Entertainment

Sesame Street has a new friend, and it’s the long-running show’s first Asian Muppet. Sesame Workshop announced that Ji-Young is a seven-year-old Korean American character, performed by Sesame Workshop puppeteer Kathleen Kim.

The “spunky” character will make her first starring appearance opposite Shang-Chi star Simu Liu in See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special.

“See Us Coming Together continues Sesame Street‘s proud legacy of representation with an engaging story that encourages empathy and acceptance and uplifts Asian and Pacific Islander communities,” the show’s producers said.

“[Ji-Young] is extremely close with her family and is proud of her Korean heritage,” according to her official bio. “She loves playing music with her grandma and cooking her favorite food — tteokbokki. Her family eats dinner together at the kitchen table every night, chatting in both Korean and English.”

The new special also features celebrity guests including Anna Cathcart, comic-book artist legend Jim Lee, Padma Lakshmi and tennis star Naomi Osaka.

See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special will debut on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25, on multiple platforms, including Cartoonito on HBO Max, PBS KIDS and Sesame Street‘s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels.

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As part of Monday’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the XBox console, Paramount+ has dropped a teaser-trailer for its much-anticipated upcoming TV show based on the hit Halo game series. 

The new show, bound for the streaming service in 2022, was co-produced by Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Television company, and stars American Gods‘ Pablo Schreiber as the game series unstoppable super soldier designated Spartan-117, known as Master Chief. 

The clip shows Master Chief’s scarred back before he dons his characteristic green armor. When he puts on his helmet, we hear the voice of the game’s A.I. assistant, Cortana.

“Hello, Master Chief,” she greets him. 

Jen Taylor reprises her role as Cortana from the game, which first launched in 2001 and has sold some $6 billion worth of copies. 

Set in a 26th century that sees mankind entrenched in a life-or-death war against an alien threat known as the Covenant, the show “will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future,” according to a press release.

Halo will also star Designated Survivor‘s Natascha McElhone as super soldier program creator Dr. Halsey, as well as Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Bokeem Woodbine, The Witcher‘s Natasha Culzac, Reef Break‘s Yerin Ha, and Penny Dreadful‘s Danny Sapani, among others. 

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While series director Richard Donner died in July at 91 years old, his longtime friend and Lethal Weapon star, Mel Gibson, is reportedly looking to pick up the baton. 

The Oscar-winning filmmaker and star of Braveheart and Oscar-nominated director of Hacksaw Ridge is in talks to direct the in-development fifth film in the buddy cop series, Deadline reports.

As Gibson previously told ABC Audio, he, Danny Glover and Rene Russo were all excited about the idea of returning to the franchise with Donner at the helm; the filmmaker had been actively developing a fifth movie at the time of his passing. 

According to Deadline, Gibson “let it slip” that he wanted to stand in for Donner for the film, which is being developed for HBO Max. As Deadline reports, Gibson “saw it right to continue the development of the film as a proper tribute to his friend and the late director of the franchise.”

If he does direct, Gibson would be doing double duty as both director and reprising his role as loose cannon Det. Martin Riggs, opposite Glover’s Det. Roger Murtaugh.

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The History Channel recently unveiled its new documentary series The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, which airs Friday nights and can also be streamed any time on demand.

Directed by Brian Volk-Weiss, the series takes a deep dive into the iconic universe of Star Trek, which, the documentary explains, began thanks to another icon, Lucille Ball. 

Ball’s Desilu Productions produced the sci-fi series, and she also created the concept of a network “put pilot,” which helped launch Star Trek.

Normally, there’s “like a one-in-20 chance the pilot gets shot,” explains Volk-Weiss. “So Lucy invented the put pilot, where they were guaranteed two pilots. Her two picks? Star Trek [and] Mission: Impossible. So two for two, she picked things that are still in production 50, 60 years later. It’s crazy.”

Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, narrates and also produces the series, which features interviews with Trek stars and behind-the-scenes talent.

“I already knew Gates because we produce her podcast,” Volk-Weiss explains. “So when I called her up, I was like, ‘Yeah, we’re doing this Ken Burns deep dive…’ She’s like, ‘I’m in, I love it!’ And then her agent calls me and her agent’s like, ‘Brian, how did you get Ken Burns to direct your Star Trek documentary?’

Brian laughs, “I was like, ‘Miscommunication!'”

Still, he allows, “That’s what we tried to do. Like what Ken Burns did for Gettysburg, that’s what we tried to do for Star Trek.”

For the record, the producer of Movies That Made Us and The Toys That Made Us has been a lifelong Star Trek fan. “[E]verything we’ve done was kind of training us for this,” Volk-Weiss says. “I wish there was…a word more powerful than surreal. I mean, beyond surreal.”

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Marvel Studios’ Eternals is the number-one movie at the box office for the second week in a row. The cast includes Oscar winner Angelina Jolie, plus Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden and more, all playing a race of immortal heroes. 

Kaz and Ryan Firpo, the two relative newcomer cousins who wrote the first draft of the script, tell ABC Audio they could have only dreamed of getting that cast when they were writing it.

“It’s always been an important part of my writing process to just picture the actor, because that just really helps me capture the voice,” Ryan Firpo says. “And sometimes, you know, it’s a real actor that you get cast and sometimes it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m picturing Gene Hackman from the French Connection,’ you know? So we have to figure out somebody who’s like that. [Because] up to this point…I can’t get the script to them.”

“The really amazing thing with Marvel is that we could have these ideas, and then they could execute them,” says Ryan.

Kaz adds, “Kumail was somebody that from the beginning we were just begging Marvel, ‘It’s nobody else, it’s got to be him.’ The matriarch, Ajak…we wrote that role for Salma. Thena is really for Angelina.”

Conversely, Patrick Burliegh, who worked on the Firpos’ screenplay with Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao, knew the cast was in place when he got to work on it. He comments, “When she came on board, we had written a lot of dialog for Thena and she was like, ‘No…Thena…is a woman of few words.'”

“So we…cut most of Angelina’s dialog. But what’s amazing is that she was 100% right.” 

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Fans looking to slake their thirst with one of the most sought-after Ghostbusters goodies no longer need to risk quaffing a 20-year-old drink.

Coca-Cola has announced it’s bringing back the Hi-C drink Ecto Cooler — in a very limited edition.

The Slimer green-colored drink came out in 1987 but was discontinued in 2001, despite its popularity. 

It’s so treasured, incidentally, that a dragon was shown hoarding it in an episode of Rick and Morty, and it ended up in a cache of rare booty in Loki, likely thanks to executive producer Michael Waldron, who wrote for R&M. 

But with Ghostbusters: Afterlife haunting theaters beginning this Friday, November 19, the decision was made to bring the bevvy back.

“The juice drink you know and love from the 80s is still a mix of tangerine and orange flavors, and with a hint of slime, packaged in a 12 oz bottle for the first time,” a press announcement reads. 

However, it won’t be as easy as going to the store and picking some up. If you’re looking to go for the green, you’ll need to follow Hi-C’s social media, @DrinkHiC, to find out how to get your hands on it. 

 

 

 

 

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Nate Moore, who’s produced Marvel Studios movies including Black Panther and Eternals, just told podcaster Van Lathan about moving on in the MCU without Chadwick Boseman. 

The celebrated actor, who played T’Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War and his own blockbuster stand-alone film, died in 2020 after a private battle with cancer. 

“I’m not hedging my bets. I’m being quite honest. You will not see T’Challa in [future Marvel films]” Moore told Van Lathan, referring to their choice not to re-cast the part. “We just couldn’t do it.” 

Moore continued, “When Chad passed, it was a real conversation we had with [director Ryan] Coogler about what do we do, and it was a fast conversation. It wasn’t weeks, it was minutes of we had to figure out how to move that franchise on without that character.”

Moore says, “Because I think we all feel so much of T’Challa on the screen — not in the comics — is tied to Chadwick’s performance, is what he brought to that role both on and off-screen…”

“So as hard as it has been narratively to figure out what to do, because that’s a big hole, at no point did we consider recasting,” Moore declared. “So the challenge for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is telling a story without T’Challa.”

Moore said of the 2022 sequel, “there will be a level of…catharsis in people coming back this universe without that guy, because that guy and that universe to me are one in the same.”  He added, “as filmmakers…you have to figure out… what you want that movie to say about that guy who’s not going to be in it.”

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

MCU VP of Development Nate Moore puts to rest any discussion about recasting the character of T’challa as Black Panther. Says he talked with Ryan Coogler about it, and “we just couldn’t do it” more on @RingerVerse. T’challa is gone guys you agree or no? pic.twitter.com/MYoWKyqlmF

— Van Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) November 14, 2021

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Marvel’s Eternals topped the box office for the second straight week, delivering an estimated $27.5 million. After two weeks, the film — starring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan and Richard Madden — has earned $118.8 million domestically and has pulled in another $162.6 million from overseas, bringing its current worldwide total to $281.4 million. Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

Clifford the Big Red Dog debuted in second place with an estimated $16.4 million. The live-action-CGI
feature — starring Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, Tony Hale and Kenan Thompson — opened on Wednesday, bringing its total first week earnings to an estimated $22 million.

Dune finished in third place with an estimated $5.5 million in its fourth week of release. The sci-fi epic has has collected $93.1 million at the domestic box office so far, to go with $258.1 million overseas, for a global tally of tally of $351.2 million.

Fourth place belongs to No Time to Die, which earned an estimated $4.6 million in its sixth week of release. The latest Jame Bond film has earned a total of $150.5 million stateside in addition to $558.2 million overseas, bringing its worldwide tally to $708.7 million. That makes it just the second pandemic-era film to surpass the $700 million global mark, behind F9: The Fast Saga‘s $721 million.

Rounding out the top five is Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, grabbing and estimated $4 million after seven weeks.

Kenneth Branagh’s coming-of-age drama, Belfast, collected an estimated $1.8 million in limited release.

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It’s been over 10 years since Kirsten Dunst starred as Mary Jane in the Spider-Man movies, but that does’t mean she’s not willing to do it all over again. 

In an interview with Variety, the Bring It On alum revealed that she’s ready and willing to reprise her role as Peter Parker’s love interest in an upcoming film.

“I would do it. Why not? That would be fun,” she said. “I would never say no to something like that.”  

Dunst jokingly added, “I’d be old MJ at this point with little Spidey babies.”

Dunst starred opposite Tobey Maguire as the superhero’s flame in three installments of the movie directed by Sam Raimi — 2002’s Spider-Man, 2004’s Spider-Man 2, and 2007’s Spider-Man 3.

News of the actress’ willingness to reprise her role comes after speculation that other former Spider-Man stars would be doing the same, including Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who took on the titular role for 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man and 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Neither have been confirmed. 

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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As Letitia Wright recovers at home in London from an injury suffered on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, her vaccination status may determine if she can return to work in America. CDC’s new guidelines released Monday demand that “non-citizen, non-immigrant air travelers must show proof of full vaccination to fly into the United States.” Wright, who portrays Shuri, the sister of Black Panther T’Challa, who was played by the late Chadwick Boseman, is not a U.S. citizen. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the 28-year-old actress is not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Because of her injury, production on the sequel is being shut down Thanksgiving week until the early part of 2022.

Wesley Snipes is giving the thumbs-up to Mahershala Ali, who is replacing him as the star of the Blade franchise. When a person tweeted that the two-time Oscar winner is going to “have a hard time outdoing” Snipes as the MCU superhero vampire, the New Jack City star came to his defense. “He will do great,” Snipes tweeted, along with a prayer hands emoji. The 59-year-old actor played Blade in the 1998 film, as well as in sequels released in 2002 and 2004. In 2019, it was announced that Moonlight actor Ali was cast in an upcoming reboot film, which is now in pre-production. 

Finally, Deadline reports that Offset‘s streetwear competition series The Hype has been renewed by HBO Max for a second season. Season one featured special guest appearances from his wife, Cardi B, as well as by A$AP Ferg, Dapper Dan and Wiz Khalifa. The winning designs from the first season were featured on the e-commerce website StockX.

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