Disney+ launches its Monsters, Inc. spin-off series Monsters at Work with two episodes droppingon Wednesday. Billy Crystal returns as one-eyed would-be funnyman Mike Wazowski and John Goodman reprises his role as his fuzzy buddy, James P. “Sully” Sullivan.
The series is based on the 2001 big screen hit Monsters, Inc., which posited that monsters scaring kids at night generated energy for the City of Monstropolis. But the movie closed with the Monsters finding a new source of energy: comedy.
Crystal tells ABC Audio, “The show starts the next day after the first movie ended, and so now they’re harvesting laughs.”
He explains, “Now the slogan is ‘It’s laughter we’re after,’ so the Scare Floor is gone. So now they have to find ways to be funny. And for monsters to try to be funny is really funny.”
Crystal adds, “For Mike, he fancies himself [a comedian], ‘Oh, I’ll teach a comedy class…I’ll teach these monsters how to be funny.’ And Mike’s not that funny, which makes it funny.”
Series newcomers Mindy Kaling, who voices Val Little, and Superstore‘s Ben Feldman, who plays new employee Tylor Tuskmon, leapt at the chance to join the Monsters world.
“I just love the movie so much…it’s so timeless,” Kaling said. “I showed it to my daughter recently, and she loved it. I was actually prepping her for the show so that I’ll be regaled as a hero, but she loved it.”
Feldman adds, “I can’t believe the movie was 20 years ago…And so, you know, I guess the goal is for our show to be as timeless?”
Monsters at Work also features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran, Jennifer Tilly, Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger, Henry Winkler, and comedian Gabriel Iglesias.
(WASHINGTON) — President President Joe Biden is doubling down on efforts to get more Americans vaccinated despite missing his self-imposed Fourth of July deadline of having 70% of American adults vaccinated with at least one dose and 160 million people fully vaccinated.
The president was briefed on the state of the coronavirus by his COVID-19 response team Tuesday afternoon and continued to urge Americans to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated — particularly as the delta variant continues to spread across the country.
“Our fight against this virus is not over. Right now, as I speak to you, millions of Americans are still unvaccinated and unprotected. And because of that, their communities are at risk, their friends are at risk, the people that they care about are at risk. This is an even bigger concern because of the delta variant,” Biden said in remarks Tuesday afternoon.
The president said one topic of discussion during his briefing was the alarming rate of spread for the variant he described as “more easily transmissible” and “potentially more dangerous.”
“It seems to me it should cause everybody to think twice. And it should cause reconsideration, especially to young people who may have thought that they didn’t have to be vaccinated, didn’t have to worry about it and didn’t have to do anything about it up to now.”
The president stressed the efficacy of the vaccine against the delta variant, and said the administration’s efforts to get more shots into arms was far from over — pledging to “devote the remainder of the summer to a special focus on five ways to make gains” in the vaccination rate, in part by turning to a hyperlocal focus in place of mass vaccination sites.
“We need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood and, oftentimes, door to door — literally knocking on doors — to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus,” Biden said.
“We’re gonna put even more emphasis on getting vaccinated in your community, close to home, conveniently, at a location you’re already familiar with,” Biden said, “First thing we’re gonna do, this includes 42,000 local pharmacies where folks with questions can talk to the pharmacists they know and already have … dealt with.”
The White House will also focus on getting the vaccines to more family doctors and health care providers, according to Biden, to allow those hesitant to get the vaccine “from the folks that they know and they trust the most.”
The administration will also increase the number of vaccines available to pediatric doctors in an effort to ramp up rates among children 12 to 18 as they prepare for the upcoming school year.
Biden reiterated the administration’s call to employers to reduce barriers for their employees to get their shots and said the administration would expand their mobile clinic outreach in an additional effort to meet Americans where they already are.
“At special events, summer festivals, sporting events, as well as places of worship, wherever we can find people gathered,” he said
The White House faces an uphill battle on that front. A new ABC News-Washington Post poll found that among unvaccinated Americans, 74% said that they are unlikely to get the vaccine.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was pressed Tuesday afternoon about the polling and if unvaccinated Americans were still persuadable. Psaki said that the community approach was already having an impact.
“So, we’ve seen, actually, even people who didn’t — had no intention of getting the vaccine for a range of reasons, maybe they didn’t know how to get it, maybe they don’t know where to get it, maybe they were scared of the impacts, actually get vaccinated. And that, to us, is an encouraging sign that we can continue to press and make progress moving forward,” she said.
While neither of Biden’s July Fourth goals have been met, the president did tout the strides the U.S. has made under his administration, teasing that his goal of having 160 million Americans fully vaccinated should be met at the end of this week — only a few days off from his self-imposed deadline.
“We can’t get complacent now. The best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family and the people you care about the most is get vaccinated. The best thing the community can do to protect themselves is to increase vaccination rates. You can do this. You can do this. Let’s finish the job, finish it together,” he said.
Even more details are now being reported about Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton‘s weekend wedding in Oklahoma.
According to E! Online, the couple’s lavish, five-tier white wedding cake deliberately looked old-fashioned because it was based on Gwen’s parents’ wedding cake. Lauren Kitchens, founder of Fancy Cakes by Lauren Kitchens, told E! News, “Her love of family is strong and this was her way of honoring them and their beginning as a new married couple on her big day as a newly married bride. Everything about the cake had sentimental value.”
The vanilla creme cake was filled with salted caramel, covered in vanilla buttercream and finished with a cake topper of a groom wearing a cowboy hat — even though Blake generally doesn’t — and a blonde-haired bride. According to Kitchens, the highly detailed decoration is a kind of freehand piping that originated in England called “Lambeth cake design.”
“I bet Gwen and Blake have just made the Lambeth cake come back full force,” Kitchens noted.
Meanwhile, Peoplemagazine reports that while the wedding guests and party numbered just 40, Gwen and Blake’s celebrity pals were represented in the tunes they danced to.
According to People, the music for the reception was a playlist created by DJ Lucy Wrubel that featured hits by fellow Voice coach Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5 — whose frontman Adam Levine is a former The Voice coach — plus Blake’s country star friends Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
(LEAGUE CITY, TX.) — Nearly 150 children and adults have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a church summer camp in Texas, officials announced.
The Clear Creek Community Church, based in League City, Texas, announced that Sunday services would be canceled this week due to the number of cases.
Over 400 people participated in Camp Creek, a four-day camp for 6th to 12th graders, in late June.
Upon returning, more than 125 of the people who attended tested positive for the virus, the church said in a statement, and “hundreds more were exposed to COVID-19 at camp.”
The Galveston County Health District, which is investigating the outbreak, told ABC News that 57 Galveston County youth and adults who attended the camp tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 90 people, including non-Galveston County residents, have self reported to the district that they tested positive for the virus, bringing the total tally to at least 147.
It’s not clear if the campers who are eligible for the vaccine were vaccinated prior to the camp trip. The church has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
The church is contacting all those impacted.
“From the beginning of the pandemic, we have sought to love our neighbors by practicing strict safety protocols. We are surprised and saddened by this turn of events. Our hearts break for those infected with the virus,” Bruce Wesley, the church’s lead pastor, said in the statement.
The church recommended in-person worship starting April 7 and allowed for the removal of masks in May, in accordance with the state’s phased reopening.
The Galveston County Health District was notified of the first positive case tied to the camp on June 27, GCHD said in a release.
GCHD officials told ABC News on Tuesday the delta variant was identified in three test samples tied to the outbreak, and additional samples are being tested.
Of the 57 Galveston County cases, six are breakthrough cases, defined as someone becoming infected more than 14 days after their second COVID-19 vaccination, according to the department.
In total, 47 of the cases are among those 12 years and older, and 10 cases are in children younger than 12.
“This is a reminder that COVID-19 is still here and we have to take precautions,” Dr. Philip Keiser, the Galveston County local health authority, said. “If you’re old enough to get vaccinated and haven’t, now is the time. These vaccines are safe and offer the best protection against COVID-19 to you, your family and your community.”
In Galveston County, the population of those aged 12 and up is 57% partially vaccinated and 52% fully vaccinated. Overall in Texas, 51% of the population aged 12 and up is fully vaccinated, per state data.
White House officials recently said younger Americans seem “less eager” to get the COVID-19 vaccine. At the moment, anyone 12 and older can receive the Pfizer vaccine. Those who are 18 and older are eligible for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
“Younger people, particularly those in their 20s, have felt less vulnerable to the disease and, therefore, less eager to get shots. They were made eligible later, so they have not been eligible as long, and we continue to see hundreds of thousands of young people vaccinated each week,” White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
In a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, among those not vaccinated, 74% said they probably or definitely won’t get a shot, which is up from 55% in April.
The result may be increased cases among youth. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released July 2 shows that confirmed COVID-19 admissions among those under 18 increased 11% over the past week.
Robin Givens has been added to the season three cast of The CW’s Batwoman, Deadline has learned.
Givens will star opposite Batwoman star Javicia Leslie as Jada Jet, a powerful CEO for Jet Industries, who has “worked her way through life’s ups and downs” and “will do whatever it takes to protect her family.” A season three return date for Batwoman has yet to be announced.
In other news, Judas and the Black Messiah director Shaka King, producers Ryan Coogler and Charles D. King, and actor Lil Rel Howery are teaming up for a film centered on an American political insurrection. According to Variety, King will direct the feature and produce alongside Coogler for his Proximity production company. Charles D. King’s MACRO will co-produce alongside Howery. Details on the forthcoming project are currently being kept under wraps. This reunites all four men, who previouslyworked together on the Oscar- nominated Judas and the Black Messiah.
Finally, VH1 has set a season 16 premiere date for Nick Cannon‘s hit franchise Wild ‘N Out. According to Deadline, the comedy improv series will return Tuesday, August 10 at 8 p.m. ET. This season’s guest stars and performers include Latto, Rick Ross, Trina, Freddie Gibbs, Coi Leray, Too $hort, Fat Joe, Loni Love, 24KGoldn and Big Freedia, among others.
Ashley McBryde has booked another show at the Ryman Auditorium.
The “One Night Standards” singer will play a third show at the hallowed Nashville venue on August 28, following two consecutive sold-out shows on August 26 and 27. Tickets for the new show go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
“There’s nothing better than performing at the Ryman except headlining, and there’s nothing better than headlining the Mother Church and selling it out…twice!” Ashley shares in a statement. “We’re so grateful to our fans who always show up for us so enthusiastically. We can’t thank you enough for giving us the opportunity to play one of the most sacred places in the world three nights in a row. They say good things come in threes, so we’ll be ready to shake it up even more on Saturday night!”
Lainey Wilson will open the show on August 26, while Caylee Hammack will be the supporting act on August 27 and Caitlyn Smith on August 28.
Ashley will set out on her This Town Talks Tour this summer, beginning on July 16 in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Matt Stell and several of his country peers are giving back to frontline workers.
On July 12, Matt will team up with Whiskey Jam, a weekly live music event in Nashville, to present Frontline Fest in celebration of frontline workers, with additional performances by Tenille Arts, Walker Hayes, Collin Raye, Hannah Dasher, Adam Doleac and Southerland.
Any frontline worker who presents their work ID will be able to skip the line and head straight to the stage. The concert holds sentimental value, as Matt’s aunt is a frontline worker in his home state of Arkansas.
“What’s better than a Whiskey Jam parking lot shindig with a fresh crop of bada** country artists on the rise along with a bona fide solid gold country legend you ask? Well the answer is honoring our frontline healthcare workers while we throw all the way down,” Matt says in a statement, in anticipation of the event.
The concert is free and will take place in the parking lot of of Loser’s bar in Nashville at 7 p.m. ET.
MAX will perform his romantic new single, “Butterflies,” on the July 12 episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette.
In the episode, MAX will serenade the Bachelorette, Katie Thurston, and her date with the song, which the pop artist recently described to People magazine as “basically the sequel to my song ‘Lights Down Low.'”
MAX wrote that song for his wife, Emily, and used it as part of his marriage proposal. He says he wrote “Butterflies” to renew his vows with Emily, with whom he recently welcomed baby daughter Edie.
“The right person makes you feel the most alive, and Emily has always given me the most excitement but also the deepest grounding in being present and prioritizing our love,” he explains. “So I wanted the song’s lyrics to be direct with that.” MAX recently performed the song at a fan’s wedding.
Meanwhile, tickets are on sale for MAX’s upcoming tour at MaxMusicOfficial.com/tour. It includes stops at the Lollapalooza and Bottle Rock Napa Valley festivals, as well as shows in Chicago, L.A., San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and his hometown of New York City.
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — Champlain Towers South condo board members, Surfside town officials, and engineers grappled with issues related to the building’s 40-year recertification process, potentially delaying much-needed plans for repairs in the weeks leading up to the collapse of the building, emails released by the town show.
It’s unclear if or how the apparent delays in the repair plans detailed in the messages may have contributed to the collapse, but the series of emails published by the Town of Surfside offers a glimpse into what kind of communication was taking place right before the deadly accident.
As of Tuesday, 32 people were confirmed to have died and 117 people remained unaccounted for following the collapse of the 12-story building on June 24.
In the weeks before Champlain Towers South’s collapse, emails about a “dire parking situation” suggest that the town’s approval process for a satellite parking space may have contributed to delays in submitting plans for repairs of the condo building, the documents show.
In one email dated May 20, Champlain Towers South engineering consultant Frank Morabito told Surfside town planner Walter Keller that before the engineers could begin working on the building, they needed to hear from the town about how to deal with the upcoming issue of construction vehicles occupying a significant portion of the residents’ parking spaces, according to the documents.
The emails suggest that Morabito and the Champlain Towers South Condo Association did not receive a reply from town officials for a month, prompting building manager Scott Stewart to email Keller, town manager Andrew Hyatt, and Surfside building official James McGuinness on June 21, asking for prompt approval of a satellite parking location for five vehicles so renovation plans could “keep moving forward.”
“This is holding us up, and costs are going up, and [our] 40 year is coming up fast,” Stewart wrote three days before the collapse. “This temporary satellite parking location would allow us to better expedite the repairs on one of [the] Surfside gateway properties.”
According to the records, the town manager and the town building official responded to Stewart on June 22 and 23 — the eve of the collapse — about issues that needed to be addressed before they could grant temporary use of the requested satellite parking lot.
Meanwhile, McGuinness, the town official, was in correspondence with a real estate management company regarding remodeling work that was needed on the building’s facade, pool, and plaza, another chain of emails shows. According to the emails, the condo sought to submit a dry run to “at least start reviews of the plans” as early as June 9, then later followed up with the building official for an invoice for the dry run.
Surfside officials told ABC News that McGuiness was not available to comment on the matter.
Earlier emails outlined challenges faced by building representatives as they tried to keep repairs on track. In a message dated May 26, resident and former condo board member Myriam Notkin complained about tar kettle fumes coming into her apartment during the building’s roof repair, asking if the operation could be relocated. Condo board president Jean Wodnicki responded that the roof remediation plan was approved by the town and that the operation couldn’t be relocated without significantly changing the course of the project.
“We have had a number of presentations on the plans over the last 6 months outlining the process,” Wodnicki wrote in an email responding to the complaint. “The specific location of the coal tar kettle and crane has been explained to the residents for at least a month.”
Further delays could cause further damage and more expense, Wodnicki wrote in the email, noting that the roof repair needed to be done before the rainy season.
Notkin is among those missing following the collapse.
In response to questions about the emails released by Surfside, town manager Hyatt said in a statement that at no point did the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association indicate in any plans or permit applications that emergency action by the town was required.
“There was no indication during any communications between the Town and the association by telephone or electronic mail that this submission required emergency action by the Town of Surfside,” Hyatt said. “The scope of work for repairs was not received until June 21, 2021, and not in the form of a building application. To date, no permit application for these specific repairs has been received by the Town.”
Hyatt also emphasized that plans sent to officials in May were only preliminary.
“The plans received by the Town of Surfside beginning on May 12, 2021, were preliminary and clearly marked ‘Not for construction.’ The Town’s position is that these plans were not final. In fact, no applications for construction permits were submitted,” he said. “It would appear that the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association sought to address a number of issues outside the scope of any proposed 40-year re-certification work such as the installation of new natural gas service and delivery lines, the reconfiguration of existing parking, the moving of parking off site, and other repairs.”
Asked about the messages, a spokesperson for Champlain Tower South Condominium association said, “The emails speak for themselves.”
Joel Figueroa-Vallines, an Orlando-based forensic structural engineer and president of SEP Engineers, told ABC News that the delay in addressing issues with the building is concerning, and that periodic checkups, inspections and overall maintenance are important to keep a building in good shape. Figueroa-Vallines has no ties to Champlain Towers South, and no personal knowledge of the investigation.
For officials, the latest emails are among the many things that will be investigated.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told ABC News that he’s still in the process of gathering information to understand what exactly happened, but said, “I think it sounds like those emails are going to be important.”
Last week, a team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was sent to the site by the Biden administration, and is currently in the preliminary stages of investigating what caused the apparent building failure.
“It will take time, possibly a couple of years, but we will not stop until we have determined the likely cause of this tragedy,” said Dr. James Olthoff, the director of the NIST, which also investigated the collapse of the World Trade Center.
With the premiere of Black Widow just days away, the dating app Plenty of Fish conducted a survey to see what its users thought of the super spy and other comic characters when it comes to dating.
No pressure, ladies, but Wonder Woman remains the ideal “girlfriend or wife” for the guys on the app, according to the non-scientific poll of more than 2,000 users.
In fact, 55% of the guys polled say they’d prefer the DC Comics heroine over Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 26% saying they’d prefer the former Russian super-spy over the Amazonian princess.
The poll also revealed that 28% of comic movie fans would most like to see Black Widow and Hawkeye as a couple. The Incredible Hulk shipped with Black Widow was sought after by 24%, and 23% want to see Black Widow dating Black Panther.
However, if Widow could date outside the Marvel Universe, 17% said they’d like her to date Batman.
And while 59% said they’ve all but hidden their Marvel fandom on their dating profile, the survey surprisingly revealed maybe they shouldn’t: More than half of men on the app and 37% of women say it’s a turn-on if someone says they’re a Marvel fan. What’s more, 20% say they’ve used Marvel references as a pick-up line, and 30% say they’ve bonded with a date over Marvel.
Black Widow opens July 9 in theaters and on Disney+ Premiere Access.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
