Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse Like Omigod, They Totally Remade Valley Girl By Jay S. Jacobs Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse were barely – or not even – born yet in the 1980s (Rothe was born in 1987, Whitehouse in 1990), but now they are totally celebrating that gnarly decade. The reason for their new interest in the era is Valley Girl, their new jukebox musical film celebrating the music and styles of Los Angeles in the 80s. Valley Girl is a loose remake and celebration

Last Christmas LAST CHRISTMAS (2019) Starring Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson, Rebecca Root, Lydia Leonard, Patti LuPone, Madison Ingoldsby, Ingrid Oliver, Rob Delaney, John-Luke Roberts , Peter Serafinowicz, Fabien Frankel, David Mumeni, Jade Anouka, Ritu Arya, Madison Ingoldsby, Boris Isakovic, Maxim Baldry and Rob Delaney. Screenplay by Emma Thompson and Bryony Kimmings. Directed by Paul Feig. Distributed by Universal Pictures. 102 minutes. Rated

Andrew Bowler and Asa Butterfield on the set of “Time Freak.” Andrew Bowler If He Could Turn Back Time by Jay S. Jacobs Andrew Bowler has spent most of the last decade thinking about time machines, and he’s not so sure they would be a good thing. The writer/director first started writing about them in about 2010, which led to the 2012 short “Time Freak,” which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short. That recognition prompted him to make a full-length script bas

Richard E. Grant at the New York Press Day for “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” at the Whitby Hotel on October 13, 2018. Richard E. Grant Forms an Odd Couple with Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? by Jay S. Jacobs Richard E. Grant has been quietly putting together one hell of a career for himself in the three decades since he exploded on the scene as the title character in the film Withnail & I. Since then, Grant has disappeared into dozens of roles, in things like the S

Anchor and Hope ANCHOR AND HOPE (2017) Starring Oona Chaplin, Natalia Tena, David Verdaguer, Geraldine Chaplin, Trevor White, Charlotte Atkinson, Lara Rossi, Philip Arditti, Meghan Treadway, Rogers Leona, Faith Edwards, Laraine Dix, Taya De La Cruz, Becky Bullman, Peyton Jowers and Kimberly J. Forbes. Screenplay by Carlos Marques-Marcet and Jules Nurrish. Directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet. Distributed by Wolfe Releasing. 113 minutes. Not Rated. Screened at the 2018 Philadelph

Actress Abbie Cornish at the 2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship Ceremonies at Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. The Stars Come Out For the 2018 Heath Ledger Scholarship By Lindsey Blick Pop Entertainment was invited to cover the arrivals at the Heath Ledger Scholarship event at the historic Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. It was a night of gratitude, love, and beautiful memories of a man that inspired many people. Everyone was dressed to the nines as they gathered to walk the red carp

Ibiza IBIZA (2018) Starring Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson, Richard Madden, Michaela Watkins, Augustus Prew, Humphrey Ker, Anthony Welsh, Félix Gómez, Jordi Mollà, Nelson Dante, Anjela Nedyalkova, Miguel Angel Silvestre, Marina Salas, Tea Vracic, Bojan Ban, Tara Thaller, Marko Paradzik, Ivan Devcic, Bozena Bilanovic and Petar Cvirn. Screenplay by Lauryn Kahn. Directed by Alex Richanbach. Distributed by Netflix. 104 minutes. Rated TV-MA. When Netflix announced

Cosplay at Wizard World On Top of the Wizard World by Jay S. Jacobs Such a feeling is coming over us. There is wonder in most everything we see. The reason is clear, it’s because Wizard World is back. Philly’s baby sister to San Diego and New York’s huge corporate Comic-Cons, Wizard World Philadelphia is a more intimate and easy to manage melding of the stars, the cars, the paraphernalia, the games (video and board), the cosplayers, the food and drink (all at stadium prices),

Ellie Kendrick stars in “The Levelling.” Ellie Kendrick Levelling the Field by Jay S. Jacobs You always think of the bright, shiny places that young actors go to find stardom. However, acclaimed young British actress Ellie Kendrick is making a buzz by literally descending into the muck. Though she is only 26, Kendrick has been making a name for herself in British television and film for well over a decade. Her first starring role was in a television version of The Diary of An

The Levelling THE LEVELLING (2016) Starring Ellie Kendrick, David Troughton, Jack Holden, Joe Blakemore, Clare Burt, Angela Curran, Stephen Chapman, Joe Attewell, Ben Frimstone, John Sell and Jake Sparks. Screenplay by Hope Dickson Leach. Directed by Hope Dickson Leach. Distributed by Monterey Media. 84 minutes. Rated R. There is a bleak and overwhelming feel of filth and desperation surrounding the extraordinary British homecoming drama The Levelling. Guilt, tragedy and recr

Phillip P. Keene in “Major Crimes.” Phillip P. Keene Giving the Buzz on Major Crimes by Jay S. Jacobs It’s hard enough to find a good role in a hit series in modern Hollywood. Phillip P. Keene knows that he has gotten an extraordinary opportunity, to play the same fan-favorite role in two different series now, for over a decade. Keene has been playing Buzz Watson – a CSI videographer who works for the Los Angeles police – through much of the run of The Closer and the entire r

Game of Thrones Dance of the Dragons at Dilworth Plaza in Philadelphia on March 16, 2016. Photo copyright 2016 Nick Bergmann. Game of Thrones Releases the Dragons on Philadelphia Dragons took flight over the skies of Center City Philadelphia on Wednesday. People showed up by the thousands, filling Dilworth Park and the streets surrounding City Hall to catch a glimpse at this spectacle. All of this to mark the release of Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD. Game

Jake Marcionette in New York. Photo by Nick Bergmann © 2016 Jake Marcionette Surviving in the YA World by Jay S. Jacobs When you hear the term Young Adult books, you tend to think of these younger people as being the readers of the books, not the writers. Jake Marcionette is doing his part to change that conception. Marcionette was only 12 years old when he wrote his first book, Just Jake.  At thirteen, that book was in book store and on the New York Times best-seller list ma

Rob Lowe in You, Me and the Apocalypse Rob Lowe and Iain Hollands Rob, Iain and the Apocalypse by Jay S. Jacobs What if the end of the world was coming, and it was the best thing to ever happen to you? That is the premise of British scribe Iain Hollands’ new television series You, Me and the Apocalypse, the story of a motley crew of humans dealing with the announcement of a huge comet due to strike the Earth in 34 days time. The series (a co-production of the BBC and NBC-TV)

Claudia Kim and Rick Yune at the New York Press Day for the Netflix series “Marco Polo” at Mandarin Oriental Hotel on December 10, 2014. Photo ©2014 Brad Balfour. All rights reserved. Rick Yune and Claudia Kim Korean Actors Add Intrigue to New Netflix Series Marco Polo by Brad Balfour With a storyline that includes drama, sex, and exotic visuals, Italian explorer Marco Polo‘s time spent in the court of 13th century Mongol ruler Kublai Khan provides all the necessary elements

Gregg Daniel at the New York City Public Library. Photo © 2014 Mark Doyle. All rights reserved. Gregg Daniel The Gospel According to True Blood’s Reverend Daniels by Jay S. Jacobs Whether he is treading the boards of the Great White Way (or it’s Los Angeles equivalent) or saving souls in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, Gregg Daniel demands attention. Not in some harsh and insistent way.  No, Daniel is much more is much more subtle in his approach.  Daniel is a long