News

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Elemental and the start of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premiere

Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Tobe Nwigwe, Liza Koshy, Peter Dinklage, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez, Peter Cullen and Pete Davidson walked the red carpet in Brooklyn on Monday for the U.S. premiere of the latest Transformers flick.

Peter Dinklage, Lauren Vélez, Pete Davidson, Tobe Nwigwe, David Sobolov, Ron Perlman, Tongayi Chirisa, Steven Caple Jr., Peter Cullen, Cristo Fernández, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Dominique Fishback, Anthony Ramos and Liza Koshy Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Tobe Nwigwe

Tiny Beautiful Things FYC

The Tiny Beautiful Things team, including star Kathryn Hahn, attended an FYC event in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Tanzyn Crawford, Ingrid Michaelson, Kathryn Hahn, Lauren Neustadter...

Disney+ announced that new original special “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl,” with an introduction by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will launch Wednesday, Dec. 28, on the streamer. The two-night concert event will take place at the Hollywood Bowl on November 11 and 12. The special comes from Disney Branded Television and will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions.

The original voice cast of “Encanto” will reunite at the Bowl, including Stephanie Beatriz (as Mirabel), Adassa (as Dolores), Carolina Gaitán (as Pepa), Jessica Darrow (as Luisa), Diane Guerrero (as Isabela), Mauro Castillo (as Félix), Angie Cepeda (as Julieta) and Olga Merediz (as Abuela Alma). The event will also feature special guests, including Colombian stars Carlos Vives and Andrés Cepeda. The live-to-film concert experience, including an 80-person orchestra, 50 dancers and special effects, will center on the characters and songs of Disney Animation’s “Encanto.”

“Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl” will be directed by Chris Howe and Jamal Sims...

The Hollywood Bowl can be a magical place. Set in the Hollywood Hills, this giant amphitheater that opened in 1929 seats 17,500 people. They host countless musical acts, but one of the big draws is when a live orchestra plays along with a popular film. The LA Philharmonic recently performed alongside an "Amadeus" showing, and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" with live music is one of the venue's hottest tickets. Now Disney is bringing the Academy Award-winning film "Encanto" to the Bowl with the original voice cast. 

Not everyone can get to Los Angeles, of course, but Disney+ subscribers will be able to stream the special. The concert will happen over two nights on November 11 and 12, 2022, and will be available to stream at the end of the year. 

That's not a bad deal! As cool as the event space is, this means you won't have to deal with the insane traffic, parking nightmares...

Starting on Thursday 13th August, PlayStation Plus members, for the first time ever, will be able to vote on one of the next games to join the Instant Game Collection. You’ll be able to find a link to the voting under the ‘What’s new’ section on your PS4 home screen.

PlayStation Blog gives a brief description of the three games you can vote for in August:

Armello:a handsome swashbuckling adventure that combines RPG elements with the strategic play of card and board games;

Grow Home: Step into the shoes of agile droid Bud and explore an eccentric open world in Ubisoft Reflections’ brilliant action platformer.

Zombie Vikings:a larger-than-life four-player co-op romp from the creators of last year’s hit Stick It to The Man!

Chris Howe, writing on PlayStation Blog, also makes it clear that Vote to Play won’t be happening every month, but at select intervals throughout the year.

The games joining the Instant Game Collection for PlayStation Plus in May has been announced by Sony, and it’s an indie-centric bunch. Chris Howe on PlayStation Blog EU writes:

Entering Ps Plus

6th May: Ether One (PS4)

6th May: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition

6th May: The Unfinished Swan (PS4, PS3, Ps Vita)

6th May: Race the Sun (PS4, PS3, Ps Vita)

6th May: Murasaki Baby (Ps Vita)

6th May: Hohokum (PS4, PS3, Ps Vita)

This is an update for the indie lovers, and while those who only want the next Aaa shooter will likely be disappointed, there’s plenty here to be excited about. Ether One will be available to download on the day of its release, and is a “mind-twisting adventure” that can be played purely for the story, or with some challenging puzzles for the more adventurous gamer. Hohokum is a laid back, wholly original title about curiosity and exploration.

The PlayStation Plus games for April have been announced, courtesy of Chris Howe at PlayStation Blog. From April 8th, if you’re a Ps Plus subscriber you’ll be able to download:

Tower of Guns (PS4/PS3)

Never Alone (PS4)

Dishonored (PS3)

Aaru’s Awakening (PS4/PS3)

Killzone Mercenary (Ps Vita)

MonsterBag (Ps Vita)

Killzone Mercenary holds the distinction of being the biggest first party game this month, and for Vita no less.

Otherwise, Never Alone is a puzzle-platformer inspired by indigenous Alaskan stories, Aaru’s Awakening is a hand-drawn 2D teleportation platformer, Tower of Guns is a rogue-like first person shooter, and MonsterBag is an arcade puzzler.

The most interesting game of the bunch timing-wise is Dishonored, which is hitting the Instant Game Collection a couple of months before E3 where Bethesda will be hosting their very own conference for the first time. Publishers have, in the past, used...