Evan's Blog

Jessica Lange has passed up on a Hotel stay while Matt Bomer has checked in.

Jessica Lange confirmed on Sunday at the PaleyFest 2015 that she will not return to the FX anthology.

Frequent Ryan Murphy collaborators Matt Bomer and Cheyenne Jackson have joined the cast of American Horror Story: Hotel, it was revealed Sunday at the closing night of PaleyFest 2015. Star Jessica Lange, who has headlined each of the first four seasons, also definitively confirmed that she will not return for season five. "It was my absolute favorite," she said after crediting her cast and the show's creators. "We had a great run."

Committing to each season 'is a huge investment,' Lange said on the arrivals line of the PaleyFest in Los Angeles tribute to the fourth AHS entry subtitled Freak Show. Continued Lange: "I've done four great characters. It's enough."

Lange has been portraying four characters, is shown in season one of Murder House (top left), in season two of Asylum (top right), in season three of Coven (bottom left) and most recent in season four of Freak Show (bottom right).

The Hotel cast will include Lady Gaga who announced her participation in late February. It will be the pop star's first recurring role and her first on television not playing herself.

Actors Matt Bomer, 37, and Cheyenne Jackson, 39, also will join the Hotel cast. Bomer briefly appeared on Freak Show as a prostitute who gets murdered. Jackson, for his part, will make his debut on AHS.

For AHS, Bomer and Jackson become the second and third confirmed cast members for Hotel, joining Lady Gaga, though Coven and Freak Show alum Kathy Bates is also expected to return to the anthology. For his part, co-star and fan favorite Evan Peters noted he wasn't sure if he'd be returning to the franchise but seemed open to coming back for another run. 

American Horror Story: Hotel is set to premiere in October 2015.

First, there's the rough release timeline. Hackers leaked it. Then they leaked some more of it. Then she released parts of it herself in December, then again in February, before officially dropping the full record Tuesday. And do we even have to mention #CapeGate?

But the pop icon's 13th (!) album in 32 years is worth the wait. Rebel Heart accomplishes what her last two efforts, MDNA (2012) and Hard Candy (2008), couldn't: She brings the innovation while also paying just enough homage to her best moments. Add in sex, sacrilege, genuinely personal lyrics and some killer hooks, and it's the best album she's put out in 10 years.

With that, we offer 13 reasons to give the veteran provocateur's latest a spin:

1. ''Living for Love'' is her best single since 2005's ABBA-sampling ''Hung Up''
Her Hard Candy hit "4 Minutes" and 2012's electro-confection "Girl Gone Wild" were ubiquitous, but in today's EDM-saturated charts, they skewed toward the reductive, whereas "Living for Love" takes us to church with "Like a Prayer"-esque gospel disco.

2. She references a dozen of her own songs in a single verse
Awkward rapping aside, "Veni Vidi Vici" (featuring Nas) is a victory and the most self-referential work she's done. Look no further than verse No. 2:

"I expressed myself / came like a virgin down the aisle
Exposed my naked ass, and I did it with a smile
And when it came to sex I know I walked the borderline
And when I struck a pose all the gay boys lost their mind
I justified my love / I made you say a little prayer
They had me crucified / you know I had to take it there
I opened my heart / I learned the power of goodbye
I saw a ray of light / music saved my life."

3. You still shouldn't listen to her songs with your mom
The "queen of obscene" reigns on with the wonderfully filthy Kanye West-produced oral sex ode "Holy Water." (Serious question: Has Kim heard this one yet?)

4. She's got a song called ''Bitch I'm Madonna'' – in case you forgot

5. Mike Tyson makes a memorable cameo
"Iconic" opens with a monologue from none other than the tiger-owning boxing champ. Forget the fact that Tyson drew inspiration from fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and focus on Madge's beat-your-way-to-the-top chorus, and it's 4.5 minutes of pop perfection.



6. Come for Madonna – stay for the A-list producers
Per usual, the queen of pop tapped the industry's top producing talent. In addition to West, Madonna teamed up with of-the-moment hitmakers including Diplo, Avicii and Ryan Tedder for undeniable stereo success.

7. It's a great breakup album
It's no secret Madonna has had her share of breakups, and hell hath no fury like a pop star scorned. From the raw "HeartBreakCity" to the I'm-better-off-and-you-can-kiss-off "Living for Love," she clearly came out on top.

8. She has a song called ''Illuminati'' – because obviously
She swears she's not a part of the fabled conspiracy theory, so this track probably just adds fuel to the fire. But whatever. Madge name-checks Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, the pope and more in the dark, Yeezy-produced dance jam.

9. Her double-entendre game is alive and well
The songwriter who invited a man to release her lock with his key in "Open Your Heart" returns on "Body Shop." This time around – you guessed it! – her body's a car, and he can keep her overnight to work overtime if need be. Except the awkward lyrics are canceled out by her gorgeous, unrendered voice, making it a saccharine-sweet love song.

10. She channels ''The House of the Rising Sun'' – and it's awesome
Reminiscent of her strumming-infused Music era, the acoustic-meets-dance vibe of "Devil Pray" makes it an instant classic.




11. Nicki Minaj
Joining Madge for the third time, Minaj's "Bitch I'm Madonna" is by far her best guest verse in recent memory. (Not quite "Bang Bang" but way better than "Beauty and a Beat.") Between the frenzied production and Madonna's "na na na na na" hook, the song's all over the place, but the rapper's lyrics of label-dropping and bottle-popping make it a satisfying hot mess.

12. Multiple ''Vogue'' nods
Whether it's the soundtrack to a movie makeover montage (lookin' at you, The Devil Wears Prada) or Madonna's quoting it in "Holy Water" and "Veni Vidi Vici," "Vogue" will never go out of style.

13. She reminds us she's still a person
Yes, she's the best-selling female artist of all time. But, as she reminds us on the über-personal "Joan of Arc": "I can't be a superhero right now … I'm only human." Sexy dance confections are fun, but it's tracks like the aforementioned, "Wash All Over Me" and the must-listen "Rebel Heart" (only available on the deluxe edition) that showcase the megastar's vulnerable, relatable side

So, have you already decided to grab a copy?


Standard Edition
BUY: iTunes | Amazon

Deluxe Edition
BUY: iTunes | Amazon

Super Deluxe Edition
BUY: Amazon














Source: People

This past year, however, McGowan took on an entirely new role, one which she hadn’t tried her hand at before: director. Released in early 2014, Dawn – an atmospheric short film about a teenage girl growing up among the social suffocation of the 1960s – ushered in McGowan’s official directorial debut. There has already been Oscar buzz circling the film.

In celebration of her career-defining work on Dawn, I spoke with the pop culture icon and multi talented artist about feminist issues, her passion for music, and finally finding her voice in filmmaking.

Can you talk a little about Dawn and the conception of the film?
Dawn is my first film. I wanted to make a full feature in 18 minutes. It’s set in 1961 and explores what happens when society binds the proverbial hands of a young girl, leaving her defenseless. My great friends, Joshua Miller & Mark Fortin, wrote it for me and they simply said, “It’s time for you to direct.” And I did.

There are some intense themes and messages regarding women’s voices and empowerment in the film. How did you decide to explore these themes for your first directorial venture?
I wanted to say something important. The screenwriters wanted to say something important. There’s enough triviality on-screen, and I’m not particularly interested in bringing more. I am, and always have been, very political. I feel like it’s my duty to speak up for those without a voice. A lot of that gets me in trouble but I don’t much care about that.

Were there any particular challenges you had to overcome as a director during filming the project?
Not really. There were just minor emergencies here and there, but I’m good at putting out fires.

Creatively, how does filmmaking compare to acting for you?
For me, creativity lives the mind. Directing has me firing on all cylinders. Acting is largely emotional for me so my brain wasn’t getting enough of a workout. It took me a long time to identify what was wrong in my life.
 







Source: Ladygunn