Red carpet arrivals @ the Forum in Inglewood, California, for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.
Photographer Armando
AIPhotoImaging.com
Celebrate 30 Years of Star Trek: The Next Generation with New Book Critiquing Its Alien Lifeforms
A Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek: The Next Generation
By Joshua Chapman, an 11-Year-Old Boy in 1991, Available September 12
Grab a cup of tea (Earl Grey, hot) and enjoy a good read in your command chair. In honor of Star Trek: TNG’s 30th anniversary this September, Devastator Press – the only all-humor press in America – is releasing A Field Guide to the Aliens of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The guide is an informative, exhaustive, and surprisingly personal ranking of every alien lifeform in the series and the TNG films, as written by a boy in the ’90s.
The book collects a series of popular handmade zines attributed to “Joshua Chapman,” thousands of which sold in bookstores across the country. Chapman allegedly began the zines as a class project when he was 11-years-old and the hit sci-fi series was still on the air. He continued rating aliens through his awkward teen years. The book was edited and compiled by Zachary Auburn, author of the bestselling satire How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety.
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New Blade Runner 2049 Posters Highlight Gosling and Ford’s Characters
By Creative Media Times
Warner Bros.
The release of Blade Runner 2049 is fast approaching and the Warner Bros’ is ramping up the promo with the release of the highly anticipated film’s new poster. The image highlights LAPD Officer K Ryan Gosling) and Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), while Joi (Ana de Armas) and Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) also gets featured. Leto’s manipulative replicant manufacturer is the movie’s main antagonist.
This follows after the cast and filmmaker Denis Villeneuve recently showed up at San Diego Comic-Con and unveiled an exciting new trailer.
From the screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, the film also stars Robin Wright, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Barkhad Abdi, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis, and Sylvia Hoeks.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
“Blade Runner 2049” opens on October 6th 2017.
P!NK To Be Honored at 2017 VMA’S
By Niy Birden
P!nk by Allisonnik
Get ready, P!nk fans.
That’s right ,the moment many people have been waiting for is finally coming true: P!nk will be getting her honor at this year’s MTV VMA’s.
This is a major career moment for the Rock/Pop/and sometimes R&B crooner who has been continuously amazing the music world for years now with her Cirque de Soleil-like, mesmerizing performances.
The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, also sometimes known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, is one of pop music’s most prestigious awards to date. Created to honor musicians who pair both music and film together in outstanding efforts, the most recent awards, while not handed out annually, were given to big-namers like Beyonce, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Justin Timberlake.
P!nk definitely is deserving of this award. First bursting onto the scene as a solo musician in 2000, she quickly impacted the music industry with her pop hits such as Lady Marmalade, and later her classic album Missundaztood.
Her transition from cookie-cutter pop, to Rock n’ Roll is one of the most brought-up musical transformations discussed, alongside the likes of Madonna and recent RCA label mate Christina Aguilera, who was also featured on Lady Marmalade.
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Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid-1-800-273-8255 Music Video Review
By Niy Birden
Visionary . Def Jam
First of all, let’s just start by acknowledging that Don Cheadle is on a roll. Not only because of the legend that he is and always will be, but because he has made two incredibly placed appearances in two of the biggest music videos this year so far: Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA”, and now, Logic’s “1-800-273-8255”. Can we all agree here that Don would make a damn good director for a music video??
This year, the topic of LGBTQ discussions have been fairly quiet but still in demand, thanks to our recent election. With recent events such as the Charlottesville Nazi protests showing just how much of hate America is tolerating in society, it might be fitting to say that right now, more than ever, our youth need understanding and support with personal matters, especially the types of matters that has been behind the spike of suicide rates in teenagers. Fortunately, that support comes from a multitude of sources. And Logic wants to open up the discussion about it.
Sonically, the song is very pro-pop with a hint of R&B and Hip Hop, like most of Logic’s hits. Starting off with vintage electro piano and some lovely, optimistic strings, he opens up with a very honest statement “I’ve been on the low/I been taking my time/I feel like I’m out of my mind/It feel like my life ain’t mine/Who can relate?/I’ve been on the low/I been taking my time/I feel like I’m out of my mind/It feel like my life ain’t mine”. It then continues on with the mid-tempo beats as a nice accompaniment, and has a generous contribution by Alessia Cara and Khalid. Lyrically, it details someone calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and detailing their dismay, and then deciding that they actually don’t want to continue with ending their life.
Classic Focus Features On #FocusFridays
By Creative Media Times
Focus Features is continuing with their 15th anniversary celebrations with #FocusFridays, the free live-streaming of some of their classic features on Friday nights in August and September.
For the next three Friday nights, three film favorites will be steamed on Focus Features Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/FocusFeatures). This will start at 6:00 PM PT.
This is a perfect opportunity for film buffs to revisit some of the best movies from the film company, and if you haven’t seen them this is definitely a great treat.
Here’s the current lineup of classic movies:
Friday, August 25th: The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) won the Academy Award for Best Original Song (“Al Otro Lado del Río”). Following an inspiring journey of self-discovery and tracing the youthful origins of a revolutionary heart, the Latin American continent is unveiled in all its glory as two friends experience life at its fullest.
Friday, September 1st: The Constant Gardener (2005) sweeps audiences along one man’s emotional and global journey to uncover the truth behind a personal loss and a worldwide conspiracy. For her performance opposite Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz won the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and Academy Award.
Friday, September 8th: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) earned Golden Globe Award nominations for its stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, in an unforgettable love story, a tumultuous relationship seen through a maze of memories. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
#FocusFridays is part of the initiative commemorating the founding of worldwide film company Focus Features 15 years ago. The effort is called Focus 15 (www.focusfifteen.com). Additionally, there is plenty more to discover through www.focusfeatures.com/subscribe, including retrospective screenings, limited-edition soundtracks and posters giveaways.
“The Batman” Potentially A Stand-Alone Movie
By Creative Media Times
WB
Hot on the heels of yesterday’s news regarding a stand-alone Joker origin movie comes another revelation: Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” will also not be a part of DC Extended Universe, this according to his recent interview.
“When they approached me, what they said was: ‘look, it’s a standalone, this isn’t part of the extended universe,” Reeves said during Hollywood Reporters Kim Masters on her podcast, The Business.
Speculation regarding The Batman’s production have been going on for awhile now ever since star Ben Afflect stepped down from directorial duties citing an unmanageable workload early this year.
But that is all it is right now, speculation. It is entirely possible that WB’s DCEU slate could change depending on the performance of this November’s Justice League, especially given Wonder Woman’s recent success. At this point, there is no question that The Batman is moving forward, at least based on WB/DC’s DCEU lineup announced last month at San Diego Comic-Con.
One thing we’re sure of is Reeve’s enthusiasm to make his own Batman film, most likely in the same vein as Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight trilogy.
“I have a vision for a way to do something with that character that feels like it resonates with me personally, and a perspective that can grow out into other things.”
2017 MTV Video Music Awards: Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Ed Sheeran And More
By Armando
mtv.com
Its only four days away from music world’s big event and the excitement is already heating up as to who will be getting a Moonman this year.
Set to be held this Sunday August 27, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, MTV’s annual Video Music Awards will be hosted by Katty Perry, marking the first time for Perry as host of the event.
On Wednesday, Demi Lovato took to Twitter to announce her scheduled performance on Sunday. “See you at the VMAs this year,” Lovato wrote complete with emojis. Gucci Mane, Logic and Post Malone are also set to perform, joining previously announced artists Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Fifth Harmony, The Weeknd, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, Julia Michaels, Thirty Seconds to Mars, and Shawn Mendes.
Also this week, Cardi B was announced to perform at the pre-show stage. She will be joined by “Location” singer and songwriter Khalid and indie pop act Bleachers.
The event is set to be a big night for P!nk, who will be receiving a Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her accomplishments in music and film. Sometimes called “Lifetime Achievement Award” in some years, the accolade has been given to some of music’s biggest names, most recently Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Rihanna.
The top nominees for this year’s Video of the Year include Kendrick Lamar for “Humble”, Bruno Mars for “24K Magic”, Alessia Cara for “Scars to Your Beautiful”, DJ Khaled (featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller) for “Wild Thoughts”, and The Weeknd for “Reminder.”
The ceremony on Sunday will start at 8 p.m. ET while red carpet starts at 7 p.m. ET. The pre-show will be hosted by rapper Lil Yachty.
“Suburbicon” Trailer Sees Matt Damon’s Life Crumble
By Creative Media Times
Paramount PIctures
“Welcome to Suburbicon. A town of wonder and excitement. With the promise of prosperity for all. Isn’t it time for your new start?” That’s the narrator heard on the background of the latest trailer for George Clooney’s “Suburbicon.”
What makes this narration strange and disturbing are the scenes that came before it, where we see a distraught husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon), a harrowing home invasion that may have killed his wife, a shady and suspicious insurance investigator (Oscar Isaac), and Garden’s somber son (Noah Jupe) who witnessed it all.
From there things went very dark, twisted and violent very fast, as we see scenes of street riots, mobsters in police lineup, Gardner’s sister Margaret (Julianne Moore) crushing pills for a peanut butter jelly sandwich, and a blood-soaked Gardner pedaling away on little child’s bicycle. “It’s all falling apart Maggie,” Gardner says to Margaret.
If all these sound very Coen-esque, it is because the Coen Brothers wrote the script with Clooney and Grant Heslov. Heslov of course is another longtime Clooney collaborator. Cloenslov anyone?
All in all, the film looks and sounds like another delicious dark comedy we come to expect from the team. But don’t tell that to Clooney; the multi-hyphenate star insists the movie isn’t a laugh out loud comedy. “It’s a pretty angry and dark film, which is sort of what we wanted to make at the time,” he told Entertainment Weekly.
Paramount Pictures is set to release Suburbicon on October 27.
Here’s the film’s official plot outline:
Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns …the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge (Matt Damon) must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit, and violence. This is a tale of very flawed people making very bad choices. This is Suburbicon.
Marvel Announces Exclusive Agreement With Writer Ed Brisson
Ed Brisson joins the House of Ideas writing Old Man Logan, Iron Fist and more
New York, NY—August 21, 2017—Marvel Entertainment is excited to announce that writer Ed Brisson will bring his powerhouse storytelling and creative flair to Marvel in an exclusive agreement. Brisson, who has made his mark with engaging work across the comic industry, is currently writing acclaimed Marvel books Iron Fist and Old Man Logan. He will continue to write exclusively for Marvel in this new agreement.
“I’ve been a huge Marvel fan since I was a kid. I grew up with stacks of Spider-Man, Punisher, Daredevil, Ghost Rider and X-Men littering my bedroom floor. The comics would be in tatters because I would read them repeatedly, often having to tape the covers back on,” said Brisson. “I remember being on vacation when Kraven’s Last Hunt was coming out and begging my mom to drive me a half hour to the closest town with a convenience store so that I wouldn’t miss out on the latest issue. It’s still surreal to me that I’m currently writing some of those characters that I grew up reading. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over that feeling. I hope that I don’t.”