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Idris Elba returns to the big screen in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, which released it’s explosive main trailer online today.

In the film, Elba plays Stacker Penetcost, a commanding officer who leads an army of human-controlled robots against alien sea creatures trying to take over Earth.

The official film synopsis reads:

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Elba, who’s last big movie role was in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, is seen in the new trailer wearing an illuminated helmet similar to the one in his previous movie role while he vows to cancel the apocalypse.

Pacific Rim opens in theaters on July 12.

The new trailer for Ryan Coogler’s Sundance award-winning film, Fruitvale Station, has been released online and it looks incredible.

The film is based on a true story and stars Michael B. Jordan (Friday Night Lights, Chronicle) as Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old San Francisco Bay Area man whose 2009 shooting by Oakland BART police sparked outrage and protests in the city.

The official synopsis reads:

FRUITVALE STATION follows the true story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year’s Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), who he hasn’t been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family, and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year’s Day. Oscar’s life and tragic death would shake the Bay Area – and the entire nation – to its very core.

Fruitvale Station, which received a standing ovation at Cannes, will be released in theaters on July 26.

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Broadway vet Norm Lewis is set to reprise his role as Javert in a MUNY stage production of Les Miserables, which will play the outdoor St. Louis venue from July 15 – 21.

 The Muny announced principal casting on Wednesday for the fifth show of its fantastic 95th season, Les Misérables. Broadway veterans Lewis and Hugh Panaro make their Muny debuts starring as Javert and Jean Valjean, respectively. Also starring is Michael McCormick as Thénardier. The production is directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, who served as the associate director and executive producer of the original Broadway, touring and Canadian companies of Les Misérables.

Joining these veterans is a thrilling group of five of the nation’s finest up-and-coming university musical theatre students who were personally selected by Jay-Alexander from the more than 1,500 performers who auditioned. They are: Charlotte Maltby (University of Michigan) as Fantine, Alex Prakken (University of Michigan) as Marius, Bobby Conte Thornton (University of Michigan) as Enjolras, Katie Travis (Central Michigan University) as Cosette, and Lindsey Mader (University of Oklahoma) as Eponine. Rounding out the cast will be Tiffany Green as Madame Thénardier, Lily McDonald as Young Eponine, Lilly Kanterman as Young Cosette, and Jimmy Coogan as Gavroche. They will be joined by an ensemble of 11 women and 14 men.

Lewis was last seen as Senator Edison Davis on the hit ABC drama, Scandal. He recently received Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for his performance as Porgy in the Broadway production of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. His Broadway credits include Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid, Les Miserables, Chicago, Amour, The Wild Party, Side Show, Miss Saigon, Tommy. West End/London: LES MISERABLES, LES MISERABLES 25th Anniversary Concert (London’s O2 Arena, PBS). Off-Broadway: Ragtime with the New York Philharmonic (Avery Fisher Hall), Dessa Rose (Drama Desk nomination, AUDELCO Award), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Drama League nomination), Captains Courageous, A New Brain. Regional: Porgy in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (A.R.T.), Ragtime, Dreamgirls (with Jennifer Holliday), First You Dream, Sweeney Todd, The Fantasticks. Film: Sex and the City 2, Confidences, Preaching to the Choir. Television: Scandal, Mystery Women, All My Children, As the World Turns, Cosby, Strong Medicine. CD: Norm Lewis: This Is the Life!

To purchase Season Tickets by phone, call (314) 361-1900, extension 550, or order online at www.muny.org. The Muny Box Office is now open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

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The first trailer for Lee Daniels‘ The Butler has been released online and it’s pretty stunning!

The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen (Forest Whitaker), an African-American man who served as a butler in the White House for over thirty years. As an employee of the White House,  Allen sat front row through significant changes in American society, such as the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam war.

The super star-studded cast includes, among others, Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey,  David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz, Colman Domingo, Aml Ameen, Nelsan Ellis, and Michael Rainey Jr.

The Butler opens in theaters on Oct. 18.

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Damon Wayans Jr. has teamed up with Nivea Men (you know, the company behind that racist ad) to create a branded comedy series to promote the brand’s grooming products. In this new original web series “Just Face It,” viewers follow Ty (Wayans) as he silences one irritation after another in pursuit of a smoother life.

In the premiere episode, Ty reflects on the merits of bachelorhood when his girlfriend Mandy abruptly moves out. Can his best friend Nicky cheer him up or will a chance encounter with a beautiful co-worker help him move on?

In the second episode, Ty discovers finding a new roommate isn’t as easy as it sounds. Check it out below.

For more episodes, head over to their Youtube channel and subscribe.

Anthony Mackie was recently spotted shooting scenes from Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier in Los Angeles last week. In the film, Mackie plays Sam Wilson aka The Falcon, a former criminal turned flying superhero. Falcon is often referred to as the first African-American superhero in mainstream comic books.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier picks up where Marvel’s The Avengers left off, as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C.

Falcon wore an extravagant red costume with wings in the comic books, so we’re unsure if Mackie’s black military garb will be his final look in the film. Check out the pics below.

(Photos: WENN/Lainey Gossip)

Hundreds of screaming fans welcomed Will Smith and his teenage son Jaden to Taipei on Friday where the proud father spoke about ‘the family business’ of making movies.

The father-son duo will continue their Asian ‘After Earth’ promotional tour on Monday with a public event hosted by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, at the Taipei 101, where he will present gifts to 100 underprivileged kids and then join them in a promotional exercise designed to drum up support for the protection of the environment.

‘After Earth’ hits theaters in the US on May 31. The film will be released in Taiwan the following week.

Faye Thomas

British actor Gary Carr has joined the Season 4 cast of the award-winning period drama.

Carr will play Jack Ross, a charismatic Jazz singer.

The casting marks the first time a black actor will have a major recurring role on the show and sets the stage for a plotline that will focus on race relations in 1920s Yorkshire.

Carr’s addition will bring “interesting twists” to the acclaimed drama, says executive producer Gareth Neame.

Carr’s tv credits include U.K. series “Bluestone 42,” “Death in Paradise” and “Silent Witness.”

Downton Abbey returns to the U.K. in September and the U.S. in January 2014.

The nominations for American Theatre Wing’s 67th annual Tony Awards were announced early Tuesday morning.

Performers from productions such as ‘Kinky Boots,’ “Motown The Musical,” Pippin,” “Lucky Guy,” “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” and “The Trip to Bountiful” were nominated in various categories. Only Broadway shows that opened since April 26, 2012, are eligible.

The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing will broadcast the ceremony live from Radio City Music Hall on June 9.

The Nominees

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical:

Valisia LeKae,  Motown The Musical 

Patina Miller,  Pippin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical:

Billy Porter, Kinky Boots

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play:

Courtney B. Vance, Lucky Guy

Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Play: 

Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Charl Brown, Motown the Musical

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play:

Condola Rashad,  The Trip to Bountiful

Shalita Grant, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike 

For the full list of nominees, head over to the Tony website.

American Horror Story: Coven has recruited a Precious star for their upcoming new season.

Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe has joined the third season cast of the acclaimed FX drama series, showrunner Ryan Murphy announced on Twitter Monday.

“Thrilled to announce Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe is joining the cast of ‘American Horror Story: Coven,’ Murphy tweeted.

No details were given on what role Sidibe will play on the show. However, Murphy did reveal that the new season will be “more historic in nature.”

Sidibe joins heavy hitters Kathy Bates and Emmy winner Jessica Lange. Previous cast members includes Morris Chestnut and Charles S. Dutton.

Sidibe, who currently plays an aspiring fashion student in Showtime’s The Big C: Hereafter, scored an Academy Award nomination for her powerful performance in Lee Daniel‘s Precious.

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Larry Gilliard Jr has been cast as a series regular in AMC’s hit zombie series The Walking Dead.

Gilliard will play Bob Stookie, a former Army medic who is “deeply haunted by his past (both before and after the zombie apocalypse).” Described as the town drunk in the comic book, his character has a charming and self-deprecating facade despite his troubled past.

Gilliard, best known as small time drug dealer D’Angelo Barksdale on HBO’s The Wire, has also starred in hit shows such as Southland and Army Wives.

The actor joins previously announced Chad Coleman (a fellow “Wire” alum) and Sonequa Martin-Green as regulars on Season 4.

Lets hope the revolving door on black characters will come to an end and the series will allow more than one black male to shine at the same time.

The Walking Dead Season 4 will premiere in October on AMC.

Johnny Ray Gill made his return to the small screen earlier this week on the two-hour series premiere of Rectify, Sundance channel’s new drama about a man released after 19 years in prison for murder.

The rising star plays Kerwin Whitman, a prison inmate sitting on death row with a strong will to live. His character befriends the show’s protagonist, Daniel Holden, the inmate who’s released from prison after new DNA evidence emerges.

“He’s a very conflicted character. I think he’s joyous but without joy,” Gill explains in the new video clip. “I think he’s powerful but without power.”

Although he’s not the lead character in the series, Gill has a key role that plays an integral part in the series plot. When we first meet Kerwin, he’s being escorted to his cell on death row for the first time and he can barely keep his composure. It’s also revealed that he has been convicted of killing a 3 year-old girl.

“When you see characters like this, they’re often stereotypes: insert inmate here, and they scowl for two minutes while they move the story forward. I wanted to fill him with humanity,” Gill told the Oregonian.

Gill first appeared on network television in 2011 as a series regular on NBC’s “Harry’s Law.” Since then, he’s had roles on shows like “Bones” and HBO’s “True Blood.” The actor is also gearing up to play a gang banger on death row on the upcoming third season of AMC’s “The Killing.”

“Rectify” airs Mondays at 10pm EST on the Sundance Channel.

Corbin Bleu has been added to the cast of One Life to Live. The High School Musical star will invade laptops and video streaming devices next week when the long-running soap opera returns as a web series.

Bleu will play Jeffrey King, a brand new character who works as a digital consultant at The Banner (Viki Buchanan’s Newspaper). His character will help bring the paper into the digital era–a theme that mirrors the show.

Bleu joins Sean Ringgold, who will reprise his role as Shaun Evans, along with Laura Harrier and most of the original cast.

In addition to “OLTL” returning, All My Children will also return online next Monday with much of it’s cast intact (including Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams), along with a few newbies as well.

The premiere episode of One Life To Live will be available to stream online April 29 on Hulu Plus and iTunes.

(Photo: The Online Network/David M. Russell)

Released Monday, a new international poster for Snowpiercer, the upcoming sci-fi thriller, gives us a glimpse into the futuristic world of director Bong Joon-ho.

The poster features one of the story’s main characters, Tanya (Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer), in what could be described as a desolate, post-apocalyptic world theme. The actress is dressed in tattered clothing with a headband holding back wild mane.

Snowpiercer is set in the future where, after a failed experiment to stop global warming, an Ice Age kills off all life on the planet except for the inhabitants of the Snowpiercer — a train that travels around the globe and is powered by a sacred perpetual-motion engine.

The sci-fi film, which also stars Marcanthonee Reis, is slated for a summer 2013 release.

Jamie Foxx was captured filming scenes on the set of Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in Times Square on Monday. In the film, Foxx plays Max Dillon, an electrical engineer who becomes super-villain Electro after being struck by lightning while working on a powerline and being left with the ability to control electricity.

As far as his storyline goes, the actor shared insight into his character. “He’s cutting out Spider-Man’s face and pasting it on all his boards… then everything goes bad with his mom,” says Foxx. “She doesn’t remember his birthday. He has something tragic happen and, when it turns on, he lights it up.”

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens in theaters on May 2, 2014.

(Photos: News Group Newspapers LTD)

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Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has joined the cast of Film District’s 3D period adventure, Pompeii.

Set in the days leading up to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, a slave (Kit Harington) on a ship heading for Naples works to get home to save the woman he loves and his best friend, a gladiator trapped inside the city’s coliseum.  Emily Browning, Kiether Sutherland and Jessica Lucas round out the cast.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play an enslaved gladiator who befriends Harington’s character.

“Pompeii is the kind of big and bold film we all love to go to the movies to experience,” said FilmDistrict CEO Peter Schlessel.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje, best known for his role as Adebisi on Oz, was last seen in this year’s Bullet to The Head. He can be seen next in Thor: The Dark World and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete. His past credits include Killer Elite and The Thing.

Pompeii hits theaters on February 28, 2014.