Below is a preliminary listing of the Hollywood releases for 2013 grouped by month. Release dates are subject to change. Keep checking back for updates and trailers as they become available.
JANUARY
Jan 11
• Gangster Squad
Jan 18
• Broken City
• Guillermo del Toro Presents Mama
• The Last Stand
Jan 25
• Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
FEBRUARY
Feb 1
• Bullet to the Head
Feb 8
• Identity Thief
• Top Gun (3D reissue)
Feb 14
• Beautiful Creatures
• A Good Day to Die Hard
Feb 22
• Dark Skies
• Snitch
MARCH
Mar 1
• The Last Exorcism, Part II
• Jack the Giant Slayer
Mar 8
• Admission
• Oz the Great and Powerful
Mar 15
• The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Mar 22
• The Croods
Mar 29
• GI Joe: Retaliation
• Tyler Perry's Temptation
APRIL
Apr 5
• Evil Dead
• Jurassic Park (3D reissue)
Apr 12
• 42
• Scary Movie 5
Apr 19
• Oblivion
Apr 26
• The Big Wedding
• Pain and Gain
MAY
May 3
• Iron Man 3
May 10
• The Great Gatsby
• Tyler Perry Presents Peeples
May 17
• Star Trek: Into Darkness
May 24
• Epic
• Fast & Furious 6
• The Hangover Part III
May 31
• Now You See Me
• The Purge
JUNE
Jun 7
• After Earth
• The Internship
Jun 14
• Man of Steel
• This is the End (Jun 12)
Jun 21
• Monsters University
• World War Z
Jun 28
• The Heat
• White House Down
JULY
Jul 3
• Despicable Me 2
• The Lone Ranger
Jul 12
• Grown Ups 2
• Pacific Rim
Jul 19
• The Conjuring
• RIPD
• Red 2
• Turbo (Jul 17)
Jul 26
• The Wolverine
Jul 31
• The Smurfs 2
AUGUST
Aug 2
• 2 Guns
• 300: Rise of an Empire
Aug 9
• Disney's Planes
• Elysium
• Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (Aug 7)
• We're the Millers
Aug 16
• Kick-Ass 2
• The To-Do List
Aug 23
• Grandmasters
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• The World's End
• You're Next
Aug 30
• Closed Circuit
• Getaway
• One Direction: This is Us
• Satanic
SEPTEMBER
Sep 6
• Riddick
Sep 13
• Battle of the Year
• Escape Plan
• Insidious Chapter 2
• Machete Kills
Sep 20
• Malavita
• Prisoners
• Rush
• Walk of Shame
Sep 27
• Baggage Claim
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
• Runner, Runner
OCTOBER
Oct 4
• The Delivery Man
• Gravity
• Paranoia
• Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Oct 11
• Captain Phillips
• Haunts
• Old Boy
Oct 18
• The Butler
• Carrie
• Don Jon
• Seventh Son
Oct 25
• Paranormal Activity 5
NOVEMBER
Nov 1
• Ender's Game
• Freebirds
• Last Vegas
Nov 8
• Thor: The Dark World
Nov 15
• Best Man 2
• The Counselor
• The Fifth Estate
• The Wolf of Wall Street
Nov 22
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Nov 27
• Black Nativity
• Frozen
DECEMBER
Dec 13
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas
Dec 20
• Anchorman: The Legend Continues
• The Monuments Men (Dec 18)
• Saving Mr. Banks
• Walking with Dinosaurs
Dec 25
• 47 Ronin
• Jack Ryan
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
2013 OSCAR NOMINATIONS & WINNERS
Written by USTownhall staff
Thursday, 10 January 2013 19:39
Ealier today, the nominations were annouced for the 85th Academy Awards ceremony, which will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2013. Steven Spielberg'sLincoln led the pack with 12 nominations, followed by Ang Lee'sLife of Pi with 11. The major surprise of the nominations was that three odds-on favorites for Best Director were not even nominated: Ben Affleck for Argo, Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thrity, and Tom Hooper for Les Misérables.
The nominations were announced at 8:30am Eastern time at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Beverly Hills by television and film producer Seth McFarlane (The Family Guy, Ted) and actress Emma Stone, who recently played Gwen Stacy in last summer's The Amazing Spider-Man. McFarlane will also serve as host of the Oscars themselves.
List of nominees and winners - major categories:
Best Picture
• Amour • Argo • Beasts of the Southern Wild • Django Unchained • Life of Pi • Lincoln • Les Misérables • Silver Linings Playbook • Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director
• Michael Haneke – Amour • Ang Lee – Life of Pi • David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook • Steven Spielberg – Lincoln • Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Writing - Original
• Amour – Michael Haneke • Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino • Flight – John Gatins Moonrise Kingdom – • Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola • Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal
Best Writing - Adaptation
• Argo – Chris Terrio • Beasts of the Southern Wild – Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin • Life of Pi – David Magee • Lincoln – Tony Kushner • Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell
Best Animated Feature
• Brave – Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman • Frankenweenie – Tim Burton • ParaNorman – Sam Fell and Chris Butler • The Pirates! Band of Misfits – Peter Lord • Wreck-It Ralph – Rich Moore
Best Actor
• Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook • Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln • Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables • Joaquin Phoenix – The Master • Denzel Washington – Flight
Best Actress
• Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty • Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook • Emmanuelle Riva – Amour • Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild • Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Best Supporting Actor
• Alan Arkin – Argo • Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook • Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master • Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln • Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress
• Amy Adams – The Master • Sally Field – Lincoln • Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables • Helen Hunt – The Sessions • Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
USTownhall RealStories presents JOHN CENA & SHEAMUS of WWE'S TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS
Written by Scott Katz
Saturday, 15 December 2012 15:29
On Wednesday, December 19, the WWE will air the 10th anniversary edition of its annual special, WWE's Tribute to the Troops, on the USA cable network from 9-11pm Eastern. A one-hour version will air a few days later on Saturday, December 22 at 10pm on NBC. This event has some of the biggest names from the WWE putting on a special exhibition for the American troops and their families as a way of honoring them for their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year, the show will take place in the Scopes arena in Norfolk, Virginia, and in addition to WWE stars such as John Cena, Sheamus, The Miz, Big Show, and Dolph Ziggler, the Muppets and musical guests Kid Rock and Flo Rida will appear.
USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO JOHN CENA AND SHEAMUS OF WWE'S TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS:
USTH: John, on a personal level, what does it mean for you to be able to perform at this event, and do you consider yourself a very patriotic person?
JOHN CENA: I absolutely do. This is the proudest day on our touring schedule, I've often said that, a lot of the Superstars have said that. Almost so much so that it becomes cliché – it is not. This is a very proud day for me, especially. I take great pride in being able to be put front and center in front of the people that I admire most, and that's the people that defend our freedom. I adopt a lot of my creed – my personality – from military Code of Conduct. Simple words like "hustle," "loyalty," "respect" are easily translated to honor code and country. It really is an extra special day for me. I'm glad we continued our relationship. I'm glad the folks at the Naval Station in Norfolk and bases around the country and abroad have opened their arms to give us not only a place to entertain, but the hospitality that they've given us over the years. Like I said, we do in excess of 300 shows a year, and this is the proudest day on our calendar.
USTH: This next question is for both of you, but we'll start with Sheamus. Can you just tell us a little bit about your participation in the show in terms of matches? Is it going to be one-on-one or tag team?
SHEAMUS: Along with all the live acts we actually have – Kid Rock is there, Flo Rida and the Muppets – it's to show a kickoff for the tag match with myself and Randy Orton taking on The Big Show and Dolph Ziggler. The show itself as well was packed to the brim. It was exciting, and we want to make sure that all the Naval Officers, Marines, everyone in the arena, everyone from Norfolk got the best show they possibly could get and that's what we did – went out there and gave them everything we had, as much as they deserve.
JOHN CENA: I'll be competing in a match, and the great thing about our Tribute to the Troops show – there is an extended form on USA or its abbreviated form on NBC– it's a great watch. It's not something that you necessarily have to be up-to-date on all the WWE storylines or all the plots. It really is just a general entertaining program, which is why we have a guest host and the Muppets – that's why we have musical guests. I myself am in a singles match against our current United States Champion Antonio Cesaro, but it's one show that for the holiday season you can truly sit down, watch, and enjoy. You don't have to know who's bad, who's good, who's a champion, who's not. You can really just take in the show for what it is, and it's an entertaining hour or two hours on either NBC or USA, but I'll be doing what I do best. I'll be in the ring doing what I do.
Above: John Cena with American military personnel
[Image credit: NBC, WWE]
Above: Sheamus [Image credit: NBC, WWE]
USTH: Sheamus, do you have any favorite moments from taping this show this past Sunday [December 9]?
SHEAMUS: I think my favorite part of the show – obviously, I don't want too give to much away because of the show itself – but getting to interact with everybody in the Norfolk Scope arena. I think the most important thing is recognizing all of them. I'll be honest with you, they were probably the best crowd I've ever been in front of and the Officers and the Marines were just off the charts – they were an absolute pleasure to perform in front of. The interaction and the energy of the fans and the crowd I think makes our job that much easier and that much better. I think they were the stars tonight, too, because they were into every single minute of it, and they were an absolute joy to perform in front of, and if we could do that every week, that would be awesome.
USTH: John, what are the feelings that you take away from actually meeting the soldiers and their families. You said before that it was sort of backwards that they were happy to meet you. Is it a humbling experience for you?
JOHN CENA: It truly is, and the great thing is you get to meet some of these soldiers and families who can follow you throughout your appearance scheduled over the course of three days. So, you truly get to talk to these families more than we would when we were in the deployed areas where we were in Fort operating bases literally spanning across the war zone. So, in the past few years [that the show has been filmed in the United States], you get to know some of these folks, and you do see them at the arena, and there is that personal connection that you very rarely get. It's like seeing a friend or a family member in the audience. You really pay them a little extra attention – certainly go above and beyond, obviously – for the group you perform in front of. It's a really good feeling being able to socialize with these people for three days and then perform in front of them and let them enjoy what you do best.
Above: The Miz, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy
[Image credit: NBC, WWE]
Above: Kid Rock perfoms [Image credit: NBC, WWE]
Above: Flo Rida perfoms {Image credit: NBC, WWE]
USTH: Sheamus, what was it like for you to come to America in the first place? Was it always your dream to wrestle here in America? What is it like for you to live your dream as a wrestler?
SHEAMUS: From a very early age, I was infatuated by WWE and in ways I was infatuated by America, too. I guess a lot of the American cultures were very apparent in Ireland. Like going to movies, watching American films, and I had a lot of relatives over here in America as well – in Chicago and Florida. But, it was always my dream to come to this country, and I always knew from an early age what I wanted to do. I was enthralled with WWE ever since I was seven or eight years old and I never lost sight of that. I was always very determined to follow that dream, and it took a lot longer than I thought it would. But, as I said, I finally made it here five years ago. WWE gave me an opportunity, and I jumped on that opportunity, and for me it's been an incredible journey. I've traveled the whole world. I've entertained and performed in front of fans worldwide. In the last five years, the United States has become my home, and I'm very proud to go home back to Ireland after everything I have achieved, but this country has given me an opportunity to pursue my dream. Back in Ireland, I always remembered hearing that [America is] the land of opportunity, and that's exactly what it has been for me. It's just been incredible, and getting to meet all the soldiers and the Officers in the Air Force and the people who protect the country where I live – an opportunity to thank them for helping me and letting me live my dream here without any fear is a fantastic opportunity for me. And it's just to say thank you to all of them because sometimes there's even some heroes [that] don't get the thank you that they deserve, or sometimes it's just nice to hear the word "thank you." It's not a very common word, but to say the "thank you" to them is just for me a great opportunity, and for the WWE, it's a great opportunity because they keep us safe, and they let all of us live our dreams and live our lives without fear.
USTH: Our thanks to John Cena and Sheamus from the WWE for speaking with us today. WWE's Tribute to the Troops airs on NBC on Saturday, December 22 at 10pm Eastern time. An expanded, two-hour version airs a few days earlier on the USA cable network on Wednesday, December 19 at 9pm Eastern time.
USTownhall RealStories presents HOWIE MANDEL of "TAKE IT ALL"
Written by Scott Katz
Monday, 10 December 2012 14:36
On Monday, December 10, NBC airs a limited run game show hosted by Howie Mandel called Take It All. In this series, contestants are matched up against each other to win ever more elaborate and expensive prizes and then steal the prizes that other contestants have won. At the end, the final two contestants have the option of going home with their prizes or trying to win both sets of prizes. The catch? If both contestants secretly elect to "take it all," then neither contestant wins anything. It's a battle of wits, will, and bluffing to see which contestant can outmaneuver and outsmart the rest to go home with the most prizes.
USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO HOWIE MANDEL OF TAKE IT ALL:
USTH: As a host of game shows and talent shows, are you able to maintain a professional distance from the contestants, or do you find yourself getting emotionally involved in what they're going through and secretly root for them?
HOWIE MANDEL: Well, yes. You know, first and foremost I'm a human being, and I'm a father, and I'm a husband. So yes, the professionalism lies in you. Well, you can tell that I root for people, and you can tell that I care, and it's really hard. The hardest thing is to maintain – and I guess that's what they pay you for – to maintain my professionalism when I see, in my mind, just like you the viewer. I can go, "Oh, no, no, no, no, this is bad move. This is a bad move," but I'm not allowed to say that. I can think it, but I can't tell you I'm thinking it because that may sway you. And then again, I could be wrong. So yes, I am very involved. I can't totally remove myself from it, but, I hope that I maintain a professional stance as the host. You know, I've seen some parts of it and I think I do a fantastic job.
USTH: What is it about the game show format or competition format that appeals to you in general? And could you ever be a contestant on a game show, like Celebrity Apprentice or something like that?
HOWIE MANDEL: No, I have no interest in being a contestant on any game shows, I don't play games, and [Take it All] is not even the game show genre. I feel that Take It All is in a world on its own. Just like Deal or No Deal, it wasn't really a game. It's more about humanity, so it's not a game, though there is strategy. There is gamesmanship. There is bluffing. Some people just out-and-out lie. And that's fun to watch, and that's what draws me to that, much more than any game. I'm offered a lot of games where trivia is involved or stunts are involved or whatever, and I haven't said okay to do those. I have no interest in doing those, but I do have interest in this. I'm telling you that if I wasn't the host of this and somebody else came up with the show and it was on, this is the show I would watch. And I'd be watching it because I'm fascinated by how people react, and how people – even though it's playing, this is how they are in life. This is a great example of who we are and how people play the game of life. And that's basically what you're doing in Take It All.
USTH: As far the audience and the contestants, are we all on the same page or does the audience at home know something that the contestants don't know?
HOWIE MANDEL: We're all on the same page. In fact, not only are we all on the same page, I'm on the same page. Maybe it's not like any other host. I've never gone into the prize room, so I said, "I want to be blown away by these prizes too," so I don't know what's coming up, number one.
So, as the game goes on and a hovercraft appears, I have no idea. I want to guess. I want to have the fun. Is the hovercraft worth more than the Mercedes? Is it worth more than a jet pack? I don't know, so I'm having fun with that. And the other thing is, I know nothing about the contestants until I ask the questions. So, there is a casting process, as far as people showing up and applying to be on the show, and they fill out applications, [but] I don't know anything about it.
So, you may think you know something. I don't want to know something. I don't want to know what their background is, or how they play or what their strategy is. We learn [during the show], and it unfolds in front of you. But, as an audience member it's fun to find out. At home you go, "You know what, I don't trust this guy, or she's lying, or she's bluffing. She's bluffing. She's going to - ," and that's what's fun about it.
USTH: Regarding one of the technical aspects of the show, let's say somebody wins a lot of prizes, but then after the show is over they realize, well, they don't really need a hovercraft or a jet pack or whatever. Are they allowed to exchange the prize for a cash value, or how does that all work?
HOWIE MANDEL: I don't know how that works. You know, that's not my area of expertise. I don't know. I assume that they have to take the prize.
USTH: You're also the Executive Producer of the show, so what are your duties as Executive Producer? What are you responsible for?
HOWIE MANDEL: Mostly hosting and craft service. No, I helped develop the game and I helped reassemble the group that did Deal or No Deal, because I think that there's nobody better in the business. And, I'm really good at delegating – handing off the duties of whatever other people's expertises are to them. So, beyond that, I'm not involved in the casting, because I don't want to meet anybody until I'm standing on stage with them. I'm not involved with the prizes because I want to be surprised with the prizes. I put my two cents in on the set. I put my two cents in on our staff. But beyond that, we have the best staff, and I'm just focused on hosting.
USTH: Finally, on another topic, do you know anything about a possibility of a Gremlin's sequel or remake of the original movie? And would you be interested in participating in that?
HOWIE MANDEL: I know nothing about it, but if they do, I hope they give me a call. I would love to be part of it.
USTH: Our thanks to Howie Mandel for speaking with us. Take It All premieres for a limited run on NBC on Monday, December 11, 2012 and will air each night at 9pm until Friday. The finale will then air Monday, December 17 at 10pm. If the ratings are good, expect the series to return for another engagement in the future.
USTownhall RealStories presents author ANDY MANGELS
Written by Scott Katz
Friday, 07 December 2012 13:45
We recently interviewed USA Today best-selling author and DVD documentary producer Andy Mangels to discuss his latest book, the years-in-the-making Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation. Weighing in at 288 pages, this book, co-written with Lou Scheimer himself, is part biography and part business history as it chronicles both Lou's life and the life of the Filmation animation studio, one of the preeminent television animation producers for over 25 years.
As in-depth as this interview is, it can give you only a taste of what happened behind the scenes in the often harsh world of television production. Although shuttered in the late 1980s, Filmation's legacy endures today as many of its classic series are available to own on DVD, and many of today's top animators got their start at this legendary animation studio.
For more, including information on how to order Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, please visit www.andymangels.com and www.twomorrows.com
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INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
0:00
Intro & overview of the Filmation studio and the shows it produced
1:09:40
L'Oreal buys Filmation leading to the demise of the studio
3:25
Filmation's use of licensed properties such as The Archies, Star Trek, etc.; Archie song segments as a precursor to music videos; Fat Albert introduces stories with morals and messages
1:13:00
Lou Scheimer's mood as he realized Filmation was being closed for good
9:30
Lou Scheimer's dedication to shows with a pro-social message & stories that had value in addition to entertainment; Filmation was first animation studio to feature minority characters that weren't racist caricatures
1:16:50
Mr. Mangels' personal appreciation for Filmation's output and innovations in the process of creating the book
12:20
Mr. Mangels discusses how he met Lou Scheimer while creating DVD documentaries for BCIEclipse animated DVD sets
1:20:00
Why is Filmation considered the also-ran when discussing television animated studios?; Stories of how Filmation cartoons have affected its audience
16:10
Interviewing Lou Scheimer for the book and including information that couldn't be included in the DVD documentaries
1:25:50
Lou Scheimer's feelings regarding fan reaction vs. critical reaction
19:35
Mr. Mangels talks about his extensive time interviewing Lou Scheimer and his sense of Mr. Scheimer as a person
1:28:25
Unfair critiques of Filmation by animation historians; Filmation's use of more realistally drawn characters, detailed backgrounds, and rotoscoping
22:40
Animation & special effects legends who got their start at Filmation; Filmation's commitment to keeping all its animation work in the United States
1:34:00
Filmation's going the extra mile in developing their licensed series in terms of hiring DC and Star Trek writers and hiring the original actors to reprise their voices for the animated series
27:35
How Pinky and the Brain was inspired by a Filmation cartoon; Some behind-the-scenes stories about the history of television animation; Filmation creating the weekday syndicated animation boom in the 1980s with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
1:37:10
Did Filmation's having so many licensed properties hurt their standing among animation historians?; Using Laugh-In writers in Filmation shows; Being ahead of the curve regarding diversity in series such as Isis and Fat Albert, among others
34:00
Relationship between Kid Super Power with Shazam and the Archies; Presenting all sides of the story besides Mr. Scheimer's recollections in the book; DC copyright lawsuit regarding Tarzan and the Super 7 characters
1:44:00
Many Hanna-Barbera shows could be traced back to a successful Filmation series
39:30
Filmation being sued by DC at the same time as being in business with DC; Filmation's plans for a new Batman live-action series starring Adam West & Burt Ward in the 1970s; Why Filmation never did a series for Marvel Comics; Batman being used by both Hanna-Barbera and Filmation in the 1970s; Behind the scenes in selling animated series to networks; Being inspired to create animation for weekday syndicated market
1:47:20
Status of Filmation series original materials today
51:50
Did the DC lawsuit hurt the working relationship with DC?; Changes in licensing in the post-Star Wars era; Cartoons based on toys including He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
1:52:00
Status of materials for projects that never made it to series and never seen by the public; Filmation library recently purchased by DreamWorks
56:25
Filmation working with Mattel in creating the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series
1:55:30
Who has video rights to Filmation's licensed properties?; Why are some series released on DVD, but others are not?; Non-Filmation animated series Time-Life may release in the future
1:00:00
Internal thoughts at Filmation on their big gamble in producing the He-Man series; Increased competition in the wake of He-Man's success
2:00:00
Final notes from Mr. Mangels about his book and what readers can find in the book including the real story of how the Flintstones were created and when Lou Scheimer's father punched out Adolf Hitler!
1:05:00
Filmation's moral-based style suffering in comparison to GI Joeand Transformers; The rise of video games and their impact on animated programming