What's ConnecTV? Learn with Reign and Parks and Recreation Examples

Fun With ConnecTV

Have you seen what you can do ConnecTV? It's only available on Apple platforms right now (go to the App store!), but some examples are below. I mucked up the text on one, but that's all part of the learning process, right?? WARNING: Each plays 5 loops before stopping, so if you start a second before the first is finished, they'll play in a round! ;-)

Reign





Parks and Recreation

Hitler reacts to Arrow's Oliver & Isabel hookup.

Some people are so damn clever. Stephen Amell kindly posted this awesome video on his Facebook page. If you aren't following him, hop to it. He posts frequently and they're always worthwhile. Hitler only says what we all feel in our hearts. It's the only time I can say I've agreed with Hitler. Who knew?





Image courtesy of Diyah Pera/The CW

American Horror Story: Coven Snags Stevie Nicks!

You have to admit that it's pretty damn cool when an American icon who otherwise stays out of the limelight sees the significance of her role in an influential drama and is willing to step out of the shadows to bring fantasy to life.

Stevie Nicks is just such an idol.

As American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy tweeted this morning:

Guess who's visiting the Coven? The legendary Stevie Nicks!
— Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) November 12, 2013

Character Misty Ray (Lily Rabe), who has the gift of bringing things back to life, idolizes Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. She dresses like Stevie and considers her the greatest white witch of all time. Her portrayal is eerily similar to the images I grew up with of Nicks in videos and watching the story unfold with all of her idol worship has been a real treat.

Rabe spoke with Vulture about both her and Misty's views on Stevie Nicks. "Well, I'm pretty obsessed with her, too. It’s been delicious. It’s not that Misty just wants to look like Stevie or listen to her music. She’s quite isolated and lonely, and she has this love affair with Stevie," Rabe said. "Stevie is her idol and the lyrics are her mantras that she lives by. She’s looking for someone to help her understand why she is the way she is, so in that way her soul is nourished by Stevie. It’s not a superficial obsession, it’s a deep love. And yes, you will see some shawls."

Expect to hear a lot more Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac in the weeks ahead. Do you think she'll appear in a dream or will someone conjure her up? Who cares? What an amazing get.

Lotte Verbeek Cast ast Geillis Duncan in Starz "OUTLANDER"

They may be filming already, but the cast is still growing on the highly anticipated adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's Highlander from Starz and Sony Pictures. If this does well for Starz, it could very well be their Game of Thrones. Female fans the world over felt as passionately about this series of books as the former. It would be fantastic if this mesmerizing story of romance and time travel had the staying power to give Starz its first long-lasting drama and critical success.

[via press release]

LOTTE VERBEEK CAST AS GEILLIS DUNCAN IN STARZ & SONY PICTURES TV’S “OUTLANDER”

From “Battlestar Galactica” Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore

Beverly Hills, Calif., October 16, 2013 – Starz in association with Sony Pictures Television has announced today that Lotte Verbeek (“The Borgias,” Left) will play the role of Geillis Duncan in the original series “Outlander.” The series, adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s international best-selling books by Ronald D. Moore (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), is currently filming on location in Scotland and is set to premiere on STARZ in 2014.

The “Outlander” series spans the genres of romance, science fiction, history, and adventure in one epic tale. It follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

The enigmatic Geillis Duncan, wife of the procurator fiscal, is an integral part of the Outlander storyline. Commonly referred to as a witch, due to her advanced knowledge of herbs and plants, Geillis is a beautiful, dark presence in the village outside Castle Leoch. Many fear her, but come to her secretly when they need assistance with medical matters that most doctors of the time would shun. Geillis has mastered the art of manipulation and uses it to bend others, including her own husband, to her will. She and Claire share an immediate connection and Geillis becomes a friend to Claire in a time and place where she is seen as an outsider.

Verbeek has most recently been seen in Showtime’s “The Borgias” as the ravishing mistress of the Pope, Guilia Farnese, opposite Jeremy Irons. In 2009, she earned a European Academy Award Best Actress nomination, for her performance in Nothing Personal opposite Stephen Rea. In addition, she was also chosen as one of Europe’s Shooting Stars and won the Best Actress Award at the International Film Festivals of Locarno and Marrakech, and nominated for the National Dutch Film Award, Golden Calf, for Best Actress. She also won the Best Actress Award at the Monte Carlo TV Film Festival for her work in Italian mini-series “The Queens of Swing.”  In 2007, she won her first leading role in a feature film, Left, in which she played five different characters. The film was awarded a Silver Melies in Sweden. She is currently working on the Fox 2000 Pictures studio feature film The Fault in our Stars as Lidewij, an assistant to a character played by Harrison Ford. She is a graduate of the Amsterdam Academy of Dramatic Arts, as well as the Amsterdam Academy of Jazz/Musical Theatre and Dance.

Verbeek joins previously announced cast members Caitriona Balfe (Claire Randall), Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser), Tobias Menzies (Frank Randall/Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall), Graham McTavish (Dougal MacKenzie), Gary Lewis (Colum MacKenzie), Duncan Lacroix (Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser), Annette Badland (Mrs. FitzGibbons) and Stephen Walters (Angus Mhor).

Verbeek is represented by Sheila Wenzel of Innovative Artists.

Diana Gabaldon’s seven-book series has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and has graced the New York Times best-sellers list six times. The eighth installment of the “Outlander” series is slated to be released in the spring of 2014.

The first two episodes of the series will be written by executive producer Ronald D. Moore and directed by John Dahl (“Dexter,” “Breaking Bad,” “Justified”). Ronald D. Moore and Jim Kohlberg are executive producers of “Outlander,” which is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Story Mining & Supply Company and Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television.

It's the First Official Night of Fall TV!

SyFy snuck in on Friday the 13th with the premiere of Haven, but the official start of the fall television season will kick off tonight thanks to Fox and ABC.

Up first we'll have the season premiere of Bones. Rest assured, while the crusading duo of Bones and Booth didn't have the best ending last season, things will be looking up for them this fall and there will be a wedding.

The series premiere of Sleepy Hollow follows Bones and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Imagine a world in which nobody knew about the short story and the legend of Sleepy Hollow, toss in a heaping helping of the apocalypse, underscored by two leads with amazing chemistry and an easy banter that makes the hour slip far too fast. I'll be reviewing the show on TVFanatic.com, so meet me there after the show for a full rundown.

Finally, ABC delivers up a new cast of "celebrities" to dance the night away with the Season 17 premiere of Dancing with the Stars. The anticipation is high with such stars as Brant Daugherty, Snooki, Valerie Harper and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

While the fall season is just beginning, the summer season is coming to an end as Under the Dome attempts to wrap up a rather scattered freshman chapter by revealing the dome's purpose (really??) as well as tying up some other storylines, while setting up the series for next summer, as the series was renewed rather early in the game.

What will you be tuning in to see? Enjoy these little spurts of TV goodness, because next week you'll be beaten over the head as the premieres come hot 'n heavy and your DVR will be on overload!

Image courtesy of Fox Television

Lifetime's Witches of East End - A Video Promo I Missed

Is anybody else as excited about the upcoming series The Witches of East End on Lifetime as me? It looks like it will have all the soapy goodness we have come to expect of Lifetime original series, blended with a bit of Charmed, a dash of Practical Magic and what I would have expected if Anne Rice's The Witching Hour had come to life along with the Three Sisters Trilogy of books by Nora Roberts. Yes, that's quite an amalgamation tossed into the witches cauldron, and that's why it's so exciting to think that we'll get to watch it play out with such a talented and attractive cast.

Win a copy of ZOMBIE MASSACRE for Halloween While You Wait for The Walking Dead!!

Yes, my friends, I know nothing will truly get you through to the lazy, hazy days of zombie survival like the number one show on cable and AMC smash hit, The Walking Dead, but we have something you can have for FREE!! That’s right. Free. All you need to do is comment on this post that you want to WIN WIN WIN! Do this by August 26th and you may soon be cuddling up with someone special and covering your eyes in his chest or laughing and screaming with a crowd of your girlfriends and a bowl a popcorn. You chose the scenario, we choose the winner!