Gang Related alum Cliff Curtis has nabbed the starring role in the new pilot from Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson.The untitled companion series, currently a pilot but considered a shoo-in for a series order, explores the outset of the same zombie apocalypse as AMC's flagship show but takes place at a different location.
Curtis will topline the drama and portray Sean Cabrera, a teacher who shares a son with his ex-wife, Andrea. The character is described as a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life.The female lead — the role of Nancy Tomkins, a guidance counselor who works at the school with Sean — is currently still testing actresses for the role.
Anna Torv was among the actresses who were seen for the part, though the Fringe alum is no longer considered to be in the running for it.
Curtis joins a cast that also includes Frank Dillane (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) as Nancy's son Nick, who has battled a drug problem; and Alycia Debnam Carey (Into the Woods) as Nancy's ambitious daughter Ashley.
Kirkman, who created The Walking Dead comic series, is co-writing the pilot with Erickson. They'll exec produce alongside Walking Dead's Gale Anne Hurd and Dave Alpert. Erickson will serve as showrunner, while Adam Davidson will direct.Curtis most recently starred on Fox's short-lived drama Gang Related. His credits TV include Missing, Body of Proof and Trauma. Feature roles include Training Day, Live Free or Die Hard and Three Kings. He's repped by Robert Bruce Agency in the U.K. and manager JR Talent Group.
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BBC America announced today that it has renewed Almost Royal for a second season. The freshman series, which premiered this past summer, is the channel's first original comedy production.There is no word on a return date at this time.
Well, by now you’ve probably seen The Walking Dead mid-season finally, if you haven’t it would not be wise to read this review; it does have spoilers in it. So, if you haven’t seen it yet it is recommended that you wait until you have. Here goes, you have been warned.
It starts out with Rick running down Bob, the second Bob to die in a very few episodes. Did you catch the line that Rick gave him just before he shot him in the head and told him to shut up? He said, “You can’t go back, Bob”, that’s the same line that Gareth said to the other Bob as he was eating his leg, which just goes to show you that Rick Grimes doesn’t mess around, he became sickened of negotiating while trying it with the Governor, he seems convinced that talking doesn’t solve anything. The only thing that matters in this world of the walking dead is ‘pure naked force’. Also, it proves that he is a sociopath. Anyone not in his family group can die by his hand and it doesn’t give him one moment’s grief.
The priest Gabriel is an idiot, he doesn’t seem to understand the whole ‘the walking dead will tear you apart and eat you’ thing, he’s learning though. He’s also beginning to understand that there are people left in this world that will not be kind, will not be considerate and probably will not care that you wear a collar. He found Bob’s leg on the barbecue grill where Gareth and his friends left it. That might have been enough to convince him about the true nature of things. He’ll come around, or he’ll die.
Abraham and the rest are back after Eugene revealed that he’s not the savior of the human race and that Washington is not the answer to the world’s problems. They pulled up, with that big old fire truck, just in the nick of time to save the day. Just as the walkers are about to bust back out of the church and eat everyone, including the baby. Luckily, the walkers are too dumb to know how to crawl out through a hole in the floor. Maggie gets the news that her sister is still alive and they decide that they should go help rescue her.
Beth and Dawn prevent a coup by one of Dawn’s fellow officers at the hospital by pushing him down an elevator shaft where they usually dump the dead. Dawn proves that she will do anything to maintain control, even if she has to kill those who help her to maintain it. Although, we do get to see a softer side of her nature, she did save Carol by giving Beth the key to the drug cabinet and she did cover up the fact that Beth killed Gorman by smashing the lollypop jar over his head and feeding him to Joan. She tries to teach Beth about the political structure of the hospital and that control is a very fragile thing, but she just comes off seeming even pettier than she usually does.
There are some that are very unhappy with the ending of this one, this one could be considered as sad as the mid-season finally where Hershel died. The writers, the producers and even the actors spent a considerable amount of time building up Emily Kinney’s character, Beth, not to mention Dawn, and then just killed her off. WHAT!! Really! Well, that’s just what they did. And poor Maggie, how many people is she going to lose? Her losses started with Otis (remember the guy that accidentally shot Carl) and have just kept on coming. As a matter of fact, the last time she seen her sister was at the prison when the Governor killed their father. Then to be told that her sister is still alive and walking up to the hospital with her companions dead set on rescuing her, just in time to see Daryl walking out with her sister’s dead body in his arms. Who’s next, Glenn? He’s the only one that she has left.
It was a very sad scene, everyone in the group that was present was affected, even crazy man Rick was on the verge of tears, and especially Daryl, who has been in a ‘be kind to strangers’ mode since losing Carol, but seeing Beth get shot in the head brought him right out of that. Of course, Dawn was dead from the moment that she demanded Noah, her former ward (slave), be returned to her because of losing Beth, her present ward (slave). The group was not going to put up with that, Rick was ready to put a bullet in her the moment that she suggested it. So it was a bit of a surprise that he didn’t shoot her first. Well, maybe Daryl just didn’t give him a chance, the moment Beth started to fall after the gunshot wound from Dawn’s gun he stepped up and BAM, right in the forehead, no matter what BS excuse that she tried to offer. Although, not even Beth was going to put up with Noah being forced back into indentured servitude to that bitch, that’s why she stabbed her with the scissors. Really Beth, like that was going to take her down, you almost deserve a bullet in the brain for that stupid move.
This mid-season finally certainly isn’t going to be favored among a lot of fans. We didn’t even get a cliffhanger. At least when the Governor attacked the prison, which was the mid-season finally in season four, and Hershel was killed we were left with a few questions. Like, “Where is everybody going to go”, “Will they meet up again down the road”, and “What happened to the baby”? With this one we are left with quite a bit of finality, Carol and Beth got rescued from the hospital and Beth got killed in the process. And, of course, that bitch Dawn is dead. The only question that we are left with is, “Where is Noah going to go”? He walked out of the hospital with them all at the end. I guess it depends on how well his character does with the fans.
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Veteran Eric Winston has signed a one-year contract with the Bengals. Winston, a nine-year player who happens to also be the president of the NFL Players Association, spent training camp with Seattle but has not played this season.
The team made the official announcement Tuesday afternoon. The Bengals waived offensive tackle Jamon Meredith in a corresponding move but still have one open spot available on the 53-man roster. Linebacker Jayson DiManche was placed on injured reserve Monday with a broken forearm. The Bengals would like to add another linebacker to help with depth at the position and on special teams. Smith suffered a torn triceps against Houston on Nov. 23 and subsequently was placed on injured reserve. He was replaced by Marshall Newhouse against the Texans and Newhouse started last Sunday's 14-13 win at Tampa Bay, although right guard Clint Boling also took some snaps at tackle as the Bengals search for the best combination of players heading into the final four games of the season. "Not good enough," said head coach Marvin Lewis when asked about how the offensive line played as a whole against Tampa Bay. "Not as good as we need. We had a couple guys play pretty well, but as a group we didn't play as well as we needed to play. We need to play better."
The offense produced just 288 yards against the Buccaneers. QB Andy Dalton was sacked twice and Tampa Bay was credited with four hits on him as well as seven tackles for loss in the game. The Bengals signed Meredith, a sixth-year player, last week after Smith was placed on IR but Winston (6-6, 305) brings a deeper resume to the roster. Winston, 31, entered the league as a third round draft pick by Houston in 2006 and has started 119 of the 126 games he's played, including all 16 games in each of the previous seven seasons. He was with the Texans from 2006-11, played for Kansas City in 2012 and was with Arizona last season.
Brady Hoke had enough time at Michigan, but not enough wins, interim athletic director Jim Hackett said Tuesday night. Hackett formally announced his decision to fire the Wolverines' head coach shortly after Hoke shared the news with his team Tuesday afternoon. Hoke ends his four-year tenure in Ann Arbor with a 31-20 record. Hackett said the universal respect players and peers held for Hoke made his choice a difficult one."This was not an easy decision," Hackett said. "Everywhere I go there is zero question about Brady's values."
Hoke did not leave through the front doors of Schembechler Hall, the team's practice facility, but released a statement about his departure. It said, in part: "I want to thank all of the sons that played for our teams and appreciate the commitment that our coaches and support staff made to the program every day. I will miss the relationships that I've been fortunate enough to make within this university and community." Players left the team's practice facility teary-eyed after meeting with Hoke. Hackett said he spoke briefly with the team this afternoon, but didn't want to interfere with Hoke's final meeting with his players. He said he intends to talk more with the players about what criteria they feel are important in a new coach at a later date.
The search for Hoke's replacement will begin immediately, according to Hackett. He defined the criteria for candidates as "winning with the shared values of the University of Michigan." Hackett said he has a specific deadline in mind for when he wants to have a new coach in place, but did not share that date publicly. He plans to use an executive search firm that is familiar with Michigan and its athletic department to help make the process run smoothly. He was explicit in saying that having a history at Michigan and being a "Michigan man" was not a prerequisite for getting the job.
"I want to get rid of the word 'Michigan Man,' " said Hackett, who stepped into temporarily run the athletic department one month ago. A former center at Michigan under Bo Schembechler and CEO of office furniture company Steelcase, Hackett plans to be the man who will hire Hoke's replacement. Hoke, who is owed a $3 million buyout, earned the title of a Michigan Man when he told reporters he would've walked to Ann Arbor to accept the Wolverines' job when he was introduced as the head coach four years ago. He served as an assistant at Michigan from 1995 until 2002, when he left to take the head coaching job at Ball State.
With his Michigan tie, Hoke was hired to stabilize the program following the tumultuous tenure of Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez, now the head coach at Arizona, was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year on Tuesday. The Wolverines' underwhelming performance also led to the resignation of former athletic director Dave Brandon, the man who had hired Hoke. Hoke won 11 games and the Sugar Bowl in his first season as Michigan's head coach, but his team's trended steadily downward in the three years that followed. The Wolverines' loss to rival Ohio State last weekend dropped their record to 5-7 and ended their first losing season since 2009. Michigan is just 1-10 in their last 11 games against the Buckeyes and have not won a Big Ten title since 2004.
Martin Brodeur is officially back in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues signed the NHL's all-time winningest goalie to a one-year deal Tuesday. The pro-rated deal is worth $700,000 in base salary. In addition, Brodeur can make the following performance-based bonuses: $10,000 for every point in the standings he earns while the goalie of record; $125,000 for being on an NHL roster on Feb. 1; and $125,000 for being on an NHL roster March 4. In addition, the contract includes playoff bonuses tied to the team winning rounds and Brodeur's own playing time during the run.
Brian Elliott’s knee injury last week prompted the Blues to invite Brodeur to practice with the team for a few days in a feeling-out period for the sides."It feels great," Brodeur told stlouisblues.com. "I really appreciate the opportunity for me to be here the last few days. It definitely worked out real well. I'm excited for this fresh start." Brodeur, 42, never has worn an NHL uniform other than New Jersey’s.
"It's going to feel great, it's going to definitely be different," Brodeur told stlouisblues.com. "Not just for me, but for the fans. I've turned the page, and this is a new beginning that hopefully will come off with something great." The 10-time All-Star is the league's all-time leader in wins (688) and shutouts (124). He also won three Stanley Cup titles and has captured the Vezina Trophy four times. Brodeur was 19-14-6 last season with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage for the Devils, low numbers by his career marks of 2.24 GAA and .912 save percentage. Elliott is week-to-week with the injury.
The NHL has lowered the hammer on the LA Kings, fining the team $100,000 for violating the terms of Slava Voynov’s suspension. According to the league, the Kings allowed Voynov, who is currently facing a felony charge of domestic violence against his wife following an October arrest, to skate with teammates Tuesday during an optional practice. The league stated in a release that, "Such activity is in direct contravention of the terms of the suspension levied Oct. 20, which permit Mr. Voynov to use club facilities and work with team personnel but prohibit his participation in any team-related functions or activities."
Previously, Voynov has skated on his own at the team's El Segundo, California, practice facility while working with associate coach John Stevens. The suspended defenseman's presence on the ice Tuesday caused a firestorm on Twitter, though the Kings reportedly tried justifying the situation by explaining that he took the ice early for what was an "optional" team skate, though reporters on the scene said every member of the team participated.
"It was an optional skate and everybody went," coach Darryl Sutter said, according to lakingsinsider.com. "He was supposed to come out after with the injured guys right after practice. Everybody went today." Apparently, the league was not pleased with this explanation, levying a significant fine against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Last month, the league provided the Kings with some much-needed salary-cap relief and allowed Voynov's cap hit to come off the books. Voynov pleaded not guilty to corporal injury to a spouse with great bodily injury. The 24-year-old Russian is next due in court on Dec. 15 for a preliminary hearing.
It is hard to imagine a classier hockey player, on and off the ice, than Jean Beliveau. A supremely skilled center who spent 18 full seasons and parts of two others with Montreal, Beliveau was also a popular ambassador for the sport. He scored 507 goals, won 10 Stanley Cups and was captain for 10 seasons before his retirement in 1971. He then moved seamlessly into an executive position with the club.
Beliveau was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972. He won two league MVP awards and has his name engraved on the Cup 17 times, including for years he was in the Canadiens' front office."No record book can capture, no image can depict, no statue can convey the grandeur of the remarkable Jean Beliveau, whose elegance and skill on the ice earned the admiration of the hockey world while his humility and humanity away from the rink earned the love of fans everywhere," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
"Mr. Beliveau was a formidable presence and his departure leaves an immeasurable void. As we grieve that he has left us, we cherish what he gave us: A sport elevated forever by his character, his dignity and his class." Canadiens fans who revered Beliveau were given a scare in 2000 when he was diagnosed with throat cancer, but after losing 30 pounds during treatment and enduring "the worst period of my life," he recovered. Soon, he was back in his familiar spot attending nearly every home game with his wife Elise in the seats among the fans. He also survived a stroke in 2012.
When the Canadiens opened Centennial Plaza at the Bell Centre as part of the team's 100th anniversary, their four greatest players were honored with statues: Maurice Richard, Howie Morenz, Guy Lafleur and Beliveau. "Like millions of hockey fans who followed the life and the career of Jean Beliveau, the Canadiens today mourn the passing of a man whose contribution to the development of our sport and our society was unmeasurable," team owner Geoff Molson said in a statement. "Jean Beliveau was a great leader, a gentleman and arguably the greatest ambassador our game has ever known."
Molson said the club will work closely with Beliveau's family "to organize the ceremonies that will take place in the coming days." Beliveau embodied all the attributes of the Montreal dynasty teams of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s: talent, flair, intelligence and success. "Meeting him is not like meeting other stars from the old days," said Beliveau's former linemate Gilles Tremblay. "When people see Bobby Hull, they say: 'Hi Bobby.' When they meet Big Jean, it's always: 'Hi, Mr. Beliveau.' He commands respect."
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired outfielder from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-hander Matt Magill. Heisey, who will turn 30 this month, is a .247 career hitter with 50 home runs over parts of five seasons with Cincinnati. He is eligible for salary arbitration and is projected to earn slightly more than $2 million in 2015.
The Reds dealt him several hours in advance of Tuesday night's MLB non-tender deadline. The Dodgers already had a glut of outfielders with Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, and Joc Pederson, and the Heisey acquisition could be a precursor to more moves from Andrew Friedman, Los Angeles' new president of baseball operations.
Magill, 25, has an 0-2 record with a 6.51 ERA in six starts at the major league level, all in 2013. He posted a 7-6 mark with a 5.21 ERA in 12 starts (36 appearances) for Triple-A Albuquerque this past season."We are excited to be adding a player with a power arm who has a chance to help our club next season," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement.
