Opening today in theaters, the much buzzed about CABIN IN THE WOODS is the brainchild of co-writers DREW GODDARD and JOSS WHEDON and succeeds in turning the otherwise familiar “teens in peril” genre on its ear. WHEDON, of course, created the genre busting series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and ANGEL where GODDARD worked as a story editor on many episodes. Directed by GODDARD, the “CABIN” cast includes RICHARD JENKINS, BRADLEY WHITFORD, JESSE WILLIAMS, CHRIS HEMSWORTH, KRISTEN CONNOLLY and ANNA HUTCHISON.

Because of the many twists and turns in “CABIN IN THE WOODS”, secrecy was paramount during production of the film. During our recent interview, HUTCHINSON admitted that keeping mum about what she was working on wasn’t easy. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

CABIN IN THE WOODS opens in theaters today

Airing tonight on STARZ, the new series MAGIC CITY is a dynastic epic set in Miami Beach circa 1959. A turbulent time in that city, it’s “the” place to be. The Kennedys, the mob and the CIA all hold court at the luxurious Miramar Playa, a high-end family run hotel that’s heavily in debt and steeped in crime. Created by MITCH GLAZER, the cast includes JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, OLGA KURYLENKO, STEVEN STRAIT, JESSICA MARAIS and DANNY HUSTON.

Raised in Miami Beach at about the time of the series, GLAZER knows what he writes and at the recent Television Critics Association press conference to promote the new series, he talked about the genesis of MAGIC CITY. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

MAGIC CITY airs tonight on STARZ

Fans attending Wednesday night’s world premiere of THE AVENGERS were apparently mistaken in their belief that they were seeing the complete film. At yesterday’s Beverly Hills press conference to promote the highly anticipated Marvel Comics epic, the cast and filmmakers met with entertainment reporters to field questions and generally crack-wise with each other. One of the highlights, however, was IRON MAN star ROBERT DOWNEY JR. leaking the news that THE AVENGERS still hadn’t completely wrapped and one more scene would be shot while the entire cast was still assembled in Los Angeles. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

THE AVENGERS opens in theaters 5/4

Opening in theaters tomorrow, LOCKOUT is a sci-fi adventure focusing on the outer space kidnapping of the daughter of the president of the United States. Co-written and directed by JAMES MATHER and STEPHEN ST. LEGER, the cast includes GUY PEARCE, MAGGIE GRACE, PETER STORMARE and VINCENT REGAN.

A former bodybuilder, PEARCE used his workout knowledge to get in shape for his role as a disgraced Secret Service agent forced back into action to restore his reputation. During our recent interview, he joked about going back to the gym. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

LOCKOUT opens in theaters tomorrow.

Probably best known as a 1950 movie starring JAMES STEWART, HARVEY started out as a play written by MARY CHASE, telling the story of an everyday guy whose best friend just happens to be 6-foot-tall invisible rabbit. Currently in rehearsals for an opening later this spring, HARVEY is being revived as a starring vehicle for Emmy Award-winning actor and one of the stars of THE BIG BANG THEORY, JIM PARSONS. Directed by SCOTT ELLIS, the cast will also include JESSICA HECHT, CHARLES KIMBROUGH, LARRY BRYGGMAN, CAROL KANE, PETER BENSON, TRACEE CHIMO and MORGAN SPECTOR.

No doubt the dialog in HARVEY will be considerably easier for PARSONS to wrap his mouth around than the tricky scientific terms he needs to memorize for THE BIG BANG THEORY. During our recent interview, he talked about memorizing his lines for the series. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

THE BIG BANG THEORY airs tonight on CBS.

HARVEY opens at Manhattan’s Studio 54 on 6/14

Inspired by the Milton-Bradley board game created in 1931, BATTLEFIELD goes places the game never tried. Directed by PETER BERG from a script by brothers ERICH and JON HOEBER, the plot has a fleet of American warships going into battle with an alien army. Heading the cast are LIAM NEESON, TAYLOR KITSCH, ALEXANDER SKARSGARD, RIHANNA and BROOKLYN DECKER.

Following his performance in the not-so-successful JOHN CARTER, this will be KITSCH’S second foray into the sci-fi genre this year. During our recent interview, he talked about being exhausted from all the work but satisfied that the energy of BATTLESHIP makes it worthwhile. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

BATTLESHIP opens in theaters 5/18.

Arguably a better soundtrack than movie, THE BODYGUARD was originally released in 1992 to only so-so reviews. Directed by MICK JACKSON from a script by LAWRENCE KASDAN, the film starred KEVIN COSTNER and WHITNEY HOUSTON. A romantic drama telling the tale of an Oscar-nominated singer/actress who hires a former Secret Service agent for protection from a dangerous stalker, the film offered HOUSTON a shot at big screen stardom while confirming COSTNER’S status as a viable leading man. HOUSTON, who never took an acting lesson and relied on natural instincts, spoke to us at the time of the film’s original release about her acting abilities. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

THE BODYGUARD is available on Blu-ray now

In theaters this week, the comedy/horror send-up THE CABIN IN THE WOODS has been getting great word-of-mouth since being screened at the recent SxSW Festival. Co-written (with cult fave JOSS WHEDON) and directed by DREW GODDARD, the cast features RICHARD JENKINS, BRADLEY WHITFORD, JESSE WILLIAMS, CHRIS HEMSWORTH, KRISTEN CONNOLLY and ANNA HUTCHISON. We can’t really divulge the characters that WHITFORD and JENKINS portray for fear of the “spoiler police” but we can say that they provide ample comic relief from the horrific action. We spoke with the two of them last week and WHITFORD admitted he’d just seen the finished film with an audience and loved the reaction it got. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS opens in theaters Friday

Debuting tonight on ABC, DON’T TRUST THE B____ IN APT. 23 is one of the most audacious, off-the-wall sitcoms to come along in a while. A naive small-town girl named June moves to Manhattan only to find the dream job she had gotten no longer exists. Moving in with new acquaintance Chloe (a con-artist, party-girl) leads to an unlikely roommate relationship and some very peculiar situations. Highlighting the series is the fact that Chloe’s BFF is JAMES VAN DER BEEK, the former star of the hit teen soap DAWSON’S CREEK. Played to the hilt by the real VAN DER BEEK, the character is delightfully egoist and self-absorbed. If the performance is any indication, he’s really enjoying the role. At the Television Critics Association press conference to promote the show, VAN DER BEEK talked about taking the job. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

DON’T TRUST THE B____ IN APT. 23 debuts tonight on ABC-TV.

Available this week on DVD and Blu-ray, THE  IRON LADY brings to the screen the political career and personal life of controversial British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Directed by PHYLLIDA LLOYD, MERYL STREEP stars in the titular role and shares the screen with JIM BROADBENT, ANTHONY HEAD and RICHARD E. GRANT.

STREEP won her third Academy Award for this performance and is nothing short of phenomenal in her portrayal of the often vilified Thatcher. At the New York press conference to promote the original release of the film, STREEP joked about stepping into roles that are nowhere near her own world. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

THE IRON LADY is available on DVD and Blu-ray now.