Now that it appears that cat is finally out of the bag about Oscar Isaac’s role in the upcoming Disney+ Marvel series Moon Knight, additional casting announcements are rolling in.
As exclusively reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Boyhood) has been cast as the lead villain in Moon Knight. He will be joining May Calamawy (Ramy), whose undisclosed key role in the series was announced earlier this week.
Isaac will be taking on the role as the series lead, Marc Spector aka Moon Knight. Moon Knight originally made his debut via Marvel Comics back in the 1970s, thanks to writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin. As per Marvel, Marc Spector is “a complex vigilante who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. These multiple identities who live inside him are distinct characters in the series and will appear against a backdrop of Egyptian iconography.”
Moon Knight will be directed by Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead. As per THR, the series is aiming for a March production start in Budapest.
Cherry is gearing up to premiere in theaters and on Apple TV+ in the coming months, but before that happens “The Comedown,” composed by Henry Jackman, has been released. The song is from the upcoming soundtrack, which will release on February 26 from Lakeshore Records and will be available to stream on Apple Music as well as other digital music providers.
Cherry, based on the novel by Nico Walker, follows Cherry (Holland), a Cleveland man who meets the love of his life Emily (Ciara Bravo) only to risk losing her through bad decisions and challenging circumstances. Cherry serves in the Iraq war, but when he returns home, he has to battle his undiagnosed PTSD, causing him to spiral into drug addiction. After draining his finances, Cherry turns to bank robbing to fund his addiction, shattering his relationship with Emily along the way.
The hauntingly beautiful track “The Comedown” is available to stream on Apple Music and purchase on iTunes now.
Cherry will premiere in select theaters on February 26 and Apple TV+ on March 12.
It’s finally arrived, the premiere episodes of WandaVision, the first of the Marvel Studios series slated for release on Disney+. Excitement for the series has been buzzing since its announcement at San Diego Comic Con in 2019, but does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out.
Welcome to Westview in the 50s! A newlywed couple just moved to town, a totally regular husband and wife … or not.
The series opens with our newlywed couple, Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) still in their wedding attire, driving up to their new home in the quaint little town of Westview. Wanda wastes no time in utilizing her reality-bending magic as she plasters a SOLD! over the FOR SALE sign outside their new home, and as Vision in all his chivalrous glory sweeps his new bride off her feet to carry her over the threshold, he forgets that Wanda cannot travel through walls as he can … even if he’s carrying her. Oops.
Image courtesy of Disney/Marvel
Flying saucers and indestructible heads, oh my! Wanda still has no qualms about using her powers, and it’s making her quite an exceptional housewife. Except for that plate she sent crashing over Vision’s head, but it’s fine, he can take it. That shattered ceramic is no match for either of them, however, as Wanda easily waves the shards back together and places the plate where it belongs — on the shelf. She offers her doting husband the option of a hearty breakfast, but he refuses. He doesn’t eat food, after all.
Vision catches sight of the calendar on the wall and is immediately perplexed by a heart over today’s date, August 23. What could it mean? We get what seems to be a tiny blip in the facade as Wanda tells Vision she’s wearing her apron to do her best to “blend in.” Does she know they don’t belong there?
The two banter about the importance of the date, neither able to land on its significance. Before he heads off to work, Wanda has to remind Vision to uh … put a smile on. A smile, of course, being a face that doesn’t look like a red robot’s.
A knock sounds through the house, and Wanda is greeted by her neighbor to the right, Agnes (Kathryn Hahn), who comes bearing a house warming gift. Agnes asks what a single gal like Wanda is doing in a big ol’ house by herself, cuing Wanda in to her lack of a wedding ring. She assures Agnes that she is indeed married, to a human man no less, and that he’ll be home later that night for the two to celebrate a special occasion. But what is the occasion? Wanda still can’t figure it out.
Agnes rattles through all the possible moments to celebrate in one’s life, and Wanda agrees on an anniversary, but she doesn’t know how many years they’re celebrating. She responds with, “Well, it feels like we’ve always been together.” Nice save, Wanda. However, the struggle for Wanda continues as Agnes prods how they’ll be celebrating — celebrating? Agnes heads home to grab a magazine so the two ladies can get to work on creating a spectacular scene for the momentous occasion.
Vision has head off to work at Computational Services inc., and he’s quite the superstar employee, despite not knowing exactly what it is that they do there. Productivity has skyrocketed 300% since Vision joined the staff in their production of computational forms (what?); it’s almost as if he’s a walking computer! How preposterous! Vision is a regular carbon-based employee made of entirely organic matter, thank you very much!
The struggle of the importance of today’s date is still plaguing Vision as well, and he recruits a co-worker to help him uncover its significance. But they’re quickly interrupted by the big boss, Mr. Hart (Fred Melamed), who tells Vision he’s looking forward to dinner at his house that evening. Of course! A heart for Mr. Hart! Mr. Hart tells Vision about the dismal five-course meal he’d had at Jones’ home (Jones who is now packing his things to find gainful employment elsewhere), and Vision gets rightfully nervous as he realizes his job at Computational Service inc. may be in jeopardy. Mr. Hart asks if there are any unsuspecting skeletons in Vision’s closet, which is impossible, because Vision doesn’t have a skeleton.
Back at the Vision residence, Wanda and Agnes are in full-fledged planning mode. They run over a few seduction techniques as outlined by the magazine, and boy oh boy what’s more romantic than the statistic that the death rate of single men is twice that of married men. Get us a fan, it’s hot in here.
The phone rings, and it’s Vision. He’s panicking about tonight, but Wanda assures him she has everything under control … Wanda takes Vision’s nervousness over Mr. Hart for flirty and romantic and it’s great to see they’re both on the same page. Except …
A small commercial break — need a new toaster? Perhaps you’d be interested in the Toastmate 2000 from Stark Industries? “Forget the past, this is your new future.”
Image courtesy of Disney/Marvel
Vision, Mr. Hart and Mrs. Hart (Debra Jo Rupp) arrive for dinner, and the setting is a bit … romantic? Candles illuminate the sitting room as the harsh light from the table lamps is dimmed with draped sheer scarves. Vision runs off to the kitchen to find Wanda to inquire about the bizarre setting, but Wanda isn’t in the kitchen. She sneaks up behind Mr. Hart, dressed in a luxurious, feather-trimmed robe, and covers his eyes. Guess who? Vision emerges from the kitchen and finds the unusual situation before him, this hasn’t started well. In a nod to Wanda’s Sokovian roots, Vision introduces his European wife and her exotic manner of hospitality and attire.
The couple retreats to the kitchen to regroup in private. They bicker about the meaning of this day again, Wanda offended Vision doesn’t know what they’re celebrating (does she?) before Vision clears up what the heart was an abbreviation for — Mr. and Mrs. Hart coming for dinner.
You move at the speed of sound and I can make a pen float through the air. Who needs to abbreviate?
-Wanda
Vision assures he’s is very appreciative of Wanda’s efforts (and her dress) for him, but right now he needs to impress his boss, and no Wanda, that single chocolate covered strawberry won’t do. And in a snap of her fingers, Wanda is out of her robe and dressed to impress. She’s got this under control.
It’s time to create a diversion, so Vision talks shop with Mr. Hart in the sitting room, and he still doesn’t get the purpose of the company. At all. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Agnes arrives with a lifeline: ingredients and supplies so Wanda can create an unforgettable dinner for their guests. Mrs. Hart, getting more and more irritable by each starving moment, offers to go and assist Wanda. Wanda shoos Agnes out, not paying close enough attention to Agnes’ planned courses for the night and again causes a ruckus. Mrs. Hart, in her hangry impatience, opens the shades to the kitchen and there’s dinner … floating in the air. Quickly, Vision breaks into “Yakety Yak” song to turn their guests’ attention away from his wife delightfully magical dinner preparation skills and onto his dismal singing voice. Thankfully, it works and Wanda snaps the shades closed again.
Even with her powers, Wanda turns out to be a pretty terrible cook. One snap overcooks the chicken, and the next turns it right back into a basket of eggs, thank goodness Vision has broken out his ukulele and is entertaining at least Mrs. Hart with a rousing rendition of “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Ee i ee i o …
Wanda and the kitchen are still not agreeing: “The chicken is no longer a chicken, and the lobsters just flew the coop.” Wanda has to head out to find those dastardly lobsters, and she leaves Vision in charge of tenderizing the meat. Vision, who has seemingly forgot his own super-strength, goes a little overboard with tenderizing and more … pulverizes it. In the sitting room, Wanda gets ambushed on her way out the front door by her very irritated and starving guests, so of course what’s a better way to calm tempers than with a fun fact! “Were either of you aware that married men are killing single men at an alarming rate!” Recalling her seduction technique lesson from earlier with Agnes, Wanda tries the first suggestion of feigning a fall, forcing Mr. Hart to catch her.
Another knock at the door, who could that be? It’s Agnes, delivering a pineapple for the upside-down cake. This night is going great. Mr. Hart is getting angry as Mrs. Hart confesses that her head is getting spinny, time is running out! Dinner is finally served. Breakfast for dinner. “How very European,” Mrs. Hart announces.
Dinner begins as most dinners would, with Mrs. Hart inquiring into the history of the lovely couple who is hosting them, and they don’t have the answers. Mr. Hart finds this bizarre, and his patience grows thin. In his irritation, he begins to choke on a sausage. That’s when things get really strange.
Mrs. Hart repeats “stop it” over and over as Wanda and Vision look on confused, Mr. Hart eventually toppling from his chair to the floor. In a noticeably different tone than any other we’ve heard thus far in the series, Wanda commands Vision to help him, and he obeys, as if he’d been waiting for her to instruct him to do so. Using his intangible abilities, he reaches through man’s throat and pulls the lodged food straight out. Mr. and Mrs. Hart make a quick getaway after the incident, Mr. Hart impressed with the evening, promising a chat about a promotion first thing Monday morning.
Vision reverts back to his normal form as he and Wanda settle after their guests leave, and they address the things they seem to be missing — an anniversary, a song, and wedding rings. A quick solution comes to Vision’s mind: today is their anniversary, their song is “Yakety Yak,” and well, why can’t Wanda just make them some rings? So she does.
And they lived happily ever after.
Image courtesy of Disney/Marvel
The credits roll, which Vision flicked on with a remote, onto a television playing at S.W.O.R.D., the Sentient World Observation and Response Department (S.H.I.E.L.D.’s galactic counterpart), who are keeping watch over the bizarre happenings at the Vision residence in Westview …
The main question episode 1 left us with is who’s in charge? Who’s trapped Wanda here — herself or someone else? When Vision had to be commanded to save Mr. Hart’s life, it would seem that Wanda held the remote to this new reality, however in the final scene Vision is seen with a remote in his hands as he turns the credits on. Does he have some control over himself in this sitcom? Also, who from S.W.O.R.D. is watching? And why?
Episodes 1 and 2 of WandaVision are currently streaming exclusively on Disney+, episode 3 will arrive next Friday, January 22.
At the beginning of the new year, Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park/Fort Minor) announced he wanted to do something new on his Twitch channel. After creating dozens of his own beats and tracks while streaming live for fans to see, he now wants to give back to the community that has supported him by connecting with fans, vocalists, and songwriters, producing their original tracks live on Twitch!
Now ten days after this announcement, Shinoda has hosted the first production session, working on a track titled “Bittersweet” by artist Chris Kelly. Starting with just a few multitracks containing vocals, backup vocals, and piano, Shinoda took over two hours to produce the song live on Twitch, fine tuning the track’s arrangement, adding keyboard bass, guitar, piano, and other unique sounds and effects, while explaining to viewers each step of the production process!
If you missed the livestream, you can still watch the production of “Bittersweet” by Chris Kelly in the video below, or over on Shinoda’s Twitch channel under his recent broadcasts. Make sure to also check out Chris Kelly’s other original music, as well as Velavox, his collaborative project with artist Nicole Gibson. And stay tuned to Shinoda’s Twitch channel for further production sessions, starting tomorrow with an alternative rock track by musician Alex McMillian!
GLAAD, an organization dedicated to promoting representation and equality for the LGBTQIA+ community, has released its annual report on the state of representation in media (and in particular, television). The overall news is somewhat disappointing, as this season is the first since 2013-14 to show a decrease in representation overall. However, there are smaller victories within the report that are important to highlight. There’s a lot to unpack in the analysis, which covers television as a whole, so we’re breaking down some of the top insights for you.
The cast of ‘Pose.’ Image courtesy FX.
According to GLAAD’s report, just four showrunners account for 1 in 5 (17%) of the LGBTQIA+ characters on television. Those creators are Ryan Murphy, Greg Berlanti, Shonda Rhimes, and Lena Waithe. Murphy’s shows in particular are responsible for much of the transgender representation in the report via his series Pose (which features three characters living with HIV, who are the only characters on television depicted as living with HIV). This was noted to be a problem for representation, as one show being overrepresented in these tallies makes the overall representation vulnerable to show cancellations, planned endings, or even storyline changes that remove an LGBTQIA+ character. As GLAAD pointed out, this also applies to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many LGBTQIA+ focused shows facing production delays and even ending sooner than expected (like Glow, for example). It also makes it harder to get an accurate gauge on representation overall, since several shows having a lot of representation can mask the shows that have none or very little.
Nicole Maines as Nia Nal/Dreamer in ‘Supergirl.’ Image courtesy The CW.
In the same way that certain showrunners are responsible for a large percentage of representation, certain networks have more representation than others. The divide is also stark between broadcast and cable, with cable seeing a huge decrease in LGBTQIA+ characters (215 characters last year, 118 characters this year). Of the broadcast networks, The CW (Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow) had the most LGBTQIA+ characters represented at 14.2% of their series regulars, and FOX was the only broadcast network to increase the amount of LGBTQIA+ series regulars on its shows, increasing to 8.5%. However, one area of improvement that GLAAD introduced for broadcast to work on is that while many broadcast series contain LGBTQIA+ characters in a larger ensemble of straight characters, “the broadcast networks have not produced a primetime scripted series with a majority cast of LGBTQ characters like those seen on cable and streaming.” Additionally, many shows with queer leads on broadcast ended this season, like Stumptown and How To Get Away With Murder. One bright spot is that unlike cable, all transgender characters on broadcast networks are played by transgender actors.
The cast of ‘Good Trouble.’ Image courtesy Freeform.
Cable networks have overall seen a big decrease in representation, with some networks picking up the overall slack for others. FX (Pose, What We Do in the Shadows) has the most representation at 20 characters, with nine coming from Pose. However, Freeform (Good Trouble, Motherland: Fort Salem) and Showtime (Shameless) are right behind with 19 and 18 respectively. Those three networks account for 50% of all cable representation, which GLAAD praised while also urging the other cable networks to increase both their overall LGBTQIA+ characters and the diversity of those characters. GLAAD also noted that in the upcoming season Freeform would be including a lesbian asexual character on one of its series, with the details under wraps for now due to spoilers.
Dominique McElligott as Queen Maeve on ‘The Boys.’ Image courtesy Amazon Studios.
Finally, streaming services like Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix continue to have difficulty with diversity within LGBTQIA+ representation. The majority of the queer characters on streaming services are white, while both broadcast and cable met GLAAD’s goal of having at least 50% of LGBTQIA+ characters be people of color. There is also only one character on a streaming service who is disabled and also identifies as LGBTQIA+ (Ryan from Netflix’s comedy series Special). However, streamers on the whole have more shows with large LGBTQIA+ ensembles focusing on queer perspectives, a type of show that GLAAD recommends that broadcast and cable series create more of.
Ryan O’Connell as Ryan on ‘Special.’ Image courtesy Netflix.
It’s also important to note that GLAAD does not grade quality of representation or particular storylines in this analysis. The organization’s focus in this report is mostly on quantitative data and the character’s status as a series regular, recurring character, or guest star rather than qualitative measures. However, in its discussion of the results, GLAAD did identify a number of ongoing concerns and areas of praise in storytelling. For example, bisexual+ rep (which GLAAD defines as “people who identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and more”) has decreased significantly across all platforms, and GLAAD noted that the storylines afforded to bisexual+ characters reflect “the outsized number of bi+ characters who never get to own their own story or use a specific word for themselves.” GLAAD also identified that asexuality is woefully underrepresented, with just one asexual character appearing this season across all platforms. However, GLAAD noted that overall diversity of the LGBTQIA+ characters has increased, with BIPOC characters making up a larger percentage of the regular and recurring characters shown.
The good news? In a time of massive shifts in television production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LGBTQIA+ representation has not been devastated by production delays. The trend of a decrease in representation overall will ideally improve when many series are able to resume production this year. However, there are always areas to improve in, particularly in disability representation and racial equity within the LGBTQIA+ community. What GLAAD’s report illustrates clearly is the need to continue to advocate for representation in storytelling so that the shows we watch reflect the world we live in. To read the full report, check out GLAAD’s website. And if you’re looking for a new show to watch that features LGBTQIA+ rep, check out our Pride series, where we highlight some of our favorite characters and shows.
Over the years, Frank Iero has invested his musical talents in a variety of solo endeavors — pre-, during, and post-My Chemical Romance. His projects in most recent years have had a tendency to transform and change musically with each release, as he applies an overall tone to each album and has worked with a few different lineups of bandmates to back him.
Iero’s current lineup with Frank Iero and the Future Violents is like lightning in a bottle. These musicians all bring something incredible to the table that, when put together as one cohesive musical act, is just downright brilliant. The Future Violents released their full-length album Barriers back in 2019, and it’s the kind of record that just overflows with the power and energy to tear you apart and put you back together again all at once.
There were a few extra tracks that didn’t quite make the final cut of the album, but instead remained lying in wait. Iero paired these with a cover they had also previously done of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” and thus Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place was born alongside the modified moniker The Future Violence.
The record opens with “Violence,” ready to split listeners open emotionally without pretense. After a brief instrumental intro, Iero’s vocals come in, carrying a raw and desperate energy that will remain consistent through the closing track. Iero has changed up his vocal style time and time again with his various musical projects, and this is by far the sweet spot for him. The song edges back and forth between a buildup of energy before nestling back down to lean into Iero’s voice as he steadies the rhythm once more — a theme that listeners will find throughout. The chorus to “Violence,” “Your violence feels like kisses to me/ Your silence makes it harder to breathe/ Your distance feels like I’m not enough,” will stick with you, even after the song comes to a close and moves on to “Sewerwolf.”
I’ve had this next track on repeat since its early release, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. “Sewerwolf” paces back and forth like a hungry predator weighing its options, soothing you into a false sense of security before tearing you down in a burst of untethered intensity. The depth of emotion poured into this track is palpable. It takes shape like ravenous waves out at sea that calmly lap at the shore once the tide brings them in … only to be drug back out again, wild and unrestrained.
“Losing My Religion” is a brief departure from the other three tracks on Heaven Is A Place, taking a quieter acoustic turn led by Iero and Kayleigh Goldsworthy’s vocals. It fits though, functioning like the eye of the storm as it softly embodies a stripped-down version of the album’s vibe.
All bets are off as we move into the aptly named “Record Ender.” If your feelings have remained intact thus far, this track is here to rip you apart in a way that listeners won’t soon forget. “If the air is heavy you can hold my breath and I’ll hold yours/ If it makes you happy I’ll wrestle the sun, the moon, and the stars to the ground.” Clocking in at just over six and a half minutes, “Record Ender” feels like a long drive down a winding road. Iero’s lyrics have always been a poetically emotional roller coaster, and things are no different this time around: “Because it takes a mess to love a wreck.”
Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place is undoubtedly one of the best releases to come from Iero’s music career, period. It’s a record that will carve a place out inside of you, leaving the memory of a taste in your mouth and the ghost of a touch that will keep you coming back for more.
Stream Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place now on your preferred music platform, including Spotify and Apple Music. Visit the UNFD webstore for the latest Violence merchandise.
Gone are the days of walking up to Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure, stopping in for a churro or some Dole Whip, and heading home. After almost an entire year of being closed due to COVID-19, Disneyland announced on January 14 via Twitter and email that the Annual Passport program will come to a close.
Anyone considered a current Passholder, meaning their pass was valid when the parks closed in March of 2020, will receive a refund and will be able to continue using their benefits at Downtown Disney and other shopping/dining experiences.
Pixar Pier, courtesy of Disney Parks.
Ken Potrock, the President of Disneyland Resort, said the following in a statement:
We want to thank our Annual Passholders for their understanding during this closure period. (…) We are currently developing new membership offerings that will utilize consumer insights to deliver choice, flexibility and value for our biggest fans.
Disneyland continues to be closed with no opening date in sight. In the meantime, Disneyland is currently being used as a mass vaccination site, which is pretty awesome. Disney will continue to update via official social media accounts as more decisions are made.
On January 14, Javicia Leslie appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she and host Jimmy Kimmel discussed her upcoming debut as Batwoman. During the interview, Leslie talked about the prevalence of comic book media in her life, how her family reacted to her being cast as Batwoman, and some of the coolest parts about playing the character.
Leslie will make her superhero debut in season 2 of The CW’s Batwoman. She will step into the role of Ryan Wilder/Batwoman. Leslie takes over the role from Ruby Rose (Kate Kane), who exited the series after season 1. Ryan Wilder is a new character wholly different from Kate. She’s described as “likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed.” Like Kate, Ryan will be an out lesbian. Leslie is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community and is the first Black actress to play Batwoman on television.
Watch Leslie’s interview below, and catch her on season 2 of Batwoman, premiering Sunday, January 17 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on The CW.
The newest release from Frank Iero and the Future Violence — Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place — has finally arrived.
The Future Violence, which consists of My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero, Evan Nestor, Matt Armstrong, Tucker Rule, and Kayleigh Goldsworthy, previously went by a similar moniker — Frank Iero and The Future Violents. The four-track EP Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place was recorded at the same time as the band’s 2019 full-length album Barriers (besides “Losing My Religion,” which was recorded at an even earlier date).
Deadline has confirmed that director/writer David O. Russell’s next project has added nine more cast members to its ensemble. Joining the film are Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), Chris Rock (Fargo), Robert De Niro (The Irishman), Timothy Olyphant (Santa Clarita Diet), Michael Shannon (Knives Out), Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle), Andrea Riseborough (The Grudge, 2020), Matthias Schoenaerts (The Old Guard), and Mike Myers (Shrek).
The news comes just a couple of days after Rami Malek and Zoe Saldana were announced as cast. They join Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington. There’s currently no further information on characters, but with this all-star lineup, the film is certain to be a must-watch.
Plot details are also being kept under wraps. The project is based on an original idea from Russell, who writes and directs. Arnon Milchan, Anthony Katagas, and Matthew Budman serve as producers. No release date has been set, but filming is currently in progress.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
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