Amber Stevens West: From Jump Street to NBC’s Carmichael Show
Created by Jerrod Carmichael and Nicholas Stoller (The Muppets, Get Him to the Greek), NBC’s new comedy The Carmichael Show stars Carmichael as a fictional version of himself. The series depicts Carmichael's relationship with his family, in a show that includes a lot more topical issues and debates than is the norm for a network sitcom.
Amber Stevens West (Greek, 22 Jump Street) plays Jarrod’s girlfriend, and I spoke to the actress about The Carmichael Show's approach to a family comedy and her role – plus what it was like playing Ice Cube and Queen Latifah’s daughter in last year’s hit Jump Street sequel.
Amber Stevens West as Maxine in The Carmichael Show.
Daily Deals: Madden, 64GB MicroSD Card, Destiny: The Taken King
Battle of the Five Armies Gets Extended Edition
An extended version of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD later this year, Warner Bros. has announced.
While the Blu-ray and DVD versions won't be available until November 17, those who don't mind going digital can get it early on October 20. It will release as a 3-disc set on Blu-ray for $36 USD and a five-DVD bundle for a dollar cheaper.
In addition to adding an extra 20 minutes of footage that was cut from the original film, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition also packs in over nine hours of special features content, including audio commentary from director Peter Jackson, as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary on the film's production.
App Store Update: August 25
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Looking for Laika – ($0.99)
Hop from planet to planet in search of your lost dog, who's somewhere out there in outer space . . .
EarthBound Soundtrack Headed to Vinyl
Ship to Shore PhonoCo has announced that it will release the soundtrack to EarthBound on vinyl. This is the first time that the soundtrack has ever been available outside of Japan, where it was released under the game’s original title, Mother 2.
The set will be packaged on two records as a gatefold double LP and is available in four colors: classic black, Giygas-inspired red/black swirl, Ness-inspired blue/yellow split, and Hot Spring Pink. The set will be available for pre-order on Ship to Shore’s store beginning tomorrow, August 26th, at 1:00PM Eastern Time.
Nintendo Showcases Animal Crossing Amiibo
Nintendo has provided a better look at the eight different Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival figurines.
Along with showcasing individual packages for Lottie and Isabelle, Nintendo also unveiled a three-pack bundle that includes K.K. Slider, Reese and Cyrus. The figurines are a key proponent of Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, which is a Wii U party game previously announced at E3 2015.
The other amiibo figurines are Digby, Lottie, Mabel and Tom Nook. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival doesn't have a release date yet, though the Wii U game is planned for release this holiday season alongside Star Fox Zero, Devil's Third and Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water.
J.J. Abrams Sheds Light on Kylo Ren
Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams has cleared up some details about the nature of new villains Kylo Ren and the First Order.
In a chat with Empire, Abrams stated, ""Kylo Ren is not a Sith." He added, "He works under Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the Dark Side of the Force.”
Snoke is the CG character played via performance-capture by Andy Serkis.
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and members of the First Order.
Wrestling Wrap Up: Sting Returns to Challenge Rollins
Well, I have to say, WWE did a great job of juicing up this SummerSlam weekend. Three sold-out days at the Barclays Center, a four-hour SummerSlam, a superb NXT TakeOver, this was a masterful package*. Unless they wind up treating the Rumble the same way, they've succeeded in making this a very close second to WrestleMania weekend.
*Masterful Package™
And that includes filling the post-SummerSlam RAW with fun surprises and new directions. The Dudley Boys, Sting, a new Wyatt family member - it was a particularly fun show.
New Comic Explores Fire Lord Zuko’s Legacy
Gene Luen Yang has revealed some of the details on the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender - Smoke and Shadow series from Dark Horse Comics.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he talked about what Fire Lord Zuko will be facing. "
brings his mom back to the Fire Nation, because a lot of it will be about power — it’ll be about how Zuko was handling being the Fire Lord."
“I think all of us are haunted by our families, our families of origin in some way," Yang continued. "We worry about either continuing the legacy of our parents or falling into the same pitfalls as they did. And I feel like that’s just a hundred times worse for Zuko. So the focus will be really on the Fire Nation world family, and on how Zuko deals with power and fear.”
Square Enix Giving Away an Island in Just Cause 3 Contest
Just Cause 3 developer Avalanche Studios and Square Enix have announced a contest for Just Cause 3 in which the grand prize is a real-life island.
According to the official website, players must come out on top of the Chaos Points leaderboard 90 days after the release of Just Cause 3 for a chance to win an island valued at $50,000 USD or a cash prize for the same amount. Chaos Points are acquired by creatively destroying anything and everything in Just Cause 3.
Square Enix does specify a location for the island, nor does it guarantee the island to be inhabitable or accessible via means other than a boat.