Entertainment

Denzel Washington directed A Journal for Jordan starring Michael B. Jordan, and the two-time Academy Award winner says it’s an emotional film for the holidays. Michael stars as First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, deployed in Iraq, who keeps a journal of love and advice for his infant son, Jordan.

“It’s just a beautiful love story,” Washington tells Entertainment Tonight. “I don’t want to say sappy, but it’s a real tear-jerker.”

A Journal for Jordan opens on Christmas Day, and Denzel stars in the title role of another film premiering on December 25, The Tragedy of Macbeth. The 66-year-old entertainer has been acting for over 40 years, and as he leans more toward directing, he says his next role has to be very special.

“It’s gonna have to be an extreme challenge for me to be interested,” Denzel says. “I’ve been talking to one or two of the top directors in the business, and we’re talking about maybe doing something. There’s not that much left for me to do as actor. Maybe [Shakespeare‘s King] Lear.”

In other news, Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg will hilariously comment on the biggest stories of the year in their comedy special, 2021 and Done with Snoop Dogg and Kevin Hart. Michael Strahan, Stephen A. Smith, Loni Love, William Shatner, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Killer Mike and D-Nice will be their guests for the show, which premieres Tuesday, December 28, on Peacock.

Finally, Deadline reports that Spike Lee has signed a multi-year creative partnership with Netflix. The School Daze filmmaker and star’s previous credits for the streaming service include Da 5 Bloods, the She’s Gotta Have It series, and the film version of Roger Guenveur‘s one man-show, Rodney King.

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On Sunday afternoon, VH1 is airing an encore presentation of its recent release, Hip Hop Family Christmas, as we get closer to the big day. If you miss it then, it’s also playing on Christmas Eve, and streaming on demand on VH1.

Double-platinum recording artist Keri Hilson explains that like most plans during the holidays, her character’s big family plans go sideways. 

“Hip Hop Family Christmas is about a family who is royalty in hip hop,” Hilson tells ABC Audio. “My character, Jessica Nixon, I work in television and I get this bright idea to help our family, who is in the midst of a lot of turmoil in the public eye, a lot of negativity and bad press. So I get the bright idea to create a special, you know that we can…I guess, show our family in a new light.”

MC Lyte plays my mother, Redman plays my dad, Serayah and [Demetrius Shipp, Jr.] play my sister and brother, Ne-Yo plays my fiancée, and we get to see how this family reacts to my idea.”

Keri adds with a laugh, “It’s a quite it’s quite a regrettable idea that my character…has, and we get to just watch it all ensue.” 

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Reese Witherspoon and her Legally Blonde series co-star Jennifer Coolidge sat down via Zoom with Backstage, and dished not only about their respective hit shows, The Morning Show and White Lotus, but also teased a third Legally Blonde movie. 

Coolidge explained Reese is “the keeper of the keys” when it comes to the long-gestating threequel. But rest easy, Elle Woods fans, Reese is as eager to get going on Legally Blonde 3 as you are. 

Saying she’s “dying to know more,” Coolidge sat intently while Reese teased out an update. “I wish I could take a poll of everybody watching and say like, ‘What do you wanna see us do?'” Reese joked.  “I mean, just the idea of being anywhere with Jennifer would be the greatest,” the actress and producer explained, as was the idea of  “visiting characters 20 years later to see what’s changed about them and what hasn’t.” 

Mindy Kaling is currently “in the process of writing it,” Reese explained.

As for Legally Blonde‘s longevity, Witherspoon opined, “The movie is such a feminist movie, too, at the time, about really that your life doesn’t have to be defined by your romantic relationships; it can be defined by your girlfriends, by your sense of self-worth, by your job, your education, your accomplishments.” 

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Twenty years ago Sunday — December 19, 2021 — director Peter Jackson brought us the first installment of the eagerly anticipated Lord of the Rings trilogy, as The Fellowship of the Ring opened in the U.S.  It set global box office records when it first opened, and today, following re-releases, it’s estimated to have grossed just under $900 million worldwide.

Here are a few fascinating facts about this epic film:

—David Bowie was considered for the role of Elrond, the Elven-king of Rivendell, but his past role as the Goblin King in the movie Labyrinth apparently torpedoed his chances.  The role went to Hugo Weaving.

—Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned — very unsuccessfully — for the role of Frodo, because he didn’t know he was supposed to do the part with a British accent. Elijah Wood won the role. 

–Others who were considered for various roles: Vin Diesel, Russell Crowe, Uma Thurman and Liam Neeson.

–Before filming started in October of 1999, the main stars trained for six weeks in sword fighting and horse riding, and learned how to pronounce author J.R.R. Tolkien‘s words properly.  The cast ended up feeling so bonded that at the end of the shoot, they all got matching tattoos: the word “nine” in Elvish, for the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

–The script was constantly being revised — so often, the actors sometimes didn’t have time to learn their lines. In the Council of Elrond scene where Sean Bean‘s Boromir makes his famous “one does not simply walk into Mordor” speech, he’s seen looking down because the script was taped to his knee.

–In 2002, The Fellowship of the Ring was nominated for 13 Oscars and won four, for Cinematography, Visual Effects, Makeup and Original Score. The second installment, The Two Towers, won two Oscars. The third installment, 2003’s The Return of the King, won all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated, including Best Picture.

–This year, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

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The 33rd installment of CBS’ Emmy-winning reality show The Amazing Race will finally air on January 5, the network has announced. 

The season began filming in February of 2020, but then was halted during the pandemic. Host Phil Keoghan and the contestants reunited this fall, and shooting resumed for another race around the world.

The network also announced this year’s contestant teams:  

Akbar Cook Sr. (45) and Sheridan Cook (44) — Married educators from Martinsville, N.J.

Anthony Sadler (29) and Spencer Stone (29) — Childhood friends from Sacramento, CA.

Arun Kumar (56) and Natalia Kumar (28) — Father and daughter from Detroit, MI.

Caro Viehweg (23) and Ray Gantt (25) — Dating couple from Los Angeles and Toms River, N.J., respectively.

Connie (37) and Sam (39) Greiner — Married couple from Charlotte, N.C.

Kim (45) and Penn (47) Holderness –– Internet personalities from Raleigh, N.C.

Marianela “Lulu” (37) and Marissa “Lala” (37) Gonzalez — Twins and radio hosts from North Bergen, N.J.

Michael Norwood (36) and Armonde “Moe” Badger (42) — Singing police officers from Buffalo, N.Y.

Raquel Moore (31) and Cayla Platt (30) — Flight attendants from Chicago, Ill. and Gulf Breeze, FL., respectively.

Ryan Ferguson (37) and Dusty Harris (38) — Best friends from Columbia, MO.

Taylor Green-Jones (38) and Isaiah Green-Jones (31) — YouTube personalities from Portland, OR.

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We got the first official trailer on Thursday for How I Met Your Father, premiering January 18 on Hulu. The How I Met Your Mother spinoff is set “in the near future” as Sophie, played by Hilary Duff, tells her son the story of how she met his father, catapulting us back to the year 2021, where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends “are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options,” according to the show’s logline. Besides Duff, How I Met Your Father stars Christopher Lowell, Francia Raisa, Tom Ainsley, Tien Tran, Suraj Sharma, Daniel Augustin and Ashley Reyes. Sex and the City‘s Kim Cattrall will narrate and Drake & Josh‘s Josh Peck appears in a recurring role…

Netflix has landed a drama series based on the life of singer and actor Frank Sinatra, from Twilight writer/director Bill Condon and executive-produced by Frank’s daughter, Tina Sinatra, according to Deadline. The series will feature music and performances from the legendary crooner, whose rags-to-riches story was marred by an FBI investigation into his alleged Mafia ties, and a string of high-profile romantic relationships with some of the biggest stars of the day, including  Ava Gardner, Mia Farrow, Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe and Angie Dickinson. Condon, an Oscar winner for writing Gods and Monsters, will be directing a film adaptation of the musical Guys and Dolls, which was previously made into a 1955 movie starring Sinatra and Marlon Brando…

Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee has cut a deal with Netflix which will see him directing and producing narrative features for the streamer under a multi-year deal, according to Deadline. As part of the deal, Netflix has also committed to invest in and provide financial support for Lee’s ongoing mission to develop new talent and increase representation across the entertainment industry. Lee has previously partnered with the streaming service on the Vietnam War drama Da 5 Bloods, the series She’s Gotta Have It, the film version of Roger Guenveur Smith’s one-man show Rodney King, and the Stefon Bristol sci-fi film See You Yesterday…

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Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger are pregnant with baby number two, multiple sources tell People.

This would be the second child for the couple, who exchanged “I do’s” in 2019. They are already parents to 16-month-old daughter Lyla Maria. Pratt also has nine-year-old son Jack with ex-wife Anna Faris. 

Reps for Pratt or Schwarzenegger have not responded to requests for comment, reports People. 

The baby news comes just days after the Guardians of the Galaxy star praised his wife in a birthday tribute posted to Instagram.

“Happy Birthday Honey! You are such a wonderful wife, mother, step-mother, and life partner. I simply can’t imagine how lost I’d be without you,” Pratt captioned the December 14 post. “You’re beautiful, tough as nails, reasonable, deeply thoughtful, extraordinarily smart, you’re a complete boss, eternally driven and you communicate like no other.”

Pratt continued, “Thank you for everything. Thank you for being so instrumental in my growth over the past few years. We fit so perfectly into each other’s lives that our Union is a daily reminder that God is looking out for us. Navigating the odd circumstances of our world is a task I cannot handle alone. And I’m so grateful I don’t have to. Your commitment to helping others is contagious. I’m just so grateful for the harmony you continually bring to our household. I love you so much honey. Happy Birthday!”

 

 

 

 

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Rattlesnakes, extreme heat, thieves, disease, Indian attacks and random saloon shoot-outs. Just another day in 1883 — the epic Yellowstone prequel debuting Sunday on Paramount+.

Sam Elliott plays Shea Brennan, a man who’s suffering unfathomable loss and bands together with James Dutton — the grandfather of Yellowstone’s John Dutton, played by country star Tim McGraw — on trek across the Great Plains in search of a better life during a time of westward expansion.

Elliot is no stranger to westerns, and at a roundtable event with McGraw and his co-star, Faith Hill, promoting the series, he said Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan‘s perspective on 1883 is a “fairly honest one.”

“He knows about horses, he knows about that way of life. He knows about cattle, he knows about ranching,” notes Elliott. “I think there’s just this fascination with that whole world that gives it legs.”

Despite the challenges of the frontier, McGraw thinks there’s an undercurrent of optimism that James Dutton experiences.

“Several times throughout the show, you know, James is called a ‘dreamer,’ but I also think he was running from ghosts,” the country star explains. “I think James really suffered from PTSD,” Tim said. “Three years in prison during the Civil War. I think he was looking for an untainted part of America where he could raise his kids.”

Hill, Tim’s real-life wife and fellow country star, plays Dutton’s wife Margaret, who’s is not your typical damsel-in-distress of the time. Hill says Sheridan put together a difficult shoot that reflected the growing role of women facing the challenges of frontier life.

“There were certain things…they didn’t do…maybe the rules started to change. Whether it was proper or not to be honest, I really did not care!” Hill shared.

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Authorities in New Mexico have issued a search warrant for actor Alec Baldwin‘s cellphone as they probe the October fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust.

The cellphone is believed to be in the actor’s possession, according to the warrant, and authorities want to look at text messages Baldwin sent from the presumed iPhone.  Investigators are also seeking to seize photos and videos, emails, internet browser histories, GPS data and more, according to the warrant.

Santa Fe County is investigating the shooting. No charges have been filed, though none have been ruled out, officials say.

Judge David A. Segura approved the search warrant on Thursday afternoon.  In her affidavit, Detective Alexandra Hancock said she asked Baldwin and his attorney for the phone and was “instructed to acquire a warrant.”

A search of Hutchins’ phone found conversations about the production dating back to July 14, according to the affidavit.  Hancock said she believes there may be information on Baldwin’s phone that is “material and relevant to this investigation,” and that gathering information prior to the film’s production “is essential for a full investigation,” the affidavit stated.

Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on October 21, when the actor and producer fired a pistol he claims he was told was “cold,” meaning safe.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters Friday! 

Ahead of the release, stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon remained tight-lipped about the film’s plot as they’re sworn to secrecy, which is something they’re used to by now. 

Recalling the first film — No Way Home is the third — Zendaya tells ABC News, “We were talking about when we did the first movie. Like, the biggest thing that…the biggest spoil was like, my name was MJ. And now if you only knew.”

Batalon doubled down on that statement, before Zendaya adds, “The things I can’t say now. So …we got some good practice. I think the stakes are just a little bit higher.”

Even though the cast can’t give any major spoilers away, the trio did tease what fans can expect. 

“Villains. Friendship. Fighting. Fun. Emotion. Scariness,” Holland reveals.

“New sides to the characters we’ve never seen before,” Zendaya chimes, which Holland co-signs, “That’s very true. Jacob becomes a hero.”

Batalon confirms, “Yup, all of those things, plus more.”

While the frenzy surrounding Marvel’s Spider-Man is something that has been a “very overwhelming experience” for Holland, he says being able to experience the mania with his cast mates has made all the difference.

“There’s no one I would rather do this with,” he shares. “And you know, this has been a very overwhelming experience. The last six years of our life has felt like we’ve been on a roller coaster, so to be on that roller coaster together makes it that much easier.”

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