It's graduation season! While all this cap-and-gown talk makes me remember my own graduations, it also brings up vivid memories of the commencements I wish I was a part of from my favorite movies and TV shows. Then there are those groups I'd just want to hang with (I'm looking at you, Brat Pack) before its members head off to find jobs or go to college. Check out all the most memorable graduations from the big and small screens.
Parker and Stand Up Guys are also available on DVD this week.
Alice Englert stars as a witch in this romantic, fantastical movie that may fill the void left by the end of the Twilight franchise. Set in the South, the adaptation of the young-adult novel follows Lena (Englert) as she discovers her powers and falls for local boy Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich). Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, and Viola Davis add some actor credibility to the cast, but it's Ehrenreich's charisma that makes the biggest impression. The DVD comes with a trailer for author Margaret Stohl's next book, plus deleted scenes.
Steven Soderbergh directs Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum in a stylish thriller that puts antidepressants under the microscope. When Emily's (Mara) therapist (Jude Law) prescribes her a new drug to treat her anxiety, she comes out of the daze she's been in since her husband (Tatum) returned from prison. But soon enough, she begins to experience unexpected and dangerous side effects that involve her in a murder. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and some fake drug-company commercials.
A former LAPD narcotics officer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) moves to a quiet border town following a botched operation. Hoping to find solace there, he instead gets caught up in capturing an escaped convict: a notorious drug kingpin who threatens the security of the town. Schwarzenegger proves he's still capable of firing off one-liners, but the humor is generic, as is the action. The DVD will come with several featurettes as well as deleted and extended scenes.
Just in time for Summer, watch fashion blogger Jacey Duprie show you how to get the look people will notice thanks to the new Dial® Skin Therapy Body Wash.
Miguel's onstage tumble at Sunday's Billboard Music Awards just goes to show that live performances can sometimes take a dangerous turn. Almost every big musician has had some sort of physical mishap on stage, be it because of a fan, a faulty piece of equipment, or simply a slippery sole. And it isn't just the stars themselves who can get hurt — sometimes fans and spectators get injured in the process. Click through to see the biggest onstage fumbles, from Beyoncé to Justin Bieber.
More TV to watch when you read more.
X-Men: Days of Future Past isn't out until July of next year, but thanks to director Bryan Singer, we've gotten plenty of sneak peeks at the set already. Take a look through to reunite with Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and many of the other stars, including Ellen Page, Hugh Jackman, Peter Dinklage, and Nicholas Hoult.
Ahna O'Reilly has not one, but two projects at the Cannes Film Festival this year, and we sat down with the actress to talk about this extraordinary experience, the reception to her two movies, and what it was like to work with her ex-boyfriend James Franco as a director. First up for Ahna was Fruitvale Station, which was coming off huge Sundance success before subsequently being picked up by The Weinstein Company. Ahna spoked about reuniting with good friend Octavia Spencer for their surreal Cannes Palais moment. Ahna also revealed how much she doubted that James Franco actually wanted her to star in his adaptation of As I Lay Dying and discussed who, between the two of them, was more nervous for their big premiere. Check our chat, and keep your eye out for lots more from Ahna O'Reilly.
This week on Mad Men, Don and the cool kids in creative decide to get a little help from a "complex vitamin super dose" before a weekend of work on the Chevy account. Young-at-heart account exec Jim Cutler brings in his doctor, who proceeds to administer the upper drug into the backsides of the eager staff. The good doctor doesn't even blink twice before giving a dose to Roger Sterling, who discloses his heart condition. Although, we don't get to see what effect the drug has on Roger. I hope we find out next week.
While viewers don't explicitly know what the super dose consists of, we do see its impact. An injured Kenny Cosgrove breaks into a manic tap routine. Stan Rizzo races through the office and comes up with hundreds of "ideas." And Don Draper zooms past doors, talks a mile a minute, and becomes obsessed with coming up with something to say to his mistress, rather than focusing on the Chevy account. At least that's what it seems like he's talking about when he shares his pitch with Peggy: "Let's say I get her face to face. How do I capture her imagination?" So what is this drug that turns everyone into momentary geniuses who actually create sober gibberish? Probably amphetamines — aka speed.
If the Sterling Cooper Draper whatever-they're-called-now staff remind you of the kids in college who got hopped up on Adderall before a big deadline, it might be because they are hopped up on Adderall before a big deadline. Or something similar, at least. "Amphetamine salts combo," the technical term for what is known today as Adderall, was approved by the FDA in 1960. It then went under the name Obetrol. It and similar amphetamines, like dextroamphetamine and benzedrine, were popular at the time as diet pills, study aids, or party drugs. So it seems likely the Mad Men team would call on it increase their alertness and motivation. Other side effects include increased sex drive, which could explain Stan's come-on to Peggy and Wendy Gleason. And we saw quite a few of the negative side effects play out on Don, including fever, sweating, and insomnia.
In the 1960s, amphetamines were also used to stimulate American military men during the Vietnam War. However, they were not popular with many hippies and counterculture figures like The Beatles and Allen Ginsberg, who favored the more mellow drugs marijuana and LSD. Maybe Don Draper isn't all that cool after all.
