FEATURED POST
'Fun Size' is culmination of a seven-year makeover for the Paramount label
The Hollywood Reporter
Underage drinking and a giant robotic chicken humping a car? Move over, Rugrats, Nickelodeon Movies is all grown up.
The Paramount label once associated with G-rated kiddie fare like "Charlotte’s Web" is releasing its first PG-13 film Oct. 26 with the Josh Schwartz-helmed teen comedy "Fun Size."
Bing: More about 'Fun Size' | More about Victoria Justice
The move marks the culmination of the label’s seven-year makeover. "We have been looking to define Nickelodeon movies as something not just for children but for everyone, including children," says Paramount vice chair Rob Moore. "In the past, there wasn’t much breadth in the target audience."
Moore cites recent Nick movies releases "The Last Airbender," "Rango" and "The Adventures of Tintin" -- all PG films that earned a combined $939 million worldwide.
Still, there’s a limit to how adult the label will skew.
"I think the way I originally wrote it, it would have been R mainly because of language and innuendo," says Max Werner of his Black List screenplay, which marks Schwartz ('Gossip Girl') and Fake Empire partner Stephanie Savage’s first movie after they inked a first-look deal with Paramount. "But the studio always wanted it to come in at PG-13."
Quips Schwartz, "If it's too watered down, it’s for nobody."
The craziest households are sometimes the most entertaining
What makes "Modern Family" about a modern family? The Pritchett family is big, sure, but families have long been big. The Pritchetts are weird, but weird families are as old civilization. When "Modern Family" debuted in 2009, audiences loved it because the Pritchetts were complicated. Their genealogy is confusing. Their kin are all a little off-kilter. And some members hail from as far away as Asia and South America.
Bing: More about 'Modern Family' | Watch clips and more
Long gone are the days of two parents, 2.5 kids and a dog, and as the times have changed, so have TV families. In a world of constant divorce, remarriage, cosmopolitan lifestyles and every kind of childhood, TV clans get more convoluted than ever. Some of these families are loving and wholesome; others are conniving and fratricidal. But one thing's for sure: They're hard to puzzle out.
To celebrate another successful season of "Modern Family," we offer some of television's most tangled family trees.
Click here to see the rest of the gallery.
Which TV family is your favorite? Tell us at MSN TV on Facebook and Twitter.
The Season 4 finale of "Modern Family" airs Wednesday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
The battle between good and evil is about to begin to keep the natural world alive
MSN Movies is excited to exclusively debut six clips from the upcoming animated comedy adventure movie "Epic." The 3-D feature reveals a fantasy world in which good and evil have to battle it out in order to keep the natural world alive.Bing: More about 'Epic' | More about Aziz Ansari
A teenage girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe and ends up teaming up with a band of warriors to save the world.
The voice cast for the movie includes: Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Beyoncé Knowles, Aziz Ansari, Chris O’Dowd, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, Blake Anderson and Judah Friedlander.
Are you excited to see "Epic" with your kids? Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.
"Epic" is out in theaters Friday, May 24.
Animated movie sequel flying into theaters in April 2014
The sequel is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 11, 2014.
Original voice cast Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez and Leslie Mann are all set to return.
Bing: More about 'Rio 2' | More about Anne Hathaway
Joining the actors this time will also be Andy Garcia, Bruno Mars, Kristin Chenoweth, Rita Moreno, Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Crow, Pierce Gagnon and Natalie Morales.
In the sequel, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) and their three kids are living the perfect domesticated life until Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds and takes the family into the Amazon.
Are you excited for "Rio 2"? Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.
Ismael Cruz to play Mando, a writer from Brooklyn
"Sesame Street" is adding a new Hispanic character to the show.The Associated Press reports Ismael Cruz has been cast to play Armando or "Mando" for short, a writer from Brooklyn.
Bing: More about 'Sesame Street' | More about Ismael Cruz
The 26-year-old actor who grew up in Puerto Rico said, "'Sesame Street' is a magical place. It doesn't matter if you are working there or just visiting, or if you're watching on TV, that magic is always there."
Cruz watched "Sesame Street" as a child and added, "It's a show that's always cutting edge, that is always aware of what's going on with the population, so by including a character that is young, with new perspectives, Latino, and that bring that new generation, it is carrying on with that message."
"Mando" will make his debut on the 44th season of "Sesame Street," which starts airing on September 16.
Do you like that Sesame Street continues to promote diversity with its cast? Tell us on our MSN TV Facebook page and on Twitter.
We rate the hottest mothers in movies
By Mary Pols
Special to MSN Movies
In honor of Mother's Day, MSN has put together a list of incendiary cinematic mothers, or in more simple terms, hot mamas. Given how many beautiful actresses there are in the world, you'd expect this list could be endless, but the truth is not that many roles call for actresses to play women who are both mothers and sultry. Mothers in the movies are usually more to the ladylike than the earthy and seductive. Femmes fatales don't have babies. Women in rom-coms tend to be husband shopping, not producing children. But still, we found 13 mothers from the movies who are anything but matronly.
Bing: More about Diane Lane | More about Anne Bancroft | Related: TV's hottest moms
Click here to see all the photos.
Who do you think is the most mamalicious movie mom? Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.
Reasons why they love their moms
By Disney Channel and MSN TV
Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12, and some Disney Channel stars are honoring their moms by sharing special family photos along with reasons why they love them.
MSN TV has the exclusive first look at all the photos.
Happy Mother's day to all your mamas out there!
Bing: More about 'Good Luck Charlie' | More about 'Shake it Up' | Related: TV's hottest moms | Mamalicious movie moms
Click here to see all the photos.
Which Disney Channel star's tribute to their mom is your favorite? Tell us on our MSN TV Facebook page and on Twitter.
The smart, sexy and sometimes cutthroat matriarchs heating up your small screen
By Barbara Card AtkinsonSpecial to MSN TV
Long gone are the prim and proper, aproned-up, one-note Donna Reed days of TV yore. These days, small-screen mothers run the character gamut from [a]nimated to [z]ealous. Here are our some of our favorite moms most recently on the air: the smart, the sexy and the downright dangerous.
Click here to see all the photos
Bing: More about Christina Hendricks | More about Connie Britton | Related: Mamalicious movie moms .
Who do you think the hottest TV mom is? Tell us on our MSN TV's Facebook page and on Twitter.
From pop royalty to animated royalty, singer talks about playing Queen Tara
Bing: More about 'Epic' | More about Beyoncé
Are you excited to see "Epic"? Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.
"Epic" is out in theaters Wednesday, May 22.
primetime tonight
tv news
- Fox's 'X Factor' confirms new judges Kelly Rowland, Paulina Rubio
- NY Cuomo letter warns Kardashian over T-shirt logo
- CBS pulls 'Mike & Molly' tornado-themed season finale
- Charlie Rose turns weekend warrior with new PBS show
- Sinbad files for bankruptcy again
- 'Chuck' and 'Smash' stars head to Broadway
- Derek Hough to expand career beyond 'Dancing With the Stars'
- Jon Stewart's humor a hit with millions of Chinese
- Actress in classic 'Twilight Zone' episode dies
- Ben Affleck jokes about that Oscars marriage speech on 'SNL'
meet the bloggers
Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
