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'Arrow' Finale Scoop: Is Detective Lance Going to Die?
May 15, 2013 10:54am ESTWhile last week’s Arrow could have worked as an incredible season finale, it was actually just the incredible penultimate episode. But don't worry, because Wednesday’s epic Season 1 finale, titled "Sacrifice," ups the ante and executive producer Marc Guggenheim warns fans that no one is safe. Now that Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) has the Markov device – and killed anyone who could possibly blow the whistle on his plans to level The Glades and blame it on an earthquake – will he succeed in beginning The Undertaking? "Malcolm has everything he needs now. He definitely is ready to start The Undertaking," Guggenheim tells Hollywood.com. "He may not have all the people that he wants on his side, but he has all the resources that he needs. And the people on his side… well, that math will certainly change by the end of the finale." Does that mean his son Tommy (Colin Donnell) will finally and officially join the dark side? It would certainly not be that far-fetched, after he just watched his ex-best friend Oliver (Stephen Amell) getting hot and heavy with his ex-girlfriend Laurel (Katie Cassidy) through the window of her apartment. One character we’re extremely worried for is everyone’s favorite IT girl, Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards). At the end of last week’s episode, "Darkness on the Edge of Town," Det. Lance (Paul Blackthorne) zeroed in on her in his investigation of the Dark Archer and the vigilante. "We will totally understand because of the events in Episode 22 why Lance is investing in Felicity in 23. The repercussions are pretty huge," Guggenheim reveals. "The theme of the finale is sacrifice, and the Felicity/Lance interaction leads Lance to make a rather large sacrifice." It sounds like we should be less worried for Felicity and more worried for Det. Lance! But he isn’t the only one making a sacrifice in the finale. "All the characters in the episode each either give up something or are forced to confront giving up something," Guggenheim teases. "I think that’s true for just about every character in the show. But the one that Lance makes is pretty significant." Could Lance be the big death we’ve been warned about? We’ll have to wait until the final minutes of the finale to be sure. One story line that won’t be revisited in "Sacrifice," however, is Diggle’s (David Ramsey) hunt for Floyd Lawtin, better known as Deadshot. "Unfortunately, that got put on the back burner. It was something we talked about resolving in the end of the season and the truth is we just had so much other story to tell," Guggenheim explains. "We decided that rather than try and burn through it and short change it, we put it on the back burner and we’re bringing it back in Season 2. We actually have a really cool storyline involving Dig and Deadshot which offers a lot of twists and turns, and it will actually fit in better with the themes that we’re playing with in Season 2 than it would have if we had tried to wedge it in to Season 1." As if we didn’t have enough to look forward to in Arrow Season 2 already! The Arrow Season 1 finale airs Wednesday at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow' Showrunner Teases 'Insane' Final Two Episodes'Arrow': Emily Bett Rickards Talks Major 'Olicity' Action'Arrow' Season Finale First Look: Stephen Amell Reveals Oliver's Secret Gets Out! From Our Partners:Zoe Saldana Strips Down For Magazine (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow' Showrunner Teases 'Insane' Final Two Episodes, Oliver/Laurel Resolution and 'Olicity' Chemistry
May 08, 2013 2:55pm ESTAll the pieces are in place for an explosive final two episodes of Arrow. Oliver (Stephen Amell) knows his mother Moira (Susanna Thompson) is up to something nefarious with Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), Laurel (Katie Cassidy) knows that Oliver still loves her after Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell) dumped her and told her the truth, and Thea (Willa Holland) agreed to help Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) find the vigilante. Plus, The Undertaking is finally upon us! Executive producer Marc Guggenheim knows that he and the rest of the Arrow showrunners have a lot of balls up in the air when the penultimate episode, "Darkness On the Edge of Town," airs on Wednesday night, and he couldn’t be more excited for fans to watch them fall. "It’s insane. The story line I’m most excited for fans to see play out is the resolution of the Oliver/Laurel/Tommy love triangle," Guggenheim tells Hollywood.com. "I think that’s the character story line that gets the most exciting in the final two episodes." Now that Laurel knows that Oliver still loves her, expect the drama to heat up again between the exes. "I think that she had always thought that Oliver had moved on. That whether he loved her or not, once you sleep with someone’s sister, you’re not getting back together anytime soon or ever," Guggenheim says. "She thought, at the very least, that whether Oliver had feelings for her or not it was very much a moot point. Obviously she was shocked to discover in 21 that it is very much not a moot point. That’s the quandary she finds herself in at the top of 22." Will Laurel choose get back together with Oliver now that she knows the truth? "Well, the world as she understood it has changed. It’s been upended," Guggenheim explains. "She never thought that Oliver would try to get back together with her or acknowledge feelings that would open that door. It’s a development that she certainly didn’t expect and thus is trying to wrap her brain around it when 22 begins." While Laurel struggles with her romantic relationships, Oliver will have his hands full with his familial relationships… specifically, with his mother Moira. "He hasn’t even learned the complete truth about her yet. He’s learned that she’s been lying, that she’s been working with Malcolm Merlyn, but he doesn’t know that they plan to destroy the city," Guggenheim reveals. "And he doesn’t know the connection that his father had to this whole Undertaking. So there’s still a lot of bombs left to explode, and we’re actually going to blow them all up in Episode 22." One of those bombs is the result of Thea and Roy’s search for the vigilante. "22 features the first time that Oliver and Roy meet, and it’s a fun moment," Guggenheim reveals. "It’s a big moment in the life of our series and it will have pretty big repercussions for the Roy/Thea relationship." Another shocking, upcoming moment has already been teased thanks to some spoiler-filled finale photos The CW released. We already know Malcolm will somehow capture the vigilante, tie him up and de-hood him. But how will Oliver get into that situation? "It’s certainly a spoiler for sure. I don’t want to spoil it even further by saying how he specifically got there but there will be no doubt by the end of Episode 22 how he got there," Guggenheim teases. "There are so many spoiler-worthy moments in these last two episodes that we decided that we could afford to spin one. And even with that spoiler out there, there’s still plenty in the last two hours of the show to be shocked by." That’s quite the understatement, and according to Guggenheim, fans of Oliver/Felicity relationship should definitely not miss Wednesday’s episode – as if any Arrow fan would ever miss an episode! "Episode 22 features a moment between the two of them where I think it will only pour gasoline on the fire because the chemistry between them is so palpable," Guggenheim reveals. "I think 22 will increase the number of people shipping Oliver and Felicity." Guggenheim himself has been feeding the flames of "Olicity" shippers in the past month since he has been tweeting out lines of dialogue between Felicity and Oliver that could only be described as incredibly flirtatious and teasing. "I love doing it. When I did the very first one it was this lark, and then it started this mini Twitter fire storm," Guggenheim says. "What I really love, and quite frankly am appreciative of, is the fact that everyone is in on the game. They know it’s a tease, they know that we all share a love of Felicity, and I love the fact that people are shipping Oliver and Felicity and coining the term 'Olicity.' It makes me really happy." Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow' Sneak Peek: Don't Ever Do a Favor For Malcolm Merlyn'Arrow' Season Finale First Look: Oliver's Secret Is Out!'Arrow': Emily Bett Rickards Teases Major 'Olicity' Action From Our Partners:Watch Justin Bieber Attacked in Dubai (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow' Sneak Peek: Don't Ever Do a Favor for Malcolm Merlyn
May 07, 2013 6:20pm ESTAs we finally learned on last week's Arrow, Malcolm Merlyn's (John Barrowman) plans for The Undertaking include completely leveling all 24 square blocks of The Glades "right down to the bedrock," and blaming it on a natural disaster. He’s convinced that area of Starling City can’t be saved from the corruption and crime that took his wife away from him all those years ago. But how will he maneuver a natural disaster to fit his plans? Thanks to Unidac Industries, a prototype that can create such a disaster is ready for use and on its way to Starling City. Malcolm announced last week that "The Markov" device passed its final beta test, and in this new clip from Wednesday's Arrow, "Darkness On the Edge of Town," it looks like Dr. Brion Markov isn't getting the payment he expected. The lesson: never do Malcolm Merlyn a favor. Ever. Watch the full clip below: Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow': Emily Bett Rickards Teases Major 'Olicity' Action'Arrow' Flashback: Pre-Island Oliver Was a Major Douche'Arrow' Season Finale First Look: Oliver's Secret Is Out! From Our Partners:Watch Justin Bieber Attacked in Dubai (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow': Emily Bett Rickards Teases Major 'Olicity' Action and a Possible Lead on Walter
May 01, 2013 4:55pm ESTEveryone’s favorite IT girl Felicity Smoak hasn't had the best experiences going out in the field. But all that will hopefully change on Wednesday’s new episode of Arrow, "The Undertaking." While "The Undertaking" features flashbacks of pre-island (and present douche) Oliver (Stephen Amell) as he boards the Queen’s Gambit for that fateful boat trip with his father Robert (Jamey Sheridan), as well as Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman). As Malcolm reveals to Robert painful details surrounding his wife's murder and how that shaped his plans for the Glades (meaning we will finally learn the details of his mysterious Undertaking scheme), Felicity will also get her chance to shine. Emily Bett Rickards, the woman behind Team Arrow’s techie, revealed to Hollywood.com that while digging through a crooked accountant's laptop, Felicity discovers a transaction that could help Oliver find Walter. To confirm the lead, Felicity heads out into the field… hopefully with less bomb collars this time. "Since Episode 15 when she had the bomb collar on her neck, she’s done some training and become more fully involved," Rickards tells Hollywood.com. "She’s changed. When she goes out in the field in this episode, she volunteers because there is no other way for them to succeed or go on this mission unless she does go out in the field. There are no bomb collars, but she doesn’t know that. She uses her power of intellect." "She’s playing a very dangerous game. I think we all like to play a dangerous game at some point," Rickards continues. "But she’s trying to do it in a very honest way and she’s trying to survive." The catalyst that sends Felicity out in the field is her ongoing, always-present search for Walter, who has been missing (read: kidnapped after he asked one too many questions about The Undertaking) for months. "We’re getting closer to Walter. What does Felicity do in her spare time? She’s on her computer searching for Walter. She probably doesn’t leave the computer too often," Rickards says. "She comes across this new evidence in the midst of searching for someone else, but I don’t think it was an accident because her Walter radar is always turned on. She’s never stopped looking." While Felicity is out in the field, she utters a line to Oliver that executive producer Marc Guggenheim tweeted out weeks ago that sent "Olicity" shippers into a tizzy: "It feels good having you inside me." When asked to provide some context for that innuendo-laden quote, Rickards just laughed. "Love that line. Oh my god, what is going on, right? So flirtatious," Rickards teases. "She has to severely cover from that line. It’s like word vomit. I think she almost threw up when she said that. It’s just the funniest line." Felicity might be embarrassed after letting slip that line to Oliver now, but if she had known him pre-island – which we will finally get to see tonight in a flashback – she might not have been so inclined to get to know him. "I don’t think she would have liked him. I think she looks at people very judgmentally in the best sense of the word. She sees good things in people and sees whether or not the bad things are there," Rickards says. "I think there are certain things about pre-island Oliver that she wouldn’t have respected. She might have liked him and thought he was a complete babe and womanizer. There’s always that attraction. But what she wouldn’t have had for pre-island Oliver is her respect and she does have that for the hood and Oliver Queen post-island." Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow' Flashback: Pre-Island Oliver Queen Was a Real Douche'Arrow' Season Finale First Look: Oliver's Secret Is Out!'Arrow' Scoop: A Pair of Villains Threatens to Tear the Team Apart From Our Partners:Miley Goes Braless for Magazine Cover (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow' Flashback: Pre-Island Oliver Queen Was A Real Douche
April 30, 2013 2:48pm ESTWe’ve seen many different sides to Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) on Arrow. His island self: a scared, reformed party boy in over his head trying to survive in a nightmare situation. His post-island self: a tough, brutal warrior trying to clean up Starling City by taking down the corrupt and evil. His post-island façade: the face he shows his family and the public, a light, happy-go-lucky party boy with a darker edge. And now Oliver is about to show us a new, never-before-seen side: his pre-island self. In this hot new clip of Thursday’s episode, "The Undertaking," we see just how much of a douche pre-island Oliver was… not that we didn’t already have an inkling. This is a guy who cheated on his girlfriend, Laurel (Katie Cassidy) with her sister, Sarah, which led to said sister’s death. Check out just how much pre-island Oliver sucked as he kisses Laurel goodbye — while Sarah sneaks on board the fateful yacht that will spark the events of The CW’s newest hit show. Watching Moira (Susanna Thompson) try to talk Oliver out of leaving with his father Robert (Jamey Sheridan) in the flashback makes us wonder: Did Moira know about the Queen’s Gambit shipwreck before the Queen men set sail? We know she knew about the tampered boat after the fact, but would she really have let her son go if she knew he wouldn’t return? Or is Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) the real culprit behind the shipwreck? In the episode, Malcolm also reveals to Robert painful details surrounding his wife's murder, and how that shaped his plans for the Glades… meaning we will finally learn the details of his mysterious Undertaking scheme. As if that wasn’t enough drama to keep you hooked, Thursday’s new episode also has Oliver finding it difficult to mend fences with Tommy (Colin Donnell) and Diggle (David Ramsey), so he instead focuses on crossing another name off the list. While digging through a crooked accountant's laptop, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) discovers a transaction that could help Oliver find Walter. To reconfirm the lead, Oliver gambles that Felicity can be counted on in the field for the first time. Meanwhile, Tommy stuns Laurel with the truth. Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow' Season Finale First Look: Oliver's Secret Is Out!'Arrow' Scoop: A Pair of Villains Threatens to Tear the Team Apart'Arrow' Season 2 Scoop: Will Seth Gabel's The Count Return? From Our Partners:Miley Goes Braless for Magazine Cover (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow' Season Finale First Look: Oliver's Secret Is Out!
April 29, 2013 7:00pm ESTWe’ve been warning you for weeks that s**t’s about to get crazy on Arrow, and here's your proof! In these first look photos from the season 1 finale, "Sacrifice," we see Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) gloating alongside a chained-up Oliver (Stephen Amell), who's been de-hooded and de-shirted. What is going on?! Thankfully, the muscle behind the vigilante, Amell, sat down with a small group of reporters to discuss the jam-packed, intense season finale of Arrow and to shine a little light on these spoilery photos. Turns out, Oliver’s secret won’t stay a secret much longer thanks to his arch enemy, Malcolm, a.k.a. The Dark Archer. “I start the season finale chained up and left for dead,” Amell reveals. “I am chained up by Mr. Barrowman [aka Malcolm Merlyn]. Now, in the photos he is not wearing a mask and neither am I, although I don’t ever wear a mask. Everything is out in the open between us.” You read that right: Malcolm and Oliver will learn the truth about each other, bow-and-arrow secrets and all. Needless to say, Ollie's got different attitude toward the elder Merlyn than he did in episode 16 when he encouraged his then-best friend Tommy (Colin Donnell) to give his father a chance. "Oliver, we saw in Episode 16, actually encouraged Tommy to develop a relationship with his father. He doesn’t know anything about Malcolm Merlyn other than maybe he could be a better dad," Amell says. "He certainly doesn’t suspect anything to the effect of him being slightly evil, let alone the other archer." Once Oliver learns Malcolm's other identity, some major drama will go down. "I think Oliver will support [Tommy working for Malcolm] because ultimately Oliver wants Tommy to be happy and he wants him to stand on his own," Amell adds. "Should he come to learn anything about Tommy’s father, he may feel differently." That's an understatement, and not the only drama going down in the season finale. When "Sacrifice" shoots onto our TV screens on May 15, Oliver and Diggle (David Ramsey) race to stop the Dark Archer from unleashing his vengeance on The Glades. However, they run into a road block after Detective Lance (Paul Blackthorne) picks up Felicity for questioning. Tommy and Oliver’s already tumultuous relationship takes a turn for the worse after Oliver makes a confession about Laurel (Katie Cassidy). After hearing of the danger in The Glades, Thea (Willa Holland) races to find Roy (Colton Haynes), inadvertently putting herself directly in the line of fire of Malcolm’s devious plan. On the island, Oliver, Slade (Manu Bennett) and Shado (Celina Jade) are locked in a life-or-death struggle against Fyers as his missiles lock on a full Ferris Air jetliner. Check out two more first look photos from "Sacrifice" below: Arrow airs on Wednesdays at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Reporting by Leanne Aguilera Follow Leanne on Twitter: @leanneaguileraFollow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow' Scoop: A Pair of Villains Threaten to Tear the Team Apart 'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Previews Olicity Overload'Arrow' Season 2 Scoop: Will Seth Gabel's The Count Return? From Our Partners:Miley Goes Braless for Magazine Cover (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow' Scoop: A Pair of Villains Threaten to Tear the Team Apart
April 24, 2013 5:27pm ESTWe’ve been waiting ever-so-(im)patiently for the return of the CW’s newest hit drama Arrow to return for the last four episodes of its freshman season, and tonight we will finally be rewarded. Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and co. are back in "Home Invasion," and our favorite hooded vigilante has got a whole mess of problems with his family, his friends, and even his colleagues on Team Arrow. We last left off with Ollie’s sister Thea (Willa Holland) teaming up with her new boyfriend Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) to track down the Hood, Ollie's mother Moira (Susanna Thompson) caught in the nefarious plans for The Undertaking of The Glades, his best friend Tommy (Colin Donnell) allying himself with his father Malcolm (John Barrowman) — aka the Dark Archer — and his partner Diggle (David Ramsey) out for revenge, Team Arrow be damned. Honestly, with friends and family like Oliver’s, who needs enemies? Unfortunately, Starling City’s insidious underbelly doesn’t exactly see things that way, and Oliver will have a whole new slew of enemies to try and cross off his List tonight. First and foremost, Floyd Lawton — a.k.a. Deadshot — once again rears his one-eyed head, and according to everyone’s favorite IT girl Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), Deadshot stirs up some trouble within Team Arrow and outside of the team. "Dun dun dun, Deadshot! There is tension that happens between Diggle and Oliver when Deadshot comes into the case because whether or not you see him in each episode, Floyd Lawton is always on Diggle’s mind 100 percent," Rickards tells Hollywood.com. "He wants to get revenge. He cannot go on living with Deadshot there. And Felicity does not want to see Diggle get lost in that." When Oliver doesn’t exactly see eye to eye with Diggle’s "blood quest" against Lawton, it’s up to Felicity to bring her two boys back together. "I see her as the point of this triangle and she’s going, 'Okay, you guys are individuals and you need to work this out,'" Rickards reveals. "In this episode, she’s trying to fuse together again the connection between the other two points of their triangle. It gets a little rocky, for lack of a better explanation." Maybe if Deadshot was Team Arrow’s only concern in "Home Invasion," they would actually stand a chance to really work through their issues in a timely manner. But unfortunately for Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity, they will also have to deal with a new villain that presents a challenge they’ve never faced before. Angel alum J. August Richards makes his debut tonight as Mr. Blank, an assassin who Richards doesn’t like to define in such black-and-white terms. "You call him a villain but I don’t think he sees himself that way, nor do I see him that way," Richards tells Hollywood.com. "He sees himself as a businessman who’s been hired to do a service. And beyond that, he has no sort of judgment behind it or not. He is an assassin who is brought in to keep a few witnesses quiet and he is very serious about what he does for a living." While any normal assassin wouldn’t present major challenges to Oliver and company, Mr. Blank has a special talent that makes Team Arrow’s job much harder than usual. "He lives his whole life to be invisible so that he can creep out of the shadows to take people out and then creep right back in," Richards reveals. "He’s not easy to track down. He’s a master of disguise without ever changing his costume. That’s how good this guy is." And what’s scarier than his talent for disappearing is his "dead in the eyes" personality. "This character has no empathy for people at all. He might understand human emotions but he doesn’t understand yours or how you’re feeling. That doesn’t even cross his radar," Richards explains. "However, he is one of those people that can read the emotional temperature of a room easily. He is very connected to spaces and the emotional temperature of rooms, but not to people at all. I call him a sociopathic Nate Berkus." With his sociopathic nature and penchant for hiding, it sounds like Mr. Blank will present challenges both to Oliver and Felicity. "He’s a villain like I don’t think we have ever seen before," Richards teases. "He creeps in and out of places innocuously and I think that makes it very difficult for Oliver to spot him. And who says that Oliver does stop him?" On that ominious note, we’re left to wonder if we’ll see more of Richards’ Mr. Blank in the future… perhaps Season 2? "I don’t know [about being back]. I think we’ll have to wait and see," Richards teases. "But I will say this: I had an absolute ball working on the show. I love the crew, the cast, and it was an amazing experience." One character we know for sure we’ll be seeing more of is Felicity, thanks to her promotion to series regular. Rickards was "elated" when she heard the news she would be sticking around Arrow in a larger capacity. "It’s huge news for me and for Felicity. I get to spend more time with her and more time with this awesome cast that I’ve become really good friends with," Rickards says. "If I had to say goodbye to Felicity that would be heartbreaking." Saying goodbye to Felicity would be heartbreaking for fans as well, thanks to the dedicated army of "Olicity" shippers hoping to see Oliver and Felicity get together romantically. "She’s got this hunk of a superhero on her hands. That’s kind of the dream," Rickards says. "I think what the audience really loves is the tension. Felicity does too. That’s a natural thing for her. But I don’t know, I’m not the writers! I don’t even think they know where it’s going to go. They just burn through storyline like crazy." While Rickards may not be able to predict if/when Olicity might happen, she does understand the why fans are so connected to the pairing of Oliver and Felicity. "I think what we do get to see is her admiration for Oliver and his admiration for her and their love for each other," Rickards explains. "The more you get to know someone on that level, the more connected you are to them. And the friendship keeps growing, that family-like feeling, that love-like feeling between her and Diggle, her and Oliver, and Oliver and Diggle." Tune in to see that friendship between Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity tested when Deadshot and Mr. Blank enter the scene on Arrow tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on The CW. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum More:'Arrow' Star Stephen Amell Previews Olicity Overload'Arrow' Season 2 Scoop: Will Seth Gabel's The Count Return?'Arrow' Star Celina Jade Teases Kicking Oliver's A** and (Maybe) Stealing His Heart 'Arrow' Post Mortem: The Cast and Producers Reveal Dark Days Ahead From Our Partners50 Worst Celeb Mugshot Fails (vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
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'Arrow' Post Mortem: The Cast and Producers Reveal Dark Days Ahead
March 20, 2013 6:58pm ESTThe long wait for a new episode of Arrow? Totally worth it — thanks to tonight's explosive, crazy, action-packed installment, "The Huntress Returns." We’ve got six more episodes left of the wildly-successful Season 1, and if you thought the action was going to slow down, you clearly don’t watch enough Arrow. "It's all going to come to a head," executive producer Andrew Kreisberg promises Hollywood.com. "Everything that you could want to happen and everything you think couldn’t possibly happen is going to happen. We just pitched it to the studio and the network and they’re still trying to pick their jaws up off the floor." As if we weren't already incredibly excited about the last third of Season 1. In order to prepare for what is sure to be an epic ending to the freshman season, we spoke to the cast and producers about what to expect in the next six episodes. Here's what is on deck for Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), Team Arrow, and all our favorite Starling City residents as we gear up for a shocking season finale: RELATED: 'Arrow': Steve Aoki Promises a 'Raging, Crazy Party' and The Huntress Going Psycho Tommy’s In TroubleEver since Tommy (Colin Donnell) learned the truth about both his best friend and his father, he’s struggled with this new knowledge, and that won’t end anytime soon. "He’s not doing so well, honestly. Everything’s been thrown into total turmoil for him," Donnell tells Hollywood.com. "You can see the strain on the relationship between Oliver and Tommy. It puts everything into question for him." Knowing Oliver’s secret also creates some trouble in paradise for Tommy and Laurel’s relationship, which we began to see in tonight's episode. "It doesn't make his relationship with Laurel any easier, and the fact is it wasn't terribly easy to begin with," Donnell states. "We saw from her side that interacting with the vigilante and keeping it a secret from me already placed this strain on our relationship, and now there's another big secret. They've had such an open, very adult, honest relationship and now there’s a huge secret that has to be kept. And that's not good." Aside from his relationship with Laurel, Tommy’s friendship with Oliver is also in a very bad place. "Oliver is a killer now which, obviously, that's an issue for Tommy. Part of the strain that is on the relationship is because of what Oliver has become," Donnell explains. "But it's equal parts feeling betrayed as a friend and a brother and a confidante. Oliver was the one person that Tommy always went to for advice. Tommy always thought that Oliver would be there for him, and all of a sudden that’s not the case." And to find out that not only is your best friend a killer, but also your father? That would certainly throw a wrench into Tommy's newly-mended relationship with father Malcolm (John Barrowman) … or so one would think. "Tommy's pretty good at forgetting that people kill in front of him. The fact that there is a relationship again between Tommy and Malcolm kind of overshadows the fact that he saw his father doing what he did," Donnell says. "He's so consumed by almost losing his father, having him come back to life, and having him come back into his life. It is such a huge, good thing that it sort of overshadows what he saw Malcolm do." RELATED: 'Arrow': Stephen Amell Reveals the Aftermath of Tommy Finding Out Oliver's Secret Malcolm’s Mysterious MentorWe haven’t heard much about Malcolm Merlyn's years in Nanda Parbot — outside of the fact that he left after his wife's murder, learned how to fight from a mysterious mentor, and returned cold and distant towards his son. This sounded suspiciously like Yao Fei's mentorship to Oliver on the island, but when I brought up my hypothesis to executive producer Marc Guggenheim he – very gently but officially – shot it down. "We made a concrete decision in the first year not to tie the island mythology in with the present day mythology. We felt like that would be a little too coincidental," Guggenheim explains. "It's a good pitch, but no. The person who trained Malcolm, [the executive producers] know who that is, but you haven't met them yet. And you may not meet them for the first two seasons of the show." While he didn't give away much in terms of spoilers, Guggenheim did reveal if/when we will learn more about the identity of Malcolm's mentor and his years in Nanda Parbot. "It will be an ongoing mystery as to what happened in Nanda Parbot with Malcolm. We want to continue to delve into Malcolm's back story because I think people are interested in it and John Barrowman is a wonderful actor," Guggenheim says. "So assuming Malcolm survives Season one, we'll continue to explore what happened to him during those two years." RELATED: 'Arrow' Gets a New Island Ally Dark Days Ahead (and Behind) For DiggleDiggle (David Ramsey) may be the moral center of Team Arrow, but all that is about to change, thanks to the realization that Deadshot, aka the man who killed Diggle’s brother, is still alive. "Diggle is going to get on a blood quest. We haven't really seen Diggle like this before," Ramsey tells Hollywood.com. "Up until now Diggle has been the voice of reason and the moral authority, and he's been leading the hero to have a greater sense of morality in terms of killing. But all of that goes out the door for Diggle when he learns that Deadshot’s alive. He has to hear his own words regurgitated to him, in terms of is he making the right choices, is he making the right decision, et cetera. And there will be collateral damage for that quest." Along with his darker future, we will also learn some shocking things about Diggle's past. "You're going to see some of his other past come up and Diggle isn't as straight and clean as we all think," Ramsey reveals. "There's a history there and we’re going to see some of it." More Slade WilsonA huge congratulations is in order for the newly-promoted series regular Manu Bennett as island badass Slade Wilson. Bennett's news joins the already announced series regular promotions of Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoake and Colton Haynes as Roy Harper. Clearly, the Arrow bosses listen to what the fans want, because we just can't get enough of Slade, Felicity, and Roy! Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum [Photo Credit: Jack Rowand/The CW] You Might Also Like:Topanga's Revealing Lingerie Shoot: Hello '90s! 25 Stars Before They Were Famous
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Anna Karenina Review
November 13, 2012 10:20am ESTForget that the latest adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's sweeping romance novel comes from the man who brought us the slick-but-stuffy Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. Every frame of director Joe Wright's Anna Karenina is a wonder to behold overflowing with visual spectacle and roaring performances. Keira Knightley Jude Law Aaron Taylor-Johnson and the rest of the cast fit perfectly in the high drama epic but it's really Wright's playground. Following Hanna an artful spin on the action movie Wright returns to the period drama but injects it with dazzling daring choices. A book like Anna Karenina could once fit in reality but its larger-than-life legacy precedes it. Wright acknowledges that from frame one approaching the film like a grand ballet or opera where grand gestures broad emotions and overt theatrics are commonplace. That vision clicks transforming Anna Karenina into an exhilarating moviegoing experience. The storyline of Anna Karenina isn't far off from a daytime soap: It's 1874 and Anna (Knightley) is floating through existence as the wife of influential government player Karenin (Law). But when her brother Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen) summons her to Moscow to save his marriage Anna's entire world is shaken up. She meets Vronsky (Taylor-Johnson) a cavalry hunk who finds himself smitten with the taken lady. She's in the same boat: The two strike up a flirtatious relationship that evolves into one of sexual passion. A scandalous affair would incite trouble in the preset day but in the 19th century it's the ultimate crime. Quickly Anna's life comes crumbling down. The intertwining melodrama of Anna Karenina earned the novel its classic status but Wright uses the material as a launching pad for imagination rather than a tome to translate to screen. Many of the scenes are staged in a theater creating an instant awareness of the production. Sets shift and are reconstructed into new rooms; actors costume change in the span of single shots; action sequences like a thrilling horse race are conducted on stage with special effects you might see on Broadway. Wright works this sort of stylization in the other direction too; a character could walk an empty stage open a door and suddenly be on a snow-covered hill. Anna Karenina isn't the first film to use the effect but in Wright's hands it's exhilarating. The movie is Wright's third collaboration with Knightley and easily their most successful. Knightley never struggles to stay on the same page as the heightened material whether she's nailing a dance sequence or breaking down in a flood of tears. Casting an ensemble around Knightley is no easy task but Taylor-Johnson gives his best work yet as the debonair love interest and Macfadyen steals the show with moments of physical comedy. We have expectations of the texture and structure of period romances. Anna Karenina defies them. Masterpiece Theater it is not.
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Adele Sweeps the 2012 Grammys: Full Winners List
February 13, 2012 5:18am ESTLast night, viewers were treated to a particularly emotional Grammy Awards. Naturally, the tributes to the deceased Whitney Houston were some of the most moving moments of the night, and in recent television. But many rising artists had a lot to celebrate; particularly, Adele, who swept the awards with four major wins. Check below for a complete list of winners from the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, and for a recap, hop over to our Seven Things You Need to Know About the 2012 Grammys list. Album of the Year 21 by Adele Record of the Year "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele Best New Artist Bon Iver Best Country Album Own the Night by Lady Antebellum Song of the Year “Rolling In The Deep” by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele) Best R&B Album F.A.M.E. by Chris Brown Best Rock Performance “Walk” by Foo Fighters Best Rap Performance “Otis” by Jay-Z and Kayne West Best Pop Solo Performance “Someone Like You” by Adele Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Body and Soul” by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse Best Pop Instrumental Album The Road from Memphis by Booker T. Jones Best Pop Vocal Album 21 by Adele Best Dance Recording “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex Best Dance/Electronica Album “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” by Skrillex Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Duets II by Tony Bennett & Various Artists Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance “White Limo” by Foo Fighters Best Rock Song “Walk” by Foo Fighters Best Rock Album Wasting Light by Foo Fighters Best Alternative Music Album Bon Iver by Bon Iver Best R&B Performance “Is This Love” by Corinne Bailey Rae Best Traditional R&B Performance “Fool For You” by Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona Best R&B Song “Fool For You” by Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim, Jack Splash Best Rap/Sung Collaboration “All Of The Lights” by Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie Best Rap Song “All Of the Lights” by Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West Best Rap Album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West Best Country Solo Performance “Mean” by Taylor Swift Best Country Duo/Group Performance “Barton Hollow” by The Civil Wars Best Country Song “Mean” by Taylor Swift Best New Age Album What’s It All About by Pat Metheny Best Improvised Jazz Solo “500 Miles High” by Chick Corea Best Jazz Vocal Album The Mosaic Project by Terri Lyne Carrington & Various Artists Best Jazz Instrumental Album Forever by Corea, Clarke & White Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album The Good Feeling by Christian McBride Big Band Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music “Jesus” by Le’Andria Johnson Best Gospel Song “Hello Fear” by Kirk Franklin Best Contemporary Christian Music Song “Blessings” by Laura Story Best Gospel Album Hello Fear by Kirk Franklin Best Contemporary Christian Music Album And If Our God Is For Us… by Chris Tomlin Best Latin Pop, Rock, Or Urban Album Drama Y Luz by Maná Best Regional Mexian Or Tejano Album Bicentenario by Pepe Aguilar Best Banda Or Norteno Album Los Tigres Del Norte And Friends by Los Tigres Del Norte Best Tropical Latin Album The Last Mambo by Cachao Best Americana Album Ramble At the Ryman by Levon Helm Best Bluegrass Album Paper Airplane by Alison Krauss & Union Station Best Blues Album Revelator by Tedeschi Trucks Band Best Folk Album Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars Best Regional Roots Music Album Rebirth of New Orleans by Rebirth Brass Band Best Raggae Album Revelation Pt 1: The Root Of Life by Stephen Marley Best World Music Album Tassili by Tinariwen Best Children’s Album All About Bullies… Big And Small Best Spoken Word Album If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t) by Betty White Best Comedy Album Hilarious by Louis C.K. Best Musical Theater Album The Book of Mormon: Josh Gad & Andrew Rannells; Anne Garefino, Robert Lopez, Stephen Oremus, Trey Parker, Scott Rudin & Matt Stone (producers); Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone (composers/lyricists) Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1: Various Artists Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media The King’s Speech by Alexandre Desplat Best Song Written For Visual Media “I See The Light (From Tangled)” by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater, songwriters (Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi) Best Instrumental Composition "Live In Eleven” by Béla Fleck & Howard Levy, composers (Béla Fleck & The Flecktones) Best Instrumental Arrangement “Rhapsody In Blue” by Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band) Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” by Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett & Queen Latifah) Best Recording Package Scenes From the Suburbs, Caroline Robert, art director (Arcade Fire) Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge of Town Story by Dave Bett & Michelle Holme, art directors (Bruce Springsteen) Best Album Notes Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded By the San Francisco Bay By Chris Strachwitz In The 1960s, Adam Machado, album notes writer (Various Artists) Best Historical Album Band On the Run (Paul McCartney Archive Collection — Deluxe Edition), Paul McCartney, compilation producer; Sam Okell & Steve Rooke, mastering engineers (Paul McCartney & Wings) Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Paper Airplane, Neal Cappellino & Mike Shipley, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station) Producer Of the Year, Non-Classical Paul Epworth Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical “Cinema (Skrillex Remix)” by Sonny Moore, remixer (Benny Benassi) Best Surround Sound Album Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (Super Deluxe Edition), Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Bill Levenson & Elliot Scheiner, surround producers (Derek & The Dominos) Best Engineered Album, Classical Aldridge: Elmer Gantry, Byeong-Joon Hwang & John Newton, engineers; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer (William Boggs, Keith Phares, Patricia Risley, Vale Rideout, Frank Kelley, Heather Buck, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) Producer Of the Year, Classical Judith Sherman Best Orchestral Performance “Brahms: Symphony No. 4” by Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic) Best Opera Recording “Adams: Doctor Atomic” by Alan Gilbert, conductor; Meredith Arwady, Sasha Cooke, Richard Paul Fink, Gerald Finley, Thomas Glenn & Eric Owens; Jay David Saks, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus) Best Choral Performance “Light & Gold” by Eric Whitacre, conductor (Christopher Glynn & Hila Plitmann; The King’s Singers, Laudibus, Pavão Quartet & The Eric Whitacre Singers) Best Small Ensemble Performance “Mackey: Lonely Motel — Music From Slide” by Rinde Eckert & Steven Mackey; Eighth Blackbird Best Classical Instrument Solo “Schwantner: Concerto For Percussion & Orchestra” by Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Christopher Lamb (Nashville Symphony) Best Classical Vocal Solo “Diva Divo” by Joyce DiDonato (Kazushi Ono; Orchestre De L’Opéra National De Lyon; Choeur De L’Opéra National De Lyon) Best Contemporary Classical Composition “Aldridge, Robert: Elmer Gantry” by Robert Aldridge & Herschel Garfein Best Short Form Music Video “Rolling In The Deep” by Adele; Sam Brown, video director; Hannah Chandler, video producer Best Long Form Music Video “Foo Fighters: Back And Forth” by Foo Fighters; James Moll, video director; James Moll & Nigel Sinclair, video producers Grammy Trustees Award Dave Bartholomew, Steve Jobs, and Rudy Van Gelder Source: EW
