Dylan O’Brien cast in The Maze Runner, plus Teen Wolf Season Three Promo

Posted in Celebrity, Film, Television by nlcorner

It looks like I’ve found another young adult series to get my teeth into after finishing the Michael Grant Gone series.

Any excuse to remind people I have met him and he's a good hugger.

Any excuse to remind people I have met him (yes I am crazy) and he’s a good hugger.

Deadline reports that Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien has been cast as Thomas the lead from the dystopian book The Maze Runner.

I’ve never heard of this series, but the brief premise is Thomas plays the main character who wakes up inside a maze with no memory of his previous life. Soon discovering that there are other boys who have all been dropped into the maze they live in the The Glade an encampment in the centre.

It sounds Hunger Games-esque purely because they have to survive the maze and the weird half creatures that threaten them. But I think I’m already interested to know what happens especially when there are already four books to get my teeth into.

The movie is to begin filming in May, directed by Wes Ball, it co-stars Skins actress Kaya Scodelario who has been quietly making a name for herself in Hollywood after starring in Wuthering Heights, Now is Good with Dakota Fanning and Emmanuel and the Truth about Fishes with Jessica Biel which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Also starring in The Maze Runner is Will Poulter who we’ve seen in The Chronicles of Narnia, The Son of Rambow and television series School of Comedy.

With a crop of British talent and the very funny Dylan O’Brien taking on his first serious lead role, I hope that it will be successful. If the first movie does well I assume that their contracts will include filming the whole trilogy which to any actor is always a good thing to have in the bag.

Now hurry up Teen Wolf, June 3 is a long way away!

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5Apr2013

US Television: Spot the Hollyoaks cast

Posted in Celebrity, Television by nlcorner

It turns out that Hollyoaks is the perfect launch pad for someone wanting to succeed in America, specifically Amercan television.

I love playing the game ‘spot the Hollyoaks cast’ because it is too fun remembering who they played on the Channel 4 soap.

First up Roxanne McKee aka Louise Summers:

Roxanne McKee in Game of Thrones

Roxanne joined the cast of Hollyoaks after an open casting call back in 2005, forgive me if I can’t remember all of her storylines but she was involved in a fair few major ones including getting married to bad boy Warren (Jamie Lomas) and him killing her on their wedding day.

I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone when I say she wasn’t the best actress, but apparently she has a great American agent who managed to land her a role as Doreah in season one of the super popular Game of Thrones on HBO. She starred as a handmaiden to Daenerys Targaryen, after she was married off to Khal Drogo. She has appeared in several episodes, and although not yet to appear in season three of GoT I don’t think she’s been killed off just yet.

Next up Barry Sloane aka killer Niall Rafferty:

Barry Sloane as Aiden Mathis in Revenge

I have to admit Niall Rafferty was a great character, I suppose mysterious killers in soapland always are. He joined Hollyoaks in 2007 and was found out to be the secret – and abandoned – son of Myra McQueen, he definitely had some anger issues and ended up kidnapping the whole family and blowing up a church killing Tina McQueen. He was even inadvertantly responsible for killing stalwart of the show Max Cunningham, which was so sad (at the time).

Now Barry Sloane can be seen starring in a recurring role on ABC’s Revenge as Aiden Mathis. He knows Emily’s secret and was with her when she trained with Takaeda her revenge master, she helped him find his sister and he is helping her in her quest for revenge against those who put her father on the path to being murdered. Definitely the most successful out of this lot, and he better not be getting killed off Revenge anytime soon I love my weekly dose of Bazza!

Finally Nathalie Emmanuel aka Sasha Valentine:

Nathalie Emmanuel in Game of Thrones

Now do we think Roxanne McKee put in a good word for Nathalie Emmanuel? As the first episode of the new season of Game of Thrones saw Daenerys Targaryen barter for some kind of crazy soldiers call the Unsullied that happen to feel no pain to build up her army, Nathalie Emmanuel plays the translator for the slave trader.

Nathalie Emmanuel was cast as Sasha Valentine and appeared in the soap back in 2006, alongside the ever handsome Ricky Whittle (who just so happens to be trying to crack America, shame your TV sister and a TV killer beat you to it) playing her brother Calvin Valentine. She had plenty of storylines, all along the lines of tried drugs, became a heroin addict, became a prostitute, slept with the aforementioned Warren, and I can’t remember what happened but I think her contract just ended and she left the show.

Just announced, Emma Rigby as The Red Queen in Once Upon a Time In Wonderland, aka Hannah Ashworth

Emma Rigby has joined the cast of new ABC show Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Emma Rigby joined Hollyoaks back in 2005 and left the soap after five years. Her most recognisable storyline was that of her suffering from an eating disorder triggered by the break down of her relationship with the gay character John Paul McQueen. It was powerful stuff for a soap and the death of one of Hannah Ashworth’s friends directly linked to anorexia was a first for any British soap. As well as suffering through the death-by-parachute of Sarah Barnes and her half-sister Beth Clement who was having an incestual relationship with her brother Rhys, she also had a relationship with Justin Barton who rescued her from a fire that killed Warren.

Emma will hopefully be on screen later this year playing the Red Queen in the new spinoff show Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The show will centre on Wonderland pre-curse and post-curse that has been played out in original drama Once Upon a Time. The cast will be filming a teaser and pilot after OUaT wraps up its current series, set to revolve around Alice (played by Sophie Lowe) who ‘has a big heart but carries the scars of a long hard life’ we will see Emma playing the Red Queen who is known to cut off people’s heads.

22Dec2012

The Best of The Importance of Being Oreo 2012

Posted in Awards, Celebrity, Diane and Josh, Fashion, Film, Models, Music, Red Carpet, Style Crush, Television, Twilight by nlcorner

As I’m currently compiling my best dressed of the year lists, I thought I’d look through my blog posts from this past year and pick out my favourite ones. It’s hugely self indulgent, but as I was looking back there were so much stuff I’d forgotten I’d written about especially in the earlier part of the year.

I’ve picked one from each month, so if you find yourself currently bored of wrapping presents have a look! Check back later in the week to see who made my Best Dressed of 2012.

January: Shailene Woodley vs Jennifer Lawrence - The two actresses at similar places in their careers, Jennifer Lawrence has had another great year with The Hunger Games and The Silver Linings Playbook.

Jennifer Lawrence in Dolce & Gabbana at the Independent Spirit Awards 2011 and Shailene Woodley in Honor at the 2012 AFI Awards.

February: Spring Couture - a look at my favourite couture pieces, Elie Saab has to be Being Oreo’s most featured designer!

Elie Saab Kasia Struss

March: New Yorkshire Music: Seafret - I interviewed this up and coming Yorkshire duo earlier this year, I predict big things for Seafret in the next few years!

April: Dawson’s Creek possible reunion - This topic will not die down, and now that Katie Holmes has been released from her marriage who knows what the future holds?!

May: Christina Ricci at the MET Gala - Christina Ricci was a standout at the MET Gala for me this year, the dress is super quirky but who would guess that she is only 5″1 she knows how to werq it!

Christina Ricci at the MET Gala 2012 in a bespoke Thakoon dress.

June: Blake Lively Savages press tour and Diane Kruger at Cannes 2012 - It was too difficult to pick just one post for June, especially when two of my favourite style crushes had fabulous runs on their respective red carpets. Blake Lively was back to her amazing self promoting Savages and Diane Kruger did a fantastic job as judge at the Cannes Film Festival with an array of couture.

Blake Lively in Zuhair Murad Couture at the LA Premiere of Savages

Diane Kruger in Vivienne Westwood at the Amour premiere in Cannes 2012

July: Kate Upton wants to enjoy life and eat - Kate Upton seems to have made an impression on everyone this year, she must be one of the most controversial models to grace the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue ever, all because she likes to eat apparently.

Kate Upton on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

September: It’s September again… Television time! - I like my American television, and I think this is a great guide for those who want to know what imports to watch when they appear on British tellyboxes. This year Fringe comes to an end, which I am very upset about as that will mean Joshua Jackson needs to get another job lined up sharpish!

Tyler Hoechlin as Derek in Teen Wolf. Check out the hilarious recaps from Price Peterson over at TV.com

October: Emma Stone and that Maje coat - One of my most popular posts this year, Emma Stone worked the hell out of that coat.

Emma Stone at the Musee Rodin in Paris, wearing a Maje coat.

November: A zombie romance for Valentine’s Day: Warm Bodies - This is on my 2013 film list already, really looking forward to seeing it and will get round to reading the book if it’s not too scary!

Nicholas Hoult as R in Warm Bodies, out February 8, 2013.

December: Twilight: Kristen Stewart - I definitely have a love/hate relationship with Kristen Stewart, I make myself laugh at how shocked I was she was named Best Dressed of 2012 by Glamour just a few months into the year! This is a round up of her best Twilight red carpet looks with an extra addition or two, but her street style will always keep her on my worst dressed list!

This technically isn’t related to Twilight, but Kristen in Reem Acra on the Cannes Red Carpet for Cosmopolis is one of my all time favourite Kristen looks.

16Sep2012

It’s September… again. Television time!

Posted in Girl Crush, Style Crush, Television, What were they thinking? by nlcorner

I think its just the way I’m wired, or the fact my mum is a teacher, but September still feels like the beginning of a new year.

It always was when you were at school, college and then university. Now, even though I am *regretfully* not at any of these institutions anymore, my brain still works in school years.

It also helps that in the television world September is the beginning of new pilots and returning shows after the summer hiatus. Even though in this hiatus we were very gratefully given two of the best continuing television shows ever - Pretty Little Liars (PLL) and Teen Wolf (TW).

Tyler Hoechlin as Derek in Teen Wolf. Check out the hilarious recaps from Price Peterson over at TV.com

I will miss these shows until 2013, although the highly-anticipated PLL Halloween episode is just around the corner, and in their place comes some of my favourite returning shows and those new pilots that the American television channels hope will capture the right audience and keep those all important ratings.

Last year I listed my shows in an ingenious way and of course I’ll do that again with an update of those shows that failed to make my grade (or got cancelled)…

Wouldn’t miss if my life depended on it:

Fringe – sadly this is the fifth and final season for my favourite show. Pacey will rise again.
Revenge – this show has been bumped from ‘Could fall at the first hurdle’ to an absolute must-watch. Last year I felt that this might not do well because it had no big names, I couldn’t have been more wrong. This show ranks in my top five shows throughout the year. Solid storylines, fantastic acting from Madeleine Stowe as Emily VanCamp’s arch nemesis Victoria Grayson, top fashion in the form of Brit actress and my new style/life crush Ashley Madekwe, the boys and scandal. (Currently airing in the UK on E4)
Awkward – coming to its summer season finale soon this is just a funny funny show. #TeamMatty all the way.
Teen Wolf - as mentioned above it is one of the best television shows MTV has come out with seriously worth a watch if not for all the abs and nakedness… Returns in summer 2013
Pretty Little Liars – Just had its mid-season finale which was mind-blowing, jaw-drop to the floor, oh my god so good. Please watch from the beginning. (Airs on UK Really channel on Freeview, not sure when its returning)

Must-watch:

Supernatural – This show has been downgraded I’m afraid. I do love the show and have been a faithful Jared/Jensen fan for many years now, but this show is coming into its 8th season and it lost its juice way back in season five. I still watch it and every now and again there is a really good episode but I think it needs to be let go, gently.
The Vampire Diaries (TVD) – Towards the end of the last season I was seriously lacking in love for this show. I mean I still liked it but there were way too many filler episodes and not enough action episodes. There were poignant episodes that worked with the overall arc, but it fell flat until that finale. I’ve seen the season four promo trailer and with Elena *SPOILER* now nearing the undead kind of life there is hope yet! Will she or won’t she? Of course she will! Drink the blood Elena, drink it!

Dexter - I gave up on this show not so long ago, got back into it and the season six finale had my jaw firmly on the floor. Going into season seven Dexter’s dark passenger is possibly in danger of been uncovered by his sister. What will he do?
New Girl – I love this show, it’s so laugh out loud funny that I can’t get enough. I don’t watch many comedy/sitcom shows so this more than fills my quota. I love Zooey Deschanel. Jess and Nick need to be together.
Homeland – Woah. Double woah. Argh *hair pulling*. I’m looking forward to seeing how this show moves forward as the end of the first season saw Carrie possibly losing a vital piece of information.
Once Upon a Time – This show is a way of escape, and with a little wish that the fairy tale world really does exist. The introduction of Hook, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, Jack (of Beanstalk) and a possible new prince in the form of Julian Morris hopping over from PLL has me yearning for its return.
The Newsroom – I’ll add this onto my list even though it’s on hiatus now until next summer. It took me until episode four to like this, the first few episodes were horribly shouty and a bit jumbled. The turning point was that episode and it defined what the show was about and how each episode was going to work, episode five was brilliant and gave our very own Brit actor Dev Patel the chance to shine because lets face it I DO NOT LIKE MAC. Emily Mortimer’s charcter is annoying to say the least, and don’t even get me started on Maggie (shouty, SHOUTY, and weak). The love quadrangle between Maggie/Don/Jim/Sloane is irritating and sometimes distracts from the news element that is at the forefront of the show and it wasn’t until the season finale that I even noticed Sloane liked Don(!) she doesn’t need a man she is too smart. Aaron Sorkin deserved GQ’s Writer of the Year!

Olivia Munn was on hand to award Aaron Sorkin with GQ Writer of the Year.

Returning shows:

Hart of Dixie – I have to admit I’m a huge OC fan and so watch this for Rachel Bilson, oh and Wilson Bethel’s abs.
Apartment 23 – Another comedy, with the best hook of them all James van der Beek plays an over the top version of himself. The. Best. Character. Ever. And also the possibility of a Dawson’s Creek reunion… well Busy Philips at least.
Glee – I don’t like Glee. I don’t like the singing, and I am really not a fan of the character Rachel, and Finchel (hopefully that will be ending in the new season). I do however love Santana and Brittany S. Pearce because they are funny. I still watch it for some reason.
Nikita – This show feels hit and miss sometimes, like it’s really good but then it’s just not. I’m not sure if it will get past season three, we’ll see as it managed to nab a renewal.
Gossip Girl – Thank god this is the final season. If I had written this three years ago I would have this show on the ‘Wouldn’t miss if my life depended on it’ list, now it sits down in the shows I will watch just to see what happens. The last season was such a ridiculous let down that I’m hoping the 10-episode final season will go out with a big bang.
90210 – I’m not sure why I watch this because looking at AnnaLynne McCord’s body every episode makes me stupid jealous.
Surburgatory – This show is another funny one, and I loved the Clueless reunion with Alicia Silverstone and Jeremy Sisto in the first season. I like it actually but it’s got a way to go before it gets bumped up a list.

Wilson Bethel as Wade in Hart of Dixie

New picks:

666 Park Avenue - I’m going to give this a couple of episodes, but by the sound of it the plot doesn’t sound strong enough. This could ‘fall at the first hurdle’.
Cult - I like the meta feature of this show, and I like ~~Alaric~~ Matt Davis. The idea is that journalist Jeff (Davis) is on the hunt for his missing brother who just before his disappearance became obsessed with a CW show called Cult. There’s lots of mystery around the show as it is believed it sends out subliminal messages and has a huge fanbase related to this, but as it has been pointed out, the show has apparently only aired a few episodes and in this day and age television shows don’t get a massive fanbase that quickly. I can put the errors aside if the show is good though.
The Carrie Diaries - This was going to happen in some form or another, the CW have placed an unknown fresh face as the centre of the show and are hoping for the best. AnnaSophia Robb plays a young Carrie in 1984, who when offered a internship at a law firm in New York snaps up the chance to get away from her Conneticut home life. She meets (Brit actress Freema Agyeman, Doctor Who) Larissa Loughton style editor at Interview Magazine and can’t get enough of her life and the life Carrie could have. There are plenty of issues that this show could throw up, especially the 80s dress code, and surprisingly Freema is probably one of the few mixed race actresses in a lead/supporting role on the CW…
Beauty and the Beast (2012) – Lending my support to a Smallville alumni, Kristin Kreuk stars as the beauty in this CW show, what I’m more interested in is how ugly an gruesome they will make the beast? Of course it’s the CW so probably not so much if the promo poster is anything to go by… (See below)
Arrow – Another CW show, and if you were a Smallville fan you’ll recognise the back story to the character of Oliver McQueen the billionaire playboy ~~former orphan~~ who goes missing presumed dead after a shipwreck and returns as some kind of vigilante. Green Arrow worked in Smallville as a support/sidekick/Justice Leage team member, but I do not feel ‘Arrow’ can carry a whole show by himself. Plus it’s not even the real Green Arrow, Justin Hartley has been replaced by a younger pretty brunette Stephen Amell.
Partners – Sophia Bush (of One Tree Hill fame) returns to television in what sounds like a fun show, don’t know if I’ll stick with it though.
The Following -Kevin Bacon on the small screen as a retired FBI profiler, tracking down a serial killer who has created his own cult of murderers. The premise sounds interesting, but some reviews of the Comic-Con screeners say there are major holes in the dialogue and that it’s basically “a Xerox of a copy of every serial killer movie, TV show, or novel of the last 20 years“.

Beauty and the Beast promo shot… I can just see a scar.

Cancelled:

Ringer – Poor SMG, she may be preggo with another baby but her show got cancelled. I admit I stopped watching it after about 9 episodes so it’s no loss, I just hope she finds something else to keep her on the tv!
The Secret Circle – Naaaawww I really liked this show and I really really really like Price Peterson’s recaps, as hilarious as the Teen Wolf ones. I was surprised it got cancelled, but it just didn’t get the ratings it needed to get renewed. Sad because the background story was intriguing, as well as the idea of killing off nearly all the adult characters.
Terra Nova – This was just so bad. I feel sorry for Steven Speilberg as a producer of the show, because it was his name attached to it that made me watch it in the first place. I had this idea that it would basically be a television series of Jurassic Park because it was set 85million years in the past. Obviously not.
Alcatraz – Gutted this got cancelled, I think the history of the show was so interesting even if the rest of the show was slightly predictable.
Pan Am – Think I watched two episodes before I got bored, I don’t think I’m suited to period television. Hence the reason I do not watch Downton Abbey.
Awake – I was going to give this a chance but then just forgot to watch it. I like Jason Isaacs and I would have liked to have found out which of his two worlds was the real one.
Charlie’s Angels – Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. WWTT?!Gl

Maybe…

25Apr2012

IMPORTANT NEWS Possible Dawson’s Creek Reunion

Posted in Diane and Josh, Television by nlcorner

It seems like the noughties are the decade for reunions, how many bands, television shows and movies have we seen re-cast, reboot, re-done? Plenty.

The most important news is how possibly close we are to some for of Dawson’s Creek reunion. According to an article on Zimbio.com the ever lovely (and clearly most successful and famous) Michelle Williams commented once again on how she would love a DC reunion! Yes she may have been saying this in jest, but for SUPER fans like myself I will take anything they give me and create a whole fantasy in my brain, so Jen goes: “I’ve always said, I’m totally up for reunion tours, reunion shows, so we can do that.”.

But of course you know and I know that Williams’ character Jen died in the very last episode, oh how many tears I have shed, so how could it be possible she would be part of reunion cast? Williams’ suggests coming back as a ghost! Genius.

Then we need the rest of them you say? Obviously the next most important cast member is… Joshua Jackson. He spoke to E!’s Marc Malkin recently and said he would totally welcome a gig on James Van Der Beek’s awesome new show Don’t Trust The B—– in Apartment 23. That’s close enough, but WE WANT PACEY.

Van Der Beek is currently starring in the new show on ABC as a heightened version of himself, cue plenty of DC gags and Paula Cole’s soundtrack song “I don’t want to wait” as background music. Very funny. He also has his own Van Der Memes website which you absolutely must check out because it is simply hilarious. He said he finds it amusing when Williams’ says she wants in on a reunion because her character’s dead but also said, “If somebody came up with a brilliant idea how to do it, why not?” One step closer…

Just ~~the hostage~~ Joey to recover now. Katie Holmes has openly admitted that she would welcome a reunion for the hit WB show, ”I had so much fun working on that show and I loved everyone so much and I think about it with such fond memories, a really great group of people”. That was back in 2011 on Good Morning America when she was allowed out to promote something by her ~~kidnapper~~ husband Tom Cruise.

So all in all there is a HUGE possibility this could really happen. Dawson’s Creek could return to our airwaves, but for now I will hold out for a Pacey guest star on Van Der Beek’s new show because that would be fantastic television.

Don’t Trust the B—– in Apartment 23 will air on E4 this summer in the UK… Don’t miss it!

2Nov2011

London Comic Con

Posted in Celebrity, Film, Television by nlcorner

I’ve expressed my love for Comic Con before, for the stars, the exclusive footage, the cult television shows, PaceyCon and even the geeky fanboys, and this weekend I got the chance to experience what that could be like when I eventually get to San Diego.

It was the London Comic Con MCM Expo this past weekend, and I had access to press passes with a little help from a friend. The schedule wasn’t jam-packed full with movie panels galore nor was it packed with writers or celebs, but there were a couple of young guys that I wanted to get my hands on and they went by the name of Tyler Posey and Dylan O’Brien.

Tyler Posey // Jill Wagner // Dylan O'Brien

The stars of MTV’s surprise summer hit Teen Wolf, were appearing at the expo alongside their co-star Jill Wagner. Tyler, plays the bitten teen Scott McCall and Dylan the ever-faithful sidekick Stiles, the show is about an awkward teen turned into a powerful werewolf and being hunted by the alpha that bit him. The first season was a 12-episode action fest of animal attacks, hungry hunters and love triangles galore, aimed at the young adult category but a hit amongst the 12-34 category regularly scoring aorund 1.7million viewers per episode.

There are way too many captions for this photo... especially when they were talking about Jill getting hit by Tyler's banana...

The panel was hilarious there’s no doubt about it, the actors were pretty much like their characters if not a little more hyped up and with a few more sexual innuendos thrown in. Questions were asked about Jersey Shore, which of course they loved, to what was coming up in the second season. I managed to ask a question which I thought received a goodish answer (“We know Tyler plays the werewolf but Dylan, is Stiles the real hero of the show, having to keep Scott on the straight and narrow?”), the response was he sees Stiles as the sidekick and in the first season was a bit of a hero but says in the second season we will see Scott becoming a hero in his own right whilst trying to find a lycan cure.

Here’s a moment when I got a photo with Dylan and Tyler, they are too adorable…

Dylan thought I wanted a hug I wanted a picture, I really wasn't complaining...

I am way to happy in this...

Caught in a moment of thanks

I got what I came for and I couldn’t have been more pleased! But that wasn’t the only thing that went on over the weekend, there was a panel with The Secret Circle a new show that premiered this fall with one of the stars of the show Jessica Parker Kennedy. It was short but sweet as she answered the inevitable how did you get into acting question (which FYI someone asked in every panel, OI we know how they got into acting we IMDb’d them before we came!) and a question about the show. She apologised for being the only cast member there, and said she was going straight back to filming after her London visit.

There was a panel from a show called Sanctuary, admittedly I don’t even watch this but the two actors, Jonathon Young and Agam Darshi, from the show were really engaging and talked a lot about the show and their careers (that question AGAIN) and there seemed to be a fair few fans in the audience so there were no awkward silences. It even made me think about checking out the show and seeing what it’s about.

Jonathon Young // Agam Darshi

There was an appearance from Aaron Ashmore of Smallville fame (Jimmy Olsen) he was there promoting his Syfy show Warehouse 13, I’m not going to lie and say I paid attention to this panel because the guy he was with was super boring and had that anal American accent that goes right through you.

Aaron Ashmore // Lucas Bryant

The main focus of the Comic Con though was of course its namesake, from anime to Batman, to World of Warcraft, everywhere you turned there were people dressed up as their favourite Cosplay character. There were a few scary moments in the form of Darth Vader, a girl in a freaky fox head complete with tail and jeans (?!) Endless amounts of effort had gone into all kinds of costumes, it was like a bigger version of Halloween.