Consider me intrigued. Netflix is just bringing it in 2013 and we’re only into the early second quarter.  Not only will they be “arresting” us this Spring with the eagerly-awaited fourth season of Arrested Development, but they’re throwing us right in jail now!

Orange is the New Black is a brand-new Drama Series based on a Memoir by Piper Kerman. Comprised of 13 episodes and directed by Jenji Kohan (Weeds), Rising Star Taylor Schilling (The Lucky One, Argo) plays the Lead Role of Piper who is arrested after a 10-year relationship with a Drug Runner Alex (Laura Prepon). Engaged to Fiance Larry (Jason Biggs!!!). She must grapple with Prison Life for her orange Jumpsuit, serving a year-long sentence at a Federal penitentiary.

Also in this stellar Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Kate Mulgrew, Pablo Schreiber, Danielle Brooks, Laverne Cox and Taryn Manning.

See some brand new Stills below:

Netflix Canada releases all 13 episodes of Orange is the New Black on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at 3:01 EST.

(Photo credit: Netflix)

Toronto truly got a treat tonight as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada hosted a special Advance Screening of Iron Man 3!   Held at Cineplex Odeon – Yonge & Dundas, the most Die-Hard of Fans were gifted with Limited Edition Iron Man 3-D Glasses and Cardboard Do-It-Yourself-Iron Men.  Memorabilia also was fully on-display at the Event and an Actor even came dressed as Iron Man  ringing-in the festivities.   More importantly however, tonight’s Audience had the pleasure of seeing Academy Award Nominee Don Cheadle in-person.  The Actor plays the important role of War Machine/Colonel James Rhodes, also known as Iron Man/Tony Stark‘s (Robert Downey Jr.) Right-Hand Man in the Franchise.

After a busy day of Press, a Dressy-Casual Cheadle in jeans, a vest and tie, punctually walked the Red Carpet tonight, meeting a crowded mix of TV, Online and Radio Media.  Two lucky Fans even got to pose with their Idol on the Red Carpet after winning a Contest, securing a rare Photo Op!

I had the pleasure of chatting with Cheadle quickly about his experience working closely with Downey and he had nothing but the highest praise of praise for the Franchise Star.  “I think we just both got along working with each other”, he says. “There’s a mutual respect there and we appreciate the job we’re doing and obviously Robert is carrying the Lion’s Share of the Franchise for everybody, so it’s really daunting and you want to support him in the best way. So it’s nice that you feel that you have a lane and he provides that. “.

After previewing this third Installment, Fans certainly will not be disappointed with Writer/Director Shane Black‘s witty comedic sense and the Ladies will swoon even more for Downey as his love for Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) gets tested like never before with the surfacing of destructive and villainous Dr. Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

Watch a Clip of my Chat with Cheadle below:

I happened to nab an extra pair of those Limited Edition Iron Man 3-D Glasses and a Do-It-Yourself Paper Iron Man!  Click here for details on how to win ’em!

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Canada releases Iron Man 3 this Friday, May 3, 2013.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Adnan Mohamedbhai/Steven Fernandez)

Veteran is a fit word to describe Harold Perrineau, whom I spotted today on a walk with Billy through Yorkville!   Along with his lovely Wife Brittany and two of Daughters, Wynter and Holiday.  Being the cool Parents they are, their four-year-old Daughter Wynter was spotted rocking an iPad even!  And while we’re on the topic of Holidays, that also would be the exact reason the Actor is here in Toronto.

Perrineau is known for his superb Body of Work which includes Lost, Oz,  Sons of Anarchy, Zero Dark Thirty, Romeo + Juliet (Director Baz Luhrmann was just in town this week!) and tells me he’s in-town filming Follow-up to Malcolm Lee‘s 1999 Comedy, The Best Man Holiday alongside Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian and Terrence Howard.  Howard in fact was spotted last night on Queen Street West supporting a great cause along with Rachel McAdams at Our Future Without Aids, a Benefit organized by the CANFAR Young Professional Council.  Meanwhile, Cibrian and Wife LeAnn Rimes were spotted out at Whole Foods earlier in the week before flying back to Los Angeles.

Both Perrineau and his Wife were super-nice to stop and snap a Photo, as he reached over rocker in one hand, handshake with the other.   I am actually looking forward to his portrayal of Sammy Davis Jr. in Inferno, one of two Biopics about Adult Film Actress Linda Lovelace coming soon.

See our Snap below:

The Best Man Holiday hits theatres this November via Universal Pictures, wrapping in the City late May.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong/FX)

Despite mixed reviews for Pain & Gain, Director Michael Bay‘s latest Crime-Action-Comedy starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Mark Wahlberg, it still finds flexes its muscles on-top of the Box Office with $20 million from 2,950 theatres.  Made for $26 million, the Film easily is set to pay its bill for Paramount Pictures, earning 47% on the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ CinemaScore from Audiences.

Last week’s Champ, Oblivion slips to number two this weekend with $17.4 million from 3,792 theatres for Universal Pictures, by all means still going strong and far ahead of another former number one Film in 42, finding itself in third spot for Warner Bros. with $10.7 million in its third week of release.

Opening universally panned (6% on the Tomatometer), Rom-Com The Big Wedding debuts in fourth for Lionsgate Films/eOne Films with $7.5 million.  Made for $35 million, this one is a bit of a disappointment considering its stellar Cast which includes Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon, Ben Barnes, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl and Topher Grace. Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore, just one of two Films to debut in the Top Ten this weekend.

Olympus Has Fallen is extremely resilient in its sixth week at number eight with $2.8 million, now earning $92.9 million in its domestic run. The Place Beyond the Pines continues to be a bit of a Slow-Burner at number nine with just $2.6 million for eOne Films/Focus Features, a bit baffling considering its heavily-fronted Cast with Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling and also undeniably strong reviews.

Jurassic Park rounds-out the Top Ten with $2.3 million for Universal Pictures, earning $42.4 million in its second run at the theatres in 3-D.

This is quite possibly the most heartbreaking thing you’ll ever see. Sarah Varley recently captured this Clip of Husky Wiley, after visiting her Grandmother’s Grave with him and what has resulted is a mass debate whether or not Dogs are capable of grieving.

Some are skeptical, with comments like “i donno if to belive this or not, the dog could be sick or somthing. dogs dont cry like that” being posted in response to the Video. Some even are going as far as acting as Net Vets, diagnosing Wiley‘s condition stating, “he’s not crying, his nose is just irritated…my dog does that all the time when she’s outside. I do believe that this dog really does mourn but this is not crying”.

Having been separated from my own Dog Billy in the past, including a couple stays at the Hospital, my Mom can confirm that he indeed mourned our separation. He would whimper and wait by the door all day for me while I was away. His appetite would decrease and he’d refuse to eat. The implication of Dogs not being capable of mourning is well, ludicrous as Dogs have the mental capacity of a three-year-old Child. I’ve even witnessed myself times where my Mom and Dad visit and after it’s time for them to leave, he whimpers as if like a Child, expressing sadness. It might not be full-out sobbing as in the case of Wiley, but the possibility is indeed there and it is actually rather alarming that people can be so disconnected to not think that Animals too have the ability to express emotion.

Watch the Clip below and judge for yourself:

(Photo/video credit: Sarah Varley)

It honestly isn’t every day that I go on about a new Musical Act, but I am obsessed with Icona Pop.  The Swedish Electro-House Duo is comprised of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo and they are working hard still at building their Following touring the Festival Circuit including Coachella and The Grove Music Festival which hits both Toronto and Niagara Falls this August!

I first learned of Icona Pop after hearing their I Love It on an episode of this v. dark season two of HBO‘s Girls and haven’t looked back since.  Their Iconic EP was an instant Must-Have importing it in on eBay, only to learn via our Friends at Warner Music Canada that the Disc soon will a domestic release at long last!

Even Top 40 Stations locally are catching-on to the greatness that is Icona Pop and I Love It quickly is gaining Airplay on the likes of Toronto’s #1 Hit Music Station, KISS 92.5!  It already has peaked at number nine on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100!

Check-out I Love It (ft. Charli XCX) below:

Equally delicious is their Ready 4 The Weekend, produced by The Cataracs (Dev, Far East Movement):

Finally, some life is breathed into Toronto’s Film Industry with a few exciting updates!  Sam Claflin, whose star quickly is on the rise starring in upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, arrives in Toronto for a few days of shooting next month for Romantic-Comedy, Love, Rosie, based on the Novel by Ceceila Ahern.  The Film centers around Best Friends Rosie and Alex who are separated after the latter’s Family relocates to America.  Lily Collins, who has been in Toronto much of late for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and recent Re-shoots, also stars.  Love, Rosie sees a 2014 release.

Pompeii from Paul W.S. Anderson (The Three Musketeers, Resident Evil: Retribution)  just began Production and will continue to film till July in the City.  Several Game of Thrones Fans around Toronto have had to do a double-take after spotting Kit Harington.  The Actor has been sporting lighter-coloured locks for the Film and confirmed to some Fans recently that he has met the entire Cast which includes Jared Harris (Mad Men), Kiefer Sutherland (24) and Emily Browning (Sucker Punch) already, who are scattered in separate parts of the City.  Paz Vega (Spanglish) was recently added to the Cast along with Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix).

Those of you who like me are looking forward to Sony Pictures’ Carrie Remake will be excited to know that some of the Cast will be back in Toronto early May for a couple days to do Re-shoots for the Horror.  In the meantime, several of the Cast Members have gone-on to do some great things.  For one, Julianne Moore of course was just cast in David Cronenberg‘s Map to the Stars, set to film in L.A. reuniting that Director with Robert Pattinson. Gabriella Wilde filmed Squatters with Thomas Dekker (just in Toronto this week).  Ansel Elgort who calls Carrie his first Movie ever, was cast in what sure is to be a Hit in Divergent alongside Shailene Woodley.  Of course, its Star, Chloë Moretz filmed Kick-Ass 2 here in Toronto last Fall right after Carrie.

The Big Bang Theory Star Kunal Nayyar also just arrived in the City to film Dr. Cabbie’s Meter’s Running starring Vinay Virmani (Breakaway) and Adrianne Palicki (G.I. JOE).  The Cast have been in and around the City and last week were spotted in-and-around Bay x Wellesley filming and are expected here till late May.

In another bit of casting news, British Actor Max Beesley (Glitter, Hotel Babylon) has just been cast in USA Network‘s Hit Legal Series Suits and is expected to arrive in the City shortly to begin filming.  Filming continues throughout the Summer into October.

(Photo credit: Lionsgate Films)

I arrive extremely early for my One-on-One with Baz Luhrmann, sitting at the Hospitality Suite with plenty of time to spare. You see, Toronto has a horrible issue with Punctuality and I am convinced that I am one of the reasons why. The bottomless Coffee makes me even more anxious than I already am.  I nibble on some v. sharp cheese, but really am not hungry due to nerves. Ever since being invited earlier this week to interview the visionary Filmmaker,  excitement and distraction had preoccupied much of my headspace. The thing is, I legitimately am a huge Fan of Luhrmann and quite literally I  had to touch my neck to see if it still was sore (as has been the case for weeks) in search of evidence that I wasn’t dreaming after receiving the invitation. I’d close the e-mail, open it again repeatedly to ensure it wouldn’t disappear on me like a cruel prank, as if almost expecting  that sobering “XX would like to recall this message”  notification.  It never came, thankfully.

Few Directors consistently have affected me viscerally as Luhrmann.  His Films are a Spectacle – an Escape if you will – taking us away to a place where Love is magical, splendorous and truly romantic. His distinct sense of  Tragic Romance almost has come define him, hence there could be no other as fitting as he to  helm an Adaptation of  F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s bittersweet Classic, The Great Gatsby.

Luhrmann walks into the room as I sit there fidgeting with my pencil – double, triple, quadruple-checking to ensure my questions were of a standard fit for the Man from whom the likes of Claire Danes, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio have taken direction. He is lovely Man, indeed.  His hair a bit grayer than I’d seen in photos –  not at all as imposing as I’d imagined for someone with such grand, extravagant vision; his demeanour personable. I felt right at ease, feeling rather foolish for all the hoo-ha I’d conjured in my mind. “I’ll just sit right here on the couch and you can direct me”, he says with a smile. Was he kidding me? The Man responsible for Films like Moulin Rouge, Australia and Romeo + Juliet telling me to direct him?

I asked Luhrmann the question on many of our minds after we so cruelly were made to endure a prolonged wait for The Great Gatsby‘s release, originally slated for December.  Some cited Studio Conflict, while some cited Funding issues.  Setting the record straight, he explains “We got rained-out five times – it wasn’t just once or twice. It put us into the following year. We had to shut down just because of the rain.”.  After also being struck in the head by a crane during production, which resulted in stitches, he comes to the realization, “Now if there was no rain, it would’ve been the first time in my life I was on-time because we were very prepared in what we were doing.”.

Two ever-prevalent themes in Luhrmann‘s Films – particularly his Red Curtain Trilogy and  consistently so again in The Great Gatsby – are Romance and Tragedy.   “I keep saying to myself how I end up doing these things.  If you look at any creative person – I suppose I’m old enough now to say ‘I am creative’,    really we all do the same things over and over in different ways and different flavours”, he tells me. “Puccini basically does a lot of Tragic Romances. Shakespeare changes the genres but he always has some idea of Love or Anti-Love… I guess I’m some sort of Romantic. I suppose I have to say ‘yes’ to that  now.”.

One key line in The Great Gatsby has Nick Caraway (Tobey Maguire) telling Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), “The past cannot be repeated”. Reliving the past becomes somewhat of a fixation for  Gatsby in his limitless ambition to win back the love of his life in Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), who so happens to be married to Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) after he goes off to war, coming back re-incarnated as a wealthy, dashing Playboy. I am curious whether or not repeating the past – a largely successful one I might add – is something  of which Luhrmann is conscious.  “I always think this is it. This is the last Movie I’m making… I may just go into Architecture or Diving”, he says perhaps half-joking. “I think I’ve gone through the Catharsis of Gatsby. I think I’ve gone into this period where I actually am who I am – that I sorta am stuck being this Guy making those Movies.”.  “I want to do it now so that it enriches life and that it’s a Circle –  the give and take is there.”.

Several are excited about DiCaprio‘s Gatsby Reunion with Luhrmann, last having worked together over 17 years ago on Romeo + Juliet, but the name on everybody’s lips is Elizabeth Debicki – an unknown entity in an Ensemble of familiarity, winning the Plum Role of  observant and gossipy Jordan Baker. “This is the first Movie she’s ever done – she was in Drama School.  My Casting Director Ronna Kress and I heard about Elizabeth –  this Girl who’s so tall and gorgeous – she’s a bit like Cate Blanchett meets Nicole (Kidman). I flew her to Los Angeles and she was such a strong choice.”.  As numerical proof to what a role in a Baz Luhrmann Film can do for one’s Career, he notes, “They put a picture of her on the Website the other day… and within an hour there were 150,000 hits. She’s making an impression.”.  On Mulligan, he has nothing but praise for her stating, “She’s just absolutely lovely inside and out!”.

In a Career which already has seen its share of pinnacles, one must wonder just what Luhrmann considers a success. He replies, “That it pays its bill, first of all. People come up to me and they go, ‘I bet you’re sick of hearing this’ – and they can be entirely mature Human Beings – or ‘You probably don’t want to hear this but I just loved blah blah blah‘ and I just go, ‘Are you kidding me?’.”. Luhrmann adds, “My Movies don’t get banged-out once a year. I make them every five or ten years, so if one person goes ‘Gee, that did something for my life, that was beautiful…’, he pauses. “That sorta stuff that will be good enough for me.”.

Enjoy my Interview in full with Baz Luhrmann below:

Fans have every reason to be excited about The Great Gatsby  and after having witnessed its magic in 3D, I eagerly am awaiting another go at it.  Warner Bros. releases on Friday, May 10, 2013.

Luhrmann was amazingly gracious to sign a Photo for my Readers and one of you will be lucky enough to own it!  Simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will Wong on Facebook before June 1, 2013.  Double your chances by sharing this Post on Facebook with your Friends!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

This is probably the closest we’ll get to hearing Beyoncé‘s Grown Woman until the Track gets a proper release. After first surfacing on Queen B‘s Pepsi TV Spot recently, Fans in Paris attending her Mrs. Carter Show Tour last night got to hear it in full first. Fortunately, many brought Cameras.

And for those of you who for a Sneak Peak at her upcoming Collaboration with H&M, that Dress she’s donning isn’t from the Collection. It’s actually a Kenzo. Gorgeous nonetheless.

Enjoy a Clip below:

H&M has just released a Preview of the Beyoncé as Mrs. Carter in H&M TV Spot for their Summer Collection, featuring a brand new Track, Standing on the Sun; Jonas Åkerlund directs.  Am actually feeling this a bit more than Grown Woman, to be honest!

(Photo credit: Beyoncé | Audio content: Sony Music | Video content: H&M)

“To fight Monsters we created Monsters”.

The endless tease continues.  A brand new Poster for what is this Summer’s Must-See Event, Pacific Rim, has just surfaced.  Here we see a giant Robot crushing the City and although it might appear to be doing bad, it is actually being employed to save the World from the attack of Monsters.

See the official Poster below:

Warner Bros. releases Pacific Rim on July 12, 2013.

(Photo credit: Warner Bros.)