Liam Neeson’s Hollywood tough-guy bona fides already are beyond reproach: He’s been a Jedi master, he’s led the A-Team, he’s fought wolves, he even played an admiral in “Battleship” — the one where naval forces battled aliens and created collateral damage at movie box offices everywhere. According to multiple entertainment-news reports, Neeson will again portray a high-ranking officer, only he’ll switch services and step back into history, playing Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the South Korean-produced “Operation Chromite.” History buffs may recognize the title as the code name for the amphibious landing at Inchon in September 1950. The film reportedly will…
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Celebrity pop quiz: What is actor/writer/producer/cult hero William Shatner’s middle name? A hint: If you’re a producer for “Range 15,” a veteran-made zombie-themed comedy that recently secured Shatner’s acting services, you’ve probably got it wrong. “Did you just say we got William ‘Star Trek’ ‘T.J. Hooker’ Priceline Negotiator Denny Crane Shatner?” Ranger Up CEO and former Army officer Nick Palmisciano asked in a very much not-safe-for-work video announcing the casting move. Mat Best, former Army Ranger and head of Article 15 Clothing, was a bit more succinct: “William F—ing Shatner?!” The video shows some “Range 15” team members shedding tears of…
A Silver Star recipient’s retelling of one of the Iraq War’s most critical battles will get the Hollywood treatment, but a Deadline.com report says it’ll be in good hands. Former Staff Sgt. David Bellavia’s “House to House,” a 2007 memoir centered on the fighting in Fallujah three years before, has been optioned by Universal Pictures, Deadline reported Tuesday. Former Army officer Max Adams, a U.S. Military Academy graduate who also saw combat in Iraq, will adapt the book for the big screen. Adams’ entertainment-industry experience includes writing and producing “Precious Cargo,” a thriller starring Bruce Willis set for a 2016 release,…
First, marvel at incoming CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert’s arm strength and levitation skills. Then, scroll down to learn more about what the comedian, and others, are up to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZgZx8dQvO8 Colbert, no stranger to acts of video lunacy for the benefit of service members, is the latest celebrity to participate in the #GiveThem20 Challenge, an attempt by the nonprofit American Corporate Partners to raise awareness of the challenges facing veterans as they return to civilian life. ACP mentors thousands of veterans making that transition and maintains various online resources that connect vets to support personnel and potential employers. Learn…
The zombies are screwed. Filming won’t begin until later this year for “Range 15,” the cinematic co-production of two veteran-owned apparel-makers that will feature stars from the companies’ viral-video hits battling undead hordes, but the producers have already concluded a successful crowd-funding campaign, more than doubling their initial goal with a take exceeding $813,000. The teams behind Ranger Up and Article 15 Clothing easily surpassed their $325,000 goal, but added new benchmarks and promised more monster-slaughtering firepower as the tote board kept rolling over. In addition to a bigger budget for ordnance and special effects, the film has expanded its military all-star…
Bradley Cooper played SEAL legend Chris Kyle in “American Sniper,” which drew critical acclaim and set box-office records. Then, he played a military contractor in “Aloha,” which didn’t. An upcoming military project could put Cooper back into uniform, only this time as a member of a real-life Army unit that aided the Allied push to Berlin at the close of World War II using deception that would make a Hollywood special-effects wizard blush. Deadline.com reported Monday that Cooper’s production company will team with Andrew Lazar, an “American Sniper” producer, to tell the story of 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, better known as…
Producer/director Peter Berg, the force behind two recent movies on far ends of the military spectrum — 2013’s “Lone Survivor” and 2012’s Battleship — will add to his in-uniform resume with an eight-part documentary series on special operators set for a fall debut on the History Channel. The series is among several debut projects for the newly launched Film 45, a documentary-focused studio Berg will operate alongside Film 44, which developed the “Friday Night Lights” TV series in addition to the above movies and other offerings. Similar to “Lone Survivor,” the new series will feature first-person accounts from special operators, supplemented…
Chances are, the plot twists, conspiracies and layered storytelling that make up NBC’s soldier-focused “American Odyssey” have not caused you any great confusion. Because chances are, if ratings are to be believed, you haven’t watched the show. The Sunday-night drama, which showcases a female soldier’s escape from a U.S.-backed hit squad and the descent of her and the rest of the cast into a web of big business, traitors and terrorism, received mixed reviews from critics prior to its April 5 debut. It’s received less-than-mixed ratings: Last night’s airing had a 0.6 share in the 18-to-49-year-old target demographic, dead last among first-run…
First, the video. Warning: Contains some naughty words, features at least one woman in a bikini and includes some jabs at defendants in high-profile Army criminal cases. May be inappropriate for viewers who are under 18, at work or don’t appreciate the occasional veggie MRE joke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HSBTfRaH8U0 Now, the back story: The video comes from the team behind Article 15 Clothing, with the rap itself written and performed by Mat Best, who served with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, before separating as a sergeant in 2008. “It’s not very specific to a very small community,” said Best, whose penned previous rap battles…
The early reviews are in for “American Odyssey,” an NBC drama premiering Sunday night at 10 p.m. (9 p.m. Central) that tracks a female Army sergeant through a conspiracy-laden maze of big business, high treason, imprisonment and cyberwarfare. Sound complicated? It is — and that’s either good or bad, depending on the critic. Alessandra Stanley at The New York Times calls the series “an exhilarating thriller,” lifted by the special relationship between Sgt. Odelle Ballard (Anna Friel) and Aslam (Omar Ghazaoui), the Muslim teenager assigned to guard her after her capture when the rest of her unit was wiped out … by American forces.…
