“The New Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show,” is a 13-episode half-hour series is based on the ’60s four-minute shorts from animation legend Jay Ward that first aired in his “Rocky & Bullwinkle Show” from 1961 -64. In those shorts, bespectacled canine Mr. Peabody and his adopted kid compadre Sherman get into the way-back machine, “WABAC” and travel through time to meet famous historical personages. “The New Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show” is inspired by the original shorts and  from the 2014 feature film by the same name. In the series they host a zany late-night comedy show broadcast from their swanky penthouse in front of a live studio audience where they interview historical figures. Guests from bygone eras will include Mozart, Napoleon and Edgar Allan Poe, as Mr. Peabody and Sherman embark on new adventures using their famous WABAC machine. “We loved the straight-up lampooning of historical figures,” Executive Producer Dave Smith said. “We mixed it up a lot, while retaining the comedy of the Jay Ward show.”

Beasts of No Nation is a 2015 West African war drama film based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala. The novel follows the journey of a young boy, Agu, who is forced to join a group of soldiers in an unnamed West African country. The film stars Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Abraham Attah, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh and Opeyemi Fagbohungbe. It was screened in the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival where it won the Marcello Mastroianni Award.

“Hemlock Grove” is in its third season, Season1 launched in April of 2013 and Season 2 followed a year later. The show examines the strange happenings in Hemlock Grove, a fictional town in Pennsylvania. Roman Godfrey, heir to the town’s wealthy Godfrey family, befriends the town’s newcomer, Peter Rumancek. Recent brutal murders in the town have stirred up rumors, and the two work together to shed light on the case while also hiding their own dark secrets.

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Maybe you didn’t know that some very successful films didn’t even have a finished script when the shooting started? Actors and actresses were improvising or going off-script while reciting their lines. Jaws and Annie Hall being among them, and while some directors hate it – others love it. Sometimes the ad-libs become so iconic they turn into some of most memorable lines in cinema history. Here is our Top 10 Unscripted Moments in Movie History.

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from Digital Bucket:

I have a place on my phone where I try and jot down recommendations for “must see” entertainment: movies, TV series, specials, blogs – just about any video content that has been enthusiastically suggested. I intended to create a self-styled Dewey Decimal To-View List of sorts. The sad truth is that my shorthanded watch-list is a veritable junk drawer of disassociated titles, partial names, and unexplained details, that must have seemed helpful at the time. But in my moment of viewing need – there never seems to be quite enough attributes to help me make good choices. Thus the fame factor.

I often make my viewing choices based on the celebrity fame of the actor, author or director involved. I’m also brand conditioned enough to have leanings toward certain studios or networks, but my sense of fame is the overriding influence. It has served me well, even as I consider my short form internet viewing options.

However, I’m questioning if it is still a valid, or manageable filter for my ever growing to-view list.

Here Today, Gone – Today

Of course, fame has never been a foolproof guide to great viewing. We’ve all been caught off guard by the uncomfortable realization that the fame was, well, rooted in luck, or the aging celebrity burn victim look (unfortunate ambitious cosmetic tweaks). Or, even the sometimes unimaginable misbehavior that celebrity seems to breed (the spice of fame – I guess). I do expect some of that when using fame as my true viewing north. However – my current issue is that I’m becoming overwhelmed by the shear quantity of fame out there and my inability to incorporate it all as a guide.

As NYT’s Alex Williams recently chronicled in 15 Minutes of Fame? More Like 15 Seconds of Nanofame,  not only fame’s huge growth in numbers, but also it’s perishability; a transition from the celebrity of “microfame” to “nanofame”.  He suggests that the power and length of fame continues to diminish in the internet age.  I agree, thus my dilemma.

Left: Perez Hilton: snarky celebrity and pop-culture blogger.
Right: Left Shark: awkward fish-suited backup dancer during the Super Bowl halftime show. Credit J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times; Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

It all gets very interesting when you consider what the face of fame might look like in the next decade- but that’s another post. When it comes to making the best viewing choices, you could argue that I should cast fame aside. Or- we just quantify a new sort of celebrity fame. Let’s not only consider the scale of one’s fame, but also their longevity of ongoing fame. Of course name it: Sticky fame? O’Reliable fame? Tenacious fame?

And even with Reliable Fame, what about binge viewing of series? Could one argue that a Sunday spent watching a year of Claire Dane’s work be as nanofame as the Sunday exposure to Katy Perry’s “Left Shark”? God I hope not. But such questions will arise. In the mean time, as I add Alex Gibney’s Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief, to my personal watch-list, the annotation will certainly include: Cruise, Travolta.

Editor’s note:  The barriers to facilitating content discovery are getting higher all the time. Here at Digital Bucket, one of our big interests is how great stories, and as a result great content, can be discovered.  It is a confounding fact that the very ecosystem that has created all this rich new content – has also made its discovery nearly impossible.

It may not always be easy to find – but great content endures. Great stories are still valued and eventually – hopefully- discovered. Over the coming weeks we will continue to explore the solutions, the resources and how viewers find their way to great content. We’d love to hear how your precious “viewing time” choices are made.  Please leave thoughts or links in comments.

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With a market capitalization currently north of $ 27 Billion Wall Street darling Netflix has a few options your average TV production company does not: Debt issuance. Netflix just issued another $1.5 BILLION in debt, which according to Stream Daily will be used at least in part to help fund new original content. After all, bringing House of Cards back for a third season certainly won’t come cheaply. Variety has the details.

by Todd Spangler, Variety:

Netflix is raising $1.5 billion in additional long-term debt — up from its original $1 billion target, announced earlier Monday — the proceeds from which the company said it plans to use for content acquisitions and other general purposes, including potential acquisitions.

The company late Monday announced the pricing of an offering of $700 million aggregate principal amount of 5.50% senior notes due 2022 and $800 million aggregate principal amount of 5.875% senior notes due 2025.

Netflix said the sale of the debt is expected to close Feb. 5, 2015, subject to usual closing conditions.

Read More @ Variety.com

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Diablo Cody just tweeted this one about her pal Meryl Streep, one of the most talented actors on planet earth:

There actually is nothing she can't do. RICKI: http://t.co/m3sag6z6Sg

— Diablo Cody (@diablocody) February 4, 2015

We concur. Aside from playing a dude, Meryl Streep can do anything. Actually, scratch that. She could probably play a convincing dude too…

UPDATE: Our crack Digital Bucket research team points out that Meryl already has played a man on film, and a Rabbi at that – to glowing reviews…  But of course!

People.com has the scoop about Meryl starring in Cody’s latest film:

Meryl Streep, rocker?

In the first photo of Streep from her upcoming movie, Ricki and the Flash, the Academy Award-winning actress looks like a natural on stage with a guitar in hand.

In Juno writer Diablo Cody’s latest movie, Streep, 65, plays singer-guitarist and Flash band member Ricki, who gave up everything to pursue her dream of rock-‘n’-roll stardom. Then she returns home to make amends with her family.

Streep’s real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer, also plays the role on screen, alongside Kevin Kline as Ricki’s ex-husband, and rocker Rick Springfield plays a bandmate who is in love with Ricki.

Read More @ People.com

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We’ll get to the epic and wonderful Game of Thrones in a second, but first let’s get something straight. With Hollywood movie revenues down more than 5% in 2014, we here at Digital Bucket maintain that there are three very good reasons for the continuing plummet in receipts at the box office.  So here goes.

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Now the maverick, visionary duo is heading to Cannes where their experience, taste and perspective is sure to make an interesting impact on judging the creative work of others.

from IMDB:

This is the first time the festival has appointed two presidents.  Directors Joel and Ethan Coen have been named the presidents of the jury at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, the festival announced on Monday.

Read More @ IMDB.com

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Clint Eastwood‘s American Sniper opened to a historic $105.3 million over the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in North America, shattering numerous records, boosting its Oscar profile and forever changing the way Hollywood studios view the sleepy month of January.

American Sniper marks the biggest launch ever for a non-tentpole Hollywood title, as well as for a movie opening in January — much less an R-rated modern-day war film (the previous best for a drama was The Passion of the Christ with $83.8 million). And the film’s three-day haul of $89.5 million marks the No. 2 debut for an R-rated film after The Matrix: Reloaded ($91.8 million), not accounting for inflation.

Read More @ HollywoodReporter.com

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Sorry. Had to watch The Lego Movie about a dozen times since it hit DVD, that’s what happens when your 7-year old discovers his new favorite flick.

And if you haven’t seen – or heard it yet, spoiler alert: It’s pretty awesome.

For the rest of the 2015 Oscars Best Original Song nominees, click HERE.

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