TAO WEI Hot will help liquefy your moisturizing cream/serum while soothing sonic waves create maximum absorption into your skin. Cold setting will help seal the benefit into your skin leaving it soft and luminous.
Author: FCA Editor
Disney’s Descendants on DVD
Welcome to the world of Disney’s Descendants, an original Disney Channel film now available on DVD.
Twenty years ago Belle and the Beast took over the United States of Auradon, a place where all the good characters live. All of the villains were exiled to the Isle of the Lost and a barrier was put up so they could not escape. Life in Audadon is beautiful and happy, while life on the island is filled with chaos.
When Ben (Mitchell Hope), the only offspring of Belle and the Beast, is about to turn 16 and take his rightful place in the land, he decides to bring four of the children from the island over to Auradon to live and attend Audadon Prep school. Ben is idealistic and believes the kids of the villains are not bad. They should have a chance to experience life among the “good” people.
Ben selects Mal (Dove Cameron), Maleficent’s daughter, Carlos (Cameron Boyce), Cruella de Vil’s son, Jay (Booboo Stewart), Jafar’s son, and Evie (Sofia Carson), the daughter of the Evil Queen from the Snow White tale. The four are hesitant to leave their parents, however they are tasked by Maleficent with getting the Fairy Godmother’s wand (Melanie Paxson) and setting them free from the island. So off they go to Aurodon to make their parents proud. But once they experience what being good has to offer, they slowly discover they had been cheated out of so much during their lives – including love and attention.
These four young villains in training now must decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Will they choose evil or good?
The bonus features on this DVD include a blooper reel that shows just how much fun the actors had during the production. There is also a look at “text” messages sent between the evil characters. OMG! The best bonus is a feature showing the dance rehearsals with the cast and choreographers, including the renowned Kenny Ortega who was responsible for the success of the High School Musical movies. Some of the actors had no previous dance experience yet when seen in this film it is like they had been dancing all of their lives. One actor says it was a “life-changing” experience. And the final bonus is a sneak peek at the upcoming Disney Channel animated series of shorts based on this film.
There is also a Descendants charm bracelet included in this pack.
The DVD is now available and is rated G for all audiences. While adults may enjoy aspects of the movie, it is mainly a teen and tween film for the young generation.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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“The Carmichael Show” – A New Kind of Family
The days of Archie Bunker and “All in the Family” may be part of history, but this season NBC premieres “The Carmichael Show”, a different kind of series wherein comedian Jerrod Carmichael showcases a version of his very outspoken and opinionated family.
The peacock network has ordered six episodes of the comedy, directed by Scott Ellis (“The Michael J. Fox Show”, “Modern Family”, “The Good Wife”) and scribed through the pen of Carmichael, Willie Hunter, and Nicholas Stoller.
Carmichael’s family is involved in every area of his life, whether he admits it or not. The opener has him hesitant to tell his parents (David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine) that he and girlfriend, Maxine (Amber Stevens West) are moving in together. Brother Bobby (Lil Rel Howery) is no help with the situation, and once his parents are introduced, his dilemma becomes clear.
The multi-talented cast past projects include impressive credits in both stage and screen, with Devine’s prominent background in the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls” and her award-winning performance as Adele on “Grey’s Anatomy”. Her work on that series garnered her an Emmy, a Gracie Award, and an NAACP Award, as well as additional nominations for an Emmy, Gracie, NAACP, and a Critics Choice Television Award. Equally impressive is Grier, who is a three-time Tony as well as Grammy nominee and who sits on Comedy Central’s list of the “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.” His credits include the large and small screen, with work in “In Living Color” as well as “A Soldier’s Story” (where he played opposite Denzel Washington).
Rounding out the cast are West and Howery. Besides a string of TV credits, West can be seen in “22 Jump Street”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”. Howery is a stand-up comedian in his own right.
Carmichael hails from North Carolina and has worked with the likes of Spike Lee and Zac Efron. And he’s no stranger to family values and right living. On a recent trip to New York, he shared with “New York Times’” Laura M. Holson the fact that he cried upon hearing that the families of those killed during a Bible Study in Charleston forgave alleged gunman Dylann Roof. Drawing on his upbringing, he said, “I went to Bible Study. I know the intentions of those people. They weren’t just going to church on Sunday like most folks. Their intention is to be good. And that’s what hurts.”
“The Carmichael Show” premieres August 26, 2015 on NBC.
Cheryl Hollar
Cheryl Hollar is a freelance writer for various online TV and film magazines. Besides freelance writing, Cheryl holds a certificate in Writing for TV from UCLA’s Writers Extension Program. She has a background in entertainment public relations.
Patrick Stewart Stars in ‘Match’ Now on DVD
Patrick Stewart is fabulous in his newest film “Match” which is now available on DVD. The movie is based on a Tony-nominated play.
Stewart plays Tobi, a Manhattan ballet instructor at Julliard, who is eccentric and totally loveable. His greatest joy in life is to inspire young ballet dancers, after having had an exceptional career as a dancer himself.
When a young couple from Seattle visits Tobi, it changes his usual lone existence. Lisa and Mike Davis (Carla Gugino and Matthew Lillard) have sought out the once famous dancer. Lisa is supposedly writing her dissertation on the dance community in the 1960s and has requested an interview with Tobi, who regales them with all the excitement and escapades of his past. Then the true reason for their visit is revealed causing turbulence for all three characters. Tobi is disappointed and frustrated while Mike becomes completely unhinged. It is Lisa who holds everything together.
The bond between Tobi and Lisa grows when Mike bolts out of the apartment. It is then when the pasts of the three characters comes to light, as well as the compassion Tobi has for life itself and for this young woman.
“Life is never meant to be lived in a rut,” is the guidance Tobi imparts to Lisa, who has just revealed her dissatisfaction with the state of her life and her marriage. It is evident Tobi has lived his life to the fullest, and still does. He greets everything with gusto and a bit of whimsy.
Stewart’s performance is not only gripping, but his play with humor adds immeasurably to the adoration viewers will feel for this aging dancer. The 24 hours played out in the film is poignant and memorable, thanks to Stewart’s talent as both a dramatic and comedic actor. He makes this character endearing.
The ulterior motive for Lisa and Mike’s visit threatens to derail everyone’s life. It is Tobi who manages to make the adjustment with heartfelt emotions.
Patrick Stewart is currently filming the new TV series “Blunt Talk” for the Starz network. In that show the actor plays another senior who vacillates between humor and drama at the drop of a dime.
“Match” is rated R for language, sexual dialogue and some drug use.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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New Shows for Preschoolers
Several new shows designed for young viewers are premiering August 2015. “Dinotrux”, “Wishenpoof”, and “Shimmer and Shine” entertain young minds as well as impart valuable life lessons for preschoolers.
DINOTRUX
Netflix premiers their new animated show “Dinotrux” on August 14. Combining dinosaurs with vehicles, the characters in this series are not only cute, but they are also handy. The Dinotrux and the Reptools (reptiles and tools) work together to build a friendly community. “The story is the unlikely friendship of the biggest and the smallest, a T-Trux and a Reptool, and how their friendship changes the world,” explained executive in charge of production Gregg Goldin. “The heart of it is making sure we have lovable characters, lots of adventure, and lots of laughs. There are ingredients for everybody on the show.”
The concept of the show boggles the mind. This is indeed a very creative series filled with imagination. It’s set in the “Mechazoic Era” which has all the rules of the world we know, with a twist – the combination of talking factual animals with inanimate objects.
The show focuses on teamwork and the concepts important to today’s kids like sharing, respect, and cooperation. While it might seem like the show would appeal mainly to young boys, there are some female characters that will catch the eyes of little girls.
WISHENPOOF
The new Amazon original animated series “Wishenpoof” premiers August 14 with 13 episodes filled with fun and some magic – the magic of Wishen-poof. Young Bianca has the magic, as does her mother. Unfortunately, her father and younger brother Ben do not. But Bianca learns that magic isn’t necessary to help people, and in the first episode she discovers that she doesn’t need to rely on her magic to help her friends believe in themselves.
The series incorporates the seven essential life skills framework: self-control, perspective taking, communicating, creativity, critical thinking, taking on challenge, and self-directed engaged learning. “Bianca is a great role model for younger children, enabling them to take into account others’ perspectives and make good choices,” explains Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios.
Along with her stuffed bear Bob, to whom she has given life (think of Ted without the R rating), Bianca fills every episode with fun as she magically, and often not magically, helps her friends fulfill their wishes and conquer their fears. This is definitely a cute show with imagination that might have your own preschooler yearning for the magic of Wishenpoof.
SHIMMER AND SHINE
Another magical animated series, “Shimmer and Shine”, premiers August 17 on Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a young girl, Leah, who has a secret. She has twin genies, Shimmer and Shine, who grant her three wishes a day. The thing is, they don’t always get things right. After all, they are kind of new at this as they are genies-in-training. Even with all their mishaps, they manage to make their way through their dilemmas.
“The beautiful fantasy world of “Shimmer and Shine” offers endless possibilities for magical adventures and preschoolers will love the genies’ playful humor and enthusiasm,” said Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s President of Content Development and Production.
The series has a social-emotional curriculum featuring teamwork, resilience, and overcoming obstacles. “In each episode, our girls are faced with obstacles that they have to work together to overcome. As a mother of two young kids, I see how important it is to help empower our children with an understanding of resilience. Through the series, we help kids see that even though the outcome may not be exactly what they wished for, there is always a way to figure things out,” explained creator Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz.
Leah’s friend Zac provides a lot of the comic relief, and a male character to make the episodes appealing to young boys as well as girls. And with the twins’ monkey and cat, there are plenty of characters to adore in this entertaining show.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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Turbo FAST Activity Sheets download
On July 31st, Turbo and his crew take Turbotown by storm in the all-new season of DREAMWORKS TURBO FAST, premiering exclusively on Netflix July 31st. The world’s coolest snails take a turn off the track and set off on a wild ride filled with hilarious hijinks at every turn. You’ll laugh out loud when they launch into outer space, battle an apocalyptic robot, clash with a ninja stinkbug and escape a booby-trapped treasure hunt!
Catching Faith DVD Giveaway
John and Alexa Taylor appear to have the perfect life – they’re the envy of all the parents in town. Their son Beau is the high school football star and their daughter Ravyn is a straight-A student. But when Beau is caught drinking alcohol, his place on the team and his bright future are on the line. With the football season at stake and the judgmental community turning their backs on them, every member of the Taylor family is at a crossroads. Now, they must find the strength from one another, and the spiritual courage from within, to prove that faith and family is the only score that really matters.
We have some DVDs to giveaway.
To be eligible to win a copy of Catching Faith, email us at [email protected] with “Catching Faith Giveaway” in the title. Please supply your name, address, phone number and email address (so we can let you know if you are a winner).
The deadline for this giveaway is August 18, 2015.
To see the trailer, go to www.catchingfaith.com
The World of Henry Orient on Blu-ray
Nominated for the Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy at the 1965 Golden Globes and named one of the Top Ten Films in 1964 by the USA National Board of Review, ‘The World of Henry Orient’ introduced two young girls to movie audiences. Tippy Walker and Merrie Spaeth star as Val and Gil in this fun story of a pair of 14-year-old “practically adolescent” girls who meet and form a lifelong friendship.
This quirky story has the two rambunctious teens traipsing all over New York City following a man who has unwittingly stolen the heart of young Val. Henry Orient (Peter Sellers) is a lothario pianist who has captured the attention and interest of the two girls. They make it their mission to find out everything they can about this eccentric man. Their imaginations and outgoing personalities fuel their lives and their quest for all things Henry Orient. They even wear Asian style hats as they gallivant around the city. After all, Henry’s last name is Orient so what is more appropriate than that?
While they are stalking Mr. Orient, their personal lives also take a primary role in this little film. Gil’s mother (Phyllis Thaxter) offers Val the parental guidance and support the girl doesn’t have with her absent parents (Angela Lansbury and Tom Bosley). And Henry’s womanizing is yet another side story ending in what is a sensitive and turning point in Val’s life.
As Val and Gil bumble their way around town, they leave a wake of confusion and suspicion. These two girls are whacky yet they possess a sweet innocence that makes them loveable.
The film has been highly praised and provided a landmark teen movie for the time. This was and is a beloved story that invokes the fun of childhood combined with the convergence into adulthood.
‘The World of Henry Orient’ is now available in a limited edition of 3,000 Blu-ray from Twilight Time. It can be ordered at www.screenarchives.com. With these two playful girls, a great performance by Sellers, and a wonderful score by Elmer Bernstein, the movie is well worth viewing. To put it bluntly, it’s just plain fun.
‘The World of Henry Orient’ is not rated.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
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JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness on PBS
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, “JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness” documents the passage of two very important and critical laws ever passed by the U.S. Congress. With the passage of time these laws have blurred into our collective memory, but the actual events involved in their creation are worth revisiting.
While the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is credited to JFK, it was LBJ who took up the torch after Kennedy’s assassination and spearheaded the law through congress. Kennedy had sent the bill to Capitol Hill on June 19, 1963, however it was Johnson who knew how to artfully get the bill passed, due to his extensive background working on “the hill.”
LBJ was dedicated to Civil Rights long before the Kennedy administration took up the cause. As his daughter Luci says, “His commitment to the civil rights movement was bound to his compassion to those who were impoverished, …” Johnson’s relationship with Martin Luther King, Jr. helped ensure the issue would stay at the forefront of the Johnson administration.
Johnson biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin explains about JFK and LBJ, “Together they formed an important moment in our history …” She added neither of them could have achieved this alone. It took Kennedy’s initial push to get the ball rolling and Johnson’s know-how to get the laws enacted.
LBJ used the presidency to subtly – or not quite so subtly – desegregate the oval office by hiring the first black secretary to the president (Geraldine Whittington) and then taking her to an all-white club in Texas where in that one night managed to change the club’s policy forever.
For people who aren’t fully versed in how the congress acts and reacts, filibusters are one tool used to run out the clock and wear down the members of the houses of congress. A filibuster was attempted to derail the Civil Rights Act, but it was LBJ who came out on top by standing firm and outlasting the filibuster, which, as viewers will learn, lasted nearly 534 hours. On June 19, 1964, one year to the day after JFK sent the bill to Capitol Hill, the Civil Rights Act was passed by a vote of 73-27.
This historic law did not end discrimination policies and the march from Selma to Montgomery showed the country and LBJ that more work was needed. The events at Selma are examined in this film. Those events led to the passage of the Johnson administration’s second historic bill, the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The documentary examines the history of the country in the 1960s, the two important laws passed by congress, as well as JFK and LBJ. With interviews (Luci Johnson, Goodwin, presidential aides and others), footage from the past and reenactments from actual phone transcripts, this is an informative and important look at this turbulent time in American history.
While many people only remember LBJ as the president who waged the war in Vietnam, his legacy includes these two historic laws as well as other social issues that formed the country in the 1960s. For those who were not alive during this difficult time, the film is a good lesson about our history and the intentness of JFK and LBJ to move the country forward.
“JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness” premiers Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
Follow her on Twitter
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The Seventh Dwarf
The Seventh Dwarf is a cute, clever, and creative story merging many popular fairy tales together. This animated film also includes some fun, toe-tapping songs.
When Princess Rose (Sleeping Beauty) was born, she had a curse put on her by the evil Dellamorta. By her 18th birthday she would prick her finger with a needle and the entire kingdom would fall into a deep sleep for 100 years. Her father put armor around the child until she was 18 to ensure her safety.
Rose had another plan. She would send her true love Jack, a kitchen worker in the castle, to live with the seven dwarfs until the clock struck midnight on her birthday. Then, in case the witch’s curse came to be, he would return and kiss her to awaken the kingdom.
While on his way to the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs, Jack is kidnapped by Dellamorta and taken to her castle, which is guarded by her dragon Burner. Rose believes Jack is safe with the dwarfs so she isn’t afraid of the curse.
On her birthday everyone comes to celebrate, including a stylish Snow White, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, and an array of fairy tale characters. There is a lot of ruckus when Dellamorta emerges and things get prickly, pun intended.
The Seven Dwarfs are a fun little bunch. They even have their own song they sing while walking in line. It’s not quite the “High Ho” song from Snow White but it is just as catchy. Viewers will find they cannot get that song out of their head once the dwarfs start singing.
Bobo is the youngest dwarf and the clumsiest. He has good intentions, but he is a little awkward. When the witch’s curse comes to fruition and the kingdom is in deep slumber, Bobo and his six friends take off for Dellamorta’s castle (which in many ways is a nod to Elsa’s ice palace) to find Jack and bring him back to save Rose and the kingdom.
Bobo is a cute little guy and even though he is clumsy, he has a heart of gold and courage of steel. And, to top it all off, he manages to turn Burner into an ally.
Both children and their parents will enjoy this story of a brave little dwarf. There are many fun items and characters in the film that reflect on several other fairy tales. This mash-up of stories is done in a cute and enjoyable way.
Join Bobo, Cooky, Cloudy, Sunny, Tschakko, Speedy, Ralphy, along with Jack, Burner, and a gang of fairy tale characters in this imaginative new look at a classic story.
The Seventh Dwarf opens in Los Angeles and New York on July 31, 2015. It will be available on DVD and a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack August 18, 2015.
The Seventh Dwarf is rated PG.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment business for 20 years. She also writes about technology and has been a travel writer for the past 12 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.
Follow her on Twitter
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