Bryan Cranston

Breaking Bad returns for a fifth season this week, and Comic-Con fans were given a very special treat with the show's very first panel at the convention. The honor wasn't lost on the cast — Dean Norris (who plays Hank) came out dressed as Xena, while Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul donned their signature yellow suits, and gleefully threw out candy to the crowd that looked suspiciously like the blue meth they deal on the show. The cast and creator Vince Gilligan were pretty tight-lipped about what's in store for the last 16 episodes, but they did let a few secrets spill, namely that Sunday's premiere is going to be one big, intellectual teaser for the rest of the season. Here are more highlights from the panel:

• The season four premiere was ultraviolent (I still have nightmares about the box-cutting scene), but don't expect this week's episode to follow suit. The cast described it as "mind-bending," "intellectual," and "compelling" . . . while also hinting that there's something awkward in store between Walt and a kind of food.
• Other tidbits we learned about season five: we'll be introduced to a woman named Lydia, a former associate of Gus Fring; Walt's business will take him to Hanover, Germany; and there's a lot of dark humor throughout the season now that a weight has been lifted from Walt's shoulders.
• As for the tone of the upcoming episodes, Paul described it as "eerie," recalling the "Crawlspace" episode last season that ends with Walt's maniacal laughter.
• Walt has already piled up a laundry list of unspeakable acts that he's committed, but Gilligan hinted that it's about to get worse when he said, "[Walt] does something this season that, as a viewer, I'd probably say I've lost all sympathy [for him]."

To see what Cranston has in mind for the finale and Sunday night's best line, just read more

The Total Recall cast took the stage at Comic-Con to talk about the futuristic reboot, which is due out in August. Director Len Wiseman and stars Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, and Bryan Cranston were on hand to talk about the fun shoot and how they felt about filling the shoes of the actors in the original film, while we also got to see a bit of new footage. Keep reading for the highlights from the panel:

• The actors talked about how their roles differ from the 1990 original. Arnold Schwarzenegger played Doug Quaid first (Farrell's role), and Farrell assured us that he "didn't feel the need to fill the size 16, size 18 shoes, whatever Arnie has." Beckinsale asserted that her role, the female villain Lori, is not exactly the same as Sharon Stone's role; Beckinsale said her Lori is a mix of a couple of characters of the original movie, and though "Sharon Stone rocked it, our tone is very different, and it doesn't seem like the same character."
• The cast talked about their preparation for the very physical film, which Biel summed up quite nicely: "Boxing, boxing, boxing, boxing . . . and chicken." Not every role required such training, though, as was the case for Cranston, who plays Cohaagen. "I was training at night in the bar."
• Beckinsale, who is married to director Wiseman, joked about him casting her as Quaid's wife, who ends up not being really his wife, and instead hunts him down, saying, "I'm still offended that you wanted me for the psycho b*tch wife. We'll have to talk about this when we get home." But seriously, Beckinsale seemed to relish the role, saying, "It's nice to be able to open up the crazy a little bit."
• Biel clarified that her character, Melina, does have a love connection with Quaid, saying that she was happy that director Wiseman "wanted to create this love story among this crazy, amazing mess," which, incidentally, made her want to sign on.

With big hair, wacky musical numbers, and inspired casting choices, Rock of Ages is just as flashy and flamboyant as you would expect from a musical about the rock scene in 1980s LA — but it's not nearly as entertaining as it could be. Based on the hit play, the movie has a star-studded cast, with Tom Cruise at center stage as Stacee Jaxx, the biggest rock star in the Rock of Ages universe. Hoping to follow in his footsteps are Drew (Diego Boneta) and Sherrie (Julianne Hough), who are crazy in love and happen to be aspiring singers. They work at The Bourbon Room, a Sunset Strip venue run by Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is the politician's wife who's trying to shut them down.

The characters chronicle their joys, sorrows, and hopes through classic rock hits, which could be a lot of cheesy fun, but instead, it's just cheesy. Rock of Ages has a killer soundtrack and doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's more ridiculous than rocking. To find out why I think the movie falls flat, just keep reading.

• Find out about the movie Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston are in talks for — NextMovie
• 100 of Chuck Bass's best quotes on Gossip Girl — BuddyTV
• Check out some photos from American Reunion — Rotten Tomatoes
• See which book Selena Gomez is going to adapt and star in — Moviefone
• Take a peek at Billie Joe Armstrong's appearance on Nurse Jackie — The Hollywood Reporter
• Hear what Kiefer Sutherland has to say about the 24 movie — HuffPostTV
• Here's the hot young actor headed to True Blood — Zap2It
• Get the details on Ben Stiller's new HBO series — /Film
• A brief history of cross-dressing in movies — TrèsSugar