Next week, advertisers and press descend on New York City for the broadcast networks’ annual upfront presentations, in which CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, and the CW announce their new fall schedules, tout their returning shows, and break some viewers’ hearts by dropping the axe on more than a few shows. As a result, new show pickups have begun to leak. Thankfully, broadcasters are being slightly more risky in their pilot picks this year in an attempt to compete with cable. So what do the networks want on your DVR come September? NBC is banking on Awake, an inventive script by Kyle Killen ( Lone Star, The Beaver) which follows a police detective whose family is in a car crash, and who lives parallel realities in which only his wife or only his son survives the tragedy. NBC is heading to the ‘60s with Playboy, which follows the lives of Chicago’s Playboy Club bunnies, and Up All Night, a single-camera comedy with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. Meanwhile, Fox has cherrypicked the charming Zooey Deschanel for the unexpected role of sitcom star. Lean back in your La-Z-Boy, because as the week goes on, The Daily Beast will bring you breaking details on the networks’ new schedules and programming.
If you’re a fan of Judd Apatow or Saturday Night Live favorite Kristen Wiig, you probably already have your ticket to this weekend’s gross-out girl comedy Bridesmaids. Jennie Yabroff writes that while it’s the women this time doing the burping, farting, swearing, and projectile vomiting, the film actually has a lot more in common with The Hangover series than any traditional romantic comedy. Playing to the other end of the spectrum is Hesher, a dark comedy about a 13-year-old boy who, after his mother dies, finds an unlikely friend—and sometime tormentor—in a long-haired tattooed anarchist played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. From Dominic Cooper as Uday Hussein and his alter-ego in the Scarface-esque The Devil’s Double to Terrence Malick’s epic The Tree of Life, watch trailers and read previews of 22 other films hitting theaters this summer.
Olly Moss’ Museum-Worthy Film Posters
Late last year, Marvel executives Craig Kyle and Kevin Feige wanted to reward the cast and crew of their superhero film Thor for their months of hard work. But gifting Natalie Portman and Co. is no simple task. What could an A-lister possibly need? Starved for ideas, Kyle wandered into Gallery 1988 in Melrose, California, where something caught his eye: a print poster depicting Jesse Owens winning the gold medal in the 1936 Olympics. The artist: Olly Moss. Before long, Kyle was commissioning him to create a poster of the film as a special treat for team Thor. Now Moss’ poster designs are inciting eBay bidding wars and Hollywood studios are stalking him. Marlow Stern spoke to Moss about his rise to the top of a creative new field and his first solo art show at Gallery 1988 in Melrose, California featuring 100 unique pieces, including a 3D installation. Plus, view some of his most awe-inspiring work.