Gossip Girl is officially available to pre-order at Amazon online for August 2008!
After hearing about the show back in September when I was in the States I was hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for its release in the UK which finally happened in March on ITV2. Since March I have been glued to my sofa on a Thursday evening to catch up with the drama that is both consistent and exciting. Watch as Blair, Serena, Dan, Chuck, Nate and Jenny get in and out of trouble in their final year of school before graduating. If you loved The O.C you will love this!
Pre-order it now at Amazon online costing just £17.98 for its release on August 18th.
You may have seen this years biggest tear jerker at the cinema but if you missed it and were a little upset you’ll be pleased to know its released on DVD on Monday the 12th of May.
The film sees widower Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) discover a number of messages left to her by her husband (Gerard Butler) whose life was taken by an illness. I know it already sounds frightfully depressing but as well as being sad it’s also uplifting as these messages help Holly grow into an independent women. A powerful and moving drama well worth watching.
Pre-order your copy today at Amazon online priced at £11.98.
E4 is branching out with a new British sitcom starting on the channel tomorrow night (10pm). The Inbetweeners is a six-part series that follows the suburban lives of four male teenagers trying to make sense of their lives as they come of age. The action centres on Will, who after the divorce of his parents, moves house and starts at a new school where he befriends Simon, Jay and Neil.
Staying true to previous comedies of teenage boys such as last year’s Superbad and American Pie, The Inbetweeners is characterised by the lads’ desperation to have sex and even comes with the tag-line “basically, they just want to get laid”. And after the recent success of Welsh sitcom Gavin + Stacey at the BAFTAs, maybe sitcoms’ focusing on youngsters is a new trend emerging.
To learn more about The Inbetweeners, visit the E4 site.
Comic book films have come to define the box office summer season and kicking things off this weekend is a new kid on the block – Iron Man. The film stars Hollywood maverick Robert Downey Jnr. in the central role as billionaire weapons expert Tony Stark who becomes the title’s crime-fighting superhero. The actor, better known for his off-screen antics and cool, lazy charm, is an unconventional choice to carry such a big-budget, action extravaganza, but with a supporting cast of Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges and Jon Favreau (Swingers, Elf) behind the lens, the film has a strong ensemble.
Iron Man marks a historical move from Marvel Comics as it is their first stab at producing their own work, rather than handing over creative control to a Hollywood studio (as per Spiderman with Sony). It is also the first big film to be released from this summer’s exciting line-up including the likes of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Dark Knight and Wall-E.
To get better acquainted with Iron-Man, check out the trailer below or visit the film’s official website.
For those of us hooked on the shenanigans of showbiz folks, Living brings us a new series that looks beyond the celebrity gloss into the lives of our favourite famous faces. Adding a novel dimension to the conventional ‘through the keyhole’ format, Exposed takes its cue from a well-known and defining image of the featured star and questions how accurate that is. Each week a new celebrity will be featured with the inside gossip coming courtesy of those that have worked with, written about, photographed and studied the star in question.
Names slated to appear include actors such as Tom Cruise, Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie, supermodel Kate Moss, pop star Britney Spears and those famous for being famous such as Paris Hilton and the all-conquering Victoria Beckham. The series starts tomorrow night (8pm) with a look at Welsh darling Charlotte Church and will surely look at her early rise to fame, high-profile romance with rugby star Gavin Henson and new journey into motherhood.
To learn about the private life of Miss Church away from the headlines, catch Exposed: Charlotte Church tomorrow night or pick up her autobiography Keep Smiling from play.com.
Fantasy films seem to be riding a wave of popularity presently, with most adaptations of best-selling books such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Harry Potter films, and following in this current trend comes The Golden Compass. Based on the first book from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, the film opened to mediocre reviews and box office last year and will be hoping to earn back some of its massive budget and lost credibility when audiences revisit it in the comfort of their own homes.
Starring Bond star Daniel Craig and A-list Hollywood leading lady Nicole Kidman, the film is a fantasy adventure that follows the journey of 12-year-old Lyra (newcomer Dakota Blue Richards) as she tries to save a friend and ends up battling for much more. With fighting polar bears, beautiful witches (look out for Casino Royale’s Eva Green) and top-notch special effects (which won the film its only Oscar), there is much for fans of the books and the fantasy genre to admire and fall in love with.
Make up your own mind on the film available in single disc, two disc special edition and Blu-Ray formats today from Play.com.
Crippling production of American films and scripted TV shows, the writer’s strike had a negative knock-on effect for much of Hollywood’s entertainment community, with one result the mid-season pauses of many shows. One programme hit was Lost, with series four coming to an abrupt close after eight episodes. But happily the island drama returns to TV screens next Sunday night (Sky One, 9pm).
To go into plot details would be foolish, as Lost is so incredibly detailed and multi-layered that to start explaining the action would be the work of hours and hours. Rather, let’s look to the future. This, the ninth episode is the first of the final five remaining in the fourth season and is called ‘The Shape of Things to Come’, focusing on the leader of the Others and all-round rat, Benjamin Linus. So on Sunday night, remember to take your phone off the hook, lock your doors, switch off your lights as we learn more about the Oceanic 815 survivors and their island plight.
Another week, another rom-com, though expect this one to be a little more raucous and naughty than recent offerings 27 Dresses and Fool’s Gold. Forgetting Sarah Marshall comes from the Judd Apatow stable of comedies that have tickled our funny bones with the likes of The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and sees one of Knocked Up’s supporting actors, Jason Segel assume centre stage. Segel (who also wrote the screenplay) plays Peter Bretter, a lovable guy who finds his world turned upside down when his beloved girlfriend the titular Sarah Marshall (as played by ex-Veronica Mars and Heroes star Kristen Bell) dumps him.
In a bid to recover from the heartbreak, Peter takes off for a holiday in Hawaii only to find Sarah is also there with her new man, outrageous lothario Aldous Snow (played by our very own Russell Brand). The comedy is typically rude and silly, but retains the heart and warmth needed for such subject matter. Superbad’s Jonah Hill, 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer (receptionist Kenneth) and Apatow regular Paul Rudd all make appearances in this bawdy sex romp.
Check out the trailer below and visit the film’s official site for more information.
Heroes returns to BBC2 tomorrow night (9pm) with the eagerly anticipated second season. After much promotion by the Beeb, the sci-fi show proved a hit with viewers last year and became a cult phenomenon spawning video games, t-shirts and comic books. Now the show is back, though in a shorter series, having been hit by the Hollywood writers strike.
The end of season one saw Peter ‘go nuclear’ in his bid to save New York City, Hiro ended up in feudal Japan and Sylar was beaten but not dead. This season continues with the same full-on energy and unpredictable action while managing to introduce some new faces as well (look out for Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell). For those of you hooked on the heroic antics of Claire, Parkman, Mohinder and co. we promise not to give away any plot spoilers, however if you do fancy whetting your appetite, check out the American trailer for season two below.
Fans of legal dramas are in luck as US import Shark returns tonight for its second season (Five, 10pm). Shark follows top prosecutor Sebastian Stark, as played by Hollywood star James Woods, as he leads his team of bright young things to courtroom success. The show is a glossy affair, with the Los Angeles location adding plenty of sunshine and skyscraper skylines, but the gruesome crimes and tough law enforcement adds a rougher edge to proceedings.
Woods is on fine form as Shark, channeling his easy charm and likeability into a character that is ruthless, uncompromising and far from your conventional hero. In many ways, he is reminiscent of Hugh Laurie’s titular character House – a sharp mind that refuses to be tempered by society and with underlings looking to him for career guidance. Tonight Shark returns to investigate a murder of a movie studio executive that ends up leading to the Russian mafia.
To catch up on all the Shark gossip, head on over to the Five website.
The BBC is clearly determined to get their money’s worth out of star Graham Norton. The cheeky chappie is not only hosting I’ll Do Anything, the search for musical theatre performers to fill the roles of Nancy and Oliver in a new West End production of Oliver!, every Saturday night, but also returns to his chat show on BBC 2 tonight at 9pm. This twelve week run kicks off with the Irish host getting to grips with film actor Kevin Bacon and the Hollywood legend that is Tony Curtis. Swedish pop star Robyn will be performing her new single Who’s That Girl? (isn’t that an 80s Madonna song?) and as always we can expect the outrageous antics that made the show such a hit back on Channel 4.
For those of you that really love the show, why not nab yourself some tickets to go see Graham grill celebrities? If you’re able to get down to the London Studios on the South Bank and are free on Wednesdays, then visit the Standing Room Only website for further information on how you could be in the studio audience. For the rest of us, relive some of Graham’s most naughty moments on the BBC official website.
After the UK and Stateside success of Katherine Heigl’s 27 Dresses, it seems that Hollywood might have finally regained its passion for passion, with another rom-com set to delight audiences on general release this weekend. They proved a winning combination in 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so Hollywood stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey have reunited for Fools Gold. The film is a mixture of high adventure, goofy comedy and playful romance and sees the perma-tanned pair cavorting about in very little clothes – a perk for fans of both stars!
McConaughey plays Benjamin ‘Finn’ Finnegan, a treasure hunter whose obsession with striking gold ruined his marriage to Hudson’s Tess, yet the pair are thrown together again as clues for the elusive 18th Century Queens Dowry promise untold riches. Also on the hunt is Finn’s nemesis played by one of Britain’s reliable bad guys for hire, Ray Winstone. The film is frothy fluff full of sun, surf and silliness but for those of you depressed by the gloomy weather and in need of a romantic getaway, why not?
The trailer is below, while for further information visit the film’s official site.
Those of you who missed the second series of Skins who would like to watch the entire collection of ten episodes can from the 5th of May 2008.
Skins, the critically acclaimed British drama came back to our screens this year and began six months after Tony’s accident where he suffers from amnesia with no recollection of Sid or Michelle. Watch as emotions unfold as Tony slowly regains his memory. Whilst this happens the rest of the cast continue to endure drama that is just as chaotic and as much as I would love to say what happens I don’t want to give it away.
Pre-order your copy at Amazon online priced at £14.98 now or pre-order both season 1 and season 2 in a box set costing £27.98.
It seems the great movies keep on coming at the moment and this one looks like one comedy not to miss.
Starring Cameron Diaz and Aston Kutcher, What Happens in Vegas tells a story of two people, Jack (Kutcher) who just got fired and Joy (Diaz) who just got dumped, who both feel they have nothing to live for so head to Vegas. Whilst there they meet for the first time and get horrendously drunk only to end up married. The world’s worst hangover leads them to win 3 million dollars which they both don’t want to split until they realise what’s theirs is each others thanks to the rings on their fingers.
What Happens in Vegas is out on May the 9th in cinemas nationwide. Visit the movie website online to see the trailer.
Ok, The Hills fans get excited now because those of you who kept up to date with the hit show will know that season three ended with a bit of a twist, the finale we all thought it was turned out to be a penultimate finale. This is because there were still a few more episodes to be filmed before the real season three finale could be broadcasted.
Back then we were given a sneak peak of what to expect in the remaining episodes and that sneak peak was shot in Paris. The great news is the next episode is available to watch at MTV online for the UK. Watch the drama unfold as Lauren and Whitney venture to Paris for a ball, possible romance and lots of couture.