On the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Harry Potter film, HBO Max has announced that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are going back to school.
Specifically, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watsonwill appear together in Harry Potter 20thAnniversary: Return to Hogwarts, a special that will debut on December 1.
HBO Max says the project, “will tell an enchanting making-of story through all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations, inviting fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time.”
The special will feature interviews with cast members including RalphFiennes, who played Voldemort, as well as Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), director Chris Columbus “and many more.”
In case you need to catch up, or if you just want to celebrate the 20th birthday of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, all eight Potter movies are currently available on the streaming service.
Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Hough, 36, announced the news Tuesday on Instagram, telling his followers in a video: “I have some news to share and I wanted you to hear it straight from me. Even though I’ve been fully vaccinated, I have just been diagnosed with a breakthrough case of COVID. I just found out.”
The pro dancer, who has won the Mirror Ball trophy six times, as well as three Emmys for his choreography on the show, said he’s feeling “OK” and “strong.”
“I’m currently taking advice from medical professionals [and] doing everything I can to get better as fast as I can,” he added. “I’m currently in quarantine, and I’ll make sure I keep you guys all updated with what’s going on.”
Hough, who just appeared on Monday’s episode of DWTS, ended the video by sending “a lot of love” to his followers and urging them to “stay safe.” He also said he was rescheduling his shows in Las Vegas, which were set to take place this week, and will “announce the new dates shortly.”
The news comes as DWTS is set to air its season-30 finale in less than a week, with the episode set to take place on Monday, Nov. 22.
Hough isn’t the only person on DWTS this season to be diagnosed with COVID-19: contestant Cody Rigsby and his pro dancer partner, Cheryl Burke, each had breakthrough cases despite them both being vaccinated. The pair recovered and have made it to the season 30 finals alongside contestants JoJo Siwa, Amanda Kloots and Iman Shumpert, whose respective pro dancer partners are Jenna Johnson, Alan Bersten and Daniella Karagach.
Lady Gaga is opening up on what her dramatic transformation entailed for the upcoming film, House of Gucci.
In the Ridley Scott-directed film, Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, the woman who was famously convicted of arranging the murder of her ex-husband, Italian fashion heir Maurizio Gucci.
Ahead of the film’s Nov. 24 release, Gaga spoke about the steps she took to embody Reggiani on the big screen and gave her thoughts on the woman who served 18 years in prison for the infamous crime.
“There was a lot that was in the media that was sensationalized about how she was this gold digger and about how she killed for greed and money,” Gaga said Tuesday on Good Morning America.
“I believe it was love, and I believe it was survival,” she added.
Despite feeling Reggiani was somewhat mischaracterized in the press, Gaga said she still had her reasons for not meeting with the woman.
“I didn’t wanna meet her because I could tell very quickly that this woman wanted to be glorified for this murder, and she wanted to be remembered as this criminal,” Gaga said.
“I didn’t wanna collude with something that I don’t believe in,” she continued. “You know, she did have her husband murdered.”
Instead, Gaga said she dove into her own research and worked at mastering Reggiani’s accent.
“I was just in Milan the other day doing a television show, and I had the most wonderful time with Fabio, who did my interview,” Gaga said. “When he told me that he was so impressed with my accent and that Italian people were impressed with my accent, I couldn’t think of a higher honor.”
See more of Lady Gaga’s interview with Michael Strahan on Nightline tonight at 12:35 a.m. ET on ABC.
Oscar winning actor and producer George Clooney virtually sat down with Marc Maron on his WTF podcast Monday and discussed last month’s fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured when star and producer Alec Baldwin fired a gun he believed was “cold,” meaning unloaded. An investigation is ongoing.
Clooney explained he was good friends with actor Jon-Erik Hexum, who was killed in 1984 when he put a blank-loaded gun to his head and fired. George also revealed he was “really good friends” with Brandon Lee, who was mortally wounded in 1993 when an unnoticed bullet was fired into his abdomen by a blank charge on the set of The Crow.
“That was a series of…really stupid things,” Clooney said, detailing that accident.
Of the Rust shooting, Clooney exclaimed, “Why for the life of me, this low-budget film, with producers who haven’t produced anything, wouldn’t have hired for the armorer someone with experience,” he said, referencing 24-year-old neophyte Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
“Maybe they weren’t doing target practice with that gun, but they had live ammo with dummies in her pack. And that is insane,” Clooney said. “It’s infuriating.”
“It’s a terrible accident,” Clooney continued. “But a 24-year-oldperson with that little experience shouldn’t be heading up a department with guns and bullets on it.”
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney has said he believes someone mixed live rounds with dummy rounds on the Rust set in order to sabotage the production, but has provided no public proof to support the claim.
“Every single time I’m handed a gun on a set,” Clooney explains, “I look at it, I open it, I show it to the person I’m pointing it at…every single take…And part of the reason we do that is because of Brandon.”
Clooney said he “hoped” Baldwin did the same, but didn’t know. He also said, “I’ve never heard the term ‘cold gun,'” referring to the term assistant director David Halls reportedly said to Baldwin to indicate that the gun was empty.
Allowing that “dummy bullets are tricky” because it takes a close inspection to see whether they’re harmless or not, live bullets had no business being on set. Clooney also said when it comes to revolvers — the same type of pistol Baldwin used — “you always point it at the ground and squeeze it [the trigger] six times” to ensure nothing comes out of the barrel.
The season two premiere of Mayim Bialik‘s Fox series Call Me Kat will reunite her with her co-stars from the beloved 1990s series Blossom.
Blossom stars Joey Lawrence, Jenna Von Oy, and Michael Stoyanov will appear as versions of themselves, making a stop at the Louisville cafe where Call Me Kat‘s titular character, played by Bialik, works.
A promo for the premiere shows Kat introducing delivery man Oscar — played by Christopher Rivas — to the stars of her “favorite show growing up.”
“This is Joey and Jenna and…,” says Bialik’s Kat, struggling to identify Stoyanov.
“Michael!” he says, to which Kat replies, “Right.”
Kat also grabs a photo with the trio, which Stoyanov quips he’ll be “cropped right out of.”
The Big Bang Theory alum and current Jeopardy! host also tweeted the news, captioning a picture of wearing one of Blossom’s trademark hats, “Whoa. This is some big fun news…. a Blossom cast reunion is coming! Are you as excited as I am?!” followed by the hashtags, #Blossom #Blossomcast #Blossomcastreunion.
Blossom ran on NBC for five seasons from 1991-1995 and starred Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenager living with her dad and two older brothers, played by Lawrence and Stoyanov. Von Oy played Six Lemeure, Blossom’s best friend.
Call Me Kat season two premieres January 9 on Fox.
Ryan Reynolds is already known for pulling off some viral promotional gags, and he’s done it again thanks to the folks at the PBS series Antiques Roadshow.
In a segment he posted to his socials, Reynolds appears in character as his Red Notice alter-ego, art thief Nolan Booth, looking for an appraisal for the movie’s MacGuffin — an ancient golden statue of an egg.
Antiques Roadshow expert Lark E. Mason does the honors, asking Booth the usual questions of provenance. “Is it a family heirloom?” he asks of the item Booth steals in the film’s open.
“This is not a family heirloom,” Ryan-as-Booth tells him with a nervous laugh. “My family disowned me years ago. This is more of an heirloom that my friend at the museum lent me — he’s not aware that he lent it to me,” he corrects himself.
“That sounds a little complicated,” Mason deadpans, “so that’s going to perhaps play into the value because of regulatory issues.”
“Yes, there will be a lot of issues,” Reynolds agrees.
Mason correctly assesses that the egg was one of three commissioned by Cleopatra in 30 B.C., but this one had gone missing in World War II.
“German soldiers had taken it to a secure hideaway,” Lark explains, “And there it remained up until recently.”
Lark even details the involvement of a “very muscular, talented FBI agent,” alluding to Dwayne Johnson‘s character in the movie, before Ryan cuts him off.
Lark then cuts to the chase, saying the egg’s worth over 100 million bucks, provided Booth can “clear up the complications” as to how he acquired it.
Red Notice, which also stars Gal Gadot, broke Netflix’s record for most single-day views on its debut this past Friday.
Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Leisure Opportunities
It’s Rocky IV, reimagined. Sylvester Stallone has released a new director’s cut of the fourth Rocky film, now titled Rocky vs. Drago. It includes more than 40 new minutes, and Stallone tells ABC Audio that process gave him a “rude awakening.”
“As a young man, you’re more interested in, let’s get down there and rush and get it all done,” he explains. “And then as you get older, you get a little more pensive and you try to find the sensitive moments, pull back on the cheap shots and get the more profound moments.”
So how does this version differ from the original? Stallone says it has more heart and fewer laughs.
“I try to give even Drago some heart, give Adrienne a little bit more screen time, enhance the fight a little bit,” he offers. “But more than anything [I removed] what I would consider just the cheap laughs.”
There’s also a new version of the fight between Rocky and Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren — the one Stallone tells ABC Audio almost killed him.
“I said to Dolph…just come and try to knock me out. Just go for it. You know, don’t crush my temple, but really dig the body. Well, he did, and he damaged my heart,” he reveals.
“I didn’t feel it until that night. And then I had to get a low altitude flight into an emergency room, and I stayed in intensive care for about five or six days,” adds Stallone, who had “nuns coming in every five minutes” asking if he was alright.
“And I as like Oh my God. This is it. I’m done,” he continues. “An hour ago, I was in the ring with a six foot five guy. Now I’m being given giving last rites? I’m a little confused.”
Twenty years ago today, Harry Potter fans flocked to theaters to see their favorite boy wizard come to life for the first time on the big screen in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The movie, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and a host of the U.K. and Ireland’s finest actors, was the highest-grossing film of 2001 and has gone on to earn over $1 billion at the box office.
More importantly, it was the first installment of a franchise that would eventually grow to encompass eight films and two prequels, so far, not to mention several theme-park attractions.
Here are some things you may not know about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:
— Everywhere but in the U.S., the movie, like the book on which it’s based, was titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. That meant that every scene that mentioned the “stone” had to be shot twice: once with the actors saying “philosopher’s stone” and once with them saying “sorcerer’s stone.”
— Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was asked to play Harry’s mother Lily Potter in the scene where Lily appears to Harry in the mirror of Erised. She turned down the role because she was convinced she’d “mess it up somehow.”
— Robin Williams and Rosie O’Donnell both wanted to be in the film, but they were rejected because J.K. Rowling only wanted actors from Britain and Ireland in the cast. She hand-picked Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane and Dame Maggie Smith to play Snape, Hagrid and Prof. McGonagall, respectively.
— Richard Harris turned down the role of Dumbledore three times, until his granddaughter said she’d never speak to him again if he didn’t accept it.
— In the book, Harry had green eyes. But Daniel Radcliffe had a bad reaction to the green contacts he was supposed to wear, so in the film, he had blue eyes, but only after J.K. Rowling approved the change. Similarly, in the book, Hermione had buck teeth, but since Emma Watson couldn’t speak clearly through the fake teeth she was given, they were abandoned too.
After a season full of self-discovery, growth and, for some, overcoming COVID-19 — the four couples who made it into next week’s Dancing with the Stars season finale are JoJo Siwa, Iman Shumpert, Cody Rigsby and Amanda Kloots.
Sadly, that meant Melora Hardin and Suni Lee‘s quest for the Mirrorball Trophy came to an end following another shocking double-elimination.
While difficult to bid farewell to two talented dancers, judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Len Goodman and Derek Hough commended the quality of this year’s competition, marveling over everyone’s improvement since day one and the individual talents they brought to the ballroom.
Despite towering over his pro dance partner Daniella Karagach, the judges praised Iman for learning how to use his height to his advantage. Hough raved following the athlete’s tango, “You debunked the myth that it’s impossible to have a beautiful frame with that height difference.” The judge also noted, “There’s a reason why you’ve come the furthest than any other NBA player, ever.”
Cody, whose DWTS journey was nearly derailed after he and pro dance partner Cheryl Burke tested positive for COVID-19 and had to perform virtually, was saluted for his improvement. Goodman remarked after Rigsby’s Argentine tango, “The first four weeks of the show, you got a 6 from me and, when I watched this, you have come so far.”
Host Tyra Banks also revealed that Burke has not competed in the finals since DWTS’ 17th season, which aired in 2013.
Siwa and Kloots, who both entered the competition with prior dance experience, were applauded for their willingness to take constructive criticism and push themselves on the ballroom floor.
For Siwa, who is the first DWTS contestant in history to compete with a same-sex partner — Jenna Johnson — the judges enjoyed how the two have learned to perform as if they “were an extension of one being.” Following their second dance, Hough also announced the two performed “the best contemporary dance we’ve ever seen on the show, ever.”
Complimenting Kloots, the judges dubbed her “the most consistent dancer” of the season. Her standout moment finally came at the end of the night, when she performed a contemporary to her late husband Nick Cordero‘s song, “Live Your Life.” Everyone was overcome with emotion and Carrie Ann marveled, “You transcended beauty and perfection. You just made something. There are no words.”
Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday for its season finale at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here are the current standings:
JoJo Siwa, Nickelodeon star, with Jenna Johnson — 80/80
Amanda Kloots, The Talk co-host, with Alan Bersten — 79/80
Iman Shumpert, NBA player, with Daniella Karagach — 75/80
Cody Rigsby, Peloton instructor, with Cheryl Burke — 71/80
A fundraiser for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., featuring Dave Chappelle that was briefly canceled following the comedian’s controversial Netflix special The Closer, has been rescheduled for next year. The event, which was shelved after students protested Chapelle’s anti-transgender comments in the Netflix show, now will be held April 22, 2022, according to Politico.com.
“We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artist’s point of view, product or craft, but reject the notion that a ‘cancel culture’ is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the right and dignity of all of its members,” the Duke Ellington School of the Arts said in a statement. The fundraiser will raise money for a new theater to be named after Chappelle.
Halle Berry‘s new film, Bruised, which marks her directorial debut, premiered Saturday at Hollywood’s AFI Fest. She told The Hollywood Reporter that the film, about a disgraced MMA fighter’s return to the ring, was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” The Oscar winner is a longtime boxing fan, and trained for months for the starring role. “I was told a long time ago, if you’re going to be a filmmaker and tell a story, let it be something you love and something you know,” the Monster’s Ball star said. “And I feel like this is something I love and know.”
Finally, La La Anthony has revealed that she had emergency heart surgery in June. “Within a 24-hour period, they said, my heart was beating 30,000 extra beats more than the average person,” the Power star disclosed in the Self magazine November cover story. Fortunately, the procedure was a success, and Anthony’s heart rate is now normal.
