Slayer Wins Award For ‘Repentless,’ Announces New Tour Dates

Posted on December 3, 2015 by philspicks

For those that missed it, there is some big news from the Slayer camp to report today,

Earlier this week Loudwire announced the winners of its fifth annual Loudwire Awards. And Slayer was among this year’s winners. The band received the award in the “Best Metal Video” category for the companion video to its song ‘Repentless,’ the title track from its recently released twelfth full-length studio recording. The video faced some tough competition from the likes of Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Mastodon, and Ghost. Ironically Ghost won the award in the “Best Metal Album” category. The video for ‘Repentless’ was shot at the Los Angeles women’s prison, Sybil Brand. It was directed by BJ McDonell and produced by Felissa Rose. McDonnell is best known for his work on the 2013 horror sequel, Hatchet III. He also worked as a cameraman on Jack Reacher, Tomorrowland, and The Interview. It also features cameos from some big names in the horror movie genre including: Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Til Dawn, Once Upon A Time in Mexico), Tony Moran (Halloween’s Michael Meyers, American Poltergeist, Dead Bounty), Derek Mears (Predators, Friday The 13^th, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunter), and Sean Whalen (Men in Black, Halloween II, Twister). When asked about the win, McDonnell praised the band’s competition as well as those that worked on the ‘Repentless’ video including the band. “We were up against some serious talent and great videos all around,” he said. “And I’m just overjoyed that we won. Everyone in our cast and crew worked their butts off to have the video truly represent the song and the band, and we think we achieved that. Working with Slayer has been a dream and I really hope to do it again soon. Thanks to everyone who voted for ‘Repentless.'” Audiences can check out the video for ‘Repentless’ online now via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjb0j9l1sz4.

Courtesy: Nuclear Blast America

Courtesy: Nuclear Blast Records

The announcement of the band’s big win is just one of the veteran metal act’s big announcements. The band has also announced that it will hit the road this winter for its 2016 North American Tour. The tour, which currently sees the band playing twenty-one dates, kicks off February 19^th in Chicago, Illinois. The tour also includes a pair of dates in North Carolina on February 27^th and 29^th respectively. The band will be in Raleigh, NC at The Ritz on the 27^th and at The Filmore in Charlotte on the 29^th. Also along for the ride on the band’s upcoming tour will be Testament and Carcass. Fan club pre-sale tickets are on sale now online at http://slatanicwehrmacht.com/. General public pre-sales begin Friday, December 4^th at 10am local time. General public tickets go on sale Saturday, December 5^th at 10am local time. Information on VIP packages for the tour is available online now via Slayer’s official Facebook page. The band’s full tour schedule is listed below.

FEBRUARY

19 Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL

22 War Memorial, Nashville, TN

24 The National, Richmond, VA

26 House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, SC

27 The Ritz, Raleigh, NC

29 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC

MARCH

2 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

3 The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

5 The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD

6 The House of Blues, Boston, MA

8 LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH

9 The Orpheum, Madison, WI

11 Myth, St. Paul, MN

12 Civic Auditorium, Fargo, ND

14 MacEwan Hall, Calgary, AB

15 Shaw Centre, Edmonton, AB

17 Revolution Event Center, Boise, ID

19 The Paramount, Seattle, WA

20 Roseland Ballroom, Portland, OR

22 Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA

26 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV

More information on the band’s tour is available online now along with more on the band’s big win for ‘Repentless’ and all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: http://www.slayer.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/slayer

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Slayer Debuts Video For Repentless’ Lead Single

Posted on September 12, 2015 by philspicks

The wait is over at last. After a long five-year wait, Slayer has returned to reclaim the metal crown with its new album Repentless. And now, the band has officially debuted the video for the album’s title track and lead single.

Slayer and its new label home Nuclear Blast America debuted the video for the album’s title track/lead single on Friday alongside the release of the band’s new album. The video can be viewed online now via Rolling Stone magazine’s website at http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/see-slayers-bloody-prison-nightmare-in-repentless-video-20150911.

Courtesy: Nuclear Blast America

The video sees Slayer performing inside a prison in which the inmates have gotten free and taken over. Parental discretion is advised. In regards to the graphic nature of the video, front man Tom Araya noted in an interview with Rolling Stone writer Kory Grow, “We’re telling the story that we’ve always told about society and how humans treat each other,” frontman Tom Araya said. “It can get pretty violent. It can get pretty stupid. But that’s OK. That’s human nature.” Fans can check out Grow’s entire article online now at the link noted above.

The video for ‘Repentless’ marks the first time ever that director BJ McDonnell has delved into the realm of music videos. His most recent directing role was on the 2014 horror flick Hatchet III. He has also worked as a cameraman on Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and The Interview. Stunt coordinator Nils Allen Stewart was brought in to help with the video, too. His credits include work on: Planet of the Apes, Anger Management, and Daredevil.

Viewers that watch closely will note cameos by some mbig name actors including: Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Til Dawn, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), Tony Moran (Halloween’s Michael Meyers, American Poltergeist, Dead Bounty), Jason Trost (Hatchet III, All Superheroes Must Die, The FP), Sean Whalen (Men in Black, Halloween II, Twister), and Vernon Wells (Mad Max 2, Commando, Weird Science).

More information on ‘Repentless’ and the rest of the songs on the band’s new album is available online now along with all of the band’s latest news at:

Website: http://www.slayer.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/slayer

NYPD Blue’s Sixth Season One Of The Series’ Best

Posted on June 24, 2014 by philspicks

Courtesy: Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory released the sixth season of ABC’s crime drama NYPD Blue today. NYPD Blue was one of the most polarizing series on television over the course of its run on ABC from beginning to end. The series’ sixth season is no less powerful than the seasons that had come before. That’s not only because of the drama surrounding the cases in each episode, either. The writing has shown a different side of the characters this season, especially in one particular story arc. And that growth in the series’ writing is just part of what makes Season Six enjoyable for the show’s fans. The acting on the part of the series’ cast ties directly in to the writing. The cast expertly interprets the scripts for each episode, adding even more depth to the series this time out. The acting and writing that bring Season Six together are of equal importance to its success. On another level, the show’s overall production values—its gritty look, its cinematography, and music—round out the whole package, making NYPD Blue: Season Six another win for fans of this landmark series and for Shout! Factory.

One of the major reasons that NYPD Blue managed to remain on the air for so long was its writing staff. While Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchises relied largely on the headlines for storylines, the storylines that ran through NYPD Blue were far more hard hitting. They showed that it was possible to craft a solid story without just re-enacting the weekly news headlines. And that expert writing continued well into this season. The season-opening story arc is proof positive of this. Season Six opens with Simone (Jimmy Smitts) ending up in the hospital due to a heart problem. It is that heart problem that eventually leads to a very difficult decision for his wife and to a very deep reaction from Sipowicz along the way. It’s definitely one of the series’ most moving and powerful story arcs as it shows that Sipowicz is human after all. Add in the discussion on the right-to-life and audiences get what is simply put a very powerful story arc; one of the best that the series had seen to date. This is just one example of the talents of the series’ writers this season. There are equally deep stories included in this season such as racism within the police force, and even the announcement of a new life coming into the world among much more. Audiences, again, will find out all of this for themselves when they purchase Season Six. Every story written for Season Six is proof of why this series was able to continue as a fan favorite for six more seasons after this one.

The writing that went into making NYPD Blue: Season Six was some of the best for any drama on television at its time. Just as key to this season’s success was the acting on the part of the cast. Dennis Franz’s acting in the season-opening story ac is some of the most powerful that any of the cast members had presented to that point. Franz presented a far more vulnerable and human side to Sipowicz as Sipwicz tried to maintain his hard-nosed façade, albeit unsuccessfully. It was, in an odd way, heart wrenching to see Sipowicz break down. Yet it was moving to see that he had that side. It makes him an even deeper character. The reaction of all of Bobby’s fellow officers was just as moving. It showed that for everything that they had to deal with, even the strongest people have to mourn. Anyone left dry-eyed after seeing this simply isn’t human. Of course, there were also the reactions in the much happier announcement in the season of a new life coming into the world late in this season. After everything that the force had dealt with since the season’s opener, the acting here proved to be just as powerful and moving. Those moments all together made Season Six all the more worth watching by any of the series’ original fans.

The writing and acting that went into bringing NYPD Blue: Season Six to life exhibited exactly why the series was still so successful this far into its run. One would be remiss to ignore one more factor that made Season Six a success. That final factor would be the show’s production values. The collective production values—its cinematography, music, and its overall gritty look—set the series apart from Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchises from early on. The rapid fire camera work, the original music and gritty look were the antithesis of Wolf’s series. Those series always had more of a spit-shined look. Their music and the use of cameras gave those series too perfect of a look. By comparison, the collective production values used even in the sixth season of NYPD Blue made watching the series like seeing the late Robert B. Parker’s novels on television, just without Jessie Stone as the lead. That is truly something special. It really feels like a hard-boiled detective novel put to the small screen. And together with the writing and acting, it makes NYPD Blue: Season Six a completely welcome addition to the library of any fan of this series.

NYPD Blue: Season Six is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online now direct from Shout! Factory’s online store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/nypd-blue-season-six. More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory is available online now at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Viva Pictures Releasing New Top Cat Animated Adventure

Posted on July 10, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: Viva Pictures

Top Cat is back! One of Hanna Barbera’s most beloved creations returns this summer courtesy of Viva Pictures in a new CG based story. Top Cat’s new adventure in sees him facing off against a new police chief. The chief is bent on controlling everybody in his city through big brother style methods and a robotic police force. But if Top cat has anything to say about it, the chief won’t be getting his way. The story features the voices of veteran actor and comedian Rob Schneider and Danny Trejo.

A theatrical release is being planned for the return of Top Cat in order to celebrate the movie’s release. It will also be released to DVD and digital format. Tickets for the theatrical release are expected to be very family friendly.

Victor Elizalde, a Viva Pictures representative expressed the company’s excitement at resurrecting this classic cartoon character for a new generation. “We’re so excited to have the talent of Rob and Danny involved with this project,” he said. “They truly bring the characters to life in the story! We’re eager to bring Top Cat: The Movie to theaters in August.”

Audiences can view the trailer for the new movie now online at http://www.vivafilmco.com/topcat_trailer.html. Fans can find out about all of the latest releases from Viva Pictures online at http://www.vivafilmco.com.

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Tag Archives: Danny Trejo

Slayer Wins Award For ‘Repentless,’ Announces New Tour Dates

Slayer Debuts Video For Repentless’ Lead Single

NYPD Blue’s Sixth Season One Of The Series’ Best

Viva Pictures Releasing New Top Cat Animated Adventure