Author: Mary Anne Butler

We are so very sorry to report the passing of John Madden, icon of the NFL and sports broadcasting. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement about the passing of John Madden: “On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their families. We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many…

The wait for “The Book of Boba Fett” is just about over. As of midnight December 29th, chapter 1 of the “Star Wars” live-action spinoff series. Starring Temeura Morrison as the infamous bounty hunter, the series picks up after the character’s reintroduction in season 2 of “The Mandalorian.” We know that season 1 will be 7 episodes, called chapters. Executive producer Robert Rodriguez directs 3 of those 7. As with Disney+ releases, each new chapter will hit the streaming service on Wednesdays. Chapter 1 – December 29Chapter 2 – January 5Chapter 3 – January 12Chapter 4 – January 19Chapter 5 – January 26Chapter 6 – February…

Just when you thought things couldn’t get weirder than Arby’s fries flavored vodka in 2021, here comes Lay’s potato chips. The scariest part? It sold out in MINUTES. Apparently we all need to get into the novelty distilling business. The Frito-Lay snack brand partnered with Eastside Distilling out of Portland, Oregon on the concoction. This potato vodka isn’t a run-of-the-mill spirit, either. Apparently, the potatoes used to create this vodka was a speciality variety, developed by the company back in 2018. This particular potato is also the subject of some debate, as a group of farmers in India have revoked…

Matt Reeves’ upcoming Dark Knight film “The Batman” is right around the corner. Starring Robert Pattinson as the title character and Zoë Kravitz as iconic DC Comics villain Catwoman, this picture aims to reinvent the world’s greatest detective yet again. A new trailer (unlisted) dropped this morning. Titled ‘The Bat and The Cat,’ it has some new footage we haven’t seen in previously released bits. Colin Farrell also stars as The Penguin, with Paul Dano as The Riddler, Andy Serkis as Alfred, and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.”The Batman” is set to swoop into theaters on March 4th, 2022.

It’s been 3 years since HBO’s gargantuan series “Game of Thrones” ended. The finale, which drew upwards of 19.3 million viewers, is still a huge source of debate. The majority of vocal fans felt the ending didn’t measure up to expectation. Not only that, but it felt like a slap in the face for show watchers and book readers alike. A disappointing attitude from showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss followed the finale, who seemingly gave up on trying to finish the epic in a fashion that measured up. Subsequent months saw the pair lose other gigs, like a “Star Wars”…

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was one of those classic franchise revisits no one was expecting to be good. Well okay, that’s not TOTALLY true. The addition of original director Ivan Reitman and his son Jason Reitman was heartening, for sure. And, the delightful Annie Potts. I mean how can you go wrong?Luckily for “Ghostbusters” fans, “Afterlife” was pretty much the film they wanted. Lots of heart, laughs, nostalgia and ghosts, made it a highlight of the 2021 movie season. Sony has announced the 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital release of the film, as well as a look at what we’ll be getting…

The Batmobile. Mad Max’s Intercepter. Doc Brown’s DeLorean. Fozzie Bear’s rainbow technicolor Studebaker. These are iconic movie cars that instantly bring up visions of the film’s they’re from. In 1979, Jim Henson and co released the first feature-length film starring The Muppets. Kermit the Frog meets with budding comedian Fozzie Bear, and the pair launch on a cross-country journey to follow their dreams. Perhaps as important as these felt characters with instantly recognizable personalities is their vehicle- a 1951 Bullet Nose Studebaker Commander.After filming ended on “The Muppet Movie,” the hero vehicle (which was hollowed out to allow principal puppeteers…

We kind of knew it was only a matter of time, right? Sony and Marvel Studios’ third Tom Holland-starring “Spider-Man” film has passed a big ol box office milestone. As of Sunday December 26th, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has officially garnered $1 billion from theaters worldwide. This makes “No Way Home” the first film during the continuing global pandemic to do so. A pretty impressive fete when you think of it. “No Way Home” took 12 days to hit that big beautiful b, clocking in at third place behind “Avengers: Infinity War” which did it in 11 days, and “Avengers: Endgame” which…

Just in case you still need some cheerful Christmas tunes for your family holiday, we found you the perfect thing. That is…if you like 8-bit versions of iconic seasonal songs. Not to be confused with the HBO Max film “8-Bit Christmas,” which stars Neil Patrick Harris.Thanks to poster Vitaly. Enjoy!

We are not even REMOTELY done showcasing themed yule logs. It’s like everyone decided 2021 was the year to make one. Including, as it turns out, Marvel Studios and Disney+. If you haven’t finished the “Hawkeye” series yet, you absolutely should. It’s charming, full of action, and so much better than it had any right to be. It’s also the inspiration for a yule log based on Kate Bishop’s (Hailee Steinfeld) NYC apartment. You’ll note the pizza boxes, so Lucky must be around SOMEWHERE. A playbill from “Rogers: The Musical” is also visible. And of course, the fire being lit…