James Marsden

Expectations are high as a patchwork of conflicting clues build up to the much anticipated second season premiere of HBO's Westworld, as hosts and guests once again inhabit the futuristic wild west amusement park of dreams, desires and mayhem, first created in the mind of legendary sci-fi writer Michael Crichton, who wrote and directed the 1973 film on which the series is based. While the first season had hosts awakening to their consciousness, the second season looks to promise epic conflicts, violence and retribution as our HFPA members Ramzi Malouki and Michele Manelis (with camera work by Mirai Konishi) discovered in these exclusive interviews with cast members Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden and Thandiwe Newton.

Michael Crichton’s Westworld is the only film directed by the amazingly prolific sci-fi writer. It foreshadowed the themes he would develop in Jurassic Park as well as those of James Cameron’s Terminator series, with the relentless pursuit by an unstoppable cyborg-cowboy (an unforgettable Yul Brynner).

HFPA GIVES AWAY $2 MILLION---AND ANNOUNCES A $7. 5 MILLION CHARITY BONUS Theo Kingma and Sofia VergaraThe HFPA gave away almost two million dollars to entertainment-related charities during a star-studded night of love, laughter and surprises at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The HFPA is to give away almost $2 million at a star-studded donations banquet on Thursday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Surprise guests will join the many celebrities in accepting the donations on behalf of various charities.