Hell on Wheels Season 2 DVD Available Jul. 16; Common Nominated for BET Award

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This week, TV Shows on DVD reports that the Hell on Wheels Season 2 DVD and Blu-ray will go on sale in July, while Common is honored with a BET Award nod. Plus, New York's feature on how to write a TV drama uses Hell on Wheels as an example. Read on for more Hell on Wheels news:

TV Shows on DVD reports that the Hell on Wheels Season 2 DVD/Blu-ray will be available on July 16.

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes his role in Hell on Wheels in its report on Common's nomination for a best actor BET Award.

New York's primer on how to write a TV drama cites Hell on Wheels' Reconstruction-era West setting as an example for Rule 3: "Set your show at the end of an era."

C21 Media reports that Red Bull Media House has bought the exclusive free TV rights to Hell on Wheels, with plans to air all three seasons in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Ireland's Independent reports that Hell on Wheels will be shown this summer on RTE.

• To stay up-to-date with all the latest Hell on Wheels news, sign up for the weekly Hell on Wheels Telegraph.

Filed under: Press & Related Links

Photos - First Look at Hell on Wheels Season 3

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Get a sneak peek at the Hell on Wheels Season 3 premiere by checking out two first look photos of series star Anson Mount as Cullen Bohannon. Questions may arise from Cullen's new grizzled look but the answers must wait until August. Until then...

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Hell on Wheels Season 3 premieres Sat., Aug. 3 at 9/8c on AMC.

Filed under: Episodes, Photo Galleries

Variety on Anson Mount's Supremacy at Cannes; Mount Mesmerizes in Cook County

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This week, Variety reports on the international future of a film with Anson Mount, while CultureMap raves about Mount's performance in an independent movie. ead on for more Hell on Wheels news:

Variety reports that The Exchange will be including Supremacy, a film featuring Anson Mount, as part of their Cannes film slate.

CultureMap reviews 2009's Cook County, which stars a "mesmerizing" Anson Mount as an East Texas meth dealer.

• To stay up-to-date with all the latest Hell on Wheels news, sign up for the weekly Hell on Wheels Telegraph.

Filed under: Press & Related Links

Hell on Wheels Ultimate Fan Game - 19th Century Slang Pt. 2

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Hell on Wheels writers have the cast tossing around sayings like "seeing the elephant" and terms like "coffee-boiler" but do you know what all those Old West turns of phrase really mean? Play the second round of the Hell on Wheels 19th-Century Slang Ultimate Fan Game and test your comprehension. Then challenge your friends on Facebook and see how they do.

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Click here to play the Hell on Wheels 19th Century Slang Ultimate Fan Game Pt. 1

Filed under: Games, Polls & Quizzes

Jennifer Ferrin Cast as Reporter in Season 3; Fresno Bee Hails Hell on Wheels Return

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This week, Jennifer Ferrin joins the Hell on Wheels cast as a series regular for Season 3, while The Fresno Bee reports on the series' Aug. 3 season premiere. Read on for more Hell on Wheels news:

TVLine reports that Jennifer Ferrin has joined the Hell on Wheels Season 3 cast as a New York Sun reporter.

The Fresno Bee notes the return of Hell on Wheels on Aug. 3.

Wes Studi (Chief Many Horses) releases a golden eagle that was injured and then rehabilitated back into the wild, according to The Taos News. Studi tells the Albuquerque Journal that eagles "have been a large part of the Cherokee people's world for ages."

• To stay up-to-date with all the latest Hell on Wheels news, sign up for the weekly Hell on Wheels Telegraph.

Filed under: Press & Related Links

Q&A - Kevin Kiner (Composer)

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Composer Kevin Kiner, who writes and records the soundtrack to AMC's Hell on Wheels, discusses his love of unconventional instruments and reveals why he played bass harmonica in bed.

Q: What drew you to Hell on Wheels?

A: Both Gustova Santaolalla [the composer of Hell on Wheels' Main Title Theme] and myself were approached about it. I worked for Gustavo and it just seemed like a natural fit because they were looking for something really soloistic and similar to things in Babel and Brokeback Mountain that were very sparse and interesting while using unusual instruments to evoke a Western kind of feeling.

Q: Gustavo Santaolalla mentioned that your work was inspired by some of his Western tracks. Can you tell us more about how that happened?

A: Yeah, it definitely was. Gustavo composes a bit differently from most traditional film composers. He'll just go into the studio and just record a bunch of tracks that he's inspired to record... Sometimes from a story or a script or just an idea. And a lot of those tracks were the genesis for what wound up being the score to Hell on Wheels.

Q: You've composed music for scifi TV shows like Stargate and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. How would you compare working on those to Hell on Wheels?

Continue reading "Q&A - Kevin Kiner (Composer)" »

Filed under: Exclusive Interviews

Wes Studi Named Great Western Performer; Hell on Wheels Gets Alberta Film & TV Award Noms

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This week, Hell on Wheels is recognized by the Alberta Film and Television Awards with eight nominations, while Oklahoma City's National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum honors Wes Studi. Read on for more Hell on Wheels news:

Hell on Wheels has been honored with eight Alberta Film and Television Award nominations, including best drama, best actor for Duncan Ollerenshaw (Mr. Toole) and best actress for Sydney Bell (Ginny), according to the Calgary Herald.

NewsOK covers Wes Studi's (Chief Many Horses) induction into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Studi spoke with the Santa Fe New Mexican about being just the second Native American inducted into the hall.

Bloody Disgusting showcases the poster for Where the Devil Hides, which stars Colm Meaney.

• To stay up-to-date with all the latest Hell on Wheels news, sign up for the weekly Hell on Wheels Telegraph.

Filed under: Press & Related Links

Q&A - David Von Ancken (Director)

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Director David Von Ancken, who helmed the Season 2 Premiere of AMC's Hell on Wheels, discusses Season 3's new direction and what it means to have a "N.A.R." philosophy.

Q: What's the best part about directing a show like Hell on Wheels?

A: Having to keep your head up for unexpected opportunities that come and go very rapidly, like changes in landscapes and changing environments. That's something specific to not being in a studio and not being in an urban location. Weather, environments, and even actors act differently when they're out there. I like Hell on Wheels to be as N.A.R. as possible, meaning no acting required, so if it's supposed to be cold, we try to make them cold... I like to make it real.

Q: You directed the very first episode of Hell on Wheels. How has the series evolved since then?

A: The first year was figuring out our show. I think now, with our new show runner and writer team, there's a new direction really focusing more on character as far as I can tell. And we're incorporating the spectacle of being out in big sky country... I find it really exciting.

Q: Has your approach as a director changed over the seasons?

Continue reading "Q&A - David Von Ancken (Director)" »

Filed under: Exclusive Interviews

NY Times Covers Hell on Wheels Premiere Date; Dohn Norwood Promoted to Series Regular

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This week, The New York Times and other major media outlets report on Hell on Wheels' new Saturday time slot, while Dohn Norwood gets upped to a series regular. Read on for more Hell on Wheels news:

The New York Times covers AMC's announcement that Hell on Wheels will premiere on Sat., Aug. 3.

The Hollywood Reporter calls the move to Saturdays a play "to capitalize on the success" AMC has had on Saturdays with reruns of classic Western movies. Entertainment Weekly asks if Saturday night is the new Sunday.

• In more casting news, Dohn Norwood (Psalms) has been promoted to a series regular for Hell on Wheels Season 3, according to Deadline.

Catch a glimpse of Common in the trailer for Now You See Me (courtesy of Screen Rant), which opens May 31.

Bloody Disgusting reports that a film starring Colm Meaney has undergone another name change, to Where the Devil Hides from The Devil's Rapture (from The Occult).

• To stay up-to-date with all the latest Hell on Wheels news, sign up for the weekly Hell on Wheels Telegraph.


Filed under: Press & Related Links

Hell on Wheels Season 3 Premieres Sat., Aug. 3

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AMC announced today that the network is adding a third night of original programming with the Season 3 premiere of Hell on Wheels debuting Sat., Aug. 3 at 9/8c. Executive produced by showrunner John Wirth (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Falling Skies, The Cape), Mark Richard and Jeremy Gold, Head of Creative Affairs and Endemol Studios starring Anson Mount, Colm Meaney, and Common, Season 3 of Hell on Wheels lands in the year 1867, the third year of the building of the transcontinental railroad. Cullen Bohannon leaves his vengeance-seeking behind and invests in the new American landscape...the beginnings of big business, big religion, and the new role of Wall Street in the White House. Bohannon must contend with racism, greed and murder as he single-mindedly leads the Union Pacific in its race across the country against the Central Pacific Railroad. The high stakes corporate race, the environmental costs and degradation of the native peoples' way of life are themes that resonate deeply in today's America.

For over a decade of Saturdays, AMC has celebrated the American Western genre through a mix of series and movies. Today, AMC adds to its inventory a selection of classic films from Paramount Pictures to super-serve the Western fan including El Dorado (1967), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Shootist (1976) and The Sons of Katie Elder (1965). The network will also celebrate the anniversaries of several renowned Westerns including the 60th anniversary of Hondo (1953) and the 50th anniversary of McLintock! (1963), both starring John Wayne, as well as the 45th anniversary of Hang 'em High (1968) and the 40th anniversary of High Plains Drifter (1973), both starring Clint Eastwood. These films will join the classics including Chisum (1970), The Cowboys (1972), Rio Bravo (1959), The Alamo (1960), The Undefeated (1969), Joe Kidd (1972), A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good the Bad and the Ugly (1966), which are already licensed by AMC. Moreover, the network has also acquired the television series, Rawhide, starring Clint Eastwood, which joins Rifleman beginning Sat., Apr. 20. Additionally the network will air the miniseries Lonesome Dove and, for the very first time on AMC, its sequel, Return to Lonesome Dove.

Continue reading "Hell on Wheels Season 3 Premieres Sat., Aug. 3" »

Filed under: Press & Related Links