox and will return to E4 in early 2013.

YAY ME!


This is my first post, pls be nice to me!!!
Queen Brenda thanks you for ur time. Muah! xoxoxo

KTBS-TV Meteorologist Rhonda Lee Fired For Responding To Racist Viewer Comments On Facebook

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This is seriously ridiculous and pretty damn racist. Rhonda A. Lee, a meteorologist at KTBS-TV, an ABC affiliate in Shreveport, LA, was fired for (very politely) responding to (inane) Facebook comments about her hair. Let's just hop in because it's infuriating and ugh.

According to Clutch:

On Oct. 1, a viewer identified as Emmitt Vascocu wrote, "the black lady that does the news is a very nice lady.the only thing is she needs to wear a wig or grow some more hair. im not sure if she is a cancer patient. but still its not something myself that i think looks good on tv. what about letting someone a male have waist long hair do the news.what about that (cq)."

Lee replied the same day, "Hello Emmitt–I am the ‘black lady' to which you are referring. I'm sorry you don't like my ethnic hair. And no I don't have cancer. I'm a non-smoking, 5'3, 121 lbs, 25 mile a week running, 37.5 year old woman, and I'm in perfectly healthy physical condition.

"I am very proud of my African-American ancestry which includes my hair. For your edification: traditionally our hair doesn't grow downward. It grows upward. Many Black women use strong straightening agents in order to achieve a more European grade of hair and that is their choice. However in my case I don't find it necessary. I'm very proud of who I am and the standard of beauty I display. Women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and levels of beauty. Showing little girls that being comfortable in the skin and HAIR God gave me is my contribution to society. Little girls (and boys for that matter) need to see that what you look like isn't a reason to not achieve their goals.

Conforming to one standard isn't what being American is about and I hope you can embrace that.

"Thank you for your comment and have a great weekend and thank for watching."

Vascocu replied that Lee was right to be proud of who she is and that he is not a racist, but ". . . this world has . . . certain standerd (cq). if youve come from a world of being poor are you going to dress in rags?. . ."

Subsequent to this interaction — which Lee handled so well that I'm thinking of hiring her for my future PR business, Dealing with Dumbasses, Inc. — she was reprimanded and then fired by station managers. For real. That happened. No, this is not backwards day in crazy town, it's reality in the United States of America, Pop. WE FUCKED.

Of course, KTBS-TV couldn't even demonstrate any rules that Lee was in violation of: "I had a meeting with my ND [news director] and GM [general manager] Friday trying to get my job back," Lee said. "They told me the policy I violated isn't written down, but was mentioned in a newsroom meeting about a month-and-a-half prior. A meeting I didn't attend. So when I asked what rule did I break there isn't anything to point to."


On November 14, a KTBS viewer named Kenny Moreland, whose Facebook profile picture is of The Little Rascals‘ Buckwheat character captioned “Buckwheat Say: O-Tay,” posted the following comment (shown above), on the station’s Facebook page, about KTBS’ annual “Three Minute Smile” contest, which gives winners a 3-minute shopping spree through a local WalMart.

Moreland left a similar comment on the station’s website earlier that same day:

Not measured enough, apparently, because Ms. Lee is gone, while Kenny Moreland’s comment is still there. Rhonda Lee told Journal-isms‘ Richard Price that she was the one who alerted the station to the offensive comment, but rather than take it down, the station took her down:

“I was the one who brought it to their attention after they let it fester on the page for 6 days, but was then chastised for responding at all. I sent a screen grab to my boss via e-mail telling them that I’m ok with the anti-Rhonda commentary sometimes, but what has been posted at the time was . . . racist, and I asked them to please support me in removing the ones that didn’t encourage thoughtful, respectful and civil discourse on our FB page. I never got a reply, only punished. To this day the posts are still there.”

It’s hard to believe that a station would fire someone for such a relatively innocuous response, and the station won’t comment, but Price points out that Rhonda Lee sued one former employer for discrimination. From Journal-isms:

Lee told Journal-isms, “. . . Race has been the issue with me since I started. That much is VERY true. Weather is an older white boy business and arms have been less than open for a young black girl — a polar opposite. As reported I’ve had more problems here in the south than I have anywhere else in my 25+ years in the business. Perhaps there is a pattern, but I am a glutton for punishment (ha, ha), and I want what I deserve as any professional would so if I have to fight for it I will.

It appears the station is more comfortable with racism than they are with a meteorologist who is (politely) not comfortable with it, just as some Americans see more of a problem with people talking about racism than with the racism itself.
Edit: The station just put up an official response on their Facebook.




Source 1 and 2
Yeah okay. Fire her without warning over a non-existent policy that isn't written down anywhere and leave those shitty comments up on Facebook. I can't. Furthermore, the station even "liked" the racist comments on Facebook.

Demetria sounds off on the X Factor semi-finalists

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The second season of The X Factor is down to the final four acts, all vying for the top prize, a $5 million recording contract.

Judge Simon Cowell, who has been the mentor of the Group category, has two of the four: Emblem3, a trio of guys from Huntington Beach, Calif.; and Fifth Harmony, a girl group Cowell created at the start of the show.

Judge Britney Spears has one Teen act left: pint-sized powerhouse Carly Rose Sonenclar.

And judge L.A. Reid has one Over 25 act left: country crooner Tate Stevens.

Demi Lovato, who was the judge/mentor of the Young Adult group and who hasn't been afraid to take on Cowell whenever she felt like it, has seen all of her acts exit the show. So we turned to her for an impartial assessment of the singers who are still standing.




Tate Stevens:

His story: He's 37, from Raymore, Mo., and his real name is Stephen Eatinger. Fans love that he's married to his high school sweetheart.

Biggest strength?"Not only is he really talented as a country artist, a lot of the people watching the show and voting are people that are older. It's America," says Lovato. "Everybody loves a good country artist who really embraces what we're all about."

Biggest weakness?"Sometimes he can get a little dull, a little boring. I've seen him perform really well. It's a matter of turning it on and off."

Chances of being signed to a recording contract anyway?"It's a done deal. He definitely will get signed."

One thing he needs to do to win it all?"Just to not get comfortable with his performances. He is one of the best things on the show, but at the same time everything counts. One bad performance can send you home."



Carly Rose Sonenclar Sonenblurgh

Her story: The 13-year-old singing powerhouse was born in New York City and lives in Mamaroneck, NY. Person she seems closest to in the world is her older brother, Russell.

Biggest strength?"Her biggest strength is her voice," says Lovato. "She's like this freak of nature."

Biggest weakness? "A part of me feels like she's really serious all the time and she always sings these slow songs. I love watching someone that's going to get my energy up. And she's incredible, yes, but it's definitely hard watching her sometimes. I think she's pretty emotional for 13 and I don't know how much she wants to be here. I don't see the drive I see in some of the other contestants' eyes." Lovato says she would "like to see her act like she's having fun."

Chances of being signed to a recording contract anyway?"I think that probably the Disney/Nickelodeon world will try to snatch her up. I think that's obviously a given. Same with Diamond (White, who was sent packing last week). They have careers ahead of them, so they shouldn't worry."

One thing she needs to do to win it all?"With Carly, she's going to have to decide if she's taking the serious route or maybe go the more fun route. Sometimes it's hard to be singing about love at a very young age. Maybe she'll just have to wait until she's older to give it a shot."




Emblem3

Their story: Drew Chadwick, 20; Keaton Stromberg, 16, and his brother, Wesley Stromberg, 18, grew up in Sequim, Wash. They've been singing since they were in diapers.

Biggest strength?"Their biggest strength is their charm," says Lovato. "They're very, very charming boys. They're very cute. They've got the whole surfer boy thing going on. There's a lot of boy bands, yes, but there aren't any that I feel have really, really strong vocals and a unique quality to them."

Biggest weakness?"The thing is, they're not doing what we saw in this very first audition. It was an original song of theirs that I got stuck in my head. Now it's a little uncomfortable because they've become so manufactured. It looked like they were having so much fun. If Simon takes away their originality, it won't work."

Chances of being signed to a recording contract anyway?"They'll be fine after this, whether they win or not. It's guaranteed, the top four will go on."

One thing this act needs to do to win it all?"Staying true to yourself is the biggest advice I can offer to those guys. It's really easy to get taken down a path that you think is best for yourself when you have a lot of people telling you what it is."




Fifth Harmony

Their story: Dinah Jane Hansen (15, Santa Ana, Calif.), Lauren Jauregui (16, Miami), Ally Brooke (19, San Antonio), Normani Hamilton (16, Houston) and Camila Cabello (15, Miami) came together at the end of the X Factor boot camp to form the group that was initially called Lylas and then renamed to 1432 before settling on Fifth Harmony.

Biggest strength?"I am still very skeptical about them," says Lovato. "There's something about them that doesn't always click when you look at them on stage. They're probably really close and great friends. But professionally they should have been smaller or some of the girls should have gone solo. I don't look at them and say they're going to be the next Spice Girls or they have what Destiny's Child child had."

Biggest weakness?"Sometimes visually it gets thrown off because the stylists don't always have it look right. Being a performer, you have to get everything right. If you're doing a girl group you don't have to have them matching, but when you have one tall one wearing jeans and the rest of them wearing dresses, it looks awkward. They have to be able to nail that and figure out their chemistry. Some of them are lacking in the vocal department."

Chances of being signed to a recording contract anyway?"They're really cute girls. I think the tween market will love them. They'll have a good career. It will be interesting to see how far they can take the girl group thing before going solo."

One thing this act needs to do to win it all?"If they did, I'd be really surprised."

Who will win? Without hesitation, Lovato says, "Tate Stevens!"

oh @ her wrong opinions on 5h & e3..........also, carly will win.

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Harry Styles started dating Taylor Swift before Conor Kennedy, so was he a brief distraction?

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When the news that Harry Styles and Taylor Swift are dating shagging faking a relationship doing something together first broke, there was speculation that Tay couldn't possibly be over her ex Conor Kennedy.

In fact, it was suggested that she was simply using the hairy boyband singer (told you we loved that nickname) to make him jealous.

Well, that theory may need a bit of a rethink - because new evidence has come to light that suggests Conor may have been but a brief speedbump - a minor distraction, if you will - on the Haylor road.


Because apparently, Harreh and Tay Swizzle first started dating back in March of this year, before she fell for Conor.

"They had a couple of dates back when they met, but the timing wasn't right," an insider told Look magazine. "They were busy with work, then Taylor met Conor Kennedy and fell hard for him. But she and Harry stayed in touch throughout the summer."

As we all know, Taylor dated C-Kendz for just three months before their romance fizzled out - and according to sourcey-pants, it wasn't long before Harry was back in touch with the 'Trouble' singer.

"As soon as Harry found out Taylor was single again, he went after her," said the source. "Dating has always been a bit of a cat and mouse game for him, and he's never really had a girl say no to him before."

Sorry, we'd just like to interrupt here to pose a very important question. Who is the cat and who is the mouse in this scenario? Hmm? Mull that one over while we continue.

"When Taylor started dating Conor so soon after their dates, it made Harry realize how much he likes her. Both he and Taylor are very easy-going people and they have incredible chemistry," added the insider.

"They have loads in common and talk about music endlessly - Harry thinks Taylor's music is brilliant and has been asking for songwriting tips. Plus they both love Scrabble."

SAY WHAAA? Scrabble? Ah yes we imagine that's why Harreh was looking so pleased with himself when he left Tay's hotel room in New York last week - he'd managed to nab two triple word scores.

"Harry's a combination of the best part of her exes," the source continued. "He has the charm of John Mayer, the sensitivity of Jake Gyllenhaal and the boyish good looks of Conor."

source

Britney Spears Number One On Top-Earning Women In Music 2012 List

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Britney Spears earned over $50 million in 2010—$64 million, to be exact. This year, she might describe her financial gains with the words to one of her best-known songs: "Oops! I did it again."

The 31-year-old pop star pulled in $58 million over the past year, more than any other woman in the music industry. Her latest album, Femme Fatale, was certified platinum in the U.S. and the ensuing tour accounted for the bulk of her bucks. Endorsements and a fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden added millions more to her coffers. Not too bad, considering Spears' troubles just a few years ago.


"I think people love the comeback story—Britney never really finished her run as a superstar," says marketing guru Steve Stoute, author of The Tanning of America. Adds music attorney Lori Landew, who helped sign Spears to her first record deal as a teenager: "Britney has an electricity that connects with audiences on screen and off, and it is that intangible quality that always seems to leave her fans, old and new, breathless."



Spears barely edged No. 2 Taylor Swift, who earned $57 million. Like this year's cash queen, the country-crossover star boosted her take heavily on the road, grossing over $1 million per night. She also earns big from endorsements with the likes of CoverGirl and Sony, and there's more cash on the way: her latest album, Red, moved 1.2 million units its opening week this fall, the best debut by any artist since 2002.

Rihanna ranks third with $53 million. In addition to a heavy touring schedule and an impressive string of hits including "Diamonds" and "We Found Love," she cashes in on endorsements with Vita Coco and Nivea, as well as fragrance Reb'l Fleur. No. 4 Lady Gaga follows closely with $52 million, also boosted by touring, record sales and her new perfume, Fame.

Katy Perry rounds out the top five with $45 million. The California Gurl continues to garner considerable airplay—she's the only musician besides Michael Jackson to have five No. 1 singles from the same album—and her California Dreams Tour grossed nearly $60 million.

"What all these girls have in common is that they have smashes under their belts," says Stoute. "Gaga … she's a pop culture icon because of her sensibilities … I think Rihanna has found the very thin space of being the alter ego of the good girl … [along with Katy Perry], they've completely dominated the charts in the past three years."

To form our list, we looked at income from record sales, touring, endorsements, merchandise sales and other ventures. The figures represent earnings from May 2011 to May 2012, before subtracting management fees, legal costs and taxes (which together can eat up the bulk of a big payday). The totals were compiled with the help of data from Pollstar, RIAA and others, in addition to interviews with managers, lawyers and concert promoters.


Of the industry's top female earners, only eight rank among the world's 25 highest-paid musicians. Part of the reason: women often take time off from showbiz careers when starting a family. And, says Landew, they're judged more harshly than their male peers as they grow older.

"It becomes increasingly challenging when artists get beyond a certain age to keep appealing to new audiences even if they hold on to their loyal fans," she says. "This is especially true for women who often find that opportunities for cross-marketing shrink as they age."

Still, older stars such as Madonna made the list; she earned $30 million despite the fact that none of the dates from her new tour fell into our scoring period. New mom Beyoncé also claimed a spot with $40 million; she'll earn even more next year when her $50 million deal with Pepsi kicks in.

Who's next? Nicki Minaj, the only lady on our Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, narrowly missed the top ten. She could join the ranks next year, as could fellow American Idol judge Mariah Carey. So could someone even younger. Says Stoute: "Don't be surprised if you see Willow Smith."

Indeed, starting young has its financial benefits, and one need look no further than this year's cash queen.

Source


Selena Gomez and friends dance to "I Knew You Were Trouble"

Lindsay Lohan Unfollows The Wanted's Max George After He Called Her a Groupie

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After following The Wanted for several days, Lindsay Lohan now seems to distance herself from the boyband as she's no longer following Max George on Twitter. Her move comes hot on heels of a new interview done by her crush, during which he called her a "groupie." 
 
 
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Max made such comment about LiLo when asked by ITN reporter backstage at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball if he's dating LiLo. "No, what's the right word for her? A yeah, a groupie!" he answered, to which his fellow bandmate jokingly added, "She is probably hiding in our suitcase right now!" 

Lindsay Lohan has been labeled as The Wanted's groupie by the media since she hopped on their tour bus. She didn't seem to object it though and continued to follow them in their tour. It was apparently a different story when the labeling came straight from Max himself. 

Regardless of the rumor that she's mad at Max over his "groupie" comment, the troubled actress still follows three other members of the British boyband, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes. She also tweets, "I heart the UK." 

Before she unfollowed 24-year-old Max, the 26-year-old redhead re-tweeted his message that read, "Back in England!!!!:)... Can I make it to the ball tonight... #lawson." She also posted a picture of his hoodie, "Missing something? @MaxTheWanted." 

The Wanted are back to their home country after touring the U.S., while LiLo stays Stateside. She's facing numerous legal woes including misdemeanor charges stemming from a car accident last summer after she's suspected of giving false information to cops.

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The Hobbit’s Martin Freeman on dwarves, Gollum and Leonard Nimoy

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Martin Freeman had some hairy prosthetic feet to fill as Bilbo in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, but the acclaimed actor was up to the challenge. We sat down in an exclusive interview and quizzed Freeman about filming the much-anticipated trilogy, his life in Middle-Earth, and, most importantly, his thoughts on Leonard's Nimoy's classic song "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins." Read our full interview with the Shire's best burglar now.

How did Peter Jackson direct you to handle the ring?

Martin Freeman: With curiosity, I think. That was what we kind of went for. When I first see it, when it drops out of Gollum's pouch in the goblin tunnels, to just literally notice it and go "oh." It's just a flash of color in this dark place. A flash of gold. And as I get closer just to have curiosity and not to imbue it with a great kind of force or a sense of epic-ness. Like a trinket. Then there's something magpie-ish about Bilbo and he thinks, oh I'll have that that might come in handy. But there's no sense of a semi religious import.



Which is interesting because LOTR was first and they spent most of the film building up the ring's reputation. Are there just a bunch of rings tossed about on set?

They have a few, yeah they have a few. I'm afraid I don't have a very pragmatic or unromantic view of props. I don't imbue them with any great sense of mystery or anything. It's a lovely ring, they're all lovely rings. I don't really think it's the ring of power.

In the press conference you mentioned while you were reading [the script] you couldn't help but read it from Bilbo's point of view. What sort of things did you notice that maybe the casual reader wouldn't have picked up on that you added to your character?

I don't know what other people noticed or not, but the things I liked about him and it, and the things that struck me were… well, very obviously was [Bilbo] having a last second realization that if he doesn't go on this trip this ship will never dock again. And this is the last opportunity. This is the only opportunity for a trip like this. Having a departure from his life. I love that bit in the film actually, and that was a second unit shot. That was a circus shot where Bilbo comes downstairs and he's checking to see if all the dwarves have gone, and they've gone and he's fucking delighted. He's so glad he's got them out of the house. And then there's the realization that "fuck, they're gone." He's got what he wanted, and it's not what he wanted. Because then the house feels very empty and very quiet. And all that possibility, all that excitement has left. I like the fact that he bolts out the door. That was one of the things that struck me while reading and with watching it. We shot that a long time ago, as you can imagine. So watching it, I think, is a very strong image.

And that's the first turning point for the character. But you shot a major turning point for Bilbo first. What was that like shooting the scene with Andy Serkis as Gollum the first week on set? Dealing with someone who has been doing Gollum for a long time and trying to understand and develop your character in this massive moment?

Yeah I suppose that is always one of the potential pitfalls of shooting out of sequence, which most things are. Then it's about your own preparation, which is making sure you're as prepared as you can be intellectually for where you are in the play. Even though you can't be viscerally prepared for it, because you haven't done anything else. You can only know in your head, you can't have the knowledge of a memory "well when I did that it was like that." You can only think when Bilbo is here, he must have been through X,Y and Zed. And he's about to go through this… so he'll be about here. And that's just about, we'll I'll have a punt at this then. That's where choice comes into it, I'll try this way, I'll try that way. That's as much for me, and for Pete. I'm quite self-critical, where that comes from of trying things out is not just because I like showing off. It's because I haven't got there yet. I'm very rarely satisfied with where I've got to anyway, so I'm constantly thinking, "well, if that's not it then why don't I try this."

What did you discover after shooting the Gollum meets Bilbo scene [straight through with minimal cuts] for a whole week?

I just think there was just was a character. I think that's how it changed, I went from not having one… The difference was at the end of that, I had something now. And it was a great scene to do because it required reaction. So it was very helpful, actually. It was a good scene. On one hand it was jumping into the deep end. But that's the only place you can go in.

It doesn't feel cheated. It's weird. All that cave, there was a lot that was real. We were shooting in a place that was physically there. And a big lake! Beyond from where we were standing it was a a panorama of green. But from our stage it was a lot of rock. It felt real. Andy feels real. Obviously he doesn't look like Gollum, strictly speaking, but he's being Gollum. And I'm an animal of the theater and you're used to using your imagination. You don't have to use your imagination that much when you hear that voice and see the physicality you think oh, "there's Gollum, there's a man or a creature that wants to eat me." It didn't feel very cheated at all. Gollum is such a beloved character. There's a special place in people's hearts for Gollum I think. People who love the books and the films are delighted he's in this, I think.

Is there a particular dwarf you had chemistry with that changed your relationship in the movie?

Well I suppose the dwarf I spend the most time with is Thorin. Over the course of the whole thing there are some really nice scenes between Bilbo and Thorin. And of course because Bilbo sees him go through all of these emotions that has a bit of an effect with Bilbo. I really enjoyed the scene where I'm about to go back to Rivendell and James Nesbitt stops me as Bofur. And they have a little thing just before they fall into the goblin tunnels. Where he sees in Bilbo, "yeah, fair enough, you should go, we love you, but if you feel you have to go, you should go." I love those tender moments. Because Bilbo sees Dwarves as uncouth, dirty inbreds probably at the beginning of the movie. So any moment where they show some humanity for Bilbo is a really nice thing.

It's easy to root for the anti-hero or a great heroic character, but he's not really that. He struggles. He's awkward, good for a laugh but how do you make people cheer for him?

I guess that's a combination of me and Pete and everybody, and Tolkien. I think you just have to show humanity. A lot of it is the way you look at people and the way you listen to people (character) and the way you talk to them. You know that he's actually receiving by the way Bilbo responds. I think when see you a character on the screen who is actually being touched by the world, and the stuff is actually landing on him, it makes you empathize. I was never interested, nor was Pete, with building a caricature or cartoon English gentleman. Everything being awkward I'm not interested in the in the least. I fine that deeply, deeply tedious. It has to be human.

There is a lot of fun Hobbit memorabilia and things in the fandom, did you perchance listen to Leonard Nimoy's "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins?"

Yeah a long time ago, I'm still baffled by it.

Did it help you prepare for the character at all?

No it didn't. [Laughs] It helped me enjoy that three minutes of listening to it.





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Benedict Cumberbatch: I’m Not Playing Khan In Star Trek Into Darkness

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- British actor Benedict Cumberbatch is the newest member of the “Star Trek” franchise, but he assured Access Hollywood’s Scott Mantz, although he is the new “Trek” bad guy, he is not playing legendary villain Khan in the upcoming second installment of the origin series from J.J. Abrams.

“A few have asked that which is strange,” Benedict told Scott on Monday, joking about it being “strange,” considering it was wildly speculated he would play the youthful version of the character originated by Ricardo Montalban in a 1967 episode of the “Star Trek” television series – “Space Seed” — and later in the 1980s film, “The Wrath of Khan.”

“I play a character called John and not that other name,” Benedict continued. “It’s interesting. Speculation is speculation and that’s all fun.”

On Tuesday, Benedict did reveal, however, some new details to Access’ MovieMantz at the junket for the first nine minutes of the film, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which was first screened for journalists over the weekend.

“I play John Harrison who’s a terrorist and an extraordinary character in his own right,” the Brit said. “He’s somebody who is not your two-dimensional cookie cutter villain. He’s got an extraordinary purpose, and I hope that at one point or other in the film you might even sympathize with the reasons he’s doing what he’s doing — not necessarily the means and the destruction he causes. But it was a great ride, not just because he’s the bad guy and the antagonist but also because he has a purpose and it’s hard not to see his point of view at certain points.”

The actor, who also stars as Sherlock Holmes in PBS’ “Sherlock,” admitted he wasn’t looking to see a “Star Trek” film when the origin story of the reboot franchise first came out.

“I wasn’t that interested in seeing a ‘Star Trek’ movie, I’ll be honest. I know you are a Trekspert, so forgive me,” the Brit told Scott. “It’s not out of any loathing of the genre or sci-fi or anything. I love it, but I just wasn’t that interested. And people said, ‘No, you should just go and see it. It’s a great film.’ And lo and behold, then all the Trekkie in me was reborn as well and I was just over the moon excited about them all meeting for the first time. I thought it was such an imaginative prequel.”

And Benedict noted the new film takes things even further.

“Without a doubt, it is truly epic,” he said. “It’s a big film. The scale of it is so much bigger than the first.”

Benedict said he is aware this film is important to lifelong “Star Trek” fans, but he had to please his director, first and foremost.

“You can’t try and fulfill everyone’s expectations. As an actor, my role in this is to fulfill my director’s promise in me and yeah, if I fulfill his trust in me, that’s it. That’s a job done. And then, I have full respect for the fans’ response. I know that they own this… A lot of people have grown [up] with this all of their lives… And that is important to me, but if you go about trying to please everybody, it’s a short way to madness.

“It would paralyze you if you went to all of the comments… Having said that, I’ll be over the moon if the fans are happy,” he added.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” hits theaters on May 17, 2013.

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He's not Khan! HE"S NOT KHAN!!

Want to Be a Successful Writer? Be a Man

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Well, this is depressing: female authors are still using male pseudonyms — or ambiguous initials in hopes that prospective buyers won't realize they're ladies — because studies show more people read books written by dudes. Can you blame them?

Some of history's most notable authors pretended they were men to sell more novels; probably the most famous are the Brontë sisters, who published as the Bell brothers, because, as Charlotte Brontë wrote, "we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice."

Women still feel pressure to follow their example, even though that was 150 years ago.

For example, there's Christina Lynch and Meg Howrey, who just wrote a new fantasy novel about a Beethoven scholar and a murder mystery in Prague under the name "Magnus Flyte," because he sounds like the kind of suave intellectual who would pen a thriller about what publishers consider "man issues," which apparently include mystique, symphonies, the back alleys of Prague, and everything else besides shoes, babies, and the color pink.

"It sometimes makes sense for a female author to use a pseudonym, particularly when the main characters are male, or when it's a genre with a strong appeal to men, like military science fiction, certain types of fantasy or gritty thrillers," Penguin editor Anne Sowards told the Wall Street Journal. "When we think a book will appeal to male readers, we want everything about the book to say that-the cover, the copy and, yes, the author's name."

Ugh ugh ugh. But the problem is that studies show men are more likely to read books that are written by other men; one study found that four out of five men said the last book they read was written by a dude. (Women don't discriminate by gender when it comes to literature. Interesting.) So nervous first-time authors feel pressure to do whatever it takes to sell as many novels as possible.

Women rarely win prestigious literary awards, and they have especially low chances of winning them if they actually write about women — consider how few women have landed the Man Booker Prize, or how only 12 women have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1909. It doesn't help that there are way fewer female book reviewers at publications, as well as fewer books by female authors that are reviewed. Waiiit a second. I know Sherlock Holmes was a man (and that women aren't supposed to write mysteries — someone should tell Agatha Christie!), but I think I sense a connection here...

Some female authors end up compromising by using their androgynous names or initials, so people who buy their books won't think too hard about the gender of the author. Sowards' authors include K.A. Stewart, Rob Thurman and K.J. Taylor — all women who don't sound like women. Nice. Then, of course, there's J.K. Rowling, whose publisher warned her not to go by "Joanne" lest she scare off little boys across the country.

The article concludes with an aside about how "editors are quick to note that it's not only women authors who feel pressure to write under pseudonyms: Romance readers would be surprised to learn some of their favorite bodice-rippers were penned by men." Oooh, like who? We don't get to find out; that's how the article (rather abruptly) ends. Oh well. I guess I could always go read some "Fiction for Men."

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New Full Minute Long (!!!) Trailer for Downton Abbey Christmas Special

Want to be on the cover of a videogame? Be a Man.

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The Last of Us dev says studio was asked to put Ellie on the back cover; claims it is a fallacy that putting a female on cover will lead to lesser sales.


The cover art for Naughty Dog's PlayStation 3 action game The Last of Us features female protagonist Ellie alongside male character Joel, but not all wanted it this way. Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann and Ellie voice actress Ashley Johnson spoke out on the issue in a new VG247 interview.

"I feel like they don’t put women on the covers because they’re afraid that it won’t sell," Johnson said. "It’s all gamers really know--and I don’t want to be sexist by any means--but I get the feeling, generally, that they think game’s won’t sell as well with a woman on the cover, compared to some badass dude on the front."

Druckmann concurred with Johnson's assessment, claiming it is a fallacy that games with females on their covers will sell fewer copies than those with a male front and center. He also revealed that Naughty Dog was asked to take Ellie entirely off the front of the box art for The Last of Us.

"I believe there’s a misconception that if you put a girl or a woman on the cover, the game will sell less," Druckmann said. "I know I’ve been in discussions where we've been asked to push Ellie to the back and everyone at Naughty Dog just flat-out refused."

Box art has been a much-discussed issue of late. Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine recently responded to criticisms about the BioShock Infinite cover art, saying that it was designed for the uninformed, not fans of the series.

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Adam Lambert Talks VH1 Divas, American Idol, and His Love Life

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Adam Lambert stopped by The Wendy Williams Show to talk about American Idol past and present, his love life, and hosting VH1 Divas. Adam reveals if he plans on getting married and find out what happens when Adam makes a fan's dream come true in the studio audience.

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The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons - Who went home?

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Episode 11: I Like To Move It, Move It
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Challenge Winner
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Las Vegas


Challenge Losers
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Cancun


Voted into arena by winning team
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San Diego

Arena Challengers
in... Strategy
(Players have 10 minutes to create as many knots using feet of rope within a dome shaped structure. After those 10 minutes are up, players must untie their opponents' knots. The players who untie the other team's knots first wins the elimination.)

Cancun: Jonna & Derek
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San Diego: Ashley & The Annoying One
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Eliminated
Cancun: Jonna & Derek
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Who's excited for the finale next week?!

Want to watch the Arrow 1x10 promo? Be a man.

X FACTOR Top 4 Performances

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Will the new Beatles or 5th Harmony make it to the final?

The Top Four acts tried to showcase their best stuff on today's X Factor semifinals.

"This is crazy!" said co-host Khloe Kardashian Odom. "I can't believe the finals are next week!" Only three acts will advance. There will be no sing-off and no judges' decision this week, announced her co-host Mario Lopez. It's all up to viewer voting.

Fifth Harmony:




Carly Rose:





Tate Stevens:





Emblem 3:





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AHS - 2.10 - The Name Game - Promo

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