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Chicago – He has won seven Teen Choice Awards in a row for his portrayal of Ezra Fitz on the ABC Family series “Pretty Little Liars,” and he is now the author of a new book. Ian Harding has written “Odd Birds,” a collection of essays on bird watching and show business. In an event sponsored by Anderson’s Book Shop, he appeared at North Central College in Naperville, Ill.

Ian Harding of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ at North Central College in Naperville, Ill.

Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Born in Germany to an American military family, Harding went onto study acting at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2010, he joined the cast of “Pretty Little Liars” – based on the popular youth adult book series – and remained with the show to its seventh and last season. He is currently been cast in the Fox TV pilot “Thin Ice.” His...

Big weekend for British medal winning Olympic diver Tom Daley -- who married Hollywood power player Dustin Lance Black at a lavish ceremony at a "castle" in England.  Fyi, Dlb is a very big deal -- he won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for "Milk" and also wrote Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  The two have been dating for years and got engaged in 2015.  Daley revealed the two tied the knot...

Gang’s all here!

Jessica Simpson and her family — husband Eric Johnson and their kids Ace Knute, 3½, and Maxwell Drew, 5 — stepped out Saturday at a Dillard’s in Waco, Texas, for a spring style event in support of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Waco.

The singer and fashion designer, who is originally from Abilene, Texas, looked stunning in a short, V-neck lacy black dress and matching heels. Former NFL player Johnson, 37, opted for a silver-and-blue shirt and dark slacks.

Ace followed his dad’s more casual lead in a gray undershirt, black button-down and sneakers while big sister Maxwell rocked a pink-and-white dress,...

Free Comic Book Day is right around the corner, and Man of Action fans on the East Coast will have the chance to meet Kid Savage creators Joe Kelly and Ilya at select locations. Also in today's Horror Highlights: a Q&A with The Shadow Effect (out now on VOD, Digital HD, and DVD from Momentum Pictures) co-director Obin Olson, details on a Hollywood double feature screening of Bride of Re-Animator and Society, and information on the 15 Second Horror Film Challenge.

Meet the Kid Savage Creators on Free Comic Book Day: "Saturday, May 6 on Free Comic Book Day

Signing Image Comics/Man of Action's Silver Selection

Kid Savage

Meet Joe Kelly

Kid Savage creator/writer and Man of Action partner

11:00 Am - 12:30 Pm

The Comic Book Depot in Wantagh, NY 2847 Jerusalem Avenue

1:00 Pm - 3:00 Pm

Grasshoppers Comics in Williston 76 Hillside Avenue

Meet Ilya

Kid Savage...

Rob Leane May 4, 2017

Snowspeeders, Scarif and Rex's At-te feature in our latest rundown of awesome Star Wars Lego kits. Also, there are some special offers on...

Lego is, we've been told, running the following offers at the online Lego shop, from Apr 29 – May 6th 23:59:

See related American Gods episode 1 review: The Bone Orchard American Gods cast interview: Ian McShane, Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning American Gods: Bryan Fuller interview

· 40% off one set per day, for an 8 day period!

· 10% off all Lego Star Wars sets (excluding new Snowspeeder)

· Free R2-D2 Gift with purchase over £60

Den Of Geek benefits if you click through and buy using the following link. It keeps us in biscuits. Lego Shop.

To mark May the 4th (be with you), we've pulled together another selection of excellent Lego Star Wars sets. Once again, with these beauties, you can recreate the magic of that galaxy far, far...

Chicago – The 13th annual CineYouth Festival – presented by Cinema/Chicago – starts on Thursday, May 4th, 2017, at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, kicking off a three day festival run. The opening night film is the animated “My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea,” a debut by director Dash Shaw, who will make an appearance on behalf of the film for the CineYouth Festival.

The festival celebrates the talent of filmmakers from around the world who are 22 years old or younger, and will showcase a variety of 70 short films. The fest is free and open to the public. For more information and a schedule click here.

‘My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea,’ Directed by Dash Shaw

Photo credit: Cinema/Chicago

Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a non-profit arts and education organization dedicated to fostering better communication between people of diverse cultures...

We're living in a veritable golden age of bizarre reality TV competitions, dear readers. In 2017, children will frantically prepare BBQ cuisine; hoofers will boogie for J-Lo's amusement; and contestants will attempt to impress Jamie Foxx by outsmarting an app. Meanwhile, Shonda Rhimes takes on the aftermath of Romeo and Juliet, Bernie Madoff gets what-for courtesy of Robert De Niro and an 1980s artifact springs back to life in all of its permed glory. Oh, and there's a talking dog in the mix as well. Oh and did we mention that...

I am Heath Ledger, Obsession and Singin' in the Rain top our May Events Guide!I am Heath Ledger, Obsession and Singin' in the Rain top our May Events Guide!Scott Goodyer5/1/2017 10:17:00 Am

With the month of May now upon us, we flip over to a new and diverse list of movies and special features screening in our Events calendar. Whether you are a fan of the movie classics or a fan of Mozart - we have something for everybody!

So check out the list below highlighting some of our showings and for the full list of events - click here!

May 4th: I Am Heath Ledger

I Am Heath Ledger is a feature length documentary celebrating the life of Heath Ledger: actor, artist and icon. The documentary provides an intimate look at Ledger through the lens of his own camera as he films and often performs...

It's a battleground month, people, as streaming platforms bust out the big guns to keep viewers glued to their sofas while temperatures climb back into clemency. Three of Netflix's more notable original programs trot out new seasons; Amazon brings one of 2016's finest films to couch potatoes, as well as what may be the most radical show of 2017; and Hulu unveils a pair of documentaries shedding some well-deserved light on obscure corners of pop culture. And hey, Acorn's getting in the mix as well, importing a BBC gem for stateside viewing pleasure.

Scream Factory invites horror fans to play a deadly VHS board game this May with their Blu-ray / DVD release of Jackson Stewart's Beyond the Gates (co-starring Barbara Crampton), and to celebrate, we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers.

————

Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Beyond the Gates.

How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:

1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:

https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/

2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Beyond the Gates Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on May 6th. This contest is only open to those...

Barry Bostwick is looking to do the time warp again at this year's Wizard World Minneapolis, as the versatile actor will be on hand for a special midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on May 6th at The Riverview Theater.

Press Release: Minneapolis, April 25, 2017—Wizard World (Otcbb: Wizd) presents a screening of the 1975, Twentieth Century Fox classic musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show in conjunction with Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis, at midnight on Saturday, May 6 (into early Sunday morning). Barry Bostwick, who starred as “Brad Majors” in the cult favorite, will introduce the event, which will also feature the local shadow cast group “Transvestite Soup,” at The Riverview Theater, 3800 42nd Ave S. in Minneapolis.

Bostwick will also host a special VIP meet-and-greet at the Minneapolis Convention Center at 7 p.m. to preview the screening. Tickets for both the screening (general admission and VIP seating), commemorative t-shirts and...

Den Of Geek May 3, 2017

We've teamed up with the official Lego Shop to give away some very special Star Wars sets in a free to enter competition!

We like getting straight to the point when we've got something to give away: fancy winning some Lego? Some Star Wars Lego? Thought you might.

We've teamed up with the Lego Store, who just happen to be celebrating this year's Star Wars day - May the 4th, of course - with a whole bunch of offers on Star Wars Lego sets. Between today and the end of May 6th, the Lego Store is offering 40% off a different Lego set each day, 10% of all Lego Star Wars sets (with the exception of the brand new Snowspeeder), and a free R2-D2 gift with purchases over £60.

The link to the official Lego Store, where you'll find these offers, is right here.

To celebrate this, we've got...

The silent French film Au Bonheur Des Dames (1930 – aka Ladies’ Paradise) screens Saturday May 6th at 11am at The St. Louis Art Museum (Forest Park, 1 Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, Mo). The film will be accompanied by Elsie Parker and The Poor People of Paris. Tickets for this event are $15 general admission and $10 for museum members. Tickets can be purchased in advance from Metrotix or by calling 314.534.1111.

Julien Duvivier’s final silent film is a modern retelling of Emile Zola’s panoramic chronicle of mid-19th-century Parisian society, centering on a small fabric shop struggling to survive in the shadow of a luxury department store. With expressionistic shades of Erich von Stroheim and G.W. Pabst, the film captures the rhythms of urban life and creates a stinging portrait of capitalist ruthlessness, class tensions, and sexual competition. Scott Foundas in the Village Voice calls the film “an orgy of pure cinema,...

Good Morning America chief meteorologist Ginger Zee and her husband, NYC newsman Ben Aaron, weren’t exactly prepared for the struggles of remodeling their suburban New York home.

Although Zee had some previous experience renovating properties with her parents as a kid, Aaron embarked on the process with a slight naiveté.

“I figured that if you want to renovate a house a couple of twins come and do it for you,” he tells People, making reference to Property Brothers stars Drew and Jonathan Scott.“I didn’t realize how it works, so I didn’t have any hesitations.”

Related: Nate Berkus...

To celebrate the release of WWE: Elimination Chamber 2017 & Fastlane 2017 Double on DVD we are giving away a copy on DVD. Featuring not one but two Pay-Per-View events from The Road to WrestleMania, WWE Home Video presents over 6 hours of WWE action, Elimination Chamber 2017 and Fastlane 2017 Double Feature!

WWE Champion John Cena hopes to continue his championship reign against Aj Styles, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, and Bray Wyatt inside the punishing structure known as the Elimination Chamber! “The Viper” Randy Orton continues his Road to WrestleMania as he takes on Luke Harper! And the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship is on the line as Alexa Bliss takes on Naomi. Who will escape with their hand raised at Elimination Chamber!

The Superstars of Raw get in the Fastlane on the Road to WrestleMania! For the first time ever, Universal Champion Kevin Owens meets Goldberg in the main event of WWE Fastlane!

Rob Leane Apr 28, 2017

James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 is in cinemas now. Why not build some of it at home?

We got sent this by Lego: might be of interest...

See related Alien 5 to ignore Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection Alien 5: will it ever happen?

We’re running the following offers at Lego shop Apr 29 – May 6th 23:59: · 40% off one set per day, for an 8 day period! · 10% off all Lego Star Wars sets (excluding new Snowspeeder) · Free R2-D2 Gift with purchase over £60

Den Of Geek benefits if you click through and buy using the following link. It keeps us in biscuits. Lego Shop.

Fancy picking up an awesome mix of bricks? Lego and Marvel has been a brilliant combination for quite some time now, and the release of James Gunn’s spacefaring sequel Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 has been met with a new range of brick-based products.

There's a new documentary coming to Hulu that Batman fans are going to want to check out! It's called Batman and Bill, and today we have the first trailer for you to watch. The doc explored the truth behind the mysterious origin of Batman's creation.

I'm sure a lot of hardcore fans already know about the story of Batman co-creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger, but there are probably a lot of people who aren't familiar with Bill Finger, because he's never mentioned as being a creator of the legendary hero.

Batman and Bill will tell the story of Batman's forgotten creator and the controversy surrounding the credit between Bob Kane and Bill Finger. In case you're wondering what the Batman universe might look like without Finger's involvement in the creation of the universe we wouldn't have characters like Robin, Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson,...

Dona Nelson: Models Stand Close to the Paintings Thomas Erben Gallery, NYC Through May 6th, 2017

Dona Nelson is showing new paintings at Thomas Erben Gallery. There is no other artist in America that is a "modern painter" in so many different ways without losing her centre.

Trying to subvert its meaning seems to be part of the definition of what modern art is. There doesn't seem to be an accurate way to define an activity that is made up of a system or interelating systems that has occasional contradictions built into it, But art doesn't seem the worse for it. Modern painting in particular is like a series of interconnected temples where people are constantly entering and trying to knock down a load bearing pillar to see if it still stands or if it's now something else. It's quite often a sign that that particular approach is thriving.

Part of...

Author: David Sztypuljak

Mindhorn is set to his UK cinema screens May 6th and to celebrate, we’ve been given the honour of debuting three new stills from the movie. The movie comes from the creator of The Mighty Boosh (Julian Barratt & Simon Farnaby) and among others has Ridley Scott & Steve Coogan with an Executive Producer credit.

Related: Watch the Trailer here

Mindhorn is set to take you right back to the 80s – although set in present day when former TV star Richard Thorncroft (Julian Barratt) and his ‘robotic eye’ are brought out of retirement nearly four decades after his hit TV show aired when a criminal declares Mindhorn his nemesis.

Joining Barratt are Essie Davis, Andrea Riseborough, Harriet Walter, Simon Farnaby and Steve Coogan with Sean Foley in the directors chair.

Check out the brand new images in our gallery below which you can click to enlarge along with...

Over the weekend, history was made in the live theatre world of Los Angeles, as Ben Rock and the legendary Stuart Gordon revived the stage play version of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s novel The Sirens of Titan for the Sacred Fools Theater. Gordon, who first tackled the darkly comedic sci-fi tale 40 years ago for Chicago’s Organic Theater, once again handled the screenplay adaptation for this new take on the classic story of a man who must lose everything to understand what life truly is all about. The result is a wildly entertaining exploration of what it means to be human, as well as a deeply moving experience that I enjoyed immensely.

After the premiere performance this past Friday, Daily Dead had the opportunity to chat with both Rock and Gordon (who are reteaming once again after a successful collaboration on Taste, a cannibal-themed dramatic production that also played at...

The iconic big blue-and-yellow Ikea bag is getting a makeover that rivals even the most impressive of before-and-afters.

The Swedish giant’s 99-cent Frakta bag, perfect for toting a multitude of inexpensive home goods while you shop (and your laundry for years after), is getting a new look, thanks to a collaboration with the French retailer, Colette and their Creative Director, Sarah Andelman.

The polypropylene recyclable carry-all currently boasts its hardworking blue base with yellow handles, but Colette’s take gives the tote a fresh white makeover featuring with the European brand’s signature blue polka dots.

Related: Melissa McCarthy,...

The first trailer for the second feature-length film in the Fairy Tail franchise is here! Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese, but I can break it down for English speaking fans of the series. Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry is a new film that will focus primarily on Natsu as we learn more about his past and his Dragon father, Igneel. If you haven't watched the series, it's definitely worth checking out the first season on Netflix as it's a really fun anime. The film premieres in Japan May 6th. Thanks to ComicBook for the heads up on this trailer! Even if you don't speak the language it's still great eye-candy for anime fans!

Fairy Tail Dragon Cry Film PV2; opens May 6th: https://t.co/XQfiRGqkpRhttps://t.co/AFqDqp4532 pic.twitter.com/Jor4WdByGr

— moetron | pKjd (@pKjd) March 15, 2017...

This summer, the one-and-only Spider-Man returns to his friendly neighborhood, as Marvel have announced Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, a new ongoing series from superstar writer Chip Zdarsky (Star-Lord, Howard the Duck) and legendary artist Adam Kubert (Avengers, X-Men).

A companion to the best-selling Amazing Spider-Man series, these two blockbuster creators are taking Peter Parker back-to-basics in a new series bursting at the seams with heart, humor and over-the-top action!

He’s a webslinging, wallcrawling wonder. He’s the world’s greatest super hero. He’s the unluckiest guy on the planet. He’s Spider-Man! Following his globetrotting adventures, it’s big heroics in the Big Apple as Peter Parker returns to the city that never sleeps! Be there as he swings between giant skyscrapers, squares off against his iconic rogues gallery and still manages to be late for that date he had planned!

Fans can swing into action this...

The future of the late Prince's estimated $250 million estate is still undetermined - but interested parties met in Minnesota Monday morning for the latest hearing in the matter. On the topic of locating a will, "We've looked under every box lid," said David Crosby, a lawyer for Prince's bank Bremer Trust, according the Star Tribune. He added, "The inquiry is coming to a close very soon." Prince was 57 when he died at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21. Six weeks after his death, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office released a statement announcing the music icon died of an opioid overdose,...

The future of the late Prince's estimated $250 million estate is still undetermined - but interested parties met in Minnesota Monday morning for the latest hearing in the matter. Last week, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide press would be allowed to cover the hearing, where arguments regarding genetic testing protocols were expected to be heard; the judge said in an order that he did not expect to hear arguments regarding the claims of potential heirs. Prince was 57 when he died at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21. Six weeks after his death, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office...

Maybe you’re a podcast obsessive, filling every spare moment of your commute to catch up on your favorites. Or a single-subject listener, only keeping up with a subject or issue that means most to you. The beauty of podcasts is that they can cater to completists and dabblers alike.

Regardless of your preferred way to enjoy these stories and conversations, it can be daunting to track the latest from every show. To highlight some of the year’s best, here are 10 quality episodes we suggest adding to your listening queue.

Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People – 1. Ron Paul’s Baby

Airdate: March 15th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: In all its various broadcast homes, “The Chris Gethard Show” has been one of the most thrilling weekly experiments on TV. So it makes sense that a Gethard-hosted podcast would have the same comedic blend of empathy and honesty. The show is built on conversations between Gethard and anonymous callers, governed only by two rules: the phone line closes after an hour, but Gethard can’t hang up before then. The host has a keen sense for the unspoken questions, the topics that each caller wants to discuss but can’t quite figure out how to broach. Not afraid to let callers turn the questions onto him, these talks have a way of culminating in a common understanding between strangers, which can be as therapeutic for a listener as it is for the two parties involved. And there’s no better place to start than the premiere, which ends with a moment so cathartic, it’ll make you an instant fan of both the individuals involved.

Listen to These Episodes Next: “2. Passport, Exodus,” “4. The Most Amazing Destruction”

Embedded – The House

Airdate: March 30th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: As an NPR production, Kelly McEvers and the staff of “Embedded” demonstrate one of the essential values of great journalism: the power to use specific stories to generate empathy for groups of people often discussed in the abstract. “Embedded” is a ground-up approach to documenting various cross-sections of communities, highlighting the individuals to present an alternative to the group characterization that often befalls them. The premiere episode finds McEvers profiling the residents of a shared home in Austin, Indiana, where opioids have become an inescapable addiction for its residence. The details are stark, unsettling and unadorned. Perhaps the best proof of the value of a show like “Embedded” is that the people at the center of these stories don’t end after a half hour: an Austin resident was the subject of their first follow-up story.

Listen to These Episodes Next: “The League”

Extra Hot Great – 114: Blindly Watching Game of Thrones

Airdate: April 26th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Extra Hot Great has been offering its special brand of TV observations over multiple podcast feed and co-host roster iterations. Now well past 100 episodes into its resurrection, the television discussion show has refined its dependable format, complete with a weekly consideration of a TV episode for induction in their Canon (spoiler alert: they don’t always make it, as is the case with the “30 Rock” episode discussed here). But what sets #114 apart is the episode’s installment of the weekly Game Time feature. The gang plays an round of a listener-submitted game called TV Typos (basically, the round-robin game show version of #ChangeALetterRuinATVShow). What follows is 25 minutes of brilliant, dumb wordplay with enough built-in momentum to have each co-host sobbing by the end. It’s a testament to the co-host’s deep bench of TV minutiae that they’re able to anticipate some of these before they come. The seconds between when you can tell they have the answers and the moment they give them are some of the simplest joys you’ll find anywhere.

Listen to These Episodes Next: “75: Ew Detective,” “103: The People Vs. The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” “105: Ringing in a New Season of Better Call Saul”

I Was There Too – Raiders of the Lost Ark with Martin Casella

Airdate: February 16th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Matt Gourley’s interview show takes a biweekly look at the actors on the periphery of some of most beloved films of the past few decades. While the actor interviews give some choice fly-on-the-wall observations from set, the show’s most compelling episode this year is the talk with Martin Casella, who served as Steven Spielberg’s assistant during the production of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” From impromptu costume decisions to the director’s TV viewing and nutritional regimens, this firsthand account adds a new angle to an established classic. (And for anyone who’s ever obsessed over an Indiana Jones costume, Jeremy Carter’s post-interview discussion of the search for the perfect Indy leather jacket might do the same.)

Listen to These Episodes Next: “Field of Dreams with Dwier Brown,” “Aladdin with Gilbert Gottfried”

Keepin’ It 1600 – Ep. 7: Cruz-Kasich Alliance and Special Guest Jon Lovett

Airdate: May 6th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Amidst an election season that’s alternated between chaotic and soul-crushing in equal measure, it’s been fascinating to filter each week’s craziness through the perspective of two individuals who’ve been buried deep within the past two major presidential cycles. Former speechwriter Jon Favreau and Strategy and Communications Advisor Dan Pfeiffer (both of whom worked on President Obama’s national campaigns and in the White House) are each invested insiders and passionate outside observers of 2016’s descent into madness. A weekly look at the current state of political media, it’s also a dependable repository for great White House anecdotes. Alongside fellow former speechwriter Jon Lovett, the show’s seventh episode featured the trio recounting the choicest lines from the President’s various Correspondents Dinner appearances (particularly those delivered in the immediate wake of ordering the Bin Laden compound strike).

Listen to These Episodes Next: “Ep. 1: Drumpf and the Media and Rubio’s Missteps,” “Ep. 5: Bill Clinton’s Finger-Wagging and Special Guest Kal Penn,” “Ep. 9: ‘Meet the Press’ Host Chuck Todd, Drumpf’s ‘Pivot,’ Polling Mayhem, and More”

Modern Love – 3: Not So Simple Math

Airdate: January 28th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Sarah Paulson’s central role as Marcia Clark was one of the main reasons the “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson” grabbed the public’s attention in the year’s early months. But Paulson also gave another 2016-best performance in a venue where no one could see her face. Wbur’s Modern Love enlists notable performers like Paulson to perform entries from the regular New York Times column that highlights love in all its forms. Paulson reads Amy Seek’s story of navigating an open adoption with a gentleness that conveys the underlying heartbreak without being manipulative. While other episodes usually succeed on the strength of the performance, this one features a conversation with Seek herself, whose recollection of the events she details in her piece and the six years since is a powerful addendum to a story beautifully told.

Listen to These Episodes Next: “7: In Darkness and In Light,” “9: Seesawing Libidos”

More Perfect – Cruel and Unusual

Airdate: June 1st

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Some of the best new podcasts of the year have focused on institutions, whether they’re more abstract (American Public Media’s The Uncertain Hour focuses on policies and practice within America’s welfare system) or more defined, as with More Perfect’s close examination of the Supreme Court. In its pilot episode, this Radiolab presentation trains its microphones on the pivotal individuals at the center of multiple states’ capital punishment programs. Layered with the trademark attention to atmospheric sound design that makes its parent podcast such a reliable listen, More Perfect should provide a healthy perspective amidst a judicial branch currently in flux.

Listen to These Episodes Next: Once you’ve listened to this and Episode 2, “The Political Thicket,” go back and listen to the Podcast Hall-of-Fame-worthy Radiolab episode “Stochasticity.”

Reply All – #64-67: On the Inside

Airdate: May 11th-June 9th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: This Gimlet show has been the best podcast in existence for the better part of a year now, so to pick just one standout episode is particularly difficult. But the edge goes to the four-episode arc centered on Paul Modrowski, whose blog written from inside prison (where he’s currently serving a life sentence) first attracted the attention of producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni last year. What begins as an investigation of the logistics behind the posting of Modrowski’s expansive online diary eventually uncovers questions surrounding his incarceration. Like the best true crime stories, it balances the details of the central murder cases with a careful consideration of the individuals who allegedly inhabited its timeline. Most popular true crime podcasts keep the perspective of a single narrator, but Pinnamaneni sprinkles in just enough input from regular hosts Alex Goldman and Pj Vogt to add a conversational, illustrative layer to Modrowski’s story. Pinnamaneni’s reporting is extensive and forthright, the kind that will make you want to do your own outside research as soon as the last chapter ends.

Listen to These Episodes Next: “#3 We Know What You Did,” “#44 Shine on You Crazy Goldman,” “#56 Zardulu”

Skillset – #3: This is Bringing Up Weird Feelings for Me

Airdate: May 12th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Amy Nicholson’s first-person podcast for MTV News is an intriguing blend of below-the-line education and critical insight. Between her forgotten film history written intros and the specificity of her interview subjects, Nicholson helps Skillset feel more like a series of audio profiles than regular taped conversations. These episodes highlight movies not just as a vital art form, but a gateway to the rest of what the world has to offer. (How many other film podcasts would have jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire as their inaugural guest?) This particular episode features a window into the practical, unenhanced feline training that let the cats of “Keanu” steal the spotlight against some comedic heavyweights. And if you’re wondering what a real punk band thought of Jeremy Saulnier’s latest genre triumph “Green Room,” Nicholson enlists The Muffs for some authentic opinions. It’s this kind of extra-layer digging that has this fresh batch of MTV shows (“The Stakes” takes a similarly fascinating route to addressing the unspoken side of politics) already off and running at full speed.

Listen to These Episodes Next: All six episodes so far all have quality hooks, but the Sharlto Copley episode from the pilot is particularly worth a listen.

Start Up – Season 3, Episode 4: Dear Music Fans…

Airdate: May 12th

Why It’s Worth the Listen: Season 1 of Start Up was a rare glimpse inside the creation of its podcasting parent company Gimlet Media, right as the medium was becoming mainstream. Season 2 stayed nested inside a company’s origin story, this time as an outside observer of a dating site’s early months. For their most recent set of episodes, Start Up managed to compress the roller coaster of entrepreneurship in a more compact form. Profiling the unexpected rise and publicly unceremonious end of Grooveshark, Eric Mennel reports on the music streaming site’s early troubles, serendipitous success and eventual replacement in the entrepreneurial space. It’s a familiar arc for the biographies of these kinds of businesses, but through the Start Up lens, these triumphs and tragedies reach further toward each pole than you might expect.

Listen to These Episodes Next: Season 1 launched the entire company, but Season 2’s 10-episode arc on Dating Ring is still great.

Honorable Listens also highly worthy of your time: the aforementioned The Uncertain Hour and The Stakes; 99% Invisible’s ode to trash truck tunes; Mortified’s tale of pining after the vice principal; Lauren Lapkus helps to tackle kids’ impossible questions on The Longest Shortest Time; Candidate Confessional talks to the recipient of one of local politics’ most infamous viral booing sessions; Five Thirty Eight Politics’ audio doc on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright week of the ’08 presidential campaign; the episode of the Washington Post’s Presidential that proves James Monroe was everywhere in early American history; Making the Sausage’s in-depth conversation about music licensing; The First Annual Blank Check Awards (one of the best 2015 year-end wrap-ups you’ll hear); the ongoing You Must Remember This series chronicling the Hollywood Blacklist is a given for a list like this; The Dollop’s overview of the truly unbelievable Fed Ex Flight 705; Buzzfeed’s Internet Explorer compendium of workplace email/chat catastrophes; You’re the Expert’s hilarious panel show with a leading psychologist who studies nightmares; the Planet Money profile of an infuriating-yet-textbook Internet scamming scheme; The Memory Palace’s cryptic look at an American pariah-turned-wrestler; a careful consideration of the future of animation/CGI via Fighting in the War Room; The Gist and Chris Molanphy remember Prince.

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Related storiesHow to Survive Summer TV Season: 6 Shows to Binge, Now'Bloodline': The Rare Twist-Driven Drama That Gets Better in Season 2How Will the Cannes Film Festival Impact the Rest of the Year in Film? (Podcast)...

Hollywood is nervous right now, and thy've every right to be as the early summer box office in North America is down on revenue sharply over last year.

Revenue for the May 6th-June 12 period is roughly $1.24 billion, a 22% decline from the $1.6 billion collected in the same period in 2015. Only two films have gotten past the $100 million mark at this point, compared to five in 2015.

This past weekend was down over 44% from the comperable weekend in 2015, though that weekend had juggernaut "Jurassic World" scoring an astonishing $208.8 million opening.

The blame is being put on a number of underperforming sequels which failed to match their predecessor either critically or with audiences. Year to date, revenue is still up over 2015 though by more than 4%.

Source: THR...

Maestro Luke Frazier and The American Pops Orchestra - Washington, DC's innovative hometown orchestra - hostedthe closing concert of their successful inaugural season. Make Someone Happy A 60s Cocktail Partyat the George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Friday, May 6th. Special guests included theater and screen stars Erik Altemus Pippin on Broadway, Nova Y. Payton Helen Hayes Award winner for Hairspray, Nicholas Rodriquez 'One Life to Live' on ABC-tv, Helen Hayes Award winner and Hayley Travers Children of Eden at the Kennedy Center, in addition to dancers, choreography and full costumes. Check out photos below...

Chicago – Say the name Whit Stillman in certain cinema circles, and a rush of admiration soon follows. The director made a name for himself with his debut film “Metropolitan’ (1990), and followed with the same emotional pallette in “Barcelona” (1994). He is back with an adaptation of a Jane Austin novel, entitled “Love & Friendship.”

The title is taken from one of Jane Austin’s short stories, but the narrative is from her novel “Lady Susan,” published 60 years after her death. It involves the title character (portrayed in the film by Kate Beckinsale), a widow without fortune, who is looking to marry again to wealth, and wishes the same for her daughter. She visits the estate of her sister-in-law and brother-in-law – Charles and Catherine Vernon – in the hopes of making a match for her lovely child Frederica, or at least herself.

Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale in ‘Love & Friendship’

Photo credit: Roadside Attractions...

Did you miss last Friday’s digital séance in anticipation of The Darkness? That’s okay; you can catch the replay right here, right now! On Friday, May 6th, the live séance, hosted by “Ghost Hunter’s” paranormal investigator Britt Griffith and world… Continue Reading →

The post Watch The Darkness Digital Séance Now Plus a New Clip! appeared first on Dread Central.

A trailer for Jesse Thomas Cook’s The Hexecutioners has landed and can be seen right here in today’s Horror Highlights. The film is also now available in the UK and will soon be released in Canada by Anchor Bay. Also: a look at four new Warcraft character videos and a behind-the-scenes video for the Stan original series Wolf Creek.

The Hexecutioners Trailer and Distribution Details: “Three years ago Proposition 117 was passed allowing private medical films to conduct assisted suicide procedures. Two disparate young women working for a Rite-to-Die company are dispatched to a remote estate to perform a custom Euthanasia ritual, but unwittingly summon the spirits of a death cult that once inhabited the property.

Produced by Foresight Features. Available in May 2016 from Studio Canal in the UK. Coming soon in Canada from Anchor Bay Entertainment.”

Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook from a screenplay by Tony Burgess, The Hexecutioners stars Liv Collins,...

The History Channel’s Ancient Aliens now has a con dedicated to the hit series and all things aliens. Alien Con will commence days before Halloween on October 28th and continue until October 30th in Santa Clara, California, and we have official details on the upcoming event:

Press Release: “New York – May 6th, 2016 – In a move to offer longtime fans and curious newcomers a deeper dive into all things Ancient Aliens, History® and leading event developer, Cosmic-Con®, have inked a multi-year licensing deal to create the first-ever Alien Con. The three-day immersive experience inspired by the network’s ground-breaking, hit franchise about ancient astronaut theory and exploration will take place October 28-30, 2016 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California.

Alien Con will provide show fans, sci-fi buffs and pop culture enthusiasts the ultimate in alien exploration with a riveting line-up of thought-provoking special presentations, interactive displays and exhibits,...

Disney is having a wonderful weekend at the box office; not only are three movies owned by the Mouse in the top ten, and not only are all smash successes in worldwide gross, but its latest offering debuted in first, toppling its previous outing. Captain America: Civil War made a grand debut and continues the streak of chart-topping Marvel successes, opening at a whopping estimated $181.8 million. It sent The Jungle Book back to a distant second with an estimated $21.9 million, but The Jungle Book has had a fantastic run with three weeks in the first-place spot (their third film, Zootopia, remains in the top ten, in seventh, with an estimated $2.7 million and going strong even at ten weeks of release). Mother’s Day, in the meantime, while not winning much support overall, did receive a boost in performance thanks to its title, as the film rose to third and nabbed...

In today’s Horror Highlights, we have new clips from Bite, Scream Factory’s Blu-ray / DVD release details for The Abandoned, information and a look at Jon Fields’ Creep Cases, details on El Rey Network’s Mother’s Day Marathon, and a Q&A with The Horde producer Beth A. Thuna.

Two New Clips for Archibald’s Bite: Press Release: Visceral body-horror feature opens in select U.S. theaters May 6th, 2016.

When she returns from her tropical bachelorette party getaway, a young woman begins to succumb to an insect bite in the palpably disturbing film Bite. Witness the skin-crawling chronicle of one woman’s truly terrifying descent into madness when the visceral body horror feature, Bite debuts in select U.S. theaters May 6th, 2016. Directed by Chad Archibald (The Drownsman), Bite had a sensational premiere at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, where it won an Audience Award...

Actor Sharman Joshi will now be seen in 1920 London, which is a sequel to the 1920 trilogy (after 1920, and 1920: Evil Returns). Acting opposite him is Meera Chopra, who has done several films in the Telugu and Tamil film industry.

While Sharman has been around in the industry, with films like 3 Idiots, Rang De Basanti and Golmaal to his credit, for Meera Chopra, 1920: London is her big Bollywood break. “It’s a scary industry, and not easy to make it year. But after a year and a half, I finally got this film,” she says.

Sharman Joshi, however, comes from a theatre background. His father has been an actor, director and producer in Gujarati films, so it was a natural progression for him to get into the field.

“My first two films were like chalk and cheese: Godmother and Style. But over the years I have gotten quite realistic about my roles.

If you are looking for a movie to celebrate with Mom this Mother’s Day, the warm-hearted Mothers And Daughters offers a better option that the Garry Marshall comedy named for the holiday. Both films feature a star-studded ensemble cast but Mothers And Daughters features stories that actually deal with motherhood, unlike Marshall’s unfunny comedy.

While it is the better movie, Mothers And Daughters is not without flaws. It has so many characters that is hard to keep them all straight, much less get to know them, and the dramatic, heart-tugging stories also could have benefited from a little sprinkling of humor.

The film stars Susan Sarandon, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci, Courteney Cox, Selma Blair and Mira Sorvino, among others, in a series of stories that overlap or connect in various ways. The interlocking stories are generally built around a photographer named Rigby Gray (Selma Blair).

The indie film...

Stars: Max Deacon, Morfydd Clark, Ali Cook, Parker Sawyers, Tom Benedict Knight, Boris Ler, Adriana Randall | Written and Directed by Charles Barker

The debut feature of writer/director Charles Barker, The Call Up comes from producers Red & Black Films, the company behind the well-regarded UK sci-fi thriller The Machine, and tells a very timely story of the “evils” of video games and virtual reality…

When a group of elite online gamers each receive a mysterious invitation to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality video game, it’s a dream come true and impossible to resist. Arriving at the test site, the group step into hi-tech gear and prepare for a revolutionary next-level gaming experience, that brings modern warfare to life with frightening realism. At first it’s a unique and exhilarating experience. But what starts out like a dream encounter with cutting edge technology quickly takes a turn for the sinister...

Chicago – “Captain America: Civil War” is more of an “Avengers” movie than it is a Captain America movie. But that’s okay because this is easily the best Avengers movie Marvel Studios has ever made, and it also might be the best movie the studio has ever made.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

All the legwork from the previous movies in the Marvel cinematic universe pays off handsomely because the stakes are so profoundly personal. The best parts of the Avengers movies – and Marvel Studio movies in general – is the interplay among the characters, rather than the villains. This film dispenses with the forgettable villains and their overblown plans for total annihilation, and gets down deep into a divide between the Avengers themselves.

After an operation chasing a global terrorist incurs some unfortunate collateral damage, the Secretary of State (William Hurt) wants to put the Avengers on a tight leash under the authority of the United Nations.

From what lies in the cellar to what waits in the woods, there are many scary things in Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, but one of the film’s most unsettling elements is Joseph LoDuca’s score. On October 25th, the Up orchestra will bring that score to life in Los Angeles with a live performance of the movie’s music at a special screening of The Evil Dead hosted by Ash himself, the groovy Bruce Campbell.

Also in attendance at The Evil Dead screening will be composer Joseph LoDuca, who will have the treat of seeing a live performance of his score accompany the scares onscreen:

“Evil Dead In Concert / Live To Film

8Pm – Tue Oct 25, 2016

$76 To $26 – The Theatre At Ace Hotel, Los Angeles

Hosted by Bruce Campbell

Music by + special guest Joseph LoDuca – Composer

October 25, 2016, 8pm

The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles

On Tuesday, October 25, dress...

After a string of hits in the 80s and 90s, director Rob Reiner has struggled to achieve the same success. Some of his projects post-2000 have made money and some have provided laughs, but none found staying power. It’s not all his fault. The best film during this period didn’t even garner a wide release and it was a real shame because Flipped held a worthwhile kinship to the likes of Stand By Me. So it comes as no shock to discover his latest worthwhile feature also harkens back to the coming-of-age drama with the trials and tribulations of youth. The difference is that this one isn’t about nostalgia. Being Charlie is instead about pain, family, and survival. It’s also about him.

Yes, it isn’t a coincidence that co-screenwriter Nick Reiner shares Rob’s last name — he is his son. Unlike growing up in the...

We've all been there, trying to be cool in front of a friend, an acquaintance, or an ex, and mom totally blows our cover.

That's what happens to Lori (Rose Byrne) in this new clip from The Meddler, as she runs into her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend on Valentine's Day while she's having a super cute dinner with mom. She would rather not let him believe that she's stuck with mom on the romantic occasion.

The film follows Marnie (Susan Sarandon), a recent widow who has inserted herself into her grown adult daughter Lori's life, much to her protest. The film looks to be a funny, heart-warming and relatable mother-daughter comedy, which is released just in time to go see with Mom on Mother's Day.

Check out the new clip below and see The Meddler in theatres on May 6th. Click here for tickets and showtimes!

Take a gander at this preview for Fallout 4: Far Harbor, which will be released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on May 19th. Also in today’s Horror Highlights: a trailer / release details for Don’t Look in the Basement 2, info on a live digital séance from the team behind The Darkness, Crypt TV’s “One Sentence Scare” Contest, and details and teaser images for Hunting the Legend Part II.

Fallout 4: Far Harbor Gameplay Details and Trailer: “Preview your journey to Far Harbor, the next game on for Fallout 4. Far Harbor docks on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on Thursday, May 19th.

In Far Harbor, a new case from Valentine’s Detective Agency leads you on a search for a young woman and a secret colony of synths. Travel off the coast of Maine to the mysterious island of Far Harbor, where higher levels of radiation have created a more feral world.

On May 6th, YouTube will deliver its annual Brandcast, and its premium advertising program, titled Google Preferred, is expected to once again be part of the video site’s pitch. Google Preferred, which launched two years ago, is attractive to many brands because it mimics a TV advertising experience: Inventory on the top 5% of channels on YouTube is cordoned off, and advertisers can buy that space at a premium price that guarantees both impressions and content security.

Google Preferred has clear benefits for both creators and brands, and so it was considered a strong play when YouTube launched it. Two years later, has anything changed? In what ways is YouTube updating Preferred to fit the online video community of 2016?

Those were questions on my mind when I talked to Tara Walpert Levy, who serves as Google’s conduit between big-name advertisers and the YouTube community. In discussing the current status of Google Preferred,...

Stock of Oculus Rift will go on sale this week at various retailers, Oculus Vr has announced via their blog. The headset will be available – albeit in a very “small number” – to buy in-store from 48 Best Buy stores across the States, as well as from online retailer Amazon and Microsoft. The blog continues to state that availability will be “extremely limited” while the company “catches up on Rift pre-orders.”

Oculus Vr seems to be acutely aware that customers are still waiting for their order to be fulfilled (which began shipping in late March), but that’s unlikely to stop many from feeling short-changed by the fact that the device will imminently be available to the wider public before the company has even met pre-order commitments.

There is a silver lining for those of you affected by the delay though. If you opt to cancel your pre-order and buy the device at retail instead,...

In seeking to create an expansive multi-film universe, Marvel has managed to both bless and curse each of its subsequent films. The blessing comes in the form of a character development that takes place over the course of films and phases instead of scenes and acts. Characters who we met eight years ago have grown and changed before our eyes, and the history we share with them allows for newer films to take narrative shortcuts when it comes to filling in their backstory. Lines of dialogue and certain actions can carry the weight of nearly a decade of audience knowledge and understanding. This near-serialization is a powerful narrative tool for directors and writers who know how to use it. The curse, however, stems from this same root issue: with so much history to the story, it can be hard for dilettantes or less-invested filmgoers to grasp the greater depth of...

A body horror with bite. A new clip from Bite has dropped ahead of the May 6th limited theatrical and VOD release of Chad Archibald’s latest film.

Previous Press Release: Visceral body-horror feature opens in select U.S. theaters May 6th, 2016.

When she returns from her tropical bachelorette party getaway, a young woman begins to succumb to an insect bite in the palpably disturbing film Bite. Witness the skin-crawling chronicle of one woman’s truly terrifying descent into madness when the visceral body horror feature, Bite debuts in select U.S. theaters May 6th, 2016. Directed by Chad Archibald (The Drownsman), Bite had a sensational premiere at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, where it won an Audience Award and has recently played at numerous top international genre film festivals.

While on her bachelorette party getaway, Casey, the bride to be, gets a seemingly harmless bite from an unknown insect.

The summer has arrived — at least if you’re going by Hollywood’s calendar. Our comprehensive preview for all four months will give you a hint as to what we most anticipate — but, for a more in-depth look, today we have our first monthly feature of the season. It should be noted that theatrical re-releases of the Jean-Luc Godard classic Band of Outsiders and Eiichi Yamamoto‘s animation, Belladonna of Sadness, both arriving on May 6th, as well as Fritz Lang‘s Destiny (on May 20th), are essential.

Getting to the new features, perhaps our most-anticipated studio release of the entire summer arrives, along with some of our festival favorites from the last year. To those lamenting the lack of superhero films: we figured it was best not to waste the space, as they are certainly already on your radar if you’re planning to buy a ticket. Check out...

It looks like May will be a somewhat busy month in regards to horror and sci-fi VOD/Digital HD releases, as we have thirteen different titles arriving before Memorial Day. Dark Sky Films is kicking things off with Adrián García Bogliano’s Scherzo Diabolico, and for those of you wanting to check out the latest from Kane Hodder, The Haunting of Alice D arrives on all digital platforms the very same day.

Scream Factory is unleashing their latest film, Bite, on VOD on May 6th, and Regression, the mystery thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson, is getting released on May 10th courtesy of Starz Digital. Also, one of my favorite films from the 2015 Los Angeles Film Fest, Crush the Skull, is being released on May 17th courtesy of Breaking Glass Pictures.

Other notable VOD titles for May 2016 include The Offering, What We Become, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, and The Ones Below.

Disney and Marvel Studios' "Captain America: Civil War" went like gangbusters in its overseas launch, pulling in a massive $200.2 million at the foreign box office - one of the biggest starts of all time and coming very close to the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" overseas launch last year.

Opening across 63% of the foreign marketplace this weekend, the film still has three massive markets to go - the United States, China and Russia where it will open this coming Friday May 6th. Reviews have ben very strong so far and at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes is the best-reviewed Marvel film to date.

In the United States at the box-office, Disney's "Jungle Book" remains the king as it has grossed a further $42.4 million in its third weekend and crushed newcomers like Key & Peele's comedy "Keanu" in second with $9.4 million, ensemble comedy "Mother's Day" in fourth with $8.3 million, and the animated "Ratchet...

Despite the name Hotel Dallas and general premise surrounding a replica of Southfork Ranch (where both the old and new Dallas series were filmed) built in Romania by an aspiring capitalist, husband and wife directing duo Sherng-Lee Huang and Livia Ungur‘s film is really about a country crippled under its past that’s still unsure of its future. It’s about art and its ability to speak to people’s hearts and souls whether seeking to do so or not. It’s also about a young girl who grew to embrace a vocation that one day allowed her to work alongside her childhood celebrity crush: Patrick Duffy. Part documentary, soap opera-y restaging of history, memory curio, and love letter to home, this art piece is as uniquely informative as imaginatively wild.

Do not expect convention or concrete answers beyond philosophical dreamscapes of poetic words trying their best to encapsulate...