Sandra Cisneros Reminds Us of the Days of the Dead
Photo ©2013 Alan Goldfarb
…and just how important they are.
We received this from writer and cultural phenomenon Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street) that…
“Day of the Dead draws near,” she said (November 1st for the deceased children and November 2nd for deceased adults), and it offers us an opportunity “to nourish and be nourished by our spirit allies, our family members who have crossed over. Just the opposite of Halloween, Day of the Dead is a day to remember our connections to the other side. These spirits are not ghouls come to frighten us, but ancestors who guide and protect us.
“I am particularly moved by November 1st,” she told us, “since it’s the anniversary of my mother’s death. I will be installing an altar in her honor at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History and lecturing on that very day at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. At 2:00 p.m. You can listen to my lecture via live webcast.” She also announced that the altar will be on display at the American History Museum in Washington, D.C. During the holidays.
You can visit Sandra’s website at sandracisneros.com for other news, features, announcements, recommendations, and surprises.
There’s Been Very Little Hoopla About the New Season of American Horror Story
American Horror Story–nothing like the earlier seasons about psychosexually haunted houses, modern-day witches’ covens, and asyla (that’s the plural of asylum. Seriously. Look it up). Maybe because the creators’ ill-concealed fascination with certain imagery is finally getting to be just a little too icky to tolerate–icky in an unhealthy, beyond-torture-porn kind of way.
Lucha Underground Crashes into the U.S., and It’s Ready to Make a Big Impact
The colorful and slightly crazy wrestling world of Los Luchas makes the trip from Mexico to the U.S. in El Rey’s off-the-hook new series Lucha Undergroud, premiering Wednesday, October 29 at 8P. You can sum it up in one word: Wild.
“Lucha is legendary,” Exec Producer of Lucha Underground Diego Gutierrez told us recently. “It’s an extraordinary combination of artistry and athleticism with an explosive combat style that has evolved over centuries, its origins shrouded in mystery. But one thing that is certain is that this intense, high-flying wrestling tradition will bring viewers to their feet and will be like nothing else on television.”
It’s true: this isn’t just your standard U.S.-style wrestling. The fighting style and storytelling of Lucha Underground is rooted as much in meso-American and Latino wrestling traditions as it is in the appeal of a good old-fashion fight. And it’s built specifically for men as well as women.
Se Fija!’s Interstellar Occulus Rift Experience
Angela Ortíz Photo: Raul Gaztambide
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is one of those movies: so deep and complex and challenging that it’s hard to talk about unless you’ve seen it, and the more you try to explain it the more you risk giving something away and diminishing the experience for first-time viewers.
Events Like These are One of the Many Reason’s I Love Living in L.A.
Marisol y Los Hermanos Carlos
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a great evening of music with Marisol y Los Hermanos Carlos singing many songs that take us way way back. La Marisoul and Pepe Carlos of the Grammy-winning La Santa Cecilia took a break from their regular gig to share these classics with us, and they did not disappoint.
Cinco Santos
They truly wanted to give us an evening of memories to share with our love ones. And if you are like me, you grew up with boleros, romanticas and rancheras that hold a special place in our hearts. Now I hope they’ll do a CD of these old classics.
That evening’s opening act was a nice surprise for me, too. It turned out to be the band Cinco Santos—a band that I did a photo session with a few years back. It was fun to finally listen to them too.
The video below is just a sample of some of the music we enjoyed that evening at Los Globos Club in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles, CA.
Photos: ©2014 Angela María Ortíz S.
So That’s Matt Murdock? And Whoa, Daredevil is No Longer Horny!
Reposted from our friends over on Amityville Now
Actually, the ‘look’ of both sides of Matt Murdock are pretty cool, as much as we can tell from the new pics just released by Marvel. But then everything about the new series being made for Netflix points the Cool-O-Meter to 11, including the casting of Rosario Dawson in a yet-to-be-explained role, Scott Glenn as Stick, and Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin (who says a few extra pounds can hurt a career? Not Vincent!). Three things to keep in mind…
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, the black costume and the mask without eye-holes ain’t the red suit with the horns, but really—could it be? That had to ‘cool up’ Green Arrow’s costume and even took Constantine’s cigarette away. It hadda happen. And seriously: pretty cool ninja outfit, eh?
- Doesn’t Charlie Cox look a whole lot like Michael C. Hall of Dexter in this shot? Or is it just that we really really wanted Michael C. Hall to get the role, so we think anybody who’s halfway appropriate looks like Michael C. Hall?
- View the unseen Men in Black connection: D’Onofrio was the superalien cockroach in disguise in MIB I; Dawson was the intergalactic princess in disguise (though she didn’t know it) in MIB II. How long can it be before Will Smith and his cricket show up in Hell’s Kitchen?
Enjoy the optics:
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock
An Announcement from Universal on “FURIOUS 7”
The road to FURIOUS 7 starts here.
Because of our fans, our saga has grown bigger and better with every chapter. In just 7 days, we will reveal the first trailer for our next installment–FURIOUS 7–at The Road to Furious 7: Trailer Launch Event at Universal Studios in Los Angeles!
We want to share this moment with all of our fans around the world. For those of you not able to attend in person, you’ll be able to follow a live broadcast starting at noon Pacific on the Fast & Furious Facebook page and on E!. For those in the Los Angeles area, tickets will be available starting tomorrow, October 27th, on the official Fast & Furious social pages.
Starting today, you can submit questions for Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Jason Statham to be answered at the live event. Go to Instagram and submit a video, asking your favorite Fast & Furious star your question while using the hashtag #AskFurious7. Or, simply write your question in the Comments section below. Your question could be answered live on-air!
For our extended FAST & FURIOUS family, we have set out to make the very best movie yet. We are excited to continue our journey together.
Take a look back at the Fast & Furious saga HERE.
“La Golda” Pilot is Ready for Viewing
We’ve been waiting for this new animated series to happen and it was finally released on YouTube in September. The full pilot is available for viewing and we’ve embedded it here below.
La Golda features an 8 year-old orphan who has been bounced around from orphanage to orphanage. “She has two passions: (1) Soccer (Futbol), and (2) Building a better world for kids.”
We wrote about the folks behind La Golda some time back and you can read it here.
#moreLaGolda if you would like to support the project.
“Constantine” Re-cuts its Pilot to Lose the Sidekick and Change the Focus, and the Results are Murky at Best
Matt Ryan
Angelica Celaya
Reposted from our friends over on Amityville Now
The pilot for NBC’sConstantine, from the DC Comics character of the same name, made the rounds of the intertubes a few weeks ago. But after its release/escape, NBC made some significant changes–like removing Lucy Griffiths (Robin Hood, True Blood) as his intense-yet-perky assistant Liv, and replacing her in Episode 2 with Angelica Celaya, a Latina beauty (born in Arizona, but known primarily for her Spanish-language work) as the comic-book-based Zed, a gifted artist who’s far more mysterious and driven than Liv. Still: how do you drop a continuing character when the whole first episode is built around her introduction? Well…it’s tough. The cutted-and-pasted (?) third act of the pilot, substantially different than the original, makes the show seem strangely unfocused and talky, despite the obvious charms of Welsh actor Matt Ryan as the trenchoated master of the mystic arts. Question is: can the series survive its last-minute surgery?
ANGELA MARÍA ORTÍZ S. PHOTOGRAPHY
Blu-ray and DVD Releases
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE are COMING TOGETHER…Watch at home with your BEST BUBS again and again and again!
Add The Highest-Grossing R-Rated Film of All-Time to Your Marvel Studios Movie Collection when it arrives on Digital on October 1 and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD on October 22.
Experience all the laughs with hours of all-new exclusive bonus content including a gag reel, deleted scenes, filmmaker commentary and all-new featurettes!
Cast Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool), Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine), Emma Corrin (Cassandra Nova), Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Paradox), and Dafne Keen (Laura / X-23).
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
Veep: The Complete Series. All 65 episodes from the 17-Time Emmy® Award winning series will be available to purchase on Blu-ray October 22.
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will be releasing the complete series. Get ready to binge on all 65 episodes (seven seasons) from HBO’s Emmy® award-winning original series, along with all the previously released special features. The political comedy series follows United States Vice President Salina Meyer (Julia Louis Dreyfus) and her incompetent team as they attempt to secure a legacy, but often instead become bogged down in day-to-day political games. Pre-order your copy today. Also starring Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Matt Walsh, Sufe Bradshaw, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson, Sarah Sutherland, and Clea DuVall. The series was created by Armando Iannucci.
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
The West Wing: The Complete Series for the first time ever on Blu-ray, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the critically acclaimed series. Get ready to binge all 156 episodes from NBC/WBTV’sEmmy® Award-winning original series.
The brilliant political drama, following an extraordinarily intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White House, will be available to own on Blu-ray on October 1.
Widely considered one of the best series of all time, The West Wing remains a landmark achievement in television, earning 26 Emmys, including four for Outstanding Drama Series. With its sharp writing and memorable ensemble cast, the show continues to inspire audiences with its intimate look at the triumphs, sacrifices and inner politics of the White House.
Created by Aaron Sorkin who executive produced with Thomas Schlamme, and John Wells, The West Wing stars Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, and Martin Sheen. The series was produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The Complete Series Includes all 156 episodes from all seven seasons on 28 discs, plus over 20 commentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, unaired scenes, gag reels and more.
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
HBO’s The Gilded Age: The Complete Second Season to DVD on October 1, 2024. The Gilded Age season 2 was recently nominated for six Emmy® Awards including Outstanding Drama Series. Indulge in all 8 episodes from the second season of the historical drama that won fans over with its charming cast and compelling storylines plus over 20 pieces of bonus content including never-before-released featurettes.
The Gilded Age season 2 cast includes Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Taissa Farmiga, and more.
The American Gilded Age was a period of significant economic change, conflict between old and new systems, and fortunes made and lost.
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °
FRIENDS: The Complete Series in 4K Ultra HD for the first time on September 24.
This ultimate collector’s set features ALL 10 seasons from one of television’s most popular sitcoms completely remastered–plus all new bonus content!
Pre-order your copy now.
From Warner Bros. Television, FRIENDS follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).
FRIENDS marks its 30th anniversary this year, the beloved TV series continues to hold an enduring place in popular culture and hearts worldwide.
Favorite Shot of the Day
Podcast
You can also listen to any episode of all of the podcast at thebradmunson.com
Piece by Piece by MoonBear
