August 11th, 2015 
CEO 
By Dave Siderski
Killing off a character in popular movie series or television can be a risky proposition. Some have been done brilliantly such as execution of the Tony Montana character and Tony Soprano’s long awaited murder of Ralphie Cifareto in the Soprano’s. Other have been completely ill conceived and in some cases, did irreparable harm to the brand. With this in mind, here are my five worst character kill offs in film and television history.
August 11th, 2015 CEO August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, Ron Livingston
Written & Directed by: Josh Mond
Genre: Drama
Distributor: The Film Arcade
James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother (Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of his life. As the pressure on him mounts, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely. The directorial debut of MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE producer Josh Mond, JAMES WHITE, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where it was the winner of the “Best of Next” Audience Award, is a confident and closely observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother and son. Abbott’s strong central performance is aided by a stellar supporting cast featuring Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Ron Livingston (DRINKING BUDDIES). Shot on location in New York City with an intimate visual style, JAMES WHITE follows its lead into deep, affecting places while still maintaining its fragile humanity.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Whishaw, Amber Heard
Directed by: Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech,” “Les Misérables”)
Written by: Lucinda Coxon, based on the novel The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff
Genre: Drama
Distributor: Focus Features
The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander), directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde
Directed by: Jessie Nelson
Written by: Steven Rogers
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Distributor: CBS Films
LOVE THE COOPERS follows the Cooper clan as four generations of extended family come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration. As the evening unfolds, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events turn the night upside down, leading them all toward a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Written by: Ryan Landels
Genre: Musical Adventure
Distributor: Universal Pictures
As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In Universal Pictures’ Jem and the Holograms, four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.
Directed by Jon M. Chu (Step Up series, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), the musical adventure stars Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis. Jem and the Holograms, based on the iconic Hasbro animated TV series, is written by Ryan Landels and produced by Chu, Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun for SB Projects, Bennett Schneir, and Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis of Hasbro Studios.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack MacBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Ian Brennan, Jorge Garcia
Directed by: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion
Written by: Leigh Whannell, Ian Brennan, Josh C. Waller
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Distributor: Lionsgate Premiere
From the twisted minds of Leigh Whannell (co-creator of Saw and Insidious) and Ian Brennan (co-creator of “Glee”), COOTIES is a horror comedy with unexpected laughs and unapologetic thrills. When a cafeteria food virus turns elementary school children into killer zombies, a group of misfit teachers must band together to escape the playground carnage. The film stars Elijah Wood (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings), Rainn Wilson (“The Office”), and Alison Pill (“The Newsroom”) as teachers who fight to survive the mayhem while hilariously bickering in an uncomfortable love triangle on the worst Monday of their lives. COOTIES will be one of the debut releases of the newly-launched Lionsgate Premiere label, which will release the film on September 18th in select theaters and on demand.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning, Susan Sarandon
Directed by: Gaby Dellal
Written by: Nikole Beckwith and Gaby Dellal
Genre: Drama
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
ABOUT RAY tells the stirring and touching story of three generations of a family living under one roof in New York as they must deal with the life-changing transformation by one that ultimately affects them all. Ray (Elle Fanning) is a teenager who has come to the realization that she isn’t meant to be a girl and has decided to transition from female to male. His single mother, Maggie (Naomi Watts), must track down Ray’s biological father (Tate Donovan) to get his legal consent to allow Ray’s transition. Dolly (Susan Sarandon), Ray’s lesbian grandmother is having a hard time accepting that she now has a grandson. They must each confront their own identities and learn to embrace change and their strength as a family in order to ultimately find acceptance and understanding.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Peter Sarsgaard, Liev Schreiber, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lily Rabe, Robin Weigert
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Written by: Steven Knight
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Biography
Distributor: Bleecker Street
In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Peter Sarsgaard, PAWN SACRIFICE chronicles Fischer’s terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.
August 10th, 2015 CEO 
Cast: Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody
Written & Directed by: Daniel Lee
Genre: Action Adventure
Distributor: Lionsgate Premiere
A massive success this year in its native China, “Dragon Blade” brings action spectacle on a grand scale to US audiences. Featuring an international cast led by Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody, the film features the fight for the Silk Road when East and West collide. When corrupt Roman leader Tiberius (Adrien Brody) arrives with a giant army to claim the Silk Road, Huo An (Jackie Chan) and his group of trained warriors teams up with an elite legion of defected Roman soldiers led by General Lucius (John Cusack) to maintain the delicate balance of power in the region. To protect his country and his new friends, Huo An gathers the warriors of thirty-six ethnic nations together to fight Tiberius in an incredible epic battle. The film is directed by Daniel Lee (“Black Mask”) and produced by Jackie Chan and Susanna Tsang.
August 10th, 2015 CEO August 9th, 2015 CEO August 8th, 2015 CEO August 7th, 2015 CEO August 6th, 2015 CEO 
By Chris Benedict
2015 was already unfolding as a grim year for Trekkies. First the loss of Leonard Nimoy-our beloved Spock-in February, followed exactly eleven weeks later by the death of Grace Lee Whitney, the beautiful blonde who portrayed Yeoman Janice Rand in Star Trek’s first season.
August 6th, 2015 CEO August 6th, 2015 CEO 
By Dave Siderski
Cover tunes are like movie sequels in most cases, rarely measuring up to the brilliance of the original. However, there are some exceptions to this, cases where the covering artist is able to remain true to the integrity and spirit of the original while, at the same time, successfully interjecting his or her own personal style. With this in mind, here are the ten cover tunes that I most enjoy listening to.
August 5th, 2015 CEO August 4th, 2015 CEO August 3rd, 2015 CEO August 2nd, 2015 CEO August 1st, 2015 CEO 
By Chris Benedict
Super fans of the multi-film Rocky and Rambo franchises will want to keep close watch on their superfluous expenditures for the next few months. That is because they will want to have plenty of cash on hand come October 14th and 15th when Heritage Auctions hosts the public sale of original movie props from the two beloved series. Besides John Rambo’s jacket and bowie knife, Sylvester Stallone will be parting as well with Rocky Balboa’s Italian Stallion robe, ring trunks, gloves, and Harley Davidson motorcycle.
August 1st, 2015 CEO 
By Chris Benedict
Astronomy nerds have had very good reason, not accounting for murmurs or arrhythmias, for their hearts to go aflutter of late. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, while traveling through the Kuiper Belt, did a fly-by of Pluto two weeks ago and transmitted back to Earth the first high-resolution photographs detailing geographical particulars of everybody’s favorite demoted dwarf-planet. Take that, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
August 1st, 2015 CEO July 31st, 2015 CEO
By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt
Sad news has just arrived to the NewzBreaker office that popular country singer Lynn Anderson who in the 1970’s had a massive hit with “Rose Garden” has died from cardiac arrest at the age of 67. Her death was confirmed by Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her publicist, Mark Logsdon, said that the cause was cardiac arrest. The newspaper The Tennessean reported that she had been hospitalized for pneumonia.
