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Julian Cannon

Julian Cannon is a seasoned entertainment editor with a keen eye for capturing the pulse of the industry. With a career spanning over a decade, he has become a trusted voice in the realm of TV, movies, events, conventions, and red carpets. Julian's expertise lies in delivering insightful commentary on the latest trends, exclusive interviews with industry luminaries, and comprehensive coverage of high-profile events. Twitter: @Julianexcalibur Instagram: @Julianexcalibur Contact: Julian.theknockturnal@gmail.com

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Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 2, Episode 3 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

The first words that came out of my mouth upon watching this week’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan is “Raq should have killed Unique.”

That did not happen. But I do believe Unique will team up with the Italian group to get back at Raquel and her empire. But does this mean that Raq is going to start losing control of being the kingpin? I do not think so. She has more problems to clean up other than the nasty rats that chewed up her money. I feel that Kanan is starting to know that Raq is lying to him as she has an answer to every bit of his concerning questions. The way they are writing Raq, they should have written Ghost the same way. That master manipulator, who lies and deceives everyone around them.

The best scenes of this week’s episode featured Kanan and Famous. These two have a great brotherly bond and I am looking forward to seeing more of them on this season of Raising Kanan. I think that because Famous’ name were on the cassette covers, it might tie into something in the future that could affect Raq’s connection to the drug game.

I do have a theory. As a result of her relationship with Howard, Raq snipped on Marvin and DefCon so that she could lead them. The purpose of Howard telling Raq Scrappy was to kill him and lie to Kanan about it- all to turn Kanan against his mother. As soon as Kanan discovers she killed Scrappy and lied about it, his relationship with her may be lost forever.

And then we finally see Jukebox and her mom meet for the first time at the church and Jukebox stormed off after seeing her. Jukebox will have a ton of questions so I hope that this will be addressed soon. But at the recording studio is where Jukebox also shines as the actress Hailey Kilgore haas a great voice and when she sings, I am drawn into her.

Solid episode of Raising Kanan this week!

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Exclusive: Power Book III: Raising Kanan Star Ade Chike Torbert on Scrappy’s Death

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

For most of the series, Scrappy appears to be the most loyal member of Raq’s crew, played by Ade Chike Torbert in Starz’s ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’, the prequel to ‘Power’.

As a result of Kanan killing Howard and Marvin not showing up on time in the season 1 finale, Raq sends Scrappy to pick Kanan up and navigate him out of the traps that the police have set up for Kanan. The second season, however, seems to have shifted Scrappy’s focus away from the people who have been his enemies for the past few seasons to people who are his new enemies. In order to deal with him permanently, Raq decides to deal with him permanently after learning that he might be a C.I.

This led to Scrappy’s shocking death as he was led to a warehouse by Lou-Lou and Marvin which was preceded by Raquel shooting him in the head. 

“I just thought about all of Scrappy’s grievances from season one, from being passed up from them giving Kanan power and me having to babysit Kanan, just really swallowing a lot of things and never fully speaking my truth,” said Abe as he reflected on the storytelling of Scrappy for this season. Scrappy has been on Raq’s side since day one and he has been central to her group.

Scrappy was there when he saw Kanan shoot Detective Howard. For the first season, Scrappy took a backside and did not stand up to anyone for the most part. But for the one time he did, it was because he witnessed what just transpired. “I think the one time you kind of really hear Scrappy stand up is the season one finale when I pick up Kanan and then I’m like, ‘Wait, Kanan shot the cop? We got to go.’ So I think feeling these even accusations that I’m possibly disloyal just made me go. Well, you know what? You want to have this conversation, then we’re going to air out all of our grievances because I got some bones I want to pick, too. So it was just an opportunity to me to approach it from a place where who is someone that doesn’t have an opportunity to fully speak up within their at their limit and finally explode,” said Abe.

Within the months between the production of the first season and the production of the second season, Abe found out that the character was going to be killed off. Abe also said that he had enough time to mourn the loss of Scrappy before they shot the pivotal scene. “I was just getting started. I’m thinking about my impact for season two and all the possibilities, but it gave me a lot of time to really just to mourn it as a because these people, they become real, they become a part of you. He’s done a hell of a job. He’s gone through a lot of things. So now I just wanted to try to honor him so that I could leave on a high note, as high as I possibly could, even on labeled as a snitch. But, you know, I try to do everything in my control to just honor the characters,” said Abe.

 

 

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Tales of The Walking Dead Episode 3 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

After two episodes of Tales of The Walking Dead that I thought were okay to lackluster, the series managed to knock it out the park with this week’s “Dee.”

That is because we got to learn more about Dee’s transformation into Alpha on the main series. Samantha Morton reprised her role as the character on this spinoff and by the end of it, I wondered if we could ever get a small spinoff of The Whisperers just like we did for 2021’s Dead in the Water.

I will admit that the setting was a little weird by The Walking Dead standards, but I was more open to it than last week’s mess of an episode. Dee and Lydia was part of a group in which they worked on a private boat where they have parties like it is the old times. They eventually leave after a conflict over a death of one of the members. It is at this point where Dee begins to teach Lydia how to handle the walkers while also Lydia having to witness Dee slice open Brooke’s mouth.

By the end of this episode, they encountered The Whisperers. I thought that it was an interesting twist for Dee and Lydia to join them instead of being the group’s founders. A good detail that I also liked is that the Whisperer mask Alpha had on the main show, is the face of the former leader of The Whisperers.

While all of this is great storytelling, I am puzzled by the timeline. Did this take place after her original backstory episode on season 10? or somewhere in between? Samantha Morton said at the Comic Con panel that her backstory episode on the main show was from Lydia’s point of view and not every detail is correct as it seemed. We learned the truth on Tales of The Walking Dead, but how much of that truth could we believe?

Furthermore, this is the best episode of Tales of The Walking Dead. Great storytelling all around as we got the birth of Alpha through this show!

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Exclusive: Idris Elba and Cast Talks Beast Film

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

The summer thriller season is coming to an end later this month when Idris Elba and Universal Pictures bring one last thriller to the big screen.

He plays one of the leading roles in the new survival thriller, Beast, directed by Baltasar Kormákur, in which he plays the role of Dr. Nate Daniels, a father who takes his two daughters to South Africa for an adventure. Eventually, the newly widowed Daniels and his daughters find themselves being hunted by a rogue lion during a safari, which leads to the newly widowed Daniels having to fight for the lives of himself and his daughters. In spite of the fact that he had intended for this trip to heal his strained relationship with his daughters, it has turned into one where he is forced to test his bond with them in a competition for survival. Iyana Halley (The Hate U Give, This is Us series) plays Daniels’ 18-year-old daughter, Meredith, and Leah Sava Jeffries (Rel series, Empire series) plays his 13-year-old, Norah.

We recently caught up with Idris Elba to talk about Beast. He was thrilled to say that he had a great time being part of the cast and to be in Africa to see the wildlife. We also talked about the stuntwork, and if he would like to see DC’s Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Black Adam, and Superman all in one film!

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Exclusive: Kausar Mohammed talks The Flash and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon
On NETFLIX, Kausar Mohammed also appears as one of the top stars in the hit animated series Jurassic World: CAMP CRETACEOUS, as well as as a top star on THE FLASH. The show features the character of Dr. Meena Dhawan, or Fast Track, who has a moral compass. Her character is referred to as a titan in the scientific community. The character eventually realizes that she possesses the ability to travel at a super fast pace, a power that is granted to the entire population. 
The actress is currently starring in the hit TV series The Flash, and she can be seen on the show throughout the year.
In addition, Kausar’s character Yaz will be appearing in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which airs on July 21st. It focuses on a group of teenagers who are stranded on the island of Isla Dublar after a dinosaur escapes from its habitat and the group becomes stranded. To name a few of the cast members, it also features Sean Giambrone, Jenna Ortega, Ryan Potter, and many others. 
During the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Kausar wrote, directed, and starred in the holiday romantic comedy The Syed Family XMAS Even Game Night. As part of the family’s annual game night, which happens to fall on Christmas Eve, Noor, a Queer Pakistani Muslim woman, brings home her Puerto Rican girlfriend for the first time. Throughout the short film, themes of sisterhood, belonging, and breaking tradition are explored. As Muslim women and non-binary people are underrepresented in popular films, this short is a landmark for them.
In this exclusive interview, we catch up with Kausar about her role on The Flash, voice acting, and much more!

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On the scene: The Power Book III: Raising Kanan Party in New York City

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

New York City was lit up in style at the rooftop party hosted by STARZ in conjunction with Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

The party had a red carpet arrival for the stars that were in attendance such as Patina Miller, MeKai Curtis, Joey Bada$$, Antonio Ortiz, Malcom Mays, Omar Epps, London Brown, and Shanley Caswell.

Also in attendance, were Wu-Tang: An American Saga stars Johnell Xavier Young and TJ Atoms, The Wire star Wendell Pierce, Hip Hop legend The Roxanne Shante, and much more that came out to celebrate the second season of Raising Kanan.

 

There was more to the event than just the stars. It also served as a mini-activation site in which you can have a photo opp at a location of late 80’s-early 90’s televisions with the Raising Kanan branding on the screens. There were also cocktails themed from the show, a billiards table where you can actually play against your friends or a cast member, and a good reception area. All to make the evening as engaging as possible. To top it all off, there was a DJ there that played and spin a large number of 90’s hip-hop music.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan returns for its second season on August 14 on STARZ.

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Exclusive: Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, and Cynthia Robinson at EW’s Comic Con Bash

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

The annual Entertainment Weekly Comic-Con closing-night bash that takes place at Float at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego is a tradition where everyone gathers together to celebrate the end of Comic-Con. Seeing as this was the first EW Comic-Con party since 2019, the stars – including Simu Liu and Aisha Tyler – were ready to have a good time! However, the stars of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power were also there.

In September 20, 2022, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be launched globally on Prime Video as an epic and ambitious retelling of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age of Middle-earth, based on Tolkien’s fabled novels.

It is the first time that the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history are being brought to the screen for the very first time in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set thousands of years before the events of this epic drama.

Hours after the cast took the stage at Hall H during Comic Con week to promote the series, we got a chance to catch up with Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, and Cynthia Robinson. It was their first Comic Con and they were thrilled to be there and to see the awesome cosplay. Check out our exclusive interview with the three stars!

 

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Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 2, Episode 1 Review

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

The second season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan premieres on August 14 and it is going to a dark territory.

That is because Kanan is starting to learn more of the drug game that his mother Raquel Thomas introduced him too. Raquel now controls every aspect of the product distribution due to Unique getting framed for murdering Officer Howard on the previous season. I must say, Patina Miller brings a fearsome presence whenever she is on the screen portraying Raquel.
Everything from her acting, delivery of lines, and mannerisms, makes me suspend my disbelief to see how strong and intimidating of a character Raquel is as she is the boss in town.

There are also more stories that are going to be fleshed out during this season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Jukebox might be moving forward with her singing career, Lou and Marvin doing whatever they can to prove their loyalty to the family (even on the dinner table as they all talked about it), and Officer Howard being alive. Howard survived the gunshot wound that was inflicted by Kanan. But that came with a price as he does not remember anything from that night. Could Howard be doing this to protect Kanan since he is his father? We will have to see.

There is something about Unique that the viewers will be looking forward to by the end of the episode. I cannot spoil what transpired, but Unique might be looking for revenge soon. Joey Bada$$ joined Power Book III: Raising Kanan on the previous season and I had no clue that he had it in him to play as a villain. Unique is one of the best villains in the Power universe and I am curious to see where his story is going.

Overall, this is a strong opener for the second season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan. The dark and suspenseful period of the 1990’s in Queens, NY is all on display for this episode as Kanan is starting to evolve to the Kanan that we first seen on the original Power. Vacation time is over for the family as it is time to get back to the streets because Power Book III: Raising Kanan is back with a vengeance!

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I Watched Three Episodes of Tales of The Walking Dead. Here are my Thoughts

by Julian Cannon
written by Julian Cannon

AMC announced two years ago that a new spinoff of The Walking Dead franchise would be in development. That spinoff later became Tales of The Walking Dead.

Tales of The Walking Dead will have six episodes for their first season. Each episode will tell a different story with different characters as it will be an anthology series. Outside of Alpha, who was on the main show, the other characters are completely new. I had the chance to watch episodes one, two, and four over the last few weeks. Here is my review of those episodes.

Episode one titled “Evie/Joe” is a story about Joe (Terry Crews), who used to be a college football player in Ohio State, leaving his house to meet with a woman named Sandra that he has been emailing back and forth since before the apocalypse hit. On the way, he meets Evie (Olivia Munn) and they both bonded and told each other who they were both looking for. What I like about this episode, is that Terry Crews was comedic when it mattered and serious without making any jokes or puns. There is a sad moment early on in the episode that involves his dog, but I will leave it there. Within a few days, Joe meets Sandra. You know what they say about talking with people over the internet? Do not trust them at the first meet. Both Joe and Evie found this out the hard way which lead to a deadly situation. Overall, a good episode and a good road trip!

Episode two titled “Blair/Gina” starts in the year 2010 where Blair, who runs an insurance company and Gina works for her. Blair is oblivious about the early start of the end of the world. Also to note, this episode takes place in Atlanta. You will find out right away that Blair is a horrible boss and more so, a horrible person. What I like the most about this episode, is that you see the line of cars on the highway that you saw on the first episode of the main show begin to form. That was the best detail about the episode.

What I did not like about this episode, is how it was structured. If you watch Netflix’s Russian Doll, then this is the episode for you. Unlike that Netflix show, the writing is messy on this episode of Tales along with the amateurish hour of horrendous dialogue that plagued the episode. To put it short, there is a continued time lapse every time Gina and Blair “died.” But the positive that came from that, is you see the two main characters come to the realization that the end of the world that they knew it, is here. I wish I could like this one, but I could not.

Episode four titled “Amy/Dr. Everett” takes place years after the apocalypse as Dr.Everett (Anthony Edwards) has been studying nature and walkers for the last decade. It makes me wonder why the CRM did not find Everett. But then again, he has been isolating himself the entire time. I love the narration that he did at the opening as you would think that you are watching a National Geographic show except that he is describing the walkers. Everett thought that Amy (Poppy Liu) was part of a group that was taking down walkers. The situation escalated when one particular walker that Everett marked is off his radar. At the end, one of the characters die and the other lives on.

Tales of The Walking Dead is acquired taste. My gripe is that I cannot get invested with any of the new characters when we know that we will not see them again. It is not a negative opinion, but I think that there needs to be more of a connection between either the main show, Fear, or World Beyond to justify these short story outside of Alpha and the Atlanta highway. The episodes that I saw are digestible and I think there could be room for improvement if Tales gets picked up for a second season. My gripes aside, I do recommend watching as I believe everyone in The Walking Dead family will have their own thoughts on which episode they liked and disliked.

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