The Playlist

The 10 Most Promising Network Shows For Fall 2013

By Drew Taylor
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May 16, 2013 1:01 PM
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8 Comments

Features

This week concluded the yearly "up-fronts," where advertisers and affiliates convene in New York City so that the various networks can trot out their exciting new fall products. It brings an end to "pilot season," in which initial episodes are furiously produced and then handily judged, and kicks off the excitement for the following fall. (Even though, as we're becoming increasingly aware, the traditional notions of when shows are supposed to air and how long they're supposed to be are blurring considerably.) Out of all of the new shows – dozens and dozens of hours of freshly scripted content – we have chosen the ten shows that we find the most promising; five hour-long dramas and five sitcoms. Don't change that dial.

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HBO Picks Up Series From 'Weekend' Director Andrew Haigh, Watch The Trailer For Rebel Wilson's Show 'Super Fun Night'

By Kristen Lopez
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May 15, 2013 10:25 AM
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1 Comment

News

You might well have missed it (though hopefully its Criterion release helped you catch up), but gay love story "Weekend" was one of the best films of 2011. So we're cracking open the champagne at the news that its director, Andrew Haigh, is heading to HBO, as the cable network has picked up a new show to series directed and executive produced by the helmer. Written by Michael Lannan (the short film "Lorimer"), it's about a trio of young gay man in San Francisco (led by "Glee" star Jonathan Groff), and their lives and loves. A sort of gay, West Coast version of "Girls," then? Sounds good to us.

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Review: Potentially Dumb & Fun 'Pain & Gain' Overstays Its Welcome With Unrelentingly Dumb & Unfun Tale

By Rodrigo Perez
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April 24, 2013 10:40 AM
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5 Comments

Reviews

Big, dumb, ridiculously over-the-top fun. When all else fails, filmmaker Michael Bay, perhaps one of the most unfairly maligned directors of the last two decades, can make it rain and bring the entertaining thunder like no one else. If not the inventor of the modern day supernova-esque blockbuster, Bay certainly defined it with some of the biggest, loudest, most larger-than-life spectacles of contemporary cinema. While loathed in many circles for several years by critics like Roger Ebert and others for “ruining movies” with his dumbed-downed, stadium-sized, often banal, Bon Jovi-like anthemic films that came with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, Bay’s reputation has improved in recent years with the rise and popularity of vulgar auteurism (a newfound respect or the loud and proud).

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Michael Bay's 'Pain & Gain' Flexes With Batch Of New Pics Featuring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 9, 2013 9:01 AM
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0 Comments

News

At this point, you're either totally stoked to see Michael Bay's "Pain & Gain" or you're not, and if you're not, we're not sure what to tell you. Sure, Bay has spent pretty much the last decade making toy porn for man children, but "Pain & Gain" represents a return to his "low budget" roots (relatively speaking), and brings together a pretty crack cast for an outrageous tale that's based on a true story. What's not to like?

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Contest Giveaway: DVDs Of 'Bachelorette' Starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan & Rebel Wilson

By The Playlist Staff
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March 19, 2013 1:04 PM
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0 Comments

News

This week sees the DVD and Blu-ray release of "Bachelorette" starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan and Rebel Wilson. This raunchy, unflinching, darkly comic indie was written and directed by Leslye Headland ("Terriers") and follows three best friends (Caplan, Fisher, Dunst) who are invited to act as bridesmaids at the wedding of a girl (Wilson) they called “Pigface” in high school.

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Universal Working On 'Pitch Perfect' Sequel, Rebel Wilson Eyed To Return

By Cain Rodriguez
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December 20, 2012 9:05 AM
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1 Comment

News

Universal is looking to turn one of their bright spots of the year, the crowd-pleasing sleeper hit “Pitch Perfect,” into a franchise. Movieweb is reporting that the studio is working on a sequel to the Glee-inspired musical comedy and are already reaching out to some of the stars of the film.

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The Breakout Performances Of 2012

By The Playlist Staff
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December 11, 2012 1:56 PM
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12 Comments

Features

One of the great thrills of being a movie fan is discovery. In a few weeks, we'll be rolling out our lists of the films we're looking forward to in 2013, many of which come from established names. And yet invariably, many of the best movies that will surprise us over the next twelve months will be ones that are, as yet, barely on our radar, from directors with no track record, and featuring actors who you wouldn't have been able to pick from a line up a few months earlier.

Rebel Wilson Sells Comedy Pitch To Universal That She'll Write & Star In

By Joe Cunningham
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October 10, 2012 10:22 AM
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0 Comments

News

Coming off a great performance in “Pitch Perfect,” which is performing solidly in theaters at the moment, Rebel Wilson’s career looks in pretty great shape. She’s got a lead role in Miguel Arteta’s brewing indie comedy “Unicorn Store,” "Glee" star Chris Colfer’s “Struck By Lightning,” and Michael Bay’s “Pain and Gain” on her upcoming slate, and her self-penned comedy pilot “Super Fun Night” is also in development over at ABC.

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Review: 'Pitch Perfect' Hits All The Right Notes

By Kimber Myers
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September 27, 2012 9:03 AM
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3 Comments

Reviews

Luckily, "Pitch Perfect" has just enough flaws to (almost) keep us from making terrible puns around its title, but this fun comedy is good enough to leave an a cappella version of "No Diggity" stuck in your head. For a week. If this film does as well as it should, expect an influx of mediocre singers at karaoke; meanwhile we'll stick to practicing our rendition of "Starships" in the shower as we relive the awesomeness.

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ABC Banks Their New Comedy Shows On Malin Akerman & Rebel Wilson

By Charlie Schmidlin
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September 26, 2012 11:58 AM
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1 Comment

Television

Following breakthrough supporting turns in “Bridesmaids” and “Watchmen” respectively, Rebel Wilson and Malin Akerman have experienced a jump to more prominent roles, but of varying degrees of quality. Wilson recently plumbed the raunchy comedy route to much less success in the appalling “Bachelorette,” while Akerman impressed in the unfairly overlooked "Wanderlust," but als co-starred in the already forgotten Nicolas Cage thriller “Stolen.” But now it seems the small screen might fit both actresses' wishes, and on the same network no less.

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