News

Despite being a headlining attraction in every film, not every Godzilla movie was meant to feature the King of the Monsters. With a cinematic history extending across seven decades, Godzilla has held a wide variety of roles. He's been the hero, the villain, an anti-hero, and an unwilling pawn of both the human protagonists and the antagonists.

One thing that all of these movies share in common is that he's is always one of the main selling points, if not the biggest one but alongside one of Godzilla's many allies. That's the case even when Godzilla's name isn't in the title. That aspect of the franchise demonstrates just how much certain projects had to change in order to be fully realized. After all, there were three Godzilla films that started out as movies about other monsters Quite literally, Godzilla had to be added so that they could find life on the big screen.

The 1980s are remembered for their long-running soaps like Dallas, Dynasty, Knots Landing, and Falcon Crest, all of which are now available to stream on Amazon Prime. But those require a long-term commitment.

But what if you haven’t got that kind of time? What if you want to one and done it? In that case, we’ve got three 1980s soaps that deserved longer runs….but never them, which is good news for you now!

Paper Dolls

Just check out the cast on this 1984 sudser, Paper Dolls! The one and only Morgan Fairchild, the one and only Lloyd Bridges, Roscoe Born hot off Ryan’s Hope, Dack Rambo hot off All My Children, Jonathan Frakes pre-Star Trek, and two fresh faces, Nicollette Sheridan pre-Knots Landing, Desperate Housewives, and the Dynasty reboot, and Terry Farrell, pre-Deep Space 9 and Becker.

The story takes place in the world of high-stakes, high-fashion modeling,...

A fan-favorite Western film starring the iconic Burt Lancaster will arrive on Prime Video soon. 1971's Lawman will hit the streaming platform on December 1.

Directed by Michael Winner, Lawman follows Lancaster's Jared Maddox, a marshal from Bannock trailing five cowhands from Sabbath, who shoot up his town, leading to the death of an elderly citizen. Maddox demands Sabbath's Sheriff hand them over, threatening to murder them in cold blood if they fail to surrender to him in twenty-four hours. However, the culprits work for one of the town's wealthiest men, Victor Bronson, who attempts to pay off Maddox. The Bannock marshal cannot be bought, inevitably leading to an epic showdown only the best Westerns can deliver.

Related Patrick Swayze's Historic 40-Year-Old War Film Comes to Prime Video Next Month

Patrick Swayze's epic war film with Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell will arrive on Prime Video next month.

Alongside Lancaster,...

Pat Colbert, who played the role of the Oil Baron’s Club host Dora Mae in the CBS soap Dallas, has died. She was 77. Colbert died on June 23 in her Compton, California home. She had three strokes in the last 10 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Colbert’s first television appearance was in 1979. She played a model in Eischied, the series which starred Joe Don Baker. The actress would then go on to co-star in the NBC soap opera Flamingo Road, sharing credits with actors such as John Beck, Howard Duff, Morgan Fairchild, Barbara Rush, and Mark Harmon. She appeared in the two-hour pilot and was a recurring role throughout the first season. Her character was eliminated in Season 2 when the brothel was turned into a supper club. Through the 1980s, Colbert appeared in other television series such as Benson, The Fall Guy, Knots Landing, and A Death in California.

Pat Colbert, who played the role of Dora Mae in the series Dallas, has died. She was 77.

According to multiple reports, Colbert died on June 23 at her home in Compton. Colbert had suffered three strokes over the last decade.

Colbert’s first television appearance was in 1979’s Eischiled, playing a model in the series which starred Joe Don Baker. The actress would soon co-star in Flamingo Road, sharing credits with John Beck, Woody Brown, Peter Donat, Howard Duff, Morgan Fairchild, Barbara Rush, and many more.

Throughout the 1980s, Colbert made appearances in shows like Benson (1982), The Fall Guy (1982), Knots Landing (1983), and A Death in California (1985).

Colbert also starred in CBS’s Capitol, a soap about politics in D.C., playing the character named Cora Mullens.

She first appeared in Dallas Season 7 in 1983, portraying Dora Mae, the host and manager of the Oil Baron’s Club. Colbert stayed on the nighttime...

The end is in sight for That Girl Lay Lay. The Nickelodeon buddy comedy starring teen hip-hop artist Alaya “That Girl Lay Lay” High and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green will end with the current second season, we’ve learned. The Season 2 finale, which will now serve as the series finale, airs tomorrow, Wednesday, March 20.

“After 46 episodes across two seasons of That Girl Lay Lay, we are ending production on the show, and we are incredibly grateful to the cast and crew for their immeasurable contributions on the production,” a Nickelodeon spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Deadline.

That Girl Lay Lay hailed from creator David A. Arnold, who died in September 2022 at 54. The series follows the titular actress as an avatar from a personal affirmation app that magically comes to life, and her best friend Sadie (Green) as they navigate life as teenagers and discover who they truly are.

In Season...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products released each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Stranger Things: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book from Insight Editions

Insight Editions has released Stranger Things: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book, which will cost you 67.50. It’s illustrated by Stranger Things artist Kyle Lambert, while The Babadook book designer Simon Arizpe handled the paper engineering and Matthew Reinhart (Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy) served as creative director.

Happy Birthday to Me Blu-ray from Kino Lorber

Happy Birthday to Me will slash onto Blu-ray on October 18 via Kino Lorber. The 1981 film is presented in high definition with 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Lossless audio.

J. Lee Thompson (Cape Fear) directs from as script by John C.W. Saxton (Class of 1984), Peter Jobin, and Timothy Bond (Friday the 13th: The Series). Melissa Sue Anderson,...

ABC has announced the midseason premiere dates for the return of original drama series “A Million Little Things” and “Big Sky.”

“A Million Little Things” is back with new episodes of its fourth season starting Feb. 23 at 10 p.m. Et on ABC. The series, which premiered in 2018, focuses on a circle of friends as they struggle to move on when a member of their circle dies by suicide. The show’s ensemble cast stars David Giuntoli, Romany Malco, Allison Miller, Christina Moses, Christina Ochoa, Grace Park, James Roday Rodriguez, Tristan Byon, Lizzy Greene and Chance Hurstfield. DJ Nash created and executive produces the series, with Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, James Griffiths, Marshall Boone, David Marshall Grant and Terrence Coli serving as additional executive producers.

“Big Sky” will return with new episodes of its second season on Feb. 24 at 10 p.m. Et. The crime thriller, which premiered in 2020, focuses on private...

Exclusive: That Girl Lay Lay will return for Season 2 at Nickelodeon. The buddy comedy, from creator and showrunner David A. Arnold, stars teen hip-hop artist Alaya “That Girl Lay Lay” High and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green.

That Girl Lay Lay follows the titular actress as an avatar from a personal affirmation app that magically comes to life, and her best friend Sadie (Green) as they navigate life as teenagers and discover who they truly are. With its fall premiere in 2021, That Girl Lay Lay delivered double digit gains on Thursday nights and consistent #1 rankings in the time slot across all TV in the K6-11 demo. The series’ lead actress has also received a nomination for the NAACP Image Awards’ Outstanding Performance by a Youth.

Season 2 of That Girl Lay Lay will bring more music and magical powers as the two best friends continue to...

WWE Superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin is guest-starring on Nickelodeon’s “Side Hustle,” and just like his main job and those acting roles in the (post-John Cena) “Marine” movies, it’s a fairly physical gig.

On “Side Hustle,” Mizanin plays Jujutsu star Clint Kickwood, who grunts out “Kick-wood!” as he kicks down Jaget’s (Jacques Chevelle) dojo door.

Kickwood was “hired by a very sorry young man,” he tells Jaget. That sorry young man was Munchy, Jaget’s little bro. Probably extra-sorry now because of the door.

As Clint Kickwood explains, “Clint Kickwood doesn’t just kick stuff, I fix stuff!”

He definitely does seem to kick an awful lot of stuff — especially when he played twins in the movie “Double Kick.” But his mission here is more one of mending a brotherly relationship.

Watch the video above, which is exclusive to TheWrap.

On Saturday’s episode, when...

Exclusive: Nickelodeon has renewed buddy comedy Side Hustle for a 20 episode second season. The series returns with new episodes of its debut season beginning Saturday, Sept. 11, at 8 p.m. Et/Pt leading into the season two premiere on Saturday, Oct. 2.

A teaser from the season 2 debut titled “Model Employees” (above) reveals friends Lex (Jules LeBlanc), Presley (Jayden Bartels), and Munchy (Isaiah Crews) have taken a job as models during the town’s fashion week.

Assuming that they were hired to be in the fashion show itself, they soon learn that the job is actually to be toy model builders and not runway models like they thought. Disappointed by the job they were hired to do, the kids must figure out a way to get into the real fashion show.

Deadline previously revealed Noah Beck from AwesomenessTV’s Noah Beck Tries Things will make his acting debut in Side Hustle‘s second season.

Netflix and Mattel released a trailer for “Masters of the Universe: Revelation,” premiering on July 23.

The streamer also announced that joining the voice over cast are Dennis Haysbert as King Grayskull, Adam Gifford as Vikor and Jay Tavare as Wundar.

The action-packed animated series picks up where the iconic “Masters of the Universe” characters left off decades ago. After a battle between He-Man and Skeletor, Eternia is fractured and the Guardians of Grayskull have dispersed, leaving Teela to reunite the broken band of heroes, solve the mystery of the missing Sword of Power and save the universe.

Part 1 premieres with five 30-minute episodes. Showrunner Kevin Smith executive produces alongside Frederic Soulie, Adam Bonnett, Christopher Keenan and Rob David. From Mattel Television, the series is produced by Susan Corbin and written by Marc Bernardin, Eric Carrasco, Diya Mishra and Tim Sheridan.

Watch the trailer below.

Also in today’s TV news...

Exclusive: Nickelodeon has rounded out the cast for That Girl Lay Lay, its new live-action comedy series starring teen hip-hop artist Alaya “That Girl Lay Lay” High, slated to premiere later this year.

Joining High are Gabrielle Nevaeh Green as Sadie; Peyton Perrine III (Funny Married Stuff) as Sadie’s brother, Marky; Tiffany Daniels as Sadie’s mom, Trish; Thomas Hobson as Sadie’s dad, Bryce; and Caleb Brown as Lay Lay and Sadie’s classmate, Jeremy.

Created by David A. Arnold, in That Girl Lay Lay, phone avatar Lay Lay is the perfect hype girl and best friend that anyone could ever want from their personal affirmation app. Struggling to make her mark at school and needing a best friend to talk to,...

The always delightful Doctor Z hangs with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante while discussing a few of his favorite monkey movies.

Dr. Z – Tmtmm Pod Mentions

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Planet of the Apes (1968) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Escape From The Planet of the Apes (1971)

Battle For The Planet of the Apes (1973) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

Any Which Way You Can (1980)

The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary

Schindler’s List (1993)

Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)

King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

King Kong (1933)

Conan The Barbarian (1982)

Godzilla (1954) – Don Coscarelli’s trailer commentary

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Stalag 17 (1953)

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) – Michael Schlesinger’s trailer commentary

King Kong Escapes (1967)

Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)

The Sorrow And The Pity (1972)

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

It Came From Beneath The Sea...

Teen hip-hop star Alaya High, otherwise known as Lay Lay, is to front a live-action comedy series for Nickelodeon – a series that leads the kids’ networks latest original programming slate.

That Girl Lay Lay is joined by a series order for Warped!, a new live-action buddy comedy series from Kevin Kopelow & Heath Seifert, the EPs/showrunners of Nickelodeon’s All That and two animated series Zj Sparkleton and The Hamster Show.

That Girl Lay Lay was created by David A. Arnold, a writer-producer on Netflix’s Fuller House and follows Lay Lay, an avatar from a personal affirmation app that magically comes to life, and her best friend Sadie as they navigate life as teenagers and discover who they truly are.

The 13-part series is produced by Will Packer and his production company Will Packer Media with production set to begin this spring for a summer premiere.

It marks the...

Nickelodeon is expanding its live-action roster with the renewal of hit series Danger Force and Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan for second seasons. The net has also ordered six additional episodes of live-action buddy comedy Side Hustle, bringing the first season to 26 total episodes. The announcement was made in conjunction with Nickelodeon’s virtual upfront presentation.

Created by Dan Schneider and Dana Olsen, Danger Force is TV’s number-one live-action kids show with Kids 6-11. In the 26-episode second season, the students of Swellview Academy for the Gifted (Sw.A.G. for short), a school conceived by Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) and brought to life by Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen), continue to master their superpowers as they battle even bigger villains than ever before to protect the citizens of Swellview. Chapa (Havan Flores), Miles (Terrence Little Gardenhigh), Mika (Dana Heath) and Bose (Luca Luhan) must also keep their real identities...

Nickelodeon has ordered a second season of “Nickelodeon’s Unfiltered” and an additional seven episodes of the live-action comedy “Side Hustle,” a sign that both series have served to attract young audiences as many kids and families are staying closer to home.

The ViacomCBS unit said the second season of “Unfiltered” will debut this evening at 7 p.m. The program is hosted by actor and comedian Jay Pharoah and includes Lex Lumpkin and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, two members of the cast of the network’s “All That” sketch-comedy show as panelists along with “America’s Got Talent” winner Darci Lynne. The trio tries to determine the identities of celebrity guests disguised by a 3D filter and voice changer.

Nickelodeon says the first season of the series, which is produced remotely, stood as the most-watched unscripted live-action show on cable among viewers between 6 and 11. Guest panelists in the second season are slated to include Asher Angel,...

Nickelodeon wants more Annie LeBlanc -- the popular YouTube-star-turned-multi-threat who appears in numerous Gen Z shows for top digital and linear platforms, and is also pursuing a burgeoning music career.

The ViacomCBS-owned kids’ network has announced the greenlight of Side Hustle, a buddy comedy starring LeBlanc and her real-life best friend, Jayden Bartels. The live-action, multi-camera series will follow two friends who have to create a business after accidentally destroying their neighbor’s car. On the show, they create an app called Kid-ding that helps young people find employment opportunities, and then must take any jobs that come their way in order to pay for the damage.

Side Hustle is being created and executive produced by Dave Malkoff, while John Beck and Ron Hart (Fuller House) will serve as executive producers and showrunners. Thirteen half-hour episodes will be shot in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles beginning this March,...

Nickelodeon has ordered 13 half-hour episodes of Side Hustle, a new live-action multi-camera buddy comedy headlined by social media stars and real-life best friends Annie LeBlanc (Annie vs. Hayley) and Jayden Bartels (Coop & Cami Ask the World).

Created and executive produced by Dave Malkoff and shot in front of a live studio audience, Side Hustle centers on best friends, Lex (LeBlanc) and Presley (Bartels), who have to create a business fast after inadvertently destroying their neighbor’s car. Production begins in Los Angeles in March and premiere is set for later this year on Nickelodeon.

In Side Hustle, Lex, Presley and their quirky friend Munchy (Isaiah Crews) find themselves in a sticky situation after an accidental mishap destroys the police vehicle belonging to Munchy’s dad. Forced to come up with creative ways to earn money to pay for the damages, the best friends enlist the...

1968: Dark Shadows' Josette shocked Barnabas.

1981: Gh's Heather escaped from the sanitarium.

2009: Atwt aired a special fairy tales episode.

2009: AMC's Reese and Bianca were officially married,"History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Another World, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan) tried to convince his doubtful wife, Pat (Susan Trustman), that Mike Bauer (Gary Pillar) was the type of person he needed in his firm.

1968: On The Doctors, a sympathetic social worker offered a desolate Ruth Winters (Ann Whiteside) support. Later,...

1980: Atwt's Barbara told Tom about the son she gave away (Paul).

1980: The Edge of Night's Margo needed surgery to survive.

1994: All My Children's Brooke had a nightmare.

2004: Original cast member John Clarke ended his run on Days of our Lives."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into different and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Peyton Place, Michael (Ed Nelson) told Constance (Dorothy Malone) that Elliot belonged in the past. "Michael, he's here now," Connie told him in an effort to make him see it wasn't that easy. "So am I,...

Veteran TV packaging agent-turned-manager/producer Rob Golenberg has joined his brother Jeff Golenberg and his partners Sam Maydew and Jason Shapiro at Silver Lining Entertainment. Golenberg will be a partner at the management/production company, with a focus on building out a lit department and ramping up the company’s content production division.

Rob Golenberg brings with him over a dozen TV lit management clients, including Charlie Craig (Pretty Little Liars: Perfectionists), Alison Tatlock, Scott Williams (NCIS), Sonay Hoffman, John Beck & Ron Hart, and Jon Emerson & Annie Levine (Central Park).

Rob Golenberg, previously a packaging agent at William Morris, Gersh and Paradigm, left the agency business in 2011 after 20 years and, after a brief stint at Evolution, launched a production company, Scripted World, with Alon Aranya. They sold over two dozen network and cable projects, three of which...

1981: Luke and Laura were married on General Hospital."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1971: On The Doctors, Dr. Althea Davis (Elizabeth Hubbard) warned Dr. Maggie Powers (Lydia Bruce) to keep her eyes wide open when it came to Dr. Karen Werner.

1979: On The Edge of Night, Steve Guthrie (Denny Albee) confessed to Deborah Saxon (Frances Fisher) he still loved her.

1981: On Another World, an argument ensued when Larry Ewing (Rick Porter) accused his wife, Clarice (Gail Brown), of leading Jerry Grove (Paul Tinder) on before her rape. Later, they made peace and comforted each other.

Joseph Baxter Nov 2, 2018

Andy Muschietti will direct a reimagined version of The Time Machine, the bellwether H.G. Wells sci-fi novel.

Andy Muschietti’s directorial dance card continues to expand after last year’s release of his big screen Stephen King adaptation, It; an effort he’s following up behind the camera for next year’s follow-up, It: Chapter Two. Just a few days after news surfaced that he signed up to direct anime adaptation Attack on Titan, Muchietti has been made official to helm a remake of a sci-fi classic – arguably literature’s most important sci-fi novel – in H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine.

The trifecta of Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and (Leonardo DiCaprio’s company) Appian Way are set to (re)revive Wells’s The Time Machine for another big screen iteration, and they’ve already locked in Andy Muschietti as the director’s chair occupant, reports Deadline.

Even before he sets foot on the court in an NBA game this season, LeBron James has had quite a year. Continuing a steady stream of film and TV projects through his SpringHill Entertainment and longtime manager Maverick Carter, the basketball megastar has amassed an impressive list of development partnerships across the media landscape.

On the TV side alone, James has struck series deals with every broadcast network, many prestige cable outlets, and a streaming service to boot. Aside from the biggest title on his film docket, the long-awaited “Space Jam 2,” James has lent his stamp to a number of features that exist outside the basketball world.

And these aren’t solely ideas for the future, working their way toward a possible pickup. Since last fall, he’s helped produce all of the following films and programs:

high school football documentary “86 Blocks” for Fox Sports civil rights documentary “Rise...

Comedian Chris Spencer is developing a multi-camera comedy at Fox that boasts LeBron James among its executive producers, Variety has learned.

The series is currently titled “I Just Do” and is inspired by Spencer’s comedy. It’s about an African-American family therapist and his loving and expressive Latina wife living beyond their means in an upper-middleclass neighborhood, where they are raising twin teenagers with the “help” of their intrusive parents.

Fox has given the project a script commitment with a penalty attached. Spencer will star in the series in addition to serving as a writer and co-executive producer. John Beck and Ron Hart will also write in addition to executive producing. James and Maverick Carter will executive produce via their SpringHill Entertainment banner. J.P. Williams will also serve as a co-executive producer. Warner Bros. Television and SpringHill will produce.

In addition to his stand up, Spencer has appeared as...

Fox has given a script commitment with penalty to I Just Do, a multi-camera comedy starring and co-written by comedian Chris Spencer. It hails from LeBron James’ SpringHill Entertainment and Warner Bros. TV where the company is based.

Written by John Beck, Ron Hart and Spencer, I Just Do is inspired by Spencer’s standup. It’s about an African-American family therapist (Spencer) and his loving and expressive Latina wife living beyond their means in an upper-middleclass neighborhood, where they are raising twin teenagers with the “help” of their intrusive parents. The co-mingling of Black and Latino cultures gives a unique perspective on the universal challenges of marriage and family.

Beck and Hart executive produce alongside James and Maverick Carter via SpringHill Entertainment. Spencer and his manager, J.P. Williams, co-executive produce.

It’s been a very busy broadcast selling season for SpringHill with four projects set up so far. I...

1968: Dark Shadows' Josette shocked Barnabas.

1981: Gh's Heather escaped from the sanitarium.

2009: Atwt aired a special fairy tales episode.

2009: AMC's Reese and Bianca were officially married,"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Another World, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan) tried to convince his doubtful wife, Pat (Susan Trustman), that Mike...

1980: Atwt's Barbara told Tom about the son she gave away (Paul).

1980: The Edge of Night's Margo needed surgery to survive.

1994: All My Children's Brooke had a nightmare.

2004: John Clarke ended his run on Days of our Lives."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1965: On Peyton Place, Michael (Ed Nelson) told Constance (Dorothy Malone...

Photo by Donnacha Kenny"Congratulations, Tom; you're one of the lucky eight per cent!" —Stir of Echoes (1999)Joliet, Illinois is probably the American city which more people have dreamed more fervently of escaping than any other. But after spending four hours in 'Prison Town'—long synonymous far and wide with incarceration—I was sad to leave; I'll be glad one day to return. Fortunately, such matters are questions of personal choice. Many of the area's residents, including those not serving custodial sentences, have little realistic option but to remain—trapped by personal, social and/or economic circumstances that can feel as confining as any 6-by-8 cell. "Joliet, or "J-Town", is racially diverse and is known as a crime-ridden city, although the area has shown much improvement since the 1990's... The east side is generally known as the ghetto side and the west side is known as middle class, even though...

Ryan Lambie Dec 18, 2019

For Christmas 1977, kids got an empty box instead of Star Wars figures. Here's why it became that year's must-have gift...

This article originally appeared on Den of Geek UK.

Imagine you’re a little kid waking up on Christmas morning 1977. For the past few months you’ve lived and breathed Star Wars; you’d lined up to watch the film in theaters back in the spring, and since then, it’s all you and your friends have been able to talk about. There’s been talk of a company called Kenner bringing out a line of action figures to tie in with the year’s big hit movie. Surely, there’d be a whole bunch of them waiting under the Christmas tree for you. Wouldn’t there?

But as you tear open gift after gift, you realize that the Star Wars toys aren’t here. You open up the final package,...

Stars: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn, Pamela Hensley, Barbara Trentham, John Normington, Shane Rimmer, Burt Kwouk | Written by William Harrison | Directed by Norman Jewison

We live in an age where remakes take movies from the past and look to modernise them, sometimes changing them completely. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it ends up in a complete shambles, dumbing down what the original stood for and losing the whole point of what they were trying to replicate. This is the case with Rollerball, a cult classic which suffered the bad remake treatment. Thankfully in this review though I’m looking at the original film which is being released by Arrow Video on Blu-ray, so from this point on we can forget the remake even existed.

In a future controlled by corporations war is a thing of the past and the only conflict is Rollerball. Jonathan E.

The hotly-anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey movie is finally released in cinemas today (February 13) to coincide with Valentine's Day this weekend, and it's got our minds racing about just one thing....

The most ridiculously silly orgasms in movie history, obviously!

From Jennifer Aniston's otherworldly pleasure to Jason Biggs's doubly embarrassing shortcomings - here are 10 fantastically farcical orgasms on the silver screen below:

1. Jason Biggs in American Pie (1999)

Virginal, apple pie-bonking Jim Levenstein can't believe his luck when his history tutoring with sexy Slovakian exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) turns into something more. So excited is Jim, however, that he barely contains himself at her touch, only lasting a few more seconds on second go, until he, er, explodes again.

Sadly Stifler (Seann William Scott) had previously coerced Jim to set up a webcam in his room so they can all watch the frisky teenage pair, but he unwittingly...

**Massive spoilers for every Godzilla movie, with the exception of the 2014 reboot, and Mothra follow**

August 6th and 9th, 1945 forever changed the course of history. When the first nuclear bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, World War II ended, but a new fear was born that dominated the thoughts of all men, women, and children for decades to come. The Cold War, atomic bomb testing, a cartoon turtle telling children to “duck and cover”, and this new technology that had the actual potential to literally end the world changed the perception of what was scary. Art reflects life, so cinema began to capitalize on these fears. Gone were the days of creepy castles, cobwebs, bats, vampires, werewolves, and the other iconic images that ruled genre cinema in film’s earliest decades. Science fiction was larger than ever and giant ants, giant octopi, terror from beyond the stars, and...

Blu-ray Release Date: Oct. 14, 2014

Price: Blu-ray $29.95

Studio: Twilight Time

The 1977 psychological horror film Audrey Rose makes its Blu-ray debut from Twilight Time.

Married couple Janice and Bill Templeton (Chapter Two‘s Marsha Mason and Rollerball’s John Beck) live happily in New York with their 11-year-old daughter Ivy (Susan Swift). All is going well until they care contacted one day by a man named Elliott (Anthony Hopkins, Thor) who tells that his them that his daughter Audrey Rose died in a car crash eleven years earlier and that her soul has been reincarnated in the Ivy’s body. Ivy’s recurring nightmares don’t help the situation, nor does the fact Elliott appears to be the one capable of calming her down.

Directed by Robert Wise (West Side Story), Audrey Rose is based on the novel of the same title by Frank De Felitta.

As Twilight Time prints up only 3,000 copies of each title,...

Blu-ray Release Date: May 13, 2014

Price: Blu-ray $29.95

Studio: Twilight Time

The 1975 sci-fi-tinged action-sports film Rollerball, one of the Seventies great dystopian future-shock flicks, finally makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Twilight Time.

In the future, there will be no war. But there will be Rollerball.

Rollerball posits a future—in this case a not-so-far-away 2018—in which war has been replaced by the titular game, a gladiatorial spectacle of violence that helps keep the global populace entertained and anesthetized. Emerging from this hard-hitting “sport” is a champion, Jonathan E (James Caan, Thief), whose individual expertise defeats the worldwide corporate leadership’s design: to emphasize the futility of individual effort. Corporate big-wigs (icily incarnated by The Fog‘s John Houseman) need Jonathan to retire, but Jonathan begins to have his own dangerous ideas.

Directed by Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof) and written by William Harrison, the film also stars Moses Gunn (Wusa...

Birthday shoutouts go to the out Jonathan Knight (above), who is 44, the out Simon Amstell is 33, Anna Faris is 36, and Don Cheadle is 48Ricky Martin has joined the Australian version of The Voice, replacing Keith Urban.Why ParaNorman Featured the First Gay Character in an Animated Film In ratings news, both Modern Family and Arrow were on the upswing.A big screen adaptation of the David Sedaris short story C.O.G. will be out next year, starring Jonathan Groff and Denis O'Hare.. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is under fire for misogynistic and homophobic remarks he made last year in a blog post about superheroes. Fans are insisting it was satire, but if it was, it was badly done.Congrats to Neil Patrick Harris, who will serve as host for next week's National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, to be shown on PBS throughout December.Below you can see viral...

Before Japan's Toho Film Studios pit their most famous movie monster Godzilla against giant gorilla King Kong in 1962, the planned storyline centered around horror's lumbering fiend, Frankenstein. Famed animator Willis O'Brien wrote the script treatment — originally imagined as a sequel to the 1933 classic King Kong, O'Brien's most famous contribution — that envisioned the beast battling the bolted behemoth in San Francisco. Producer John Beck snatched it up (without O'Brien's permission) to create a George Worthing Yates screenplay retitled King Kong vs. Prometheus. Beck sold it to Toho who replaced Frankenstein with their house creature, Godzilla. Toho had Frank fever for some time before the story fell into their...

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The first thing the title Worst in Show brings to mind is the 2000 Christopher Guest mockumentary Best in Show. Like that award-winning entry from the Waiting for Guffman crew, Worst in Show by filmmakers John Beck and Don Lewis is less interesting for the contestants than for the people who actually own the dogs. The documentary, which will have a special benefit screening in Austin this weekend, focuses largely on the officially trademarked World's Ugliest Dog contest hosted by the Sonoma-Marin Fair each year in Petaluma, California. There, the internet sensation Sam (pictured at right), owned by Susie Tautrim, won from 2003-2005.

Mai Tai, Chi Chi, Miss Ellie, Elwood -- all huge names in the ugly dog world (and now all deceased). They are all Chinese Crested, the dog breed you would least want to be reincarnated as. We're talking the Steve Buscemi of dogs, so ugly even John Waters...

Nicholas Pryor (ex-Victor, Port Charles; ex-Joel, The Edge Of Night; ex-Linc, All My Children, ex-Ted, Another World; ex-Paul, Love Is A Many Spendored Thing; ex-Johnny, The Secret Storm; The Brighter Day) - 76

John Beck (ex-Bruce, Passions; ex-Sam, Days Of Our Lives; ex-Mark, Dallas; ex-Sam, Flamingo Road) - 68

Keith Hamilton Cobb (ex-Damon, The Young And The Restless; ex-Noah, All My Children) - 49

Terri Conn (Aubrey, One Life To Live; ex-Katie, As The World Turns) - 36...

Comedy writer-producers John Beck and Ron Hart are developing two multicamera comedies: Extended Family for Fox, and Many Wives of Jon at TV Land, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The projects, both with script commitments, are based on Beck's real-life experiences.

Extended Family centers on a blue-collar mom in charge of foster kids. It is inspired by Beck's childhood, when his mother took in foster children to live with them.

"It's like Roseanne meets Malcolm in the Middle, " Hart said.

Beck and Hart found support for the idea in Apostle senior vp Tom Sellitti, who also grew up as the biological child in a household full of foster kids.

Many Wives of Jon revolves around a young couple and how their lives change when the wife's family moves in with them. It is based on a period in Beck's life when his wife's mother, sister and 5-year-old niece came to live with them.