The Accountant Review: Ben Afflecks Ridiculous, WTF Thriller Doesnt Add Up

Preposterous can be defined in many, many ways. But for now, lets use the plot details of The Accountant as Exhibit A. Ben Affleck, bravely tackling an impossible role, stars as Christian Wolf, a math wiz whose position on the autism spectrum has made him perfect material to moonlight as a paid assassin. That notion is offensive on so many levels, especially in the service of such low-grade crime fiction, that its hard to focus on the other faults in the script by Bill Dubuque, who previously punished us with The Judge. And the talented director Gavin OConnor (Miracle, Warrior) should know better than to let bad things happen to good actors. But thats what occurs, and its painful to witness.

Christian lives in an Airstream trailer full of weapons, cash, gold bullion, and paintings by Renoir and Jackson Pollack (bought on the black market, of course). Once in a while he gets a call from a mysterious woman who tells him about his next assignment forensic auditing for drug lords, a hit for the Gambino family, and sometimes just a plain old accounting job. Thats why Christian keeps a storefront office in an Illinois strip mall. So off he goes to Living Robotics, a firm run by Lamar Blackburn (John Lithgow), a tech genius whose sister (Jean Smart) hires Christian to figure out how $70 million went missing from their books. He gets help from Dana (Anna Kendrick), a numbers cutie who relates to Christian in spite of his limited social skills. Much (alleged) humor is mined from oue heros mental challenges. Then the duo are forced to go on the run from a group of super-baddies led by Brax (Jon Bernthal), a mysterious figure from Christians past. The backstory, such as it is, tells us that the numbers-genius savant was the victim of a military father unwilling to let his son be a freak. So naturally, he instead training the boy as a killing machine. Right.

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It goes on, stranding an expert cast, including Jeffrey Tambor as Christians mentor and the great J.K. Simmons as the Fed director on Christians tail. The last third of the film, where the explanations come, degenerates into pure camp, evoking other synonyms for preposterous my favorites being silly, senseless and effing stupid.

Skin Review: How Do You Recover From Hate?

Since he made a dynamite screen debut at 14 in Billy Elliot as a boy from a harsh British mining town who finds himself through the unlikely route of ballet, Jamie Bell has been crushing it as an actor in projects as diverse as Undertow, The Adventures of Tintin, Snowpiercer and Film Stars Dont Die in Liverpool. This year, after winning raves as lyricist Bernie Taupin in the Elton John biopic Rocketman, Bell, 33, takes a dramatic change of pace in Skin and delivers an awards-buzzed tour de force.

Based on the story of Bryon Widner, an American white supremacist and tattoo artist who inks his own skin as a message of hate, Skin the first American feature from Israeli writer-director Guy Nattivmakes extraordinary demands on Bell. With the 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia violence still thundering in the public consciousness, the movie is a tragically topical story for our time. But what sort of an investment should Bell and the filmmakers be asking audiences to make in Widner?

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It turns out, the same one he makes in himself. Widner gained public attention in an 2011 documentary, Erasing Hate, which told of his break from the neo-Nazi subculture that helped form him. In Skin, Nattiv shows us the nearly two years of physical torment Widner endured having the tattoos that covered his face and body surgically removed. Its hard to feel sorry for a racist who once burned down mosques and abused persons of color with impunity. But is redemption possible? One person who thinks so is Daryle Jenkins (Mike Colter), a black, anti-Fascist organizer who thinks he can turn Widner from human garbage to a human being.

There are times when Skin can seem nave and manipulative, almost in the same breath, which takes the film perhaps too long to get its bearings. But Bell is the binding force that locks us into Widners tumultuous journey. Details of his earlier life are sketched in as he flees his own abusive, addictive parents to find a surrogate family in the big-talking Fred Hammer Krager (Bill Camp, hellishly good) and his partner Shareen (a superb Vera Farmiga), who likes their disciples to call her mom even those she seems intent on screwing. Nattiv shows how susceptible youth without roots can be to the toxic imitation of love offered by this Viking skinhead group.

For Widner, salvation comes in his meeting with a fellow rebel from the Krager tribe. Shes Julie , a single mother of three girls Desiree (Zoe Colletti), Sierra (Kyle Rogers) and little Iggy (Colbi Gannett). As played by a sensational Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$, Dumplin) with a tough core of intelligence and resilience, Julie is the first glimmer of hope for Widner. Its Darlyle who arranges for Widner to turn government witness by testifying against the Kragers and in return receiving a new identity for himself, Julie and their family.

The threat of violence stalks the final third of the movie as the neo-Nazis seek revenge or recapitulation. But Bell makes sure that the drama stays rooted in character. The film cuts frequently to the surgeries that erase the tattoos. But the question remains: Are all Widners scars physical? What of the invisible skin Widner cant leave behind? In communion with the camera, Bell gives us a portrait of a man still grappling with those issues. And its the power of that portrait that makes Skin a movie you cant get out of your head.

8 Outrageous Things Overheard on the Oscars 2014 Red Carpet

Hes hatless and shinful Who made your tux and shorts?!?-Ryan Seacrest on Pharrell Williams jacket-and-short pants combo

Lets put the rumors to rest, we are dating.-Jared Leto, with his arm around 84-year-old Best Supporting Actress Nominee June Squib

Check out our complete Oscars 2014 coverage

Does he take his work home with him from the set?-Ryan Seacrest, asking Kristin Chenoweth about her boyfriend, 50 Shades of Greys producer Dana Brunetti

We have date nightsand theres room for you in the jacuzzi.-Viola Davis to Tennon to Red Carpet correspondent Jess Cagle

I tripped over a cone coming in, soIm not, uh, safe!-Jennifer Lawrence, commenting on her second most famous Oscars spill

I went to the Independent Spirit Awards and won.-Ryan Seacrest asking Lupita Nyongo how she celebrated her birthday yesterday

Thats that girl from that show where she kisses all the white men.Mindy Kaling, explaining whats going through the heads of fans by the Red Carpet

Bruce Dern says youre a hell of a poledancer.-Red Carpet correspondent Tyson Beckford to June Squib

Leonardo DiCaprio Decides Not to Star in Steve Jobs Biopic

Leonardo DiCapriohas removed himself from contention to play Apple co-founder Steve Jobsin an upcoming, Danny Boyle-directed biopic. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, DiCaprio who had recently been in talks for the part has bowed out in order to focus on his starring role inAlejandro Gonzlez IrritusThe Revenant, a western-thriller based in parton the life of legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass. After shooting that film, which is expected to hit theaters in 2015, DiCaprio reportedly plans to take a lengthy hiatus from acting.

The Jobs biopic is being adapted by acclaimed writer Aaron Sorkinfrom Walter Issacsons 2011 book,Steve Jobs, which was published the month of Jobs death and tells the tech pioneers story through interviews with co-workers, rivals, friends and family.

Given the high-profile and controversial character at its core, the project has been highly anticipated. But itsfaced a number of personnel challenges since Sony first optioned the film in 2011. David Fincher was previously in consideration to direct, but asThe Hollywood Reporter revealed back in April,he walked away from the job following disagreements over compensation and marketing control. According toTHR, Sony is now drafting a shortlist of possible contenders to replace DiCaprio including Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooperand Ben Affleck.

Last year, Ashton Kutcher stunned critics with his unexpectedly dramatic turn as the Apple titan inJobs. Its a quietly dazzling performance, wrote Rolling Stones Peter Travers in his review, though he called the film itself a decidedly mixed bag.

Hot Actor: Q&A With Twilight Star Robert Pattinson

Hot Actor: Robert Pattinson
Review: Twilight
Robert Pattinson Vs. the Jonas Brothers: Who Has the Crazier Fans?

How is the Twilight fandom is different from the Harry Potter movies? I think youve mentioned that the sound of the screams is even different.
Its different because I think its almost solely females of a certain age group, and they have a very specific tone. Its much more to do with the sort of sexuality aspect of it. So many girls made this guy [their ideal], so when they see you its like all of their energy is projected onto you. Its a really strange experience. Ive never been in an experience where people just want to touch you its like being in a boy band.

Is it weird to have girls that are so young have this incredibly sexualized thing around you?
Its weird that you get 8-year-old girls coming up to you saying, Can you just bite me? I want you to bite me. It is really strange how young the girls are, considering the book is based on the virtues of chastity, but I think it has the opposite effect on its readers though. [Laughs]

Do you think thats part of it, though? One of the things that seems to make Edward so attractive to younger girls is that you can have it both ways. Hes the ultimate bad boy, and someone that you shouldnt want, who would never harm you.
Thats exactly what it is. Its a certain type of girl. I dont know what it is when you look at fan sites [you can tell] but theres definitely a very large fleet of people, its actually Americans, that want those type of guys. In the book she knows the whole time [hes not going to hurt her], but Kristen [Stewart] and I tried to make it more not caring, more unpredictable. Its what I liked about the story hes literally holding himself back every single turn, never lets up.

Hes such a sort of gentlemanly character, and Kristen and I really, really emphasized that especially when there are intimate scenes. When we did the blocking for the kissing scenes, we would be going way further than [director] Catherine [Hardwicke] thought.

And why did you want to push it in that direction?
I guess to sort of scare little girls and stuff. [Laughs] I mean, people who read the books wont be expecting it, and, for a younger persons film, its also quite shocking. When I read that scene in the book I thought it was kind of sexy, and then when you translate it onto film, the kissing is a little like a thing out of a TV series. So I thought, How can we make this thing a little bit on the verge of wrong?

I think a lot of people have already judged the film before they even started shooting us, and I didnt want to be part of a film that was just a cash-in thing. So we tried to take as many risks as we could, and tried to make it a little bit more serious than people expect. Its quite difficult to take too many risks.

Were there any risks that you wanted to take that you ended up just not being able to do?
Edwards constantly saying, Im a monster, Im a monster, Im a monster, and doesnt end up being one. We shot the final scene first, and I wanted the fight to not just be a fight, but to literally have him turn into that monster. In the book he very much comes in to save the day as the hero, but I noticed when we were doing the blocking its the first time hes seen a lot of her blood and I thought it would be interesting [for him to start] wanting to kill her and then fighting himself for that.

Theres a part that we significantly cut down in the PG-13 when I start winning there are all these stunts, but stunts are so protracted that you couldnt get what me and Kristen wanted to do, which was to literally try to pull his head off. [At that point] its like youve turned into this beast. Then theres a scene where I try to attack [my father in the movie] when he tells me to stop. I think its him looking at me, saying, I thought you were the one. Youre my protg, and youre really, really not.

After that point in the movie, hes certain that once shes seen thats who he [really] is, and there is no way theres a happy ending. I kind of wanted to make it really, really depressing; I just sort of got further, and further away from the book as I picked up on little pieces.

I think a lot of people who like the book and like the love story at the end will be sort of baffled by it. But I also thought thats the best type of love story, where the whole time he knows his thoughts and he knows he has so many doubts and he has so many things about weakness. Like, he couldnt kill himself because hes afraid he doesnt have a soul. He couldnt be a proper vegetarian vampire, cant be a proper real vampire, cant be a real man, cant be anything, and its all like, hes completely impotent about everything. Then he finds this one thing, which makes him feel alive, and he cant even protect that. He cant do anything. He thinks hes a very insignificant human being well, thing.

Right.

Then it makes it so much more amazing the second when both of them literally could just die when they leave each other, and I wanted to make that kind of operatic Carmen type of thing. At the same time youve got to try and please some people [laughs], and you couldnt really go too dark with it because of the book.

I wanted them to touch three times: when he saves her life and it hurts him to touch her, when they try and kiss when he tries to kill her, and when hes sucking the blood out and trying to kill because hes so afraid of what would happen. Then the director gave me a copy of the book with these highlights of all the times that he smiled and all the times that they touched. So

Stephenie Meyer talked about the influence of a lot of Victorian literature, which definitely seems obvious in Twilight, even the fact that his name is Edward. Do you see that theres a Victorian quality to Edward?
Yeah, I definitely think its a lot of Heathcliff.

Whats attractive about that kind of character that made him popular then and still popular now?
Its being unreadable. Its attractive in women as well, just that kind of mystique. Its so obvious, but so few people do have it, especially in characters now and especially in modern society where theres so many celebrities.

Youre in this position where youre playing this character whos attractive because of that mystique and then dont have that luxury.
I just disappear. It doesnt really make any difference. But I didnt play it so old-fashioned; I tried to get in little elements. I think there are so few young characters in modern films who even have any form of restraint unless theyre a geek. I guess Edward would be the jock in a normal type of story, and just playing it sane you cant really touch everything is very understated.

Why do you think hes attracted to Bella?
I think its a progression. The way I did it the, whole thing comes as a complete surprise to him. He has so many issues. Hes stopped killing people for 50 years, she comes in and hes like, Oh, I cant control myself! I just thought that the guy would think, This fucking girl is not gonna ruin [me], like, Shes not better than me and I can control my base instincts. And so the relationship starts as [testing] his own power of will.

Its like, I can go a little bit closer to her, and closer and closer and closer, and then a joy comes out of that where hes just like, See, eating my instincts again. Later on its funny how wanting to kill her makes him realize hes in some way alive. And thats why she becomes so important, because the only thing he wanted to do before is become human and die.

Theres no way to pin down the story. I never really understood it the whole way through. I understood Edwards character. I didnt understand what Bella was all about. I really tried, and I was working with Kristen for ages. Theres definitely some defining characteristics of young girls, which are very, very strange and which arent really explored in movies. Troubled teens, especially girls, in movies are just so one dimensional its ridiculous, and they always have somebody to fix them in the end. Whereas in Twilight she doesnt really get fixed she just gets this addiction.

Shes all right in the beginning and then she becomes completely dependent; even in last scene of the movie, shes saying, Dont ever say youll leave me. Thats what makes the story unusual; when you read it at face value and its just like, Oh, its an easy read. You can read it in a few hours, and its kind of cheesy but as soon as you actually look at it you have to really take massive leaps to join the dots of the character. So I ended up putting tons and tons of thought into it, just to make it not be cheesy cash-in movie 95 percent of the people probably expect it to be.

Do you think thats why it seems to have a stronger following because shes not fixed at the end, and people can identify with that?
People desperately want to read the next book because shes a different person. Even though its a solid ending at the end, it feels like its missing a beat. I havent actually read the fourth one yet so I dont know how it ends, but I definitely like the transition from the first and the second. The second one was my favorite one, even though Im hardly in it.

Have you ever had a situation where fans sent you something kind of crazy or very extreme?
I got sent a lot of different books on Scientology by a Scientologist fan. Its quite funny actually, almost the whole series on Dianetics. She wanted me to be a Scientologist. But I mean it must have cost quite a lot with all the packaging. And I got sent this really well-bound book with all these Unibomber-type notes. I thought that was incredible.

What did they say?
Similar type of things Will you marry me? sort of stuff. I thought it was pretty amazing, just like, long, hundreds of pages.

Did you read the whole thing?
Yeah pretty much. I mean, theres only so much adoration you can take before you start thinking, Is a thank you note enough, or do I actually have to say yes to one of these people? [Laughs]

Do you think people have trouble distinguishing you from your character?
Yeah. Then they always get really embarrassed and they say, Sorry! I called you Edward. [Llaughs] I think people will really want something to pin their ideas on. In Italy [before the movie came out], I was literally walking straight out of the novel. But its probably a good thing.

You said that when you read the fan sites that theyre all kind of similar voice.
I get a lot of e-mails from my agent saying [fans send] complaints about my security and all that stuff, and theyre really professionally written. Its something about fans of books theyre obviously much more literary. When youre in crowds, everyones like, We love you! But the actual letters and stuff you get are amazing, and thats the most surprising thing about it. Theyre surprisingly well written, everyones got really good vocabularies and they correct each others grammar and things like that. Its quite funny.

I dont really know how it defines the group of people, but you always think, youre an obsessive fan, but you seem like a logical person, so I dont understand how the two things go together.

Do you have any gay teenagers contacting you?
Not really. Its really just increasingly more and more straight guys than gay guys unless my gaydar is just not really working. Its just started happening recently. Theyre all kind of a little bit embarrassed about it, but theyll all go up and still get their book signed or whatever. Im so used to like writing to girls I always keep writing like, Love, romance and kiss, kiss, kiss that I have to like cross it out, Oh, sorry about that.

Tell me about an experience you had where you just found someone hiding and watching when you were on set.
Its just weird. I mean again though, all really nice people. It seemed completely logical to them why they were there: We like it. We want to see it. And they were so blunt about it. I think if we were shooting it now itd be such a different story. The crowds were getting bigger and bigger and bigger as we were shooting; theyd be out all night with us at a shoot.

But theres something to be said by it being different group than the people who scream at Jonas Brothers shows.
Yeah, and they defend it as well. They dont want to be associated with other groups. Like, you see little things on message boards and stuff whenever I get any negative publicity, you get literally 400 comments just saying like, Shut up! Youre just writing this like so people will go and do this for your site. I dont know. I never expected any of this from this job. [Laughs]

Who do you think is more intense, the Twilight moms or the younger girls?
The more intense letters and stuff come from younger people. The, Im going to kill myself [letters]. Thats always a little bit worrying. But the Twilight moms are everywhere. Its unbelievable. Every single time we do an appearance theyre always in the front row, and buy their tickets way in advance. Its pretty intense. Theyre always really nice though; no one seems crazy when you meet them. They just like the books.

Theres so little literature aimed at girls, so it becomes very hyped and successful. Theres definitely a kind of clan mentality with the fans, and people want to be part of the group. They like defending it, because a lot of people say its cheesy, and I think a lot of it is an outsider mentality the whole book, the whole kind of fantasy genre

But then outsiders who also arent really outsiders.
Not anymore. When the outsiders become strong its incredibly powerful. As the movies been happening and the magazine covers, more people think its legitimized and more people buy the book; everything is kind of galvanized. Thats why I dont really feel bad about the hype or anything, because its not someone whos forcing it down anyones throat. The reason we were on the VMAs is cause all these fans sent e-mails accosting us. Its not someone whos paying for this its all fan-driven so its completely out of anyones hands.

Related Stories:

• Hot Actor: Robert Pattinson
• Review: Twilight
• Robert Pattinson Vs. the Jonas Brothers: Who Has the Crazier Fans?

Django Unchained

Welcome to alternative History 101 with Professor Quentin Tarantino. In his last class, cataloged as Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino burned down the damn Third Reich, Hitler included. This time, with Django Unchained, he lines up slave traders so a black man can blow their fool heads off. Fuck the facts. Like Sergio Corbucci, who directed the first Django (starring Franco Nero), in 1966, Tarantino obeys the only commandment that counts in exploitation movies: Anything goes.

Who else but Tarantino would choose to target human trafficking in the form of a spaghetti Western set in the Deep South two years before the Civil War? And who else would do it to a wowser of a soundtrack that includes a taste of Ennio Morricone, a mash-up of James Brown and Tupac Shakur, and (a Tarantino rarity) original songs from Rick Ross, Anthony Hamilton and John Legend?

Django Unchained is literally all over the place. It twists and turns over an unbridled two hours and 45 minutes, giving history (and your stamina) a serious pounding. It limps, sputters and repeats itself. It explodes with violence and talk, talk, talk. Tarantinos characters would be lost in the Twitterverse theres no end to his tasty dialogue. Not that youll care. Youll be having too much fun. Django Unchained is an exhilarating rush, outrageously entertaining and, hell, just plain outrageous. Youll laugh like hell at a KKK scene in which the Klansmen, wearing bags on their heads, stumble around blindly on their horses because the eyes on their bags have been cut out wrong. Look out for Jonah Hill as Bag Head No. 2. Unchain Tarantino and you get a jolt of pure cinema, dazzling, disreputable and thrillingly alive.

The plot kicks in when Django (Jamie Foxx on low simmer) is bought by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German-born dentist-turned-bounty-hunter whose wagon still sports a giant tooth. King is a great Tarantino character. Waltz, who won an Oscar for playing Nazi colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, is again spectacular in his blend of mirth and menace. King needs Django to ID the Brittle brothers, varmints worth a huge bounty, dead or alive. His reward is freedom. But Django needs King to locate his enslaved wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).

The slaughter starts when Django and King arrive at Bennett Manor, where even Big Daddy Bennett (Don Johnson, pimped out and loving it) cant stop the Brittle takedown. Job done, King advises Django to head off for a more enlightened part of the country. But Django wont rest till he finds his love. And so begins the journey, beautifully shot in sun and snow by Robert Richardson.

The final destination is Candyland, the slave plantation run by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio, having a ball as a charming, posturing sociopath who trains Mandingo warriors for sale and sport). Under the supervision of house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), Candie dishes out whippings, brandings, beatings, dog attacks and castration. Is that a nigger on a horse? asks Stephen, rubbing his eyes in disbelief as Django rides in. Jackson, the tormented soul of Pulp Fiction, is outstanding at locating the complexities in this Uncle Tom with an agenda.

At Candyland, Django finds Broomhilda nearly dead as punishment for an attempted escape. Django is coiled to spring, but holds back during a nerve-shattering dinner scene in which he listens as Candie and Stephen talk of Broomhilda as flesh for use and abuse.

When Djangos revenge does come, its a gore-splattering doozy. Foxx, giving Django his cool-dude props at last, morphs into a cowboy John Shaft and opens fire. Theres something here to offend everyone. Revenge fantasies dont leave much room for moral lessons. Django is out for blood. So is Tarantino, but he doesnt sacrifice his humanity or conscience to do it. In this corrective to Gone With the Wind, he sticks it to Hollywood for a Mandingo-Mammy fixation that leaves the issues of slavery out of mainstream movies. He sticks it to Spike Lee, who once objected to Tarantinos use of the n-word in 1997s Jackie Brown, by spraying the word like machine-gun fire. And he sticks it to pundits who think he crosses the line by reveling in Djangos vengeance. Wake up, people. Tarantino lives to cross the line. Is Django Unchained too much? Damn straight. It wouldnt be Tarantino otherwise.

Nashville Recap: Dysfunctional Families Are High in the Mix

An army of emotion invaded Music City last night. Conflict. Bombshells. Emotional armor. There was plenty of each on the third episode of ABCs Nashville.

Now that were pretty well acquainted with Rayna, Juliette, Deacon, Teddy, Watty, Lamar, Avery, Scarlett and Gunnar, were getting to see more of what makes them tick in this high-drama time bomb. Last night brought explosive revelations and saw the characters developing love triangles grow more complicated in an episode that centered on dysfunctional families, with mommy and daddy issues high in the mix.

Remember last week, when we said Juliettes got baggage? Well, Juliettes got BAGGAGE! And shes about to have more, probably in the form of a misdemeanor shoplifting charge. (More on that later.) This week we learned more about Juliettes fractured relationship with her drug-addict mother Jolene (yes, just like the Dolly Parton song). In case we didnt get it yet, pill-popper-skinny Jolene is repeatedly shown looking sallow, going on bug-eyed rants like an arrestee in a Cops segment and pleading for a lifeline from her daughter. Whats worse, shes from Alabama. People in Tennessee hate that.

Last weeks episode started with a Juliette Barnes music video shoot. This one started with a photo shoot, in which the perennially sparkle-clad diva antagonist strikes poses in front of a green screen. The background will eventually be the heavens and her blemishes will later be airbrushed and concealed. Her main concern, however, is Deacon, whom she desperately wants in her touring band, rather than just in her bed. The answer is never no,' Juliette later snaps at her handlers while awaiting the strong, silent dreamboat guitarists reply.

At the photo shoot we see thankless, demanding Juliette in her insulated bubble of superstar creature comforts and sycophantic assistants, who bring her un-cubed cheese on demand and praise her picture-perfect smile Those whitening strips really worked! (And they did.)

Juliettes harmony gets dissonant when her manager breaks a cardinal rule of the music business never bring bad news into the green room and informs his client that her junkie mother showed up earlier at the label office mid-binge, in pursuit of fast cash, and a daughter. The label gave Jolene $100 to scram. (Is that a recoupable expense?) Anyway, the c-note was wasted, as mommy dearest still manages to find Juliette and attempt to shake her down as shes leaving the shoot, performing some variation of the ol Im stranded far from home with no gas money hustle.

My mother is a drug addict, no one can give her anything. Ever, Juliette instructs her handlers.

Across the Cumberland River, over in gentrified hipster haven East Nashville, Scarlett and Gunnar are hard at work woodshedding songs for their demo session with star-maker producer Watty White. Scarletts neer-do-well Jeff Buckley-wannabe indie-rocker boyfriend Avery hovers in the background as chemistry builds between the practicing pair. Gunnar tries to clear the air by complimenting Averys band and likening his guitar tone to Link Wrays, which is ridiculous.

While Scarlett and Gunnar are hoping theyre on their way up, things are on their way down for Rayna and her husband/mayoral hopeful Teddy. Theyre teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, her business manager says, and with her record and ticket sales in the shitter (and his financial records in the fireplace, as we saw last week), theres no cash flow to keep them from plunging off the cliff. Despite their mansion, fully-loaded SUV, Grammys and gold records, Reigning Country Queen Rayna James is part of the 47 percent right where Raynas Machiavellian father Lamar wants them, as well soon see.

On the upside: Juliette and Rayna are lining up three three nights together at Madison Square Garden! Harking back to the shows pilot, Raynas managers once more try to persuade her to do a co-headlining arena jaunt with Juliette, who can only do one night at the Garden on her own. Rayna brings what Juliette lacks in artistic credibility, while Juliettes popularity would re-galvanize Raynas fading star by putting her onstage in front of thousands of young, fresh faces.

As far as climax, falling action and all that script-structure stuff goes, this potential tour is a painfully logical destination for the arc of the season. The thought of Rayna and Juliette competing for Deacons hot licks and hotter body, and passive-aggressively complimenting each others performances, certainly promises some good soapy fireworks to look forward to. I bet the titanic outing, if it does indeed happen, hits an iceberg after the first show.

Lending credence to Team Rayna vs. Team Juliette tour predictions is that Deacon and Raynas rehearsals for their stripped-down theater tour stalled over the set list. Deacon suggests focusing on quiet, intimate songs like No One Will Ever Love You the pin-drop stellar ballad the pair performed at Bluebird Caf at the close of last weeks episode. Rayna wants to play the hits. But, as Deacon points out, without big production and a backing band, the hits wont hit all that hard, which is beside the point: Rayna really just wants to avoid rekindling her relationship with Deacon by way of surefire precious performance moments and shared stage glances. Certainly thats an outcome Lamar lives in fear of.

Later, while Rayna is at home with her daughters rummaging through her rhinestone-replete wardrobe, she receives a $500,000 bailout check from Lamar. Not only is it money she has no interest in taking (if she has a choice), it comes with the condition that she temporarily retire from the music business to raise the girls and allow Teddy to focus on his mayoral run.

That evening, Lamar surprises the family at the daughters talent show and Rayna, none too pleased, confronts her daddy. Despite having bankrolled the production of his daughters debut LP (without her knowing), Lamar has never much approved of his daughters career choice, despite all her success. The girls are at an age where they need their mother, he says in defense of his monetary ultimatum. Go home. Go to hell! Rayna replies. Turns out those concepts arent so different for Lamar.

In a poolside heart-to-heart following the talent show, Raynas sister Tandy reveals the Wyatt family secret: Lamars wife carried on a decade-plus-long affair with wait for it a professional musician. So basically Lamar looks at professional musicians the way Bruce Wayne looks at the muggers who killed his parents. Remember, his take-away message from last week was Dont mess with me. Well, daddy isnt so intimidating when Rayna confronts him and calls him out as cuckold. Later, during a dark night of the soul, we see Lamar looking broken as he pours over pictures of his deceased wife.

This episode was all about humanizing the shows antagonists and showing their shades of grey. Perhaps Nashvilles greatest strength so far is that it aint short on three-dimensional characters. Lamar, like Tony Soprano, cant flex the same muscle and wield the same control under his own roof that he can in the halls of power. Sure, Juliette is a calculating, man-eating primadonna, but more and more, we know why. And it turns out Avery isnt the jealous, petty pretty boy last weeks episode set him up to be. Or is he?

Hes big enough to give Scarlett pointers about how to record in the studio, after her simmering sexual tension with Gunnar prompts her to choke when the pair tries to cut If I Didnt Know Better, the aching, show-stealing duet that closed out the shows pilot. Watty shuts the session down and suggests they find a professional singer to record the tune. That doesnt sit well with Scarlett, who has bigger dreams than we thought.

Back to Juliette and Deacon. While the pair tenderly cuts Undermine, the ballad they co-wrote on last weeks episode, Deacon coaxes Juliette into admitting that the last verse is about her mom. Every song comes from somewhere, he says. Sure, Jolene was an absentee parent who dropped Juliette on her head here and there, but she did have the good sense to raise her daughter on the sounds of Rayna Jaymes and other classic country singers.

That may not compensate for Jolene banging on the gates of Juliettes mansion, interrupting some early morning pillow talk with Deacon after they shack up again. Or for getting busted with pills at the bus stop, forcing her loyal daughter to bail her out and take her in.

Unsympathetic, Deacon, himself a recovering drug addict, turns down Juliettes offer to join her band. Youre a hard girl to say no to, but Im gonna have to, he tells her. Surprisingly, Deacon also asks Rayna to free him of his professional obligations to her, which she does, reluctantly, while straining not to crumble emotionally. This all happens in a montage set to Fade Into You a new song Scarlett and Gunnar cut with Watty, who gives the girl another chance. The songs chorus, about one lover fading into the other (a nice music-terminology analogy), makes a case for why musical relationships cant always be monogamous. This time Avery, who we now see is an opportunist, is there for moral support, and for a chance to meet Watty. Your girlfriends got it, man, Watty tells Avery. This time, singing the song with Gunnar but to Avery, Scarlett kills it. Hey, maybe Avery will end up in artist management. And if you cant tell, Deacon is a bit of a child when it comes to commitment.

And lastly comes the shows first true holy-shit ending to date. Theres Juliette, doing some shopping or rather, shoplifting, as she slips an item from the makeup aisle into her handbag. Not only does a trio of gawking teenage girls see her do it, one catches the act on her camera phone. So weve got the fallout from that to look forward to.

This weeks most tender musical moment was the Conrad sisters talent-show performance of Juliettes Telescope, from last weeks opening shot. Not only is it clear the girls have inherited their mothers musical talents, their Carter-esque harmonies on a stripped-down version of the Top 40-ready tune actually makes it sound like a country song. The sisters are played by adorable pre-teen sibling duo Lennon and Maisy Stella, whose a cappella cover of Robyns Call Your Girlfriend has garnered nearly 10 million YouTube views.

Previously: Love Triangles Blossom

Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro at Tribeca Film Fest: 10 Things We Learned

Film director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro have had one of the longest-lasting and critically renowned creative partnerships in all of American cinema. On Sunday, as part of the programming for the Tribeca Film Festival (which De Niro cofounded in 2002), the two of them sat down for a 90-minute discussion of Scorseses films at the Upper West Sides Beacon Theatre.

Related: Martin Scorseses Music: An A to Z Guide to the Directors Soundtracks

The duo discussed Scorseses film career and his upbringing, including the nine films that hes made with De Niro since 1973. While they provided few details for their upcoming film, titled The Irishman, set to be released on Netflix later this year, Scorsese revealed many tidbits and anecdotes from past projects involving De Niro. A running theme, it seems, was that De Niro has convinced Scorsese to take on many career-changing opportunities, from adapting the story of boxer Jake LaMotta for Raging Bull to casting an up-and-coming young actor named Leonardo DiCaprio in a project. Here are 10 things we learned from their discussion.

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1. De Niro was the first person to recommend Leonardo DiCaprio to Scorsese
After co-starring with the then 19-year-old actor in 1993s A Boys Life, De Niro raved about DiCaprios acting ability to Scorsese, calling him impressive He doesnt say that all that much, quipped Scorsese and saying that he should cast DiCaprio in a film. DiCaprio wouldnt appear in a Scorsese project until 2002s Gangs of New York, but the two have subsequently made four other films together that feature some of DiCaprios most memorable onscreen performances.

DiCaprio, as it turns out, was in attendance at the Beacon Theatre, and Scorsese and De Niro gave him a quick shoutout. DiCaprio stood up and waved from one of the front rows, earning a chorus of cheers and applause from the audience.

2. De Niros rambling story inMean Streetswas completely improvised
Scorsese and De Niro opened their conversation by playing a clip fromMean Streets, their first movie together, in which De Niros character gives a long-winded excuse for not paying back a lone shark to his uncle Charlie (played by Harvey Keitel). De Niro had rehearsed the scene with Scorsese before principal filming began, coming up with details for his characters story on the fly, and Scorsese had jotted them down in a notebook.

However, when it came time to film the scene on the last day of shooting, nearly a month later, Scorsese forgot his notebook. He had to remember everything from four weeks earlier, said Scorsese on De Niros improvisation.

3. Terrence Malick sent Scorsese a letter aboutSilence
Themes of religion and faith often underscore Scorseses work, and one of his most intense grapplings with faith is his 2016 film Silence. Scorsese recalled receiving a letter from director Terrence Malick after he had seen the film, and remembered one line in particular: What does Christ want from us? Scorsese found the question to be highly profound, whether or not youre a believer, and thought that it summed up his artistic depictions of religion throughout his own career.

4. Scorsese (and film executives) initially didnt want to make Raging Bull
De Niro repeatedly tried to convince Scorsese into make Raging Bull after reading Jake LaMottas memoir of the same name, but Scorsese waffled on the project for several years, claiming he knew nothing about sports. (He suffered from asthma as a child and found boxing to be boring.) When he eventually came around to LaMottas story, seeing how his struggle could be made universal, Scorsese still had a tough time convincing studio execs that it was worth adapting.

I dont want to make a movie about this guy, this guy is a cockroach, Scorsese recalled one of the suits saying in a meeting.

De Niro, also present in the meeting, gave what Scorsese called an articulate response: No, hes not. The studio greenlit Raging Bull soon afterward.

5. A member of the U.S. presidential cabinet said The Wolf of Wall Street misrepresented the financial world
Scorsese wouldnt reveal the name of the cabinet member who called his 2013 film on corrupt stockbroker Jordan Belfort a misrepresentation of Wall Street. But he did say he thought of Belfort as an American everyman, citing Herman Melvilles 1857 novelThe Confidence-Man as an example of Americas baked-in history of opportunity and bravado gone unchecked.

6. Working with Jerry Lewis on The King of Comedytaught Scorsese how to work with professional actors
Before 1982sThe King of Comedy, Scorsese thought of his productions as very homegrown affairs working with relatively low budgets, collaborating with the same circle of people (including De Niro), and even casting his parents in minor roles.

When he cast Jerry Lewis as the venerable talk show host Jerry Langford, Scorsese suddenly learned what it was like to shoot a film with a pro. Lewis would only appear to film his scenes, read his lines and do his job, and he insisted that Scorsese send him home from the set at a reasonable time if he knew he wasnt needed anymore on a particular shoot day. Essentially, Scorsese recalled, Lewis taught him to not take an actors time for granted.

7. Scorsese callsCasino his version ofParadise Lost
Scorsese and De Niro showed a clip from1995sCasino in which Joe Pesci unleashes a curse-filled tirade at De Niros character in the desert. Scorsese said hearing Pescis voice was like jazz, then went on to say that he thought ofCasinoas a version ofParadise Lost. God gives them this paradise of sin Las Vegas! and they can do anything, and they screw it up. And then theyre cast out of the paradise.

8.Norman Mailer liked Raging Bull except the fight scenes
The notoriously fiery writer Norman Mailer was another early cheerleader forRaging Bull, urging Scorsese to adapt the book into a movie. Incredibly, despite the film receiving a great deal of controversy for its violent boxing sequences, Mailer found the fight scenes to be underwhelming.

I put the fight scenes in thanks to you, Scorsese remembered telling Mailer at an event two years afterRaging Bull came out. And he goes, Yeah, its the only thing I didnt like in the picture.'

9. A priest introduced Scorsese to Graham Greene and James Joyce books
Scorsese talked to De Niro extensively about his upbringing in Manhattans Lower East Side during the late 1940s and early 1950s, saying that the rough-and-tumble world greatly influenced his work. He referenced his oft-discussed tenement home at 253 Elizabeth Street where he grew up, in the third-floor apartment, where he had Gods viewpoint from the fire escape that would appear time and time again in his films.

But Scorsese also mentioned his old parish minister, Father Principe, who introduced Scorsese to many classic novels in his youth as a form of escapism. He told us, Get out of here. Theres good people here, but you dont have to live in this style or in this cycle getting married at 21, having children. Take the opportunity, take the advantage of where you are in this life.'

10. They didnt say much onThe Irishman, except that it falls in line with their other works
At the end of their discussion, an audience member shouted for De Niro and Scorsese to reveal more about their upcoming Netflix project,The Irishman.

Its generally in the milieu of the pictures weve done together, said Scorsese cryptically. But I think, and I hope, from a different vantage point. The years have gone by, and we see things in a special way, I hope.

Life Of Crime Director Daniel Schechter Remembers Elmore Leonard

For decades, Elmore Leonards novels 3:10 To Yuma, Jackie Brown, and Get Shorty have been adapted into some of Hollywoods most thrilling movies. The famed novelist, who passed away yesterday at the age of 87, described the phenomenon in simple terms to radio host Sean Moncrieff: My books are dialogue heavy, which makes them easy to adapt to screenplays.

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Still, some misinterpreted his work. To his credit, Leonard didnt pull punches, saying the worst two films hed ever seen were adaptations of his 1969 novel, The Big Bounce, starring Ryan ONeal in 69 and Owen Wilson in 2004. He was not all barbs, though, praising Quentin Tarantinos Jackie Brown adapted from his 1992 novel Rum Punch as the truest hed seen.

Perhaps thats why writer/director Daniel Schechter was extra nervous when approaching the literary icon with a treatment of Leonards 1978 novel The Switch, a prequel of sorts to Rum Punch. I thought, worse comes to worse, I have a great spec script on my hands,Schechter tells Rolling Stone.

From studio to studio,Schechter followed the rights and permissions trail all the way to French film company Gaumont. It was a 30-year-old deal written on dusty yellow paper, he says. Luckily, it expired years ago, and during his quest, he earned the confidence of Elmore and his manager, Michael Siegel. They told me I had a year to get a package together, but I didnt have any sort of official deal in place until the day we started shooting.

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During his pursuit, Schechter tightened the script and joined forces with producer and Tarantino confidant Lee Stollman. Together they hit the road and started meeting with actors. Hollywoods top talent, including John Hawkes, Isla Fisher, Tim Robbins, and Jennifer Aniston, quickly signed on. Every single person I got in a room with jumped on board. I think they could tell I was really coming at it as a fan of Leonards work, Schechter says.

When asked what Leonard thought of the casting, he notes, on multiple occasions, he said Aniston was extremely beautiful. Later, he adds, I went out to Detroit to visit him for a weekend, and he showed me locations hed been thinking about when he was writing the book. I think because he had been burned in the past by other filmmakers, he wanted to keep a slight distance from the project. But I know that he had high hopes for it.

He laughs while sharing one of his more recent memories, which showcases Leonards naturally earnest nature. I sent him a sizzle reel of shots from the movie. I had randomly thrown some upbeat 70s music over it just for fun. He must have mentioned three times that he didnt like the song.

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Schechter was working feverishly on post-production when he heard Leonard suffered a stroke. To add to the gravity, it was the same day the film was chosen to screen at the Toronto International Film Festivals closing gala, an unprecedented honor for a relatively new filmmaker.

Now, so close to the finish line, he rubs the bags under his eyes, clearly troubled by the passing of the man whos story has consumed the last five years of his life. Its obvious he hasnt been sleeping much. People have been emailing and texting ever since the news broke. It just hit home what a risk he took on me. He gave me so much trust.

Life Of Crime will premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival. The screening will be dedicated to Leonards memory, and though hes not good at speeches, Schechter plans on attempting one.

Hotel Rwanda

In 1994, civil war broke out in Rwanda between the ruling Hutu tribe and the oppressed Tutsis. A million people were slaughtered while the world looked away. Its a huge subject for one film, leading director and co-writer Terry George (Some Mothers Son) to focus on the true story of Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), the Hutu manager of the posh Milles Collines hotel. Paul saved 1,268 Tutsis from the genocide. In playing an ordinary man who finds a core of heroism he never knew he had, Cheadle looms like a colossus. Pauls efforts to protect his children and his Tutsi wife (the stirring Sophie Okonedo) soon extend to a broader family. George has been criticized for simplifying a complex story into an African Schindlers List. But despite flaws in execution, this is a film of rare courage and imperishable heart.

Glee Recap: Rachel and Mercedes Diva Showdown

After a ton of hype, consensus among various outlets and the show itself was that last nights Glee was the best episode yet this season and Asian F was, in fact, the best season three has offered so far. But were only three episodes in, so lets be cautiously optimistic, especially since last week was not exactly ideal. After the Broadway-heavy I Am Unicorn, we welcomed the return of pop music to the Glee sphere as the New Directions individually wrestled with what it means to fail:

Spotlight
Mercedes boyfriend, Shane, seems to finally instill in her the confidence shes managed to gain and lose a hundred times since the show started. As her West Side Story audition for Maria approaches, he cant understand why she doesnt see herself as the star: You say youre Beyonc, but on the inside youre Effie White. She takes this to heart, literally, and auditions with a song by Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for playing Effie in the Dreamgirls movie. The up-tempo R&B tune is a refreshing change from emotional ballads and power notes for Mercedes, who nails it and impresses everyone with her newfound confidence. The song serves as therapy for Mercedes, who sings it around an oblivious Rachel Berry and Mr. Schuester, with the help of Brittany and Tina on backing vocals. I wanted you guys to see me the way I see myself now, as a leading lady, she tells the directing trio of Emma Pillsbury, Coach Bieste and Artie. Its enough to make Rachel worried.

Run the World (Girls)
Kurts only remaining competitor for student council president is Brittany. Back to form after last weeks confidence crisis, he gets ahead of himself and celebrates what he perceives to be a guaranteed win in the hallway with his bestie Rachel. But Brittany and Santana (who has redeclared her allegiance to the New Directions) pop up to show its not a lock in. Boys have made a mess in this school and theres only one way to clean it up, Brittany says, launching into Beyoncs girl power anthem as she parades through the school in a dominatrix-style leather skirt and Cheerios uniform top. Brittanys vocals are nowhere near the power of Beyoncs, but theyre just fine for this performance, the real focus of which is the dancing. The spirited number gets all the girls dancing in the gym even Rachel, much to Kurts dismay and serves as the rousing reminder that Brittany is still in the competition. Hi, Im Brittany S. Pierce and Im your next senior class president, she says triumphantly at the end.

Cool
The episode name comes from the forbidden A- Mike earned in chemistry, prompting his father to question Mikes extra-curriculars and, in turn, causing Mike to debate auditioning for West Side Story. Instead of going to a chem tutor like he told his parents, Mike stays late practicing his dance moves, envisioning his father criticizing him and Tina encouraging him until his mother shows up to tell him she doesnt want to get in the way of his dreams. Its another great Glee parenting moment that ends sweetly as Mike teaches his mom to dance and prepares to audition for Riff. The first MIke Chang solo ever on Glee is, quite literally, cool. Hes got the smooth dance moves down (aided by Puck, Shane and several other football players according to a Coach Bieste mandate) but, most impressively, his slick vocals are on point, hitting nice rises and falls at certain moments but mostly staying real cool, as the song calls for and winning over the directors.

Its All Over
After struggling through another mandatory Booty Camp session, Mercedes decides shes had enough with the New Directions and calls Mr. Schuester out on his Rachel Berry bias: You give that skinny Garanimals-wearing ass-kisser everything. For two years I took it. Not anymore. She fully embraces her inner Effie White for a reimagined Dreamgirls number that inserts the New Directions drama into the lyrics of the song. Its on par with the best of Glees Broadway songs in terms of plot relevancy and vocal arrangements (Kurt hits some killer high notes, Mercedes and Santana wail). Its also the first group showtune the New Directions have done (minus the noted absence of Rachel) and all we can say is: we want more. The songs title rings true, and Mercedes leaves the New Directions. But given that everyone always gets welcomed back, we are hesitant to believe that Mercedes exit is permanent, even after Schuester tells her it is but then she goes to join Shelbys struggling rival McKinley choir, so it seems like the move will last (for now, at least).

Out Here on My Own
Since they cant decide between Rachel and Mercedes for the role of Maria, the directors call for a diva-off. Rachel puts on a diva front, but inside shes scared and nervous, while Mercedes is just a diva. Screw West Side Story, Puck says. This is Clash of the Titans. Its a face-off a la Kurt and Rachels Defying Gravity, where the two performances are merged into one. Even though the directors claimed they were giving the girls a challenge by picking the song for them, the Fame ballad isnt really anything different for the shows two power vocalists. And, might we add, Maria isnt really a power vocalist kind of role. But we digress. The directors still cant make up their minds, so they offer to double cast the role and give each leading lady one week as Maria. Rachel accepts in the only way she knows how (Ill have evening performances) but Mercedes flat-out refuses (Why is everyone so afraid of being mean to [Rachel]?) and Rachel gets the role by default. Shes also managed to ruin another friendship: panicked that she wouldnt get Maria and would thus have no extra curriculars to round out her NYADA application, she told Coach Bieste shed run against Kurt and Brittany for president. Finns pissed at her, too, leaving Rachel to once again face the consequences of her over-achieving actions.

Fix You
Mr. Schuester decides he cant take his relationship with Miss Pillsbury seriously until hes met her parents, so he invites them over for dinner despite her protests. We discover the reason she didnt want them over is not because she was ashamed of Schuester, but that she was afraid of her ginger supremacist parents who nag her for her OCD. Its a traumatic scenario, and one that brings Schuester and Pillsbury closer. She tries to calm herself by praying, and he joins, but his prayer turns into Coldplays Fix You. Naturally. Though thematically appropriate, its not Schuesters finest singing moment. Instead of watching the New Directions perform it we see a montage of everyones reactions to the West Side Story casting: Rachel is Maria, Blaine is Tony (with Kurts blessing), Mike is Riff and Santana is Anita. What happened to the rest of the roles? Well never know they dont make the list.

Bottom Line: Glees own identity crisis of not knowing whether or not its a sitcom has made it hard to get deeply invested in its characters. Whlie we should have felt the triumph and tragedy of last nights successes and betrayals in a much more connected way, we only had a surface-level reaction who knows whether or not well see the consequences of this episodes events as the season goes on? The plus side is that Gleehas shown great focus and restraint in the first three episodes, offering us hope that when the show returns next month (yes, theres a hiatus already thanks to baseball) well stay on the same course.

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The Gunman

No knock on Sean Penn for aping Liam Neeson and going all Action Jackson on us. At 54, Penn looks ripped and ready. As a producer, he hiredTaken director Pierre Morel, found great actors (Javier Bardem, Idris Elba), co-wrote the script about Jim Terrier, an ex-mercenary atoning for past sins in the Congo, and oh, why go on? The Gunman degenerates into dreary setups for guns and gore. Penn merits more. So do we.

Box Office Report: Jack Earns Less-Than-Giant Victory

WINNER OF THE WEEK: Oscar. Its pretty rare to see movies that have been in theaters for four or five months suddenly spike in sales, but thats the magic of Hollywoods most prestigiousmarketing toolaward. Most of the nominated films saw the biggest bounce in business during this years extra-long nomination season, but theres still money to be milked after last Sundays awards ceremony. According to studio estimates, Jennifer Lawrences Best Actress win was good for another $5.9 million this weekend forSilver Linings Playbook(at Number Eight, the only Best Picture nominee still in the top 10), for a total of $115.5 million after four months. Best Director winnerLife of Piadded another 54 screens (for a total of 626) and another estimated $2.3 million, for a 15-week total of $116.9 million. Best Picture winnerArgoincreased its theater count by a fourth (to 985 venues) and took in another estimated $2.2 million, for a total of $132.8 million over five months. ForDjango Unchained, which won Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz) and Best Original Screenplay, a boost in theater count by half (to 983) led to another estimated $1.0 million, for a total of $160.3 million after 10 weeks. Among the major nominees and winners, onlyZero Dark Thirty,Lincoln,Amour, andLes Miserablesdid less business than last week.

LOSER OF THE WEEK: Magic beans. Sure,Jack the Giant Slayerwas far and away the champ, debuting in first place with an estimated $28.0 million. Given that it cost $200 million to make, however, thats not a good number. By comparison, mega-flopJohn Carter, which opened at about this time last year, managed a $30.2 million opening before topping out at $73.1 million With next weekendsOz the Great and Powerfulnipping at its heels,Jackwont really have time to grow legs.

Peter Travers February Scum Bucket

This weekends other new wide releases underperformed as well. Party comedy21 and Overhad been expected to score sales in the mid-teens from spring-breakers, but it premiered with an estimated $9.0 million, good for third place. In fourth, horror sequelThe Last Exorcism Part II, which had been predicted to open at about $10 million, debuted with an estimated $8.0 million. And submarine dramaPhantomnearly sank without a trace. It was supposed to open on 2,000 screens, but it mustered just 1,118 and an estimated take of $465,000, outside the top 20. With a per-screen average of $416, that means only three or four paying customers attended each screening.

None of these movies seems to have the legs of, say,Identity Thief, which is the first 2013 movie to cross the $100 million mark. In its fourth weekend, it finished at Number Two and earned another estimated $9.7 million. Rounding out the top five,Snitchsnatched an estimated $7.7 million, for a 10-day total of $24.4 million.

THE TIDES OF MARCH: When did March become summers Mini-Me at the box office, anyway? Would-be blockbusters likeJack,Oz, and this monthsG.I. Joe: Retaliationwould once have been saved for summertime, leaving March as part of the long box office dead zone between Christmas and the beginning of May. But then, three years ago,Alice in Wonderlandstunned the industry with a March opening and a $334.2 million haul. March 2011 saw such blockbuster candidates asRangoandThe Adjustment Bureau(which did well) andSucker PunchandMars Needs Moms(which did poorly). And then last March saw such smashes as21 Jump StreetandDr. Seuss The Lorax, modest fantasy hitsWrath of the TitansandMirror Mirror, and a little movie calledThe Hunger Games. So now, for better or worse, studios think theyve found a second summer, a time of the year when expensive fantasy and sci-fi pics and ambitious animated features can succeed. Which is good, if youre a studio executive looking for prime real estate beyond the traffic-choked warm-weather months. Maybe not so good if youre a movie fan who enjoys the hard-to-pigeonhole fare that used to emerge as sleeper hits in March but may now be crowded out of the marketplace.

One last gasp, maybe, isStoker, the English-language debut ofOldboydirector Park Chan-wook. The South Korean directors thriller opened this week on just seven screens (it expands to 20 next week), but it averaged a huge $22,689 on each of them, for a total estimate of $158,822. Maybe it doesnt hurt thatStokersleading lady is Mia Wasikowka, who became the queen of March with her starring role inAlice.

Dr. Dre Plots Marvin Gaye Biopic

Dr. Dre is developing a movie about Marvin Gaye, making adeal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to secure the rights to the late Motown icons music.

Reps for Dre and Sony/ATV confirmed the deal to Rolling Stone, though the film remains in the very early stages of development. Sources tell Rolling Stone that, among other conditions, the project would need the approval of Motown founder Berry Gordy to move forward. A representative for Gordy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As Variety reports, Dr. Dre is the latest in a long line of producers, musicians, actors and filmmakers who have tried to turn Gayes life into a movie. Cameron Crowe, James Gandolfini, F. Gary Gray and Scott Rudin have all attempted to make such a film. One particularly tumultuous project, Sexual Healing, directed by Julien Temple, was first set to star Jesse L. Martin (Rent, Law & Order), then Lenny Kravitz. WhenKravitz dropped outof the film in 2013, Martin was tapped againfor the starring role.

In 2016, Gayes family granted Jamie Foxx the rights to develop a limited series about the singer, but the project has not yet moved forward.

For Dre, the Marvin Gaye biopic marks the rapper-moguls first major film project since Straight Outta Compton, the N.W.A. biopic he inspired and produced. The film was a commercial and critical success, notching an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Prior to Straight Outta Compton, Dr. Dre dabbled in acting and producing, notably making appearances in Training Day and The Wash.

Watch Thrilling First Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer

The first trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth episode in the space saga, premiered Friday at the Star Wars Celebration fan convention in Orlando before it was shared online.

The trailer focuses on Reys Jedi training under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker. Breathe. Just, breathe. Now reach out. What do you see? Skywalker says in voiceover while Rey navigates the Force. Light. Darkness. A balance, she responds. Its so much bigger, Skywalker responds.

Theres also footage of space battles (including the Millenium Falcon in flight), glimpses at characters like Finn and Kylo Ren and a crushed Darth Vader mask.

The trailer concludes with the line, I only know one truth: Its time for the Jedi to end.

During the panel, director Rian Johnson told fans that the film is still in the post-production and editing process. In addition to Johnson and Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy, the panel also featured guest appearances by Daisy Ridley who didnt offer up any clues to her patronage, but admitted The Last Jedi goes deeper into her backstory as well as Mark Hamill, John Boyega, new cast member Kelly Marie Tran (Rose, a maintenance worker in the Resistance) and the android BB-8.

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The panel also unveiled the first poster for The Last Jedi:

#TheLastJedi poster has been revealed. #SWCO pic.twitter.com/fqnf1bQtPu

Star Wars (@starwars) April 14, 2017

The Last Jedi is due out December 15th and is the third Star Wars film in the recent revival of the series. It kicked off with J.J. Abrams Episode VII: The Force Awakens and continued in 2016 with the anthology film Rogue One, which bridged the prequel Episode III and the series first film, 1977s Star Wars.

A film dedicated to young Han Solo, starring Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke and Woody Harrelson and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller arrives in 2018, with Episode IX to follow in 2019.

On Thursday, the Star Wars Celebration convention held a 40th anniversary panel, which featured director George Lucas and stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen and Billy Dee Williams. The panel also included a poignant tribute to actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the original trilogy.

Although Fisher died prior to working on 2019s Episode IX she had finished filming The Last Jedi prior to her December 2016 death her brother Todd Fisher recently revealed that the Leia character will appear in the next Star Wars film via recently filmed unused footage. Producers have previously pledged not to utilize CGI technology for Episode IX.

Spike Lee on BlacKkKlansman and Life in Trumps America

Every visitor to 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Spike Lees production headquarters in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, is greeted byRadio Raheem. A massive papier-mach rendering of Do the Right Things tragic hero complete withtrademark boombox towersoverthe entryway, a potent reminder ofthemesthat runthrough so much of Lees oeuvre: the beauty, absurdity and horrorof black life in America. Nearly three decades after releasing that masterpiece,Lee hascrafteda fittingcompanion in BlacKkKlansman (opens August 10th), based on the true story of an African-American cop named Ron Stallworth, who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado in the Seventies. In May, the film won the Grand Prix at theCannes Film Festival, where Lee publicly called PresidentTrump a motherfucker for his refusal to condemn white supremacists who had incited violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year. Lee, 61,was not nearly as combustible when we met in his office in June. Surrounded byartifacts from his films and others, including a French On the Waterfrontposter that directorEliaKazan hadautographed twice, the director ruminated on his career and explained why, in a political moment seemingly more fractured than ever, he wantshis art do the talking.

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My first reaction to the film is that its not just about white terrorism; its about white silence.
We were just trying to tell truth to power. You know? It had to be a period piece that also comments on what is happening today with this guy in the White House. The whole thing with [NFL players and] the anthem, building the wall, Mexicans are rapists its just crazy. The Year of Living Dangerously, thats where we are.

I saw the football.

The nuclear football?
I saw it. My wife, Tonya, and I, we hosted a benefit for President Barack, and this vehicle was parked out in front of our house. I came outside to get some air, and my man was in the back seat. I looked, pointed, he nodded back at me [laughs]. And even with Obama, I had a nightmare that night.

What was the nightmare?
That somebody could really end the world. And then with this guy I heard he dont really got the number.

You heard that somebodys keeping the nuclear code safe from President Trump?
I heard he got the fake number. [Like] back in the day, when [a girl] would give you a number, and it was a fake number I hope they gave him the fake number [laughs]!

This presidency is always shrouded by culture-war stuff.
Its a distraction. A misdirection play. You think one guy has the ball, and this other guy has the ball. And hes high-stepping down to the goal line. So we just have to be smarter and not go for the three Ss: shenanigans, subterfuge and skullduggery! I got that from Mike Tyson.

Jordan Peele and his co-producers approached you with the script for BlacKkKlansman. What was missing from it that you delivered?
They acquired Ron Stallworths book and felt it needed more flava. And thats what I brought. I was grateful for the opportunity because I had never heard of Stallworth. I didnt know his story. People say, That is too unbelievable to be true. And thats what makes it such a great story.

Can you speak to the white voice that Stallworth uses to fool the Klansmen over the phone? How much of race is an act or a performance to you?
I mean, thats what black folks do! When Ron came to read through the script, that was the first question I asked, about the voice. And he said, Spike, they couldnt tell. [laughs] He said the Klan, they just couldnt tell.

John David Washington, who plays Stallworth, is Denzels son. Did you see any of his father in him?
John David is amazing in this movie. That phrase the fruit doesnt fall far from the tree theres a reason people say that. He is Denzel Washingtons first son. Thats a big, big burden. But hes also his own man. I have a history with him. His first film was Malcolm X. At the end of the movie, when the kids say, My name is Malcolm X! Hes one of the kids. He was about six years old.

Cannes this time was a different experience than when you were there with Do the Right Thing. Are you finally getting your due on the world stage?
I think time was on the side of Do the Right Thing. People forget: Do the Right Thing wasnt even nominated for [the Academy Award for] Best Picture. Best Picture that year was Driving Miss Daisy. Who is watching that film today?

I remember seeing Ava DuVernays picture of you holding your prize you looked proud in a way that I hadnt seen.
You didnt see me holding the [2016 honorary] Oscar [laughs]. I was happy for everybody involved with the film. The family, the actors, everybody. It was just a great moment. And the standing ovation at the end? That was surreal. More than 10 minutes. I cant recall the time. I was just in a zone. It was amazing. As a filmmaker, you know the result you want from an audience. I mean, people love Crooklyn now; they didnt love it when it came out. Bamboozled, He Got Game, I can go down the line. Ive done films that have caught on. But to have a hit when the film comes out?

What kind of influence do you think your art has had on a generation not just of other artists like Peele, DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, but also thinkers and activists?
Thats hard for me to answer. For sure, my films have affected the culture. People still tell me they would never have gone to a historically black school if they hadnt seen School Daze. I do know my arts going to be around a long time after Im gone. Thats all you can hope for. That your life made an impact. In a positive way.

Do you ever reflect on the effect you may have had on people?
Not really. I remember the first time I showed Shes Gotta Have It in L.A. After the film, a young filmmaker by the name of John Singleton came up to me. He said, Im gonna make films just like you. And he did.

Five years later, Boyz N The Hood.
You know, so Im aware, but its not something I think about all the time. Im too busy trying to do my stuff.

Youve revisited and reimagined Shes Gotta Have It as a series for Netflix. In this cultural moment, people are looking at female empowerment, relationships and abuse in a different way. How much of that factored into your desire to go back to that material?
My wife was the one who is behind it. Theres definitely a stronger womens viewpoint, and that was by design. Seventy-five percent of the writers are women, so thats a conscious decision to have women be the majority of the voices. All are writers of color. All of them.

And now its heading into Season Two.
Im very happy that its gotten a great response. I never thought about coming back to my first film, as a filmmaker. [But] what I like is that people are rediscovering a film they loved way back in 1986, and people born in 1986, who never heard of the film Its multigenerational.

At Cannes, Cate Blanchett, who was the festivals jury president, said BlacKkKlansman is quintessentially about an American crisis
But see, heres the thing. And I think shes a great actress. I told her that I want to work with her after the festival. The thing I think she missed, and that other juries missed and Im not saying this because I didnt win the [top prize] Palme dOr is that this thing is not just about the United States of America. This is happening all over Europe: Britain, France, Italy, the rise of neo-Nazis in Germany. I want people to understand that. This rise of right-wing, fascist groups is not just an American phenomenon.

I still want to work with you, Cate! Dont get mad at me!

Where is the urgency to confront race with the honesty we see in films made by black directors, especially now?
I mean, my days of telling people what they should do are over [laughs]. People are on their own paths. Theyre either on the right side of the street, or the wrong side. Thats what it comes down to.

Have you been to the lynching memorial and museum in Montgomery yet?
No, but I want to go.

When I went there during the opening weekend in April, I thought about what you put in your art the frankness of presentation when tackling racism.
You ever see my documentary, 4 Little Girls? My great, great, great archivist her name is Judy Bailey, been on all my films found some postmortem photographs of the four little girls [who were killed in the 1963 Ku Klux Klan bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama]. And for a period of time, I kept wondering whether I should use them. But my spirit told me I had to use them, that I had to show what they looked like. What an act of American terrorism, that led Dynamite Bob Chambliss to blow those beautiful black girls up. The people had to see this.

BlacKkKlansman ends on footage from the August 2017 Charlottesville riots, of the moment a white supremacist drove into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a young woman named Heather Heyer. Why did you decide to use it?
Same thing. We started shooting in September. When Charlottesville happened, I knew that was going to be the ending. I first needed to ask Ms. Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, for permission. This is someone whose daughter has been murdered in an American act of terrorism homegrown, apple-pie, hot-dog, baseball, cotton-candy Americana. Mrs. Bro no longer has a daughter because an American terrorist drove that car down that crowded street. And even people who know that thing is coming, when they see it, its like, very quiet. People sit there and listen to Prince singing a Negro spiritual, Mary Dont You Weep. Did you hear the song at the end?

I recognized his voice immediately. How did that happen?
I knew that I needed an end-credits song. Ive become very close with Troy Carter, one of the executives at Spotify [and a Prince estate advisor]. So I invited Troy to a private screening. And after, he said, Spike, I got the song. And that was Mary Dont You Weep, which had been recorded on cassette in the mid-Eighties. Prince wanted me to have that song, I dont care what nobody says. My brother Prince wanted me to have that song. For this film. Theres no other explanation to me. This cassette is in the back of the vaults. In Paisley Park. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, its discovered? Nah-ah. That aint an accident [laughs]!

Youre clearly unhappy with the direction Americas headed in. Is one aim of your work to show our faults so that the country gets better?
Im going to go back to Wake up. Thats been in almost all my films. Wake up. Be alert. Dont fall asleep. Dont go for the okey-doke. Dont go for the shenanigans, subterfuge and skullduggery. Dont go for it. Lets make the best of the time we have on this earth, and not get into this hate and all this other bullshit.

I, Daniel Blake Review: One Man vs. the System in Inspiring Social-Realist Drama

Working stiffs getting screwed by the system that theme has always cut deep with veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach. An old-school social realist, the 80-year-old filmmakers creative output has always spoke up for the exploited lower classes, from a BBC play about the homeless (1966s Cathy Come Home) to a treatise on Irish guerilla fighters (2006s The Wind That Shakes the Barley).

I, Daniel Blake, a new Loach landmark which won the Palme dOr at the Cannes Film Festival last year, sums up everything that has kept he muckraking motor running for decades. The title character, played by comic actor Dave Johns in a performance of ingrained decency and riveting restraint, is a 59-year-old carpenter whos just buried his wife and suffered a heart attack. Blakes illness prevents him on doctors orders from returning to work, which means he cant pay the rent on his low-cost, Newcastle housing unit without aid from the welfare system. When that help is denied, our everyman must go through the appeal process.

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The director and his longtime screenwriter Paul Laverty handle the byzantine roadblocks set up to prevent Daniel from getting his due with bruising humor and barely concealed rage. (Clearly, their concerns stretch to our own borders as well as Great Britains.) Loach is nothing if not a humanist, one who sees what should unite us all in times of duress, and this is arguably one of his best and most accessible movies to date.

The computer-ignorant Blake, floundering in a bureaucracy thats digital by default, finds a sense of family in another victim of the system. Shes Katie (Hayley Squires), a single mother of two forced out of her London flat and into selling herself to make ends meet. Loach, understandably, stacks the deck in favor of these people society has labeled losers, but Johns and Squires play them with indelible simplicity and feeling. When Daniel risks arrest by scrawling his plight on the side of an official building, he rouses cheers from passersby. Its hard not to cheer along.

Martin Scorsese to Direct George Harrison Documentary

Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones documentarian Martin Scorsese will direct an authorized documentary about George Harrison, Daily Variety reports. George Harrisons music and his search for spiritual meaning is a story that still resonates today and Im looking forward to delving deeper, Scorsese said of the project. Harrisons widow, Olivia, who will serve as a producer on the film, which will go into production this year. It would have given George great joy to know that Martin Scorsese has agreed to tell his story, she said. Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have also agreed to participate.

In other rock movie news: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are about to get the documentary treatment at the hands of filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich. Runnin Down A Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will debut at the New York Film Festival in October, and will then be available as a four-disc set at Best Buys nationwide. In addition to the documentary film, the release comes with a DVD of the bands 30th Anniversary Concert in their hometown of Gainesville, Florida, as well as collection of rarities.

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Watch Jimmy Kimmels Hilarious Oscars 2017 Monologue

Jimmy Kimmelopened his hilariousOscarsmonologue by taking a crack at himself. Ive never been to the Oscars before, he said. And the way you people go through hosts, this is probably my last time here. From there, Kimmel buried the hatchet with Matt Damon, sarcastically poked fun at the highly overrated Meryl Streep and cracked jokes about Trump-era America.

Kimmel noted that the Academy Awards were being viewed around the world, including 225 countries that now hate [the U.S.]. He admitted he had no answers for our divided nation, adding (in a Mel Gibson reference), Theres only one Braveheart in this room, and hes not gonna unite us, either.

Transitioning into a more personal tension, Kimmel revived his long-standing feud with the selfish Damon, joking, When I first met Matt, I was the fat one. He continued to take sarcastic jabs at the actors in attendance including the revered Streep, playful bashing her uninspiring and overrated performances.

Kimmel closed out with the cheeky observation that this years contenders were all but predictable. In 2016, black people saved NASA and white people saved jazz, he said, as the camera panned to the casts ofHidden Figures and La La Land.

My opening monologue from the 89th #oscars @TheAcademy @ABCNetwork pic.twitter.com/rXNU8aZfcd

Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 27, 2017

The Guilty Review: First-Time Caller, Longtime Cop-vs.-Kidnapper Thriller

In TV, its called a bottle episode: a half-hour or hour of an ongoing series that corrals a cast into a single, usually closed-off location and forces the shows creatives/creators to work within those parameters. The Guilty, Swedish filmmaker Gustav Mllers feature debut, sticks to a somewhat similar limited set-up. A man (Jakob Cedergren) sits in a room, behind a desk, answering a phone. His name is Asger. He didnt always do this; once upon a time, he was a cop who worked a beat, who was out in the field and got his hands dirty. Then something happened. Soon, very soon, he can clear his name and go back to work. Until then, Asger is killing time in a sparsely populated emergency-services-dispatch post, taking 911 calls. Just a guy with an earpiece-and-mic get-up, dealing with speed freaks and manic mugging victims.

Then, right before his shift is over, his line rings again. The cracking voice on the other end says, Hi, sweetie. Asger thinks the woman is drunk; he soon realizes shes talking in code. They establish a yes-or-no system: Does the person with you know youre calling the police? No. (The driver thinks shes talking to her child.) Does she know the person shes with? Yes. Has she been abducted? Yes. He gets this crying passenger to identify the make of the vehicle shes in a white van and is able to roughly triangulate where the call is coming from via nearby cellphone towers before she abruptly hangs up. Asger manages to get a patrol car in the area to start searching. Then, waiting for a response, he begins to do a little detective work.

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One man, one emergency line, two locations (he eventually switches from his cubicle to a slightly more private room five feet away), a variety of voices piped in via his headset and thats it. We never leave the office. We never leave Asgers side. Any information we end up getting and we end up getting a lot we receive the same piecemeal way our man does. Because were talking about a movie and not an installment in a serialized drama, you cant categorize this a bottle episode. It will have to settle for simply being labeled as one of the more ingenious imported thrillers to hit theaters in a long while.

The question is not whether this is a gimmick (of course it is!), but how effectively Mller and company utilize this high-concept premise in the name of keeping audiences tense and uneasy. The answer is: enough to make you feel like youre sitting in that cramped dispatch headquarters with this man, flop-sweating alongside the flawed-hero ringmaster while he desperately orchestrates a search-and-rescue mission. Necessity is the mother of invention, so the director and his cowriter Emil Nygaard Albertson find ways of filling in the puzzle of whats really going on with some choice bits of misdirection and a few sucker-punch revelations, doled out on a need-to-know basis. (The twist there is one is handled expertly; Algers expositionary backstory, less so. The title contains multitudes.) Cinematographer Jasper Spanning favors shots that range from tight close-ups to claustrophobic ones, as well as compositions that seem to be penning in the protagonist via windows, bars, rectangular frames within frames.

And though he carries the bulk of the film on his shoulders, Cedergren knows that his face is responsible for the heavy dramatic lifting, fine-tuning his expressions enough to let you follow him down each turn of the cops white-knight rabbit hole. The look he gives when he realizes he may have drastically misread the situation feels like a bomb has dropped. As for his audio-only costars, kudos to the voice actors especially Jessica Dinnage, who lends a sense of panic and pathos to the woman in the white van. The Guilty is many things, not all of which work 100-percent of the time. But it does succeed as one hell of a radio play with benefits, letting a literal call-and-response crime procedural play out in real time. Its a clever enough variation on a genre, done with a genuine sense of verve the sort of rough gem you dont want to keep on hold.

Q&A: Kree Harrison on Being American Idol Season 12 Runner-Up

After facing off against Candice Glover in the finale, Kree Harrison fell short of being crowned the Season 12 American Idol champ. Still, the title of runner-up certainly isnt anything to scoff at. The 23-year-old Texan, known for her country roots and pleasant personality, effortlessly sang songs by Patty Griffin, Rascal Flatts and Aretha Franklin, among others. She also tugged on Americas heartstrings with the story of how both her parents died in tragic accidents when she was just a teen.

During a conference call Friday afternoon, which also happened to be her birthday, Rolling Stone heard her thoughts on coming in second, getting matching tattoos with Kellie Pickler and how she maintains an upbeat attitude.

Kree Harrison and Candice Glover Vie for the Idol Crown

What was going through your head right before the winner was announced?
What was going through my head is what I was saying out loud. Candice and I were telling each other how proud we were of each other, and I said, If you make it, if you win, you better sing your butt off. She was laughing at me. We were both rooting for each other.

Were you shocked when you got voted into the finals instead of third-placer Angie Miller?
I was. If you cant tell, Im not a very good actress what you see is what you get. I think it was the moment of reality. When Ryan Seacrest called my name, I could not believe I was gonna be able to perform another week. You feel at that very moment, Wow, all of you voted for me to hear me sing another week. So, yeah, I was definitely shocked.

Going into the results, did you feel like you had an equal shot at winning?
I never knew what was going to happen. Its always been in Americas hands. The truth is, me and Candice are completely different. Its apples and oranges. I had no idea what was going to happen. Either way, it was a win-win situation for both of us. At the end of the day, its not about winning the title. Ive created a following, which is what each of us came to do. Im so proud of Candy and shes so proud of me, and were living our dreams right now, whether or not I have that title. Actually, I have a title, Im runner-up, and Im over the moon about it.

Why did you choose to go first after the coin toss?
Everybodys asking me that! [Laughs.] At that moment, I was just like, I dont care if I go first or second, its just the two of us. I asked Candice and she said wanted to go second, so I said fine, I dont care. I was just so happy to be able to perform again.

While Keith Urban was clearly a fan of yours, he also came down hard on you sometimes, especially about connecting with your songs. Why do you think that is?
I respect all four judges, especially Keith because were both country singers. Whenever he gave me critiques, I took it as constructive criticism because, at the end of the day, you cant really grow if youre not listening and learning from your peers. I always took it to heart. And I agreed with him. I had a problem at the beginning letting the wall down and being able to connect emotionally, because it is a hard thing to do, to open up. Through this process, its really happened, and Im happy that it happened that way.

What allows you to stay so upbeat despite the tragedy youve faced in your life?
At the end of the day, its a choice, you can choose to live your life happy and take whatever happens with a grain of salt. For me, this is the sweet after the bitter that Ive had in my life, and I like to share that and make people feel the same way.

What surprised you most during your time on Idol?
How much work goes into the show. Not just us, everybody. There are so many hard-working people behind the scenes, I had no idea.

On your album, do you think youll lean more toward traditional country or pop country?
Id hate to put myself in a box right now. I only put out a single just today, but Id love to be on country radio whether its with pop or traditional. Personally I like more traditional artists. I just want to be worldly and not just one thing, but itll definitely be country-based, and always will be.

Youve mentioned that you and Kellie Pickler are going to get matching tattoos, is that true?
Thats just a joke thats gone wrong! [Laughs.] I talk to her all the time, and I hope she wins Dancing With the Stars. Im rooting for her. Me, Angie and Janelle [Arthur] have voted for her. Shes such an amazing woman and friend and I hope we collaborate.

Whats your advice for people trying out for the next season of Idol?
Pace yourself, first of all. More than anything, though, you have to know who you are as an artist, because I feel like thats what will make you stand out.