New "Sing" Trailer Urges You to "Dream On"

Accompanied by Aerosmith's inspiring Dream On, the new trailer of Universal Pictures and Illumination's Sing has just arrived, urging everyone to “not let fear stop you from doing the thing you love.”

Check out the trailer at https://youtu.be/D1BYEuMG_10 and watch Sing when it opens in Philippine cinemas on Jan. 08, 2017.

Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly star in Sing, a musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us.

Mark Wahlberg, the Best Buddy a Guy Can Have in "Ted 2"‏

Mark Wahlberg (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”) returns as John Bennett, the best buddy any guy would want to have, in Universal Pictures' adult comedy, “Ted 2.” The film is the follow-up to 2012's “Ted,” the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time.

In the sequel, John's best friend, Ted - a living, talking, foul-mouthed teddy bear (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) – is fighting for equal rights in the eyes of the law when he wants to have children with his new bride.

When writer-director Seth MacFarlane and the producers came to Wahlberg with the idea for “Ted 2,” it didn’t take long for the actor to come aboard. “The first movie was the biggest original “R”-rated comedy of all time for a reason,” Wahlberg offers. “It encompassed this amazing humor but also has so much heart. In the first film, you’re rooting for John to become successful at maintaining his relationship with Ted, and the reason why I was excited about making `Ted 2' was because I knew I’d be working with Seth. This is the first time I’ve ever done a sequel to a movie, because I knew Seth would take it to another level. As long as there were places for the characters to go and things for them to do, then people would want to see it.”

"Ted 2" Brings to Life the Talking Teddy Bear Anew‏

Although Ted is, well, a stuffed teddy bear, the filmmakers of Universal Pictures' new adult comedy “Ted 2” must ensure that he reacts perfectly to everything—including how he looks over his shoulder or how he does a double take. Very much so, there’s a rhythm to his performance.

“What’s incredible is that when you make a comedy, you don’t want to burden the movie and slow down the process with technology,” explains producer Wellesley Wild. “So how do you create a simple way for the actors to know where Ted goes? He’s two-and-a-half feet tall, and you don’t want people walking through him by accident when you animate him. So we do a process that we call the ‘stuffy’ pass. The stuffy is basically a toy Ted, like the one you can buy at the store. We take the stuffy, and we have the visual effects supervisor mime Ted’s performance while Seth gives the dialogue from behind camera.”

Amanda Seyfried, a Trippy Young Attorney in "Ted 2"‏

Amanda Seyfried (“Les Miserables,” “Mamma Mia”) has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most captivating young leading actresses. In Universal Pictures’ new provocative comedy “Ted 2,” she’s cast opposite Mark Wahlberg as Samantha L. Jackson—say that twice—an eager young attorney who takes on Ted’s legal case pro bono.

The actress shares: “I did A Million Ways to Die in the West with Seth, and he’s a loyal guy. When he likes somebody he brings them back; his life is his work. I was prodding him about it over the course of six months after we finished filming, and one day he called me. As a joke, I asked, ‘What am I playing in Ted 2?’ He called me months later and asked, ‘What are you doing in June?’ and offered me the role of the new love interest.”

Seyfried describes her character: “Samantha is fresh out of law school and is trying to find her footing in this firm. Her uncle hired her to come in as a junior attorney, and she works very hard. She’s sincere but likes the occasional joint, okay daily, and she has her own offbeat way about her. When Ted and John first come to meet her in her office, she’s all over the place and they’re thinking, ‘How’s this scatterbrained stoner going to win our case and get Ted’s personhood back?’”

Producer Scott Stuber expands upon why the guys have their doubts: “The first time they meet Samantha, they’re not sure if she’s the right person. She’s a little young, and they don’t know if she can handle the case.” For John and Ted, however, the love of 420 trumps all. “But when she pulls out a bong and takes a rip, all of a sudden she’s the perfect lawyer. There’s a fun dynamic amongst the three of them, and she takes on Ted’s fight because she believes that he is someone who is worthy.”

Producer Alec Sulkin explains the rationale for John’s new love interest: “We knew that we didn’t have Mila Kunis for `Ted 2,’ and we wanted to serve that in the story and make it part of John’s emotional journey. John starts off in a very sad place because things didn’t turn out the way that he expected with the woman he married, which a lot of people can relate to. Then, once the legal part of the story begins, we’re introduced to Samantha and realize this could be another great love interest for him. She’s a cool chick, whereas Lori was always getting on John about smoking pot or this or that. Samantha is much more easygoing and more John’s speed. We hope that from the moment the audience meets her that they’ll be rooting for these two to get together.”

In “Ted 2,” although John (Wahlberg) is now a bachelor, Ted has settled down with Tami-Lynn, the trashy woman of his dreams. As marital problems begin to affect the newlyweds, Ted and Tami-Lynn decide to have a baby in order to save their marriage. Their hopes are crushed when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declares Ted to be not a person, but property, and therefore ineligible to adopt. He is fired from his job at the grocery store and summarily informed that his marriage has been annulled.

Angry and dejected, Ted channels his frustration and asks his best pal to help him sue the state and win him the rights that he deserves. They enlist a young, medical-marijuana aficionada named Samantha L. Jackson (Seyfried) as their lawyer and head to court. But when Ted loses his case, the three must venture on a road trip to New York in a last-ditch effort to persuade legendary civil rights attorney Patrick Meighan (Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman) to take on their appeal. If they win, they will prove that Ted is not just a beer-swilling, pot-infused stuffed teddy bear, but actually a person who deserves the same freedoms as any other beer-swilling, pot-infused American.

Rated R-18 by the MTRCB, "Ted 2" opens across the Philippines on July 15, and is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

REEL DEAL: Seth MacFarlane Returns to Direct, Voice for "Ted" in Sequel‏

After “Ted’s” phenomenal success at the worldwide box office and in-home entertainment in 2012, it was natural that conversations among the filmmakers and Universal Pictures would turn to a sequel.

For writer-director Seth MacFarlane, however, it was a not given that another chapter would automatically move forward. He explains: “I actually hadn’t planned on making a “Ted 2,” but any time something does well, that always comes up. There’s no reason to do it if you’re going to repeat the same movie. It’s not satisfying for the audience, and it’s really boring for us.”

Still, MacFarlane admits that he has a great deal of fondness for the characters and the genre lends itself to limitless ideas: “It’s a little easier with a comedy, because comedy is generally character-based, as opposed to premise-based, and in a way you treat it like a TV series. You have these characters that can be put in any situation, and we felt that Ted and John could sustain a totally different story. They were very strong in and of themselves, and so it was conceivable to do a sequel that would be worthwhile. So, it was fun to go in and figure out what we could do with these characters that would be completely different from what we did in the last movie.”

REEL DEAL: Liam Neeson, A Notorious Outlaw In “A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST”

Undisputed blockbuster action hero Liam Neeson stars as notorious outlaw Clinch Leatherwood in Universal Pictures' new comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” (opening exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide on Sept 3.)

In the film, after sheep farmer Albert (Seth MacFarlane) backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman named Anna (Charlize Theron) rides into town, she helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her husband (Liam Neeson), a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test.

Producer Scott Stuber recalls how Neeson's casting came about: "For our ultimate foil, we sat around like little kids saying, 'I hope we can get someone like Liam Neeson. Wouldn't that be amazing?'" Turns out that they didn't have to dream. "I've been lucky enough to have worked with him before, and he was a fan of Seth's, so it was a terrific get."

Actor-writer-director Seth MacFarlane knew that Clinch was pivotal to “A Million Ways to Die in the West” because the character had to be believable. He explains that Neeson was the man for the job: "Clinch is a character that has to seem like he is in a drama for everything to work. He is a bad guy who has to be dealt with: a real situation. That's an anchor that you have to have in a comedy like this. You have to believe that the bad guy's a legitimate threat, and Liam did that masterfully."

Prior to meeting with Neeson, MacFarlane had an idea of what kind of accent he wanted Clinch to possess. The Irish-born actor had similar thoughts. MacFarlane says: "I love Liam's speaking voice, so when he came in I thought, 'God, I hope he doesn't do a Western accent.' He just has such a resonant, powerful speaking voice. The guy can read the phone book, and you sit up and take a listen."

Recalling his rationale for playing Clinch as a Northern Irishman, Neeson offers: "A few years ago, my kids came home from school and said, 'Dad, you're on Family Guy!' So I watch, and Seth lampooned me as Liam Neeson doing a Western, strangely enough, and what my accent would be like. So, when we agreed to do this, I said, 'I'll only do it, Seth, if I can play it in my Northern Irish accent...as homage to Family Guy.' So he agreed."

Neeson discusses how he brought his background to the story: "Clinch is a classic baddie in the Western tradition; he's a gunslinger. I'm from the north of Ireland originally, and I've made him very pure and broad Northern Irish. I imagine his real name was probably Trevor McBraid, but he changed his name to Clinch Leatherwood when he came to the Wild West."

The performer found working with MacFarlane to be an enjoyable experience, commending: "Seth's quite a remarkable Renaissance young man. He's always up and breezy, and open to suggestions and ideas. If he doesn't like them, he'll say so, and if he does then he'll incorporate them. He's very acute at giving you a note. If a beat isn't working in a scene, he'll change a line or suggest something for you to try."

“A Million Ways to Die in the West” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

REEL DEAL: A Million Ways To Die In The West REVIEW

From the success of TED, Seth McFarlane sets out into another movie that sets into a frenzy of comedy which is offensive yet entertaining. He now goes into the inspiration of western movies with "A Million Ways To Die In The West".

For this movie, it goes beyond Ted with the roster of casting like Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried and Neil Patrick Harris as the main characters. This is also a rare time, Theron goes into comedy knowing that she is more of sci-fi and action than making people laugh. Same goes with Liam Neeson which brings that seriousness into the plot.

Seth produces, directs and writes the story as he also injects his own brand of comedy like he did with Ted, Family Guy, and American Dad. This is also one of the movies Seth stars personally which he rarely happens as he is busy doing voice overs.

REEL DEAL: Amanda Seyfried, The Heartbreaker In “A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST”

Amanda Seyfried (“Les Miserables,” “Red Riding Hood”) stars as Louise, the woman who would break the hero's heart in, Universal Pictures' new comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” (opening exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide on Sept 3.)

In the film, after sheep farmer Albert (Seth MacFarlane) backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend, Louise (Seyfried) leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman named Anna (Charlize Theron) rides into town, she helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her husband (Liam Neeson), a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test.

The filmmakers wanted to find an actress who was right in the "Goldilocks" zone, someone who could express that artful balance between a woman whom you don't really want the guy to end up with because she's not the nicest person, but a character who still has enough redeeming qualities that you don't think the guy is an idiot for pining after her. Someone "just right."

REEL DEAL: Theron In Rare Comedic Role In “A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST”

Oscar-winner Charlize Theron (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) stars in Universal Pictures' new comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” which will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting Sept 3.

In the film, after sheep farmer Albert (Seth MacFarlane) backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman named Anna (Theron) rides into town, she helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her husband (Liam Neeson), a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test.

REEL DEAL: Ted REVIEW

From the makers of animated series Family Guy comes a adult comedy that makes a crossover with a fairy tale twist. Ted tells a story of a teddy bear that came to life because of a wish of a young boy named John.

John (Mark Walberg) grew up and so did Ted (to be a rude and perveted bear) and now on a four year relationship with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis). Ted's personality and attachtment with John attracted conflicts with his relationship. Ted is the first movie from the creators of Family Guy and American Dad, which features some of its voice actors like Seth MacFarlane, who voices Ted and Mila Kunis as Lori. 

REEL DEAL: Ted SPOTLIGHT

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humor to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of Ted.  In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since.

“Ted” is distributed and released by United International Pictures

 through Solar Entertainment Corporation.