Fast & Furious 6 has our clan of racers living the dream and leaving their lives of crime in the rear view mirror after the heist in Brazil. That is until Agent Hobbs(Dwayne Johnson) approaches them with an offer. Help Hobbs and company hunt down Owen Shaw(Luke Evans) and they will be given their freedom. If that wasn’t tempting enough, Toretto also finds out that his deceased lover Letty(Michelle Rodriguez) is back from the dead and helping the criminal organization. The gang teams with Hobbs to take down Shaw and his criminal network.

Resurrections and criminal masterminds that specialize in vehicular warfare? Sounds dumb and you would be right. But it’s also a whole lot of dumb fun as well. Fast & Furious 6 never tries to be Shakespeare. After six movies the filmmakers know what they are and play right into it. The car chases are top-notch including the chase between Toretto’s crew and Shaw’s metal formula one style race car that looks like it drove off the set of Mad Max. There are also tanks and airplanes that get involved in the action in Fast & Furious 6. The script is bad, but the action is strong which is exactly what you would expect from a F & F film. I doubt anybody is showing up to hear the riveting dialogue between Walker and Diesel.

Fast & Furious 6 is ridiculous at times, but you can’t deny the franchise’s popcorn charm. The film leaves you entertained even if the plot is weak as a Ford Festiva racing against Dom’s Dodge Charger. I’m not a huge fan of this franchise and I never understood why they made a part 2 in the first place. But I did find myself letting go and enjoying the big mindless action of Fast & Furious 6. Actors like the Dwayne Johnson have helped breathe new life into the franchise and for the first time I’m actually intrigued by the next installment on the way. Make sure you stick around until the end for the tease. Overall I give Fast & Furious 6 2 1/2 potatoes out of 4, but I do expect fans of the franchise to have an even higher opinion than mine.

Follow me on Twitter @CW44CouchPotato and become a fan at facebook.com/CW44CouchPotato.

Read all my Movie Reviews here >>

Lavigne told MTV that Manson helped bring her out her naughty side on the song “Bad Girl, ” which will be on her untitled album, due out this September. At the last minute while recording the track Lavigne texted Manson, who she’s known since she was 18 years old, and just asked if he’d be willing to come by.

“He’s like, ‘I’ll come over and I’ll hear it,’” she explained. “So he came at 4 o’clock in the morning… Yes, it was one of those nights.”

Read more at Radio.com

Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen, reveals fans of the CW hit should expect to see a “broken Arrow” when the show returns this fall.

“Oliver is not going to be in a good place,” he admits.

After having to say a gut wrenching goodbye to Tommy, who sacrificed his life to save Laurel (Katie Cassidy) as one stretch of The Glades cratered, Oliver suffered “a massive loss,” Amell says. “But hopefully, this will be the impetus for something greater.”

Amell hopes Tommy’s death may ultimately help birth the superhero Starling City deserves, as well as needs.

He explains, “There’s a reason why we don’t call [Oliver] Arrow ‘Green Arrow’ yet — because he’s not that person. He was a vengeful, stubborn, myopic individual this year, and he has to grow, because his way didn’t work. He had moments of success but ultimately failed, so he’s got to become a better version of himself.”

All new episodes of “Arrow” air Wednesdays this fall right here on the CW Philly!

-Kristina M. Dougherty. CWPhilly

In The Hangover III, the traditional drunken black out bachelor party theme is ditched and the focus turns to man-child Allan (Galifianakis) in a full mental breakdown. This leads to an intervention with Stu, Phil and Doug. They decide to take Allan to get help but run into trouble with a gangster (John Goodman) who thinks they have information concerning Chow (Ken Jeong). Instead of a drunken mystery, The Hangover III turns into a heist film that can’t steal a laugh from the audience. The plot is thin and The Hangover III squanders the few interesting plot twist that are attempted. Also the risky comedy that was taken in the first two installments is scaled back tremendously. Except for an incident with a giraffe, the comedy is basically the group cursing at one another.

The actors themselves seem to just be going through the motions at this point as well. Ed Helms who was the focal point of the last film is basically regulated to the guy sitting in the back seat. Bradley Cooper seems bored and is slowly losing the snarky charm that we loved as Phil in the first two films. Galifianakis and Jeong provide some giggles, but for the most part it’s the same weird traits that the duo displayed in the first two Hangover movies. The script is poorly written and it seems that the actors where just as bored with it on-screen as I was sitting in my seat.

So, who should take the blame for the failure of The Hangover III? The answer may surprise you. The blame is on me and everyone one else who thought the old Hangover format wasn’t working and needed to be changed. I turned into a complete hypocrite after viewing The Hangover III because I wanted something different and when Todd Phillips gave it to me, I didn’t like it. The Hangover II‘s premise wasn’t bad, it just didn’t have the laughs of the original. Turning the story into a heist film just did not work for this cast of characters. Unfortunately what was missing was the big belly laughs that only came in the last five minutes of the The Hangover III. We get a glimpse of the The Hangover sequel that could have succeeded in the laughs department, but it was too little too late. Overall I give The Hangover III 2 out of 4 potatoes.

Follow me on Twitter @CW44CouchPotato and become a fan at facebook.com/CW44CouchPotato.

Read all my Movie Reviews here >>

By: Casey Shea

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Grammy Awards have come and gone this year, but you may not know that a rock band from right here in Pennsylvania took home some hardware.

Halestorm won this year’s Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Grammy for their song “Love Bites (So Do I),” off their second studio album “The Strange Case Of…”

The band is comprised of singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale, drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bassist Josh Smith.

On Friday, Halestorm blew the roof off of Stage AE. Before the show, I had the incredible honor of sitting down with Arejay and Lzzy to talk about their success.

Watch the entire interview here:

Being nominated came as a shock to the band, who were actually on stage when the news came down.

“We were in Madison, Wisc. and it was in the middle of our set. I just sat down at the piano to do one of our ballads and I’m kind of talking with the audience before I start. The guys had walked off stage and they got the text from our management through our tour manager,” Lzzy said. “My guitar player comes running over to me and tells me this and I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ and I’m yelling to everybody on stage. We all come out and hug it out and the entire front row was like, ‘What? What happened? Who died?’”

“I was behind the drums when Joe told Lzzy and I just hear her going, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’ And I’m thinking, ‘What disaster happened,’ you know? Then, she said, ‘We just got nominated for a Grammy,’ on the mic and the whole crowd was silent for three seconds then [went crazy],” Arejay said.

So, how unexpected was the win on the night of the Grammys for Halestorm? The band did not prepare anything ahead of time for a possible acceptance speech.

“I remember them saying, ‘The Grammy goes to,’ and then I think I blacked out after that because we all didn’t respond right away. They say ‘Love Bites (So Do I) by Halestorm,’ and we were all like, ‘Who is that? Oh my God, that’s us!’” Lzzy said. “We didn’t have anything prepared because we had all said, ‘Well, we’re definitely not going to win, look at our competition. Let’s just be lucky that we get to be here, let’s be happy.’”

“I pull out my phone, and I’m like, ‘Oh God, I hope I don’t forget anybody,’” Arejay said.

Lzzy and her younger brother, Arejay, have been performing together since 1997.

If you listen to their music or see them live, one thing that will strike you is Lzzy’s incredible vocal range. From ballads to rock anthems, she can do it all, but she credits help along the way.

“I started singing with Arejay when we were kids and just because I could, I didn’t really think about it too much. I didn’t really realize I could do everything that now I know I can do with it until I was 16 or 17,” Lzzy said.

Early on, they had the opportunity to open up for Kix. After the show, Lzzy approached front man Steve Whiteman seeking pointers on how to get better.

Whiteman offered to give her vocal lessons at Marty’s Music Shop in Harrisburg, where she went every week for almost two years. To this day, Lzzy still uses the same warm-up techniques and guidelines she learned with Whiteman.

• View More Photos From Halestorm’s Perfomance At Stage AE

One of the other things you’ll quickly notice during a live show is that the band thoroughly enjoys every second they are on stage. They bring a non-stop, in your face presence to the stage that is infectious.

“That’s the only time in this crazy life that we live where everything makes sense. We’re up on stage, we’re free from everything and we’re just having a blast,” Arejay said.

“Nobody can take anything away from you when you’re on stage. You can do whatever you want. You might get in trouble afterward, but you can do what you want,” Lzzy said.

While other bands may use backing tracks during their live show, Halestorm prides themselves on giving an authentic performance.

“What you see is what you get with us. We don’t play with any tracks or trickery or anything. So, it’s literally plug in and play. If you hear mistakes, that’s because we actually made them. Sometimes I forget lyrics, sometimes Arejay doesn’t come in right. It’s very unpredictable and I think it’s very fun for us that way and it keeps it extremely fresh,” Lzzy said.

If you’re a rock music fan, you’ve probably heard of the band Disturbed. Lead singer David Draiman has a new side project called Device and their first album came out in April. One of the tracks is a cover of Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Close My Eyes Forever,” which features Lzzy.

Draiman approached Lzzy about joining him on the track a couple of years ago.

“The dude is insanely talented and insanely smart and always there for advice. He said, ‘I have this great idea. Remember the Ozzy and Lita ‘Close My Eyes Forever?’ No one’s done that yet and I’d love to have you sing on something of mine if I can get something going,’” Lzzy said.

Well, a couple of years passed, but then Lzzy got the phone call from Draiman saying the project was on.

“It was a really special thing that happened with the two of us singing together and this doesn’t happen often. We were listening to it back and the two of us got goose bumps at the same time. Right before the bridge I’m like, ‘Okay this is cool, this is an exciting thing.’ I’ve sung it a couple times with him live and it’s a great honor,” Lzzy said.

5 Questions For Halestorm

For every backstage interview we do, we’ll ask the same five questions. Some are music related, others are just for fun. Here’s what Halestorm had to say:

What was the first album you ever bought?

“It was two cassette tapes. One was Van Halen ‘1984’ and the other was Bad Company. I remember I wanted to learn the songs,” Lzzy said.

“I was obsessed with my dad’s back catalog of vinyl records. When I first started getting into music, Led Zeppelin was one of the first bands that kind of made me want to play drums and play music,” Arejay said. “I think the first record I ever bought might have been ‘Supernatural’ by DC Talk.”

What is your most embarrassing moment on tour?

“After the drum solo, I like to yell out the city name just to get everybody pumped up to go on to the next song. The first night was in Denver so I’m like, ‘What’s up Denver!’ The second night was in Salt Lake City and what do I do? I go on the mic and I say ‘What’s up Denver!’ them I [said] “Sorry, we were there last night,’ and then I said, ‘What’s up Tokyo? What’s up Honolulu?’” Arejay said.

“We have a lot of those moments, but we say there’s nothing you can really do to embarrass us anymore. There’s a lot on YouTube that probably shouldn’t be out there.” Lzzy jokingly said. “There’s a commercial we did in a creepy guy’s basement and I was 15-years-old and it was just painful.”

What is your favorite home-cooked meal?

“I love good old Italian. My girlfriend is Italian, her entire family is severely Italian. Huge family, her grandmother can’t even speak English, she’s off-the-boat Italian, but she makes the most incredible eggplant parmesan,” Arejay said.

“I have discovered a hidden talent of mine that I didn’t know. I just got my own place and I’m starting to cook. I actually make a pretty mean sea salt crusted steak with vegetables,” Lzzy said. “I make sweet potato burritos that are pretty banging too.”

What’s your highest bowling score?

“We don’t even keep track. Probably like 3,000,” Arejay said. “Whoever doesn’t have carpal tunnel the next day wins. But, I couldn’t tell you. We’ll have to have a bowl-off.”

“We suck,” Lzzy said. “Whoever doesn’t break their finger wins.”

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of music?

“I’m a little crafty. I make jewelry out of [stuff] I that I find or broken pieces of other jewelry because you can’t give me anything nice, I end up breaking it. So, I’ll make it into something else and then wear it out for a little while and then break that,” Lzzy said.

“I’m kind of a social media junkie, but if I wasn’t in music I’d probably be in some kind of art. Whether it be some kind of acting or making movies or even on the business side of the music business,” Arejay said.

Halestorm currently has tour dates booked through the middle of November around the world, so be sure to check when they are coming to a town near you.

Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Check out Halestorm’s website to see their tour schedule, blog and much, much more!

You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sheavedice

RELATED LINKS

More Entertainment News
Halestorm’s Official Website
Atlantic Records
Stage AE

It seems we will soon see the start of one of these friendships. Samantha is set to meet young Carrie Bradshaw in second season of the CW show.

Not much is known yet about her character yet, but as always we will keep you posted!

The Carrie Diaries will air Fridays on the CW Philly with the new season starting in October.

-Kristina M. Dougherty, CWPhilly

Jared Leto remembers going to the show when him and his brother (and bandmate) Shannon were just kids. “It’s a real treat to be back,” Leto told Radio.com in our new video interview.

Weenie Roast will also be the first big show the band has played in a year and a half. “It’s going to be interesting,” Jared said with a laugh. “It’s going to be much different than the Church of Mars.”

For the last month, the guys have been playing shows in churches across the United States, making stops in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and New York. Each show only fits about 200 to 800 people, but for the band it’s been a way to say thank you to some of their biggest fans.

With the release of their fourth album, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS (out May 21), the band looks forward to showing off their new music in a festival setting, especially the record’s lead single, “Up In The Air,” which has been a hit with the Church of Mars crowd.

“Everyone has a great time on this small scale so I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like on the big scale,” Shannon said.

Not that the guys are concerned about playing to a big crowd. They currently hold the Guinness World Record for the most shows played in a single tour. Jared said that the many, many shows they played actually helped in the making of their latest album, calling it “an evolution” for the band.

“We learned a lot playing hundred and hundreds of shows,” Jared said. “It really means that we had a lot of practice. So we applied that. We’ve grown up a lot.”

They connected each song to their four-word title and made a cohesive album in the day and age of the single. “I think that connectivity tissue helps to provide a little more cohesive, a little less disjointed feeling to the album,” he said.

Jared believes fans will be impressed with the album and even more so, he thinks they’ll gain a few new followers that wrote off the band years ago.

“I think some people are going to feel like it’s OK to like Thirty Seconds To Mars,” Leto said with a chuckle. “And that’s kind of fun.”

Catch the band headlining KROQ’s Weenie Roast Saturday May 18 at noon PT. If you can’t make it to L.A. you can watch the webcast from your couch.

–Shannon Carlin, Radio.com

Much too early one morning in New York City, Radio.com asked Vampire Weekend to play a round of LIFE while they answered questions of the great philosophical thinkers. They revealed their thoughts on the biological imperative that causes parenthood, God and the unmoved mover, the nature of good and evil in man and why they’re so into making album covers out of found art.

Watch as they navigate through choosing a college and career, adopting pets and embracing Marxism in a quick game of LIFE.

Catch the band playing KROQ’s Weenie Roast Saturday May 18 at noon PT. If you can’t make it to L.A. you can watch the webcast from your couch.

Photo Credit: CWTV

Of course, as CW fanatics, we are excited for everything this Fall. We are still mourning the season finales of our faves TVD,  Arrow and Hart of Dixie, so we can’t wait for those shows to come back into our lives. But lucky for us, we have some new awesome shows to look forward to, as well.

Photo Credit: CWTV

The Tomorrow People looks really cool. It has an X-Men meets Jumper vibe and follows the superhero trend that we are loving right now. The Tomorrow People stars Robbie Amell, younger cousin to Arrow’s Stephen Amell, who plays a teenager who has some serious problems. He knows he’s different but can’t figure out why.

Photo Credit: CWTV

Reign is totally different from most of what is on TV these days. Reign is the story of Mary Stuart and her journey to become Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary is played by the beautiful Adelaide Kane, who I can’t wait to see more of! The show is beautifully done, and analyzes a world that we don’t think about much. Summer is great, but we can’t wait for Fall to get here… we need our shows!

Photo Credit: lostremote.com

P.S. The Upfront also brought us news about the future! Introducing CWSeed, a brand new world for CW. CWSeed is a compilation of brand new, hilarious shows that can be instantly streamed on the internet. These shows look so funny, and there is something for everyone. I can’t wait to waste hours and hours on CWSeed!

Vanessa Rao/ CW44 Tampa Bay

Stephen Amell: SO HOT! I mean… yes he looked very sophisticated and handsome in this suit and we like the green accent in his tie, giving a nod to his TV alter ego Arrow.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/ Getty Images

Adelaide Kane: Star of Fall’s new show Reign. There is something so regal about her, she has such a pretty and elegant look. The dress is pretty, but definitely not fit for a queen.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/ Getty Images

Aisha Tyler: Host of this Summer’s new and improved Whose Line is it Anyway? Love her crazy, bright shoes! I like this choice for Tyler, she looks very pretty and springy.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/ Getty Images

AnnaSophia Robb: Looks like Nina Dobrev isn’t the only girl who is growing up too fast. The Carrie Diaries star takes a risk and shows a little midriff in honor of Carrie Bradshaw. She looks stunning.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/ Getty Images

Jaime King: Even with a baby brewing in her belly, King looked great the this year’s Upfront. I don’t love the high collar of her dress, but I do love the modern, colorful pattern.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/ Getty Images

Nina Dobrev: Last on our list, but certainly not least, Dobrev made us proud! Her hair and makeup is perfect! She looks so beautiful. Her dress is simple, as usual, but she did attempt to edge it up a bit with the hardware around her waist. I do love her sparkly pumps. They help take this look to another level.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/ Getty Images

P.S. Nina Dobrev and ex/co-star Ian Somerhalder came together to open the Upfront presentation. Let me tell you… it was awkward. The chemistry was just off between the two. Their interaction was tense and uncomfortable. Verrrrry interesting… we’ll see what happens between the two in the new season of TVD.

Check out our other Upfront post and our look at Nina Dobrev’s Past Upfront style choices.

Vanessa Rao/ CW44 Tampa Bay