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- Most Pirated Movies of 2014 Include 'Frozen,' 'Wolf of Wall Street'
- Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello Are Engaged: Report
- Watch John Oliver Explain Why New Year's Eve Is 'The Worst' (VIDEO)
- This 'Scrubs' Reunion Between Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and John C. McGinley Fills Us with Joy (PHOTO)
- What's New on TV, Netflix Streaming, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: December 29 - January 4
- 2015 Family Movie Preview
- 'Wheel of Fortune' Contestant Solves Puzzle with 1 Letter, Sets Winnings Record (VIDEO)
- Aaron Paul May Star in Han Solo-centric 'Star Wars' Spin-off: Report
- 'The Interview' Scores Massive $15 Million Online Debut
- Here Are All the January TV Premiere Dates for New & Returning Series
- Oscars 2015: Five Myths About the Academy Vote
| Most Pirated Movies of 2014 Include 'Frozen,' 'Wolf of Wall Street' Posted:  Among the many woes Sony weathered following a crippling hacking attack was that several of its high-profile films popped up on pirating sites in recent weeks. But films are pirated all year long, and there were plenty of other big-name movies that were downloaded illegally in 2014. Excipio, a firm that tracks online piracy activity, released a report detailing the top 20 most pirated movies of 2014, and the list is led by two very different titles: "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Frozen." The former film just barely edged out the latter, notching a little over 30 million downloads, while the latter totaled just under the 30 million mark. According to Excipio, the data was collected between January 1 and December 23, 2014. The company said it could not account for different downloads of movies of the same title, with films such as the recent "RoboCop" reboot and Dwayne Johnson's "Hercules" flick combining with other earlier movies with the same moniker to make the list. Check out Excipio's full top 20 below. Those big numbers probably explain a lot about why this year's total North American box office haul was down 5 percent from 2013. 1. "The Wolf of Wall Street": 30.035 million (Paramount, Dec. 25, 2013) 2. "Frozen": 29.919 million (Disney, Nov. 27, 2013) 3. "RoboCop"*: 29.879 million (MGM, Feb. 12, 2014; and Orion, July 17, 1987) 4. "Gravity": 29.357 million (Warner Bros., Oct. 4, 2013) 5. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug": 27.627 million (Warner Bros., Dec. 13, 2013) 6. "Thor: The Dark World": 25.749 million (Disney/Marvel, Nov. 8, 2013) 7. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier": 25.628 million (Disney/Marvel, April 4, 2014) 8. "The Legend of Hercules": 25.137 million (Summit, Jan. 10, 2014) 9. "X-Men: Days of Future Past": 24.380 million (20th Century Fox, May 23, 2014) 10. "12 Years a Slave": 23.653 million (Fox Searchlight, Oct. 18, 2013) 11. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire": 23.543 million (Lionsgate, Nov. 22, 2013) 12. "American Hustle": 23.143 million (Sony/Columbia, Dec. 13, 2013) 13. "300: Rise of an Empire": 23.096 million (Warner Bros., March 7, 2014) 14. "Transformers: Age of Extinction": 21.65 million (Paramount, June 27, 2014) 15. "Godzilla": 20.956 million (Warner Bros., May 16, 2014) 16. "Noah": 20.334 million (Paramount, March 28, 2014) 17. "Divergent": 20.312 million (Lionsgate, March 21, 2014) 18. "Edge of Tomorrow": 20.299 million (Warner Bros., June 6, 2014) 19. "Captain Phillips": 19.817 million (Sony/Columbia, Oct. 11, 2013) 20. "Lone Survivor": 19.130 million (Universal, Dec. 25, 2013) [via: Variety] Photo credit: Paramount This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello Are Engaged: Report Posted:  Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello are engaged, according to a report from E! News. The site writes that it's confirmed that the "Modern Family" actress and "Magic Mike" and "True Blood" actor are set to tie the knot, following a Christmas engagement. The pair started dating in July. "I've never seen two people so truly in love," a source told E! of the couple. "The way they talk to each other, touch each other. It's incredible." Vergara was previously engaged to on-again, off-again flame Nick Loeb, but they called it quits for good in May. The 42-year-old starlet and 38-year-old Manganiello have been inseparable since they started dating, stepping out frequently together over the past few months, according to E!. Congrats to the happy couple! [via: E! News] Photo credit: Getty Images for GQ This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Watch John Oliver Explain Why New Year's Eve Is 'The Worst' (VIDEO) Posted:  John Oliver knows that many people are currently suffering from holiday fatigue, what with Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa dominating the past few weeks. And now, the "Last Week Tonight" host says, the worst holiday of them all has arrived: New Year's Eve. In a web exclusive clip, Oliver rants about the year-end celebration, likening it to "the death of a pet." "You know it's going to happen, yet somehow, you're never really prepared for how truly awful it is," the host explained. Among the reasons why New Year's Eve is The Worst, according to Oliver, are that it involves mingling with strangers and watching Ryan Seacrest on TV. Luckily, the host had several tips for how revelers can skip the celebration and continue their couch potato ways well into the new year. Check out the clip below, and take some mental notes in preparation for the holiday. "Last Week Tonight" returns to HBO in early 2015. [via: Last Week Tonight] Photo credit: YouTube This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted:  Sure, you probably received plenty of cool presents from family and friends for the holidays. But this year, our personal favorite gift came in the form of a mini "Scrubs" reunion. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and John C. McGinley got together over the weekend to spend some quality time with each other, and the "Scrubs" co-stars commemorated the occasion with a photo, which Braff posted on Instagram. "Reunited and it feels so good," Braff wrote on the social media site, as the onetime J.D. posed alongside the former Turk and Dr. Cox. Of course, longtime fans of the dearly departed NBC comedy were no doubt missing fellow "Scrubs" co-stars like Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes, but any occasion for Vanilla Bear and Super Chocolate Bear to appear together in public is welcome news to us. Feel free to gaze lovingly at Braff's photo while this plays. [via: Zach Braff] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| What's New on TV, Netflix Streaming, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: December 29 - January 4 Posted:  At a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's streaming on Netflix, we've got you covered. New on DVD and Blu-ray There's not a whole lot coming out on DVD and Blu-ray this week that's worth your hard-earned ducats, but here are two that might be. "The Equalizer" This actioner with Denzel Washington and Chloë Grace Moretz got mixed reviews from critics, but if you love Washington in butt-kicking mode - especially with "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua behind the wheel - it's is worth a look. "Kelly & Cal" Juliette Lewis stars as a new mother trying to cope with settling down from her punk rock past. She strikes up a friendship with a teenage neighbor named Cal that becomes a lifeline for them both. Jonny Weston ("Taken 3," "Chasing Mavericks") co-stars. TV Worth Watching New Year's Eve Specials! Turn on almost any channel to find some live shenanigans celebrating 2015: "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015" on ABC, starting at 8 p.m. EST "MTV's NYE 2015" on MTV, at 11 p.m. EST "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly 2014" on NBC, at 10 p.m. EST "Pitbull's New Year's Revolution" on Fox, at 8 p.m. EST and 11 p.m. EST. New on Netflix "Friends" This sitcom about a gaggle of goofy New Yorkers in their twenties has been in syndication forever, but now you can watch whichever episode you want, when you want to watch it. FREEDOM! "Election" Alexander Payne's satire pits a straight-A student named Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) against the high school teacher who doesn't want her to be class president (Matthew Broderick). "Mean Girls" Tina Fey wrote the screenplay for this awesomely quotable comedy about one teen girl's foray into popularity. Lindsay Lohan stars as a teen at a new school who inadvertently falls in with a clique known as The Plastics - until she gets on the wrong side of chief mean girl Regina George (Rachel McAdams) by falling for Regina's ex BF. New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital Only "Fury" (iTunes) David Ayer's WWII action drama stars Brad Pitt as an Army sergeant leading a tank crew on a dangerous mission in Germany. Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal co-star as his exhausted, war-scarred crew, with Logan Lerman on board as a fresh-faced newbie who has to get up to speed on the double. "Mozart In The Jungle Season 1" (Amazon Prime) Who knew playing in a symphony could get so racy? Gael García Bernal stars as the new maestro Rodrigo, with the wonderful Bernadette Peters as the head of the board of directors, Malcolm McDowell as Rodrigo's predecessor, Saffron Burrows as a successful cellist, and Lola Kirke as new oboist who's at the center of the story. "Downton Abbey Season 5" (iTunes, Amazon Prime) Catch up with the Crawleys as they head into the 1920's with a roar. Things are getting a little loose in this PBS series, as the Crawleys and their crew start getting with the times. The sexy times! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: It's that time of year not only for a look back at the year's best, but also to peek ahead at what the new year has to offer at the movies. We've assembled a list of our 15 most anticipated family titles that you can at least plan to attend in the next year with your children - depending, of course, on the kids' ages and interests, and your budget for tickets and concessions. In 2015, some of the most eagerly awaited films of the past several years hit theaters, including Pixar's latest, "Inside Out," and "Tomorrowland," a live-action, sci-fi mystery starring George Clooney and directed by two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird. Besides those original films, the second "Avengers" film explodes on-screen in May, and the final "Hunger Games" concludes the series in November. Other sequels, anticipated for a decade or more, finally open for the SpongeBob, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars franchises. So grab your family calendar and get ready to circle the opening dates of those and the rest of these 15 family friendly titles of 2015.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'Wheel of Fortune' Contestant Solves Puzzle with 1 Letter, Sets Winnings Record (VIDEO) Posted:
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Aaron Paul May Star in Han Solo-centric 'Star Wars' Spin-off: Report Posted:  A new rumor floating around about the first upcoming "Star Wars" spin-off film is a juicy one: It may be focused on legendary "Wars" character Han Solo, and "Breaking Bad" alum Aaron Paul may also star in the flick. Fan site Making Star Wars reports that sources close to the "Star Wars: Force Awakens" production at London's Pinewood Studios have dropped some details about the first planned "Wars" spin-off, and it's some decent scoop. According to the site's sources, Han Solo is set to take center stage for the flick, and its filming will directly overlap with production on "Episode VIII," which is also set to shoot at Pinewood. Whether or not the spin-off and "Episode VIII" will share any of the same plot remains to be seen, though if they're shooting somewhat at the same time, it would stand to reason that some events from the spin-off could be referenced in "Episode VIII" (or vice versa). Making Star Wars's sources also said that Paul was a name that was attracting interest from the production, though there's no indication that he would be playing Solo himself. Whether or not any of these rumors pan out remains to be seen. The "Star Wars" rumor mill loves to whip itself into a frenzy before anything official is announced, and this may be just another unconfirmed detail that never comes to fruition. We'll wait and see if Disney or Lucasfilm has anything to say about this before we get too excited. [via: Making Star Wars, h/t Screen Rant] Photo credit: Getty Images This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 'The Interview' Scores Massive $15 Million Online Debut Posted:  Its limited theatrical release over the Christmas holiday weekend may not have been ideal for all moviegoers, but millions of people still ponied up to see "The Interview" -- from the comfort of their own homes. According to data release by Sony, the controversial comedy scored a whopping $15 million debut online through various streaming and VOD channels. More than 2 million people either rented or bought the film through Google Play, YouTube, or Xbox, Sony said. Those numbers make "The Interview" Sony's highest-grossing online release of all time. It also brought in approximately $2.8 million from 331 independent theaters over the four-day weekend. While that theatrical gross is a far cry from what Sony initially expected from the Seth Rogen and James Franco-starring comedy, the online numbers are a good sign for the studio, which has struggled in recent weeks. The nationwide release of the movie was scrapped altogether by Sony following a massive hacking attack (most likely perpetrated by North Korea) and threats of violence on theaters that screened the flick; the studio eventually backtracked on that cancellation in favor of the limited screenings and VOD plan. [via: The Hollywood Reporter] Photo credit: Ed Araquel/Sony This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Here Are All the January TV Premiere Dates for New & Returning Series Posted:  The holiday season briefly interrupted the 2014-2015 TV season, but that's all about to change: Starting January 1, your favorite fall TV shows will return from hiatus, and midseason debuts of both new and returning shows will begin. Below is a list of all the series set to premiere or return in January. Set your DVRs accordingly, and wish your TVs a Happy New Year. January 1: Ridiculousness (MTV, Season 6 premiere) January 2: Mysteries at the Castle (Travel Channel, Season 2 premiere) January 3: Raising Whitley (OWN, Season 2 premiere) Sag Harbor (OWN, series premiere) January 4: Galavant (ABC, series premiere; back-to-back episodes) The Mentalist (CBS, Season 7 regular time slot premiere) Downton Abbey (PBS, Season 5 premiere) Thicker Than Water (Bravo, Season 2 premiere) Sister Wives (TLC, Season 5 midseason premiere; two-hour episode) January 5: Antiques Roadshow (PBS, Season 19 premiere) The Haves and Have Nots (OWN, Season 2 premiere) January 6: Marvel's Agent Carter (ABC, series premiere) MasterChef Junior (Fox, Season 3 premiere) Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family, Season 5 midseason premiere) Switched at Birth (ABC Family, Season 4 premiere) Cougar Town (TBS, Season 6 premiere) Child Genius (Lifetime, series premiere) January 7: American Idol (Fox, Season 14 premiere) Empire (Fox, series premiere) Love Thy Neighbor (OWN, Season 3 premiere) Hindsight (VH1, series premiere) My 600-lb. Life (TLC, Season 3 premiere) Duck Dynasty (A&E, Season 8 premiere) Wahlburgers (A&E, Season 2 premiere) Donnie Loves Jenny (A&E, series premiere) January 8: Archer (FX, Season 6 premiere) Expedition Unknown (Travel Channel, series premiere) Babylon (SundanceTV, series premiere) Portlandia (IFC, Season 5 premiere) Love Thy Sister (WE TV, series premiere) January 9: Banshee (Cinemax, Season 3 premiere) Glee (Fox, Season 6 premiere; one hour) Cold Justice (TNT, Season 3 premiere) Jessie (Disney Channel, Season 4 premiere) Masters of Illusion (The CW, Season 2 premiere) Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars (WEtv, Season 2 premiere) David Tutera's CELEBrations (WEtv, Season 2 premiere) Comedy Bang! Bang! (IFC, Season 4 premiere) January 10: Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel, Season 10B premiere*) January 11: Shameless (Showtime, Season 5 premiere) House of Lies (Showtime, Season 4 premiere) Episodes (Showtime, Season 4 premiere) Girls (HBO, Season 4 premiere) Togetherness (HBO, series premiere) Looking (HBO, Season 2 premiere) January 12: Eye Candy (MTV, series premiere) January 13: Parks and Recreation (NBC, Season 7 premiere) Face Off (Syfy, Season 8 premiere) Kroll Show (Comedy Central, Season 3 premiere) Genealogy Roadshow (PBS, Season 2 premiere) Hotel Showdown (Travel Channel, series premiere) January 14: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX, Season 10 premiere) Man Seeking Woman (FXX, series premiere) Melissa & Joey (ABC Family, Season 4 premiere) Baby Daddy (ABC Family, Season 4 premiere) Broad City (Comedy Central, Season 2 premiere) Rock This Boat (Pop [formerly TVGN], series premiere) The Story Behind (Pop [formerly TVGN], series premiere) Snoop & Son: A Dad's Dream (ESPN, limited series premiere) Web Therapy (Showtime, Season 4 premiere) January 16: 12 Monkeys (Syfy, series premiere) World's Funniest Fails (Fox, series premiere) The Fall (Netflix, Season 2 premiere) Helix (Syfy, Season 2 premiere) January 17: The Musketeers (BBC America, Season 2 premiere) January 18: Grantchester (PBS, series premiere) Austin & Ally (Disney Channel, Season 4 premiere) K.C. Undercover (Disney Channel, series premiere) January 19: The Fosters (ABC Family, Season 2 midseason premiere) Chasing Life (ABC Family, Season 1 midseason premiere) Brain Games (National Geographic Channel, Season 4 premiere) January 20: Justified (FX, Season 6 premiere) January 22: Backstrom (Fox, series premiere) Nightwatch (A&E, series premiere) January 24: Black Sails (Starz, Season 2 premiere) January 25: Sons of Liberty (History, miniseries premiere) January 26: Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations (Travel Channel, series premiere) January 27: Sirens (USA, Season 2 premiere; back-to-back episodes) January 28: The Americans (FX, Season 3 premiere) Suits (USA, Season 4 midseason premiere) January 29: Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Season 11 midseason premiere) Scandal (ABC, Season 4 midseason premiere) How to Get Away With Murder (ABC, Season 1 midseason premiere) [via: Deadline] Photo credit: Nick Briggs/Carnival Films 2014 for MASTERPIECE This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Oscars 2015: Five Myths About the Academy Vote Posted:  It's crunch time for Academy Awards voters. Balloting for Oscar nominations begins in earnest on December 29 and runs until January 8, with the actual list of nominees announced a week later. Predictions are flying fast and furious, but there are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about how the vote actually works. Here's why a lot of what you think you know about how the Academy is likely to vote is wrong. Myth No. 1: The Academy is a bunch of old-timers who vote according to their old-school tastes. In fact, the Academy has been reaching out to younger film industry professionals in recent years. And the recruiting effort seems to be working. One measure is that the new online voting system has increased overall participation in the vote. This year, there are 6,124 eligible voters, up from 5,856 two years ago. So the result could be some outside-the-box thinking when it comes to nominees for Best Picture, Best Director, and the acting categories. Myth No. 2: A movie needs to be released in December in order to remain on the minds of Oscar voters. That used to be true; a less charitable interpretation might be that such a notion is a relic of the time when the Academy was dominated by seniors with supposedly short memories. But in recent years, "The King's Speech" is the only December release to win Best Picture. This year, many of the leading contenders are movies released in the final month of the year, but they're up against movies from the first half of the year, like "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Boyhood," or movies from earlier in the fall, like "Birdman" and "Gone Girl." Thanks to the now-common studio practice of sending out DVD screeners to the Academy and other awards groups, movies that have been out of theaters for months have as good a shot as films currently playing on the big screen. Myth No. 3: Hollywood's liberal politics inevitably bias the vote. Again, that may have been true once. Indeed, Los Angeles Times Oscar pundit Glenn Whipp says unnamed Academy members have suggested to him that they'll snub "American Sniper" because they still haven't forgiven director Clint Eastwood for his empty-chair speech mocking President Obama at the Republican National Convention two years ago. But if there's one thing Hollywood reveres more than liberal politics, it's success -- artistic or financial. And right now, Eastwood's movie seems to be enjoying both. It's earned good reviews, and its limited release this weekend scored $850,000 from Thursday to Sunday, or an impressive $152,500 per screen, boding well for the movie's ultimate commercial success when it goes wide in January. If there's anything Hollywood might be more reluctant to forgive Eastwood for than his outspoken conservatism, it's the critical and commercial failure of this summer's "Jersey Boys." Just six months later, however, Eastwood is effectively erasing that memory and making a renewed case for himself as a director of material that's both popular and Oscar-worthy. Myth No. 4: The Academy takes its cues from the critics groups. Well, the critics do help define the conversation by generating lists of movies worthy of consideration. It's because of critics that this year's consensus has coalesced around "Boyhood," "Birdman," "The Theory of Everything," "The Imitation Game," and "The Grand Budapest Hotel," as well as performances like Julianne Moore's in "Still Alice," a movie that no one in the public has yet seen. Nonetheless, critics' opinions can take a movie only so far. Praise for Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz (both longtime Academy favorites) in "Big Eyes" isn't likely to carry over into Oscar support because the movie is underperforming at the box office. Its opening this weekend on 1,307 screens, many of them booked at the last minute when they became available after multiplex chains balked at showing "The Interview," yielded only $4.4 million, or $2,285 per screen. That move may be seen as overreach by the Weinstein company, usually experts in shepherding difficult movies to Oscar nominations. Again, it's okay for a movie not to be a blockbuster hit -- a modest success is fine for a small indie movie -- but commercial failure, even on indie terms, creates a stench that even lofty-minded Oscar voters can't ignore. Conversely, critical scorn isn't enough to sink a movie's Oscar chances. Reviewers didn't think much of Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken," but the film is a commercial hit, opening this weekend with $47.3 million over the four-day holiday and generating great word-of-mouth among audiences (as measured by its A- grade at CinemaScore). Plus, Jolie's recent good-will tour, in which the once skin-baring actress has dressed primly and behaved like a serious filmmaker, has done its work in rehabilitating her image and adding to the film's luster. (Plus, there's industry sympathy for Jolie after revelations of the unkind words top executives had for her in e-mails stolen in the Sony hack; she's getting the last laugh now.) "Unbroken" is already the kind of movie that Oscar loves --- the kind of historical-epic, World War II, based-on-a-best-seller, triumph-of-the-human-spirit film that used to be Hollywood's bread-and-butter but which the studios have all but abandoned. That there's now a parallel narrative behind the film (sexy actress defies the critics and the suits to make a high-minded film that's also a box office hit) can only help the Oscar chances of Jolie and her movie, just as it did with Ben Affleck and "Argo." Myth No. 5: Actors make up the largest and most consequential branch of the Academy. Well, it's true that more members of the Academy are actors than any other profession. There are 1,150 of them, making up nearly a quarter of the membership. It's the prominence of the actors that has led to the notion among pundits that the Screen Actors Guild awards are a strong predictor of the Oscars (since the actors who are Academy members are also SAG voters), or that their prevalence makes the Academy more likely than it might be to vote for actors who stretch (say, those like Eastwood or Jolie who become directors). All that is true, up to a point. This year, however, the actors' branch actually declined a bit, losing 26 members. And the largest contingency in the Academy is actually the unaffiliated voters -- casting directors, executives, publicists, producers, and members at large -- who comprise 1,606 members and make up 26 percent of the Academy. Unlike the other Academy branches, who all pick the nominees in their own categories, these unaffiliated voters have no award category of their own and vote only to nominate the Best Picture candidates. So they make up a huge wild card; how they'll vote for the Oscars' top prize is anyone's guess. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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