NBC renews “Community” & “Parenthood”, “30 Rock” for final season

Posted by Jared Munson on May 10, 2012
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NBC announced renewals earlier today for Community and Parenthood as well as renewing 30 Rock for a final season. Both of the comedy series renewals are for 13-episodes, with Parenthood’s up in the air. NBC announced earlier in the week that they planned to give most comedy series shorter orders so they can air more shows throughout the year while keeping them all fresh.

Earlier today many of The Office’s main stars (John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and Ed Helms) signed new contracts pretty much guaranteeing the series getting picked up. The only question mark for the comedy side for the network appears to be Parks and Recreationwith rumors pointing to the positive ends of things.

It appears as though drama Harry’s Law is closing in on a 13-episode midseason order with frosh comedies Whitney and Up All Night looking like they will get the axe.

With NBC’s upfronts coming early next week it’ll be interesting to see how their fall lineup pans out with the 4th place network needing to remake itself soon before the Peacock network bleeds even more viewers.

TBS picks up “Cougar Town”

Posted by Jared Munson on May 10, 2012
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In a move similar to Southland and Arrested Development, TBS has picked up the ABC sitcom Cougar Town for a fourth season. The episode order hasn’t been confirmed, but rumors place it around the 15-episode mark. The series starring Courteney Cox was never really a ratings hit for ABC, but the network wanted to stay in business with the former Friends star. However, this current season’s ratings have dropped dramatically due to a new time slot.

Following is the press release:

“Cougar Town is a smart, whimsical sitcom that draws its humor from likable, relatable characters” said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies. “We are thrilled to have Cougar Town moving to the TBS neighborhood as the network continues to expand its slate of original comedy series.”

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“The Avengers” shattering box office records

Posted by Jared Munson on May 6, 2012
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Marvel’s The Avengers is shattering box office records this weekend. Not only has it beaten Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two by over $30 million (Avengers is at $200 million compared to HP’s $169), but globally the film has grossed over $640 million. The film has also broken other records including: fastest film to reach $200M (3 days), highest Saturday of all time: $69.7M, domestic weekend theater average: $46,063, highest grossing opening weekend in IMAX’s history, among others.

With an opening this huge, the stakes are now high for Iron Man 3 that should bow out next summer as well as the sequels for Thor and Captain America. Also on tap is a film featuring Mark Ruffalo’s version of Bruce Banner/The Hulk that is being planned after a very welcomed reception for the third person to play the role in the past decade.

Movie theaters have been having sold out shows all weekend, with some adding showings at other times to accommodate the need for viewers. Other theaters have been giving away limited edition comics or other tie-ins with The Avengers release along with a movie marathon that featured Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America that led into the midnight release.

The real test will be to see how the film holds up the rest of the week and how close the film can get to Titanic and Avatar to become the highest grossing film of all time.

Review: The Avengers

Posted by Kyal Bender on May 6, 2012
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avengers_ver16_xlgDirector:
Joss Whedon

Cast:
Robert Downey, Jr.
Chris Evans
Scarlett Johansson
Mark Ruffalo
Chris Hemsworth
Tom Hiddleston
Clark Gregg
Jeremy Renner
Samuel L. Jackson

Synopsis:
When the world is threatened by Loki and his army, NIck Fury must bring together the team of super humans known as The Avengers to save Earth.

Review:
The Avengers is exactly the type of movie we’ve been wanting for from Marvel. It is light, fun, and action-packed. This is probably the most fun you are going to have in the theaters all year, and the film has certainly raised the bar for Marvel movies; as well as any comic book film that isn’t Christopher Nolan’s Batman series.

We can absolutely thank writer/director Joss Whedon for giving us the Avengers film we’ve always wanted. His focus on every character in the film is vital to the story, and Whedon is so clearly familiar with each one to give us a satisfying and faithful adaptation of the team. Being that The Avengers is five years in the making, the audience has already been privy to each hero’s backstory, allowing Whedon to focus on the assembling of the team. I have to say that my favorite scenes in the film are the ones where the team is sitting around talking with each other. Having all of these big personalities in one room should have been the most difficult aspect of making the film, but Whedon somehow turns it to his advantage.

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CW gives three series early renewals

Posted by Jared Munson on May 3, 2012
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Via press release:

THE CW ANNOUNCES EARLY PICKUPS FOR “THE Vampire Diaries,” “SUPERNATURAL” AND “90210″

May 3, 2012 (Burbank, California) – The CW Network has given early pickups to the network’s top-rated show, THE Vampire Diaries, fan favorite SUPERNATURAL, and the world’s most-famous zip code, 90210, with all three series to return for the 2012-2013 season.

THE Vampire Diaries will return for a fourth season of bloody good drama this fall, SUPERNATURAL will mark its eighth season with the monster-hunting Winchester brothers on The CW, and on 90210, the gang from West Beverly will return for season five.

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