Canada
The Revenant” toolkit is here in Blu-ray and DVD
By Jenny Alvarez
Photos Agency
Inspired by true events, The Revenant is an epic story of survival and transformation on the American frontier. Read more
Lewis Black The Rant is Due: Part Deux 2015 Tour
By GTVW Staff
Photos Agency
LEWIS BLACK, GRAMMY Award-winning, stand-up comedian, is one of the most prolific and popular performers working today. He executes a brilliant trifecta as a stand-up comedian, actor and author. Receiving critical acclaim, he performs more than 200 nights annually, to sold-out audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. He is one of a few performers to sell out multiple renowned theaters, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York City Center, the Main Stage at the Mirage in Las Vegas and most recently, a sold-out Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City.
His live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. He is a passionate performer who is a more pissed-off optimist than a mean-spirited curmudgeon. Lewis is the rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world.
LEWIS BLACK came into national prominence with his appearances on THE DAILY SHOW in 1996. Those appearances on THE DAILY SHOW led to comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime and Epix. In 2001, he won Best Male Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards. He has released eight comedy albums, including the 2007 GRAMMY Award-winning The Carnegie Hall Performance. He won his second GRAMMY Award for his album Stark Raving Black and has published three bestselling books: Nothing’s Sacred (Simon & Schuster, 2005), Me of Little Faith(Riverhead Books, 2008) and I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas (Riverhead Books, 2010).
National Geographic Channel’s KILLING JESUS Charts the Intense Political, Social and Historical Conflicts That Led to the Execution of One of History’s Most Well-Known Figures
By GTVW
Photos Agency
It’s a story nearly the whole world knows, with more than 2.2 billion people around the globe following the teachings and principles of Jesus of Nazareth. But the intimate historical details of his life and the political collusions that led to his brutal demise bring intriguing context to the familiar story. This spring, National Geographic Channel’s KILLING JESUS, produced by Scott Free Productions and based on the New York Times best-selling book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, dives deep inside the historical story of how Jesus’ message and preachings led to his persecution and execution by a group of conspirators who saw him as a threat to their power.
KILLING JESUS, a three-hour television event, will premiere on Palm Sunday, March 29, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on National Geographic Channel in the United States, globally in 171 countries in 45 languages and in Spanish on Nat Geo Mundo. The film is the third collaboration between NGC, Scott Free and Bill O’Reilly, whose first two projects together, Emmy-nominated Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, are respectively the two most-watched programs in the network’s history.
Combining epic cinematography with intimate storytelling, KILLING JESUS was shot entirely in the Moroccan desert with a crew of 250 and more than 4,500 extras. The 93 speaking roles are brought to life by an incredibly diverse cast, with actors representing Lebanon, Morocco, Czech Republic, Ireland, Great Britain, Israel, Canada, Syria, Australia and the United States. The massive production, unlike anything undertaken by National Geographic Channel before, puts familiar Biblical characters under a new lens to give them layers of meaning rarely explored before.
Leading the cast are Kelsey Grammer (“Partners,” “Boss”) as King Herod the Great, the unrelenting and ambitious Roman-appointed King of Judea, who notoriously ordered the murder of all baby boys in Bethlehem, and Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”) as Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion.
Haaz Sleiman (“The Visitor”) portrays the title character Jesus, with Rufus Sewell (“Hercules”) as Caiaphas, high priest of Jerusalem and conspirator in Jesus’s death; Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Entourage”) as Herodia, ex-wife of Herod II and wife of his brother Antipas, who manipulated her husband into having John the Baptist beheaded; Eoin Macken (“The Night Shift”) as Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea; John Rhys Davies (“Indiana Jones”) as Annas, a high priest in Jerusalem who first questioned Jesus and his teachings; Abhin Galeya as John the Baptist, who was considered a prophet and arrested and killed by Antipas; and Stephanie Leonidas (“Defiance”) as Salome, daughter of Herod II and Herodias, whose dancing led to the demise of John the Baptist.
Rounding out the cast is Aneurin Barnard (“The White Queen”) as James, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles; Vernon Dobtcheff (“Before Sunset”) as Isaiah, the prophet whom King Herod claimed came to him in a dream and prophesied his death; Tamsin Egerton (“The Look of Love”) as Claudia, the wife of Pontius Pilate; John Lynch (“Sliding Doors”) as Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the high court in Israel, who was sympathetic to Jesus; Joe Doyle (“Reign”) as Judas, the apostle who eventually betrayed Jesus; Alexis Rodney (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) as Simon (Peter), the apostle who was Jesus’ closest confidant; and Chris Ryman (“28 Weeks Later”) as Malchus, a servant to Caiaphas.
With a script from Academy and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Walon Green (“The Wild Bunch”), and directed by BAFTA Award-winner Chris Menaul (“The Passion of Ayn Rand,” “Fatherland”), KILLING JESUS brings a rich perspective to Jesus’ story that will intrigue believers and nonbelievers alike.
KILLING JESUS begins in the era of Jesus’ birth, with King Herod the Great ruling Judea, but feeling uneasy about potential threats to his power. This uneasiness leads Herod to order the murder of all boys under age 2, but a young Jesus and his family have already escaped. Moving 26 years into the future, we follow Jesus as he starts to develop and spread his message and begins to amass a following of devout believers. At the same time, new political players, including Herod’s son Antipas and Roman-appointed ruler Pontius Pilate, find themselves troubled by the growing influence of Jesus, while leaders in the Jewish Temple, Caiaphas and Annas, question his teachings and methods.
Through collusion, conspiracy and influence, Jesus is eventually arrested, in part due to the betrayal of one of his disciples, and crucified. He is buried in an unguarded tomb, and when mourners return several days later to anoint his body, the body is missing.
To this day, the body of Jesus of Nazareth has never been found.
KILLING JESUS is produced by Scott Free Productions. For Scott Free, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker and Mary Lisio are executive producers along with Bill O’Reilly and Teri Weinberg. For National Geographic Channel, executive producers are Charlie Parsons and Heather Moran. Tim Pastore is NGC president of original programming and production.
Def Leppard Preps North American Summer Tour
By GTVW
Photos Agency
Def Leppard returns to the road this summer for an extensive North American tour. The Live Nation-promoted tour hitting nearly 50 cities across the U.S. and Canada will kick off on June 23 in Tampa, Fla.
Def Leppard’s influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums—including two of the best-selling albums of all time, Pyromania and Hysteria, capturing the group’s legendary tracks, bringing together classic Leppard hits such as “Rock of Ages,” Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Foolin.” The upcoming tour follows on the heels of the band’s massive 2014 co-headlining tour with KISS, last summer.
The Black Keys Confirm Fall North American Tour
By GalaTView Staff
Photos Agencies
The Black Keys will embark on an extensive North American tour this fall. The tour begins Sept. 5 in Columbus and runs through December, with dates at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, among others.
The tour supports the duo’s highly anticipated new album, Turn Blue, which will be released May 13 on Nonesuch Records. In celebration of the release, the band will return to Saturday Night Live for their third musical guest appearance this Saturday, May 10.
Produced by Danger Mouse, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, Turn Blue comprises 11 new tracks, including the first single, “Fever,” which is currently #1 on AAA radio for the fourth straight week and #2 on Alternative radio.
he band says Turn Blue could refer to:
A: Suffocation
B: Sadness
C: Numbness from extreme cold
D: A Cleveland late night TV host from the 1960s named Ghoulardi
E: All of the above
Carney also adds, “We are always trying to push ourselves when we make a record—not repeat our previous work but not abandon it either. On this record, we let the songs breathe and explored moods, textures and sounds. We’re excited for the world to hear Turn Blue.”
This is the eighth full-length album from the duo and follows 2011’s critically and commercially acclaimed El Camino, which is now certified RIAA Platinum. Internationally, El Camino is Gold in Belgium, Spain, Italy and Holland; Platinum in Ireland, France and the U.K.; and double Platinum in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The record also resulted in three awards at the 55th annual Grammy Awards—Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Album.
Jimi Hendrix is still alive
Jimi Hendrix more than four decades after his death, his latest single should put them to rest. The album arrives with the simultaneous release of newly struck mono vinyl editions of early Hendrix classic albums “Are You Experienced” and “Axis: Bold As Love.”
Cirque du Soleil comes with Dralion in Long Beach,CA
By Jenny Alvarez
Photos by Cirque du Soleil
Long Beach Arena in Long Beach will have six performances only of Dralion from November 1 – 4. Fusing the 3000 year-old tradition of Chinese acrobatic arts with the multidisciplinary approach of Cirque du Soleil, Dralion (pronounced “Dra-lee-on”) draws its inspiration from Eastern philosophy and its never-ending quest for harmony between humans and nature.
The show’s name is derived from its two emblematic creatures: the dragon, symbolizing
the East, and the lion, symbolizing the West. In Dralion, the four elements that govern the natural order take on a human form. Thus embodied, each element is represented by its own evocative color: air is blue; water is green; fire is red; earth is ochre. In the world of Dralion, cultures blend, Man and Nature are one, and balance is achieved. The best part is when the ‘clowns’ have the humor for an adult subtlety to it but is a familiar show. There is not so much a narrative story-line to Dralion as other shows similar to this one. However, it has exotic elements, clever clowning, world class acts of amazing skill and lovely grace of 52 world-class acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers and comedic characters with beautifully evocative music, elegant costumes and many dancing dragons. Sometimes some people couldn’t applaud at the end of an act because most of them were too amazed- just sat there, trying to process what they had just seen, as a spectator you will have a wonderful time!
